Karina Byrne
Karina Byrne has decades of experience in strategic communications counsel, litigation & crisis communications, issues management, change management, media relations and internal communications. She has counseled clients on global and federal enforcement actions, securities litigation, class action defense and employment law. Karina has headed international communications teams at three global financial services firms. She has also advised the executive teams and boards of directors at health insurance, cryptocurrency, fintech, insurance, payments, technology, mining, industrials, infrastructure and pharmaceutical companies.
Prior to joining H/Advisors Abernathy, Karina was a Senior Managing Director at Teneo. Previously, she was head of corporate communications for the investment bank and asset management divisions of Credit Suisse AG. Karina spent a decade as head of external communications for the wealth and asset management businesses of UBS AG, and served as media relations and internal communications head for the American entities of Barclays PLC. Karina has worked at consulting firms in California, North Carolina and New York. She began her career as a reporter, editor and columnist for The Winston-Salem Journal, The Winnipeg Free Press and Thomson News Service (now Thomson Reuters).
Representative experience includes advising a statewide health insurer on a CEO transition and contentious network negotiations with high-profile hospital systems; a cryptocurrency recovery company on separating from a co-founder accused of sexual assault, which was widely covered by national and tech media; Sigma Lithium, a Brazilian mining company, on CEO executive visibility and highlighting their sustainable mining practices; Honeywell on a federal and multistate public affairs campaign promoting the safety and efficacy of certain chemical compounds; American Express on increasing media awareness of the expertise and thought leadership of five business division heads; Credit Suisse on multiple litigations and enforcement actions, including the default of Archegos Capital Management and the collapse of Greensill Capital, as well as allegations of corporate spying, sanctions breaches, money laundering, and tax evasion; and UBS on multi-jurisdiction investigations and settlements for manipulating LIBOR, rigging foreign exchange rates, and aiding tax evasion.
Karina holds a master’s degree in journalism and mass communication from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and a bachelor’s degree in English from Memorial University in Newfoundland, Canada.
