Brian P. Tierney (born 1957) is an American advertising and public relations executive and former publisher of The Philadelphia Inquirer. Born in Upper Darby Township, Pennsylvania, Tierney is chief executive officer of Brian Communications, which he founded in 2010, and RealTime Media, which he bought from the previous owners with the help of the venture firm, New Spring Capital. Brian Communications' clients include Independence Blue Cross, Aramark, Widener University, The Newspaper Association of America, Republic Bank and Amerihealth. . The company handled media relations for Pope Francis' 2015 visit to Philadelphia and the Philadelphia Orchestra's bankruptcy in 2011. Tierney has advised CEOs and leaders of Fortune 500 companies, including Exelon (NYSE: EXC), Commerce Bank (now TD Bank, NYSE: TD), Marriott (NYSE: MAR), IBM (NYSE IBM), Deloitte and ARAMARK. He serves on the board of directors for NutriSystem (NASDAQ: NTRI), Republic Bank (NASDAQ: FRBK) and is also chairman of the foundation for the Poynter Institute, which supports outstanding journalism for a strong democracy. Tierney is an Entrepreneur in Residence at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. He has presented at the Milken Institute Global Conference, Columbia University School of Journalism as well as international newspaper and media conferences in the Middle East and Australia. He has appeared on the BBC, NPR, CNBC, CBS, ABC and FOX. . Before founding Brian Communications, Tierney created Tierney Communications, one of the largest and most successful public relations and advertising firms in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, which he sold in 1999 and left in 2003 when it employed more than 200. . Tierney in 2006 assembled a group of investors to form Philadelphia Media Holdings LLC, a group started with the purpose of buying The Philadelphia Inquirer and Philadelphia Daily News. Chief executive of Philadelphia Media Holdings, Mr. Tierney also became the publisher of The Philadelphia Inquirer shortly after Philadelphia Media Holdings bought the paper. Initially, there were concerns about Tierney's neutrality because of earlier roles he held working in Republican politics and clashes he had with some reporters. But Mr. Tierney calmed those fears by hiring respected journalist and two-time Pulitzer Prize winner William K. Marimow as editor of The Inquirer and by signing a pledge not to interfere with the editorial content of the two newspapers. Under Mr. Marimow, the editorial quality of The Inquirer improved as the paper returned to its roots by doing more investigative stories. Initially, circulation increased in 2007