Laurie is a senior communications executive, now finishing her term as the CEO of Ogilvy Canada, the Canadian operation of a global network. She has grown with the firm since joining in 1988, an Honours BA in hand from Victoria College, U of T. She assumed increasing responsibility and progressively senior positions, which culminated in the role of CEO – the first woman to hold this post.
Her office has distinguished itself within the industry behind its creation of brands with purpose: brand campaigns such as Dove’s Campaign for Real Beauty, Huggies No Baby Unhugged, and Hellmann’s Real Food Movement. It is this intersection of business growth and societal impact that she finds most rewarding.
She has been active as an industry leader: board member and chair of the Institute of Communication Agencies, chair of various award committees and industry conferences. A life-long learner, she’s taken courses in executive finance, leadership, digital transformation, and women in leadership.
She has spent her career coaching and mentoring women to help them overcome gender bias in career choices and advancement, through seminars, workshops, and one-on-one coaching. She sees working with the Canadian Women’s Foundation as a new, very real and broader way to continue helping women and girls reach their potential. Having had some terrific mentors and “support sisters” over her career at work, and as a mom, she wants to pay forward that advantage.
