Are companies really retreating from ESG, or is the discipline evolving? PRWeek’s latest podcast takes a look.

Joining the latest episode of Beyond the Noise are Sarita Shah, senior vice-president at Weber Shandwick; and Sarah Ogden, chief client officer for Europe at Zeno Group.

Beyond the Noise looks at some of the biggest issues affecting communications and PR. Download the podcast via Apple, Spotify, or listen on your favourite platform.

Speaking to PRWeek UK editor John Harrington, the guests assess how companies’ approaches to ESG [environmental, social, and governance] policies really changed in 2025 amid the so-called ‘retreat from ESG’ in the second Trump presidency.

This includes looking at regional differences between America, Europe and elsewhere, and asking whether it is ‘performative’ ESG that has been curbed.

The role of comms in ESG, and how comms departments are embedding the skills, are also discussed. The duo examine major changes so far this year – and predict what lies ahead. They also question whether the ESG acronym will survive in the future, and discuss whether comms should ‘own’ the genre.

Shah and Ogden begin the podcast by looking at the biggest lessons from the World Economic Forum in Davos – and how the industry should adapt to the ‘new world order’.

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