Earned First

Arun Sudhaman
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Earned First is a groundbreaking media and events platform dedicated to elevating public relations and communications professionals across Asia-Pacific, the Middle East, and Africa. Hosted by respected industry journalist Arun Sudhaman, the Earned First podcast delivers crucial insights and intelligence for the global public relations industry.

  1. QI Group's Ramya Chandrasekaran on AI, culture & the evolving role of the CCO

    14 ABR

    QI Group's Ramya Chandrasekaran on AI, culture & the evolving role of the CCO

    Ramya Chandrasekaran, chief communications officer at QI Group, joins Arun Sudhaman to discuss how AI has moved from experiment to embedded practice inside her team, why geopolitics has fundamentally expanded the scope of the CCO role, and what it takes to build communications that actually land across 17-plus markets. She also shares an honest account of how she won a seat at the table, and why building relationships with the lawyers might matter more than you think.

    33 min
  2. Mary Njoki on PR transformation in Africa

    31 MAR

    Mary Njoki on PR transformation in Africa

    In this episode, Arun Sudhaman speaks with Mary Njoki, founder and CEO of Glass House PR in Nairobi, about the findings of the State of PR in Africa report — a survey of 54 agencies representing over 6,500 professionals across the continent. The discussion covers AI adoption across the industry, the structural training gaps that are shaping how tools are being used, and the growing challenge of algorithm opacity for practitioners trying to reach targeted audiences. The conversation also explores the broader trajectory of African PR: how the industry has evolved from being conflated with events and press releases into a recognised strategic discipline, and what Njoki is trying to achieve through Africa PR Week — both in terms of building a continental professional community and placing African communications on the global stage.

    35 min
  3. Stagwell's Margaret Key on why she left Publicis & what comes next for PR networks

    13 MAR

    Stagwell's Margaret Key on why she left Publicis & what comes next for PR networks

    Margaret Key, Asia Pacific CEO at Allison Worldwide and executive director at Stagwell, on why she left one of the most successful holding groups in the business, what consolidation is really doing to PR's standing inside holding companies, and why she thinks the next decade will look nothing like the last. She also talks about Korea's underrated role in the regional comms landscape, the unbundling of senior talent into independent and fractional practices, and what still needs to change for women at the top of the industry.

    43 min
  4. Gil Bashe on the healthcare sector's trust crisis

    20 FEB

    Gil Bashe on the healthcare sector's trust crisis

    In this episode of the Earned First podcast, Gil Bashe, chair of health and purpose at Finn Partners, argues that healthcare’s most urgent crisis is no longer innovation or access, but institutional credibility. Speaking during a visit to India, Bashe draws on his new book, Healing the Sick Care System: Why People Matter, to explain how healthcare systems have become optimised for process, compliance, and risk management—often at the expense of patient belief and human connection. The conversation explores increasing scepticism towards healthcare institutions is, how health influencers are filling a trust vacuum left by institutions, and why misinformation has become a symptom of credibility failure. Bashe also addresses the depth of public anger directed at insurers, the global legitimacy gap between institutions and community voices, and what healthcare communicators must unlearn in a low-trust environment.

    36 min
  5. Kelly Bennett on PR talent, independence & life after Omnicom

    16 FEB

    Kelly Bennett on PR talent, independence & life after Omnicom

    In this episode of the Earned First podcast, Kelly Bennett, founder and managing director of New Zealand's One Plus One, explains how he has built and grown an independent PR firm through a prolonged economic downturn. He details the operating choices behind that performance, including disciplined growth, leadership depth and a strong emphasis on qualitative factors such as curiosity, judgment and interpersonal capability over narrow functional or quantitative skills. The conversation also draws on Bennett’s experience inside Omnicom, where he observed multiple cycles of restructuring, consolidation and brand retirements. He discusses how holding-company turbulence affects agency culture and leadership, and what independent founders can learn from watching established network brands expand, contract or disappear altogether.

    31 min
  6. PRAXIS MENA review with North Seventy Five's Iman Issa

    6 FEB

    PRAXIS MENA review with North Seventy Five's Iman Issa

    In this episode of the Earned First podcast, Arun Sudhaman is joined by Iman Issa, co-founder and managing partner of North 75, to unpack the key ideas and tensions that shaped the inaugural PRAXIS MENA summit in Abu Dhabi. The conversation moves beyond surface-level optimism to examine why the Middle East communications market feels structurally different right now — from the centrality of culture and talent, to the growing importance of government reputation, institutional diplomacy, and the region’s unusually confident outlook amid global uncertainty. Issa reflects on what this means in practice for senior communicators: why authenticity and judgment still matter in an AI-accelerated world, how agencies should defend the value of “brain power” as automation reshapes pricing models, and why PR risks irrelevance if it continues to position itself as the final execution layer rather than a creative and strategic lead. The discussion also explores the rise of homegrown consultancies, the capital reshaping the regional agency landscape, and what it really takes to build influence — not just visibility — in one of the world’s fastest-moving communications markets.

    28 min
  7. Ashbury's Adam Harper on the Gulf's strategic communications shift

    2 FEB

    Ashbury's Adam Harper on the Gulf's strategic communications shift

    Ashbury founder Adam Harper joins the Earned First podcast to reflect on why the Middle East has become one of the world’s most strategically important regions, how Asian and Western capital now meet there, and what communicators must do to navigate this new landscape.

    28 min
  8. Madan Bahal on sustaining growth through turbulence

    12 ENE

    Madan Bahal on sustaining growth through turbulence

    In this episode of the Earned First podcast, Arun Sudhaman speaks with Madan Bahal, co-founder and MD of Adfactors PR, about what it takes to sustain consistent growth in a public relations industry marked by prolonged uncertainty. Reflecting on the pressures facing consultancies, Bahal describes this turbulence as a permanent condition that firms must learn to operate within — a mentality that has helped Adfactors grow to more than $65m in fee income over the past three decades. The conversation also explores why public relations continues to struggle to command value commensurate with its influence, particularly in India. Bahal discusses how this reality shapes agency behaviour, expectations, and leadership priorities, before turning to questions of succession, long-term continuity and his own peace of mind.

    42 min
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Earned First is a groundbreaking media and events platform dedicated to elevating public relations and communications professionals across Asia-Pacific, the Middle East, and Africa. Hosted by respected industry journalist Arun Sudhaman, the Earned First podcast delivers crucial insights and intelligence for the global public relations industry.

Información

  • Creador
    Arun Sudhaman
  • Años de actividad
    2025 - 2026
  • Episodios
    24
  • Clasificación
    Apto
  • Copyright
    © Arun Sudhaman
  • Mostrar sitio web
    Earned First