KKR Deal Shines Spotlight on PR Power Broker Roland Rudd

Roland Rudd was in attendance for Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s victory speech last month. The event at the Tate Modern combined two of his interests: chairing the charity that runs the gallery, and high-level politics.

The public relations executive, 63, has made a career out of such ties, via a contacts book that extends across UK politics and business. This week, the value of the communications company he built over three decades, FGS Global, jumped to $1.7 billion after advertising group WPP Plc agreed to sell its controlling stake to private equity firm KKR & Co.

Keir Starmer speaks at the Tate Modern in London, on July 5. Rudd, not pictured, chairs the Tate.

Photographer: Ricky Vigil/Getty Images

FGS’s ...