The Most Influential Latino Men and Women in Tech

If he Hispanic Heritage Month — held from September 15 to October 15 — aims to highlight the contributions of people of Hispanic descent in the United States. This list brings together some of the most influential people in the technology sector. What stands out is the work of those in important positions who are committed to ensuring that the Latino community is fully represented in the tech world.

Members of the Hispanic and Latino communities have long held prominent positions at the world’s largest technology companies, and it’s no surprise: we’re a young, hard-working, and highly creative community.

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Maria Teresa​​​Arnal (Stripe)

Arnal has held important positions at companies such as Google and Microsoft, and his current position involves leading the Latin American division of Stripe, an online payment processing company for Internet companies. The leader emphasizes the importance of motivating girls to be interested in science and problem solving. “Among the problems we face in such a man’s world is that there is no role model for us,” she said earlier this year Forbes Mexico.

Guillermo Diaz Jr. (Kloudspot)

Mexican by birth, Díaz Jr. worked for 20 years at the technology firm Cisco, with which he fully shared the vision Internet of everything: Intelligent connection of people, processes, data and things. In an interview, he said that when he was asked if he was ready to become the firm’s CIO, he was overcome with emotion and couldn’t help but feel honored. Today he is the CEO of Kloudspot, a company that helps businesses with digital transformation.

Maria Ferreras (Netflix)

After serving as vice president of business development for Europe, Africa and the Middle East, Ferreras is now head of global partnerships. The Madrid native holds a Master’s degree in Telecommunications and a Master’s degree in Telecommunications. marketing. He spent 10 years at Google before joining the Los Gatos, California-based firm, where he oversees all of its alliances and partnerships.

Louis von Ahn (Duolingo)

Making language learning easy and accessible for everyone has been Duolingo’s mission from day one, according to its Guatemalan founder Luis von Ahn, one of the company’s leaders. He points out that as a Latino, “it’s very important that Duolingo be an important part of learning and striving to improve other Spanish speakers.” Before application languages, von Ahn sold reCAPTCHA to Google, a security service that protects websites from fraud and abuse.

Alvaro Celis (Microsoft)

Family, integrity and passion are the values ​​by which Alvaro Celis defines himself. At the age of 15, his passion for technology led him to study computer science in Caracas, Venezuela. After graduation, he got a job at Microsoft. 29 years have passed since then, and he continues to work for the Redmond company, where he held important management positions. “I am an industry leader with a passion for transforming and taking companies to the next level by defining and aligning strategies, people, processes and capabilities in unique and highly differentiated ways.”

Paula Bellicia (Google)

After working at Microsoft, Bellicia currently serves as Vice President of Marketing for Latin America at Google, where one of her goals is to support the region’s digital transformation. When asked how to create a more inclusive workplace, the executive said that in the specific case of gender, “we can encourage more women to pursue careers in science, technology, engineering and mathematics fields,” as well as provide higher wages. hiring percentage and provide them with opportunities for development and professional growth.

Victor Delgado (Samsung)

Delgado leads Samsung’s Strategic Alliances team in South Korea, where he strives to develop new business opportunities and advance strategic partnerships to deliver the most innovative mobile solutions. It also boasts a leading role in the unveiling of the Galaxy Z Fold 2 foldable phone in 2020. The Latino says one of his proudest moments was starting to work for a South Korean company as a phone salesman in the US, so he appreciates everyone’s support for signing him. Before joining Samsung, he worked for companies such as Verizon Wireless and Sprint.

Nina Vaca (Pinnacle Group)

Nina Vaca is one of the most influential Latinas in the business world. The Ecuadorian-born businesswoman came to Los Angeles at a very young age with the help of her father and mother, with the American dream in her suitcase. In 1996, she founded Pinnacle Group, a “powerhouse for workforce solutions,” and has dedicated much of her professional life to expanding opportunities for minorities and women in business. In 2014, the White House named him Presidential Ambassador for Global Entrepreneurship.

Lilian Rincón (Google)

This Venezuelan has influenced one of the most revolutionary services in recent years: Google Assistant. Lilian Rincón leads the team that creates new features and functionality for the platform. He was nine years old when he arrived in Canada and spoke no English, although in mathematics he found a kind of universal language. Focused on the technology industry and always knowledgeable about artificial intelligence and machine learning, she previously worked at Skype.

Daniel Undurraga (Cornershop)

What Chile’s Undurraga has done deserves recognition as he co-founded Cornershop, which allows you to buy groceries online via your mobile phone and whose 100 percent shares were acquired by Uber in 2021. startups They can have a very transformative impact on society: creating jobs, positioning Chile among other countries, attracting foreign investment and, above all, creating prosperity for many people who will later become angel investors and be able to support and fund the next generation of entrepreneurs.” he recently stated Third.

Marcelo Clair (Softbank)

Marcelo Claure, originally from Bolivia, was the most visible face of the telecommunications company Sprint as chief executive. Today he heads SoftBank Group International. holding company A Japanese company investing in artificial intelligence and other transformative technologies. Claire previously founded Brightstar Corporation.

Ignacio Contreras (Qualcomm)

This Chilean is one of the people who has the most influence in the perception of the 5G network. He holds a leadership position at Qualcomm, where he has had a career spanning over 12 years. From childhood, he remembers that his father gave him money, and instead of spending it on comics, he bought everything he needed to assemble small circuits. In an interview with Digital Trends in Spanishguarantees that the 5G network will soon cease to be premium and become standard.

Diana Trujillo (NASA)

This Colombian’s goal was always to work for NASA, and she accomplished it. Diana Trujillo moved to the United States at age 17 to pursue her dream. It wasn’t easy because she didn’t speak English and was paying for college with money she earned cleaning houses. She first came through the Goddard Space Flight Center and is now the flight director for the Mars 2020 mission, which on February 18, 2021 placed a robot called Perseverance on the planet, searching for evidence of microbial life and collecting rock samples. That day, Trujillo was the host of NASA’s first Spanish-language broadcast of the planetary landing.

Francisco Ramos (Netflix)

Francisco Ramos serves as Vice President of Content for Latin America at Netflix, where he is responsible for all original series and films, as well as licensed content for the region. Before reaching the video platform in streaming In 2017, he collaborated with the media corporation Grupo Zeta, Antena 3 Televisión, Aurum Producciones, Morgan Creek, Spyglass and Miramax. The Mexican has a law degree from the National Autonomous University of Mexico.