John Patten

Interview

• "Computer and TV" (Milan, SMAU, 22/09/95)

Biography

Honorary President of Business Week in the American publishing group McGraw Hill Companies, John Patten retired in 1996 after 42 years in the company. With a diploma in Marketing Management from Harvard Business School, Patten joined McGraw Hill as an apprentice in 1954. In 1958 he opened the publisher's first regional marketing office in the Rocky Mountain region and stayed as regional director in Denver until 1965. He was then nominated European director in London. In 1977 he transferred to New York where he was vice-president of the Atlantic region. The following year he was nominated vice-president of marketing at McGraw-Hill.
In 1982 Patten was appointed editor of Aviation Week & Space Technology. He was nominated editor of Business Week in 1985, executive vice-president of the Business Week group in 1989 and president in 1993. 

He received an honorary doctorate in economics and commerce at the University of St. John and an honorary doctorate in literature from Westminster College. He was awarded the Frank Knox Media medal in 1993.