The Little Questions

The world is in turmoil, so it feels like it's the right time for the PR professionals to get involved. It also feels like the right time to use Lenin's famous quote – "there are decades where nothing happens, and there are weeks where decades happen". We have plenty of ground to cover on this edition of The Little Questions including Birmingham's bins, British steel, dead things (you'll find out why), the latest AI trend we're not sure about and what has to be the best PR of the month involving a Tunnocks teacake. Hosting this one is Matt Young alongside fellow Apella Advisors partner, Andrew Brown. Andrew Brown; formerly Director of Communications and Public affairs at Ageas Insurance, Andrew has more than ten years' experience leading the corporate affairs functions for global, listed, multifaceted firms across a range of regulated and unregulated sectors. He has considerable experience in issues, crisis and change management as well as reputation sentiment analysis and insight. Formerly Director of Communications at Drax Group plc and Group Corporate Affairs Director at Regus plc. Matt Young has 25 years of experience across media relations, public affairs, regulatory development, employee engagement, brand development, competition and CSR. Group corporate affairs director at Lloyds Banking Group, part of the senior team which rescued the bank and rebuilt its reputation following the financial crisis. Formerly communications director at Santander UK and board member of the BBA.  You can get in touch by emailing podcast@apellaadvisors.com and please consider leaving us a review.  This podcast is produced by The Podcast Coach.

By rights, the fly-on-the-wall workplace documentary should have died a death the moment The Office became a hit. At that time, BBC shows like Airport, set in Heathrow, and Life of Grime about environmental health workers attracted cult followings with their often banal interviews, wobbly camerawork and acerbic voiceover narrations. Ricky Gervais' masterpiece took these stylistic devices and turned them up to 11 with the fictional Slough-based paper company Wernham Hogg, where “life is stationery”. Since then almost every conceivable place of work has been considered – from registrars to zookeepers and cruise ships to police stations. Airlines, banks, butchers and bakers even a candlestick maker. Their appeal lingers. It's not hard to imagine why: we all work somewhere, we're inquisitive (ok nosey) animals. We want to peer into others' lives, and imagine what it is like, or thank our lucky stars we don't work there.  A question to ask then might be: who in their right mind would invite a camera crew into their business, with unhindered access? With minimal, if any, meaningful editorial control? Quite a few firms it would seem.  Clearly the Corporate Affairs Directors who signs off on this (or perhaps even came up with the idea in the first place) see more upside than down. So. Why would you? And why would you not? And if you do manage to persuade your boss, and your ExCo and your board what do you need to think about? What controls need to be in place? What might cause you sleepless nights?  These questions are answered, and more, on this edition of The Little Questions. Hosted by: Andrew Brown; formerly Director of Communications and Public affairs at Ageas Insurance, Andrew has more than ten years' experience leading the corporate affairs functions for global, listed, multifaceted firms across a range of regulated and unregulated sectors. He has considerable experience in issues, crisis and change management as well as reputation sentiment analysis and insight. Formerly Director of Communications at Drax Group plc and Group Corporate Affairs Director at Regus plc. Matt Young has 25 years of experience across media relations, public affairs, regulatory development, employee engagement, brand development, competition and CSR. Group corporate affairs director at Lloyds Banking Group, part of the senior team which rescued the bank and rebuilt its reputation following the financial crisis. Formerly communications director at Santander UK and board member of the BBA.  You can get in touch by emailing podcast@apellaadvisors.com and please consider leaving us a review.  This podcast is produced by The Podcast Coach.

Until the late 1980s, if the subject of engagement was raised at work, it was usually to sign a card and chuck in a quid for Terry in Accounts who'd just popped the question to Mandy in the typing pool. This all changed in the mid 1990s when workplace academics began to opine on the idea that people could become engaged in their work. Fast forward a few years and a whole plethora of large consultancies and HR thought leaders had jumped on the bandwagon. The theory goes that people will invest more physical, cognitive, and emotional energy when their work feels meaningful, safe, and supportive. This boosts productivity, lowers turnover and cultivates a better, positively reinforcing culture. They should also become strong external brand ambassadors. What's not to like? There are clearly critical areas that we corporate communicators can and should be playing. Are we responsible, or important enablers? Where should we focus? How do you drive good engagement? What can we learn from when its gone wrong? Is it something you can measure? These questions are answered, and more, on this edition of The Little Questions. Hosted by: Andrew Brown; formerly Director of Communications and Public affairs at Ageas Insurance, Andrew has more than ten years' experience leading the corporate affairs functions for global, listed, multifaceted firms across a range of regulated and unregulated sectors. He has considerable experience in issues, crisis and change management as well as reputation sentiment analysis and insight. Formerly Director of Communications at Drax Group plc and Group Corporate Affairs Director at Regus plc. Matt Young has 25 years of experience across media relations, public affairs, regulatory development, employee engagement, brand development, competition and CSR. Group corporate affairs director at Lloyds Banking Group, part of the senior team which rescued the bank and rebuilt its reputation following the financial crisis. Formerly communications director at Santander UK and board member of the BBA.  You can get in touch by emailing podcast@apellaadvisors.com and please consider leaving us a review.  Find out more at apellaadvisors.com. This podcast is produced by The Podcast Coach.

Trump is back. And back with a bang. Be it old age or the fog of Covid but Little Questions had forgotten quite how discombobulating the stream of consciousness from the 47th President of the United States really is.  From waking up in the morning wondering, what has he said or done now, to then trying to work out what he meant, and if the latest u-turn was a u-turn or not. All before the coffee has properly kicked in. There can be no question that his return has encouraged a wider shift to more conservative social and political stances and a celebration of capitalism. Across many sectors, businesses are either doing away with, watering down or simply trying to hide their DEI and ESG programmes – the find and replace function in Windows has surely never been busier.  Some business leaders have gone further, speaking out on previously controversial issues, no longer afraid of being cancelled. For some the shift is a breath of fresh air. For others a return to darker times. How on earth do we Corporate Communicators, the last bastions of common sense in an increasingly mad and angry world, respond? Are we ducking and covering hoping for things to return to normal in four years? Do we pragmatically and gently reposition? Do we rail against the dying of the light and to hell with the commercial consequences? Or do we drill baby, drill? This episode is hosted by Andrew Brown. Formerly Director of Communications and Public affairs at Ageas Insurance, Andrew has more than ten years' experience leading the corporate affairs functions for global, listed, multifaceted firms across a range of regulated and unregulated sectors. He has considerable experience in issues, crisis and change management as well as reputation sentiment analysis and insight. Formerly Director of Communications at Drax Group plc and Group Corporate Affairs Director at Regus plc. You can get in touch by emailing podcast@apellaadvisors.com and please consider leaving us a review. And this time we're joined by Apella colleague James Kirkup, former DG at the Social Market Foundation. James spent over 20 years in high-profile Westminster roles including Political Editor of the Daily Telegraph and Director of the Social Market Foundation. Extensive experience of thought leadership and advocacy work, with a particular focus on the relationship between business, politics and public policy. Find out more at apellaadvisors.com. This podcast is produced by The Podcast Coach.

You can picture the scene - you have spent the last three months speaking to your ExCom and corporate finance team about your company's biggest acquisition to date. This will fundamentally transform the shape and operations of the company, you are raising a large equity and debt package to finance the deal, and your leaders are excited about this next stage for the company. Then, the dreaded happens - you take the call from the journalist, and they have the story. You feel weeks of planning slipping through your fingers, with limited time to respond and stakeholders panicked.  We know from experience that leaking is part and parcel of the communications world. So, where exactly do they come from? And what can you do to make sure – if they do occur – you are best prepared to deal with them? This is what we're unpacking on this episode of The Little Questions.  This podcast was hosted by: Elizabeth Mobed, who joined Apella as a Senior Associate in November 2023. She spent the last three years at Teneo advising clients on a range of reputation and communications mandates. She has extensive capital markets and financial communications experience, advising on international M&A transactions and IPOs with FTSE 100 and private equity firms. She has also advised clients on ESG, issues campaigning and crisis communications. She joined Teneo in 2021 from FTI Consulting's Energy and Natural Resources communications team. She holds an BA in Philosophy, Politics and Economics from the University of Oxford. Matt Young has 25 years of experience across media relations, public affairs, regulatory development, employee engagement, brand development, competition and CSR. Group corporate affairs director at Lloyds Banking Group, part of the senior team which rescued the bank and rebuilt its reputation following the financial crisis. Formerly communications director at Santander UK and board member of the BBA.  Andrew Brown; formerly Director of Communications and Public affairs at Ageas Insurance, Andrew has more than ten years' experience leading the corporate affairs functions for global, listed, multifaceted firms across a range of regulated and unregulated sectors. He has considerable experience in issues, crisis and change management as well as reputation sentiment analysis and insight. Formerly Director of Communications at Drax Group plc and Group Corporate Affairs Director at Regus plc. You can get in touch by emailing podcast@apellaadvisors.com and please consider leaving us a review. Find out more at apellaadvisors.com. This podcast is produced by The Podcast Coach.

2025 marks our 4th year providing hopefully useful snippets of wisdom for all things Comms, Corporate Affairs and PR-related. Given the New Year, we decided to look forward and consider who has some of the trickiest Comms challenges in 2025 and given, we're also solution-focused, how we'd go about fixing them. Some of the organisations and subjects in our Little Questions crosshairs this time include HM Government, NATO, Hollywood, UK housebuilders and infrastructure, Net Zero and ESG, car makers and the London Stock Exchange.  This podcast was hosted by: Matt Young has 25 years of experience across media relations, public affairs, regulatory development, employee engagement, brand development, competition and CSR. Group corporate affairs director at Lloyds Banking Group, part of the senior team which rescued the bank and rebuilt its reputation following the financial crisis. Formerly communications director at Santander UK and board member of the BBA. You can get in touch by emailing podcast@apellaadvisors.com and please consider leaving us a review. Andrew Brown; formerly Director of Communications and Public affairs at Ageas Insurance, Andrew has more than ten years' experience leading the corporate affairs functions for global, listed, multifaceted firms across a range of regulated and unregulated sectors. He has considerable experience in issues, crisis and change management as well as reputation sentiment analysis and insight. Formerly Director of Communications at Drax Group plc and Group Corporate Affairs Director at Regus plc. Find out more at apellaadvisors.com. This podcast is produced by The Podcast Coach.

