Toby Usnik

Host, The Caring Economy Podcast

Toby Usnik is a communications professional with thirty years of expertise in strategic communications. He has held leadership roles in multinational organizations that include the U.K. government, Christie’s, The New York Times and American Express. He currently heads communications for the British Consul General – New York and also manages his social impact consultancy, Philanthropic Impact (π). A frequent public speaker, he is author of "The Caring Economy: How to Win With CSR" and hosts a weekly podcast by the same name on all major platforms, as well as YouTube, LinkedIn and TikTok. He is also a sought-after career coach and instructor on AI and Large Language Models for social impact.

Prior to joining His Majesty’s Government and launching (π), Toby was Chief Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Officer at Christie’s, the world’s leading art business ($7.5 billion annual sales). In this role, Toby rallied colleagues, clients, vendors and other stakeholders to launch Christie’s CSR initiatives globally under its "Art+Soul" umbrella -- the first and only such initiative in the art market. Previously Toby was SVP and International Head of Corporate Communications for Christie’s, catalyzing a brand-building team of 30 professionals globally. He also earned his stripes in leadership roles as the Executive Director of Public Relations for The New York Times Company, Director of Global Communications at Razorfish and Director of International Public Affairs at American Express. 

Toby received a B.A. degree in history and French in 1985 from Hampden-Sydney College, an M.S. degree in university administration in 1988 from the University of Pennsylvania, and an M. Phil. degree in international and comparative education from Columbia University in 1992.  He was a Fulbright Scholar to Belgium from 1990-1991 and is a graduate of the Coro Foundation’s Leadership New York program, class of 1997.

For nearly two decades Toby served as a board member of the Empire State Pride Agenda civil rights organization and for five years served as a director of The New York Foundation for Arts. Toby also co-led the Communications Advisory Council for the Humane Society of the United States for a decade and has raised more than $5 million for nonprofit organizations as a charity auctioneer. Toby is also a private pilot and resides in Manhattan and the Hudson Valley.