Karina Byrne has more than 30 years of experience in CEO and C-suite strategic communications counsel, issues management, crisis communications, litigation and enforcement actions support, restructuring communications, media relations, internal communications, employee engagement, diversity/equity/inclusion communications, public affairs and content creation.

 

Karina has advised CEOs and senior leadership teams in the wealth management, investment banking, asset management, insurance, payments, technology, financial technology, mining, industrial, infrastructure, chemical and pharmaceuticals sectors, as well as not-for-profit foundations and boards supporting the arts, women's micro finance and economic equality.​​

 

Prior to founding Taras Advisory Group, Karina was a Senior Managing Director in the Strategy & Communications division of Teneo, the global CEO consulting and advisory firm, where she led executive visibility and enhancement campaigns, media relations and public affairs for CEOs and senior leaders of client firms.

 

Previously, Karina was Head of Corporate Communications for the global Investment Bank, Americas Asset Management business and the Americas region for Credit Suisse AG, Additionally, she served on the board of directors of the Credit Suisse Americas Foundation and was co-head of the firm’s Americas Women’s Network. She also spent a decade at UBS AG, where she was head of media relations and external communications for the Wealth Management Americas division and the Asset Management Americas business. Prior to that, Karina headed media relations and internal communications for Barclays’ American entities.​

 

Before going in-house, Karina worked at Thomson Financial Investor Relations, specializing in strategic external counsel and media training for more than 50 technology, biotechnology, healthcare and retail companies in the process of going public. She also worked at communications consulting and advisory agencies in California and North Carolina. She began her career as a reporter, columnist and editor with Thomson News Service. She has also been a metro reporter for The Winnipeg Free Press and The Winston-Salem Journal.​

 

As a proud mixed-race child of a Filipina mother and an Irish father, Karina has named her firm in honor of her mother. "Tarás" in Tagalog means honesty, frankness or boldness of speech.