The Penta Podcast Channel

In this edition of "What's At Stake: A Penta Podcast," John Hume and Chris Mehigan of Dublin-based global communications firm Hume Brophy join Andrea Christianson to break down the political and economic crises facing Europe. Amid a new government in the United Kingdom, a raging conflict in Ukraine, and a looming energy crisis, the political and business environment on the continent is growing increasingly complex.The group starts with the UK, where Prime Minister Liz Truss is off to a rocky start. Contrary to the government's rhetoric, Brexit still is not "done," with many trade and regulatory knots yet to be untangled. John and Chris discuss what Brexit's complicated legacy for Britain and the EU will be.Plus, John and Chris explore the implications of the most acute challenge facing Europe: the rising cost of energy. How will Europe keep the lights on this winter? What will it cost? And how will governments balance their sustainability goals with the need to keep homes warm and factories online? As leaders of a global firm with offices throughout Europe and Asia, John and Chris offer their expert perspectives on these questions and more.Read more about Hume Brophy here.Learn more about John Hume and Chris Mehigan here.

On this week's Macrocast, host Tony Fratto is joined by Brendan Walsh from Markets Policy Partners and Brai Odion-Esene from SW4 Insights to discuss the unexpected turn of events in the UK and the hotter-than-expected CPI data released this week. The group also dives into the IMF/World Bank Annual Meetings and shares their key takeaways from the week's gatherings, including the strong dollar, the outlook on oil prices, and debt in emerging markets. Read more about SW4 Insights founder Brai Odion-Esene here.Check out the September CPI report from the Bureau of Labor Statistics here.Learn more about Markets Policy Partners here.

On today's episode of What's At Stake: A Penta Podcast, host Bryan DeAngelis is joined by Penta Strategy Partner Andrea Christianson, Senior Director Stephanie Walstrom, and Director Rustin Finkler to discuss their experiences with paid parental leave at different stages in their careers.  The group talks about the importance of parental leave in both their personal and professional lives and shares advice for parents taking leave. As they highlight, paid parental leave is important to both establish a routine for growing families and allow professionals to stay in the workforce while managing family commitments. Parental leave for both moms and dads can encourage an equitable split of responsibility, both in the workforce and at home.  Andrea, Stephanie, and Rustin consider how parental leave is critical to a healthy workforce both in the US and around the world, stressing the importance for companies to think critically about their leave policies for both parents in a modern, flexible workforce. As companies think about attracting and retaining talent, parental leave is a key consideration and signal for how employers value their employees. In the age of hybrid work, open conversations around family responsibilities and childcare are important to allow working parents to prioritize their home responsibilities while remaining engaged at work. Additional resources: Center on Budget Policy Priorities: A National Paid Leave Program Would Help Workers, Families Brookings: Paid leave as fuel for economic growth McKinsey and Company: A fresh look at paternity leave: Why the benefits extend beyond the personal

On this week's Macrocast, guest host Matt McDonald is joined by John Fagan from Markets Policy Partners to discuss the latest jobs report and how it informs economic predictions for 2023. The pair also discusses the Fed outlook for 2023 and the implications of OPEC+ production cuts. Read more from Markets Policy Partners here and the full jobs day data from the BLS here.

On today's episode of What's At Stake: A Penta Podcast, host Bryan DeAngelis is joined by Senior Partners Alberto Lopez-Valenzuela and Mike Berland, and Strategy Partner Andrea Christianson, for a discussion on the intelligence and advisory insights that Penta offers companies, including in-depth data analysis, news monitoring, and public affairs strategy development and execution. As the group highlights, Penta offers companies the intelligence they need to engage the stakeholders they care about most. Penta combines cutting edge data with strategic input on how to best use it, including making intentional choices on what specifically should be measured and why. Penta can also support companies through the execution phase, ensuring target audiences receive the messages they need to hear. One area the firm is particularly focused on is environmental, social, and governance (ESG) issues, helping clients anticipate their stakeholders' needs and concerns in this space and prepare for and proactively adjust to potential challenges. Tune in to hear the full conversation.  Read Penta's launch press release here.Follow Penta on Twitter here. Follow Penta on LinkedIn here.Listen to the first episode of What's At Stake with Matt, Alexander, and Beth here.Read more about Alberto, Mike, Andrea, and Bryan here.

On this week's episode of Macrocast, Penta's President Matt McDonald joins John and Brendan to discuss the Bank of England purchasing long-dated government bonds and the extreme volatility of the pound and bond markets. The group also discusses the Fed's continued hawkish stance and the market crises around the world in Germany and China. Read more from Markets Policy Partners here and learn more about Penta here.

In this episode, Bryan DeAngelis introduces our new show: "What's At Stake: A Penta Podcast." The show will tackle the biggest issues shaping business and public policy, covering some of the same topics as HPS Insights. The first episode of "What's At Stake: A Penta Podcast" is out now!

Today, Alexander Jutkowitz, the Penta Board Chair, and Beth Comstock, Board Member at Penta, and the former Vice Chair of General Electric, join Penta President Matt McDonald on the inaugural episode of What's At Stake: A Penta Podcast. On the show, the group talks about the rising difficulty businesses, especially at the leadership level, are facing in solving the challenges presented by, and managing the risk of, an increasingly engaged group of stakeholders. Additionally, they discuss how  businesses that are thinking about engaging their stakeholders on a regular basis are the ones best prepared to navigate unexpected crises. Matt, Beth, and Alexander explain how this opportunity in the marketplace spurred the idea for Penta. As the world's first comprehensive stakeholder solutions firm, Penta provides data-driven solutions for stakeholder strategy and engagement. Penta will combine analytics and research with deep expertise to deliver actionable insights, "best practice" solutions, and drive measurable impact for our clients.  Talking about the importance of both data and advising based on it, the group discusses how Penta will provide unparalleled impact with its intelligence and strategy offerings. Through sophisticated data collection and analysis, Penta Intelligence will deliver clear insights that help make sense of a complicated world. Penta strategy will help clients make sense of the events motivating stakeholders and driving public discourse. Together, these services will help our clients to define, inform, and strengthen decision-making and understanding between businesses and their stakeholders. Read Penta launch press release here.  Read Penta's introductory blog post here.  Follow Penta on Twitter here. Read more about Matt, Alexander, and Beth here.

On this week's episode of the Macrocast, Tony, John, and Brendan are joined by John Dick of Civic Science and Mark Sobel of the Official Monetary and Financial Institutions Forum. The group starts by discussing the increasing divergence between market economic fears and positive U.S. consumer sentiment. The quintet then talks about recent bond market volatility and central banks worldwide hiking rates before ending the episode by touching on historic dollar strength, and how global policymakers should respond. 

On this week's episode of the Macrocast, Jonathan Graffeo, managing director at HPS, joins Brendan and John of Markets Policy Partners. The group starts by debriefing the latest CPI reading and the impact it might have on the Fed's next interest rate decision. They also address the latest issues and developments impacting the global energy market, including the potential impact winter weather might have on the European energy market. John, Brendan, and Jonathan finish the show by talking about how current economic conditions in the U.S. might impact the midterm elections.