Speakers of 2023 edition

Laura Cooper, Director at BlackRock, is a Senior Investment Strategist for EII EMEA. She leads a team of strategists to deliver macro insights and tactical investment research to iShares, Wealth and Institutional clients.

Prior to joining BlackRock, Laura held various roles across capital markets to wealth management. Most recently, Laura was the European macro strategist for Bloomberg where she had a column on emerging macro themes, wrote frequent market commentary with multi-asset trade ideas, and was a daily contributor across Bloomberg media platforms including television and radio. Prior to this, Laura was Director and head of FX Strategy at RBC Wealth Management, where she led an investment team, set the global house view for G10 currencies and rates, and served on the firm’s Investment Committee and Global Portfolio Advisory Committee. Laura’s career began as a sell-side economist in Toronto, before moving to London in 2017.

She holds a Master of Science degree in Economics from the London School of Economics and was the top graduate in her undergraduate faculty at McMaster University. Her research has appeared in The Economist, she has written for the Financial Times and is a frequent commentator across media outlets. Outside of work, she is an active participant in a global initiative transforming the funding of women-led ventures and is a mentor across women in finance initiatives.