The four hosts of The Green Room podcast sitting in the studio

Making it matter in The Green Room

How our podcast (and guests) have brought business topics to life this year

Summary

The power of conversation never ceases to amaze us. Understanding a complex issue. Putting yourself in someone else’s shoes. Asking difficult questions. Changing our perceptions. Here’s how our podcast has helped do this.

Those of you who’ve been following The Green Room podcast know we explore the issues that matter most to business – from climate and technology to inclusion and the future of work. Today we’re looking back at a pretty special year for the pod. Here’s a snapshot of the highlights.

Conversations that matter

We’ve come a long way over the past four years and 50+ episodes. But at the end of the day, it’s still all about the quality of conversation – and shining a light on the topics that matter most in business.

From understanding more about the circular economy and how we can tackle financial crime to learning about behavioural science and whether AI can help us be more human, season six has been one for the books.

But you can’t have a great podcast without great guests. And we’ve been fortunate enough to be joined by some pretty inspiring people this year – from bestselling authors and CEOs to LGBTQ+ rights activists.

Here are three top ideas from this past season:

Alan Jope, former CEO of Unilever, argued all of us can make an impact on an organisation, no matter which level

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Sadia Ahmed from Deloitte Ventures shared how your personal conviction is key in making your ideas happen.

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James Barr, host of A Gay and a Nongay podcast, talked about the role of tech in LGBTQ+ rights.

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Powered by people

The Green Room may be a business podcast, but we’re here to put a face to our brand. To show who we are and what we stand for.

It’s a platform to showcase the wonderful diversity and expertise we have at the firm, from sustainability leaders to financial crime experts. But it’s also powered by ideas, feedback and support from all corners of the firm.

That backing became very visible during our May campaign, when our colleagues flooded LinkedIn with selfies posing in front of the ads:

A collage of selfies taken by Deloitte staff in front of advertising boards displaying adverts for The Green Room podcast

Deloitte colleagues taking photos with The Green Room ads in stations around the UK during May 2023

And it’s our people we turn to when we need some help too. Because with the pod going from strength to strength, we needed another talented host. After another round of internal X Factor-style auditions, we're thrilled to welcome Annie Wong to our regular hosts for more conversations that matter.

<Annie> - Oh, hi. Are you here to walk to me to the studio for my first day?

<Voiceover> - Only the best for our new host, Annie. But we do have some questions too.

- Great. Let's go.

- In a sentence, what do you do at Deloitte?

- So I'm Annie Wong and I worked in our Public Sector Social Value Team, which is all about ensuring Deloitte play its part in driving positive societal outcomes through our client work.

- What made you apply to be the new host of The Green Room?

- Oh so many things. I love the pod, I love the hard hitting topics. I love chatting and I love asking challenging questions.

- Can you tell us a bit more about the audition process for The Green Room?

- So the audition was two parts. The first was a video submission and the second was an in person audition in the studio with a real. Yes, so proper screen test.

- Were you nervous? What was the biggest challenge?

- Yes, I was very nervous. I thought the biggest challenge would be the lights and the cameras, but it was actually remembering to stay in the moment and really listen to what the guests were saying.

- What are you most looking forward to on the pod?

- Everything, the topics, the guests, I think the line up this season is great. So I'm really looking forward to meeting all of the guests. And getting into the big topics.

- Have you ever pretended to be a presenter at home?

- No. Why would you think that?

<Audition tape, Annie> - As a child and I'll confess I still do this whenever I'm at home doing mundane tasks like hanging a photo frame or cooking, I’ll always pretend I'm on TV. Like ‘welcome to my cooking show’.

<Voiceover> - When do you feel most inspired?

<Annie> - When I'm in the shower or listening to music or podcasts.

- What's one thing people don't know about you?

- I'd like to say I'm quite an open book. But I think most people won't know that I'm a big gamer.

- What are three things you can't live without?

- My dog, tea and hair care.

- Sweet or savoury?

- Savoury

- Would you rather dance to the podcast music on each episode for the world to see, or sing the music yourself for the world to hear?

- Dance, definitely.

- If you could present any Podcast or TV show, what would it be?

- The Green Room, obviously(!) Speaking of which, shouldn’t we be getting started?

Meet Annie Wong, the newest host of The Green Room

Top of the charts

The biggest moment of the year was running an out-of-home advertising campaign to position the firm as having a voice on the issues that matter, with The Green Room at its heart. From billboards in train and tube stations across the UK to widespread advertising on digital, radio and other podcasts, we reached over 40 million people.

And the results were there. We made the top five business charts on Spotify, and top six on Apple Podcasts. What’s more, we’re now the biggest branded business podcast in the UK, sitting alongside big hitters like Steven Bartlett, Martin Lewis and The Financial Times.

And of course, thousands of new listeners have since subscribed. People could listen to any podcast out there, but it makes us proud they choose to spend their time with us.

That's a wrap

These are just some of our highlights. If we’re still going strong, it’s because of the people who’ve supported us along the way – our fantastic studio, our creative production team, and most of all our listeners. So, whether you’ve been there from the start or are new to the show, thank you for being part of The Green Room.