Laura MacNeil
Founder - CaribFarm, Farmer.Community at Carib Farm Inc- Claim this Profile
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Topline Score
Bio
Albert Kure
I am in awe of Laura's ability to synthesize data and analyze info, skills she integrates effortlessly to her benefit as a systems-aligned designer and Entrepreneur. She is a highly focused, analytical, and strategic storyteller whose contagious energy made things happen and helped the team stay on track to achieving awesome results. For the period that Laura led the FSGCL cohort made of over 30 people from 22 countries, she did so with great passion and an enviable clarity of purpose. That said, I have no doubt that Laura will continue to create global food systems change that empowers farmers to drive contextual solutions and be at the forefront of a truly regenerative revolution.
Mustafa Nabelsi
I had the pleasure of working with Laura where she led several teams of young professionals to help Main Street businesses with their digital transformation. Laura is a friendly professional who is full of energy and ideas that would contribute positively to any workplace.
Martin Sitar
Laura uses her communication and design expertise as well as her diverse background to design and deliver creative solutions to problems. She has excellent user research skills that she uses to build deep empathy for users, resulting in higher user value. She is very professional, always approachable and is constantly looking for ways to improve her skills and better her craft. Her dedication to delivering quality work, positive attitude and passion for solving problems make her a great addition to any design or product team.
Albert Kure
I am in awe of Laura's ability to synthesize data and analyze info, skills she integrates effortlessly to her benefit as a systems-aligned designer and Entrepreneur. She is a highly focused, analytical, and strategic storyteller whose contagious energy made things happen and helped the team stay on track to achieving awesome results. For the period that Laura led the FSGCL cohort made of over 30 people from 22 countries, she did so with great passion and an enviable clarity of purpose. That said, I have no doubt that Laura will continue to create global food systems change that empowers farmers to drive contextual solutions and be at the forefront of a truly regenerative revolution.
Mustafa Nabelsi
I had the pleasure of working with Laura where she led several teams of young professionals to help Main Street businesses with their digital transformation. Laura is a friendly professional who is full of energy and ideas that would contribute positively to any workplace.
Martin Sitar
Laura uses her communication and design expertise as well as her diverse background to design and deliver creative solutions to problems. She has excellent user research skills that she uses to build deep empathy for users, resulting in higher user value. She is very professional, always approachable and is constantly looking for ways to improve her skills and better her craft. Her dedication to delivering quality work, positive attitude and passion for solving problems make her a great addition to any design or product team.
Albert Kure
I am in awe of Laura's ability to synthesize data and analyze info, skills she integrates effortlessly to her benefit as a systems-aligned designer and Entrepreneur. She is a highly focused, analytical, and strategic storyteller whose contagious energy made things happen and helped the team stay on track to achieving awesome results. For the period that Laura led the FSGCL cohort made of over 30 people from 22 countries, she did so with great passion and an enviable clarity of purpose. That said, I have no doubt that Laura will continue to create global food systems change that empowers farmers to drive contextual solutions and be at the forefront of a truly regenerative revolution.
Mustafa Nabelsi
I had the pleasure of working with Laura where she led several teams of young professionals to help Main Street businesses with their digital transformation. Laura is a friendly professional who is full of energy and ideas that would contribute positively to any workplace.
Martin Sitar
Laura uses her communication and design expertise as well as her diverse background to design and deliver creative solutions to problems. She has excellent user research skills that she uses to build deep empathy for users, resulting in higher user value. She is very professional, always approachable and is constantly looking for ways to improve her skills and better her craft. Her dedication to delivering quality work, positive attitude and passion for solving problems make her a great addition to any design or product team.
Albert Kure
I am in awe of Laura's ability to synthesize data and analyze info, skills she integrates effortlessly to her benefit as a systems-aligned designer and Entrepreneur. She is a highly focused, analytical, and strategic storyteller whose contagious energy made things happen and helped the team stay on track to achieving awesome results. For the period that Laura led the FSGCL cohort made of over 30 people from 22 countries, she did so with great passion and an enviable clarity of purpose. That said, I have no doubt that Laura will continue to create global food systems change that empowers farmers to drive contextual solutions and be at the forefront of a truly regenerative revolution.
