HONG KONG—Ruder Finn has acquired the Asia-Pacific portfolio of SharpeLankester, barely two years after the latter firm was launched.

SharpeLankester founder Charles Lankester has been appointed to Ruder Finn’s leadership team in the new role of senior vice president, reputation management, Asia-Pacific. Lankester, based in Hong Kong, will also be responsible for Ruder Finn’s Hong Kong client service, management and business operations.

Joining Lankester as director, Ruder Finn Hong Kong, is Cynthia Wan, who was most recently press and information officer at the European Union Office for Hong Kong and Macao.

Andrew Sharpe, joint founder of SharpeLankester, will pursue his political interests in the United Kingdom and continue to service his client portfolio specialising in financial markets advisory work.

The synergies of the deal are clear. Ruder Finn was our Asia-Pacific Consumer Consultancy of the Year last year and is known primarily for its marketing work in the luxury goods and automotive sectors, while SharpeLankester—the region’s New Consultancy of the Year—is primarily focused on corporate reputation work.

Moreover, Ruder Finn—well-established in mainland China—has limited presence in Hong Kong. Together, the two firms will have close to 300 people in Greater China.

Prior to founding SharpeLankester in 2012, Lankester was the was global chairman, crisis practice and regional managing director, Asia-Pacific corporate practice at Edelman. Before Edelman, he had senior roles with Weber Shandwick and Ogilvy.