Fuse - The PR, Marketing and Communications Podcast

In this episode of the PRCA Fuse podcast, Adrian speaks with Charles Lewington, founder of Hanover Communications, about the evolution and global success of the UK’s PR and public affairs industry. Drawing on CBI Economics’ Beyond Communications report, they explore how reputation became a boardroom priority, the forces behind agency growth and overseas investment, and what the future holds for professional standards, regulatory expertise and AI.

This one matters.

The latest episode of PRCA Fuse looks at a report that could change how PR and public affairs are understood,valued and invested in.

Beyond Communications: Understanding the economic contribution of the PR & PA sector is the first independent economic study of the UK PR and PA sector, produced by CBI Economics for the PRCA.

It finds that PR and PA contribute around £7.1 billion in gross value added to the UK economy and support morethan 95,000 jobs.

But the bigger point is not just the size of the sector. It’s the role PR and PA have to play now.

At a time when trust is in short supply, the people whose job it is to build trust, broker understanding and help organisations navigate complexity have never been more important.

In this episode, Adrian Ma speaks to Sarah Waddington, CEO of the PRCA, about why the report matters and what itcould mean for the future of the industry.

In this episode of the PRCA Fuse podcast, Adrian speaks with James Thomlinson and Lynn Louca from Sprint Partners about their new study into PRWeek’s Top 150 agencies. They explore why some agencies are achieving standout growth in a flat market, the 10 “growth accelerators” driving performance, and what agency leaders can learn about specialisation, AI, visibility, pipeline building, pitch conversion and profitability.

Wales has just gone through one of the most dramatic elections in its modern history, with a new voting system, a bigger Senedd, and a political map that looks completely different.

In this episode, we break down the recent Welsh Senedd elections and what they mean for parties, businesses, campaigners, and voters on the ground.

🔍 In this episode, we cover:

How the Senedd has expanded from 60 to 96 Members

What the new voting system and super-constituencies look like in practice

Why Wales has seen historic lows for Labour and the Conservatives

How Plaid Cymru has emerged with the First Minister for the first time

The rise of Reform and the arrival of the Greens in the Senedd

What pushed voters in traditional “safe” Labour areas – especially the Valleys and North East Wales – to finally switch

The opportunities and risks this new landscape creates for businesses and organisations trying to engage with policymakers

🎙️Guests in this episode:

Louise Whatham – PRCA

Craig Lawton – Associate Director & Head of Corporate Affairs, Grasshopper Communications

Tomos Day – UK Commercial Manager, GovConnex

Rhys Flowers – Director of Communications for Wales, Four Cymru

Together, they explore how we got here, what this result tells us about voter behaviour, and how organisations should rethink their public affairs and engagement strategies in Wales.

What does authentic PR leadership look like in a world of LinkedIn optics, brand “purpose” and social media storms?

In this episode, Rachel Allison, founder of Axe + Saw, discusses her unique approach to PR and communication, emphasising authenticity and vulnerability. She shares her journey of building her agency from scratch, leveraging LinkedIn to connect with industry leaders and share her experiences.

Allison addresses the industry's tendency to create manicured reputations and praises the shift towards genuine storytelling. She recounts a controversial LinkedIn post about Stormzy's McDonald's partnership, highlighting the importance of authenticity.

We get into:

- How Rachel launched AX&Saw with no network, no money and no safety net

- The moment she realised PR boardrooms were talking “culture” without anyone who actually lived it

- Why she chose to show up on LinkedIn as herself, not as a polished “PR leader”

The story behind her controversial Stormzy x McDonald’

🎙️Follow the conversation:

https://www.prca.global/explore-pr/community-voices/prca-fuse/season-5

🔔 Subscribe to PRCA Fuse YouTube and follow our social content on Instagram and LinkedIn.

Connect With Us | Connect with Axe + Saw

LinkedIn: Adrian Ma - Fanclub PR

Website: https://www.fanclubpr.com/

LinkedIn: Ike Mgbenwelu

PRCA Fuse (Podcast Producer): [email protected]

Disclaimer: Views expressed by the guest are their own and not necessarily endorsed by the Fuse podcast.

In this episode of the PRCA Fuse podcast, Adrian Ma speaks with Maxine Myers, Communications Manager at Imperial College London, who helped set up Imperial as one of the Media Academies.

The Media Academy is a three‑month programme for BME researchers from Imperial and partner institutions such as the Francis Crick Institute and the Institute of Cancer Research. It offers training in:

- Media interviews and broadcast appearances

- Social media and video storytelling

- Public engagement and communicating with diverse audiences

- Writing opinion pieces and blogs

- Public affairs and policy – including how to get research in front of decision‑makers

Since launching, the Academy has:

- Trained over 130 researchers

- Supported graduates to appear in 700+ national, international and industry media pieces

- Seen participants present at the House of Lords

- Helped secure funding for life‑saving research, from sickle cell care to rapid HIV diagnostics in sub‑Saharan Africa

Connect:

Website: Maxine Myers LinkedIn: nMaxine Myers

LinkedIn: Adrian Ma - Fanclub PR

Website: https://www.fanclubpr.com/

LinkedIn: Ike Mgbenwelu

PRCA Fuse (Podcast Producer): [email protected]

Disclaimer: Views expressed by the guest are their own and not necessarily endorsed by the Fuse podcast.

