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Katie Ford became CEO of Ford Models in 1995. Prior to Katie's transition into the role of CEO, she was Ford's Co-President and Creative Director, working under her parents and co-founders Eileen and Jerry Ford.
In her capacity as CEO, Katie has worked diligently to strike the balance between maintaining Ford's strong image while expanding the company's horizons. This includes a continued effort to remain an agency with integrity and one that watches out for the interests of its models as well as ensuring the Ford's image is consistent with current fashion, editorial and advertising trends. The models taken on during Katie's tenure include Stephanie Seymour, Erin O'Connor, Taren Cunningham, Tomiko and Elisabet Davidsdottir.
As part of her goals for the future of Ford, Katie moved the headquarters from its longtime Upper Eastside location to the current location in Manhattan's fashionable SoHo district. Further, she has expanded business globally adding offices in Paris, Brazil and Argentina. Domestically, office expansion has included Los Angeles, Chicago and Cleveland.
Under Katie's direction, Ford has broadened its scope into areas other than modeling. This includes the establishment of financial management services for Ford's talent and the creation of new divisions such as Sports Marketing, Licensing and Celebrity. Through the Celebrity Division, Ford has begun to represent actors, singers and sports figures for advertising in the international marketplace. Some of the talent represented in this area include Gérard Depardieu, Robin Tunney and D'arcy Wretzky of the The Smashing Pumpkins.
Before joining Ford, Katie worked for Strategic Planning Associates as a management consultant and TeleRep as a television sales representative. She holds a BA from Sarah Lawrence College and an MBA from Columbia University.
Katie is married to hotelier André Balazs who is the owner of Los Angeles' "Chateau Marmont" and "The Standard" as well as "The Mercer" in SoHo. They are actively involved in various cultural, civic and environmental affairs such as The New York City Ballet, The Pediatric Aids Foundation and the Hudson Riverkeeper. The couple lives in SoHo with their two children, Alessandra and Isabel.
