Sky News' lead analyst on trade policy and consumer economics, Sarah specializes in translating complex fiscal phenomena into human-scale narratives. Her work sits at the intersection of corporate strategy and household budgets, particularly focused on:
"Real economic stories live in the space between spreadsheets and shopping lists"
Recent Accolades: - 2023 London Press Club Business Journalist of the Year - 2022 Wincott Award for Digital Innovation - 2021 UK Press Awards Brexit Coverage Finalist
We trace Sarah's journey beginning at The Bolton News where she cut her teeth covering local business closures during the 2015 steel industry crisis. Her dogged pursuit of supply chain stories revealed how global trade policies impacted Lancashire factories, foreshadowing her later focus on macroeconomics.
"The true cost of protectionism isn't measured in percentage points - it's counted in closed factories and relocated families" - Taaffe-Maguire, 2022 Trade Policy Summit
Sarah's 1,800-word analysis dissected IMF projections through the lens of UK-specific vulnerabilities, contrasting the Fund's models with Office for Budget Responsibility forecasts. She obtained exclusive commentary from 12 FTSE 100 procurement directors through a novel FOIA/survey hybrid methodology, revealing 68% had already diversified suppliers pre-tariff announcement.
This investigative piece combined leaked internal memos with ONS labor statistics to track the human impact of retail automation. Sarah's month-long embed with a Manchester store closure team produced visceral accounts of retraining programs, cited by three parliamentary committees examining the Future High Streets Bill.
Leveraging an innovative price-tracking methodology across 142 postcodes, Sarah's analysis revealed stark regional disparities masked by headline figures. Her finding that rural food inflation remained at 6.2% while urban centers saw deflation sparked Ofgem's probe into supermarket delivery surcharges.
Sarah consistently highlights companies implementing nearshoring strategies, as seen in her 2023 series on Welsh semiconductor plants. Pitches should emphasize verifiable cost/time metrics and worker retraining components.
Her coverage of Marks & Spencer's AI inventory system demonstrates interest in tech implementations with measurable customer impact (e.g., 15% reduction in food waste). Avoid speculative "future of retail" concepts lacking hard data.
Following her inflation analysis methodology, Sarah seeks localized datasets comparing urban/rural or regional metrics across employment, pricing, and investment. National averages alone won't suffice - pitch granular geographic breakdowns.
The Sainsbury's piece established her focus on corporate retraining initiatives. Successful pitches will include trainee outcomes tracked over 18+ months with third-party verification.
Her IMF analysis shows appetite for stories connecting UK economic indicators to global policy shifts. Pitch experts who can articulate Brexit/Trump/VAT interactions through specific industry lenses.
Awarded for her "Portrait of Inflation" series that tracked 50 household budgets for 12 months, beating entries from FT and Bloomberg. Judges praised the "humanization of macroeconomic forces through granular data storytelling."
Recognized for developing an interactive inflation calculator using ONS/BoE APIs, now embedded in 83 university economics courses. The tool allows users to simulate purchasing power changes under different policy scenarios.
At PressContact, we aim to help you discover the most relevant journalists for your PR efforts. If you're looking to pitch to more journalists who write on Business, here are some other real estate journalist profiles you may find relevant:
