Remembering David Finn, co-founder of PR giant Ruder Finn

David Finn, co-founder of PR agency Ruder Finn, died at age 100 on Oct. 18. Here, Ruder Finn’s Chief Innovation Officer Michael Schubert pays tribute to the man and his many accomplishments—in and out of the boardroom. It has been said that David Finn is one of the fathers of the PR industry. In his more than 70 years leading the company as CEO and Chairman, David helped push the boundaries of the communications world, establishing the model for a modern public relations agency in Ruder Finn, the agency he co-founded with Bill Ruder in 1948. Subscribe to Ad Age now for award-winning news and insight. He provided communications counsel to corporate giants Lever Brothers, Exxon, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Novartis and Coca-Cola. He was enlisted under three presidential administrations: rallying support for the Nuclear Test Ban Treaty for the Kennedy administration; building ready.gov following 9/11 for the under the George W. Bush administration; and serving on the National Endowment for the Humanities for the Clinton administration. And he was instrumental in addressing many of the global challenges of his time with global NGOs from the United Nations and World Bank to the Vatican. A true pioneer, David did not view the profession as it was, but what it could be, regardless of how many people shared his vision at the time. David’s reputation and lifetime of achievements can be summed up by his favorite quote by Ralph Waldo Emerson: “Do not go where the path may lead, go instead where there is no path and leave a trail.” Ethics, integrity and purpose David led with ethics, integrity, and purpose, long before the phrase “stakeholder capitalism” became part of the corporate vernacular. He published numerous articles on the philosophy of PR and the roles and responsibilities of business in society. In his book, "The Corporate Oligarch," David wrote about the importance of public service and the responsibility that business leaders had to positively impact society. And David put his words into action. He spoke out when clients were not listening or responding to criticism. He refused to let clients “spin” what today might be called “fake news.” And he made Ruder Finn the first PR agency to have a standing ethics committee to review our practices. In short, he not only founded an industry, he blazed a trail forward, establishing Ruder Finn as one of the largest and most respected independently owned, global communications agency. Yes, David Finn will be remembered as one of the founding fathers of PR. But I will remember him as a personal mentor, my most thoughtful teacher, my fiercest advocate, my greatest inspiration, and one of my closest friends. David was like a father to me. He changed an industry, but he also shaped my life. I remember 35 years ago, when I was deciding between a career in theater or career in business. David convinced me I could do both. A few years later, while I was still working at Ruder Finn, he sat in the front row of my first Off-Broadway show. David taught me creativity and work weren’t mutually exclusive. I remember a new-business pitch where the design I proposed was perhaps a bit too edgy for the prospect. David spoke up on my behalf; if the client wanted to settle, he should go somewhere else. The client ended up taking the risk. I learned from David to stand up for what you believe in. I remember how one of our largest clients was understandably angered when I inadvertently triggered a less than flattering article in the New York Times. The client asked that I be fired. David told the client he would sooner resign the account than fire me. I learned that day what it means to be loyal, to put people ahead of business. I remember David asking me to join him at Ground Zero immediately following the 9/11 attacks to photograph the aftermath. We spent days walking the streets of lower Manhattan, documenting unfathomable damage and grief. David believed it was important to be part of every moment, even the ones that break our hearts. I remember working on "Lamentation 9/11," the book of David’s 9/11 photographs, when David asked me who should write the text. I suggested one of my other heroes—E.L. Doctorow—an author famed for documenting the American experience. David said, “Let’s call him up.” A few days later, Doctorow was in David's office, and we met with him every week for six months until the book was finished. I remember working with David and UN Secretary General Kofi Annan on challenges of global leadership. I remember photographing sculpture with David and Bill Clinton in the White House garden. I remember meeting with Hillary Clinton on the book David and I created on that same sculpture collection. I remember meetings with the World Bank, the Vatican, the Institute for the Future. David helped shape the issues of our time, and he invited me to have a seat at his table. "Lamentation 9/11" and "Sculpture in the White House Garden" were only two of the over 60 books David and I worked on together. Sitting side-by-side on his office sofa, looking at photos strewn across his Noguchi coffee table, laying out page after page after page, David was always searching, editing, seeking a new perspective. The final project we worked on together was a multi-volume set on the history of sculpture—thousands of pages and images from the earliest civilizations to modern times. I remember first reading the forward he wrote. He started by saying he purchased his first camera when he was 40 years old. Imagine, the world’s foremost photographer of sculpture, with over 100 books to his credit, didn’t even purchase his first camera until he was 40. Subscribe to Ad Age now for award-winning news and insight. On that day I learned the most fundamental thing David ever taught me. It’s never too late to pursue a passion. At 25, David was starting a company. At 40, he was taking the first steps in a career as a photographer. At 75 he was learning about the Internet. And at 90, he was still taking photographs, still writing books, still thinking about how Ruder Finn should grow into what’s next for the future. David, I thank you.

Remembering David Finn, co-founder of PR giant Ruder Finn

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