One of the world’s largest independent global communications and integrated marketing agencies, Ruder Finn, has announced that Zack Kass, former Head of Go-To-Market at OpenAI and a leading force in bringing artificial intelligence to business applications, will chair its new global AI Advisory Council.This partnership, exclusive in the PR industry, underscores Ruder Finn’s commitment to leading the global AI revolution in communications. The AI Advisory Council will report to CEO Kathy Bloomgarden and will operate under the day-to-day leadership of CTO & Head of AI, Tejas Totade, and Managing Director of Ruder Finn Interactive Asia, David Ko. This newly established council, under Kass’s guidance, will focus on developing and implementing AI strategies to benefit Ruder Finn’s global client base.“At Ruder Finn, we believe that a company’s approach to AI – how quickly they learn, integrate, and embrace its potential – will be a key factor in their future successack’s global perspective and deep understanding o. Zf AI will be invaluable as we empower our teams and clients around the world to leverage these transformative technologies" said Kathy Bloomgarden, CEO of Ruder Finn.Zack Kass is one of the brightest and most experienced minds bridging practical applications for AI in the world today. He brings 14 years of experience in the AI field, having devoted pivotal years at OpenAI and having since advised leaders across Fortune 500 companies to The White House on AI strategies. Ruder Finn’s partnership with Zack is exclusive in the Public Relations industry."The future of communications is inextricably linked with AI, leading to abundant possibilities,” said Kass. “We're on the cusp of unlocking unprecedented creativity, efficiency, and impact in how we connect and communicate. This partnership with Ruder Finn is about empowering businesses to navigate this exciting frontier and leverage AI for meaningful and lasting success."The Ruder Finn AI Advisory Council will provide global AI strategies and hands-on guidance, ensuring clients of all sizes are equipped to harness the full potential of AI. Ruder Finn is in the process of finalizing the council’s membership and will announce additional members representing diverse regions and expertise shortly."Our firm is setting a new standard in the industry by integrating advanced AI capabilities directly into our client offerings,” elaborated Elan Shou, Ruder Finn Asia-Pacific Managing Director. “By transforming traditional PR with AI-driven insights and efficiencies, we're not just enhancing campaign outcomes—we're positioning ourselves as leaders in AI-powered communications.”

Ellerton & Co., a Southeast Asia-focused PR and marketing agency, has named Prayaank Gupta as its new Executive Director. Gupta will spearhead the agency's overall growth strategy, leveraging his extensive experience in the region.In his new role, Gupta brings over 12 years of expertise from fast-growing PR agencies across Southeast Asia. His focus is twofold: driving revenue and headcount growth.This means hiring talented individuals to support new business, enhance client satisfaction, and fuel market expansion, Gupta explained. He added that the agency is already experiencing a surge in new clients across branding, social media, and PR services.Gupta plans to improve profitability by implementing best practices and fostering a work environment that attracts and retains top talent. "We want to create a space where employees can contribute meaningfully, enjoy a positive culture, and maintain a healthy work-life balance," he said.Prior to joining Ellerton & Co., Gupta served as Vice President, Growth and Innovation at PRecious Communications. He steadily climbed the ranks, starting as Head of Growth and Innovation in 2016. Previously, he held positions at Litmus PR (Manager, Senior Consultant Lead) and worked with agencies like Ruder Finn and Blue Communications."We're thrilled to welcome Prayaank during this exciting chapter," said Oliver Ellerton, Director at Ellerton & Co., to whom Gupta will report. "With offices in Singapore and Vietnam, we plan to expand further into Southeast Asia to meet client needs. Prayaank's expertise is crucial to this strategy, and we look forward to sharing our success stories in the coming months."Ellerton & Co. caters to a diverse range of clients in consumer goods, hospitality, corporate and sustainability, technology, startups, and financial services. Beyond traditional PR, they offer social media management, branding and design, and investor relations services."We're excited to collaborate with Prayaank to drive growth across Southeast Asia, venturing beyond Singapore and Vietnam," said Michael de Waal-Montgomery, Director at Ellerton & Co. "With Prayaank's support, we aim to expand our teams in the Philippines and Indonesia, while solidifying our presence in Vietnam during the latter half of 2024.""I'm honoured to join Ellerton & Co.'s talented team," said Gupta. "They've built a strong foundation of client trust, and I'm eager to help the agency evolve from a boutique firm to a mid-sized and eventually, a major regional player. My experience in growing agencies within the APAC region positions me well to support this transition."

