How does a national newspaper group maintain its edge? On this edition of The Little Questions podcast, we're peeling back the curtain on the quiet power of your inbox, the evolution of business news, and why the era of the silent CEO is officially over.

Guiding the conversation are the podcast's new hosts, Jenny Scott and James Kirkup, both partners at Apella Advisors. Jenny brings her experience as the former Director of Communications at the Bank of England and a BBC economics correspondent, while James offers the perspective of a former national newspaper political editor and think tank director.

They are joined by Chris Williams, Executive Editor at Telegraph Media Group. With over 15 years at the title, Chris oversees the paper's business coverage and has a front-row seat to the radical shifts rocking the industry.

The episode kicks off with the unexpected renaissance of the newsletter. Chris explains how The Telegraph's flagship newsletter reaches 2 million people daily, becoming their most potent tool for subscriber growth by returning to media's 18th-century roots: curated, intimate storytelling.

We also dive into the "growing up" of business news. Readers no longer want dry profit reports; they crave long-form narratives that connect corporate performance to the broader societal pulse. Chris offers a provocative take on AI: while it disrupts search traffic, it may ultimately save traditional media. Because AI requires verified facts to function, high-quality journalism is regaining the leverage it lost during the social media boom.

Finally, Chris issues a challenge to the C-suite: "News abhors a vacuum." He argues that risk-averse leaders can no longer stay silent on socio-political issues. If you don't tell your story, someone else will. He urges comms professionals to move past press releases and reinvest in the oldest tool in the kit: the personal relationship. He also has a spicy thought about CEOs who only communicate via LinkedIn.

We'd love to know what you think. Are you investing time in building and maintaining relationships with journalists? Do you think your C-suite execs should be speaking out publicly more or less in the current climate?

Drop us an email - podcast@apelladvisors.com and please consider leaving us a review.

This podcast is produced by The Podcast Coach.

We're proud to have provided 100 informative, humorous, and occasionally thrilling episodes of Little Questions - the podcast for all of us working with or working in Corporate Affairs, Communications and PR.

To mark our 100th episode, we have gone back into the archives and pulled moments from the conversations that still resonate. In this special episode - the last to be hosted by Matt Young and Andrew Brown - we look back at some of the best moments from our last 100 shows:

PR - is it a trade, an art, a profession - or are we just making it up? The challenge of explaining what you actually do for a living - to anyone, but especially your mother - gets a proper airing.

The CEOs who get it. Amanda Blanc (CEO @ AVIVA) "total brutal honesty, no smoke-blowing please". Henry Englehart (Founder of Admiral), who heard himself discussed in the storytelling episode, asked to come on, and delivered a very direct conversation about leadership communications.

Winners, losers in the world of Comms: Shania Twain. Matt Hancock. Elon Musk. A Jaguar rebrand with no actual plan behind it. Thank You for Smoking. Edina Monsoon. Deciding who you will and won't represent.

And the statistic that still surprises us… some of you have listened to several of the episodes more than once. What are you all doing with your lives!?

Little Questions will remain at batting crease and will be looking to make another 100 episodes. So Apella partners, Jenny Scott and James Kirkup, will shortly be putting on the pads and helmets, and ready to knock up another century of wisdom and wit.

Want to share your thoughts or ideas for future topics? you can get in touch at podcast@apellaadvisors.com. Please consider leaving us a review.

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.

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.

This podcast is produced by The Podcast Coach.

In a world that occasionally feels like it's teetering on the edge, the demand for "wise counsel" has never been higher.

In this episode of the Little Questions Podcast, we turn the spotlight on advice, the good, the bad, and the confidently delivered but completely wrong.

Because in Corporate Affairs and Communications, advice isn't just part of the job, it is the job. Whether it's guiding reputations through choppy waters, helping leadership navigate tricky moments, or answering the unexpectedly high-stakes question of what a CEO should wear to an awards dinner, we're in the business of judgement.

And most of the time, we get it right.

…most of the time.

Apella Partner Andrew Brown shares some of the best advice he's given (and received), alongside a few moments where things didn't quite go to plan. From genuinely valuable insights to the kind of counsel you politely ignore, and occasionally wish you had, we explore what separates wisdom from hindsight.

Along the way:

• Why demonstrating commercial impact is non-negotiable
• The uncomfortable truth about hiring (and being judged for it)
• When leaders need a "suck it up" moment
• Why getting ahead of an issue matters more than reacting to it
• And some truly questionable guidance that's best left in the past

We also reflect on the reality that even the most experienced advisers get it wrong sometimes and why that's not just inevitable, but useful.

After all, as one famous cinematic strategist once proved… even the most confident advice can have fatal flaws.

Apella partners Andrew Brown and Matt Young host this one and you can get in touch at podcast@apellaadvisors.com. Please consider leaving us a review.

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.

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.

This podcast is produced by The Podcast Coach.