This week on Taking Stock Mandy Johnston talks to Mark Paul of the Irish Times about Rishi Sunak’s ill-fated election announcement. She is also joined by Susie Farrell of Addison to talk about what Corporate Affairs is really all about. In our Monthly ‘Techscape’ slot Mandy talks to Charlie Taylor of the Business Post about why AI is on the minds of nearly all business people. Plus Martin Arnold of the Financial Times on The European Central Bank’s Identity Crisis.

This week on Taking Stock Mandy Johnston raises a pint to the global phenomenon that is Guinness. With its recent rise to become the UK's favourite pint, we hear how Guinness has successfully expanded its consumer base when Mandy talks to Frank McNally.

Mandy also looks at the hospitality sector where Irish hotels have undergone significant changes in recent years. With news of three new global players entering the market, there’s a discussion about the current landscape of the industry.

Plus with the huge interest in AI among tech leaders in Ireland Mandy examines why this interest hasn't yet translated into widespread action. Ronan Walsh from EY unpacks their latest insights into the world of artificial intelligence.

Local elections over in the UK have led to a surprising conservative loss, with the Labour Party picking up the most council seats. With Tory plans to replace Prime Minister Rishi Sunak all but finished for the moment, what does this mean for the overall political landscape in the UK? Lucy Fisher, Correspondent with the Financial Times, fills us in on the details

News of Trinity students protesting and blocking access to the Book of Cells due to their college’s ties with Israeli investments make headlines this week. We’re joined now by journalist and author Vincent Bevins, to ask, “do mass protests actually work?”

And the arrival of Spanish bank, ‘Bankinter’ was heralded as a big win for the consumer but is that actually the case? Mandy was joined by Seán Keyes, Finance Correspondent with The Currency to discuss

In the US there's a split-screen election underway with Donald Trump in the dock and President Biden doing his best to tell everyone about it. Lauren Fedor of the Financial Times brings us the latest from the US election campaign.

New checks on imports into the UK on Agri and food products were introduced this week. Mandy finds out how they went down with businesses and what it might mean for the consumer.

And we dive into the ever-evolving landscape of AI in business & politics, and the efforts of countries vying for control and regulation of this transformative sector. Mark Kelly, Chief Customer Officer at Alldus, founder of AI Ireland, and the author of 'AI Unleashed' joins Mandy to discuss.

This week on Taking Stock Mandy Johnston delves into the world of Customer Service when she talks to the Consumer Editor with the FT Claer Barrett about the role of ‘Bots’ and AI when trying to contact companies.

As Liz Truss's new book sparks controversy Mandy talk to Ian Dale of LBC Radio about her tenure and memoir.

And, as the Government unveils its economic projections, Economist Dan O’Brien offers his insights on their fiscal strategy.

The seven most valuable companies are not only linked by their financial success they are linked by Artificial Intelligence and this week on Taking Stock Mandy Johnston looks at the “magnificent seven”; who they are, how much are they valued at, and are they unstoppable in terms of their economic success? Mandy is joined by Karl Schmedders, Professor of Finance at IMD Business School in Zurich. It’s part of our new slot called ‘Tech Scape’ with thanks to PWC.

At the other end of all that technology is of course the ‘smartphone’. Mandy discusses the pressing topic highlighted in Professor Jonathan Haidt's new book “the anxious generation”. He argues that smartphones and social media are at the core of a mental health crisis affecting young people and calls for urgent action to be taken.  Mandy talks to Ollwyn Moran, Neuro Developmental Therapist & Founder of COGNI Kids.

Plus Mandy is joined by author Daniel Susskind who has just published a magnificent history of economic growth and tells Mandy about the concept of infinite growth on a finite planet.

This week on Taking Stock Mandy Jonston explores the great American transport question when she looks at everything from the Baltimore bridge collapse and the chaos at Boeing and asks are these seemingly isolated incidents indicative of a broader dysfunction? Mandy talks to Rana Foroohar a Global Business Columnist and Associate Editor of the Financial Times.

Mandy talks to Kathleen Gallagher of the Business Post about 'Reits' - or Real Estate Investment Trusts - to see if they could provide a solution in the future to funding more building here in Ireland.

Plus. what would the real cost of Irish Re-Unification really look like? Mandy talks to Professor Edgar Morgenroth of DCU.

This week on Taking Stock:

As Simon Harris prepares to take over at the helm of Government, he’s faced with the tricky task of rearranging his Cabinet - Mandy is joined by John Downing, Political Columnist with the Irish Independent & former government press officer with the Green Party as well as Gerard Howlin, Public affairs consultant, political commentator and former senior government adviser to look back at some of the leaders who have got it wrong in the past.

Following the announcement that Boeing CEO, Dave Calhoun will be stepping down by the end of the year, Zach Wichter, Travel reporter and 'Cruising Altitude' columnist with USA Today joins Mandy to discuss the iconic American manufacturer and how it can recover following a succession of safety issues and concerns around its quality control protocols.

The US & UK have set out a deal to pool technical knowledge, information, and talent on AI safety in a landmark agreement - Mandy speaks with Leigh McGowran of Silicon Republic to discuss what it means and if the Irish Government is doing anything to plan for a new age of AI technology.

This week on Taking Stock Mandy Johnston talk to Josh Glancy of the Sunday Times about a recent trip to Taiwan and why it may be the place that reshapes the modern world.

What Government needs to do for Tourism; Mandy talks to Eoghan O'Mara Walsh of the Irish Tourism Industry Confederation and Economist Jim Power about the state of the Hospitality Sector.

Plus for the weekend that it is Mandy is joined by Susannah Savage the Commodities Correspondent of the Financial Times to look at the rapidly growing price of Cocoa and what it may mean for your favourite Chocolate Egg.

She’s arguably one of the most powerful women on the planet, this week on Taking Stock Mandy Johnston looks at Ursula von der Leyen's life, leadership and her bid for another term as President of the EU Commission. Suzanne Lynch of Politico joins Mandy to give us a profile.

Across the water Rishi Sunak started the week with a warning shot across the bows of his party. But will he last long enough to pull the plug himself? Mark Paul of the Irish Times tells us what's going on in the Tory Party.

Plus we venture into the boardroom and look at the curious phenomenon of why so few individuals hold directorships in multiple companies here in Ireland when Mandy talks to Kathleen Gallagher of the Business Post.