Welcome to the third annual Little Questions PR heroes and villains. This is our excuse to look back over the year that almost was and consider who nailed their comms and who jumped straight into the proverbial pile of steaming. In previous years we've considered caterpillar shaped cakes, Union leaders, ferries taking on German auto giants, some famous pieces of stone, the odd city, a book shop and a veritable confusion of politicians. Indeed, I'm sure you're already wondering – will Matt Hancock make it three years in a row?!  Joining me to consider and cogitate are Father and Mrs Christmas of Apella, Matt Young and Jenny Scott.  This podcast was hosted by: Andrew Brown; formerly Director of Communications and Public affairs at Ageas Insurance, Andrew has more than ten years' experience leading the corporate affairs functions for global, listed, multifaceted firms across a range of regulated and unregulated sectors. He has considerable experience in issues, crisis and change management as well as reputation sentiment analysis and insight. Formerly Director of Communications at Drax Group plc and Group Corporate Affairs Director at Regus plc. Jenny Scott; Former Executive Director of Communications at the Bank of England and co-lead for Bank wide strategy. Advisor to the Governor, sat on the Bank's executive committee and risk committee. Formerly economics and politics correspondent for the BBC and presenter of the Daily Politics. Trustee of Pro Bono Economics.  Matt Young has 25 years of experience across media relations, public affairs, regulatory development, employee engagement, brand development, competition and CSR. Group corporate affairs director at Lloyds Banking Group, part of the senior team which rescued the bank and rebuilt its reputation following the financial crisis. Formerly communications director at Santander UK and board member of the BBA. You can get in touch by emailing podcast@apellaadvisors.com and please consider leaving us a review.  Find out more at apellaadvisors.com. This podcast is produced by The Podcast Coach.

Well into our fourth year of podcasting here at The Little Questions, we've been fortunate to have some excellent guests visit our virtual broom cupboard and share with us a little of their wisdom. From FTSE100 CEOs to Climate Campaigners, neuroscientists and actors, it's been an extensive and eclectic group. Deliberately so, for ours is nothing if not an eclectic trade. Or is it a profession? Scroll way back to our first ever episode to hear our debate on that little question.  What it does give us of course is a licence to get involved in everything, everywhere.  And yet, while our guests have been as different as different can be, when it comes to our chosen specialist subject – comms – we're beginning to notice some strong themes that connect them.  So, this episode is an attempt to highlight some of those themes for you. Or is it just an excuse for Matt and Andrew to reuse some of those brilliant interviews? You decide. If you're enjoying this episode please consider leaving us a review to help other like minded individuals find us. This edition of The Little Questions is hosted by Apella partners Andrew Brown and Matt Young.  Andrew Brown; formerly Director of Communications and Public affairs at Ageas Insurance, Andrew has more than ten years' experience leading the corporate affairs functions for global, listed, multifaceted firms across a range of regulated and unregulated sectors. He has considerable experience in issues, crisis and change management as well as reputation sentiment analysis and insight. Formerly Director of Communications at Drax Group plc and Group Corporate Affairs Director at Regus plc. Matt Young has 25 years of experience across media relations, public affairs, regulatory development, employee engagement, brand development, competition and CSR. Group corporate affairs director at Lloyds Banking Group, part of the senior team which rescued the bank and rebuilt its reputation following the financial crisis. Formerly communications director at Santander UK and board member of the BBA. You can get in touch by emailing podcast@apellaadvisors.com and please consider leaving us a review.  Find out more at apellaadvisors.com. This podcast is produced by The Podcast Coach.

In this episode we consider why it's so difficult to define a working person (as our government is finding out) and we consider if the days of PRs doing ‘dodgy' desk research is over. We'll discuss the praise Macdonald's has been enjoying in the way it handled the visit of one Donald Trump and how Airbnb has been going into Comms battle with the residents of Primrose Hill, or as it's better known ‘the place where Paddington Bear lives'. And of course, it would be remiss of us not to tackle this Autumnal topical episode without mentioning the Budget. Has this Budget been a process that has been more heavily trailed, discussed, dissected, and fought over than any before? This edition of The Little Questions is hosted by Apella partners Andrew Brown and Matt Young.  Andrew Brown; formerly Director of Communications and Public affairs at Ageas Insurance, Andrew has more than ten years' experience leading the corporate affairs functions for global, listed, multifaceted firms across a range of regulated and unregulated sectors. He has considerable experience in issues, crisis and change management as well as reputation sentiment analysis and insight. Formerly Director of Communications at Drax Group plc and Group Corporate Affairs Director at Regus plc. Matt Young has 25 years of experience across media relations, public affairs, regulatory development, employee engagement, brand development, competition and CSR. Group corporate affairs director at Lloyds Banking Group, part of the senior team which rescued the bank and rebuilt its reputation following the financial crisis. Formerly communications director at Santander UK and board member of the BBA. You can get in touch by emailing podcast@apellaadvisors.com and please consider leaving us a review.  Find out more at apellaadvisors.com. This podcast is produced by The Podcast Coach.

It would seem that many of the ills which today befall the UK are apparently linked to how productive or otherwise we are at work, individually, and collectively as a nation. Apparently we're just not as good as we used to be. With this in mind, we've devoted this episode of The Little Questions to how we as corporate communicators and corporate affairs professionals can ensure we attain and remain at peak productivity. We discuss some of the best tools and sources of information available to us and of course we will touch on artificial intelligence, although this is not an episode specifically about AI.   We talk about the clunky world of PR in the 80s and 90s – including using couriers to deliver press releases! We reminisce about journalist databases, news feeds and go to news sources, some old school productivity hacks, and the best one of all... meeting for a coffee. This edition of The Little Questions is hosted by Apella partners Andrew Brown and Matt Young.  Andrew Brown; formerly Director of Communications and Public affairs at Ageas Insurance, Andrew has more than ten years' experience leading the corporate affairs functions for global, listed, multifaceted firms across a range of regulated and unregulated sectors. He has considerable experience in issues, crisis and change management as well as reputation sentiment analysis and insight. Formerly Director of Communications at Drax Group plc and Group Corporate Affairs Director at Regus plc. Matt Young has 25 years of experience across media relations, public affairs, regulatory development, employee engagement, brand development, competition and CSR. Group corporate affairs director at Lloyds Banking Group, part of the senior team which rescued the bank and rebuilt its reputation following the financial crisis. Formerly communications director at Santander UK and board member of the BBA. You can get in touch by emailing podcast@apellaadvisors.com and please consider leaving us a review.  Find out more at apellaadvisors.com. This podcast is produced by The Podcast Coach.

It's that time of year again. The sunshine grows weaker, birds and non-Doms fly south for warmer climes and the political parties gather in seaside towns to moan about the state of the nation and each other. However, there is a shaft of light that cuts through the gloom. Little Questions is back up and running after our summer break. We're here to cast our critical PR eyes over the issues of the day. In these topical episodes we look at what's been happening in the world and get to play the best game of all – how we would have done things differently. Communications hindsight or as perhaps as our brand colleagues would call it ‘lessons learnt' is a fun and practical exercise for all the family. This time we talk about the age-old battle of employees vs employers. How should organisations ensure they achieve what they need to without seeming dictatorial? And can PR actually help those needing the biggest 'reset'. We're thinking about HMRC, the Post Office, John Lewis and the Premier League. We'll also discuss the announcements made by two of the biggest car manufacturers wrestling with decarbonisation. We'll ponder how we might have advised Lee Carsley in tackling the National Anthem and we'll look back in disbelief at the Oasis ticket debacle. You can get in touch by emailing podcast@apellaadvisors.com and please consider leaving us a review. You can find out more at apellaadvisors.com Matt Young has 25 years of experience across media relations, public affairs, regulatory development, employee engagement, brand development, competition and CSR. Group corporate affairs director at Lloyds Banking Group, part of the senior team which rescued the bank and rebuilt its reputation following the financial crisis. Formerly communications director at Santander UK and board member of the BBA. Andrew Brown; formerly Director of Communications and Public affairs at Ageas Insurance, Andrew has more than ten years' experience leading the corporate affairs functions for global, listed, multifaceted firms across a range of regulated and unregulated sectors. He has considerable experience in issues, crisis and change management as well as reputation sentiment analysis and insight. Formerly Director of Communications at Drax Group plc and Group Corporate Affairs Director at Regus plc. This podcast is produced by The Podcast Coach

About 15 years ago, frustrated by his inability to persuade his leaders at the time to use real language when communicating financial results, Apella's Andrew Brown tried to find other firms that offered inspiration. Depressingly, he could only really find one. But what a one! This CEO of a rising star of the FTSE250 (which would eventually become a FTSE50) had that year opened his CEO statement by saying that "it had been a difficult year which would require explanation and context, but he recognised that too many readers don't get beyond para three so here is a helpful list of six things you really need to know." It was so refreshing.  A couple of years later he described the previous 12 months as “the year of the chameleon: quite useful in that they eat insects, but challenging and a bit fickle”. One year he said that high on his list of worries was the firm not achieving specific financial ratios but second was having a garage full of stuffed toys if a marketing campaign failed. Third, was his wife getting pregnant. He's also compared results to baked potatoes, pavlovas and seedless watermelons. He also liked quoting Dickens every now and again. That CEO was Henry Engelhardt. He co-founded Admiral Insurance Group and now joins us on The Little Questions podcast alongside Apella Advisors partners Andrew Brown and Jenny Scott.  You can get in touch by emailing podcast@apellaadvisors.com and please consider leaving us a review. Find out more at apellaadvisors.com. Andrew Brown, formerly Director of Communications and Public affairs at Ageas Insurance, Andrew has more than ten years' experience leading the corporate affairs functions for global, listed, multifaceted firms across a range of regulated and unregulated sectors. He has considerable experience in issues, crisis and change management as well as reputation sentiment analysis and insight. Formerly Director of Communications at Drax Group plc and Group Corporate Affairs Director at Regus plc. Email: acb@apellaadvisors.com Jenny Scott, former Executive Director of Communications at the Bank of England and co-lead for Bank wide strategy. Advisor to the Governor, sat on the Bank's executive committee and risk committee. Formerly economics and politics correspondent for the BBC and presenter of the Daily Politics. Trustee of Pro Bono Economics. Email: jjs@apellaadvisors.com This podcast is produced by The Podcast Coach.

