NEW YORK - s4story -- Cultural Vistas and Polish American Women Entrepreneurs (PAWE) are pleased to announce that Laura Maness, CEO of Havas New York, will provide the opening keynote at the USA-Central Europe Women in Business Summit being held throughout the day on Thursday, October 17, 2019 at the Tribeca Rooftop in Lower Manhattan.

As the CEO of the North American flagship agency of Havas Group, Laura heads a team working with some of the most recognized companies in the world, including TD Ameritrade, ADP, IBM, Keurig Dr. Pepper, Reckitt Benckiser, Con Edison, and Rite Aid. Thanks to over 20 years of strategic marketing and leadership experience, Laura has spearheaded growth at Havas, resulting in three consecutive years of more than 35% revenue growth and greater than 300% increase in profitability—all while becoming a first-time mom.

Meet More of the Inspiring #USACEWomen Speakers

Before Havas, Laura served in senior management for San Francisco-based Propane Studio and FCB Global. Prior to that, she held management positions with Chicago-based digital shops Wunderman, Designkitchen (now Blast Radius), Black Dog Interactive, and Giant Step (now Arc Worldwide).

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Using her voice as a recognized leader in the industry, Laura is also an advocate for women, diversity, and inclusion. She is a 4A Board Member, a 3% Conference mentor, a Fortune MPW supporter, an executive mentor at SheRunsIt, and an original signer and Steering Committee member of Time's Up/Advertising. She is also on the board of Grid News Bureau, a real-time sentiment sharing platform that aggregates emotion around meaningful moments in culture.

On a quest to make a meaningful difference in people's lives, Laura is also passionate about building community and fueling imaginations as co-founder of Love Bug Café & Play—a "Soho House meets healthy Chuck E. Cheese" that is equally appealing to adults and children alike (@lovebugcafeplay).

On Thursday, October 17, Laura will be joined by a diverse range of expert speakers and transatlantic leaders across the fields of business, government, social impact, and more at the inaugural USA-Central Europe Women in Business Summit.

The full-day Summit's aim is to build and grow a transatlantic dialogue among women in business. This special event will showcase leading women entrepreneurs and startups from both sides of the Atlantic, and explore the many challenges and opportunities that exist for women in business, while providing exclusive access to:

• Insights on market opportunities in the United States and Central Europe
• Inspiring speakers, including leaders from Google, Women Who Code, Egon Zehnder, Golden Seeds, and more!
• High-level meetings with economic and trade representatives
• One-on-one consultations with industry mentors
• World class networking opportunities during breakfast and lunch.

In addition to the two female-led nonprofits organizing the event, the USA-Central Europe Women in Business Summit is further supported by an honorary committee headed by the Consulate General of the Republic of Poland in New York, and including four other Central European diplomatic missions in the United States—the Embassy of Slovakia, the Consulate General of the Czech Republic, the Consulate General of Hungary, and the Consulate General of Germany.

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The Summit is made possible by the generous support of its sponsors, including Mastercard, Polish Development Fund (PFR), KGHM, Polish & Slavic Federal Credit Union, and Egon Zehnder; and community partners, including Slido, Global Chamber, CzechInvest, Women's Foreign Policy Group, Women in International Trade, International Women's Entrepreneurial Challenge Foundation, Kafkadesk, and White Eagle.

Summit tickets are available for purchase now at USACEWomen.com.