We are honoured to announce that Frankly Speaking - A Podcast on Responsible Business has received the Silver Stevie Award in the Podcast category for Sustainability & Environment.
The International Business Awards are the world’s premier business awards programme. All individuals and organizations worldwide – public and private, for-profit and non-profit, large and small - are eligible to submit nominations. The 2025 IBAs received nominations from organisations and individuals in 78 nations and territories.
More than 3,800 nominations from organisations of all sizes and in virtually every industry were submitted this year for consideration in a wide range of categories, including Company of the Year, Marketing Campaign of the Year, Best New Product or Service of the Year, Startup of the Year, Corporate Social Responsibility Program of the Year, and Executive of the Year, among others.
The Frankly Speaking podcast won the Silver Stevie Award in the Podcast category for Sustainability & Environment.
Richard Howitt, who hosts the podcast and formerly worked as a Member of the European Parliament, said: "In contrast to those who say sustainability is too difficult or costly, the interest in our podcast from a very wide audience shows that sustainability transformation is absolutely essential and that there is a real thirst for knowledge on how to do it.
"We all have a stake in how companies meet this challenge, as employees, as customers, as pension holders. The 'Frankly Speaking' podcast really does allow us to speak frankly about what it means to be a responsible business."
Stevie Award winners were determined by the average scores of more than 250 executives worldwide, who participated in the judging process in May - July.
The judges described Frankly Speaking as representing a valuable and meaningful contribution to the discourse on sustainability, and praised the actionable advice to businesses that the podcast provides:
“Frankly Speaking stands out as a timely and insightful podcast that contributes meaningfully to the sustainability and ESG discourse in Europe and beyond. The series effectively blends policy updates with practical business insights, featuring a strong lineup of global thought leaders. Its focus on making responsible business the norm is both urgent and well-executed. The interviews are relevant, well-researched, and accessible, making complex legal and sustainability topics understandable for a diverse audience. A valuable contribution to the sustainability media landscape.”
“The show successfully navigates complex and evolving topics like ESG, sustainability reporting, and corporate responsibility — issues that are currently at the core of EU and global business regulation…The podcast doesn't just analyse issues — it also offers actionable insights for businesses, which makes it especially valuable for corporate listeners navigating the green transition.”
“Excellent initiative with a depth in the purpose. Apart from being a podcast, it is actually bringing in future relevant conversations.”
To listen to any of the 83 episodes we’ve released so far, please see here.
If you’d like to learn more about The International Business Awards and the lists of Stevie Award winners, please visit here.
By the end of July, the European Commission is expected to adopt its first set of sustainability reporting standards (ESRS). The standards will impact 50,000 European companies and thousands international corporate groups. As part of the EU Corporate Sustainability Directive (CSRD) ecosystem, they will require large companies to report information on their sustainability impacts on people and planet as well as their sustainability-related risks and opportunities.
Last Friday, the European Commission published for public consultation a draft Delegated Act on the first set of European Sustainability Reporting Standards. NGOs, civil society groups and investors associations are very concerned with the significant reduction of the ambition compared to EFRAG’s technical advice and urge the Commission to introduce a robust, mandatory and consistent reporting framework and to not allow greenwashing.
The Committee on Legal Affairs of the European Parliament adopts improvements on the Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive.
