Liaquat Ahamed's Lords Of Finance is Business Book of the Year

Liaquat Ahamed has won the Financial Times and Goldman Sachs Business Book of the Year Award 2009 (www.ft.com/bookaward) for Lords of Finance: 1929, The Great Depression - and the Bankers Who Broke the World, published by William Heinemann.

The Award was presented today at a gala dinner at the Victoria & Albert Museum in London by Lionel Barber, editor, Financial Times, and Lloyd C. Blankfein, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Goldman Sachs. The keynote speaker was The Rt Hon Lord Mandelson, UK Secretary of State for Business, Innovation & Skills.

Lord Mandelson said: "The Financial Times and Goldman Sachs Business Book Award celebrates books that are not just about running a business but are also about the social, political, and even ethical landscape in which business is done. This is the business that I deal with as a Minister, and which shapes our economy."

Liaquat Ahamed saw off strong competition to win the £30,000 prize. The Award, which was established in 2005, aims to find the book that provides ‘the most compelling and enjoyable insight into modern business issues.’ Each of the five runners-up received a cheque for £5,000 and can expect heightened interest in their influential books.

Lionel Barber said of the winning title: “A brilliant book, which brings to life the 1920s and the role of its great public servants in trying, but ultimately failing, to manage the world financial system. A must for anyone who wants to understand economics.”

Lloyd C. Blankfein commented: “Lords of Finance is a timely reminder that turmoil and instability in financial markets are not an invention of the 21st Century. It is an extraordinarily researched book that is beautifully written.”

The judging panel for the 2009 Award was:

· Lionel Barber, editor, Financial Times

· Lloyd C. Blankfein, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc.

· Mario Monti, President of the Bocconi University of Milan and the first Chairman of Bruegel

· Helen Alexander, President, CBI

· Lynda Gratton, Professor, London Business School

· Alexander S. Friedman, Chief Financial Officer, The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation

Lords of Finance: 1929, The Great Depression - and the Bankers Who Broke the World

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