AHAA ELECTS THREE NEW MEMBERS TO BOARD OF DIRECTORS

As Co-President and Chief Operating Officer of Alma Isaac Mizrahi begins his term as chair of AHAA: The Voice of Hispanic Marketing, three new members have joined its Board of Directors. Stacie de Armas, vice president of strategic initiatives & consumer engagement at Nielsen; Christian Martínez, head of U.S. multicultural sales for Facebook; and Marco Vega, co-founder of We Believers, will work closely with AHAA’s governing bodies, committees and executive director to support the organization’s strategic plan, which elevates the quality of Hispanic marketing in the U.S. and focuses on the value of segmentation and power of specialization.

“Through better data, insights and communication, we will address the puzzling paradox of our industry today: even though we live in a more multicultural society with Latinos and other minority segments representing a larger and more relevant size of corporate America’s business and an even larger slice of business growth, there are companies that still don’t support multicultural marketing or believe our expertise can be easily replaced by people with limited background in our field of expertise,” said Mizrahi. “I look forward to working with the AHAA board of directors to continue educating our industry that hiring the right cultural marketing specialists is a key corporate imperative linked to overall marketing success and revenue growth.”

Mizrahi and the following new board members began their two-year terms on November 8, 2017.

Stacie de Armas, Vice President Strategic Initiatives & Consumer Engagement, Nielsen

As a subject matter expert for the U.S. Hispanic market and a public affairs leader within Nielsen’s diversity & inclusion practice, Stacie de Armas works to elevate the understanding of the power and contributions of the Hispanic consumer by turning data into insights and stories. She works to increase Nielsen’s brand awareness with multicultural organizations, leaders and consumers, elevating the understanding of Nielsen’s measurement practice. As a thought leader with more than 20 years of experience in diversity marketing, communications, media and consumer survey research, she has been an integral part of Nielsen’s multicultural market expansion and success since 1998. de Armas also sits on the advisory board of the Association of National Advertisers Alliance for Inclusive & Multicultural Marketing (AIMM) initiative. Of Cuban descent, Stacie resides in Los Angeles, CA

Christian Martínez, Head of U.S. Multicultural Sales, Facebook  

Christian Martinez joined the Facebook in June 2013 to lead the company’s sales initiatives focused on the U.S. Hispanic market and has since expanded the offering to include broader multicultural solutions.  Prior to Facebook, Christian spent 13 years at Univision Communications where he was vice president of network TV and interactive sales for the southeast and southwest regions.  In that role, he was responsible for leading the only integrated sales office in the country, in which he oversaw a team of network TV and digital sellers focused on providing clients a fully-integrated, cross-platform approach.  Martinez has led traditional, digital, programmatic, mobile and eCommerce efforts in the U.S. Hispanic space. A graduate of the University of Florida, Martinez lives with his wife and two children in Miami. 

Marco Vega, Co-Founder, We Believers

Passionate serial entrepreneur with a robust business backbone—be it leading a manufacturing line at P&G, consulting for the top global corporations with McKinsey & Co., starting a courier & parcel venture for the underserved Hispanic consumer to compete with FedEx, or leading and empowering creative in advertising agencies—Marco Vega has always believed work can only be meaningful when “you’ve identified the toughest business challenge that needs to be addressed and are bold enough to transform the context around it.” He is recognized as one of the sharpest strategic thinkers in the industry with a focus on creating innovation and effective communication solutions that help a brand’s business thrive and grow. He is one of the inventors behind the Edible Six Pack Rings that substitute plastic carriers in the Beer and Carbonated beverages industry  He has earned recognition from all major festivals such Cannes Lions, D&AD, One Show, Fast Company World Changing Idea, Edison Awards, Effie,  Isaac, USH Idea Awards, FIAP, the CLIO Awards, the ADDYs, and Advertising Age. He holds an MBA from the University of Virginia’s Darden School of Business and co-authored the book Angel Investing in Latin America.

For more information, please visit www.ahaa.org and follow AHAA on Facebook and Twitter at @ahaa.

About AHAA: Founded in 1996, AHAA: The Voice of Hispanic Marketing is the national trade organization of all marketing, communications and media firms with trusted Hispanic expertise.