Ruder Finn

Ruder Finn is a public relations firm with co-headquarters in the United States and China. Ruder Finn maintains offices across North America, Europe and Asia. The agency was founded by Bill Ruder and David Finn and is now led by CEO Kathy Bloomgarden. Ruder Finn has four areas of expertise: Health & Wellness, Corporate & Public Trust, Technology & Innovation and Consumer Connections.^[1]

History

RF was established in 1948 in New York with the formal partnership of David Finn and Bill Ruder.^[2] Their first client was Perry Como, a famous singer, and over time they expanded their network to include consumer products companies as well as government agencies.

In 1999 Ruder Finn established RFI Studios, a digital practice, to help clients protect and build their reputation online. The agency expanded aggressively in Asia, establishing offices in Shanghai, Beijing, Hong Kong, Guangzhou, Singapore, Delhi, Mumbai and Bangalore. In 2011, Ruder Finn further strengthened its presence in the region by acquiring Thunder Communications, a Chinese event management, brand and marketing consultancy, and forming a partnership with Kyodo Public Relations, the largest independent PR firm in Japan.^[3]

The agency has received multiple honors, including PRSA Bronze Anvils, Big Apple Awards, SABREs and PRWeek Awards.^[4][5][6][7] David Finn, the agency’s chairman, also received a Big Apple Award for his leadership, service and ethical conduct in the field of public relations.^[8]

In April 2015, the firm paid $30.7 million for a 34,000-square-foot property on East 53rd Street for new corporate headquarters for the firm. ^[9]

Clients

• Caribou Coffee^[10]
• Johnson & Johnson^[11]
• Kraft Foods^[12]
• Microsoft^[13]
• Novartis^[14]
• PepsiCo^[14]
• Pfizer^[14]
• PPR^[15]
• Swiss Private Bankers Association^[13]
• TiVo^[16]
• Tod's ^[3]

Controversy

1960s through late 1990s - While representing long-time client Philip Morris (now Altria), Ruder Finn was instrumental in crafting the public relations campaign that disputed the evidence tobacco smoking is hazardous to health.^{[17][18][19][20]}

1997 - Ruder Finn ran the Global Climate Coalition, a group of mainly United States businesses opposing action to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.^[21]

1998 - Caught in conflict of interest as discoveries of financial dealings of Swiss authorities post-World War II surfaced which involved some of their Jewish clients.^[22]

2005 - Pro bono work done for the UN raised speculation when Kofi Annan's nephew, Kobina, worked as an intern at the firm.^[23]

2012 - Ruder Finn accepts contract worth £150,000 per month by current government of Maldives that is currently being condemned by many nations and organizations (including the Commonwealth) for organizing a political coup d'état that led to the fall of the first democratically elected President of the Maldives. While vice-president of Ruder Finn Tchividjian "admitted there were 'diverse points of views' surrounding the circumstances around the change of government"^[24] the Commonwealth Ministerial Action Group has reiterated its call for early elections to be held in the Maldives and that the Commission of National Inquiry set up by the current government to investigate the incidents of 7 February 2012 is not impartial or independent.^[25] Since Ruder Finn's involvement with the current coup regime of Maldives, angry pro-democracy Maldivians have been flooding Ruder Finn's Facebook and other social media networks.^[26]

References

External links

• Ruder Finn website
• Feature On Kathy Bloomgarden: http://everything-pr.com/kathy-bloomgarden-ruder-finn/30329/