Laura'S Bio

  

Laura Manies is a strategist with expertise in international marketing, e-commerce, business strategy, and customer research. 


Laura has proven success in conducting qualitative consumer research and analyzing results to deliver new products and services that dramatically improve customer experience and corporate profits. She has worked for Fortune 500 clients in financial services, retail, healthcare, and consumer packaged goods. Her passion for people, process, and measurement have allowed her to work in big and boutique consulting, varied industries, and independent projects in multiple countries. Spanish proficiency and cultural understanding have enabled Laura to work seamlessly in Latin America. 


Laura began her career at Accenture Consulting, where she honed her technical skills and advised clients on how best to harness nascent multimedia and Internet technologies. Recruited into Accenture’s technology division, Laura developed strong programming and project management skills. Laura deepened her strategy consulting skills at Creative Good, where she worked closely with executives to design and implement new organizational structures to deliver on customer-centric business opportunities.


After business school, Laura was selected for Wells Fargo’s Leadership Rotational Program. During her tenure at Wells, she helped lead the first-ever ethnographic research study that encompassed all of Wells Fargo retail financial services products. Laura’s ability to leverage quantitative and qualitative research changed the way Wells Fargo does business, and reinforced their Internet Services Group as leaders in Consumer Research. Laura also strengthened her financial modeling skills through conceptualizing and building a new P&L for Wells Fargo’s Internet Division to accurately measure direct revenue, cost savings, and service savings.


Most recently, Laura led the build out of e-Commerce and managed digital marketing for CEMACO, a large brick-and-mortar home and hardware retailer in Guatemala. As a member of executive team, Laura designed and led the team that built and delivered the first eCommerce site. Simultaneously she led the company’s move into digital advertising and social media to occupy top social media positions in the four key verticals where CEMACO competes. 


Laura’s international experience also includes developing U.S. market entry strategies for a Chilean winery and an Ecuadorian water company. Laura has consulted for: PepsiCo Latin American Beverages, Viña Gracia, Tesalia Springs, and prominent social entrepreneurs to create customer segmentation models, streamline operations, and diversify business offerings. 


Laura earned her B.A. in Art History at Wellesley College, and holds a Masters of Business Administration in Marketing from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.