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.
The Frank Bold Society and the Neighbourhood Association Uhelná called on the Czech government today to be more consistent in its negotiations with Poland over mining at the Turów brown coal mine. According to both organisations, the government did not have enough information or time to prepare an agreement that would truly protect Czech interests. Moreover, the government has acted in a non-transparent manner by failing to inform the public in advance of the terms of the agreement being prepared, which should lead to the withdrawal of the action against Poland at the EU Court of Justice. The organisations have therefore drawn up a document with seven basic demands on which the Czech side should insist.
The European Commission recently introduced a draft of the revised EU ETS Directive which, among other things, proposes that 100 % of ETS revenues should be used for environmental measures. We welcome this idea but we’re also sceptical about how the ETS revenues are used in the Czech Republic. Therefore, we have prepared an analysis mapping the use of ETS revenues in Czech Republic and sent it to the European Commission as an input for the recent public consultation. The main conclusions are presented below.
We have analysed hundreds of pages of technical documents and prepared a comprehensive overview of the sustainability reporting requirements under the forthcoming EU legislation. We summarise what ESG data will be critical for companies, banks, and investors in sustainability strategy and management and in the areas of climate change, environment, sustainable activities, employees and supply chains, due diligence, and anti-corruption measures.
