PR Masters Series Podcast, Episode #27 – Dr. Kathy Bloomgarden, CEO, Ruder Finn, Inc.

Overview

The Stevens Group has been presenting the PR Masters Series Podcast for almost two years now.  This series is part of the ongoing partnership between The Stevens Group and CommPRO to bring to PR, digital/interactive and marketing communications agencies the wisdom of those who have reached the top of the PR profession.  Today's special guest is Dr. Kathy Bloomgarden, Chief Executive Officer of Ruder Finn Inc. 

About Our Guest

Dr. Kathy Bloomgarden, Chief Executive Officer of Ruder Finn Inc.

Dr. Kathy Bloomgarden is Chief Executive Officer of Ruder Finn Inc., one of the world's largest independent public relations agencies. She is known for her work positioning companies, CEOs and senior management as leaders and changemakers in an era of disruption and accelerated transformation.  Dr. Bloomgarden is also the author of Trust: The Secret Weapon of Effective Business Leaders.  Drawing from her more than 30 years of experience with dozens of top CEOs and business leaders across Technology, Healthcare and Corporate sectors, Trust brings into vivid focus the characteristics that make today's leaders successful, and the principles and techniques they use to earn the confidence of employees, colleagues, customers and the public.  Dr. Bloomgarden’s work spans a wide range of multinational companies, including Novartis, Pfizer, Johnson & Johnson, GE, PepsiCo, Barclays, McKinsey, Cisco, Nokia and Alibaba.Dr. Bloomgarden’s specialties include:

• Corporate reputation and CEO leadership positioning: Bloomgarden advises the executive leadership of leading multinational corporations on their communications strategies during moments of change.  She creates thought leadership narratives and platforms that build reputation for companies and recognition for leaders, creating a sense of urgency around market transitions and evolving business portfolios, and presenting a new vision to internal and external stakeholders as the company redefines itself and sets a new path.

• Policy and community building: Bloomgarden counsels clients on stakeholder and influencer strategies, creating engagement around business-related policy agendas.  Using data analytics and social channels, Bloomgarden helps companies build communities around shared interests.  Active listening, influencer mapping and predictive analytics help guide content development and decision making. 

• Internal engagement and talent transformation: Bloomgarden helps business leaders create large-scale internal engagement programs aimed at enhancing motivation, dedication to values, and commitment to stretched targets. Her internal engagement campaigns focus on building emotional connections with company purpose, cross-enterprise collaboration and innovation, and individual talent development, aiming for greater performance and global competitiveness.

• Reinforcing emerging technology connections: Dr. Bloomgarden advises companies and startups on collaboration and how to foster connections that accelerate innovation, enable adoption and scale up for technologies that reshape business models, and meet new customer demands.

Dr. Bloomgarden is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations, and a board member of the Foundation for the National Institutes of Health, the Partnership for New York City, the China Institute, and sits on the advisory board of Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs.  Dr. Bloomgarden holds a B.A. from Brown University, an M.A. and Ph.D. from Columbia University in Political Science, as well as a certificate from the East Asian Institute. She is fluent in French, and has a working knowledge of Chinese, Italian, and basic German and Russian.