‘Content is king' has been our clarion call on many a podcast. What we often leave out is the equally important point of how you say something, as well as when you say it and where. As Corporate Affairs and Comms professionals we are often the director of the presentations our spokespeople give to key audiences. The ‘stage' could be a physical stage at a conference, or a virtual results presentation. It could be sitting in a TV or radio studio. Or even just a speech to employees at a town hall.  In many ways, Corporate Affairs practitioners need to be a Trevor Nunn, an Arlene Phillips and a Stephen Spielberg rolled into one with the occasional need to be a Tom Hanks as well. This episode is about the power of performance. How to make your content come alive, to stay memorable and even repeatable.  This is often where Comms professionals realise they need specialist advice. If only they could get access to someone who has been an actor, has been classically trained at somewhere prestigious like RADA, and has worked with CEOs and business leaders to extract the best of performances. Luckily at Little Questions we have just such an expert who is happy to give away some that valuable performance-related stardust on this episode. David Solomon is our guest for this podcast. He originally worked in the City, but left to train at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art and spent the next ten years as a professional actor working at the Royal Shakespeare Company and the Royal National Theatre.  This episode is hosted by Matt Young. You can get in touch by emailing podcast@apellaadvisors.com and please consider leaving us a review. Find out more at apellaadvisors.com. David Solomon, Executive Coach - Sun & Moon Training David's professional journey is a testament to versatility and excellence. He began with a BSc in Maths and Statistics from the University of Exeter, followed by a year in the finance sector in the City. His passion for the arts then led him to the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, where he trained and subsequently spent a decade performing with the Royal Shakespeare Company and the Royal National Theatre. David's career evolved significantly as he became a Business Development Director in Corporate Video for prominent clients such as BP, Goldman Sachs, Heinz, HSBC and UBS Warburg. In 2003, David combined his corporate expertise and professional acting experience to become a Facilitator and Coach. Over the years, he has conducted skills training courses for organisations within the private and public sector, including London Business School, Cisco and the NHS. David is an accredited Executive Coach and a certified practitioner of MBTI and DiSC.  Elizabeth Mobed, Senior Associate - Apella Advisors Elizabeth joined Apella as a Senior Associate in November 2023. She has extensive capital markets communications experience, advising on financial calendar communications, international M&A transactions and IPOs with FTSE 100 and leading private equity firms. She has also advised clients on reputation management, advocacy campaigns and crisis communications. Before Apella, Elizabeth worked in the Financial Communications team at Teneo. She previously worked at FTI Consulting's Strategic Communications team, joining as a Graduate. She holds an BA in Philosophy, Politics and Economics from the University of Oxford. Matt Young, Partner - Apella Advisors Matt has 25 years of experience across media relations, public affairs, regulatory development, employee engagement, brand development, competition and CSR. Group corporate affairs director at Lloyds Banking Group, part of the senior team which rescued the bank and rebuilt its reputation following the financial crisis. Formerly communications director at Santander UK and board member of the BBA. This podcast is produced by The Podcast Coach.

We've talked about the many great things that Comms and Corporate Affairs professionals bring to an organisation – clarity of message, bringing the outside in, creativity and so on. However, one area that still seems to defeat all our Comms and Corporate Affairs colleagues – inhouse or in the agency world – is to get actionable insight from data. For some it's a case of swimming in the stuff and trying to make sense of what it's telling you. For others, it's lack of data and where to procure something that adds value to an organisation. So, this Podcast is all about getting meaningful data that provides insight to inform decision making. Do we have all the answers? Of course we do. This is The Little Questions - probably the best podcast focused on the needs of communications professionals in the world! Some of today's little questions include; has progress been made in the use of data and insights in Corporate Affairs? What are the challenges CADs face Why do these challenges persist and what can be done about it? To answer these and more are Little Questions regulars and Apella Advisors Partners Matt Young and Andrew Brown and fellow Apella Partner, Mike Granleese formerly of IPSOS. You can get in touch by emailing podcast@apellaadvisors.com and please consider leaving us a review. Matt Young has 25 years of experience across media relations, public affairs, regulatory development, employee engagement, brand development, competition and CSR. Group corporate affairs director at Lloyds Banking Group, part of the senior team which rescued the bank and rebuilt its reputation following the financial crisis. Formerly communications director at Santander UK and board member of the BBA. Andrew Brown; formerly Director of Communications and Public affairs at Ageas Insurance, Andrew has more than ten years' experience leading the corporate affairs functions for global, listed, multifaceted firms across a range of regulated and unregulated sectors. He has considerable experience in issues, crisis and change management as well as reputation sentiment analysis and insight. Formerly Director of Communications at Drax Group plc and Group Corporate Affairs Director at Regus plc. Mike Granleese; formerly the Deputy Managing Director of Ipsos Corporate Reputation, Mike has over 20 years' experience across roles in insights, consultancy and academia. He specialises in helping clients understand insights within the context of their organisation and advising on the actions needed to drive reputation growth and protect license to operate. Previous clients in financial services include Aviva, Barclays, HSBC, Lloyds Banking Group, Nationwide and MasterCard. He has also worked closely with Coca-Cola, Heineken, EY, PwC and The World Bank. Mike holds a PhD in economics.  Find out more at apellaadvisors.com.   This podcast is produced by The Podcast Coach.

Like us at Little Questions you're probably keeping, at the very least, a partial eye on how the election is playing out. So, this time, we're going to focus this episode on said general election.  We'll look at messaging, how to deal with unexpected events, how grids are planned and unplanned. We'll ask whatever happened to the daily press conference? Is this the first ever Tik Tok election? And, outside the big beasts in each party consider those who are having a good and a bad election, and who we may be hearing a lot more from in the coming months and years.   Of course we'll talk about debates – do they matter, is the prep for them the same as for a CEO special event – and, as they head into round two, what advice we have for the principles based on their first performance. Finally, we trawl our fading memory banks and consider what in house comms and corporate affairs teams should be doing now to prepare for July 5th and the days and weeks that follow. To discuss these and other little questions Andrew Brown is joined by Apella colleagues Matt Young and, not quite fresh from the political lobby, but once a hack always a hack, James Kirkup. You can get in touch by emailing podcast@apellaadvisors.com and please consider leaving us a review. Andrew Brown, formerly Director of Communications and Public affairs at Ageas Insurance, Andrew has more than ten years' experience leading the corporate affairs functions for global, listed, multifaceted firms across a range of regulated and unregulated sectors. He has considerable experience in issues, crisis and change management as well as reputation sentiment analysis and insight. Formerly Director of Communications at Drax Group plc and Group Corporate Affairs Director at Regus plc. James Kirkup has over 20 years in high-profile Westminster roles including Political Editor of the Daily Telegraph and Director of the Social Market Foundation. Extensive experience of thought leadership and advocacy work, with a particular focus on the relationship between business, politics and public policy.  Continues to contribute regularly to national media outlets as a columnist at the Times and Spectator.   Matt Young has over 25 years of experience across media relations, public affairs, regulatory development, employee engagement, brand development, competition and CSR. Group corporate affairs director at Lloyds Banking Group, part of the senior team which rescued the bank and rebuilt its reputation following the financial crisis. Formerly communications director at Santander UK and board member of the BBA. Find out more at apellaadvisors.com. This podcast is produced by The Podcast Coach.

Penny James has a 30 year career at, and leading, some of the world's largest financial institutions.  A Chartered Accountant by training, from Chief Risk Officer at the Pru she joined Direct Line in 2017 first as CFO, becoming CEO in 2019. Penny now holds a suite of board positions: Senior Independent Director at Hargreaves Lansdown, Non-Executive Director at QBE Insurance Group and Mitie Group plc. She is also co-chair of the FTSE Women Leaders Review. Given her long tenure on Boards and range of current Non-Exec roles, this wide ranging interview focuses on how best Corporate Affairs can serve and support the Board, while also ensuring strong relationships with the CEO and Exco. We examine how reputation and stakeholders are discussed at the top table – and yes, we do consider Section 172 for the Companies Act geeks among you. Also, if reputation is so important for the Board, why aren't there more former CADs in NED roles? Along the way we also chat:  War and peace – corporately, not the book Why for the CEO engaging with the media is now firmly more risk than reward What she looks for in a corporate affairs leader; and, Why she loves a bit of media training. We do hope you enjoy this special edition of the Little Questions podcast. Check out our back catalogue for other similar interviews with Alison Brittain, current Chair of the Premier League, Amanda Blanc, CEO of Aviva, Joe Garner, former CEO of Nationwide Building Society, Paul Drexler, the former President of the CBI and, last but not least, our good friend Mark Kleinman of Sky News. You can get in touch by emailing podcast@apellaadvisors.com and please consider leaving us a review. Matt Young is an Apella Advisors partner with 25 years of experience in corporate affairs. He was Corporate Affairs Director at Lloyds Banking Group, part of the senior team which rescued the bank and rebuilt its reputation following the financial crisis. Formerly communications director at Santander UK and board member of the BBA. Experienced in corporate communications; public affairs and policy; regulatory affairs and risk; industrial relations; crisis and complex issues management; reputation turnarounds; campaigns, competition; and ESG. Former Head of Public Affairs and Public Policy at TSB Bank. Previously a Partner at a global communications agency and has worked in the media and politics. Andrew Brown is an Apella Advisors partner, a former Director of Communications and Public Affairs at Ageas Insurance. He has more than ten years' experience leading the corporate affairs functions for global firms across a range of regulated and unregulated sectors, developing considerable experience in issues, crisis and change management. Formerly Director of Communications at Drax Group plc and Group Corporate Affairs Director at Regus plc.  Find out more at apellaadvisors.com. This podcast is produced by The Podcast Coach.

This is another of our topical episodes where two aged, bitter and sceptical Comms practitioners try to make sense of the stuff that's been making the headlines over the last few weeks. And hopefully we can say something useful to all those 100k people who work in our industry grappling with how to communicate with clarity and honesty in our ever-complex world. Today we're talking about:   The SNP & the Greens (and net zero targets) Co-op Live: ‘how to communicate when it all goes pear shaped' FCA: ‘naming and shaming firms under investigation & how to handle them from a PR perspective.' PR Week: ‘agencies made double the number of redundancies in 2023 vs 2022. Why and what does it mean?' Sunday Times editorial on Teneo: ‘has Comms failed when it becomes the story'. Tired, money for old rope advice: ‘time with the editor, journo roundtable'. Has PR run out of new ideas? Have we lost the creative touch?  Why has re-branding become an exercise in removing vowels? As ever, for you as a listener in the world of comms and beyond, we'll extract the lessons learnt from all these stories and deliver them in this episode of The Little Questions. You can get in touch by emailing podcast@apellaadvisors.com and please consider leaving us a review. Matt Young is an Apella Advisors partner with 25 years of experience in corporate affairs. He was Corporate Affairs Director at Lloyds Banking Group, part of the senior team which rescued the bank and rebuilt its reputation following the financial crisis. Formerly communications director at Santander UK and board member of the BBA. Experienced in corporate communications; public affairs and policy; regulatory affairs and risk; industrial relations; crisis and complex issues management; reputation turnarounds; campaigns, competition; and ESG. Former Head of Public Affairs and Public Policy at TSB Bank. Previously a Partner at a global communications agency and has worked in the media and politics. Andrew Brown is an Apella Advisors partner, a former Director of Communications and Public Affairs at Ageas Insurance. He has more than ten years' experience leading the corporate affairs functions for global firms across a range of regulated and unregulated sectors, developing considerable experience in issues, crisis and change management. Formerly Director of Communications at Drax Group plc and Group Corporate Affairs Director at Regus plc.  Find out more at apellaadvisors.com. This podcast is produced by The Podcast Coach

