According to Edelman global Trust study, trust in institutions and leaders is at an all-time low. In conversation with Arent Jan Hesselink, COO for the EMEA region of the global communications firm Edelman, and Ange Dunselman-Kunzmann, head of the Communications Center of Excellence at Philips, we discuss the growing expectancy from society on CEOs, to speak up on societal issues, and to lead change, and its implications for the changing role of communication professionals. We also talk about the growing relevance of strong thought leadership programmes in this era of mistrust, and the paradox of being mistrusted on the one hand, and expected to lead change, on the other. A food-for-thought conversation for business leaders and communication professionals faced with the above-described challenges.