Patrick McCarthy is the Chairman and Editorial Director of W magazine and Fairchild Fashion Group, a division of Condé Nast. Fairchild Fashion Group includes the titles Women’s Wear Daily and Footwear News.

Mr. McCarthy has spent nearly his entire journalism career at Fairchild Publications. He began in 1977 as a reporter in the Washington D.C. bureau, and a year later transferred to London as the London Bureau Chief. In 1980 Mr. McCarthy went to Paris as Paris Bureau Chief of W and WWD, and in 1983 was appointed European Editor. He returned to New York as the Editor of W and WWD in 1985, and became Executive Editor three years later. In 1992 Mr. McCarthy was named Executive Vice President, Editorial for all Fairchild Publications, and in 1997 he succeeded the legendary John B. Fairchild as Chairman and Editorial Director of Fairchild Publications.

Mr. McCarthy was honored by the Council of Fashion Designers of America with the Eugenia Sheppard Award for Fashion Journalism in 1994. During his tenure, W magazine has been nominated for eighteen National Magazine Awards, winning in 2004 for Photo Portfolio/Photo Essay, and in 1998 and 2006 for Photography.