Meet Veronica H. Speck

We were lucky to catch up with Veronica H. Speck recently and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Veronica H. , so great to have you on the platform. There’s so much we want to ask you, but let’s start with the topic of self-care. Do you do anything for self-care and if so, do you think it’s had a meaningful impact on your effectiveness?
As an Entrepreneur, CEO, and Founder (especially one that works across many time zones around the world) it feels as if my phone is attached to my hip. However, in order to stay more present, I have been practicing not checking it when I first wake up, and instead beginning to establish a routine. As I never know where my day might take me, I try to make my mornings relatively regular. If I am in New York City, I wake up around 6-7am and head out on a run in Central Park or a workout class and then home for a quick dip in the jacuzzi and stretch in the sauna. Then I make an elixir with hot water and lemon, a cup of coffee with almond milk, and breakfast, which usually includes eggs, smoked salmon, and avocado. By 9am, I am at my desk taking calls with European, Asian, or Middle Eastern clients, sending new business proposals, meeting partners for lunch meetings, and hosting press events, cocktail receptions, exhibitions, or private dinners in the evenings. Like most people during the pandemic, I have come to realize the importance of beauty in nature and the small things like scent. For instance, I always have fresh flowers present, especially at home and in my workspace. During my time as PR Director at The Future Perfect Gallery, we established a partnership with Le Labo, and I often burn the signature scent, Laurier 62. I also helped launch and was a partner in the fragrance brand, Maison d’Etto, and I spritz the calming lavender scent, Noisette, first thing in the morning and last thing in the evening. Finally, I think the most important thing one can do for self-care is to have quality relationships and to surround oneself with friends and family. A call to my mother or grandmother keeps me grounded, sane, and overall effective in daily life. 8 hours of sleep doesn’t hurt either if you can get it!

Great, so let’s take a few minutes and cover your story. What should folks know about you and what you do?
VHS Ventures is a global communications consultancy & strategic advisory agency with a diverse portfolio of international clients within the luxury and lifestyle sector. We provide affinity partnerships, branding and business development, celebrity and VIP relations, digital marketing, e-commerce, event production, experiential media, and public relations for luxury and lifestyle clients in the automotive, architecture, art, beauty, design, fashion, finance, fintech, fragrance, fine jewelry, hotel, real estate, restaurant, travel and tourism, technology, and wine sectors. We also connect artists and designers to galleries and luxury brands to retailers.

I began my career in New York City at publishing houses including Condé Nast and Hearst. In 2010, while in the Special Events Department of Vogue, I assisted in the planning of the “American Woman” Costume Institute Gala at The Metropolitan Museum of Art. During Graduate School, in the Strategic Partnerships division of Christie’s auction house, I hosted intimate client and patron events during the fall and spring auction season. Upon graduation, as a member of the Special Events team within the Development Department of The Whitney Museum of American Art, I raised funds through annual galas, exhibitions, auctions, and directing patron group programming. I continued to produce events and fundraise on a much larger scale at amfAR, The Foundation for AIDS Research, including the annual Cannes Gala during the Film Festival in 2014, which raised a record-breaking 35 million dollars towards research.

Leveraging my experience in the art world,I joined Bernardaud as the global Director of Public Relations, promoting artist collaborations and limited-edition objets d’art with Jeff Koons, Vik Muniz, JR, Marina Abramovic, Julian Schnabel, David Lynch, The Campana Brothers, Sarah Lavoine, and the Alexander Calder, Joan Miro, and Marc Chagall Foundations. I also formed strategic partnerships with MoMA, MoCA, Sotheby’s, and Gagosian, and hosted press events during Art Basel, Bocuse D’Or, Design Miami, Frieze, Maison et Objet, and partnered with Architectural Digest to design the 2015 Academy Awards Greenroom with Commune Design.

In 2018, I oversaw the opening of The Future Perfect’s galleries in New York, Los Angeles, and San Francisco, and managed all exhibition openings, art fair participation, press, marketing, and events during Art Basel, Frieze, Salon Art + Design Fair, NYCxDesign, Design Miami, and New York Fashion Week. I also hosted affinity partnership events with the The New York Times T Magazine to celebrate their annual Greats Issue, Fendi’s “Made to Order” program, as well as with Ruinart, Hermès Art de la Table, Puiforcat, Le Labo, Aesop, Vogue 100, and many more.

In 2020, I joined Michelin-star Chef Daniel Boulud as the Global Head of Brand Marketing and Public Relations for the hospitality group. As a member of the Executive Team, I created and implemented the international strategy and communications operations for the New York City restaurants as well as Palm Beach, Miami, Washington D.C, Boston, and global locations in London, Singapore, Toronto, Montreal, and Dubai in the Four Seasons, Mandarin Oriental, Marina Bay Sands, and Ritz-Carlton. The 2020 annual City Meals on Wheels Sunday Supper Gala at Restaurant Daniel raised over 1 million dollars. Le Pavillon and Centurion Lounge at One Vanderbilt in New York City opened in the Summer 2021.

In 2020, VHS Ventures was established in New York and California with international operations abroad. I am a Partner of the luxury fragrance brand Maison d’ Etto, an Editor at The Design Release, and a member of the Forbes Business Council and Female Design Council. In 2021, I was awarded the Forbes Next 1000 Entrepreneurs. In 2022, VHS Ventures was awarded the “Next Gen” by The PR Net, an international awards program that celebrates agency excellence, championing the new thinkers, innovators, and groundbreakers across the field of PR, who are shaping the bright future of the communications industry.

Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?
Curiosity, Passion, Trust.

First and foremost, I think it is important to learn as much as one can about a diverse range of topics while one is young or in school. Try everything – take extracurricular courses, travel, apply to various internships, read, and soak up everything you can. Having an insatiable sense of curiosity has been my greatest strength throughout starting my business. Through my curious nature, I found what I was passionate about, and I strove to research and learn everything about the field and become an expert. When it came time to start my company, I had to trust myself and trust others. I am very fortunate to have been able to call upon a wide network of former colleagues and friends. Many have come to work with me or referred me to clients. Therefore maintaining relationships and a high standard of work at every stage of life is extremely important. The world is smaller than we think and you never know who you might meet twice.

How would you describe your ideal client?
My clients are mostly all in the luxury or ultra-luxury caliber, but they vary greatly by industry. I have worked with automobile brands like Ferrari, hotel and hospitality groups like Mr. C by Cipriani and Daniel Boulud, publishing houses like Assouline, and emerging and established interior designers, furniture and collectible designers, architects, artists, galleries, fragrance brands, footwear and fashion brands, and more. My ideal client is one that trusts my vision for the brand and is a true partner and collaborator on a professional and personal level. Nearly all of my clients have become close personal friends and referred me to new businesses and clients, which is the ultimate testimony. I feel very grateful to be surrounded by such talented brands, companies, and individuals from around the world, in all walks of life, and I look forward to the opportunity of working with many more in the future.

Contact Info:

Image Credits
Nela Kekic

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