Laurence Herbert - Winner of European Marketer of the Year 2026
Laurence Herbert crowned European Marketer of the Year 2026 during the LiMA CMO Summit Awards Ceremony
Laurence Herbert crowned European Marketer of the Year 2026 during the LiMA CMO Summit Awards Ceremony
The European Marketing Confederation (EMC) proudly announces Laurence Herbert, Chief Marketing Officer and Member of the Group Executive Committee at Puratos, Belgium, as the winner of the prestigious European Marketer of the Year 2026 award.
Laurence Herbert was crowned during the LiMA CMO Summit Awards Ceremony in Vilnius on 23 April 2026, after being selected from an exceptionally strong field of ten national marketing champions from across Europe.
A Landmark Achievement in European Marketing
Laurence impressed the independent international jury with her strategic vision, international impact, and ability to elevate marketing as a driver of business transformation, innovation, and sustainable growth.
With more than 20 years of experience in marketing and business leadership, Laurence began her career in B2C marketing, including roles at L’Oréal, before joining Puratos over 16 years ago. During her journey within the company, she has held multiple global leadership roles across strategic business units, innovation, and transformation, ultimately becoming the youngest Chief Marketing Officer in Puratos’s 100+ year history.
Today, Laurence leads a global marketing organisation of more than 320 professionals and plays a central role in shaping Puratos’s long-term business strategy. She has been instrumental in embedding the company’s purpose-driven vision, Food Innovation for Good, into brand development, customer engagement, and digital transformation.
A Career Defined by Growth, Innovation, and Leadership
One of Laurence’s defining achievements has been establishing Health & Well-Being as a strategic pillar of Puratos’s innovation roadmap.
Laurence has also driven Puratos’s global digital and MarTech transformation, including the integration of HubSpot as a global marketing automation and CRM platform, the development of scalable e-commerce solutions, and the implementation of AI-supported, human-supervised marketing systems.
Her contributions have also been recognised nationally. In 2025, Puratos became the first-ever B2B company to win Belgium’s Marketing Company of the Year award and also received Deloitte’s Special Award for Excellence in Data and MarTech.
Beyond business success, Laurence is an active thought leader and an influential voice in the global marketing and food innovation community. She is a keynote speaker at leading industry events such as the Belgian Marketing Congress and global Future Food-Tech conferences, and serves as the global spokesperson for Taste Tomorrow, Puratos’s consumer insights and trend intelligence platform.
What truly distinguishes Laurence is her people-centred leadership style. She is known for building strong teams, developing talent, and fostering collaboration across functions and markets.
Accepting the award, Laurence Herbert said:
“I am deeply honoured to receive this recognition from the European marketing community. I have always believed that marketing has the power to create meaningful value – not only for businesses and customers, but also for society. This award reflects the dedication, passion, and talent of the teams I have had the privilege to work alongside throughout my career.”
Laurence Herbert embodies the qualities of modern marketing leadership: strategic intelligence, innovation, measurable business impact, societal contribution, and the ability to inspire the next generation of marketers across Europe.