Audiences aren’t randomly scattering across platforms. They’re deliberately engineering their own information ecosystems, and that changes everything for PR and digital comms.

In this episode of the PRCA Views Podcast, we’re joined by Chloe Partikas and Chloe Platts from

FleishmanHillard’s digital team to unpack their latest research into digital fragmentation.

Based on 200+ online interviews across the UK and US with Gen Z, healthcare professionals, IT decision makers and the C‑suite, they identify 5 forces of fragmentation that explain why audiences are leaving mainstream feeds for niche, trusted communities.

We talk about:

- The trust recession: misinformation, AI content and declining faith in platforms & media

- Platform bloat: when every app copies every other app, and users quietly leave

- Why social gravity now outweighs platform gravity (people follow people, not brands)

- Authenticity sensitivity: how overly produced content can now hurt credibility

- Self‑curation as a survival skill: how busy professionals aggressively filter sources

- What does all this mean for PR strategy, influencer work and measurement

If you’re still planning campaigns around “being on every platform” and counting success in headline volume alone, this conversation will help you rethink where your audiences really are and how to reach them.

Connect:

Website: FleishmanHillard

https://fleishmanhillard.com

📈 For more audience insights, read the full report: https://fleishmanhillard.co.uk/2026/03/the-era-of-intentional-fragmentation/

LinkedIn: Adrian Ma - Fanclub PR

Website: https://www.fanclubpr.com/

LinkedIn: Ike Mgbenwelu

PRCA Fuse (Podcast Producer): [email protected]

Disclaimer: Views expressed by the guest are their own and not necessarily endorsed by the Fuse podcast.

How can brands show up in culture without looking like they’re “dad dancing” their way through TikTok trends?

In this episode of the PRCA Fuse Podcast, we’re joined by Gerald Sagoe – writer, director, producer and creative director – who specialises in content rooted in cultural authenticity. Gerald has worked with high-profile names including Anthony Joshua, Lethal Bizzle, the Mayor of London, and Sky, and has created campaigns across markets from West Africa to Dubai.

Together, we unpack:

• What cultural authenticity really means in brand storytelling
• Why some brands have no right to play in certain cultural spaces – and how audiences call that out
• The backlash to Sky’s Halo TikTok channel and what it teaches us about misreading culture
• How brands like Adidas grew organically with hip hop culture, versus those trying to retrofit “cool”
• The Oatly x Giggs collaboration and why it worked so well across Instagram and TikTok
• The rise of personal branding and employee influencers in corporate communications
• How a business advisory firm used a mental health podcast to humanise its brand
• Why investing in self-branding benefits both the individual and the organisation
• What Gerald learned about storytelling and nuance while setting up an agency in Dubai
• Why storytelling (not traditional advertising) is the future of brand communication

What separates a fast‑growing agency or high‑performing marketing team from the rest in 2026? According to strategist James Thomlinson (Sprint Partners), the answer is simple: strategy, and specifically six “plays” that will define which agencies and brands win.In this episode of PRCA Fuse, we dive into:Why the industry feels like “more, more, more”How to avoid strategic paralysis and “death by a thousand cuts”The six plays for agencies in 2026The six plays for brands, including AI, IP and marketing complianceHow AI, LLMs and agentic workflows are already reshaping PR & commsWhy authenticity, top talent and culture still matter more than everIf you run an agency or lead an in‑house team, this is a practical guide to where to place your strategic bets over the next 12–24 months.

In this episode of the PRCA Fuse Podcast, Heather Blundell, UK CEO at Grayling, breaks down how she built a standout career in agency life, while juggling leadership, motherhood, and the fight for real equity at work.

We talk about:

• The meeting she thought would end in being fired… and instead ended with her becoming Managing Director at Weber Shandwick
• Why women often don’t throw their hat in the ring and how to seize rare breakthrough moments
• Moving from Edelman to Weber Shandwick to Ketchum and finally to Grayling as UK CEO
• Modeling motherhood and leadership while living in Manchester and leading from London
• How Grayling achieved a 0% gender pay gap and 50/50 gender representation at board and advisory level
• Why diversity of thought, background and experience is now a commercial advantage, not a box‑ticking exercise
• Heather’s biggest piece of advice for people starting out in PR: put your hand up and chase the work others avoid

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Connect:LinkedIn: Heather Blundell

Website: www.grayling.com

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Follow Adrian Ma on Social Media:LinkedIn: Adrian Ma - Fanclub PR | Fanclub PRWebsite: Fanclub PR

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Like and subscribe if you enjoyed this episode! Podcast Manager and Producer: Ike Mgbenwelu

[email protected] LinkedIn: Ike Mgbenwelu

Socials: PRCA_HQ

Disclaimer: Views expressed by the guest are their own and not necessarily endorsed by the Fuse podcast.