Mustafa Nabelsi
I had the pleasure of working with Laura where she led several teams of young professionals to help Main Street businesses with their digital transformation. Laura is a friendly professional who is full of energy and ideas that would contribute positively to any workplace.
Martin Sitar
Laura uses her communication and design expertise as well as her diverse background to design and deliver creative solutions to problems. She has excellent user research skills that she uses to build deep empathy for users, resulting in higher user value. She is very professional, always approachable and is constantly looking for ways to improve her skills and better her craft. Her dedication to delivering quality work, positive attitude and passion for solving problems make her a great addition to any design or product team.
Credentials
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Digital Product Management
University of Virginia Darden School of BusinessJun, 2021- Nov, 2024 -
Digital Skills: Web Analytics
AccentureMar, 2021- Nov, 2024 -
Artificial Intelligence Foundations: Machine Learning
National Association of State Boards of Education (NASBE)Feb, 2021- Nov, 2024 -
Designing Growth Strategies
LinkedInAug, 2020- Nov, 2024 -
Product Management: Building a Product Roadmap
LinkedInAug, 2020- Nov, 2024 -
Storytelling for Designers
LinkedInAug, 2020- Nov, 2024 -
UX Foundations: Storytelling
LinkedInAug, 2020- Nov, 2024 -
Digital Strategy
LinkedInJun, 2020- Nov, 2024 -
Figma for UX Design
LinkedInJun, 2020- Nov, 2024 -
Learn the Process of Effective Leadership
LinkedInJun, 2020- Nov, 2024 -
User Experience Design for Wearables
LinkedInFeb, 2020- Nov, 2024
Experience
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Carib Farm Inc
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Canada
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Community Services
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1 - 100 Employee
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Founder - CaribFarm, Farmer.Community
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2020 - Present
CaribFarm unlocks the collective impact of climate-smart farming resources and mobile technology. Our Farmer.Community is a new solution for knowledge sharing, a co-learning network enabling collaboration and farmer-to-farmer knowledge exchange. We partner with agronomy, research and education experts along with local agriculture stakeholders to support small-scale farmers to achieve climate resilience, utilize new technologies, increase crop yields, access affordable finance & inputs and improve livelihoods - particularly women and youth.. CaribFarm connects farmers with one another and the power of knowledge. In alignment with SDGs 2 | 5 | 8 | 9 | 13 | 15 | 17 Show less
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Co-Founder, FarmAware - NGO supporting small-scale farmers in Africa, India and the Caribbean
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Jun 2021 - Present
Collaborating with an international team of like-minded food systems disruptors from around the globe, we produced an Action Agenda for the UN food Systems Summit 2021 to address "Upskilling Farmers through Education". Supported by; EAT, IDEO, Thought For Food, The Rockefeller Foundation, Forum for the Future, Meridian Institute and others. Our solution - FARMAWARE - is now an international NGO supporting small-scale farmers in Africa, India and the Caribbean. Collaborating with an international team of like-minded food systems disruptors from around the globe, we produced an Action Agenda for the UN food Systems Summit 2021 to address "Upskilling Farmers through Education". Supported by; EAT, IDEO, Thought For Food, The Rockefeller Foundation, Forum for the Future, Meridian Institute and others. Our solution - FARMAWARE - is now an international NGO supporting small-scale farmers in Africa, India and the Caribbean.
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lauramacneil.com
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Canada
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Information Services
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CDAP Canada - Registered Digital Advisor
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Jun 2022 - Present
As a digital advisor registered with CDAP-Canada Digital Adoption Program, our organization meets and maintains all of the required criteria to deliver digital advisory services to eligible Canadian SMEs. As a approved digital advisor, we provide vendor neutral advice in the provision of advisory services to SMEs and are subject to CDAP's Code of Conduct. We work with SMEs to develop digital adoption plans tailored to the needs of YOU - the client.
