The PRovoke Media Podcast

The latest edition of our CCO Podcast series features a conversation with Ines Rodriguez Gutzmer, senior vice president and chief communications officer at Aflac.

AJ Jones is CCO of Monumental Sports 

 

In this episode of the PRovoke Media Agency Leaders Podcast, Maja Pawinska Sims sits down with Hotwire’s new global CEO Grant Toups and UK managing director Charlotte Harvey to explore what they describe as a defining moment for both the agency and the wider communications industry. Just months into their roles, the pair outline a vision built less on “reset” of one of the most famous tech agency brands, and more on acceleration, positioning Hotwire at the intersection of technology, storytelling and commercial impact as AI reshapes how every organisation communicates.

In a lively in-person conversation, Toups and Harvey talk about the “golden age of the midsize agency,” the return of earned media in an AI-driven landscape, and why culture, energy and entrepreneurialism are central to Hotwire’s resurgence. From helping non-tech brands navigate complex innovation narratives to rethinking workflows around human–AI collaboration, the duo paint a picture of a new dynamism at the agency as it aims to stay ahead of rapidly changing client demands. Their ambition is clear: to build a global agency of choice for companies telling breakthrough innovation stories, and, as Toups puts it, “to win.”

A month or so ago, reputation intelligence company Caliber announced a US advisory board, including former Medtronic and Verizon CCO Torod Neptune, now a professor at UNC–Chapel Hill, to help the company connectstakeholder intelligence to the real-world challenges organizations face every day.

At the time, Caliber CCO Shahar Silbershatz called for what he called “an intervention” on behalf of the profession, promoting a more real-time, data-driven, and disciplined approach to communication.

In this edition of the PRovoke Media podcast, editor Paul Holmes sat down with Neptune and Silbershatz to discuss the state of reputation intelligence, the need for real-time information, and the future of stakeholder capitalism itself.

In this episode of the PRovoke Media Agency Leaders podcast series, Maja Pawinska Sims is joined in person in London by Andrew Bleeker, founder and CEO of Bully Pulpit International (BPI) and the award-winning US-based corporate and public affairs agency's newest senior joiner, former Ketchum leader Jo-Ann Robertson, now BPI's president of Europe and Transatlantic growth leader. The trio's lively chat ranges from the agency's roots and Bleeker's background as President Obama's digital campaign guru, through to its ambitions in the UK and Europe. 

Diana Marszalek speaks with Precision Strategies EVP of digital and multicultural engagement Krishana Davis about new research exploring the manosphere.

After a career spanning roles at Edelman, PwC, and Golin, Megan Noel made the decision last year to take on a new challenge at what was then Adtalem Global Education, leading a corporate affairs function that spanned investor relations, government relations, internal and external communication, enterprise brand, social responsibility and more under CEO Steve Beard, who was determined to “bring all the storytellers together,”

Last week, Adralem rebranded as Covista, a change that went beyond a new name and a new visual identity to new positioning and mission. Amid a major transformation, Noel sat down with Paul Holmes to discuss her career and the commitment to purpose that has guided it.

In the wake of the World Economic Forum in Davos and the release of the larest Edelman Trust Barometer last week, PRovoke Media founder Paul Holmes sat down with Richard Edelman for a wide-ranging discussion that covered polarization, global pessimism, the potential for companies to become “trust brokers,” how tech companies have failed to address concerns over AI, what Martin Sorrell got wrong about the PR industry, and how the holding companies getting rid of “the idea machines” might benefit independent firms.

In this episode of the PRovoke Media Agency Leaders Podcast, Burson global CEO Corey duBrowa and UK CEO Simon Redfern chat to editorial director Maja Pawinska Sims in the midst of the World Economic Forum in Davos. They talk about how the event has evolved and how Burson is adapting and innovating in a new era of reputation management, including the agency's new research, The Global Reputation Economy: A New Asset Class for a New Era. The duo also reflect on what being a business and agency leader means now.

In this episode of the PRovoke Media CCO Podcast, Maja Pawinska Sims is joined by Athletic Brewing’s chief marketing officer Andrew Katz to explore the rapid rise of low- and no-alcohol beer, and what it says about changing consumer culture. Katz discusses how Athletic has helped transform alcohol-free beer from a functional compromise into a credible, aspirational brand, driven by better product, cultural shifts and a broadening audience well beyond younger consumers. The conversation also dives into Athletic’s brand and marketing strategy, including its positioning at the intersection of lifestyle, performance and beer, and the thinking behind its high-profile partnership with Arsenal. Katz reflects on the realities of expanding in the UK, the challenges of scaling a fast-growth challenger brand, and what it takes to keep creativity alive as a business grows.