The Purposeful Strategist, a podcast from Menkus & Associates in partnership with Norman Broadbent, shares conversations with CEOs on how they translate organisational purpose into bold strategy, real impact, and lasting results.
How do you redefine the role of public relations in a world where trust is increasingly fragile? In this episode, Sarah Waddington, CEO of PRCA, shares why she believes PR should be recognised not simply as media management or crisis response, but as a strategic management discipline essential to organisational success.
Sarah reflects on stepping into the leadership of the world’s largest professional body for public relations and communications during a period of significant change. She discusses the work involved in creating a clearer sense of direction for the organisation and what it means to lead a diverse and highly vocal membership through a rapidly evolving communications landscape.
Central to the PRCA’s mission, Sarah explains, are two priorities: strengthening the profession’s strategic standing and making the industry more inclusive by default. She explores the organisation’s work to redefine and better articulate the economic and societal value of PR, supported by new research and industry analysis, as well as efforts to bring together the sector’s many diversity initiatives into a more coordinated and impactful approach.
The conversation also examines where PR sits alongside advertising and marketing, why the rise of AI is increasing the importance of reputation and trust, and how strategic communications can help address some of society’s most complex challenges. Sarah’s perspective makes a compelling case for PR as a discipline that shapes not just narratives, but organisational resilience and public confidence.