In this episode Arun Sudarman speaks with Rochelle Ford, CEO of Page, about the challenges and opportunities facing chief communications officers today. Rochelle explains the Page Navigator — a benchmark and functional framework created by CCOs for CCOs — designed to provide the specific team-, budget- and remit-level data leaders need to make stronger cases for resources and structure.

They discuss a central tension: remits for communications are expanding (brand, culture, ESG, data and AI), yet functions are sometimes being restructured or dispersed — sometimes into legal or other teams — risking fragmentation of narrative and influence.

The conversation also tackles measurement — why teams default to easy-to-count outputs like media coverage, how that can change, and what it takes to speak the language of the CFO and CEO. Finally, they discuss geopolitics, the role of communications in risk management and innovation, and why proving action (not performative language) restores confidence in business.

In this episode Arun Sudhaman is joined by Carolyn Devanayagam, head of Weber Advisory for Asia-Pacific and managing director, Singapore at Weber Shandwick. They discuss how geopolitical shifts — from tariff regimes to political rhetoric — are reshaping corporate communications, forcing CEOs and comms teams to take public positions and manage complex stakeholder demands.

Devanayagam argues this environment is simultaneously a risk and an opportunity for Asian brands: those that combine operational strength with cultural humility and purpose can own a seat at the global table. The conversation closes with a practical look at talent: diversified hiring, advisory groups across policy/AI/government, and the balance of tech fluency with human listening and judgement.

Peter Jacob, managing director of Current Global MENA, joins the Earned First podcast to discuss how international PR firms are adapting to a fast-changing Middle East environment. The lure of the region stands in stark contrast to tougher market conditions elsewhere, but Jacob warns comms professionals that a long-term perspective is required for success.

In conversation with Arun Sudhaman, he also reflects on his own journey from business development to agency leadership, and considers how the region’s relative youth is shaping the way PR firms evolve in the Middle East.