"The brand is our promise, our reputation is how well we live up to it. Or not." Is that really the case? Is it that binary? Isn't branding all about design and badges – the colours and shapes we can and cannot use as defined by the infamous brand police? Oh, and the odd expensive ad campaign or three?   Isn't influencing and curating the firm's reputation what we comms and corporate affairs people do?   Let's accept that every organisation does need a brand and that brand needs to be managed. The little question is then; how can we comms people best work with and help our always snappily dressed brand colleagues down the corridor with their coloured pencils and fancy computers?   To discuss this little question are two Apella Advisors partners, Andrew Brown and Matt Young.  Find out more about Apella Advisors at www.apellaadvisors.com and you can get in touch by emailingpodcast@apellaadvisors.com and if you enjoy this episode, please consider leaving us a review. Matt Young is an Apella Advisors partner with 25 years of experience in corporate affairs. He was Corporate Affairs Director at Lloyds Banking Group, part of the senior team which rescued the bank and rebuilt its reputation following the financial crisis. Formerly communications director at Santander UK and board member of the BBA. Experienced in corporate communications; public affairs and policy; regulatory affairs and risk; industrial relations; crisis and complex issues management; reputation turnarounds; campaigns, competition; and ESG. Former Head of Public Affairs and Public Policy at TSB Bank. Previously a Partner at a global communications agency and has worked in the media and politics. Andrew Brown is an Apella Advisors partner, a former Director of Communications and Public Affairs at Ageas Insurance. He has more than ten years' experience leading the corporate affairs functions for global firms across a range of regulated and unregulated sectors, developing considerable experience in issues, crisis and change management. Formerly Director of Communications at Drax Group plc and Group Corporate Affairs Director at Regus plc.  This podcast is produced by The Podcast Coach.

At the Little Questions, we're always at the forefront of current events – whether that's the Great Fire of London or the Battle of Hastings, we're ready to chew the topical cud on all manner of things but, as ever, wearing our PR and comms hats. Today we're going to talk about:   Whether corporations should dictate what words should and shouldn't be used?  1 in 3 would have ‘complete confidence' in AI handling crisis comms; 47% would be ‘somewhat confident'. Really? What does this mean for the comms and PR world? The corporate back-track. How to do it successfully. Marketing and comms joining forces, is it a trend? Anne Boden's comments on men in gilets holding too much influence in business.  Proactive versus reactive; are we seeing less proactive PR campaigns? Have media teams become just reactive functions that issue statements on issues? Are we losing the creative edge? Is that a result of businesses becoming too risk averse? As ever, for you as a listener in the world of comms and beyond, we'll extract the lessons learnt from all these stories and deliver them in this episode of The Little Questions. Find out more about Apella Advisors at www.apellaadvisors.com and you can get in touch by emailingpodcast@apellaadvisors.com and if you enjoy this episode, please consider leaving us a review. Matt Young is an Apella Advisors partner with 25 years of experience in corporate affairs. He was Corporate Affairs Director at Lloyds Banking Group, part of the senior team which rescued the bank and rebuilt its reputation following the financial crisis. Formerly communications director at Santander UK and board member of the BBA. Experienced in corporate communications; public affairs and policy; regulatory affairs and risk; industrial relations; crisis and complex issues management; reputation turnarounds; campaigns, competition; and ESG. Former Head of Public Affairs and Public Policy at TSB Bank. Previously a Partner at a global communications agency and has worked in the media and politics. Andrew Brown is an Apella Advisors partner, a former Director of Communications and Public Affairs at Ageas Insurance. He has more than ten years' experience leading the corporate affairs functions for global firms across a range of regulated and unregulated sectors, developing considerable experience in issues, crisis and change management. Formerly Director of Communications at Drax Group plc and Group Corporate Affairs Director at Regus plc. 

Five years ago, a number of us came together to launch a new strategic communications firm, Apella Advisors. We'd either led large consultancies or held senior roles as corporate affairs directors at some large organisations. But we saw an opportunity to do something a little bit different. So as we reach this five year mark, we thought we'd use this edition of the Little Questions podcast to lift the lid a little on the running of our business. The ups and downs, the do's and don'ts. As always, we'll ponder the little things.    This episode is hosted by Apella Partners, James Acheson-Gray and Anthony Silverman.   Find out more about Apella Advisors at www.apellaadvisors.com and you can get in touch by emailing podcast@apellaadvisors.com and if you enjoy this episode, please consider leaving us a review.   James Acheson-Gray has been a long-term advisor to senior decision makers on the value of harnessing reputation to enhance commercial objectives. Over 20 years' experience running successful PR/PA firms and major client programmes in Europe and Asia. Managing director of APCO Worldwide from 2012-2019. Consultancy of the Year 2018. Former Board Director of the Queen's Club.   Anthony Silverman spent over 20 years advising global boards and executive teams with complex reputational needs. Recent clients include Aquiline Capital, Atlas Merchant Capital, Deutsche Bank, Selfridges Group, and Pension Insurance Corporation. A significant client base in Europe and the US. Previously Senior Managing Director at Teneo. This podcast is produced by The Podcast Coach.

In the world of communications, it pays to be current. Whether you are working in-house or at an agency, being the first to say “But have you read that piece in the FT today?” makes you appear as though you have a finger on the media pulse. This week on the Little Questions Podcast, we attempt to sound like we're at the cutting edge of public discourse. Today we're going to chew the topical cud on:   Why have a Budget Statement when everything in it has already been publicised in the press? Getting cut through on a story – some contrasting examples from Tesco and Drax. The slugging match that is Huffy Henry Staunton vs Bruiser Badenoch. Mary Poppins and the use of inappropriate words. An amazing BP insider trading story. The nature of the worthless public apology. The legal firm Schillings going into PR ‘big time'. And a sad story of Flaco the eagle-owl. As ever, for you as a listener in the world of comms and beyond, we'll extract the lessons learnt from all these stories and deliver them in this episode of The Little Questions. Find out more about Apella Advisors at www.apellaadvisors.com and you can get in touch by emailing podcast@apellaadvisors.com and if you enjoy this episode, please consider leaving us a review. Matt Young is an Apella Advisors partner with 25 years of experience in corporate affairs. He was Corporate Affairs Director at Lloyds Banking Group, part of the senior team which rescued the bank and rebuilt its reputation following the financial crisis. Formerly communications director at Santander UK and board member of the BBA. Experienced in corporate communications; public affairs and policy; regulatory affairs and risk; industrial relations; crisis and complex issues management; reputation turnarounds; campaigns, competition; and ESG. Former Head of Public Affairs and Public Policy at TSB Bank. Previously a Partner at a global communications agency and has worked in the media and politics. Andrew Brown is an Apella Advisors partner, a former Director of Communications and Public Affairs at Ageas Insurance. He has more than ten years' experience leading the corporate affairs functions for global firms across a range of regulated and unregulated sectors, developing considerable experience in issues, crisis and change management. Formerly Director of Communications at Drax Group plc and Group Corporate Affairs Director at Regus plc.  This podcast is produced by The Podcast Coach.

Having a coach in business is a relatively new phenomenon and in Corporate Affairs, arguably even rarer.  But could having a great coach be what takes you and your corporate affairs team from pretty darn good to stand out brilliant?  How do you know when you need a coach and what are the signs? How do you go about finding the right one? Could having a coach be seen as an admission that you're struggling and potentially not up to the job? And, what is the difference between coaching and mentoring? This podcast episode is here to answer these questions and to do so host Andrew Brown is joined by two special guests well placed to share their experience and insights. First, Maxine Taylor, a former Corporate Affairs Director at Eli Lilly, Nationwide and King's College London. Maxine is now a full time coach focusing on Corporate Affairs. Secondly, Jake Rigg who is the Director of Corporate Affairs at National Grid ESO. Host Andrew Brown is an Apella Advisors partner, a former Director of Communications and Public Affairs at Ageas Insurance. He has more than ten years' experience leading the corporate affairs functions for global firms across a range of regulated and unregulated sectors, developing considerable experience in issues, crisis and change management. Formerly Director of Communications at Drax Group plc and Group Corporate Affairs Director at Regus plc. Find out more about Apella Advisors at www.apellaadvisors.com and you can get in touch by emailing podcast@apellaadvisors.com This podcast was produced by The Podcast Coach.

The world is changing. There appears to be an increasing reluctance amongst CEOs and senior leaders to engage with mainstream business and financial media. From the corporate world's perspective, you can see why this makes sense. Why have your carefully crafted messages interrogated by a grumpy intermediary from the press when you can go direct via your owned channels? From the journalist's view, this is disintermediation laid bare. If we believe the role of the fourth estate is to give an independent and critical view, then companies and individuals must engage with the press. It is all part of a democracy in action. So, what's driving this shift? Is it the growth in owned channels? Has the pressure on journalists to cover more and write more, led to a denuding of expertise? Has that made CEO's more reluctant to engage with a journalist who has limited understanding of their sector? Is it a trend or just a passing phase? Matt Young is an Apella Advisors partner with 25 years of experience in corporate affairs. He was Corporate Affairs Director at Lloyds Banking Group, part of the senior team which rescued the bank and rebuilt its reputation following the financial crisis. Formerly communications director at Santander UK and board member of the BBA. Experienced in corporate communications; public affairs and policy; regulatory affairs and risk; industrial relations; crisis and complex issues management; reputation turnarounds; campaigns, competition; and ESG. Former Head of Public Affairs and Public Policy at TSB Bank. Previously a Partner at a global communications agency and has worked in the media and politics. Andrew Brown is an Apella Advisors partner, a former Director of Communications and Public Affairs at Ageas Insurance. He has more than ten years' experience leading the corporate affairs functions for global firms across a range of regulated and unregulated sectors, developing considerable experience in issues, crisis and change management. Formerly Director of Communications at Drax Group plc and Group Corporate Affairs Director at Regus plc. Find out more about Apella Advisors at www.apellaadvisors.com and you can get in touch by emailing podcast@apellaadvisors.com This episode has been produced by The Podcast Coach.

