cogcast (Cognito)

From his early days writing headlines in India to his current role as US e-commerce and retail correspondent at Reuters, reporting on big business in the U.S. Siddharth Cavale puts into context the global trends that bring goods to your stores.

In the latest episode of Cogcast, Siddharth shares his career journey at Thomson Reuters with Account Director and former reporter Larissa Padden, as well as how he prefers to work with sources and what it takes to be included in his stories.

Siddharth also discusses the global impacts that dictate what appears in stores and when items hit the shelves.

Google's implementing one of its largest-ever changes in how it determines page rankings. And for one of the first times, the company has given notice and details on how things will change.

Cognito digital experts James Hannaford in London and Jade Bestley in New York sat down to talk through the update and what it means for companies. With the vast majority of web traffic, even in finance, coming through Google, to maintain awareness its vital to fix website issues ahead of the launch.

James and Jade walk through the challenges and what can be done.

With COP28 UAE underway, we’re looking forward to the hot topics and announcements to come. Vartan Badalian, director of transportation at GreenBiz joined Larissa Padden to discuss the topics he’s focused on for COP, what he thinks transport companies are focused on in 2024 and his career as a transportation analyst at GreenBiz.  

In this episode of Cogcast, Michaela Morales, Cognito’s in-house wealth management expert, sits down with Toby Salinger, Chief Correspondent at Financial Planning, to explore the evolving landscape of wealth management. They dive into the rise of independent advisors, the ongoing wave of industry consolidation, and how private equity is reshaping the sector. Toby shares insights on the increasing integration of tax planning into wealth management, the game-changing role of AI and technology, and the latest investment trends in a volatile market. Whether you’re a financial advisor or simply interested in the future of wealth management, this episode is packed with valuable takeaways.

Freelance Journalist and founder of W Insight, Joanna Socha joins Cognito NY Account Director, Larissa Padden to discuss her career journey, her relationship with PR organizations, and her upcoming book on Gen Y’s relationship with money. Tune into this episode to find out from Joanna how she says PR pros should be approaching freelancers.  

From her days reporting on Capital Hill, North and South Carolina, communications professional Liz Wellinghorst witnessed the comms evolution first-hand.

In the latest episode of Cogcast, Liz shares her career journey with Account Director, Larissa Padden including the struggles she faced as an up-and-coming TV news reporter and the invaluable lessons from journalism she’s taken into her current role as the Director, Regional Integrated Marketing at the American Cancer Society.

In this episode of Cogcast, Larissa Padden sits down with Michael Thrasher, a seasoned journalist who has spent over a decade covering wealth and asset management. Thrasher shares his journey from working at Institutional Investor magazine to founding Modus News, a newsletter dedicated to family office professionals. Michael sat down to talk about the decision to strike out on his own, how he works with PR as a founder versus a reporter, and how media has changed since his days at a daily print newspaper in Ohio.

Account Director Vanja Lakic joins Emilia David, AI reporter at The Verge to discuss her career as a Tech journalist, AI as a media topic, and the pervasive issue of AI washing. The latest boom in AI has saturated the industry with new products - some of which don’t use AI. Listen to the episode to discover how Emilia is now unpicking AI washing and assessing legitimate AI story pitches from unqualified ones.

Rachel Curry, a freelance reporter contributing to CNBC and Observer, discussed her journey into freelancing, emphasizing the importance of pitching to editors and building relationships. She highlighted the challenges of standing out amidst numerous pitches and the value of relevant, non-trite stories, particularly in tech and AI. Curry also announced her upcoming newsletter, "Acronym," set to launch in December 2024, which aims to cut through corporate jargon and focus on impactful, candid stories. She noted the shift towards newsletters and the evolving media landscape, including her teaching journalism in Australia, which now includes multimedia forms like TikTok and podcasts.

TSAM New York is the premier event, convening the leaders of Asset Management. Andrew Kerry, CEO of Foxon Media, joins Vanja Lakic for a conversation on this year’s event themes, headline speakers and what’s next for the conference. From AI, data and client-centric innovations, dive into the latest episode of Cogcast for a glimpse of the prominent themes and technologies moving the Asset Management space.

Events and conferences are back to their post-pandemic activity levels, which means a resurgence of in-person media engagements and brand promotion. Account Director, Larissa Padden shared her observations, insights and outlook for event marketing in 2024, from being on the ground at this year’s Money20/20 USA in a discussion with Account Director, Vanja Lakic. Listen to this month’s episode which features a special Cogcast announcement.

From her days reporting on ESPN to teaching the next generation of reporters, Jane McManus has witnessed how both the sports industry and journalism’s role in world have evolved first-hand.

In the latest episode of Cogcast, Jane shares her career journey within sports with Account Director – and former student – Vanja Lakic, from her early days covering The Jets, the social media’s democratization of information, and her upcoming book on how women’s sports are finally getting their due.

Jane also shares, as a veteran sports journalist, unique angles on covering the upcoming Paris Olympics and how AI could have been used in the lead-up to the global event.

Every second counts. James Faris Senior Investing Reporter at Business Insider stresses the importance of a more discerning focus when pitching. Investing your time in strategic outreach can lead to better results that require less work. Find more about his journey and what he’s currently reporting on in the newest episode of Cogcast with Account Director Larissa Padden. 

