Book IWD Speaker: Steph McGovern

Television Presenter on BBC Breakfast & Steph's Packed Lunch, Co-Host of The Rest Is Money Podcast & STEM Ambassador

Steph McGovern is one of Britain’s best-known broadcasters, with a career rooted in business journalism and a talent for making complex ideas feel clear and practical. She grew up in Middlesbrough and showed an early gift for engineering. At nineteen, she won the Young Engineer for Britain Award after improving a Black+Decker production technique that saved the company £150,000 a year. She later studied science communication and policy at University College London, a degree that shaped her ability to translate technical subjects for a wide audience.

Her media career began at the BBC with work experience on Tomorrow’s World. She moved quickly into current affairs research, then became a producer on Radio 4’s Today programme, where she led the team covering daily financial news. She went on to produce business coverage for the One, Six and Ten O’Clock bulletins, working closely with Robert Peston. By 2011, she was BBC Breakfast’s main business presenter. Viewers came to rely on her calm, relatable explanations, especially during moments of economic uncertainty. A good example was her coverage of the 2008 financial crisis, when she broke down the practical impact on households.

Steph’s presenting work broadened over the years. She fronted Wake Up to Money and On the Money for BBC Radio 5 Live and became a regular face on Watchdog, Shop Well for Less and Made in Great Britain. She moderated global events, including speaking at an UNCTAD conference. In 2020, she moved to Channel 4 to launch Steph’s Packed Lunch, broadcasting from her living room during lockdown before the show established its home in Leeds. Her media presence has remained varied, from a stint on The Masked Dancer to roles in factual series, and her popular podcast The Rest Is Money continues to explore how financial decisions shape our lives.

Steph is hired for International Women’s Day because she speaks with warmth and honesty about work, confidence and opportunity. Her path from a young engineer to a national broadcaster gives audiences a relatable example of building a career through curiosity and graft. She champions vocational skills, highlights the value of women in STEM and talks openly about resilience in male-dominated environments. Organisations book her for her ability to speak plainly about money, leadership and social mobility, leaving people better informed and more self-assured. Her story shows what happens when talent is backed by determination, something that resonates strongly at IWD events.

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