Paul Foley (executive)
Paul Foley was an American business executive in the advertising industry. He was chairman and CEO of the Interpublic Group of Companies and was inducted into the AAF Advertising Hall of Fame.
Early life and education
Foley completed a journalism degree at the University of Notre Dame in Indiana.Career
Foley started his career in journalism, as a police reporter for the Chicago American. His first foray into advertising was at The Pontiac Press in Pontiac, Michigan. In 1940, he went into advertising full time at Grace & Bement.During World War II, Foley served in Istanbul as bureau chief for the United States Office of War Information. After the war, he joined an advertising agency, McManus, John & Adams, in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan, where he was a creative director. By 1955, he was an executive vice president and board member at the firm.
He left McManus to manage the Detroit office of McCann-Erickson, eventually moving to New York. In 1964, he was appointed chairman of McCann-Erickson.
In 1971, Foley was named president and CEO of Interpublic, and later became chairman. By 1977, he had given up the title of president. In 1979, he stepped out of the role of chief executive but remained on the board as a director and chairman of the finance committee.
Over the course of his career, he influenced and was involved in successful advertising campaigns for Pontiac, Buick, Coca-Cola, Exxon, Nabisco, Del Monte, and Nestle. During his tenure as chairman, he announced Interpublic's affiliation with Mingo, Jones, Guilmenot, a black-owned agency co-founded by Caroline R. Jones.