Former Weber Shandwick London CEO Rachel Friend joins Maja Pawinska Sims on the PRovoke podcast to talk about her twin new roles and priorities as CEO of award-winning consumer agency W Communications and as the incoming chair of the Public Relations and Communications Association.

Rachel Friend on her new roles at W Communications & the PRCA (Ep. 246)

Formerly known as the Holmes Report‘s Echo Chamber, the PRovoke podcast brings insight and intelligence from the global PR industry. Featuring interviews, analysis and conversation, the weekly show is hosted by PRovoke Media editors Arun Sudhaman, Maja Pawinska Sims & Paul Holmes.

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In this edition of the PRovoke Media podcast, two senior leaders from one of Europe’s fastest-growing agency groups join Maja Pawinska Sims to talk about the evolving landscape for strategic communications in complex times. Team Farner executive chairman Roman Geiser and Lansons CEO Gordon Tempest-Hay discuss the rapid growth of the consultancy across Europe, its acquisition of Lansons last year, and their ambitions and plans for the future. The duo also look at how creative work and AI are impacting on the remit and impact of reputation management firms, and how clients’ needs from their comms advisors are changing, including during a pivotal election year.

Team Farner & The New Strategic Communications Landscape

KPMG corporate affairs chief Jane Lawrie joins the PRovoke Media podcast to discuss the intersection of artificial intelligence  and ESG, across such areas as performance evaluation, identifying future trends, and defining the roadmap for ESG reporting.
In conversation with PRovoke Media editor-in-chief Arun Sudhaman, Lawrie also discusses the future of AI as it relates to corporate affairs professionals, in terms of potential opportunities and threats, along with the reputation risks entailed for business.
The role of ESG in the context of ongoing political debates is also examined, alongside the emergence of 'green hushing' and its impact on transparent sustainability reporting.

KPMG's Jane Lawrie on AI and ESG

While some Asia-Pacific countries, such as Japan, have witnessed a strong rise in ESG coverage, investing, and consumer adoption of sustainable products, others have progressed at a slower pace. In partnership with Weber Shandwick, Asia-Pacific corporate affairs head Carolyn Devanayagam joins the PRovoke Media podcast to examine the latest trends in this area, and how corporate communicators can drive progress amid the twin threats of greenwashing and green-hushing.

The power of communications in accelerating sustainability adoption

Finn Partners’ Gil Bashe joins the PRovoke Media podcast to discuss the perilous spread of false information — and communicators duty to curb it.

Truth, Trust & Trickery

In this episode of the PRovoke Media podcast, editors Arun Sudhaman and Maja Pawinska Sims have a lively discussion about the merger of BCW and Hill & Knowlton to create the world's biggest PR firm, Burson. The conversation covers bringing the legacy name back to the industry, the talent implications of the merger, whether we'll see more consolidation across other networks, and the potential impact of AI on business decisions within big agencies. The duo also catch up on the recent World Economic Forum in Davos, and the apparent retreat of corporate activism in the wake of geopolitical and social tensions.

Rachel Friend on her new roles at W Communications & the PRCA (Ep. 246)

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