RF Thunder launches Beautycare Practice in China with key appointment

RF Thunder, sister company of Ruder Finn, has appointed Phoenix Liu to head the new Beautycare Practice for China.Based in Guangzhou and reporting to Emily Situ, general manager of RF Thunder Guangzhou and Hong Kong, Liu will be in charge of growing and championing China’s Beautycare Practice in areas including corporate and luxury in traditional and digital communications.RF Thunder has seen a rapid rise in the number of beautycare clients which has driven the need to establish a dedicated practice following the recent retainer win from Mary Kay, an American cosmetics brand, and previously, a retainer for Korean luxury brand, The History of Whoo. Both clients were won after pitching against local and international agencies.Besides Mary Kay and The History of Whoo, RF Thunder's current beautycare clients include LVMH fresh, Dior, Clarins, and L’Oreal.With the ever-changing digital landscape and growing importance of social media, RF Thunder has been working closely with RFI Studios, Ruder Finn’s award winning digital arm, to provide a fully integrated and interactive communications service.Liu joined RF Thunder in 2013 and has more than eight years of PR experience in a wide spectrum of communications for beauty brands that include fresh, Dior, Mary Kay, Clarins and Neutrogena.Her experience also covers fashion and consumer clients such as Cartier, Club Monaco,Hennessy Prestige Range, Nokia, Adidas, Lucozade, Pocari , BASF, Cirque du Soleil and LG.Prior to joining RF Thunder, she worked for Ogilvy Public Relations and Guangzhou Advertising Company.Elan SHOU, managing director and SVP at Ruder Finn Greater China, said: “Beautycare is a fast growing sector in China with huge potential and we expect to see great progress with the establishment of this specialised practice. RF Thunder has the insight, methodologies and solid know-how to further capture this growing market.”RF Thunder, (formerly Thunder Communications), was acquired by Ruder Finn in 2011 and has since established offices in Guangzhou (2013), Hong Kong (2015), and Beijing (2015) together with a network of affiliate offices nationwide. RF Thunder has grown at an average of 88% year-on-year since its acquisition by Ruder Finn and, in 2014, RF Thunder saw a 200% business growth and 33% increase in staff numbers.