Global Capital’s U.S. Bureau Chief Oliver West joins Cogcast to discuss the delicacies of banker-source relationships, reporting on the capital markets and the value in speaking with the trade media – despite the paywalls. In this latest episode, Olly talks about his career journey from covering Latin American bonds to the U.S. ABS market as well as how he prefers to work with sources and the balance between on the record and on background when covering the capital markets.

“There should be more objectivity where you’re looking at both sides of an issue and there’s just not enough of that.” Journalist and Postcast Host of Foundry’s ‘Today in Tech,’ Keith Shaw joins Account Director Vanja Lakic to speak about his career as a journalist and podcast host and his thoughts on the future of podcasts.  

From how to start a podcast, AI in journalism to the lack of objectivity when exploring topics, Keith offers his expertise in the latest episode of Cogcast. 

Welcome to the relaunch of Cogcast, the podcast that explores the connection between media, communication, technology, and culture. In this episode, Cognito NY Account Directors Larissa Padden and Vanja Lakic sat down with Vice Chairman Andrew Marshall, a former political strategist turned corporate communicator, to discuss his career transition to PR. Andrew talks about his experience in the high-stakes world of politics, and how he has used that experience in his current role as a corporate communicator.

Michelle Chan, sustainable finance and ESG reporter at The International Financing Review (IFR), discussed her career transition from Nikkei Asia to The Wall Street Journal and now to IFR. She highlighted IFR's paywall-protected business model and shared her thoughts on the future of ESG including the potential impact of the incoming Trump administration.  

Account Directors Vanja Lakic and Larissa Padden join our CEO Tom Coombes and experienced Futurist Speaker Andrew Grill to discuss how AI is transforming PR and communications. Find out how Cognito is experimenting with AI, advising clients and accounting for growing risks. We’ll discuss why humans will still play a central role in AI’s potential and what the next six months look like for Cognito and the PR industry.

The advancement of technology is shaping new trends for communications professionals in financial services. Listen to the new episode of Cogcast hosted by Account Director Larissa Padden where Melissa Kanter, Head of Communications and Brand Experience at ING Americas, and Jon Schubin, Director in Cognito’s London office, discuss how AI technology is going to impact the sector as well as the role of communicators in an uncertain future. Covering budgets, content and sustainability, this is a discussion you won’t want to miss!

Tech PR specialist Vanja Lakic spoke with her Cogcast co-host Larissa Padden about what she’s expecting to see at this year’s Collision conference, one of the biggest tech events in the world, Vanja talks about the opportunities for firms looking to make a splash, differences between the US and Canadian media landscapes and what you need to know about pitching Canadian journalists. Listen to Vanja’s take in the latest episode of Cogcast. 

The secret sauce to creating a pitch that will land with journalists? You need to know the people you’re pitching to. Jean-Paul Salamanca, Towns Reporter at Newsday Media Group, joined Vanja Lakic on the latest Cogcast to share what makes the difference between a pitch that goes nowhere and landing an opportunity for your spokespeople. This is one you won’t want to miss! 

How have AR, VR and the Metaverse impacted the future of media and communications? The latest episode of Cogcast features AR, VR and Metaverse Content Acquisitions Leader at Jio Tesseract, Ishika Gupta and Cognito Account Director Vanja Lakic, discussing how AR/VR is reshaping storytelling and how social media is redefining media experiences.

Charlie Morrow, Cognito’s Global Head of Sustainability Communications joined Account Director, Vanja Lakic live in our New York office during Climate Week NYC to share his views on this year's Climate Week events and what he is hearing from business leaders, trends he’s seeing in sustainable finance and ESG investing and the important role communications professionals play in the fight against climate change.  

Cognito's Director of Innovation David Simpson hosts a conversation with Professor Sally Eaves on how financial brands can work with influencers. Sally has been called a "torchbearer for ethical tech," with a large following in the United Kingdom and beyond.

They reflect on what goes into a successful collaboration between brands and influencers, including why longer-term partnerships tend to lead to better results.

Cognito recently launched Finfluence, its influencer discovery helping brands in the B2B Financial Services sector view and integrate influencer marketing into their communication strategies.

In this episode of Cogcast, host Larissa Padden speaks with financial reporter Mallika Mitra about her journey in journalism and transition to freelancing. Mallika shares insights from her career path through CNBC, Bloomberg, and Money.com before becoming a freelance writer for publications like Barron's, Kiplinger, and Business Insider. She discusses how freelancing has paradoxically provided more job security in today's volatile media landscape, her process for building stories, and her relationship with PR professionals. Mallika also explores her passion for reporting on generational trends in finance, particularly how younger generations approach money differently than their predecessors and the increasing openness about financial matters among Gen Z and millennials. 

June marks Pride Month for many countries, and this year we’ve witnessed some organizations denouncing their Pride campaigns in the face of backlash, leaving us to question the authenticity of support.

Our latest episode of Cogcast features Associate Director Ian Lee, from our Singapore office, in conversation with Leow Yangfa, Executive Director of Ooogachaga, Singapore's most established LGBTQ+ community organization working with individuals, couples & families since 1999. The two share their advice for corporates looking to support the LGBTQ+ community and the importance of building authentic corporate partnerships and allyships with NGOs and community groups.