Peter Finn was always a little different. As a high school senior, he became an ethical vegetarian, took up meditation, and immersed himself in Eastern religions; later, as a long-haired student at Brown University, he fell for a beautiful classmate named Sarah, and the two began dreaming of creating an organic, green-energy farm. Then, as a rising executive in his family’s public relations business, Peter began stirring up controversy by advocating an entrepreneurial leadership style and growth through acquisitions that would also require decentralized control. It became increasingly clear that, somehow, Peter Finn would end up forging a life path all his own.
In the end, Peter shattered expectations not once but twice. First, in 1998, having fallen in love with rural Hunter, New York, Peter and Sarah (now his wife) launched the Catskill Mountain Foundation with the dream of using arts programs—drama, music, dance, movies, and more—to spark economic and social revitalization throughout the region. They started on a shoestring, but over time, through improvisation and daring, sometimes “crazy” opportunism, they forged partnerships with talented people and groups to build one of the most vibrant artistic hubs in the Northeast.
Second, late in 2011, Peter took an even riskier plunge into the unknown. With a handful of like-minded colleagues, he negotiated a separation from the family company to launch a new PR agency built on values ranging from “Work hard and play nice” and “Create a best-place-to-work environment” to “Commit to diversity” and “Make a difference in the world.” Today, having won a host of industry awards and honors, FINN Partners has grown to embrace 35 offices with 1,300 employees around the world.
Driven to Build, Guided by Values tells the parallel stories of these two unique organizations, operating in very different spheres yet shaped by the same core beliefs. Leaders in every field will discover valuable lessons about how to build organizations for lasting success in the dramatic, colorful stories that fill the pages of Driven to Build.
DRIVEN TO BUILD, GUIDED BY VALUES by Peter Finn
Peter Finn is cofounder of the Catskill Mountain Foundation, which he and his wife Sarah started in 1998, as well as the founder and CEO of FINN Partners, a public relations and integrated marketing agency he launched in 2011. Peter started his career in 1977 at Research & Forecasts, a research company owned by Ruder Finn, before moving into a senior financial management position in 1984. Peter was Co-CEO and a 25 percent owner of Ruder Finn before leaving the company to start FINN Partners.
Peter spent most of his career working long hours in his New York City corporate office before discovering during the pandemic that he could run both FINN Partners and the Catskill Mountain Foundation just as effectively from his office in Hunter, New York, with its wonderful views of the surrounding mountains. He now splits his time between Hunter and New York City, though Hunter is his primary base. Peter is usually at his computer in his Hunter office by seven a.m. every day, but he loves his work and the long days and would not have it any other way.
Peter travels regularly to visit FINN Partners’ 36 offices around the world. While in Hunter, he attends performances presented by the Catskill Mountain Foundation almost every weekend, and as many of the films presented each week by the foundation as he can, though not as many as he would like.
Peter has a BA from Brown University, where he met his wife Sarah during his freshman year and majored in literature. He has a masters degree in comparative literature from Columbia University and a treasured library of over 3,000 books at his home in Hunter. Much of his weekend time in Hunter is spent immersed in literature—the books in his library that he has yet to read, the many he would love to reread and the hundreds of books on his to-be-read list that he plans to add to his library.
Peter and Sarah married in 1976 when they graduated from college. Their two children, Noah and Emily, are both important parts of Peter’s career and life story, directly and indirectly. Noah and his wife Laura and their two sons, Jonah and Andy, and Emily and her husband Mike and their two daughters Kaytlin and Leah, come to Hunter regularly and love spending time at Peter and Sarah’s home in the mountains. While grandchildren are too young (for now!) to be involved with either FINN Partners or the Catskill Mountain Foundation, that may change in the future.