Ruder Finn Asia , the award-winning  communications consultancy, today launched the latest version of its SONAR crisis  management simulation platform. SONAR 5.5 allows corporations to practise their level of  crisis preparedness in the face of evolving risks to share price, revenues and reputation. Multi  lingual, SONAR 5.5 can be operated in multiple languages including English, Chinese, Korean and Japanese. The platform also incorporates new interactive features which identify potential  areas for future concern allowing for pre-emptive strategy and planning. <iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/hoKO3U3r2K4?si=M7zLKCHply3mT-gW" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen></iframe>When faced with a full-scale issue or crisis, management teams often discover the planning  they have in place fails under pressure. SONAR 5.5 is fast, effective and action-oriented,  designed to identify planning gaps and propose practical, workable, real-world solutions. With close to 100% client satisfaction rates, SONAR 5.5 creates an immersive crisis  environment allowing participants to experience every aspect of a fast-evolving crisis. The  versatile multimedia portal is internet-enabled: SONAR 5.5 simulations can be run for a single  market or global teams of up to 100 people allowing corporations to see where their crisis  planning works and where gaps exist.   SONAR 5.5 replicates every aspect of a crisis situation: negative media reports, share price  impact, stakeholder anger and employee protest. The platform is immersive meaning  participants quickly forget that SONAR is a simulation due to the reality of the created  environment. The output of every SONAR is a more experienced team, upgraded risk  planning, greater vigilance and preparedness for the future.  Ruder Finn Asia has identified the key operational implications of being unprepared for a crisis  or issue as a disorganised response, scattered decision making, absence of strategy and no  sense of mission. This translates to loss of narrative, loss of control and loss of value. Ruder  Finn Asia’s experience has also identified the hallmarks of companies who emerge well from  a crisis: preparation, leadership, action and communication. Charles Lankester, EVP, Global Risk at Ruder Finn Asia said today, “Together, we build  resilience and ensure our clients act with confidence whatever the circumstances. We have  delivered close to 150 SONARs since 2020 and consistently hear how much clients value the  experience and learning. The SONAR team are career experts in reputation and risk  management, ensuring our clients stay ahead of situations wherever possible. Reputation is  a primary global business risk, but most companies are unprepared and under-resourced in  the event of an issue. We are the risk management partner of choice for hundreds of  corporations and bring experience across Hong Kong, Mainland China, Asia-Pacific and  globally.”  David Ko, Managing Director at Ruder Finn Interactive (RFI), Ruder Finn’s digital  consultancy, said today, “SONAR 5.5 is the result of years of crisis management expertise  and learning, distilled into an actionable, high value platform, updated for the AI era. The crisis  landscape now evolves at an ever-faster pace, so we continually upgrade SONAR to reflect  this new environment. New threats such as deepfakes, voice cloning and bots now require  crisis management with technology that meets the challenge.   Previously, we embedded generative AI into SONAR’s operation, harnessing the power of  ChatGPT to create multimedia injects that simulate interactions with key stakeholders such as  government regulators, activist shareholders, protesting employees and consumer groups.  SONAR 5.5 now streamlines and presents additional interactions visually so that participants  can easily track and manage their crisis decisions and actions. The core of SONAR’s value,  however, remains the expert guidance and coaching conducted by trainers and their real-time  feedback on client team dynamics and effectiveness. This work also incorporates a significant  predictive component, identifying potential areas for future concern and pre-emptive strategy  and planning.” Atul Sharma, CEO Ruder Finn India and Head, Middle East said, “In today's dynamic  business landscape, proactive crisis preparedness is key to protecting your company's image  and strength. Leveraging cutting-edge AI capabilities, SONAR 5.5 isn't just a tool—it's our way  of giving businesses the power to steer through stormy seas. With its innovative features and  user-friendly interface, SONAR 5.5 equips teams with the foresight and confidence needed to  face challenges head-on.” 

Harsimran Shergill, a seasoned professional with over 17 years of experience, has joined Head Digital Works as Director of Corporate Communications. Having previously held notable positions at renowned firms such as Edelman and Ruder Finn, Shergill brings a wealth of expertise to her new role.With a diverse background encompassing mainstream media, including print, television, and digital platforms, Shergill has established herself as a trusted advisor in the realms of thought leadership, content development, and brand communications strategy. Her proficiency extends to providing media training for senior executives and crafting comprehensive communication strategies for both internal and external stakeholders."I'm thrilled to embark on this new journey with Head Digital Works," expressed Shergill. "In an era where effective communication is paramount for organizational success, I look forward to leveraging my experience to further elevate the company's corporate communications initiatives."At Head Digital Works, Shergill will play a pivotal role in shaping and executing the organization's communication strategies, enhancing its brand presence, and fostering meaningful connections with stakeholders across various channels.

