SAN FRANCISCO—Sparkpr, one of the largest independent technology public relations agencies in the US and the Holmes Report’s Technology Consultancy of the Year, has opened a New York office that will enable the firm to be closer to existing and prospective clients in Silicon Alley as well as established consumer companies, a key growth area for the agency.

The New York office joins the firm’s San Francisco headquarters and locations in Los Angeles, London and Cape Town.

Sparkpr has hired Ruth Sarfaty (pictured) as the agency’s New York managing director, responsible for the overall management, client service and continued growth of Spark’s east coast base of business. She joins from the MWW Group where she was executive vice president and global head of media strategies, having managed such clients as Johnson & Johnson Consumer Companies, McDonald’s Tri State Owners/Operators, New York Stock Exchange, Time Warner Center, Vibrant Media, and Travelzoo.

Prior to MWW, Ruth held management positions at Yahoo!, AOL, Dan Klores Communications, Radio City Entertainment, Cairns & Associates and Howard J. Rubenstein Associates.