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Thanks Specsaver. I couldn't find that synonym for 30a in Mrs. Bradford's and still don't get the Nationalist bit. In 29a removing the extra letter dosn't seem to leave a real word in any of the 3 possibles.
Just the cipher to do now.

Very good indeed I thought. Just enough help for below-
average cold solvers like me to make steady progress. Some of the clues very clever. And a challenging but not interminable grid stare end game. Nice.

Panicea - removing the extra letter in 29 does leave a real word, though a dialect one. Nationalist in 30 gives the second N. I struggled to parse this clue at first. The “men” in the solution is not the “men” in the clue.
Incidentally the preamble does not specifically say that real words should remain after removing the extra letter. I made the mistake of taking the wrong one of two possible extra letters for the first extra letter clue (not leaving a real word) and chose the wrong one of two perfectly acceptible options in the 5th extra letter clue. You can make two different anagrinds from the same word by removing different letters. Made it impossible to complete the puzzle until I retracked and found my mistakes.

“Oh well” is where I’ve ended up. Full grid, ambiguities resolved, bars drawn, essential word produced from the extra letters to tell me what I need to do. But I must have gone agley somewhere, probably in the first 7 extra letters, as I can produce naught but mince.

Belay my last pipe. The magic of posting works again. As soon as I pressed “add post”, the bleedin’ obvious leapt out at me. Sorted. Thank you, setter! I no longer feel 30a, just 12d gratitude and admiration.

My first post is cri de coeur! I have a full grid minus one cell, the appropriate cipher and keyword but am stuck on the dreaded 16a!! My problem is the unchecked cell. I have seen the very kind hints 'homophone', 'nobles' (my guess these also sound like serious lung infection) and geological 'levels' but all I can make out of the letters I have, plus a guess at the seventh, is a thin silk fabric! Been doing the Listener for years but this clue has me floundering. Someone please help or another sleepless night beckons!
An excellent puzzle, by the way, and thank you to all the posters on here for many enjoyable expositions over the years.

The business leaders you’re seeking are most commonly found in the oil and media industries.

Blackdowner, it may be worth focussing on the bit in parentheses in the penultimate sentence of the preamble.

Thank you Jack Aubrey and Candledave the penny has dropped!

The noble has 5 letters and his homophone 6 describing land where nothing much grows.