There's no I in team but there is a me. So goes the schoolboy humour level adage. We come together in teams because, as the entire sweep of human history has taught us, we can achieve a hell of a lot more than on our own, or scrapping amongst ourselves. But that doesn't stop us does it? It's in our nature. Especially when a fair majority of those team members are opinionated, creative, dare I say a tad on the emotional side, extroverts, like you might find in your everyday common or garden in-house corporate communications function. So how do you get such a diverse team of individuals with a broad range of skills and experience working well together? Is running a comms team any different to a team of engineers or accountants? What do you do if you think you're in a team that isn't working, or is perhaps even failing. What do you do if you've realised that, but you're the one in charge? To answer these questions and more are Apella Advisors colleagues Andrew Brown, Liz Lynch and Matt Young. Matt Young is an Apella Advisors partner with 25 years of experience in corporate affairs. He was Corporate Affairs Director at Lloyds Banking Group, part of the senior team which rescued the bank and rebuilt its reputation following the financial crisis. Formerly communications director at Santander UK and board member of the BBA. Liz Lynch is an Apella Advisors partner and the former Head of External Affairs and Public Policy at TSB Bank. Previously a Partner at a global communications agency, she has worked in the media and politics. Andrew Brown is an Apella Advisors partner, a former Director of Communications and Public Affairs at Ageas Insurance. He has more than ten years' experience leading the corporate affairs functions for global firms across a range of regulated and unregulated sectors, developing considerable experience in issues, crisis and change management. Formerly Director of Communications at Drax Group plc and Group Corporate Affairs Director at Regus plc. Find out more about Apella Advisors at www.apellaadvisors.com and you can get in touch by emailing podcast@apellaadvisors.com This podcast is produced by The Podcast Coach.

We're back again for another chew through the cud that is corporate communications. It's been a while since our last one so there is much for us to consider.  Amongst several items of fluff we're going to muse on: out of touch leaders, ancient and uncool British sports, upcycling, fat shaming and you won't be at all surprised to hear, the horror and tragedy that was, possible still is, the Post Office from 2003 well, to pretty much to today. As ever we'll attempt to use the magic that is hindsight to try and distil one or two lessons we corporate communicators can learn from how these events played out.  Join Apella Avisors partners and hosts of this episode, Andrew Brown and Matt Young as they delve into the corporate communications topical news items. Matt Young is an Apella Advisors partner with 25 years of experience in corporate affairs. He was Corporate Affairs Director at Lloyds Banking Group, part of the senior team which rescued the bank and rebuilt its reputation following the financial crisis. Formerly communications director at Santander UK and board member of the BBA. Andrew Brown is an Apella Advisors partner, a former Director of Communications and Public Affairs at Ageas Insurance. He has more than ten years' experience leading the corporate affairs functions for global firms across a range of regulated and unregulated sectors, developing considerable experience in issues, crisis and change management. Formerly Director of Communications at Drax Group plc and Group Corporate Affairs Director at Regus plc. Find out more about Apella Advisors at www.apellaadvisors.com and you can get in touch by emailing podcast@apellaadvisors.com This podcast is produced by The Podcast Coach

One of the longest running game shows on UK TV was Family Fortunes. For more than 40 years, families would compete for big cash prizes, trying to second guess what the Great British Public had answered in a survey of 100 people. Just as opinion polling was the foundation upon which this globally successful game show format was based, so too is it used for PR purposes. Scratching around, waiting for your company or client to do something newsworthy, polling is a means of creating news and filling that vacuum. But, how effective is it? Do consumers and indeed the media really believe the findings of a company sponsored poll? Or is it a means of generating genuinely leading insight and PR gold? This edition of The Little Questions podcast is presented by Andrew Brown, James Acheson-Gray and new Apella team member, Mike Granleese. Andrew Brown, formerly Director of Communications and Public affairs at Ageas Insurance has more than ten years' experience leading the corporate affairs functions for global, listed, multifaceted firms across a range of regulated and unregulated sectors. He has considerable experience in issues, crisis and change management as well as reputation sentiment analysis and insight. Formerly Director of Communications at Drax Group plc and Group Corporate Affairs Director at Regus plc. James Acheson-Gray, PartnerLong-term advisor to senior decision makers on the value of harnessing reputation to enhance commercial objectives. Over 20 years' experience running successful PR/PA firms and major client programmes in Europe and Asia. Managing director of APCO Worldwide from 2012-2019. Consultancy of the Year 2018. Former Board Director of the Queen's Club. Mike Granleese, formerly the Deputy Managing Director of Ipsos Corporate Reputation, Mike has over 20 years' experience across roles in insights, consultancy and academia. He specialises in helping clients understand insights within the context of their organisation and advising on the actions needed to drive reputation growth and protect license to operate. Previous clients in financial services include Aviva, Barclays, HSBC, Lloyds Banking Group, Nationwide and MasterCard. He has also worked closely with Coca-Cola, Heineken, EY, PwC and The World Bank. Mike holds a PhD in economics.  Find out more about Apella Advisors at www.apellaadvisors.com and you can get in touch by emailing podcast@apellaadvisors.com This episode was produced by The Podcast Coach.

We all have our Christmas traditions don't we? That film you just have to watch every Christmas Eve, Carol singing in the village square, setting up the nativity, betting when Great Uncle Albert will fall asleep in the comfy chair.  At Little Questions towers, one of our Christmas traditions is to take a look back over the year that was.  With dotage fading our memories and entirely unscientifically, we like to consider our PR heroes and villains of 2023.   We'd love to hear what you think. Get in touch on social media or email podcast@apellaadvisors.com This edition of The Little Questions podcast is presented by Andrew Brown, Jenny Scott and Matt Young. Andrew Brown, formerly Director of Communications and Public affairs at Ageas Insurance, Andrew has more than ten years' experience leading the corporate affairs functions for global, listed, multifaceted firms across a range of regulated and unregulated sectors. He has considerable experience in issues, crisis and change management as well as reputation sentiment analysis and insight. Formerly Director of Communications at Drax Group plc and Group Corporate Affairs Director at Regus plc. Jenny Scott is former Executive Director of Communications at the Bank of England and co-lead for Bank wide strategy. Advisor to the Governor, sat on the Bank's executive committee and risk committee. Formerly economics and politics correspondent for the BBC and presenter of the Daily Politics. Trustee of Pro Bono Economics.  Matt Young has 25 years of experience across media relations, public affairs, regulatory development, employee engagement, brand development, competition and CSR. Group corporate affairs director at Lloyds Banking Group, part of the senior team which rescued the bank and rebuilt its reputation following the financial crisis. Formerly communications director at Santander UK and board member of the BBA. Find out more about Apella Advisors at www.apellaadvisors.com and you can get in touch by emailing podcast@apellaadvisors.com This podcast is produced by The Podcast Coach.

After the roaring success of our October “chew through the topical comms cud” we're back again to cast a critical eye over what was November.  We are going to have a look at: enquiries, unexpected comebacks, codenames, northern supermarkets and AI.  We'll attempt to distil a little insight which we professional communicators can take from how these events played out and what, with the magic of hindsight, we might have done differently. Matt Young is an Apella Advisors partner with 25 years of experience in corporate affairs. He was Corporate Affairs Director at Lloyds Banking Group, part of the senior team which rescued the bank and rebuilt its reputation following the financial crisis. Formerly communications director at Santander UK and board member of the BBA. Andrew Brown is an Apella Advisors partner, a former Director of Communications and Public Affairs at Ageas Insurance. He has more than ten years' experience leading the corporate affairs functions for global firms across a range of regulated and unregulated sectors, developing considerable experience in issues, crisis and change management. Formerly Director of Communications at Drax Group plc and Group Corporate Affairs Director at Regus plc. Find out more about Apella Advisors at www.apellaadvisors.com and you can get in touch by emailing podcast@apellaadvisors.com This podcast is produced by The Podcast Coach

Everyone loves a party don't they? A gathering where you can have a good catch up with those you haven't seen for ages. Make new friends, trade gossip, learn something new and perhaps even let your hair down. But not too much! Parties, or events as we like to call them in the corporate world, come in all shapes and sizes - conferences, seminars, AGMs, award dinners, product launches, journalist trips, internal and external, virtual, hybrid or in person. When you list the activities of “corporate communications”, events rarely gets a mention. As many events professionals know, given the latitude to excel, they can create those critical moments of re-appraisal that genuinely change the way your stakeholders view your firm. Something that will be talked about and remembered for years.  Conversely, under resourced, and done half-arsed, your bash will still be remembered, but for all the wrong reasons. And we've all been to one or two events like that haven't we? Do we simply see events as booking the venue and ensuring there's enough to drink? There's a little more to it than that, surely? To discuss this often forgotten aspect of the corporate communications world are Apella Advisors partners Andrew Brown and Matt Young.  Andrew Brown is former Director of Communications and Public affairs at Ageas Insurance, Andrew has more than ten years' experience leading the corporate affairs functions for global, listed, multifaceted firms across a range of regulated and unregulated sectors. He has considerable experience in issues, crisis and change management as well as reputation sentiment analysis and insight. Formerly Director of Communications at Drax Group plc and Group Corporate Affairs Director at Regus plc. Matt Young has 25 years of experience across media relations, public affairs, regulatory development, employee engagement, brand development, competition and CSR. Group corporate affairs director at Lloyds Banking Group, part of the senior team which rescued the bank and rebuilt its reputation following the financial crisis. Formerly communications director at Santander UK and board member of the BBA. Find out more about Apella Advisors at www.apellaadvisors.com and you can get in touch by emailing podcast@apellaadvisors.com   This episode was produced by The Podcast Coach.

We've decided to go all topical in this episode. What has been happening in our world of PR and comms? How has our profession been advising on some of the current issues? Would we have handled these differently? Of course, we're conscious of commenting on current events as the horrific and tragic events unfold in Gaza and Israel. These are times when PR or comms seem inconsequential to what is happening around our world. However, it is at times like this when words matter, or, when the absence of words matter. Communications can bring people together, it can also divide. Getting your words right is critical. Too often, we've seen the consequences when we don't. Chewing the topical cud (even with a little hindsight) and targeting HS2, Matt Hancock and even VAR are Apella Advisors partners, Matt Young and Andrew Brown. Matt Young is an Apella Advisors partner with 25 years of experience in corporate affairs. He was Corporate Affairs Director at Lloyds Banking Group, part of the senior team which rescued the bank and rebuilt its reputation following the financial crisis. Formerly communications director at Santander UK and board member of the BBA. Andrew Brown is an Apella Advisors partner, a former Director of Communications and Public Affairs at Ageas Insurance. He has more than ten years' experience leading the corporate affairs functions for global firms across a range of regulated and unregulated sectors, developing considerable experience in issues, crisis and change management. Formerly Director of Communications at Drax Group plc and Group Corporate Affairs Director at Regus plc. Find out more about Apella Advisors at www.apellaadvisors.com and you can get in touch by emailing podcast@apellaadvisors.com This podcast is produced by The Podcast Coach

This week's podcast episode was influenced by a chance remark about a haircut...  Once upon a time, in a land far, far away, a CEO of a large corporation knew the corner office was theirs for as long as the shareholders, customers and maybe the government were happy.  Now, they have to delicately navigate a minefield of social norms. It used to be a pretty rare thing for a chief executive to lose their job over events that were the focus of society at large, rather than just the city. That was the politician's playbook. But times are changing. A spate of high profile leaders have lost their jobs recently. Different reasons each time. But the common thread is that none of them went because of poor profits or a falling share price. Are we entering a new world, a world where the social cycle is driving the business, political and economic cycles? This is a really, really tricky area. So it's with some trepidation that Jenny Scott and Anthony Silverman are wading into the debate on the role of comms and corporate values, purpose and social context and all of those issues that are driving so much of business life today.  This episode of the Little Questions is hosted by Apella Advisors partners Jenny Scott and Anthony Silverman. Jenny Scott is the former Executive Director of Communications at the Bank of England and co-lead for Bank wide strategy. Advisor to the Governor, sat on the Bank's executive committee and risk committee. Formerly economics and politics correspondent for the BBC and presenter of the Daily Politics. Trustee of Pro Bono Economics.  Anthony Silverman has over 20 years advising global boards and executive teams with complex reputational needs.  Recent clients include Atlas Merchant Capital, Selfridges Group, Deutsche Bank, Pension Insurance Corporation, RBS and Aquiline Capital. A significant client base in Europe and the US. Previously Senior Managing Director at Teneo. Find out more about Apella Advisors at www.apellaadvisors.com and you can get in touch by emailing podcast@apellaadvisors.com This episode was produced by The Podcast Coach.

