Areas of Expertise:
Liza Olsen is deputy managing director, APCO West based in Los Angeles. She specializes in crisis and issues management, crisis preparedness and training, influencer analysis and engagement, and devising strategy to not only mitigate high-risk situations, but build corporate reputation through thoughtful communications and engagement.
Ms. Olsen has particular expertise in helping clients navigate societal pressures, corporate issues, and other reputational challenges. Ms. Olsen manages issues and crisis communication for several clients, including one of the world’s largest food and consumer products companies and a leading global pharmaceutical and life sciences company. She has experience managing a wide range of issues and crises such as corporate transactions and other high-stakes business situations; product quality, supply chain and manufacturing issues; and regulatory challenges.
Prior to joining APCO, Ms. Olsen was vice president, investor relations at Spencer Trask & Co., a New York-based private equity firm. In this role, she oversaw marketing and communication for the firm’s high-net-worth investors. She also served as a senior communication and investor relations advisor to the firm’s portfolio of emerging-growth companies from diverse industries, including biotechnology, medical devices, telecommunications, and software and information technology.
Ms. Olsen also worked at Burson-Marsteller in Los Angeles and New York as a member of the global corporate transactions and litigation team. She provided communication strategies for companies involved in mergers and acquisitions, bankruptcy filings, complex patent litigation and corporate crisis issues. Ms. Olsen began her career in California Governor Pete Wilson’s press office, where she served as a spokesperson to state and national media.
A licensed attorney, Ms. Olsen earned her Juris Doctor from the University of Utah College of Law, as well as her Bachelor of Arts in English from the University of Utah. She is a member of the California State Bar Association and the Utah State Bar Association.