Ruder Finn: Independent PR Agency Founded in 1948

Ruder Finn is an independent global communications and integrated marketing agency founded in New York in 1948 by David Finn and Bill Ruder and led since 2011 by CEO Kathy Bloomgarden, David Finn's daughter. Wikipedia lists about 1,350 employees for 2026, and the firm says it was named Outstanding Large Agency at the 2026 PRWeek US Awards.

Originally published June 2026. Updated October 24, 2026.

When and how was Ruder Finn founded?

Ruder Finn was founded in New York in 1948 by David Finn and Bill Ruder. Wikipedia says the firm merged with Harse-Rotman and Druck in 1981 and established the digital practice RFI Studios in 1999. Bloomgarden, Finn's daughter, became CEO when he retired in 2011, per Wikipedia, and a YesPress profile says she helped launch the firm's China office and healthcare practice in 1989. EPR's profile of David Finn covers the co-founder's career.

Finn Partners, led by Peter Finn, is a separate firm. See the Finn Partners profile and the RF|Binder profile, which covers the other Finn family firm.

Who leads Ruder Finn?

Kathy Bloomgarden is CEO of Ruder Finn and has held the role since 2011, according to Wikipedia and the firm's own releases. A YesPress profile says she became sole chairman and CEO of Ruder Finn Group in 2014, when David Finn became chairman emeritus. She wrote Trust: The Secret Weapon of Effective Business Leaders, per her World Economic Forum biography. EPR's interview with Bloomgarden is a primary-source record of her first year as CEO.

Ruder Finn's press page lists Kelley Yoder's appointment as global head of health and life sciences, and a July 2026 release identifies Peppercomm founder Steve Cody as senior advisor at Ruder Finn.

What has Ruder Finn acquired?

Ruder Finn acquired the New York investor relations firm The Equity Group on March 23, 2026, according to the firm's release and O'Dwyer's. That release lists Touchdown, Peppercomm, ERA Communications, Big Sky Communications and Missouri Creative among the Ruder Finn Group's wholly owned agencies. Wikipedia also records a 2015 purchase of a Japanese business and the 2020 acquisition of the video studio Osmosis Films. See EPR's Peppercomm profile for that firm.

What does Ruder Finn do?

Ruder Finn offers communications and integrated marketing across healthcare, technology, brand, stakeholder and workplace practices, as O'Dwyer's directory describes them. Bloomgarden's World Economic Forum biography says she built rf.TechLab, an in-house technology incubator, and rf.Studio53, an AI-powered creative studio. In July 2026 the firm announced that Wendy's selected it as North American communications agency partner.

What are Ruder Finn's recent account moves?

Ruder Finn's most recent documented wins are Wendy's, named communications agency of record on July 28, 2026, and Carter's, Sweet Loren's and Vytalogy Wellness, announced as agency of record wins for its Brand Experience practice on September 16, 2026. The table lists each win with its scope and a source link. These are agency announcements, which document an appointment but not whether a contract is still active today.

Date	Client	Scope	Source
July 28, 2026	Wendy's	Communications agency of record for North America after a competitive review; partner Agnostic leads Canada	Ruder Finn release
September 16, 2026	Carter's	Agency of record, Brand Experience practice: corporate reputation, executive thought leadership, influencer and media relations, experiential	Ruder Finn release
September 16, 2026	Sweet Loren's	Agency of record, Brand Experience practice: brand storytelling, partnerships, influencer engagement, media relations	Ruder Finn release
September 16, 2026	Vytalogy Wellness (Natrol, Jarrow Formulas)	Agency of record, Brand Experience practice: portfolio-wide integrated communications	Ruder Finn release
April 22, 2025	Zebra Technologies	PR agency of record for North America and Latin America	O'Dwyer's

For Wendy's, Ruder Finn said the review began in spring 2026 and that its Brand Experience practice, formed in 2024 under Managing Director Corinne Gudovic, leads the work. For the brand side of that account, see EPR's Wendy's PR and marketing profile.

How does Ruder Finn compare with other independent PR agencies?

Ruder Finn is a large independent with family leadership, so compare it with We. Communications, Edelman, MikeWorldWide and Coyne PR. For healthcare peers see Real Chemistry and IMRE. EPR's New York PR firms ranking places it in its home market.

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Related: Finn Partners · RF|Binder · Peppercomm · PR agency profiles directory · PR leaders directory · 5W Public Relations