Apella Advisors Parter, Andrew Brown: "Early on in my comms career I was taught that conflict, strife, disagreement – that's fundamentally what people are interested in and what helps our journalist friends sell newspapers." It is hard to get genuine cut through, where everyone knows and has heard of who you are and what you do, especially if you are a small firm trying to make it big. But, one tactic that has worked consistently well over the decades is the art of picking (and winning) a fight. Having an enemy and picking a fight may seem overly combative, however it can be a mechanism to give you focus: something to push against – letting people know what you are against helps them understand what you are foe. But how do you make your fight noble and just? How do you decide who, or what, to target? Are their rules to such a fight? If so, how do you play them? And, what do you do if you, unwittingly, find out you are the enemy? All of these questions and more are discussed on this edition of The Little Questions with Apella Advisors. The Little Questions podcast is presented by Andrew Brown and Matt Young. Matt Young is an Apella Advisors partner with 25 years of experience in corporate affairs. He was Corporate Affairs Director at Lloyds Banking Group, part of the senior team which rescued the bank and rebuilt its reputation following the financial crisis. Formerly communications director at Santander UK and board member of the BBA. Andrew Brown is an Apella Advisors partner, a former Director of Communications and Public Affairs at Ageas Insurance. He has more than ten years' experience leading the corporate affairs functions for global firms across a range of regulated and unregulated sectors, developing considerable experience in issues, crisis and change management. Formerly Director of Communications at Drax Group plc and Group Corporate Affairs Director at Regus plc. Find out more about Apella Advisors at www.apellaadvisors.com and you can get in touch by emailing podcast@apellaadvisors.com This podcast is produced by The Podcast Coach.

Do companies and organisations really get value from attending the party conference?   As Corporate Affairs Director, one of Matt Young's tasks every year was to set the departmental budget. That would include the annual discussion about whether to attend the political party conferences. Would it prove good value, in both time and money? Will the cost be worth it for the hotel, the travel, that expensive bar bill? Well, it was more fundamental. Why would we subsidise the Westminster Village on tour? To build relationships with people we could meet with them on home ground during the rest of the year? That said, Matt always signed off the budget. Members of the team would disappear to towns and cities around the UK for large parts of the year.    Now Matt no longer has to devote time, energy and budget to party conferences. He can contemplate things with a certain detached mindset with the benefit of hindsight and experience. To dicuss how to get the best out of conference season and if the cost is really worth it, Apella's Matt Young is joined by Liz Lynch (previous Head of Public Affairs at TSB) and James Kirkup. James has joined Apella very recently, but he has attended many party conferences in his previous incarnations as Director of the Social Market Foundation and as the Political Editor of the Telegraph.   This episode of the Little Questions Podcast is hosted by Matt Young. Matt has 25 years of experience across media relations, public affairs, regulatory development, employee engagement, brand development, competition and CSR. Group corporate affairs director at Lloyds Banking Group, part of the senior team which rescued the bank and rebuilt its reputation following the financial crisis. Formerly communications director at Santander UK and board member of the BBA.   Liz Lynch is experienced in corporate communications; public affairs and policy; regulatory affairs and risk; industrial relations; crisis and complex issues management; reputation turnarounds; campaigns, competition; and ESG. Former Head of Public Affairs and Public Policy at TSB Bank. Previously a Partner at a global communications agency and has worked in the media and politics.   New to Apella Advisors, James Kirkup has over 20 years in high-profile Westminster roles including Political Editor of the Daily Telegraph and Director of the Social Market Foundation. Extensive experience of thought leadership and advocacy work, with a particular focus on the relationship between business, politics and public policy. Continues to contribute regularly to national media outlets as a columnist at the Times and Spectator.   Find out more about Apella Advisors at www.apellaadvisors.com and you can get in touch by emailing podcast@apellaadvisors.com   This episode was produced by The Podcast Coach.

Recorded at the Royal Society of Arts in London, in front of a live audience, Little Questions Live 2 asks 'How do you communicate through times of uncertainty and change?'.   To tackle this not so little question, Apella Advisors Partner Jenny Scott is joined by a panel of industry experts:   - Steve Hawkes - Reputation and External Affairs at Flutter UK, former journalist at the Times, The Mirror and Political and Business Editor at the Sun - Rachel Hopcroft - Corporate Affairs Director at KPMG and former Director at the Cabinet Office - Amy Lawson - Chief Corporate Affairs Officer at Sage   You can hear Little Questions Live 1,  here.   Apella Advisors is a business advisory firm that helps organisations grow and succeed by making changes for the better.   Apella Partner Jenny Scott has worked as Executive Director of Communications at the Bank of England and Advisor to the Governor. Jenny sat on the Bank's executive committee and risk committee. Formerly Economics Correspondent for the BBC and Presenter of Daily Politics, she is now Trustee of Pro Bono Economics.   Find out more about Apella Advisors at www.apellaadvisors.com and you can get in touch by emailing podcast@apellaadvisors.com   This podcast is produced by The Podcast Coach.

On this episode of The Little Questions, we are joined by one of our industry's most respected practitioners, Basil Towers. Basil has been advising organisations on how to be trusted for 40 years. He's researched it, he's taught it at Oxford Saïd Business School, he's advised FTSE 100 CEOs on it and one thing he has found in that time is that not all trust is of equal value.  Join Jenny Scott and Andrew Brown from Apella Advisors, as they chat in depth about trust with Basil Towers on this latest episode. We'd love to hear what you think. Get in touch on social media or email podcast@apellaadvisors.com This edition of The Little Questions podcast is presented by Andrew Brown and Jenny Scott. Apella partner Andrew Brown is a former Director of Communications and Public Affairs at Ageas Insurance. He has more than ten years' experience leading the corporate affairs functions for global firms across a range of regulated and unregulated sectors, developing considerable experience in issues, crisis and change management. Formerly Director of Communications at Drax Group plc and Group Corporate Affairs Director at Regus plc. Apella partner Jenny Scott joins us again on The Little Questions podcast. Jenny has worked as Executive Director of Communications at the Bank of England and Advisor to the Governor. Jenny sat on the Bank's executive committee and risk committee. Formerly Economics Correspondent for the BBC and Presenter of the Daily Politics, she is now Trustee of Pro Bono Economics. Find out more about Apella Advisors at www.apellaadvisors.com and you can get in touch by emailing podcast@apellaadvisors.com This episode was produced by The Podcast Coach.

Admin. Forms. Process. Dull, dull, dull.  It's what gets in the way of doing the actual job that we all love, right?  Talking to journalists, coming up with that clever policy idea, pulling together a brilliant new social campaign or perfectly nailing the messaging in a complicated sequence of regulated announcements. The bureaucracy, be it functional or corporate, just slows us down. Or does it? Is your comms grid really used to plan and activate in a co-ordinated manner or has it become a bureaucratic chore? One that you get the most junior members of the team to fill out each week and then promptly ignore? When was the last time you actually updated your stakeholder map based on your latest interactions? Have you even got a stakeholder map? Are you still religiously logging and tracking all of the conversations you and the media team have with journalists, proactive or reactive?  These questions answered, pondered over and more on this edition of The Little Questions Podcast from Apella Advisors. The Little Questions podcast is presented by Andrew Brown and Matt Young. Matt Young is an Apella Advisors partner with 25 years of experience in corporate affairs. He was Corporate Affairs Director at Lloyds Banking Group, part of the senior team which rescued the bank and rebuilt its reputation following the financial crisis. Formerly communications director at Santander UK and board member of the BBA. Andrew Brown is an Apella Advisors partner, a former Director of Communications and Public Affairs at Ageas Insurance. He has more than ten years' experience leading the corporate affairs functions for global firms across a range of regulated and unregulated sectors, developing considerable experience in issues, crisis and change management. Formerly Director of Communications at Drax Group plc and Group Corporate Affairs Director at Regus plc. Find out more about Apella Advisors at www.apellaadvisors.com and you can get in touch by emailing podcast@apellaadvisors.com This episode has been produced by The Podcast Coach

This week, Andrew and Matt chew the fat about the lessons learned after four years of creating the comms agency, Apella Advisors. And it's after those four years, with a few clients under our belt, a slightly larger team, and perhaps most unexpectedly of all a podcast that people actually listen to! We must be doing something right.  People occasionally ask us if creating this consultancy has changed the way we think about and do comms? Do we look wistfully back at our in-house days or thank our lucky stars that we got away? Would we recommend it as a good career route? And, as is often the case, we say "that's a great question which would make a really good topic for the pod". Ready yourself for some bare chested soul searching honesty about what we've learned, seen and thought after our four years as PR consultants. The Little Questions podcast is presented by Andrew Brown and Matt Young. Matt Young is an Apella Advisors partner with 25 years of experience in corporate affairs. He was Corporate Affairs Director at Lloyds Banking Group, part of the senior team which rescued the bank and rebuilt its reputation following the financial crisis. Formerly communications director at Santander UK and board member of the BBA. Andrew Brown is an Apella Advisors partner, a former Director of Communications and Public Affairs at Ageas Insurance. He has more than ten years' experience leading the corporate affairs functions for global firms across a range of regulated and unregulated sectors, developing considerable experience in issues, crisis and change management. Formerly Director of Communications at Drax Group plc and Group Corporate Affairs Director at Regus plc. Find out more about Apella Advisors at www.apellaadvisors.com and you can get in touch by emailing podcast@apellaadvisors.com This episode has been produced by The Podcast Coach  

As Comms professionals who aim to provide clarity and understanding in everything, are we failing in that aim with certain generations? Is it time to learn the languages of different generations? Should we be smarter in thinking about the way different generations receive and respond to communications? Matt Young and Andrew Brown from Apella Advisors discuss this little (big) question this week. However, having a couple of Gen X's ponder on this generational topic and come up with our usual answer “that everyone should just take our well considered advice”, we felt that deeper expertise and relevant erudition was required. So we are delighted that we're joined for this episode by Dr Eliza Philby. Eliza is an academic, a writer, speaker and consultant. She's the author of “Mind the Gap: managing a multi-generational workforce in a post-pandemic age”; she's spoken at  a House of Lords select committee on intergenerational unfairness and has written numerous articles for the likes of the FT and the Times on generational shifts. In summary, she's the most qualified person (probably anywhere) to help us consider communications and generational differences. Matt Young is an Apella Advisors partner with 25 years of experience in corporate affairs. He was Corporate Affairs Director at Lloyds Banking Group, part of the senior team which rescued the bank and rebuilt its reputation following the financial crisis. Formerly communications director at Santander UK and board member of the BBA. Andrew Brown is an Apella Advisors partner, a former Director of Communications and Public Affairs at Ageas Insurance. He has more than ten years' experience leading the corporate affairs functions for global firms across a range of regulated and unregulated sectors, developing considerable experience in issues, crisis and change management. Formerly Director of Communications at Drax Group plc and Group Corporate Affairs Director at Regus plc. Find out more about Apella Advisors at www.apellaadvisors.com and you can get in touch by emailing podcast@apellaadvisors.com and please consider leaving a review. This episode was produced by The Podcast Coach.

