Cara K. O’Brien is an experienced strategic communications advisor with nearly thirty years of experience in the communications and finance industries during time spent in New York City and Hong Kong. She currently resides in New York City.
Cara has advised multinational clients on critical communications issues including corporate reputation management campaigns, crisis communication strategies, global M&A transactions, IPOs, corporate restructurings and bankruptcies, and investor and media relations programs. Her clients have included Estee Lauder, Swire Group, Li & Fung, Clifford Chance, Baker & McKenzie, Warburg Pincus, Autohome, Meituan Dianping, Haier Group, Circuit City, Razer, Steve Madden, and Movado. Client programs she has led have won various industry awards including Cross-Border Deal of the Year, Best IPO, and Best Financial Communications Program.
Most recently with Brunswick in its Hong Kong office, Cara joined the firm as a Partner to assist with financial communication efforts for the team’s many esteemed clients located in Asia and globally. While with the firm Cara also dedicated time to advising clients on managing ESG issues and enhancing corporate culture and she worked to champion DEI efforts in particular, both for clients and also at Brunswick in her role as Asia lead on the firm’s internal global DEI team.
Prior to joining Brunswick, Cara was with FTI Consulting. She joined that firm in New York City and during a nearly two-decade career there held various management and leadership roles. After serving as Deputy Head of the U.S. Investor Relations Practice and Head of the New York City office, Cara moved to Hong Kong in 2011 to help enhance FTI Consulting’s Asia business and she served as Senior Managing Director and Head of Strategic Communications Asia Business Operations.
Cara began her career as an Associate at Credit Suisse where she spent several years in the bank’s Global Project Finance group as a portfolio manager focused on international power and infrastructure projects and investments.
Cara received an M.A. from The George Washington University’s Elliott School of International Affairs and a B.A. in International Relations from Lehigh University where she graduated with Phi Beta Kappa and Summa Cum Laude distinctions. She has also completed Harvard Business School’s Executive Education Program on Leading Professional Services Firms.