About Me

2

Torie von Alt
Founder & President

The perspective that I bring as a communications consultant today was shaped by my 20+ years working both on the agency-side and in-house. I began my career specializing in crisis and issues management at two leading strategic advisory firms in New York, Edelman Worldwide and Financial Dynamics. From there, I transitioned to corporate communications in the financial services sector and worked in both New York and Hong Kong for Lehman Brothers, then for UBS, and finally as Head of Public Relations for Guggenheim Partners.

Since founding my consultancy in 2015, I have worked largely by referral on a variety of writing, content creation and branding projects. Agencies such as Prosek Partners in New York, and Man Bites Dog in London, regularly contract me for short- and long-term projects, and I work directly with a variety of organizations and individuals across sectors, as well.

I graduated with a B.A. in Political Science from Smith College in 1996. Originally from Boston, I lived in New York for over twenty years before relocating with my family to sunny St. Petersburg, Florida, in 2020.

Agency Experience

Earlier in my career, I worked on teams advising on some of the most watershed events in corporate history, including CIT Group’s spin-off from bankruptcy-bound Tyco, executive management changes and NYSE listing; HealthSouth’s fraud investigation and subsequent bankruptcy; Cantor Fitzgerald’s 9/11 tragedy; the Silverstein Properties Twin Towers insurance litigation; MasterCard’s corporate governance restructuring; Aventis’ hostile takeover of Sanofi; and the Enron Estate’s MegaClaims litigation, liquidation and asset sale process. Additional clients during my time at Edelman Worldwide and Financial Dynamics included Genworth Financial, Nationwide, Francisco Partners, HSBC, Oak Hill Capital Partners, Morgan Stanley, and Aquila.

In-House Experience

In 2007, after a year on the corporate communications team at Lehman Brothers in New York, I was fortunate to have the opportunity to transfer to the Hong Kong office, where I helped establish the firm’s communications infrastructure in southeast Asia. I was responsible for building communications teams, media relationships and overall brand strategies for new offices in India (Mumbai and New Delhi) and Singapore. Then, from 2008-2009, I helped manage Asian press during the firm’s bankruptcy and the subsequent sale of its European and Asian operations to Japanese bank, Nomura.

Back in New York, I joined UBS in 2010 to serve as chief spokesperson for the Investment Bank division. I worked closely with divisional leaders to tailor communications strategies for all major industry coverage areas, including media, technology, healthcare, industrials, and mergers & acquisitions.

My final corporate role before founding my consultancy was as Head of Public Relations at Guggenheim Partners in New York. While there, I developed differentiated, strategic platforms for the four-person leadership team, ultimately securing membership for the firm with the World Economic Forum and spearheading their inaugural participation in the 2013 Forum in Davos, Switzerland.

Victorie Communications

In 2015, I founded Victorie Communications, where I have put my wide-ranging agency and corporate experience to work one-on-one with clients who are most often referred to me by former colleagues, press and industry contacts.

My work as a consultant today is varied, interesting and challenging:

  • I create content for websites and develop marketing materials (print, digital and social), collaborating with design teams and digital engineers
  • I have written numerous whitepapers for an emergency management firm, a leading telecommunications provider, a national bank, a healthcare company, among others
  • I guided internal strategy and communications for a company whose majority client declared bankruptcy
  • A London-based ad tech start-up retained me to manage communications for its expansion into the U.S.
  • I conduct interviews and research to compile monthly competitive intelligence reports for the executive committee of a national bank
  • I served as spokesperson for a high-profile private wealth partnership departing a bulge bracket firm to establish its own registered investment advisory
  • I produced internal and external communications for a Los Angeles-based bank during its transition away from LIBOR
  • I completed a year-long assignment for the Joint Special Operations University at MacDill Air Force Base in Tampa, Florida, developing a marketing and communications platform and strategy to reflect the strategic shift in special forces training and education globally