In this live episode of Data Malarkey - recorded live on stage at the 'AI for PR' conference in June 2026 - Master Data Storyteller, Sam Knowles, speaks with Pete Markey, Chief Communications & Marketing Officer at the University of Nottingham. Their wide-ranging discussion covered, AI, brand relevance, trust, creative judgement, and the future of marketing.

Pete has led marketing and communications across some of the UK's best-known brands, from More Th>n, RSA, and the Post Office to Aviva, TSB and Boots. Drawing on decades of experience with some of the UK's best-known and most progressive brands, he shares a highly practical view of what AI is useful for, where it creates real value, and where brands still need strong human oversight.

From customer experience, creative versioning, and strategic thinking, to measurement, reputation, and the future world of work, this is a thoughtful conversation about how to embrace AI without losing what the humanity that can make brands truly distinctive.

In this episode, you'll learn:

• Why brand relevance is still one of the most important North Stars in marketing

• Why authenticity matters even more in an AI-mediated world

• Why AI can be brilliant for speed, efficiency, and creative adaptation

• Why Pete draws firm guardrails around AI-generated people and brand authenticity

• How data and testing are reshaping the role of the CMO

• Why marketing leaders need to educate their boards and exec teams on AI

• What skills younger and older comms professionals should be building now

• Why AI and human craft must coexist

Topics we cover:

• Staying relevant as a brand

• Trust, authenticity, and fragile public brands

• AI adoption at Boots and beyond

• Creative development, speed, and retail responsiveness

• The scientist, artist, and politician balance in the CMO role

• Measurement, eye tracking, and data-led campaign decisions

• AI in marketing operations and digital journeys

• The changing relationship between brands and agencies

• Entry-level jobs, future skills, and marketing careers in the AI era

About the guest:
Pete Markey is Chief Communications & Marketing Officer at the University of Nottingham. Across his career he has led marketing and communications for a range of major UK brands including More Th>n, RSA, the Post Office, Aviva, TSB, and Boots. Pete is known for combining strong brand thinking with a deep focus on data, effectiveness, and practical innovation.

Links and resources mentioned:

• Pete's LinkedIn profile https://www.linkedin.com/in/petermarkey/

• University of Nottingham website https://www.nottingham.ac.uk/

• Take the Data Storytelling Scorecard: https://data-storytelling.scoreapp.com

What were the standout moments from Season 10 of Data Malarkey?

In this end-of-season special, host and Master Data Storyteller, Sam Knowles, looks back at some of the best bits, biggest ideas, and sharpest soundbites from across Season 10. This "greatest hits" episode brings together a brilliant and eclectic mix of guests and topics, from gender equality in football and inclusion in advertising, to online safety, AI, insight, the four-day week, startup success, and making sense of data in organisations.

Featuring clips from Karen and Charlie Dobres, former Directors of Lewes FC, Ali Hanan, Harriet Kingaby, Ahti Heinla, Dino Delić, and Charlotte Rae, this episode is both a recap for existing listeners and a perfect jumping-in point for anyone new to Data Malarkey.

In this episode, you'll hear:

• How Lewes FC used attention, sponsorship, and crowd-building to drive gender equality in football

• Why equal FA Cup prize money remains a live issue

• What the new ROI - "return on inclusion" - means and how it drives advertising effectiveness

• Why the collapse of truth online should worry all of us

• How Skype and Starship Technologies were built from early-stage uncertainty into category-changing, global scaling businesses

• What the four-day week really means, and why it can improve both wellbeing and productivity

• Why many organisations still struggle to communications turn data into useful action

• How better questions, better framing, and better internal alignment lead to better decisions

Featured guests and themes:

• Karen and Charlie Dobres on Lewes FC and Equality FC

• Ali Hanan on return on inclusion

• Harriet Kingaby on truth, trust, and AI

• Ahti Heinla on Skype, Starship Technologies, and building world-changing tech

• Dino Delić on data, action, and why tools are not the problem

• Charlotte Rae on the four-day week

Take the Data Storytelling Scorecard: https://data-storytelling.scoreapp.com

The four-day week gets talked about a lot, but what happens when you stop talking about the theory and start measuring impact properly?

In this episode of Data Malarkey - the podcast about using data, smarter - Master Data Storyteller, Sam Knowles, speaks to Charlotte Rae, Associate Professor in Psychology at the University of Sussex. Charlotte is one of the UK's leading quantitative researchers on the impact of the four-day working week. She explains how the Sussex 4 Day Week research project studies real employers, real staff, and real outcomes to understand what changes when businesses move to working time reduction.

From productivity and sleep to motivation, meetings, AI, and whether the "honeymoon effect" wears off, this is a brilliant conversation about what the evidence says and where the practical challenges still sit.

In this episode, you'll learn:

• The difference between working time reduction, compressed hours, and part-time working

• How the Sussex 4 Day Week programme helps businesses prepare, trial, and measure results

• Why productivity rose by around 8% on average in the trial period

• Why improved sleep appears to be linked to improved productivity

• How motivation and behaviour change drive better output in less time

• Which sectors and business sizes are best suited to shorter working weeks

• Why most four-day week businesses do not simply shut on Fridays

• How AI may help enable shorter working weeks, but only if used in a structured way

Topics we cover:

• Four-day week models explained

• Measuring productivity, wellbeing, burnout, sleep, and motivation

• Why little tweaks often beat big grand changes

• The role of rest, recovery, and hobbies

• Sector differences: knowledge work, manufacturing, care, rota-based businesses

• Which non-working day businesses choose most often

• Long-term stickability of the four-day week

• Whether AI could accelerate working time reduction

About the guest:
Charlotte Rae is an Associate Professor in Psychology at the University of Sussex and leads the Sussex 4 Day Week research project. With a background in psychology and neuroscience, she applies a rigorous, data-driven approach to studying how shorter working weeks affect productivity, wellbeing, and workplace performance.

Links and resources mentioned:

• Sussex Four Day Week: https://sussex4dayweek.co.uk

• Take the Data Storytelling Scorecard: https://data-storytelling.scoreapp.com