Shows
What Just Happened? A Polpeo PodcastMiracle on the Hudson River
In January 2009, US Airways Flight 1549 suffered a dual engine failure shortly after take-off from LaGuardia Airport due to a bird strike. Captain Chesley “Sully” Sullenberger and First Officer Jeff Skiles conducted an emergency landing on the Hudson River and, remarkably, all 155 passengers and crew survived.
In this episode of “What Just Happened?”, hosts Kate Hartley and Tamara Littleton are joined by aviation psychologist Jill Green to discuss the extraordinary calm and leadership demonstrated by ‘Sully’, who made the critical decision to land on the Hudson, executing it flawlessly with support from his co-pilot and crew.
The conver...2025-04-2442 minWhat Just Happened? A Polpeo PodcastCulture of Fear: Lessons from the Harrods Abuse Scandal
This episode of “What Just Happened?” explores the widespread abuse committed by former Harrods owner Mohammed Al Fayed and its lasting impact on the Harrods brand. Decades of sexual assault allegations came to light after Al Fayed’s death in 2023 and, despite previous media investigations and survivor reports, systemic failures – including legal threats, NDAs, and a culture of fear – prevented accountability. Harrods has since accepted vicarious liability and faces compensation claims from hundreds of women.
Hosts Kate Hartley and Tamara Littleton are joined by Anne Marie Blake to discuss how the scandal has significantly damaged Harrods’ public reput...2025-04-1032 minWhat Just Happened? A Polpeo PodcastThe Arup Deepfake Scam
This episode of “What Just Happened?” explores the growing threat of deepfake technology in corporate settings. In 2024, a major incident involving engineering company Arup saw a finance employee tricked into transferring £20 million after a video call with deepfaked colleagues.
Hosts Kate Hartley and Tamara Littleton are joined by legal expert Emma Woollcott to discuss the criminal side of the activity and the current gaps in legislation. The episode looks at the increasing sophistication and accessibility of deepfakes, particularly in video form, and how this poses significant risks to businesses worldwide. While once limited to fake images or au...2025-03-2700 minWhat Just Happened? A Polpeo PodcastSBM Offshore: Corporate Corruption, Whistleblowing, and the Fight for Justice
In this episode of “What Just Happened?”, hosts Kate Hartley and Tamara Littleton talk to the whistleblower at the heart of one of the biggest corporate bribery scandals in history, Jonathan Taylor.
A former lawyer for SBM Offshore, Taylor uncovered and reported a $240 million bribery scheme involving governments and oil companies worldwide. Despite alerting the authorities, he faced years of retaliation, including legal battles, extradition attempts, and personal hardship.
Taylor reflects on the role of corporate culture in enabling corruption, explaining how SBM’s long-standing bribery practices were ingrained in its operations, and he stress...2025-03-1200 minWhat Just Happened? A Polpeo PodcastThe TalkTalk Cyber HackThe TalkTalk data breach of 2015 was one of the most high profile cybersecurity incidents in the UK. Initially attributed to sophisticated hackers and feared to have exposed the personal data of over 4 million customers, it was later revealed to be the work of teenagers using basic techniques to exploit vulnerabilities in the company’s database. But the damage was already done for TalkTalk.
In this episode of “What Just Happened?,” hosts Kate Hartley and Tamara Littleton are joined by seasoned crisis specialist Catherine Colloms to talk about how the breach highlighted systemic failings in TalkTalk’s cybersecurity measures...2024-12-0500 minWhat Just Happened? A Polpeo PodcastThe Wells Fargo Fraud ScandalIn 2011 Wells Fargo bank was thrown into the centre of a scandal that resulted in it being fined $185 million for creating over 2 million fraudulent accounts without customers’ knowledge. Driven by aggressive sales targets, the bank saw a 43% drop in new account openings and a 55% drop in credit card applications. Over 5000 employees were fired.
In today’s episode of ‘What Just Happened?’, hosts Kate Hartley and Tamara Littleton are joined by corporate culture expert Jane Fordham to discuss how Wells Fargo responded and the wider issues around a culture that drove fraud on such a large scale.
The cr...2024-10-1635 minWhat Just Happened? A Polpeo PodcastMalaysia Airlines: The disappearance of MH370In March 2014, Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370 completely disappeared and became one of the greatest mysteries in aviation history. The Boeing 777, carrying 239 people, lost contact with air traffic control shortly after takeoff from Kuala Lumpur and, despite extensive search efforts, the plane was never found.
In today’s episode of ‘What Just Happened?’, hosts Kate Hartley and Tamara Liitleton are joined by Rod Cartwright, who was directly involved in the crisis response. They discuss the many challenges faced by the crisis team, including a total lack of information coupled with widespread speculation and conspiracy theories.
Dealing with a...2024-08-1432 minWhat Just Happened? A Polpeo PodcastBP Deepwater HorizonThis week’s show discusses the 2010 BP Deepwater Horizon disaster, the largest marine oil spill in history. Hosts Tamara Littleton and Kate Hartley, along with special guest Zaiba Malik, look at how the explosion on the Deepwater Horizon oil rig killed 11 workers and caused a massive oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, severely impacting the environment and local communities.
