Will AI spur leadership departures in 2026?

<p>What lies ahead for comms this year? PRWeek’s latest Beyond the Noise podcast episode takes a look.</p><p>Joining the podcast this week are Sarah Scholefield, group chief executive at Accordience, and Greg Jones, Europe CEO at Smarts.</p><p>Beyond the Noise looks at some of the biggest issues affecting communications and PR. Download the podcast via Apple, Spotify, or listen on your favourite platform.</p><p>Speaking to PRWeek UK editor John Harrington, the guests offer predictions on key areas including AI, ESG, influencer marketing, the comms workforce and the PR agency model.</p><p>Scholefield and Jones discuss how client needs are likely to evolve in 2026, and speak about <a href="https://www.prweek.co.uk/article/1944337/clients-more-selective-discerning-budgets" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">trends with client budgets</a> and retainers. They also reveal how optimistic they are overall for the year ahead.</p> <hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>