FAIRFAX, Va. (November 12, 2024) – The Hispanic Marketing Council (HMC) announced Jose Villa, President & Chief Strategy Officer of Sensis, will serve as its new chair effective today. Villa, who has formed part of the HMC board of directors since 2022, will work closely with HMC’s governing bodies, committees and the executive director to support the organization’s strategic plan, which champions authentic engagement and prioritization of the U.S. Latino segment in the U.S. marketing ecosystem and elevates the critical role of the Hispanic marketing specialists.

“We are at a critical juncture for the U.S. Hispanic marketing industry, as brands realize they can do more to seize the $3.2 trillion opportunity Latino consumers possess,” said Villa. “Our #STOPLATINOCOATING campaign, which calls on the advertising and marketing industries to give Hispanic marketing the weight it deserves, has gained traction with brands wanting to get Hispanic marketing right. I am excited to roll up my sleeves with the rest of the board and continue this important work.”

A pioneer of multicultural digital marketing with over 26 years of experience, Villa has a unique professional background that combines digital technology and advertising with economics, market research and strategy consulting. He founded Sensis in 1998 as one of the first digital agencies focused on the Hispanic market. Under his leadership, he has grown Sensis into the largest independent multicultural agency in the U.S.

Villa’s thought-provoking analyses of advertising at the intersection of technology and culture are published regularly on Axios, PR Week, Digiday, MediaPost and numerous industry trade publications. A thought leader in cross-cultural and modern marketing, Jose has co-authored multiple studies into the Hispanic market including the “Hispanic Millennial Project”, the “We are Gen Z” Report, the “Boomer Cultures Report” and the recently published “New Hispanic Immigrant” Report.

Joining Villa are two new additions to the HMC Board of Directors: Amilcar Perez, Chief Revenue Officer of Nielsen Global Audience Measurement and Ronald Méndez, EVP, Cultural Investment & Strategy Lead at GroupM.

Amilcar Perez, Chief Revenue Officer, Nielsen Global Audience Measurement

As Chief Revenue Officer, Amilcar Perez leads Nielsen’s global Sales & Marketing team serving agency, advertiser, broadcaster, publisher, and digital clients. He is focused on driving global strategic engagement, building go-to-market strategies to meet the unique needs of Nielsen’s clients, and sharing best practices across markets.

Perez has over 20 years of Nielsen experience across a variety of geographies and businesses. Most recently, he was Executive Vice President of Sales for National Media Clients where he led a U.S. team responsible for customer retention, customer growth and new customer acquisition. Previously, he was Global CRO of Nielsen’s Gracenote and Sports/Esports, Music and Customer Experience, where he led global commercial and revenue strategy across all business units.

Ronald Méndez, EVP, Cultural Investment & Strategy Lead, GroupM

With a career spanning over 25 years, Ronald Méndez is a seasoned leader in the multicultural marketing space. Méndez has formed part of the GroupM family since 2015, when he took on the role of Managing Partner, Multicultural Lead at MediaCom. His expertise and visionary leadership led to his promotion in 2023 to EVP, Cultural Investment & Strategy Lead. In this role, he is charged to steer agencies toward a responsible media investment approach. His work is pivotal in aligning investment strategies with cultural insights, thereby enhancing the agency’s impact on client success.

Before his tenure at GroupM and MediaCom, Ronald was part of the founding team at 42 Degrees at Mediavest, where he dedicated over 13 years. He also led the multicultural practice at MPG and ventured into sales as multicultural business development at Starlite Media. His career began at Conill Advertising, marking the start of a distinguished career dedicated to understanding and leveraging the cultural nuances that drive consumer behavior.

For more information, visit hispanicmarketingcouncil.org and follow the HMC on LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, and X at @hmchispanic.