• March 11, 2009

Laura Desmond, CEO of Starcom MediaVest Group, has been named Advertising Women of New York's (AWNY) 2008 Advertising Woman of the Year.

In 2002, Desmond took the reins of MediaVest, just three months shy of her 38th birthday. At MediaVest, she oversaw extraordinary growth in new business and was named CEO, Starcom MediaVest Group, The Americas in 2007.

One year later, she assumed her present post of CEO, Starcom MediaVest Group, where she oversees a staff of nearly 6,000 across 110 offices worldwide, with responsibility for brands such as Starcom, MediaVest, GM Planworks, StarLink, Halogen (direct marketing), and SMG Multicultural's Tapestry and MV42 shops.

Among the many other accolades Desmond has received are AAF's Achievement Award, AdAge's Media Maven, Mediaweek's Executive All Star, and in 2007, she was profiled in the Wall Street Journal's Creative Leadership Series.--Nina Lentini