John Joseph Dooner Jr.

John J. Dooner, Jr., the former Chairman-CEO and founder of McCann Worldgroup, passed away peacefully in Jupiter, Florida, surrounded by family and friends on December 31, 2025. The cause of death was heart failure. He was 77 years old. As a business leader, John’s unprecedented vision in creating McCann Worldgroup transformed the advertising industry and changed the way marketing communications companies partner with corporate clients. As a family man, John leaves behind a legacy of love, faith, and compassion. He is survived by his wife Cynthia Stewart Dooner, his daughter Jaclyn (Simón Ramirez) and his beloved grandson León. His daughter Miriam pre-deceased him.

John was born to John J. Dooner and Elizabeth Forest on August 3, 1948, in New Rochelle, NY. He was the second oldest of six children and is survived by four of his siblings: Lisbeth Devlin (Eugene), Patrice Cuddy (Dennis), Mary Lisk (Gary), Margaret Parker, his sister-in-law, Joyce Dooner and many loving nieces and nephews. He is pre-deceased by his brother Jeffrey Dooner. He graduated from Mount Saint Michaels Academy in 1966 and then attended St. Thomas University, in Miami Gardens, Florida, where he graduated in 1970.

John’s advertising career began in 1970 in the media department of a New York ad agency and then with McCann in 1984 as a Senior VP, Worldwide Account Director, on the Coca-Cola business. Nestle, General Motors, Microsoft, Mastercard, Unilever, L’Oreal, and Exxon Mobil would be among the many other leading worldwide marketers and brands he would work on with his teams over the years. He then rose successively to become Executive VP, General Manager of McCann New York (1985-1988), President of McCann North America (1988-1992), President and COO of McCann Worldwide (1992), CEO (1994), and Chairman-CEO (1995).

Throughout his advertising and marketing career, John has been known for his combination of bold vision, energetic commitment, and a consistent delivery of global solutions to help meet the strategic business and brand-building needs of his agency’s corporate customers. Shortly after becoming CEO of McCann, he recognized the need to expand and transform the agency. In 1997, he envisioned how advertising would continue to evolve in ways that would encompass integrated brand communication practices including experiential, public relations, corporate branding, healthcare marketing, and digital. This led him to conceive, organize and drive the corporate strategy that transformed McCann Erickson Worldwide from its position as a leading global advertising agency to become McCann Worldgroup, an expansion that created a brand portfolio of six additional worldwide networks across the marketing services spectrum and doubled the company’s size within its first five years. It included the formation of the industry’s first global digital marketing network.

Between 2000-2003, he also served as Chairman-CEO of McCann Worldgroup’s parent company, The Interpublic Group of Companies, a period when he led the acquisitions of Deutsch and True North (FCB Worldwide, among other agencies). As a result, Interpublic emerged as the largest advertising and marketing holding company in the world. In 2003, he returned to McCann Worldgroup as Chairman-CEO and assumed his Chairman Emeritus status in 2010. He was elected into the Advertising Hall of Fame in 2019.

John’s public service activities included becoming involved in initiatives such as Peace One Day and Product Red, and he became the first Worldwide Chairman of the United Way. He has been a member of the board of St. Thomas University since 2004 and its chairman since 2013. He was on the Board of the former Sound Shore Medical Center and on the NYC Police Foundation Board. He also served as a Trustee of Notre Dame’s Irish Advisory Council. He was also a Lead Director of Ethan Allen ETD (NYSE).

John will be remembered for his unwavering integrity, generous spirit, and deep love he showed his family, friends, and all whose lives he touched.