Laura Clayton McDonnell

Laura Clayton McDonnell is a global technology executive, attorney, and board director who navigates enterprise complexity to drive high-stakes transformation, continuous innovation, and sustainable growth. She currently serves as chief executive officer of The Clayton McDonnell Group, providing elite strategic advisory, growth-focused disruption strategies, and executive coaching. Laura possesses a rare dual-engine edge: a formidable legal background combined with a premier track record of scaling global technology operations. Her cross-functional mastery bridges corporate governance, regulatory strategy, and international market expansion. Most recently, she was the president, corporates at Thomson Reuters. Her executive footprint spans leadership roles at ServiceNow, Microsoft, IBM, Aspect Software, Rational Software, Sun Microsystems, Cisco, and Apple. Recognized as a Top 100 Global Sales Leader by The Modern Sale and Collective, Laura is a sought-after speaker on digital disruption, international business scaling, and high-performance teams and cultures. Her governance expertise includes service as a current board member of Origina, and as a former board member of Signal AI and Zuora, Inc. Laura is also a founding members of Firstboard.io and holds membership in the National Association of Corporate Directors (NACD). She also serves on UC Berkeley’s East Coast Chancellor’s Council. Laura holds a joint JD-MBA from the University of California, Berkeley, and a B.S. in international business and finance with distinction from San Jose State University. She is admitted to practice law in California and the District of Columbia.