Every now and again in the world of comms, the firewall you've thrown up around your organisation fails, and something you'd rather wasn't “out there” gets through. Perhaps the CEO has said something she shouldn't have in that profile interview that took months to set up. Or a sensitive email has ended up in the hands of a colleague in the media.  If you're in this game and you've not been there, you will. It's as inevitable and irresistible a force as gravity. So. What do you do? Can you stop the piece from appearing? Can you make it less damaging? Or do you just have to accept a bad day in the papers and hope for a better tomorrow? All these questions and much, much more are answered in this week's episode.  The Little Questions podcast is presented by Andrew Brown and Matt Young. Matt Young is an Apella Advisors partner with 25 years of experience in corporate affairs. He was Corporate Affairs Director at Lloyds Banking Group, part of the senior team which rescued the bank and rebuilt its reputation following the financial crisis. Formerly communications director at Santander UK and board member of the BBA. Andrew Brown is an Apella Advisors partner, a former Director of Communications and Public Affairs at Ageas Insurance. He has more than ten years' experience leading the corporate affairs functions for global firms across a range of regulated and unregulated sectors, developing considerable experience in issues, crisis and change management. Formerly Director of Communications at Drax Group plc and Group Corporate Affairs Director at Regus plc. Find out more about Apella Advisors at www.apellaadvisors.com and you can get in touch by emailing podcast@apellaadvisors.com This podcast is produced by the www.thepodcastcoach.co.uk

The term ‘doyen' is overused, but in the case of our guest today, it feels appropriate. For the last 25 years Danny Rogers has been a leading commentator and speaker on the comings and goings of the public relations industry. Now the editor-in-chief of PR Week, Danny started as a journalist with the FT's Creative Business and the Guardian's media section, and then he moved to Haymarket group as editor of PR Week magazine.  An author, his book, ‘The campaigns that shook the world' shone a light on the strategy behind some of the industry's most powerful work. He's also the host of the beyond the noise podcast from PR Week. He's a columnist for the i newspaper and importantly has championed the breaking down of barriers within public-relations.  Returning to host this edition of the podcast is Apella Founder Partner James Acheson-Gray, who has acted as a long-term advisor to senior decision makers on the value of harnessing reputation to enhance commercial objectives. James has over 20 years' experience running successful PR/PA firms and major client programmes in Europe and Asia. He was managing director of APCO Worldwide from 2012-2019 and is a former Board Director of the Queen's Club. Find out more about Apella Advisors at www.apellaadvisors.com and you can get in touch by emailing podcast@apellaadvisors.com This podcast was produced by the www.thepodcastcoach.co.uk

Much of the work done by the corporate communications function goes unnoticed. But there is one piece of activity you can be sure will grab people's attention… the set piece leader profile. Get a full page spread in a Sunday paper with a cracking photo and you can be sure everyone in the organisation, and beyond, will read it. Get it right and you can have your CEO come across as a visionary, yet down to earth leader successfully delivering a great strategy. This can become a genuine moment whereby people sit up and take note. But get it wrong, have them come across as someone who is not quite on top of things and perhaps a little bit ‘unusual', well those risks are amplified.  Given these are not exercises in plumping Sir's ego, what are the things you need to do to ensure success? How best should you prepare? How do you work out what story to tell? Where should you actually do the interview from? And in this digital age is the Sunday print still the right place?  The Little Questions podcast is presented by Matt Young and Andrew Brown. Matt Young is an Apella founder partner with 25 years of experience in corporate affairs. He was Corporate Affairs Director at Lloyds Banking Group, part of the senior team which rescued the bank and rebuilt its reputation following the financial crisis. Formerly communications director at Santander UK and board member of the BBA. Apella partner Andrew Brown is a former Director of Communications and Public Affairs at Ageas Insurance. He has more than ten years' experience leading the corporate affairs functions for global firms across a range of regulated and unregulated sectors, developing considerable experience in issues, crisis and change management. Formerly Director of Communications at Drax Group plc and Group Corporate Affairs Director at Regus plc. Find out more about Apella Advisors at www.apellaadvisors.com and you can get in touch by emailing podcast@apellaadvisors.com This podcast was produced by the www.thepodcastcoach.co.uk

The climate crisis 'is a communication problem', says academic and environmentalist Roc Sandford. Involved with Extinction Rebellion before it started, including a chaining or two, Roc's thinking has featured in pretty much every major media outlet. From the UN to Davos and ministers and boards, Roc delivers an uncompromising message of emergency and the need for rapid climate and biodiversity repair. Roc is also the very essence of the change he wants to see living an almost hermit-like zero carbon life on a remote Scottish island. Join Jenny and Andrew from Apella Advisors, as they chat in depth to Roc on this latest episode. We'd love to hear what you think. Get in touch on social media or email podcast@apellaadvisors.com This edition of The Little Questions podcast is presented by Andrew Brown and Jenny Scott. Apella partner Andrew Brown is a former Director of Communications and Public Affairs at Ageas Insurance. He has more than ten years' experience leading the corporate affairs functions for global firms across a range of regulated and unregulated sectors, developing considerable experience in issues, crisis and change management. Formerly Director of Communications at Drax Group plc and Group Corporate Affairs Director at Regus plc. Apella partner Jenny Scott joins us again on The Little Questions podcast. Jenny has worked as Executive Director of Communications at the Bank of England and co-lead for Bank wide strategy. She was also Advisor to the Governor, and sat on the Bank's executive committee and risk committee. Formerly Economics and Politics Correspondent for the BBC and Presenter of the Daily Politics, she is now Trustee of Pro Bono Economics. Find out more about Apella Advisors at www.apellaadvisors.com and you can get in touch by emailing podcast@apellaadvisors.com This podcast was produced by The Podcast Coach.

We are big fans of words, they have real, genuine power. But, in the form of a speech, in rhetoric, do they soar to their greatest heights? Are speeches our most powerful form of verbal communication? Do we put as much effort into them as we should, or did? And how can we write better speeches? When one blends masterful, rich language, with the oratorical techniques of rhythm repetition and silence, uttered by a sonorous, powerful voice you have the means to inspire, to unite, to resist and to change. Be that racism, apartheid, civil war, Mrs Thatcher or even nervy King Philip and his powerful Armada. So, join us as we explore this fascinating world of words.  Please leave us a 5 star review if you enjoyed this episode or let us know what your favourite speech is via social media or email podcast@apellaadvisors.com This edition of The Little Questions podcast is presented by Andrew Brown and Matt Young. Apella partner Andrew Brown is a former Director of Communications and Public Affairs at Ageas Insurance. He has more than ten years' experience leading the corporate affairs functions for global firms across a range of regulated and unregulated sectors, developing considerable experience in issues, crisis and change management. Formerly Director of Communications at Drax Group plc and Group Corporate Affairs Director at Regus plc. Matt Young is an Apella partner with 25 years of experience in corporate affairs. He was Corporate Affairs Director at Lloyds Banking Group, part of the senior team which rescued the bank and rebuilt its reputation following the financial crisis. Formerly communications director at Santander UK and board member of the BBA. Find out more about Apella Advisors at www.apellaadvisors.com and you can get in touch by emailing podcast@apellaadvisors.com This podcast was produced by The Podcast Coach.

Sitting at the heart of their industry, trade associations are the ‘official voice' looking to put forward the collective view and position of its members. Not only do they speak on behalf of their members to government, agencies, regulators, the media and other opinion formers, but they self-regulate and police, deliver training and development, conduct research and organise conferences and events.   With more than 1,250 to choose from, there's a body out there for everyone. But are they worth it? Are the benefits of membership worth the often significant fees and all the additional contributions of time and expertise? How do you actually measure that value? If you are a member, how can you make sure you are extracting every last drop of worth? Put simply, are trade associations worth it? To help answer these questions and more, Apella Advisors Partner Andrew Brown is joined by two former titans of the trade association firmament. Huw Evans who was, for seven years, Director General of the Association of British Insurers and Ian Wright, seven years CEO of the Food and Drink Federation.  Ian was also Corporate Relations Director of Diageo plc for 14 years. Please leave us a 5 star review if you enjoyed this episode or let us know what you think via social media or emailpodcast@apellaadvisors.com This edition of The Little Questions podcast is presented by Andrew Brown. Apella partner Andrew Brown is a former Director of Communications and Public Affairs at Ageas Insurance. He has more than ten years' experience leading the corporate affairs functions for global firms across a range of regulated and unregulated sectors, developing considerable experience in issues, crisis and change management. Formerly Director of Communications at Drax Group plc and Group Corporate Affairs Director at Regus plc.   Find out more about Apella Advisors at www.apellaadvisors.com and you can get in touch by emailing podcast@apellaadvisors.com This podcast was produced by www.thepodcastcoach.co.uk

An interview with Paul Drechsler, International Chamber of Commerce UK Chairman. For this episode we are joined by Paul Drechsler, the Renaissance man of business. Paul has been at the centre of the interface between business, politics and society for many years. To say he's done a lot in his time would be a gross understatement: 24 years with ICI; Chair and Chief Executive of the family owned construction firm the Wates Group; Chair of the shipping and marine firm Bibby Line.  And then there is his work as Chair of some of the foremost business organisations. He was President of the CBI in the lead up to and aftermath of the Brexit Referendum; and most recently Chair of Business London and the International Chamber of Commerce. He's sat on the Board of Teach First and Business in the Community. Oh and he was, for a number of years, Chancellor of Teesside University. Please leave us a 5 star review if you enjoyed this episode or let us know what you think via social media or email podcast@apellaadvisors.com This edition of The Little Questions podcast is presented by Andrew Brown and Liz Lynch. Apella partner Andrew Brown is a former Director of Communications and Public Affairs at Ageas Insurance. He has more than ten years' experience leading the corporate affairs functions for global firms across a range of regulated and unregulated sectors, developing considerable experience in issues, crisis and change management. Formerly Director of Communications at Drax Group plc and Group Corporate Affairs Director at Regus plc. Liz Lynch is experienced in corporate communications; public affairs and policy; regulatory affairs and risk; industrial relations; crisis and complex issues management; reputation turnarounds; campaigns, competition; and ESG. Lizi is the former Head of Public Affairs and Public Policy at TSB Bank. She was previously a Partner at a global communications agency and has worked in the media and politics. Find out more about Apella Advisors at www.apellaadvisors.com and you can get in touch by emailing podcast@apellaadvisors.com This episode has been produced by The Podcast Coach.

