LOS ANGELES COUNTY - News from Aug. 13, 1985

Software developer Ashton-Tate said Monday that it has hired Roy E. Folk as executive vice president for marketing and strategic planning, a new job at the Culver City-based firm. He had been acting as a consultant to Ashton-Tate.

Folk, who founded Paladin Software in 1983 and has spent 16 years in the business, will oversee all advertising, sales promotion, public relations, market research, strategic planning, product strategy and product acquisition.

President Edward M. Esber Jr. said the new position is intended to coordinate current marketing needs with Ashton-Tate’s long-term plans. Folk takes the marketing function from Ronald S. Posner, an executive vice president who retains sales and international operations.

“In the past, software companies would respond to the marketplace on a short-term basis, planning only for the month ahead,” Esber said. “Today, Ashton-Tate must plan its product strategy on a long-term basis.”

Folk, 39, becomes the company’s third executive vice president. He, Posner and finance executive Norman Block report to Esber. Posner was also put in charge of a task force overseeing the integration of Ashton-Tate with Multimate, the software firm it recently bought.