Stephen Beard

SHORT BIO

Based in London, Stephen Beard is Marketplace's former London Bureau Chief. He reported for the entire Marketplace portfolio providing daily coverage of Europe’s business and economic developments.

When asked what he most enjoys about his work, he answers simply, “travel.” Stephen produced a series of features on the European debt crisis, reported from the Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen, the World Economic Forum in Davos, and various locations in Greece, France, Spain, Portugal, Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium and the United Kingdom.

Stephen has spent four decades in radio. Before joining Marketplace in 1993, he worked for 20 years as a BBC staffer and freelance reporter, in addition to time with the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation and with commercial broadcasting stations in Manchester, England, and Victoria, British Columbia. His reporting has taken him throughout North America and Europe, as well as the Middle East, China, Australia, Malaysia and India.

Stephen holds a prestigious Clarion Award for his report on the death of U.S. politician Ron Brown; a National Federation of Community Broadcasters Golden Reel award for a series on modern-day slavery; and a New York Festivals Silver World Medal for his series on the changing face of Eastern Europe.

Stephen is a graduate of the University of Leeds, with an honors degree in Law. When Stephen isn’t working, he enjoys reading biographies and tending his small farm outside London, which includes 110 ewes, one very noisy cockerel and an elderly, non-laying hen. In addition to his impressive journalism CV, he has also worked as a deep-sea fisherman and a bingo caller.

Latest Stories (38)

In U.K. 4-day work week trial, companies see happier employees — and higher productivity

Dec 19, 2022
70 U.K. companies have just completed a 6-month experiment with a shorter week with full pay – and early results are promising.
While some companies that partook in the U.K.'s 4-day work week experiment saw benefits, labor experts are skeptical that it could be replicated at all businesses. Above, London commuters in December 2021.
Chris J. Ratcliffe/Getty Images

Russia tries to pull the plug on Ukraine’s electricity

Dec 2, 2022
Putin's attacks on Ukraine’s power supply are designed to break the country’s will and sever its ties with the European Union.
Electricity workers try to fix a high-voltage power line Dec. 1 in Kherson, Ukraine.
Chris McGrath/Getty Images

Germany warned about the danger of becoming economically dependent on China

Dec 1, 2022
After its over-reliance on the Kremlin for its energy, is Germany making the same mistake with Beijing?
Chinese President Xi Jinping (R) welcomes German Chancellor Olaf Scholz at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on November 4, 2022.
Photo by Kay Nietfeld/POOL/AFP via Getty Images

Will “wonky” fruit and vegetables help alleviate the U.K.’s cost of living crisis?

Nov 23, 2022
Historically, British supermarkets have rejected all imperfect produce, but that’s changing fast under pressure from rising food prices.
Ugly produce sales have been on the rise as the cost of living in the U.K. gets more expensive.
Mychele Daniau/AFP via Getty Images

Is Brexit to blame for Britain's mess?

Nov 9, 2022
Some critics of the U.K.’s decision to leave the European Union say the country’s recent turmoil should drive it back into the bloc.
Anti-Brexit demonstrators march in London on Oct. 22.
Hollie Adams/Getty Images

EU ramps up financial pressure on Hungary's right-wing government

Nov 8, 2022
The EU is withholding billions of euros in grants over concerns surrounding corruption and discrimination.
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán faces mounting pressure over policies the EU says violate international standards.
Getty Images / ATTILA KISBENEDEK

How the U.K.’s short-term fixed-rate mortgages are causing deep worry

Oct 26, 2022
The recent firestorm over the British government’s fiscal policies highlighted the vulnerability of some mortgages in the United Kingdom.
Brits typically fix their mortgage interest rates on two- or five-year terms. Many are fearing refinancing because of the recent spike in U.K. interest rates.
Niklas Halle'n/AFP via Getty Images

Should the U.K. government nationalize the wind?

Oct 18, 2022
The opposition Labour Party recently proposed a publicly owned company to invest in renewable energy.
Offshore wind power supplies roughly 14% of the U.K.'s electricity needs yet the British government owns little of its generating output.
Oli Scarff/AFP via Getty Images

Fizzling out: a shortage of carbon dioxide hits U.K. food and drink industry

Oct 11, 2022
The war in Ukraine and the sharp hike in the price of natural gas has sent the cost of C02, a vital industrial chemical, soaring in Europe.
The U.K. is dealing with a shortage of CO2, which is essential in the meat industry as well as the brewing and serving of beer.
Getty Images

Chemical giant BASF is under threat after Russians turn off the gas

Oct 4, 2022
Gas rationing by the Berlin government this winter could hit the German chemical industry and dent the global economy.
BASF, the world’s largest chemical company, may be forced to grapple with natural gas rationing if Germany experiences a cold winter.
Daniel Roland/AFP via Getty Images