Laura Ortega

Laura is a senior international business strategy advisor and EU counsel with expertise in Economic Diplomacy, International Law, and Public Policy. She combines 20-year experience across government, corporate, and NFP and an extensive network of national and international relationships to maximize the value of global engagement for lead generation, resource mobilization, and effectively managing political risk and market penetration. With knowledge of Common and Civil Law systems, specializations in Trade and Digital Law, and cross-cultural communication skills in English, French & Spanish, Laura focuses on cross-border expansions and partnerships, risk mitigation, and Innovation initiatives. She served for 8 years as the Executive Director of the International Business Council at the Illinois Chamber of Commerce. In this capacity, Ms. Ortega successfully launched and developed the Council’s programs, policy initiatives, partnerships, and membership drive. She worked with the state and federal governments, foreign agencies, and business groups advocating for fair competition, market access, export facilitation, immigration reform, FTAs & FDI. She was a vital facilitator for business leads in the region helping member companies to access and implement growth strategies through her signature Global Partners Program, USTDA Making Global Local, and the first state-wide Exports Conference. Under her leadership, IBC was the recipient of the Governor’s Exports Award in 2016 and instrumented the creation of the Illinois Trade Policy Task Force through the passing of IL HR003.