Lara O'Shea is a brand and innovation strategist, founder of Strategy Latitudes, and author of Thinking in
Latitudes: Depth Is Only One Direction. Described as a “Swiss Army knife of strategy,” she helps global
organizations and startup businesses find and apply ideas from other fields. Her work spans brand strategy,
innovation, customer experience, and digital transformation. She is the creator of the Latitude Scan.
Her career spans more than twenty years in brand management, strategy, and consulting. At Diageo, she
managed brands including Guinness, Tanqueray, and Pimm’s. She was the first marketer at A Suit That Fits, an award-winning UK startup, and spent thirteen years in senior strategy and consulting roles across WPP
businesses including OgilvyOne, Ogilvy Consulting, Kantar, Mindshare, VML, and Hudson Rouge, a VML
company. Her experience spans consumer and B2B businesses across a wide range of sectors, including food
and drinks, automotive, technology, healthcare, and fintech, as well as education and nonprofit organizations.
A former geography teacher, Lara holds an MA in geography from the University of Cambridge and an MBA
from London Business School, including an exchange at UC Berkeley’s Haas School of Business. She also
undertook postgraduate studies in education and photojournalism.
Active in the strategy and marketing community, she has judged the Effie Awards, Cannes Young Lions, ECHO, and REGGIE awards, and served as a head judge for the Jay Chiat Awards. She mentors emerging marketing talent and serves on the board of Conscious Capitalism NYC. She lives in Jersey City, New Jersey, with her husband and their three children.