BP faced financial collapse, paying $65 billion over eight years in compensation, fines, and cleanup costs. The disaster exposed significant flaws in BP’s safety measures and leadership, particularly with regard to CEO Tony Hayward, whose public statements and...2024-07-3135 minWhat Just Happened? A Polpeo PodcastThe Nestlé Deforestation BacklashIn this episode of “What Just Happened?,” hosts Kate Hartley and Tamara Littleton, with special guest John Brown, explore the enduring relevance of the Nestlé versus Greenpeace controversy over palm oil and deforestation.
We delve into how Greenpeace’s campaign against Nestlé in 2010 highlighted the broader issue of palm oil production’s impact on rainforests. Nestlé made several missteps in handling the crisis, including attempts to suppress Greenpeace’s video and failing to meet their sustainability commitments.
We also discuss the broader implications for corporate transparency and accountability, emphasising the importance of genuine action over superficial p...2024-07-1736 min
What Just Happened? A Polpeo PodcastHorsegateThe horse meat scandal that erupted in 2013 had a huge impact on major UK food brands and supermarkets. And in this episode of “What Just Happened?,” hosts Kate Hartley and Tamara Littleton, with special guest Dr Mukta Das, discuss how horse meat came to be found in food products and what the impact was.
‘Horsegate’ began when the Food Safety Authority in Ireland discovered horse DNA in meat products sold as beef, leading to widespread recalls and public outrage. The scandal exposed the complexity and fragility of the food supply chain, revealing the presence of horse meat in beef...2024-07-0333 minWhat Just Happened? A Polpeo PodcastThe Bud Light BoycottIn this episode of "What Just Happened?," hosts Kate Hartley and Tamara Littleton, with special guest Aby Hawker, talk about the 2023 Bud Light controversy involving trans rights activist and influencer Dylan Mulvaney. Bud Light sent a special edition can to Mulvaney to celebrate her transition, but this led to a massive backlash from conservative groups and right-wing media. Notably, Kid Rock posted a video of himself shooting Bud Light cans in protest.
Despite the severe online abuse Mulvaney faced, Bud Light distanced itself from her, issuing a lukewarm statement and failing to support her publicly. The backlash affected Bud Light's...2024-06-2031 minWhat Just Happened? A Polpeo PodcastUnited Airlines Passenger RemovalIn this episode of "What Just Happened?," hosts Kate Hartley and Tamara Littleton, with special guest Mark Fritz, discuss the 2017 United Airlines crisis, where passenger Dr. David Dao was forcibly removed from a flight to make room for United employees.
The incident was filmed and widely shared on social media, and United's initial response blamed Dao, further fueling outrage. This led to a significant backlash, including a drop in United's stock price and calls for a boycott. CEO Oscar Munoz later issued a more sincere apology, which helped mitigate the damage.
In the show we look at the importance of...2024-06-0531 minWhat Just Happened? A Polpeo PodcastThe Tylenol RecallIn this episode of "What Just Happened?," hosts Kate Hartley and Tamara Littleton, with special guest Jonathan Hemus, discuss the 1982 Tylenol murders in Chicago, where seven people died after ingesting cyanide-laced Tylenol capsules. The crisis placed Johnson & Johnson at the centre of a murder investigation, severely impacting brand trust.
CEO James Burke made the unprecedented decision to recall 31 million bottles of Tylenol, costing over $100 million. This action, guided by the company’s credo prioritising customer safety, helped restore consumer trust.
In the show we look at the importance of strategic intent and strong organisational values in crisis management, and we di...2024-05-2930 minWhat Just Happened? A Polpeo PodcastWhat Just Happened? Pilot EpisodeIn What Just Happened? hosts and co-founders of Polpeo, Tamara Littleton and Kate Hartley, delve into a different corporate crisis, what it meant for the brand, and how it shaped our thinking in crisis communications.
Along the way, they have help and insight from some of the most prominent thinkers in the crisis communications industry, who share their expertise on why people behaved the way they did during the crisis in question, how leaders responded and even how the market changed as a result. And they help answer the biggest question of all - could it have been avoided in...2024-05-2201 min
Genuine HumansKate Hartley: Good Communication Can Create Change
This week on Geniune Humans, Tamara LIttleton and Wendy Christie talk to Kate Hartley, the co-founder of Polpeo, and author of Communicate in a Crisis. Kate talks about how good communications can create change, why it’s critical to rehearse a crisis before you manage one for real, and the impact that a crisis can have on your teams.
She talks about the people who’ve influenced her career, including Alison Taylor, Alison Clarke, Richard Houghton, and Tamara Littleton (and how Tamara taught her why it’s ok to be vulnerable, and how it is possible to be a go...2022-12-0839 min
AgencyphonicsEp #3 "From garage to Global Agency" Tamara Littleton, The Social Element AgencyTamara Littleton is the CEO and Founder of The Social Element Agency and Co-Founder of crisis simulation company Polpeo. https://www.linkedin.com/in/tamaralittleton/ The Social Element uses social media to help clients connect with their audience in the most powerful way. Tamara, has built an Agency of over 350 using an Agile & Remote Team approach. She talks about her journey from starting up in a garage through to being a global Agency.She also has another business with her business partner called Polpeo that simulates how a crisis breaks and sprea...2020-02-131h 12