
Women In Marketing 2024 Edition ft. Laura Vaillard from Medialo Consulting
For this segment of Women In Marketing, we chat with Laura Vaillard, a Marketing and Business Development Director at Medialo Consulting. Laura, an avid rock climber in her spare time, embodies the importance of balancing work and personal interests. She highlights the irreplaceable role of human creativity in marketing, acknowledging the utility of AI tools like ChatGPT while firmly asserting that they can never replace the innate sparks of creativity that drive human innovation
Personal Background:
Thanks for taking the time to participate in our ‘Women In Marketing’ feature. Where were you born, and what childhood memories stand out for you?
I was born in Córdoba, Argentina. However, I grew up in Buenos Aires, until the age of 12 when we moved first to Maracaibo, and then to Caracas, Venezuela. My childhood was marked by suitcases and moves. Constant adaptation was key.

Describe your high school and college years. You were the coolest one, right?
High School and college can be summarised as curiosity and diversity. In High School, I had the opportunity to attend an American School in Venezuela. Every day, I mingled with friends from all over the world, constantly being exposed to different cultures and points of view.
This multicultural experience continued throughout college in Texas, where I was an active member of the International Student Organization. At that time, apart from learning from other people I actively participated in spreading awareness of other cultures and building bridges between organisations that represented different ethnicities.
In the meantime, choosing a career was not easy for me. I was so curious and had so many different interests; choosing a profession was difficult. To make things even more confusing, the career assessment evaluation suggested that due to my personality, becoming a ski instructor or working in the morgue. However, neither seemed like a feasible choice.
I worked different jobs and interned in various fields. I started as a Business Major, transitioned into Sociology and Political science, and finally decided upon Advertising & PR, and Psychology. This career path allowed me to apply my curiosity, creativity and sense of adventure. I was not mistaken. Almost 20 years later, I am still learning every day!
What’s your favourite meal that you wouldn’t share with anyone?
I have a soft spot for french fries. It is probably the only “junk food” I eat. However, I enjoy sharing them. 🙂 Especially since I moved to Spain. Papas bravas are a great “tapa” to share when you are out with friends.
Can you share an interesting fact or hidden talent not found on your LinkedIn profile? Previous Women in Marketing candidate Anastasia Hamel says that she can breathe fire!
What my LinkedIn does not say about me is that I am a rock climber. I enjoy being out in nature with friends and finding new challenges to surpass my limits. This year I also started drawing and created a character that lets me feel so it doesn’t bottle up. Let me introduce you to Margarita: https://www.instagram.com/margarita.no.te.grita_ok/.

Career and Work:
How do you typically start your day, and are you #TeamCoffee, #TeamTea, or both?
#TeamTea for sure.
I start my day with some yoga. Then a light breakfast with tea, fruit and toast. Then prepare a mate to accompany me during my morning calls. (Mate is a typical Argentinian herbal drink. It is served in a vessel, generally made from dried cabbage; inside of it you place the yerba mate leaves and pour hot water into it).
What inspired you to pursue a career in marketing? Didn’t the “I want to become a doctor” bug bite you?
Life experiences led me to transition from Public Relations and Journalism into marketing. After working in PR for almost 12 years, I felt clients needed a more comprehensive approach to reach their goals and increase sales. So I started my firm, Medialo Consulting, and started offering start-ups different marketing solutions to increase awareness and highlight their value proposition to increase sales. I have been doing marketing ever since.

You hold an MBA from the University of Navarra (You Go, Girl!!). Considering the rise of online educational platforms like Coursera and Google Skillshop, how do you foresee the future of tertiary-based education?
I think both types of education are complementary.
In the in-person MBA, apart from the imparted curricula, I learnt a lot from my classmates. The discussions that arose during class and group projects were enriching and made a huge difference in my learning process. I also like the theoretical-practical orientation of the MBA at Universidad de Navarra.
I think online educational platforms are great for short courses to learn a specific trend that was not available when I studied, like AI, for example. I think they are a great way to update your skills and knowledge, but in my experience, they do not replace formal education.
Many industries had to create systems overnight that would enable their respective workforces to work from home due to the advent of the COVID-19 pandemic. What’s your perspective on remote and hybrid work, and how have you dealt with its challenges? Do you have a preference?
I have been working remotely or hybrid since 2012, so when COVID-19 hit, this work style was not new for me. I think clear objectives, frequent communication, matched expectations and clear deadlines are useful to make it work. At the beginning of each meeting, my colleagues and I take a couple of minutes to have more informal talks to nourish a sense of proximity despite the physical distance.

