Mary Katherine "Katie" Ford (born 1955) is the former CEO of the modeling agency

Ford Models Ford Models, originally the Ford Modeling Agency, is an American international modeling agency based in New York City. It was established in 1946 by Eileen Ford and her husband Gerard W. Ford. Company Ford Models was started in 1946 by Eileen ...

, Inc. from 1995 until 2007.Fordmodels.com
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Life and career

Ford is the daughter of

Eileen Ford Eileen ( or ) is an Irish feminine given name anglicised from Eibhlín and may refer to: People Artists *Eileen Agar (1899–1991), British Surrealist painter and photographer *Eileen Fisher (born 1950), clothing retailer and designer *Eileen ...

(''née'' Ottensoser) and Gerard William "Jerry" Ford, who started the agency in 1946. She holds a BA from

Sarah Lawrence College Sarah Lawrence College is a Private university, private liberal arts college in Yonkers, New York. The college models its approach to education after the Supervision system, Oxford/Cambridge system of one-on-one student-faculty tutorials. Sara ...

and an MBA from

Columbia University Columbia University (also known as Columbia, and officially as Columbia University in the City of New York) is a private research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Church in Manhatt ...

. Ford worked for Strategic Planning Associates as a management consultant and TeleRep as a television sales representative. Ford is active in the fight against human trafficking, and she is CEO of a nonprofit organization
Freedom For All

Ford Models

Ford joined her parents' company in 1980. She took over as head in 1995 and moved operations from the

Upper East Side The Upper East Side, sometimes abbreviated UES, is a neighborhood in the borough of Manhattan in New York City, bounded by 96th Street to the north, the East River to the east, 59th Street to the south, and Central Park/Fifth Avenue to the wes ...

SoHo Soho is an area of the City of Westminster, part of the West End of London. Originally a fashionable district for the aristocracy, it has been one of the main entertainment districts in the capital since the 19th century. The area was develop ...

. She also expanded the company's reach by setting up offices in 10 other cities, including Chicago,

Cleveland Cleveland ( ), officially the City of Cleveland, is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County. Located in the northeastern part of the state, it is situated along the southern shore of Lake Erie, across the U.S. ...

, Paris, and in Brazil and Argentina. Still one of the largest modeling agencies in the world, they represent more than 2,500 clients, but smaller boutique agencies have grown in popularity. In recent years Ford has also have lost some of their most notable models, including

Karen Elson Karen Jill Elson (born 15 January 1979) is an English model and singer-songwriter. Early life and education Elson was born in Oldham, Greater Manchester, and attended North Chadderton School as a child. She has a fraternal twin sister, filmma ...

Maggie Rizer Maggie Rizer (born January 9, 1978, in Staten Island, New York) is an American model, and an activist for AIDS-related causes as well as for Operation Smile. Early life Margaret Mary Rizer was born to Maureen and Kevin Rizer in Staten Island, N ...

and

Erin O'Connor Erin O'Connor, MBE (born 9 February 1978) is a British fashion model. Early life O'Connor was born and brought up in Brownhills, West Midlands, where she attended Brownhills Community School. She was brought up Catholic and her father is fro ...

, who were 'poached' by other agencies. Nonetheless, Ford's network of models include

Sophie Dahl Sophie Dahl (born Sophie Holloway on 15 September 1977, later taking her mother's name for professional reasons) is an English author and former fashion model. Her first novel, ''The Man with the Dancing Eyes'', was published in 2003 followed b ...

Camilla Finn Camila Caroline Finn (born November 6, 1991) is a Brazilian model. She who won the Ford "Supermodel of the Year" award at the age of 14. Biography Finn became the first Brazilian to win the Ford Models "Supermodel of the World" contest, which to ...

and

Chanel Iman Chanel Iman Robinson (formerly Shepard) (born December 1, 1990) is an American model best known for her work as a Victoria's Secret Angel. ''Vogue Paris'' declared her as one of the top 30 models of the 2000s. Early life Iman was born in Atla ...

. Others Ford has represented include

Kim Basinger Kimila Ann Basinger ( ; born December 8, 1953) is an American actress and former fashion model. She has garnered acclaim for her work in film and television, for which she has received various accolades including an Academy Award, a Golden Glo ...

Adriana Lima Adriana Lima (; born 12 June 1981) is a Brazilian model, who was a Victoria's Secret Angel from 1999 to 2018. She was the longest-running model and named "the most valuable Victoria's Secret Angel" in 2017. She is also known as a spokesmodel fo ...

, Mia Person,

Rachel Hunter Rachel Hunter (born 8 September 1969) is a New Zealand model, actress and the host of Imagination Television's ''Rachel Hunter's Tour of Beauty''. She has appeared on several magazine covers, including ''Vogue'', ''Elle'', ''Rolling Stone'', ' ...

and

Christie Brinkley Christie Lee Brinkley (née Hudson; born February 2, 1954) is an American model, actress, and entrepreneur. Brinkley gained worldwide fame with her appearances in ''Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issues'', ultimately appearing on an unprecedented ...

. In 2007, John Caplan became Ford Models' Chief Executive Officer, and she remained on the board of directors.

Family

Ford has a younger sister (Lacey), an older sister (Jamie) and an older brother (Bill). Ford married hotelier

André Balazs André Tomes Balazs (born January 31, 1957) is an American businessman and hotelier. He is president and chief executive officer of André Balazs Properties, a portfolio of hotels across the United States and residences in New York state, especial ...

on November 16, 1985; they divorced in 2004. They have two daughters, Alessandra (born 1991) and Isabel (born 1994). Ford lives in SoHo with her daughters.Katie Ford
CityFile.com

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Ford, Katie Sarah Lawrence College alumni Columbia Business School alumni 1955 births Living people American women chief executives Place of birth missing (living people) American chief executives of fashion industry companies People from SoHo, Manhattan 21st-century American businesswomen 21st-century American businesspeople