NEW DELHI--Ruder Finn has launched its first office in India, after clinching sports car Lamborghini’s regional PR account.
The firm’s Indian operation is led by Radha Roy, a former partner at Genesis Burson-Marsteller, who reports to Ruder Finn Asia-Pacific chairman Jean-Michel Dumont. Roy is joined by account director Shruti Das, who arrives from Text 100 India.
Both executives are based in New Delhi, but Dumont told the Holmes Report that he is “looking at opening a Mumbai operation fairly quickly.” The New Delhi office marks Ruder Finn’s sixth in Asia, joining Beijing, Shanghai, Guanghzhou, Hong Kong and Singapore.
“I’ve been looking at different options - affiliates, acquisitions and opening from scratch,” said Dumont. “I think I found somebody who understands our culture, and has the right fit for the company. I also think it’s good to build the culture from scratch - we did a similar thing in China.”
One of the firm’s Indian anchor clients is Lamborghini, for which Ruder Finn recently won regional duties following a competitive review. The assignment is led by the firm’s China offices, given that market’s status as Lamborghini’s biggest in Asia-Pacific. The brief also includes Ruder Finn offices in Singapore and India, along with affiliates in Thailand, Australia and Malaysia.
The appointment marks the first time that Lamborghini has retained a regional agency-of-record, as it seeks to differentiate itself from rivals such as Porsche and Ferrari.
“On the heels of our record-level revenues and earnings for the 2010 fiscal year, combined with market demand, it was a logical next step for us to expand our presence to a new part of the world,” said Ruder Finn global CEO Kathy Bloomgarden.