Mary Katherine Ford was the CEO of the modeling agency Ford Models

Ford Models

The Ford Modeling Agency, or as it is known today Ford Models, is a modeling agency in New York City. It was established in 1946 by Eileen and the late Gerard W. Ford.-Company:...

, Inc. from 1995 until 2007.

Life

The daughter of Eileen Ford

Eileen Ford

Eileen Ford is a model agency executive and co-founder, in 1946, with her late husband Gerard William "Jerry" Ford, of Ford Models, one of the earliest and internationally best known modelling agencies in the world.-Early life:...

 and Jerry Ford, who started the agency in 1946. She holds a BA from Sarah Lawrence College

Sarah Lawrence College

Sarah Lawrence College is a private liberal arts college in the United States, and a leader in progressive education since its founding in 1926. Located just 30 minutes north of Midtown Manhattan in southern Westchester County, New York, in the city of Yonkers, this coeducational college offers...

 and an MBA from Columbia University

Columbia University

Columbia University in the City of New York is a private, Ivy League university in Manhattan, New York City. Columbia is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York, the fifth oldest in the United States, and one of the country's nine Colonial Colleges founded before the...

.

Ford worked for Strategic Planning Associates as a management consultant and TeleRep as a television sales representative.

Ford now is active in the fight against human trafficking.

Ford Models

She joined her parents' company in 1980. She took over as head in 1995 and moved operations from the Upper East Side to SoHo. She also expanded the company's reach by setting up offices in 10 other cities, including Chicago, Cleveland, Paris, 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 bankable stars, including Karen Elson

Karen Elson

Karen Elson is a British model, singer-songwriter and guitarist.As a child, Elson attended North Chadderton School in Chadderton with her twin sister, filmmaker Kate Elson. She began working as a model as a teenager....

, Maggie Rizer

Maggie Rizer

Maggie Rizer is an American model, actress, and AIDS activist. She is also ambassador for Operation Smile.-Personal life:...

, and Erin O'Connor

Erin O'Connor

-Early life:Erin O'Connor was born and brought up in the Metropolitan Borough of Walsall, England and went to Brownhills Community School . She was raised Catholic and her father is from Ballycastle, Northern Ireland...

, who were 'poached' by other agencies. Nonetheless, Ford's vast network of modeling scouts ensures that it has "fresh faces" alongside more established models like Sophie Dahl

Sophie Dahl

Sophie Dahl , born Sophie Holloway, is an English author and former model. She was born in London, the daughter of actor Julian Holloway and writer Tessa Dahl. Her maternal grandparents were author Roald Dahl and actress Patricia Neal. Her paternal grandparents were actor Stanley Holloway and...

, Camilla Finn, and Chanel Iman

Chanel Iman

Chanel Iman Robinson , known professionally as Chanel Iman, is an American fashion model perhaps best known for her work for Victoria's Secret.-Early life:...

. Other stars Ford has repped over the years include Kim Basinger

Kim Basinger

Kimila Ann "Kim" Basinger is an American actress and former fashion model.She is known for her portrayals of Domino Petachi, the Bond girl in Never Say Never Again , and Vicki Vale, the female lead in Batman . Basinger received a Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress – Motion Picture...

, Adriana Lima

Adriana Lima

Adriana Lima is a Brazilian model, best known as a Victoria's Secret Angel since 2000, and as a spokesmodel for Maybelline cosmetics from 2003 to 2009...

, Rachel Hunter

Rachel Hunter

Rachel Hunter is a New Zealand born American model, actress and reality TV show host who now resides in the U.S. She is best known for her appearance in Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issues and her longtime marriage to singer Rod Stewart, which ended in 2006...

, and Christie Brinkley

Christie Brinkley

Christie Brinkley is an American model and actress best known for her three consecutive appearances on the cover of the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue in the late 1970s and early 1980s, for her long-running contract with CoverGirl, the longest ever of any model in history, and for her marriage...

.

In 2007, Stone Tower Capital, which manages about $14 billion of assets, injected a significant amount of capital into Ford that will allow it to continue expanding globally. John Caplan, became Ford Models' Chief Executive Officer, and she remained on the board of directors.

Family

Her younger sister, Lacey, lives in L.A. with her husband, John Williams; her older sister, Jamie, lives in Washington with her husband, lawyer Robert Craft; her older brother, Bill, lives in Florida.

Ford married hotelier Andre Balazs

Andre Balazs

Andre Balázs is an American hotelier and residential developer. He created the Standard Hotels line of hotels and operates many hotels and residences in New York and other U.S...

on November 16, 1985; they divorced in 2004. The couple sold their townhouse in the Village, to Luke Janklow and his wife Julie for $4.5 million. They had two daughters, Alessandra (born 1991) and Isabel (born 1994). Ford now lives in SoHo with her two daughters.

Quotes

"The models I pick are less predictable than what my mother picked in the '60s, says Katie. The definition of beauty is much broader today. The ideal American is no longer considered Swedish".

"Ford is known for building the stars. It's not just finding the models, it's recruit[ment] and then development. We develop them in terms of testing, teaching them what it means to be a model and they develop into stars".