Faisal Islam is the Economics Editor for BBC News. He has nearly two decades of experience in television news, focusing on business, economics, and politics. He has reported on significant events such as the Icelandic banking crisis, the collapse of Lehman Brothers, and emerging economies in India and Singapore. He has interviewed various prominent figures, including Prime Ministers and the President of the World Bank.
Faisal began his career after obtaining a post-graduate diploma in newspaper journalism, working as an Economics Correspondent for The Observer. In 2004, he transitioned to television with Channel 4 News, initially as a Business Correspondent and later as Economics Editor. In 2014, he became Political Editor for Sky News, covering two elections, the EU referendum and the Scottish Independence Referendum. He joined BBC News as Economics Editor in 2019 and occasionally presents Newsnight.
In 2017, Faisal was a runner-up on Celebrity Mastermind, with Manchester United in the 1990s as his specialist subject. He authored the book "The Default Line: The Inside Story of People, Banks and Entire Nations on the Edge" in 2013, which explores the 2008 financial crisis.
Faisal has received numerous awards throughout his career. He won the Wincott Award for Young Financial Journalist of the Year in 2000 and was named Young Journalist of the Year at the Royal Society of Television awards in 2006. His reporting on the Icelandic banking crisis in 2009 earned him multiple accolades, including Best Television Coverage of a Topical Issue and Business Journalist of the Year. In 2017, he received the Royal Television Society award for Interview of the Year for his interview with David Cameron. In 2018, he was named Journalist of the Year at the Asian Media Awards, and in 2019, he won the Asian Achievers Award for outstanding achievement in Media, Arts, and Culture.