Leading communications and marketing consultancy, Ruder Finn, has acqured Flightpath, an award-winning New York-based digital marketing agency. This acquisition further builds on Ruder Finn's expansion of the agency's Digital Integration Group and AI-powered RF Studio53.Flightpath Founder & CEO, Jon Fox, will report to Kathy Bloomgarden, Global CEO of Ruder Finn. The deal will add a team of 25 creative and digital marketing experts. There will be no layoffs or redundancies as a result of this acquisition. "As communications channels continue to diversify and consumers become more advertising averse, engaging existing and new customers requires smarter, intent-driven targeting through personalized dialogue and experiences," said Kathy Bloomgarden, CEO of Ruder Finn. "Flightpath brings the expertise and tools to help us continue to enhance how we shape interactions and drive marketing impact for our clients."Flightpath works with clients including Goya Foods and AkzoNobel. Flightpath's work targets consumer and B2B audiences to build awareness, generate leads, acquire new customers, and build purchase continuity. The agency's strategic digital marketing services include Website Design & Development, Online Advertising, Social Media, Content Marketing, Search Engine Marketing, CRM & Targeted Mail, Online Video and more. Flightpath specializes in Healthcare, Petcare, Consumer, CPG, Business and Financial Services and Non-Profit industries."Flightpath has always been an independent agency, so joining Ruder Finn aligns with our values and is a great fit," said Jon Fox, Founder of Flightpath. "As we think about our next chapter, we are excited to be able to further expand our global work with Ruder Finn, as well as the ways in which we will be able to utilize the resources of a larger agency as we continue to work on innovative new programs with new and noteworthy clients."

 Leading global communications agency, Ruder Finn, announced today the acquisition of Atteline, a UAE-founded agency headquartered in Dubai, which will be Ruder Finn’s new hub in the Middle East. This acquisition builds on the momentum of Ruder Finn expanding its global strategic footprint with investments in healthcare, enterprise technology, rf techlab, reputation management, crisis communications, social and digital in the last year.Atteline’s Managing Director and Founder, Sophie Simpson, has had a dynamic career in publishing and communications and founded the firm in 2016. Sophie will work closely with Kathy Bloomgarden, Global CEO of Ruder Finn, and Atul Sharma, who leads Ruder Finn’s Middle East Region. By developing a new hub in Dubai, Ruder Finn aims to meet the growing demand for public relations, marketing communications, digital, and corporate reputation in this region.“In 2023, our 75th anniversary year, Ruder Finn experienced remarkable double-digit growth,” said Kathy Bloomgarden, CEO of Ruder Finn. “We are committed to expanding our reach and our expertise globally and now is a great time to do so as the UAE, and the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries are continuing to forecast strong growth across all industries. The region is increasingly regarded as an exciting hub for companies around the world. I’m excited to welcome Atteline and Sophie into our leadership team as a strong partner in helping us serve the needs of our global clients.”“Atteline brings cultural insights and expertise to the agency that can be leveraged to develop our relationships and best serve our clients,” said Atul Sharma, CEO Ruder Finn India & Head Middle East. “Atteline’s multichannel digital and social expertise will be a great complement to Ruder Finn’s strength in this area.”“This marks an exciting moment for not only Atteline and Ruder Finn but also the MENA region, as we come together with shared values and a caring culture. As one united voice we will champion impactful communications with a localized approach and global capabilities,” said Sophie Simpson, Managing Director & Founder of Atteline. “We will use this to ensure we take our clients, team, and partners further than ever before.”

Ruder Finn India, the Integrated Communications Consultancy, today announced the appointment of Shivaram Lakshminarayan as the Chief Operations Officer, reinforcing its commitment to strategic growth and operational excellence. Based out of the Bangalore office, Shivaram will play a pivotal role in driving business growth and operational excellence for the organization. This dynamic role involves leading client solutions, spearheading new business development, collaborating closely with the practices, and optimizing operational efficiencies. Commenting on the appointment, Atul Sharma, CEO, Ruder Finn India and Head, Middle East said, “Shiv brings with him extensive experience across technology and corporate communications. With this appointment, we have further solidified our India leadership team to provide effective solutions for our clients and expand our operations in the country. Having witnessed Shiv's energy and expertise in action before, I am thrilled to have him on board. Together, we're set to amplify our success story in India and bring forth some exciting new chapters.” With a wealth of industry experience spanning over 21 years, Shivaram’s expertise lies in brand reputation, corporate communications, leadership positioning, employee communications, investor relations, issues and crisis management, as well as policy and government relations. In his previous assignment, he successfully built and managed teams nationwide, collaborating with global leadership, growing practices, while streamlining SOPs and SLAs for clients and teams. Reflecting on his new role as the Chief Operations Officer, Ruder Finn India, Shivaram Lakshminarayan added, "As I step into the shoes of Chief Operations Officer at Ruder Finn India, I'm genuinely excited about being part of this dynamic team. I’ve seen Ruder Finn India’s growing at a phenomenal pace in the last five years and today, I’m very excited to get an opportunity to be a part of this amazing growth story. In this role I look forward to taking Ruder Finn India to newer heights with the talented teams here, leveraging their expertise and experience to come up with great solutions for our clients."