Laura Merling is CDO & Managing Director at Slalom.
As an industry leader in digital technology, Laura has 25+ years of experience with Fortune 500 and venture capital-funded start-up companies. Prior to joining UTC Aerospace Systems, Laura was Vice President of Digital Services at Ford Motor Company in Silicon Valley where she led Ford’s global digital services strategy to support new revenue growth. Laura has also held roles in technology, sales, marketing, business development and product management at companies including AT&T, Pepsi, Mashery, and Sybase, and has experience running a technology incubator that helped entrepreneurs raise over $100M in funding. Recognized as a pioneer in her industry, Laura served as Executive Director and CEO of the SDForum from 2002-2006 and earned a coveted SDForum Visionary Award in 2006. She is also on the board of directors for Raphael House and is an active mentor for several entrepreneurs.
As an industry leader in digital technology, Laura has 25+ years of experience with Fortune 500 and venture capital-funded start-up companies. Prior to joining UTC Aerospace Systems, Laura was Vice President of Digital Services at Ford Motor Company in Silicon Valley where she led Ford’s global digital services strategy to support new revenue growth. Laura has also held roles in technology, sales, marketing, business development and product management at companies including AT&T, Pepsi, Mashery, and Sybase, and has experience running a technology incubator that helped entrepreneurs raise over $100M in funding. Recognized as a pioneer in her industry, Laura served as Executive Director and CEO of the SDForum from 2002-2006 and earned a coveted SDForum Visionary Award in 2006. She is also on the board of directors for Raphael House and is an active mentor for several entrepreneurs.
Laura studied Economics at Oakland University, Michigan, and lives in the Charlotte, NC Area.