There's no right or wrong way to define success - it looks different for everyone. What matters is that you're able to define it for yourself. So, what does it take to get on and succeed in corporate affairs? What should you look to define and focus on, and what (and who) should you avoid? Do professional qualifications help or is it all about learning at the knee of a master?  When we started thinking about this episode I had the words of Baz Lurman ringing in my ears - that offering advice is a form of nostalgia, fished from the past, where you paint over the ugly bits and recycle it for more than its worth. Ouch. We'll try not to do that. Please leave us a 5 star review if you enjoyed this episode or let us know what you think via social media or email podcast@apellaadvisors.com This edition of The Little Questions podcast is presented by Andrew Brown and Matt Young. Apella partner Andrew Brown is a former Director of Communications and Public Affairs at Ageas Insurance. He has more than ten years' experience leading the corporate affairs functions for global firms across a range of regulated and unregulated sectors, developing considerable experience in issues, crisis and change management. Formerly Director of Communications at Drax Group plc and Group Corporate Affairs Director at Regus plc. Matt Young is an Apella partner with 25 years of experience in corporate affairs. He was Corporate Affairs Director at Lloyds Banking Group, part of the senior team which rescued the bank and rebuilt its reputation following the financial crisis. Formerly communications director at Santander UK and board member of the BBA. Find out more about Apella Advisors at www.apellaadvisors.com and you can get in touch by emailing podcast@apellaadvisors.com This episode has been produced by The Podcast Coach.

The joys of the annual financial reporting season are upon us. This is something that most of us in Comms get involved with at some point – whether that's setting up media calls, fretting over internal messages, or just working out which picture of the CFO to use. For many of us, financial reporting is the equivalent of the PR hamster wheel. You never really get off. Once the ink is dry on the analyst notes or the media commentators have passed judgement, you're on to the next cycle. It's all a bit breathless. We've talked about financial reporting before on our Podcasts. But as it's the season for many PRs – inhouse and agency – we thought we'd delve into the subject again. And this time we'd like to dig a little deeper into the cottage industry that brings together PR, Comms, Finance, Legal and Secretariat to work in perfect harmony – or not. Joining Matt Young on the reporting hamster wheel are fellow Apella Partners, Andrew Brown and Anthony Silverman. Please leave us a 5 star review if you enjoyed this episode or let us know what you think via social media or email podcast@apellaadvisors.com This edition of The Little Questions podcast is presented by Matt Young and guests Andrew Brown and Anthony Silverman. Apella partner Andrew Brown is a former Director of Communications and Public Affairs at Ageas Insurance. He has more than ten years' experience leading the corporate affairs functions for global firms across a range of regulated and unregulated sectors, developing considerable experience in issues, crisis and change management. Formerly Director of Communications at Drax Group plc and Group Corporate Affairs Director at Regus plc. Our second guest this time is Apella partner Anthony Silverman who specialises in advising global boards and executive teams with complex reputational needs. Recent clients include RBS, UBS, Atlas Merchant Capital, Nomura, Pension Insurance Corporation, FirstRand and Nando's. He is also a former Senior Managing Director at Teneo in London. Host, Matt Young is an Apella partner with 25 years of experience in corporate affairs. He was Corporate Affairs Director at Lloyds Banking Group, part of the senior team which rescued the bank and rebuilt its reputation following the financial crisis. Formerly communications director at Santander UK and board member of the BBA. Find out more about Apella Advisors at www.apellaadvisors.com and you can get in touch by emailing podcast@apellaadvisors.com This episode has been produced by The Podcast Coach.

Podcasts are arguably the stand out media phenomenon of the recent years, with the most popular pulling in millions of followers, outstripping mainstream broadcasters in terms of reach and impact.   But, how do you actually start something with no one there to listen? How do you avoid screaming into the void? What to talk about? Should you have guests? Can you really go 100% DIY or do you need some professional help? The things to ponder are endless. We've an admission to make here at Little Questions Towers. We've had a bit of help along the way.  So, joining Andrew this week, alongside Matt, from the other side of the microphone, making their Little Questions debut are our podcast gurus and erstwhile producers Ben and Rory, from The Podcast Coach. Please leave us a 5 star review if you enjoyed this episode or let us know what you think via social media or email podcast@apellaadvisors.com This edition of The Little Questions podcast is presented by Matt Young and Andrew Brown. Apella partner Andrew Brown is a former Director of Communications and Public Affairs at Ageas Insurance. He has more than ten years' experience leading the corporate affairs functions for global firms across a range of regulated and unregulated sectors, developing considerable experience in issues, crisis and change management. Formerly Director of Communications at Drax Group plc and Group Corporate Affairs Director at Regus plc. Matt Young is an Apella partner with 25 years of experience in corporate affairs. He was Corporate Affairs Director at Lloyds Banking Group, part of the senior team which rescued the bank and rebuilt its reputation following the financial crisis. Formerly communications director at Santander UK and board member of the BBA. Find out more about Apella Advisors at www.apellaadvisors.com and you can get in touch by emailing podcast@apellaadvisors.com This episode was produced by The Podcast Coach

New Year's Resolutions are an exercise in hope, where aspiration meets reality. As Oscar Wilde said: ‘Resolutions are simply cheques that men draw on a bank where they have no account.'  In the interests of trying to make 2023 just a tiny bit better, The Little Questions Podcast decided that we would try to help all our friends in the industry, by coming up with some New Year's resolutions for businesses, sectors and individuals. Basically free PR advice given out by disgruntled middle-aged men. In Mick Herron parlance, the ‘Slow Horses' of the Comms world. Let us know what you think via social media or email podcast@apellaadvisors.com This edition of The Little Questions podcast is presented by Matt Young and Andrew Brown. Apella partner Andrew Brown is a former Director of Communications and Public Affairs at Ageas Insurance. He has more than ten years' experience leading the corporate affairs functions for global firms across a range of regulated and unregulated sectors, developing considerable experience in issues, crisis and change management. Formerly Director of Communications at Drax Group plc and Group Corporate Affairs Director at Regus plc. Matt Young is an Apella partner with 25 years of experience in corporate affairs. He was Corporate Affairs Director at Lloyds Banking Group, part of the senior team which rescued the bank and rebuilt its reputation following the financial crisis. Formerly communications director at Santander UK and board member of the BBA. Find out more about Apella Advisors at www.apellaadvisors.com and you can get in touch by emailing podcast@apellaadvisors.com This episode was produced by www.thepodcastcoach.co.uk

Christmas and the New Year are nearly upon us and it's the season of TV repeats and compilations. Our chance to laugh again at the things we laughed at just a few months ago. We're no different at Apella Advisors. With our world leading sustainability commitments, reuse and recycle is our mantra, so we've produced our very own Little Questions Podcast Xmas highlights. This is all our best bits from 2022. Our thoughts on everything from the merits of having activist investors on your books to thinking about how to consider brain friendly changes through organisational transformations. From what a journalist wants from a Comms team to our favourite PR heroes and villains.  Hopefully, faithful listener, you'll agree with our choices. If you don't, you can, of course, go back and relisten to all our previous episodes at your leisure! We'd love to hear what you think. Get in touch on social media or email podcast@apellaadvisors.com This edition of The Little Questions podcast is presented by Matt Young and Andrew Brown. Apella partner Andrew Brown is a former Director of Communications and Public Affairs at Ageas Insurance. He has more than ten years' experience leading the corporate affairs functions for global firms across a range of regulated and unregulated sectors, developing considerable experience in issues, crisis and change management. Formerly Director of Communications at Drax Group plc and Group Corporate Affairs Director at Regus plc. Matt Young is an Apella partner with 25 years of experience in corporate affairs. He was Corporate Affairs Director at Lloyds Banking Group, part of the senior team which rescued the bank and rebuilt its reputation following the financial crisis. Formerly communications director at Santander UK and board member of the BBA. Find out more about Apella Advisors at www.apellaadvisors.com and you can get in touch by emailing podcast@apellaadvisors.com This podcast was produced by the www.thepodcastcoach.co.uk

For every Atticus Finch and Han Solo, there's a Hannibal Lecter and Darth Vader. Who doesn't love a great hero or a terrifying villain? They are the protagonists that sit at the heart of every great story, of how we demonstrate the values that matter, define our morals and learn valuable lessons. Arguably you can only become a great hero if you have a compelling villain against which you can strive: Without Voldemort, Harry Potter is just another young wizard; Without the Joker, Batman is just an angry ‘trustafarian' killing time. And given it's getting to that time of the year where we like to look back, we thought we'd have a look at our PR heroes and villains of 2022! We'd love to hear what you think. Get in touch on social media or email podcast@apellaadvisors.com This edition of The Little Questions podcast is presented by Andrew Brown, Jenny Scott and Matt Young. Apella partner Andrew Brown is a former Director of Communications and Public Affairs at Ageas Insurance. He has more than ten years' experience leading the corporate affairs functions for global firms across a range of regulated and unregulated sectors, developing considerable experience in issues, crisis and change management. Formerly Director of Communications at Drax Group plc and Group Corporate Affairs Director at Regus plc. Apella partner Jenny Scott joins us again on The Little Questions podcast. Jenny has worked as Executive Director of Communications at the Bank of England and co-lead for Bank wide strategy. She was also Advisor to the Governor, and sat on the Bank's executive committee and risk committee. Formerly Economics and Politics Correspondent for the BBC and Presenter of the Daily Politics, she is now Trustee of Pro Bono Economics. Matt Young is an Apella partner with 25 years of experience in corporate affairs. He was Corporate Affairs Director at Lloyds Banking Group, part of the senior team which rescued the bank and rebuilt its reputation following the financial crisis. Formerly communications director at Santander UK and board member of the BBA. Find out more about Apella Advisors at www.apellaadvisors.com and you can get in touch by emailing podcast@apellaadvisors.com This podcast was produced by the www.thepodcastcoach.co.uk