LAURA A. LISWOOD
Secretary General, Council of Women World Leaders
Former Senior Advisor, Goldman, Sachs & Co.
In August 1996, Laura Liswood co-founded the Council of Women World Leaders with President Vigdís Finnbogadóttir of Iceland located in Washington, DC. Ms. Liswood is the Secretary General of the Council, which is composed of women presidents, prime ministers, and heads of government.
In 2001, Liswood was also named Managing Director, Global Leadership and Diversity for Goldman Sachs. Working on issues of globalization, leadership and workforce diversity, she was a Senior Advisor to the firm until 2016..
From 1992 to 1996, Liswood interviewed 15 current and former women presidents and prime ministers, which is chronicled in her book and video documentary, Women World Leaders.
Liswood’s professional experience includes consulting for the Boston Consulting Group. She was appointed by the US Secretary of Defense for a three year term on the Defense Advisory Committee on Women in the Services (DACOWITS). After the events of September 11, 2001, she became a reserve police officer for the Washington, DC Metropolitan Police Department and retired as a sergeant in 2014.
Liswood holds an M.B.A. from Harvard Business School and a B.A. from California State University, San Diego. She holds a J.D. degree from the University of California, Davis, School of Law, and is admitted to practice law in California and Massachusetts.
Liswood is the author of three books: The Loudest Duck: Moving Beyond Diversity, Women World Leaders, and Serving Them Right.