Biography
Tom Walek is Founder of Peaks Strategies, a financial and capital markets communications firm based n New York. Peaks Strategies provides impactful, innovative, integrated communications programs that help clients define, differentiate, promote and protect their businesses. Tom has been involved in financial services and capital markets communications throughout his career. An honors graduate of the University of Colorado School of Journalism, Tom started as a financial journalist covering the Chicago futures exchanges. In 1998, he founded Walek & Associates, which was acquired in 2013. He has been honored to receive many awards, the most recent being the 2015 Award for Outstanding Contribution to Hedge Fund Communications from The Hedge Fund Journal.
Donald Trump has changed the communications landscape by redefining the role of the media in disseminating information to the public. This disruption will expand well beyond politics, as executives learn how to interact with earned and owned media in this new and sometimes hostile era.
Tom Walek spoke with The Carlyle Group's Randy Whitestone about the firm's marketing communications strategy and execution, about the face of the firm — David Rubenstein — and about issues and initiatives for 2016.
Investors always want access and transparency, but never more so than during difficult market periods. Experience and logic suggest that clients of all types and sizes, when facing crashing markets and wild swings, want to know about fund and account performance and want more frequent communications. They also want reassurance.
Today’s changing communications landscape offers many opportunities for firms and executives to better communicate the expertise they have built and the leadership they have established.