Laura Desmond is the Chief Executive Officer of Smartly.io, one of the world’s largest SaaS digital advertising platforms. Prior to her role as Smartly.io’s CEO, Desmond was the company’s Chair of Board from 2020 to 2022 where she oversaw the acquisitions of Viralspace.ai, a fast-growing startup in artificial intelligence for creative, and Ad.Lib.io, a next-generation creative optimization platform. Desmond, the former Global CEO of Starcom Mediavest Group and senior executive of Publicis Groupe, has a seasoned track record for creating symbiotic relationships between advertising and technology—influencing opportunities that reshape entire industry categories. As was the case in 2021, where Desmond, a member of DoubleVerify’s Board of Directors and operating partner at Providence Equity, played an integral role in leading its IPO—one of the most successful in the media and technology sector that year. During her career in Advertising, Desmond has been awarded many honors including: AAF Hall of Achievement, Ad Age “Woman to Watch”, WSJ Top 50 Most Powerful Women in Business, Fortune’s Most Powerful Women and Chairwoman of the Advertising Council. A two-time chair of Cannes Lions Media Jury and member of the Titanium Jury, Desmond has worked closely with some of the biggest and most successful marketers worldwide, including Samsung, Coca-Cola, Visa, Bank of America, P&G and emerging brands such as Airbnb, Spotify, EA Sports & Twitter. A member of Aobe and Double Verify’s Board of Directors, respectively, and Operating Partner at Providence Equity Partners, Desmond remains active in the adtech, martech and data industries as an advisor and investor.