Ryan Barr
Managing Partner, Global Financial Services Practice Leader
Ryan.Barr@finnpartners.com
Professional Experience
I joined FINN’s global management team bringing more than two decades of experience working with some of the world’s most recognizable brands, including AIG, Alibaba, Bank of America, Bloomberg, BNY Mellon, Chipotle, Deloitte, EY, HP, LinkedIn, MassMutual, Valvoline, VF Corp, Willis Towers Watson and Zurich Financial Services, among others. Throughout my career, I have developed and led integrated marketing and communications initiatives, as well as counseled clients on sensitive financial and corporate communications issues that impact multiple stakeholders. I believe in the power of communications; the ability of storytelling to effect change and deliver tangible business outcomes.
There is nothing like looking, if you want to find something.
- J.R.R. Tolkien, The Hobbit
How'd you get here
My road to FINN Partners was anything but traditional. After exploring opportunities on Wall Street in the mid-90s, I elected to enter a relatively new communications field – Investor Relations. I cut my teeth at small agencies, much of the time during the dot com boom…and bust. I eventually parlayed my experience working with media and entertainment companies into an in-house role at Atari (yes, that Atari). After four years wearing several hats, including corporate communications, investor relations, strategic partnerships and capital fund raising, I made my way back to agency life. I held senior agency and practice leadership positions at large agencies (Hill & Knowlton and Burson Marsteller), as well as U.S. Managing Director and member of the global board at Cognito. In 2018, after meeting Peter Finn and several other founding partners I knew I found a new home as the agency’s first Financial Services Global Practice Leader. We all share a drive and commitment to deliver on our agency promise – Be bold, meaningful and amazing for clients.