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Page launches the Polansky Future Leaders Fund, a permanent fund established through a founding gift from 2025 Page Hall of Fame inductee and former Weber Shandwick Global CEO Andy Polansky. The Fund is focused on supporting, inspiring and empowering emerging talent and increasing diversity among senior leaders in the communications profession. It will also strengthen Page’s Future Leaders Experience, a two-year executive education program that prepares high-potential communications professionals for senior leadership roles. The Fund will begin supporting FLE participants this year, connecting executive education with ongoing mentorship and peer support. It is designed as a permanent fund, giving others in the Page community an opportunity to contribute in the years ahead. "It is important to continue investing in the future of the Communications function,” said Polnsky. “Creating this fund is my way of paying that forward. I hope it opens doors for talented communications professionals to a program that is built to strengthen and diversify the rising leadership of the business.”
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Ruder Finn reintroduces its website, ruderfinn.com, which will now feature a large language model (LLM) as its primary user interface. The “living, tech-forward system” is built on Anthropic's Claude models via Amazon Bedrock. It uses Retrieval-Augmented Generation to ground responses in information retrieved through semantic and hybrid search, alongside a company knowledge graph, a highly structured internal database that organizes Ruder Finn’s services, capabilities, people and work into defined relationships, manually built and maintained by agency experts. Client mentions are anonymized in line with client agreements. The firm says the changes will improve relevance, accuracy and privacy. However, the site will retain links to traditional pages for those that prefer accessing them. “People don’t browse anymore, they ask,” said Ruder Finn CEO Kathy Bloomgarden. “If that’s how the world is communicating, then our website shouldn’t describe the future of communications. It should operate like it. That’s the inspiration for the new ruderfinn.com.”
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| Darren Brandt |
Higher Plane Media is launched by former Sloane & Company CEO Darren Brandt. The new agency will provide services including earned media strategy & access, executive positioning & narrative development and thought leadership. It offers potential clients the opportunity to work directly with the agency, add on whatever elements are needed (content & strategy, paid media, etc.) or use Higher Plane as senior reinforcement to their current PR or agency relationship. Brandt has provided clients with exposure on such platforms as The Wall Street Journal, CNBC's “Mad Money,” The New York Times, The New Yorker and Barron's. “I can hear a company's story and see where it fits on the biggest stages in business. Then I bring it to people who trust me enough to listen,” he said.
Praytell expands its Influence Department—which unites media, creators and social under one team... LRJ PR & Communications and Canopy Brand Group form an alliance that the firms say will bridge the operational divide between high-end brand design and strategic public relations... Twin Minds Media, Hispanic market specialist, increases the scope of its services in an effort to help brands build deeper connections with audiences through culture, storytelling, media and experiences. 
The People Platform, part of Stagwell's The Marketing Cloud, rebrands as Numetrix... Zapwater Communications has earned 17 finalist honors across two PR competitions: eight at the 68th Annual Golden Trumpet Awards, presented by the Publicity Club of Chicago, and nine at the 2026 PRSA Chicago Skyline Awards.. The Florida Public Relations Association presented 122 awards to individuals and teams from across the state at its 69th annual Golden Image and 3rd Annual Pinnacle Awards gala.
The Motion Agency acquires Vehr Communications, a Cincinnati-based strategic communications firm, effective Oct. 1... Lyceus Group, which specializes in financial services, is named a finalist for Public Relations Campaign at the 2026 ThinkAdvisor Luminaries Awards... IPSY, a curated beauty membership platform, launches IPSY Marketing Solutions, a full-funnel marketing and sales acceleration engine. 
Fire on the Hill, which has offices in London, Manchester, New York and Paris, is providing pro bono communications support to the Intergenerational Foundation, the UK's leading authority on intergenerational fairness... The PRSA-NY Big Apple Awards Gala on Sept. 17 will have Gio Benitez, co-anchor of the weekend edition of “Good Morning America” and ABC News transportation correspondent, serving as emcee... CasePR, a boutique litigation communications firm, launches in Portland, OR.
inFocus, which works with entertainment, media and innovation brands in the US Hispanic market and Latin America, expands into Mexico... Modern Currency Public Relations, which will celebrate its 10th anniversary in 2027, launches an AI visibility & generative engine optimization practice... Adfactors PR, India’s largest reputation and critical issues advisory, acquires Australian communication consultancy SenateSHJ.
