Laura Lang (A77), CEO of Digitas, Delivers Fall 2007
Lyon & Bendheim Alumni Lecture

"Take risks and be intellectually curious." This was the clear message delivered by Laura Lang (A77), CEO of Digitas, as she spoke to the Tufts Community as part of the Lyon & Bendheim Alumni Lecture Series. Her message aimed to inspire the next generation of entrepreneurs to take charge and seek new opportunities in a world that is constantly looking for smart, new leaders. As an advisory board member of the Entrepreneurial Leadership Program, Lang strives to relate her expertise to the curriculum of the program. This lecture gave her the opportunity to talk about those experiences and give the audience a glimpse into what transformed her from a Tufts undergraduate student trying to figure out life, into a successful entrepreneur.

Lang, a summa cum laude graduate, was involved with many organizations and pursued different fields while a student at Tufts. Even though the Entrepreneurial Leadership Program did not exist at the time, she strived to find her niche in the business world. Her intellectual curiosity allowed her to have an open mind about what she wanted to pursue in the future, and as she said, "there was no script for what she would do after college." After graduating from Tufts, she earned an MBA from Wharton, and then went on to work in product management at Bristol Myers and the Quaker Oats Company. During this time, she faced many challenges, one of which was leading a marketing campaign for Quaker Oats' Captain Crunch. Through this experience, she learned about marketing and managing multiple parts of a company. She continued her business career at Pfizer, where she was a member of the company's strategic planning team. After many years at Pfizer, she moved on to lead the consulting practice at Yankelovich Clancy Shulman, providing strategic marketing services to Fortune 100 clients. Her next job was at Marketing Corporation of America, where she provided strategic consulting services to clients in the pharmaceutical, technology, entertainment, and financial services industries.

After working for the Marketing Corporation of America for eight years, she joined Digitas in 1999. The company thrived during the Internet boom, with a stock price close to $52 per share. However, in 2001, the company faced financial struggles and the idea of selling the company seemed inevitable. However, with much determination and drive, Digitas transformed itself into a company that uses technology to help companies enhance their connection to their markets. This new strategy helped the company rise to new heights. Today, Digitas is a leading marketing and media agency for such companies as American Express, General Motors, Intercontinental Hotels Group, Miller Brewing, Nestle, and many more.

Following her presentation, Lang opened up the floor to questions. She explained some of her daily challenges as a CEO of a high growth company and detailed ways in which companies can split their employees into groups in order to achieve maximum performance. Last year, Digitas hired close to 750 employees in a span of 10 months, highlighting the company's exceptional growth. She also mentioned that because technology is quickly developing, marketing tools are constantly needing to be restructured.

A final aspect of her life that she discussed was how being a woman affects her job. While rising the ranks and working for different companies, Lang faced a great deal of discrimination for being a woman. Even when she was the leader at a board meeting, many people would look at the men on her team for guidance. While she stated that it no longer happens, she did say that she had to struggle through these challenges in order to succeed. According to Lang, "people respect success, not the type of person it is." She carries herself with great confidence, and was an outstanding speaker as part of the Lyon & Bendheim Lecture Series.