Laura Brown
Senior careers no longer move in straight lines. Restructures, sudden exits, and public firings now hit accomplished women at the peak of their visibility, and the standard playbook for recovery does not exist. Boards, ERGs, and leadership programmes need a credible voice on what comes after the title, not another talk on resilience.
Laura Brown is a journalist, host, and former Editor-in-Chief of InStyle who helps organisations stage candid conversations on women’s leadership, career reinvention, and life after the corner office.
Full Profile
Why organisations work with Laura Brown
- She runs the room. Six years at the helm of InStyle and a long-form interview track record from Harper’s Bazaar mean she can take a stage with a CEO, a celebrity, or a junior employee and get a real answer in front of a live audience.
- Her book with Kristina O’Neill, “All the Cool Girls Get Fired,” gives her a specific, named platform on what happens to senior women after a high-profile exit, which is rare content for a corporate stage.
- The Ladies First podcast has put her in conversation with hundreds of accomplished women across entertainment, business, and politics, which translates directly into informed moderation of women’s leadership panels and ERG events.
- An Australian Fashion Laureate for Lifetime Achievement and a long media career give her the standing to share a panel with founders, executives, and public figures without being out of place.
Biography highlights
- Editor-in-Chief, InStyle, 2016 to 2022, leading print, digital, and 13 international editions.
- Eleven years at Harper’s Bazaar in features, special projects, and executive editor roles.
- Earlier roles as Senior Editor at W and Articles Director at Details.
- Host and creator of the “Ladies First with Laura Brown” podcast, launched at InStyle in December 2020.
- Co-author with Kristina O’Neill of “All the Cool Girls Get Fired” (Simon and Schuster, October 2025).
- Australian Fashion Laureate for Lifetime Achievement, 2019.
- Founder of LB Media and Chair of the Creative Council of (RED).
- Board member, Fashion Trust U.S.
Biography
The next chapter for senior women rarely arrives on schedule. Restructures and sudden exits now reach the most visible jobs in publishing, media, and corporate life, and the recovery script is unwritten. Laura Brown built her platform inside that gap.
After eleven years at Harper’s Bazaar covering features, special projects, and executive editorial work, Brown took over InStyle in 2016 and ran the brand across print, digital, and thirteen international editions until early 2022. The “Ladies First with Laura Brown” podcast, launched at InStyle in December 2020, became the long-form home for her interviews with women across entertainment, business, and activism.
The 2025 book “All the Cool Girls Get Fired,” co-authored with Kristina O’Neill and published by Simon and Schuster, turned that work into a direct argument: high-profile firings happen to capable people, and reinvention is a craft, not a consolation prize. Industry recognition includes the Australian Fashion Laureate for Lifetime Achievement in 2019.
She now runs LB Media, chairs the Creative Council of (RED), and sits on the board of Fashion Trust U.S. Audiences book her for what she still does best on a stage: interview, moderate, and host candid conversation with the people in the room.
Key speaking topics
- Women’s leadership and advancement
- Career reinvention after a senior exit
- Media, publishing, and the editor’s craft
- On-stage interviewing and event hosting
- Inclusion and representation in consumer brands
- Building a personal platform in a fragmented media landscape
Ideal for
- CHRO and DEI leads programming women’s leadership and ERG events
- Conference organisers seeking a moderator or interviewer for a marquee session
- Brand and marketing leaders running consumer-facing fireside chats
- Executive coaching cohorts focused on senior women navigating career transitions
Audience outcomes
- A clearer view of what reinvention looks like for senior women after an unwanted exit
- Practical perspective on building a public platform without an institution behind you
- Honest reference points from inside global media on inclusion, representation, and brand voice
- A live conversation that lands with real answers, not rehearsed talking points
Talks
A talk on self-advocacy, self-worth, and authenticity drawn from her career in media and her work with women across the Ladies First platform.
Key takeaways:
- How accomplished women under-claim their own track record and what to do about it
- Lessons from inside InStyle on inclusion as a commercial strategy, not a slogan
- A direct view on reinvention after a high-profile career setback