Ruder Finn expands footprint into Malaysia, hires new lead

Ruder Finn has expanded its Asia coverage with the opening of its office in Malaysia. Located in Malaysia’s capital, Kuala Lumpur, Ruder Finn Malaysia will be headed by Archana Menon (pictured). She will be reporting directly to Ruder Finn Asia Pacific chairman, Jean-Michel Dumont.Menon brings to Ruder Finn extensive experience in different facets of communications, including branding, media planning, advertising, digital, ATL/BTL production, exhibitions and event management. Her clients have ranged from GLCs, MNCs, SMEs and start-up clients across a number of sectors. Some of her key clients have included Unilever, Telekom Malaysia, Khazanah, CIMB Islamic, Pfizer, Sapura, Capital Markets Malaysia and Securities Industry Dispute Resolution.Menon said, “Having worked with various brands in Malaysia, I see clients’ expectations of fully integrated campaigns for their brands are generally anchored on strong market insight and developing the right messages for their target audience. This is our strong suit and I look forward to working closely with our clients to achieve successful outcomes.”Ruder Finn Malaysia will provide clients with a range of services including branding, creative development, integrated communications ‒ digital, advertising, media planning and buying ‒ and event management. The team will work closely with offices across the Asia Pacific network including RFI Asia, the digital arm of Ruder Finn.  Areas of the expertise of the Malaysian team include reputation management, consumer lifestyle, corporate healthcare, B2B communications, technology, banking and finance. The team has already secured new clients, including Prudential, Systane, Food Industry Asia and Little Lives.“We are thrilled to be expanding our footprint in Asia, with the opening of our new office in Kuala Lumpur,” said Kathy Bloomgarden, CEO of Ruder Finn.“As a company dual-headquartered in New York and Asia, we are continually seeking new opportunities that make strategic sense not only to grow our business, but also provide additional value for our clients. Malaysia has a strong, robust economy and we look forward to being a part of the exciting growth there,” she added.Jean-Michel Dumont, Ruder Finn Asia chairman, said, “Our clients are increasingly looking at an integrated, pan-Asian approach. Adding Ruder Finn Malaysia will expand our regional network, and fully support our diversified client partnerships, to deliver seamless and quality work.”