rf.engage brings together network expertise to support rapid growth and meet demand for global strategic counsel
NEW YORK AND LONDON – September 19, 2023 – Ruder Finn has unveiled a global Center of Excellence for Strategic Internal Communications and Engagement. rf.engage unites global agency talent to help client organizations unlock the power of their people and deliver What’s Next.
This move is a response to rapid growth in internal engagements, which now total almost 20% of Ruder Finn’s global client portfolio. rf.engage brings together the company’s strategic internal communications, change management, and employee engagement expertise from across the world. The combined team will help businesses connect their people to strategy, goals, and purpose in today’s fast-changing, diverse, and distributed working environments, and ensure internal and external activities are aligned.
rf.engage is headed by Ruder Finn’s London office managing director, Nick Leonard, reporting to CEO Kathy Bloomgarden. EVPs Trish Nicolas and Jem Gregory will be part of the senior team. This group brings together internal communications and engagement experts from across the Ruder Finn network and the award-winning agency SPI Group, acquired by Ruder Finn in 2019. The Center of Excellence will also help clients harness the potential of new innovations in AI and other technologies for internal communications.
“We’re a specialist team within one of the world’s largest independent communications and creative agencies, so we understand both the big picture and specific organizational needs,” said Leonard. “We’ve excelled in internal communications and engagement counsel and support for many years – it represents a substantial portion of our business and we have won many awards for our work. We are now bringing together that experience and expertise to help clients deliver exceptional, integrated communications that motivate employees and drive them toward their goals.”
Ruder Finn CEO Kathy Bloomgarden says rf.engage builds on a long history of achievement for the agency and positions the team well for the future. “We are building on 75 years of success and applying our award-winning industry experience to meet the communications challenges of tomorrow,” said Bloomgarden. “In the last three years, we’ve seen a bigger transformation of the workplace than any other point in the last century. The way employees interact with their employer and each other has changed forever. Stronger employee engagement efforts are critical to building a world class culture in today’s much changed environment.”
About Ruder Finn
Ruder Finn is one of the world’s largest independent global communications and creative agencies. Founded in 1948, Ruder Finn has defined and redefined PR for 75 years, shaping communications that help move industry-defining brands, companies and leaders from what’s now to what’s next. Ruder Finn provides clients with bold communications strategies based on a global perspective and localized market knowledge that redefine leadership, reimagine the marketplace, and rethink customer experiences around a shared sense of purpose. The agency is organized around five core areas of expertise—Healthcare, Technology, Commerce, Leadership and Workplace—with RF.Studios and tech incubator RF.TechLab providing cutting-edge predictive analytics, breakthrough creative, and customer-focused digital engagement. Ruder Finn has offices across 3 continents including the U.S., Asia and Europe. Wholly owned agencies within Ruder Finn Group include: Ruder Finn Inc., Osmosis Films, Touchdown, Peppercomm, Comunicad, Mantis, RLA Collective, jacobstahl, RF Bloom, and SPI Group. For more information visit www.ruderfinn.com.