By NIRI Editorial Staff
William F. “Bill” Mahoney, a long-time NIRI member and chapter leader who served for 20 years as editor of NIRI’s IR Update, died peacefully at his home in West Chester, Pennsylvania, on October 10, 2026. He was 91.
A journalist, investor relations (IR) practitioner, educator, and author, Mahoney devoted much of his career to writing about the profession and sharing knowledge with its practitioners. Alongside his work for NIRI, he founded and edited Shareholder Value magazine and cofounded the company behind Valuation Issues, serving as the newsletter’s editor. He wrote four books on IR and corporate governance, two of which were translated and published in Brazil, and one in Japan.
Mahoney also taught IR at Temple University and conducted courses internationally. His corporate career included serving as investor relations manager at Motorola and director of corporate communications at Scott Paper and Esmark.
NIRI Fellow Joe Hassett, his friend and fellow Pennsylvanian, offered this tribute: “Bill was an investor relations pioneer, blazing a trail that helped put IR on the corporate organizational map. He was a gentle giant who wielded a big stick, frequently consulted by captains of industry for his knowledge of IR and spearheading IR to be the bastion of “Shareholder Value.” While he’ll be fondly remembered for his dry sense of humor and good nature, I think his true north star was the success and growth of those around him. Whether you knew him for a minute or a lifetime, to Bill you were a friend.”
Whether you knew him for a minute or a lifetime, to Bill you were a friend.”
Joe Hassett
Born in Joliet, Illinois, on January 24, 1935, Mahoney served briefly in the U.S. Army before studying journalism at Marquette University. He began his reporting career at the Fort Wayne News-Sentinel in Indiana. At Marquette, he met his wife, Carroll, a fellow journalism major, with whom he had five children.
Outside his professional life, Mahoney was devoted to his family and Chicago sports, especially the Cubs. He taught his children to keep scorecards and shared his love of baseball through countless hours of Wiffle ball batting practice. In 2016, he saw his longtime dream of a Cubs World Series championship come true. He also loved jazz, reading, and attending his grandchildren’s games, performances, and recitals. After retiring from corporate writing, he continued writing stories about his life and the world around him.
A funeral Mass will be held November 13 at St. Maximilian Kolbe Church in West Chester. Memorial donation information is available in his obituary.