Pippa Stevens (JR 2004-09) reflects on her career and becoming a markets reporter for CNBC. 

When I was a student at King’s, I never could have imagined that one day I would be covering financial markets – and energy in particular – on live television. I arrived at King’s for my Shell year with a thick New York accent and zero time spent living in the UK. But while I had a different geographic background, I immediately found many of my fellow classmates shared my wide-ranging set of interests, and an openness to trying new things. At King’s you felt encouraged to explore ideas across disciplines, whether through classroom discussions that encouraged debate and questioning or through the countless extracurricular opportunities available to students. No matter what your interests were, there was always a way to pursue them. Not to mention it was an enormous amount of fun to live with a bunch of friends – I was in Jervis House under Mrs. Horn – from such an early age.

Back in the U.S. for college at Princeton University, I majored in Classics and wrote my senior thesis on the role of lawyers in ancient Rome, and ultimately decided that I wanted to become a lawyer. But after working at a law firm for a year straight out of university, I ultimately decided it wasn’t the right fit for me.

Through a somewhat circuitous route, I ultimately found my way into journalism. It was a path I had never considered, and I initially thought it would be temporary. But I quickly realized it was the environment I had been looking for. I love the fast-moving, high adrenaline pace of newsrooms, as well as the intensity of covering financial markets in real time – translating market moves into something viewers can understand. My job is to absorb a large amount of information quickly, parsing what matters most, and then explain on air why it matters – sometimes condensing it all into a sixty second “hit”. I thrive in the dynamic, deadline-driven nature of the work.

I began my career behind the camera, working in production roles that involved researching stories, writing scripts, and helping assemble live broadcasts. I learned how business news works, and how to communicate complex information in a clear and concise way.

After several years working behind the scenes, I decided to try my hand at reporting – first as a writer for CNBC’s website, and then as an on-air broadcast reporter.

Today my reporting focuses on the energy sector, which is going through one of the most transformative periods in its history. Energy sits at the center of so many global conversations: economic growth, national security, technological innovation, climate policy – and at the time of writing, the ongoing tension and conflict in the oil-rich Middle East. My coverage spans everything from fossil fuels and renewable energy to the metals and materials needed to build modern energy systems. I report on the companies that produce energy, the infrastructure that moves it, and the policies that shape how it is used.

One of the most rewarding aspects of my job has been the opportunity to report from the field and see these systems up close. I’ve reported live from an offshore wind site, the deepest open pit mine in the world, 1600 feet underground at a uranium mine – where it was –32 degrees Celsius – the first nuclear plant built in the U.S. in decades, the only lithium mine in America, to name a few.

Looking back, it is clear that the curiosity King’s encouraged played a role in shaping the path that led me here. King’s instilled that habit early on. The School created an environment where curiosity was not just welcomed but encouraged. And of course, there was all the fun we had: house song, volunteering at King’s Week during 6b – and the lasting friendships made. When I got married at a ranch in remote Montana three summers ago there was a Jervis contingent that made the trek to the American West for our hoedown and wedding. What wonderful memories!

This article was first published in the OKS Magazine (Spring 2026).