FINN Partners acquires Rice Communications

Global marketing and communications firm FINN Partners, has strengthened its presence in Asia by acquiring RICE Communications, a strategic communications and public relations consultancy based in Singapore. RICE, which employs around 60 professionals, is known for its expertise in various sectors including travel, technology, corporate, and consumer public relations across the Asia-Pacific (APAC) region.

This acquisition is part of FINN's strategy to amplify its operations across Southeast Asia, expanding its existing offices and potentially creating new opportunities in countries such as Thailand, Myanmar, Hong Kong, and the Philippines.

Beyond that, FINN and RICE share a similar values-driven culture, emphasising collaboration, innovation, and a commitment to delivering meaningful results for clients, said Peter Finn (pictured), CEO, founding managing partner of FINN Partners in conversation with MARKETING-INTERACTIVE. This alignment made RICE a natural fit for FINN’s expansion strategy. "We have known the RICE leadership team for about seven years and have been very impressed with their work and the progress of the agency. Of all the acquisition opportunities we have considered in Asia Pacific, we have been particularly keen on having the RICE team join FINN Partners," added Finn. 

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Following the acquisition, RICE will operate as RICE, A FINN Partners Company while James Brasher, RICE's managing partner will join FINN Partners as a managing partner. He will lead the newly combined Singapore office, which now has nearly 100 employees. Brasher will also be part of FINN's APAC leadership team, working closely with regional leaders across Greater China, India, and Malaysia. Brasher will report to Howard Solomon, founding managing partner, who also leads FINN efforts on the West Coast of the US.

In tandem, Naeema Ismail takes on a new regional role in strategic business development and crisis communications for APAC, expanding business opportunities and leading crisis advisory services. She will also lead the development of structured crisis training services, alongside media and presentation coaching, to further enhance FINN’s client offerings and regional expertise. There are no staff redundancies.

As FINN Partners strengthens its presence in Asia with the acquisition of RICE Communications, the firm is also adapting to significant shifts in the market. The global economic shifts has led to clients in all regions to look for a higher return on their PR and marketing spend, said Finn. In Asia, one of the changes that is taking place is that SEA is becoming more important than ever with global multinationals increasing their focus on the region. "This is one of the reasons that the RICE acquisition is so important to us," explained Finn. 

At the same time, the PR industry is facing challenges. Today’s business leaders are asking their PR teams for more direct impact on business outcomes, while dealing with the pressure of macro-economic conditions. This economic stress is also impacting in-house teams, said Finn adding that AI is a plus in that it is helping staff become more efficient.

Looking ahead to 2025, FINN’s evolution is clear, with Asia being a big part of its strategy. "With Asia being one of the fastest-growing regions globally, FINN’s mix of deep sector expertise and integrated marketing capabilities puts us in a strong position for the future. We are continuously investing in senior staff to help us grow the agency. Some of our global competitors are reducing senior staff as they need to cut costs. We know that our senior staff have deep networks in the business community and they are the ones who find new business opportunities for us. Retaining and supporting these key team members is our best protection from the changes swirling around us," said Finn.

These developments in both acquisition and service innovation highlight FINN’s agility and foresight, preparing the firm for the challenges and opportunities of tomorrow’s PR landscape. One key development is the FINN FutureProof solution - it's proprietary risk management and crisis preparedness simulation program. 

As part of its expanded crisis communications offering, the firm is also offering executive crisis readiness training focusing on real-world crisis response, media handling and stakeholder engagement under pressure; multi-market risk assessments that aims to help brands develop region-specific response frameworks in an era of regulatory uncertainty and heightened public scrutiny as well as AI-powered crisis monitoring and response tools that leverage data analytics and predictive insights to detect and mitigate emerging risks before they escalate. 

"With FINN FutureProof, we are helping companies turn risk preparedness into a competitive advantage, ensuring they are not just reactive, but truly resilient in today’s fast-moving risk landscape," said Finn. 

This acquisition comes after RICE expanded its regional foothold with new offices in Thailand and the Philippines in April last year. Beyond broadening the firm's geographical reach, RICE also built creative impact hubs similar to what it has already established in Myanmar.

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