Beyond the Noise - the PRWeek podcast

How has the Golin-Ketchum merger fared in the UK? We hear first-hand in PRWeek’s latest podcast, which features our guest Ondine Whittington, president of Golin Ketchum and Virgo Health London.

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

On the latest episode, Ondine Whittington discusses the challenges of merging Golin and Ketchum to form the new agency, including helping to create a unified culture.

She describes how clients have responded to the merger and addresses questions of client conflicts, redundancies and her priorities for the months ahead.

Speaking to PRWeek UK editor John Harrington, the former Golin London chief talks about the reasons behind bringing back creative shop Brooklyn Brothers in London, and speaks about how it will work alongside Golin Ketchum in the UK.

Whittington also reflects on the biggest lessons from Cannes Lions this year. And she gives her take on major industry issues, including current trading, shifting client needs and pitching.

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A pair of young PR stars are guests on this week’s Beyond the Noise podcast, discussing AI, office attendance, navigating LinkedIn and more.

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

This week, we hear from Chris Maho, account manager at The Romans, and Holly Ryan, account director at WA Communications – both of whom were shortlisted as People Stars in PRWeek’s People and Places Awards last month.

In conversation with PRWeek UK deputy news editor Evie Barrett, the pair speak about targeting Gen Z as a demographic, whether they think comms has an ageism problem, and using social media to boost your professional profile.

Elsewhere, they address the stereotypes that young comms professionals dislike phone calls, and that social events in PR are becoming less alcohol-centric.

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What were the biggest lessons and talking points from Cannes Lions 2026? PRWeek’s latest podcast takes a look.

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

Joining this episode are PRWeek trio Danny Rogers (editor-in-chief), John Harrington (UK editor) and Siobhan Holt (deputy editor).

They discuss the big trends from the PR Lions in particular this year, and discuss why ‘The KitKat Heist’ by VML and Burson won the prestigious Grand Prix in the category.

The journalists talk about some of their favourite winners and what they tell us about campaigns today – including trends with purpose, humour and AI.

They also ask why smaller UK independents were largely absent from the awards in 2026, despite many still attending the event on the French Riviera.

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We put more of your confessions under the spotlight in the latest episode of PRWeek’s ‘Am I the PR A***hole?’ (AITPRA) podcast.

In each episode of AITPRA, PRWeek will read out your anonymous confessions and our judges – Lynn Advisory founder Shayoni Lynn and Hoffman Agency UK co-MD Richard Fogg – will decide whether an ethical line has been crossed.

Download the podcast via Apple, Spotify, or listen on your favourite platform.

This week’s confessions include:

Making a colleague cry (and being pulled up) after giving honest feedback.
Making a group of pensioners sit in a cordoned-off area for hours for a PR stunt.
Purposely avoiding work but getting promoted anyway.

The episode is hosted by PRWeek UK editor John Harrington.

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Lord Heseltine tells the story of the birth of the European Space Agency. Why post-Apollo, when the US was spending £1.2 billion a year on space, the whole of Europe was spending just £200 million. Why the birth of ESA was driven by the self-interest of three major countries. Why the US general with a $29 billion budget for the Star Wars project wanted to invest in Heriot-Watt University in Edinburgh. Why, the idea that Britain could compete alone with the technologies that were accumulated and available to the American capitalist system was “simply laughable”. Why “being European is not selling out British interests”. And why Margaret Thatcher told him: “If you want to get on and put your budget into this, you can, but you're not getting any of mine."

Join Alice and Lord Heseltine as they pick apart the negotiating contrivances and the wheeling and dealing to circumnavigate “turkeys not voting for Christmas” that ultimately put European space on the map.

Contributors:
Alice Bunn, President of UKspace
Dr Alice Bunn OBE FIMechE FRAeS CEng | LinkedIn
UKspace: Overview | LinkedIn

Lord Heseltine, Member of the House of Lords

Key topics covered:

Creation of the European Space Agency (ESA)
US "Star Wars" program and brain drain
Geopolitical case for European R&D collaboration
Impact of Brexit on science and technology

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