John Chambers, former executive chairman and CEO of Cisco Systems and current founder and CEO of JC2 Ventures, has worked with Ruder Finn chief executive Kathy Bloomgarden for 15 years, and describes her as “wicked smart” going on to add that Bloomgarden is “is able to read her client's strengths and limitations and adjust appropriately to handle the most exciting and challenging opportunities.

“I've worked with a lot of very strong PR leaders. Kathy is by far and away the best I've ever worked with.”

Michael Patsalos-Fox, former CEO of McKinsey Americas, is equally fulsome: “ I worked with Kathy for several years. She always anticipated our needs, introduced us to the right folks, and was always there personally to provide high-level strategic advice."

The ability to build strong relationships with clients at the most senior level, and to provide expert counsel on a broad range of issues is one of the things that set Bloomgarden apart from her peers and makes her a worthy recipient of one of our SABRE Awards for Outstanding Individual Achievement, which will be presented at our annual awards dinner on May 6.

Bloomgarden has served as chief executive of Ruder Finn—the firm co-founded by her father David Finn—for more than 25 years, and led the firm through the spin off in 2011 of what became Finn Partners. While some questioned whether it made sense for one of the largest independents in the US to divide itself in two, both firms have flourished since, and under Bloomgarden’s leadership, Ruder Finn has seen its revenues more than double to exceed $180 million, ranking among the top 25 PR firms in the world.

Bloomgarden, fluent in Chinese, has presided over the firm’s growth in Asia, where it was one of the first western PR agencies to expand into the Chinese mainland and has established itself as a market leader with 10 offices across the region.

Committed to innovation, she has also Kathy has also overseen the growth of RFI Studios, which is home to one of the industry’s largest dedicated digital teams, with expertise in online reputation management, the development of insights and data analytics, and of course artificial intelligence..

As a senior counselor, she has worked with clients including Novartis, Pfizer, Johnson & Johnson, PepsiCo, Citigroup, Barclays, McKinsey, Cisco, Nokia, Kering, and Mondelēz International,

Says Ed Harnaga, SVP and chief communications officer for Pfizer, ““A legend in her field, Kathy Bloomgarden is one of the world’s leading communications strategists and her counsel is sought after by CCOs and CEOs alike.

“Having had the chance to work closely with Kathy, I know first-hand the passion and commitment that she brings to her work. She sets the bar for what it means to be a trusted advisor in the C-suite, and for that reason, so many of the people that have worked with her have gone on to have leading careers in the industry.”