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Digital Transformation + Storytelling
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2017 - Present
Storytelling plays a vital role in systems transformation design.When it comes to changing values, mindsets and goals of a system, story is the foundationTransformation design is often about applying design skills in non-traditional environments, tackling problems like climate change, inequality and food insecurity. My process is multi-staged and iterative, applying design principles to complex systems to create desirable and sustainable change. I examine problems holistically to understand relationships as well as components to better tell the story. Then prototype solutions – incorporating objects, services, interactions and experiences – that support people and organizations to achieve the desired change. Storytelling is how we humans understand reality. Show less
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Innovation Guelph
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Canada
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Business Consulting and Services
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1 - 100 Employee
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Participating Founder
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May 2022 - Jan 2023
RhyzeUp Accelerator program by Innovation Guelph offers the greatest acceleration for women-founded scale-ups across Canada who are ready to advance their businesses! RhyzeUp Accelerator program by Innovation Guelph offers the greatest acceleration for women-founded scale-ups across Canada who are ready to advance their businesses!
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Shared Services Canada | Services partagés Canada
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Canada
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Government Administration
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700 & Above Employee
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Strategic Storyteller
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Feb 2021 - Dec 2022
The Centre of Expertise in Agile & Innovative Procurement at Shared Services Canada - working in collaboration with TECHNATION - launched a new initiative called ScaleUp. A collaborative procurement approach to increase the diversity of bidders on government contracts from Indigenous businesses, and businesses owned or led by underrepresented groups, including women, visible minorities, and persons with disabilities across Canada. Here, Strategic Storytelling directed the execution of systems design mapping to simplify and define the agile procurement workflow from start to finish. including streamlined onboarding, user experience surveys and polls. Also bringing the ScaleUp audience-facing story to our diverse audience delivering digital interaction and communication that is easy to uptake and user-friendly across all formats. Show less
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Women of Ontario Social Enterprise Network (WOSEN)
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Toronto, Ontario, Canada
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Participating Founder
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Oct 2021 - Apr 2022
Investment Readiness Program for women interested in starting or growing their own ventures that seek to have a positive social, cultural or environmental impact through their operations, and/or the sale of their products or services. Investment Readiness Program for women interested in starting or growing their own ventures that seek to have a positive social, cultural or environmental impact through their operations, and/or the sale of their products or services.
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Conestoga Entrepreneurship Collective
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Canada
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Information Services
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1 - 100 Employee
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Member, Venture Lab Startup Incubator
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Jan 2021 - May 2021
The Venture Lab is designed to support the development of early-stage start-ups. As a business incubator, the Venture Lab is a reflection of our diverse community and therefore is open to all types of business ranging from tech – hardware and software to e-commerce, main street bricks and mortar stores and more. The Venture Lab is designed to support the development of early-stage start-ups. As a business incubator, the Venture Lab is a reflection of our diverse community and therefore is open to all types of business ranging from tech – hardware and software to e-commerce, main street bricks and mortar stores and more.
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Communitech
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Canada
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IT Services and IT Consulting
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100 - 200 Employee
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Digital Main Street, Transformation Team Lead
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Sep 2020 - Dec 2020
I advise businesses and lead/mentor teams (students and recent grads) to develop tailor-made, customized digital transformations that give each business owner the tools and strategies necessary to develop their online story for now to the next normal. Digital Main Street Future Proof Program, helps brick and mortar businesses achieve digital transformation. DMS supports small businesses to identify new markets, pivot their business model, and develop and implement a deep digital transformation plan. Show less
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Conestoga College
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Canada
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Higher Education
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700 & Above Employee
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Gig Lab Member
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Sep 2020 - Dec 2020
The Gig Lab is a one-of-a-kind business incubator just for freelancers that provides coaching and mentorship to support the development and launch of gig businesses. — This is the future. The Gig Lab is a one-of-a-kind business incubator just for freelancers that provides coaching and mentorship to support the development and launch of gig businesses. — This is the future.
