Global communications agency Ruder Finn has promoted Tejas Totade to the position of Global Chief Technology Officer (CTO) and Chief Data & AI Officer, recognising his contributions to building the agency’s technology, data, analytics and engineering capabilities.
Totade has been instrumental in developing a multidisciplinary team comprising several dozen specialists across India, the Philippines and New York. In his expanded global mandate, he will focus on making technology tools and training more accessible across regions while developing the architecture that will underpin the agency’s end-to-end AI capabilities.
Commenting on his expanded role, Totade said, “The greatest opportunity comes when we work together choosing the right technology, grounding it in data, and applying AI to solve a real business problem. This role gives us an opportunity to create that shared vision globally and help our teams and clients translate the enormous potential of AI into measurable value.”
Kathy Bloomgarden, CEO of Ruder Finn, said, “Ruder Finn has always believed that technology should expand what communicators are able to accomplish, and Tejas has been central to building that capability within our agency. As technology, data and AI become increasingly interconnected, we’re committed to bringing the most cutting edge AI capabilities to clients, under the leadership of Tejas.”
As part of the leadership developments, Ruder Finn has also appointed Nick Driver as Managing Director of Research and Analytics. Reporting to Totade, Driver will lead the agency’s research and analytics operations in the U.S., working across practices and client teams to advance audience intelligence, AI-powered insights and measurement capabilities. He brings 20 years of experience in applying research and analytics to complex business challenges.
Expressing his enthusiasm about joining the agency, Driver said, “What drew me to Ruder Finn is the clarity of the agency’s tech-forward vision and the genuine commitment to making it real. The technology, the talent and the ambition are already here. I’m excited to help make research and analytics an even more central part of how we understand audiences, guide strategy and demonstrate impact for clients.”
Totade has been associated with Ruder Finn for more than 16 years. He began his journey with the agency as a senior developer and went on to establish rf.TechLab, its emerging technology incubator, in 2018.
In his current leadership capacity, Totade heads an international team spanning engineering, analytics and digital development. He also co-leads the agency’s AI-powered creative studio, rf.Studio53, and oversees its research and insights capabilities, bringing together proprietary methodologies and enterprise analytics tools.
