Walt
Czerminski

Walt Czerminski is a Partner in Fortium Partners’ West region, where he works with business leaders to energize and lead teams in high growth environments. With deep experience with global financial services and manufacturing companies, he positions technology to drive change in organizations and their markets. His collaborative style, strategic focus, and operational savvy are the foundation for his practice.  Walt is recognized for building disciplined management around IT processes, infrastructure and governance.

As a CISO, Walt established advanced frameworks for information security programs at two major banks.  He navigated a challenging regulatory and cyber-threat environment while reprioritizing technology operations and improving relationships with audit, risk, law, and compliance peers.  He created a platform for executive and board awareness of ongoing cyber risk levels and their mitigation path.  Walt also streamlined security to optimally blend in-house and outside provider services, which resulted in cost savings and improved core operations.  As CTO at a major investment management firm in growth mode, he built a professional IT organization from the ground up, accomplished a digital transformation, and achieved recognition as best-in-class from sector peers.

Reflecting his commitment to innovation and entrepreneurial character, Walt has advised private equity backed portfolio companies in several markets.  The companies range from a media company with digital tools for diversity and inclusion programs to a reputation management platform for health care providers, among many.  His roles have included board of managers, co-founder, mentor, and advisor.  As a management consultant, Walt has advised multinational clients in the food and beverage, agribusiness, insurance, and industrial sectors on matters related to operational processes, supply chain, and technology. 

Walt graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Economics from Southern Connecticut State University and completed all course work for a Master of Science in Operations Research.  He is a board member for the Financial System Analysis and Resilience Center, a non-profit, cross-sector organization designed to mitigate systemic risk to the nation’s most critical infrastructure from existing and emerging threats. An accomplished tri-athlete and advocate for veterans, he volunteers with the Challenged Athletes Foundation.