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 not-for-profit and an extensive network of national and international relationships to
maximize global engagement for lead generation, resource mobilization, and effectively managing
political risk and market penetration. With specialization in Trade and Technology Law, Laura focuses on cross-border expansions and strategic partnerships, global supply-chains, and digital trade and
innovation initiatives.
From 2013 she has served as the Founder Executive Director of the Illinois Chamber’s International
Business Council (IBC) becoming a vital facilitator for pro-trade policy discussion, global partnerships,
and business leads in the State. Under her leadership, the IBC received the Governor’s Exports Award in 2016.
Other experience includes her tenure as Foreign Officer for the Spanish Ministry of Foreign Affairs
(MAEC) at the Legal Office for Consular Affairs in Madrid and the Consulate General of Spain in Chicago. She has also consulted for CZL P.C. Law firm and Delaney Law in Chicago providing legal and policy advice to private clients doing business in the E.U. and LATAM as well as assisting several law firms in Madrid with immigration, contractual, and I.P matters. In 2019, Laura opened her own consulting, Global South Partners LLC, a business advisory based in Illinois supporting corporate and institutional clients with internationalization projects and partnerships across USA, LATAM and the EU. Notable clients include mid-sized manufacturing, technology firms, and women’s startups.
Laura is a member of the Bar Association of Madrid (ICAM) and founding member of the Alumni
Association of Spain’s Diplomatic School. She serves on the board of the Lincoln Presidential Foundation and Chicago Entrepreneurs Academy and is a mentor for minority women-own start-ups at the Women’s Co-op at Chicago Innovation.
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*Education: Ms. Ortega holds a LL.M. in EU Technology Law (ICAM, Madrid), a M.A. in Diplomacy &
International Relations (Diplomatic School-MAEC, Madrid), and a J.D. from Universidad de Córdoba,
Spain. She obtained a research fellowship in Law, Politics & Economics from Georgetown University and
is a repeated guest lecturer at Kellogg School of Business, Baumhart Center for Social Enterprise at
Loyola Chicago, and Loyola University-Andalucía.