AI is the hot topic of the day, most specifically, generative AI tools like ChatGPT and Gemini. How do you address the challenges you face in your day-to-day responsibilities? Any specific tools you’d like to plug us with?
Generative AI tools have come to stay and we have to find safe ways to exploit them. For example, I use ChatGPT to translate, to create summaries or to generate ideas when I feel stuck. I have also heard they are great to transcribe interviews, but I have not tried it yet. However, I make sure that these uses are permitted by the company I work for, I double-check data and usually give my gist to content generated by AI to avoid any copyright infringement.
Generative AI tools when used correctly, can enhance your work and improve productivity, but it cannot replace your creative side.
According to the WEF, the pandemic caused a 4.2% reduction in women’s employment compared to 3% of men (from 2019 to 2020). How can organisations better support women and mothers, especially in light of the pandemic’s impact on women in the workplace?
Work-life balance is key. There should be more focus on meeting results rather than completing specific working hours. This gives families with different structures the flexibility to adapt their work-life balance as it fits them best.

How can organisations ensure equal opportunities for women to advance into executive positions?
Leading by example is a great way to start. Many companies say they offer equal opportunities, however, when you look at their organisational charts, executive positions are occupied mostly by men.
To create equal opportunities, it is also important to implement policies that motivate all employees to address unconscious bias in the workplace; to ensure they are mitigated through all processes: recruitment, performance evaluations, and promotions. It is important to ensure they are gender-neutral so decisions are based solely on qualifications and merit.
2024 and Beyond:
How have you been since the start of the pandemic, and have there been any significant personal or professional moments from then until now?
The most important milestone has been to move from Argentina to Madrid in Spain, two weeks before the pandemic. I had to find work, and an apartment, and get used to living in a new city with all the challenges that emerged during the pandemic. Another important milestone was completing the Project Management course. It provided me with great tools to plan my work better and to obtain better results in work projects.
If you could go back in time, what advice would you give your younger self?
Be patient. Things always have a way of working out. Embrace uncertainty, as it is impossible to plan everything.
Who are some of your sheroes?
My sheroes are my girlfriends, who have achieved executive roles after having two or three kids. It is admirable to see how they manage as leading professionals and keep up with their health and sports habits while being loving mothers all at the same time.
What are you currently reading, and how do you consume your content?
I read on my Kindle. I discovered it less than a year ago, and I love it! My favourite part is that I can move from one book to the next right after I finish it, without needing to pack extra weight on my trip.
The last great book I read is ‘El guerrero a la sombra del cerezo’ by the Spanish author David B. Gil.
What are you currently streaming that you’d recommend?
I enjoyed “The Marvellous Mrs. Maisel”.
You wake up one day, and before you know it, you are nearing retirement. What would you like your professional legacy to be? Furthermore, what do your colleagues and superiors admire about you the most?
I think my colleagues would highlight my mentoring abilities. I enjoy developing talent, mentoring others, and inspiring future generations in the field. That is why I loved teaching so much. I would always tell my students: “As long as you finish the semester with more knowledge than you had when you started, I am satisfied”. I still keep in touch with many of them because I like to see how they transition from students to colleagues. I continue to learn from them as well.
Share a unique message for young professionals in the marketing industry.
Never stop learning. Never stop experimenting. Marketing flows quickly and it is important to keep updated to stay on top of the wave.

Thank you for your time, Laura. We hope this interview will inspire future leaders and other Women in Marketing. How can people follow you and your company on social media?
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