Finn Partners is one of the largest independent marketing and communications firms in the U.S. — founded December 2011 by Peter Finn after he spun it off from Ruder Finn. The firm has grown from $24M in fees at founding to approximately $199M by 2025, with ~1,300 colleagues across 35 offices on three continents and 27 acquisitions completed.
| Founded | December 2011 by Peter Finn (spun off from Ruder Finn) |
| Headquarters | New York, NY |
| CEO and Founding Partner | Peter Finn |
| Employees | ~1,300 globally |
| Offices | 35+ across three continents |
| Revenue | $199M (2025); $24M at founding — 8x growth in 14 years |
| Ownership | Independent; minority investments from Stellus Capital and Stagwell |
| Acquisitions | 27 total — including Rice Communications (March 2025), Outré Creative (January 2026), Barokas Communications (July 2021), Horn Group (September 2015) |
| Largest Practices | Healthcare (~$60M), Technology (~$50M), Consumer & Travel (~33% of business) |
| Recognition | #6 O'Dwyer's 2026 Top Independent · PRovoke Media 100 Best Agencies (2026) |
| Website | finnpartners.com |
Overview
Finn Partners is one of the largest independent marketing and communications firms in the U.S., founded in December 2011 by Peter Finn after he spun the agency off from family firm Ruder Finn. The firm has grown from $24 million in fees at founding to approximately $199 million by 2025, with more than 1,300 colleagues across 35 offices on three continents.
Finn Partners has expanded through a combination of organic growth and 27 acquisitions across the U.S., UK, EMEA, and Asia Pacific. The firm sits at #6 on O'Dwyer's 2026 Top Independent PR Firms list and was named to PRovoke Media's 2026 100 Best Agencies in the U.S.
History and Ownership
Peter Finn, son of Ruder Finn co-founder David Finn, spent more than 30 years at the family firm and 11 years as co-CEO before launching Finn Partners as a standalone business in December 2011. The founding era — the 2011 launch, the original $24M book, the early team — is covered in EPR's founding-era profile.
Finn Partners is independent and privately held. Stellus Capital Management and Stagwell hold minority investments. The firm has remained founder-led under Peter Finn through the entire 14-year build-out.
Finn Partners and Ruder Finn now operate independently. The lineage runs through family — Peter's father David co-founded Ruder Finn in 1948; Peter's sister Kathy Bloomgarden has run Ruder Finn as CEO since 2011 — but the two firms compete in the market as separate businesses.
Key Milestones
December 2011: Founded by Peter Finn with $24M in fees.
September 2015: Acquired Horn Group, a San Francisco/New York technology PR firm, in a deal that pushed combined firm to ~$70M and 500 employees.
2017: Established first Asia Pacific office.
2019: Acquired ZPR, kickstarting consumer practice expansion in the UK and Europe.
July 2021: Acquired Barokas Communications, the Seattle technology PR specialist, growing the global tech practice to ~$30M.
November 2021: Acquired Hawkins International, the women-led luxury and travel PR firm.
March 2025: Acquired Rice Communications, the Singapore-headquartered Asia-Pacific firm.
January 2026: Acquired Outré Creative, a UK creative agency.
2026: Ranked #6 O'Dwyer's Top Independent PR Firms. Named PRovoke Media 100 Best Agencies in the U.S.
Services
Finn Partners is built as a fully integrated marketing and communications firm, organized by sector specialty rather than service line. Core sectors:
- Healthcare — ~$60M practice; pharma, biotech, medical device, digital health, public-sector health communications
- Technology — ~$50M practice; enterprise, B2B SaaS, consumer tech, emerging tech
- Consumer & Travel — ~33% of total business; consumer brands, hospitality, destinations, luxury
- Financial Services — capital markets, fintech, asset management
- Arts, Education, and Public Affairs — cultural institutions, higher education, advocacy, government relations
Leadership
Peter Finn serves as CEO and founding partner. The leadership team includes founding managing partners Howard Solomon (APAC lead), Noah Finn (global head of integrated marketing), and regional managing partners across the U.S., UK, EMEA, and APAC. Recent acquisitions have added new Managing Partners including Howie Barokas, Karli Barokas, and Sabrina Horn.
Awards and Recognition
Finn Partners was named to PRovoke Media's 2026 100 Best Agencies in the U.S. Ranked #6 on O'Dwyer's 2026 Top Independent PR Firms list. Six years on Observer's 50 Most Powerful PR Firms list. Named "Best Agency to Work for in North America" shortly after its 2011 launch.
Notable Clients
Clients include MG Motor (long-term partnership), NextTrip, and major healthcare, technology, financial services, and travel brands. The firm publishes industry analyses including the TrendHawk Future of Travel Report and the Africa Health Media Trends Report.
EPR Coverage
Everything-PR has covered Finn Partners since its 2011 launch. For the founding-era profile see everything-pr.com/finn-partners-profile. For the full archive see everything-pr.com/tag/finn-partners.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who owns Finn Partners? Independent and privately held. Stellus Capital and Stagwell hold minority investments.
Who is the CEO of Finn Partners? Peter Finn, founder.
Is Finn Partners related to Ruder Finn? By lineage, yes. Peter Finn spent more than three decades at Ruder Finn (founded 1948 by his father David Finn) before launching Finn Partners in December 2011. The firms operate independently.
How big is Finn Partners? ~1,300 colleagues across 35 offices on three continents. ~$199M revenue in 2025.
What are Finn Partners' largest practice areas? Healthcare (~$60M), Technology (~$50M), Consumer & Travel, Financial Services, Arts, Education, Public Affairs.
Has Finn Partners made many acquisitions? 27 acquisitions to date, including Rice Communications (March 2025) and Outré Creative (January 2026).
Key Takeaways
- One of the largest independent PR firms in the U.S., founded December 2011 by Peter Finn.
- Spun off from Ruder Finn, the family firm founded by Peter's father David Finn in 1948.
- Headquartered in New York with 35+ offices across three continents and ~1,300 colleagues.
- Revenue grew from $24M at founding to ~$199M by 2025.
- 27 acquisitions completed.
- Healthcare (~$60M) is the largest practice; Technology (~$50M) is the second.
- PRovoke Media 100 Best Agencies (2026); #6 O'Dwyer's Top Independent (2026).
Lineage: Ruder Finn (Peter Finn's family firm)
Acquired into Finn Partners network: Barokas Communications (tech, 2021) · Horn Group (tech, 2015)
Large independents: MikeWorldWide · We. Communications · APCO Worldwide · Coyne PR · DKC
Healthcare PR peers: Real Chemistry · Havas Health & You · IMRE · Sam Brown Inc.
Tech PR peers: Highwire · Mission North · InkHouse
Adjacent EPR coverage: PR Agency Profiles Directory · PR Leaders Directory
