Laurence Bird

Research Director

As Econsultancy’s Research Director, Laurence Bird leads the content & research strategy and team for Econsultancy’s subscribers.

Previously, Laurence worked in Haymarket’s Strategy & Planning team where she led the insight strategy across the whole group.  She joined Haymarket from AutoTrader, where she led the customer value strategy and insight team for the #1 digital marketplace in the automotive industry.

Earlier, Laurence worked as an independent consultant and held positions at several media, marketing and analytics companies.  She was Digital Research Director at Time Warner where she led the digital insight programme for CNN International globally, including the creation and management of award-winning thought-leadership projects.

Previous to that, Laurence was Vice-President at IAB Europe and Head of Planning & Research at IAB UK where she worked closely with the CEO and Board and acted as a consultant to the online and mobile industries. She also chaired the IAB’s Research Council, led the research & planning team, and managed the Measurement Committee.

Before joining the IAB, Laurence held several positions at Walt Disney International where she provided quantitative and qualitative analysis and conducted and commissioned projects across all product categories, including digital, TV, films, consumer products and theme parks. She was involved in global initiatives focusing on the company’s brand management and strategic planning.

Laurence holds a global top-tier Executive MBA from Imperial College Business School, where she specialised in Strategy, Entrepreneurship and Marketing. While studying, she won the prestigious London Business School Business Plan Competition and consulted for the Beijing Olympic Games.