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Greenz Organics
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Grenada
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Project Innovator + Manager
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2016 - 2019
♦ Designed and managed the execution of project strategy and roadmap ♦ Facilitated hands-on training and support for 12 project volunteers ♦ Created social media content marketing to inspire and grow target audience ♦ Developed and designed brand story and pitch deck ♦ Established weekly, direct-to-consumer mobile pop-up market - doubled revenue in 30 days ♦ Designed and mapped organic market garden ♦ Designed and managed the execution of project strategy and roadmap ♦ Facilitated hands-on training and support for 12 project volunteers ♦ Created social media content marketing to inspire and grow target audience ♦ Developed and designed brand story and pitch deck ♦ Established weekly, direct-to-consumer mobile pop-up market - doubled revenue in 30 days ♦ Designed and mapped organic market garden
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Grenada Tourism Authority
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Grenada
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Leisure, Travel & Tourism
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1 - 100 Employee
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Creative Director - Media
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2007 - 2018
♦ Brought Grenada’s yachting story to life through innovative publications that directly contributed to the yachting sector’s $130M economic impact and year-over-year, double-digit growth ♦ Developed and managed project budgets and production timelines ♦ Managed creative content team; researchers, writers, photographers and designer ♦ Directed vision, design and production quality control of three magazines ♦ Created, presented and iterated magazine prototypes ♦ Prepared communication materials for media and industry experts demonstrating the local economic impact of EC $130M growth ♦ Developed design system/style guides. Show less
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Communication & Design Director
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1994 - Jan 2017
♦ Collaborated and supported micro startups in the development of business plan and go to market strategy in order to qualify for financial assistance from the EU’s RURAL ENTERPRISE DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM ♦ As Design Team Lead of PROFIT, CANADA'S MAGAZINE FOR ENTREPRENEURS, collaborated with editorial team and nationwide roster of freelance content providers. Managed cross functional team hands-on, from concept through design to production. Managed yearly budgets and project timelines. Awarded PROFIT's 1st National Magazine Award for design direction. ♦ Developed branded content marketing for AT&T WIRELESS, OECS division; created launch campaign, designed advertising and promotion materials; developed impactful corporate event sponsorship; Handled budget planning and strategic launch timelines; coordinated media relations ♦ Developed branded content marketing products for TRUE BLUE BAY RESORT to promote their new luxury villa accommodations and thereby expanded their existing target market by over 15% ♦ Produced and implemented integrated marketing strategy for SPRONKS RESTAURANT DIVISION; increased customer satisfaction by delivering customer service training to 20 service staff; established new target market increasing event revenue within 6 months ♦ Developed design strategy and style guides for the MARIJUANA OUTDOOR GROWERS GUIDE, a popular guide for natural growing enthusiasts from Green Candy Press ♦ Redesigned startup magazine, HOLR, that stimulated brand-name fashion advertising recognition and gainfully secured new investors "When I was editor of PROFIT Magazine, Laura was our freelance Design Team Lead for many years. Her work was always colorful, imaginative, attractive, and also very thoughtful. Unlike some design leaders I've worked with, Laura strives to make the design support the story and message - it's not just art for art's sake. Thank you, Laura!" - Rick Spence, CanEntrepreneur Comm Show less
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Ryerson University
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Canada
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Higher Education
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700 & Above Employee
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Instructor, School of Journalism
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1998 - 2001
Magazine Making, Hands-on - School of Journalism Magazine Making, Hands-on - School of Journalism
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Education
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2019 - 2020
Conestoga College
Interactive Media Management, Interaction + Systems Design -
Ryerson University
Photography -
George Brown College
Graphic Design Communication
Community
