Molly Soto of Ruder Finn Recognized as a ‘Change Agent’ in Ragan’s 2026 Top Women in Communications

Acknowledged for leadership: the honor, the role and the announcement

Molly Soto, vice president at Ruder Finn, has been named to Ragan’s 2026 class of Top Women in Communications in the program’s “Change Agents” category, the agency announced in a press release on Dec. 15, 2025. The recognition highlights Soto’s work leading Ruder Finn’s Engage practice and lifts up her role inside the firm as one of the communicators Ragan says are reshaping the field.

How Ragan’s program frames the ‘Change Agents’ honor

Ragan’s Top Women in Communications is an annual program that spotlights women who have made notable contributions to public relations and corporate communications. The “Change Agents” label is applied to leaders who have driven visible shifts in strategy, culture or client work — people Ragan judges to be pushing the industry forward rather than simply maintaining the status quo.

Selection typically looks at professional accomplishments, influence inside an organization, and contributions to the broader communications community. The award is as much about leadership and innovation as it is about day-to-day campaign results, so being named a “Change Agent” signals recognition for shaping new ways of working or thinking in the field.

What Soto does at Ruder Finn and the work behind the recognition

At Ruder Finn, Soto runs the Engage practice, a unit that the agency says focuses on building audience connection through integrated communications. In that role she oversees strategy and execution across channels and works with clients on how to tell their stories in ways that cut through today’s noisy media environment.

The press release points to Soto’s work in growing the practice and developing campaigns that blend media relations, content and digital engagement. Her leadership includes steering teams, shaping client strategies and expanding the kinds of services the practice offers. Those elements — managing people, shifting how an agency serves clients, and launching new program approaches — are the kinds of achievements Ragan’s judges tend to reward in the “Change Agents” group.

Beyond client work, Soto is presented as a leader inside Ruder Finn who helps set priorities for the practice and mentor more junior staff. That combination of internal influence and outward-facing results is a common thread among honorees in this category.

Ruder Finn’s response and industry notice

Ruder Finn issued a release celebrating Soto’s inclusion in Ragan’s list and highlighted the impact of her work on the Engage team. The announcement underscores the agency’s view that the recognition reflects both individual achievement and the practice’s progress.

Outside the press release, the honor places Soto among a visible group of women whose careers are being tracked by trade outlets and peers. While there were no wide-ranging media commentaries tied specifically to this announcement at the time of the release, the recognition itself is the kind of accolade that typically prompts attention in PR industry circles.

What this means for PR leadership and representation in communications

Soto’s selection as a “Change Agent” reflects a few broader trends in communications. First, agencies are rewarding leaders who can combine strategy with delivery — people who move beyond traditional media pitching to build cross-channel programs that meet business goals. Second, the emphasis on change highlights the growing value of leaders who can adapt agency offerings and team structures in a fast-moving landscape.

Finally, the visibility around Ragan’s program continues to matter for representation: spotlighting women in leadership helps normalize senior roles for a wider group of practitioners. For industry readers, Soto’s recognition is a reminder that career paths in communications increasingly reward those who lead new ways of working, not just those who win a single big campaign.

For Ruder Finn, the honor strengthens the profile of the Engage practice and gives the firm an example of the kind of leadership it can point to when pitching clients or recruiting talent.

Sources

• prnewswire.com