Laura joins Whipsaw with an established background in design and innovation strategy—having partnered with teams at Nike, Intuit, Coca-Cola, and more to develop transformative strategies that span brand positioning and persona development, to research projects and innovation roadmaps. She helps organizations foresee industry and consumer trends and develop resilient strategies, blending qualitative research and strategic foresight methodologies that enable clients to navigate complex, evolving markets, and drive toward their organization’s vision for the future.

Before Whipsaw, Laura was a Strategist at John McNeil Studio leading projects focused on identifying emerging trends across industries—from wellness to sustainable manufacturing and beyond—conducting consumer and subject matter expert research, and codifying insights into practical, strategic actions. She was also a founding member of Athleta’s Trend and Concept team, working closely with the design, production, marketing, and C-suite teams to develop and execute key brand strategies, including the successful launch of Athleta Girl and the creation of the brand’s size inclusivity initiative. 

Laura holds an MBA in Design Strategy from California College of the Arts and has Strategic Foresight training from the Institute for the Future, enabling her to draw from an extensive strategic toolkit when developing long-range strategies.