Latin Power Players: Billboard’s 2026 List Revealed
Billboard ·
Nominated by their companies and chosen by Billboard editors, these are the executives within the genre leading the field this year.
Live Nation’s Hans Schafer — the promoter that has helped Latin artists take on the world — leads Billboard ’s annual list of the genre’s most powerful executives.
Afo Verde Chairman/CEO María Fernández COO Juan Alfonso Sánchez CFO/senior vp Herb Payan Executive vp of digital strategy and ancillary revenue Guillermo Gutiérrez Leyva Senior vp of A&R Gaby Martínez Senior vp of regional marketing Rafael Madroñal Vp of brand partnerships
From Shakira’s World Cup anthem and Rosalía’s LUX era to new investments in film, documentaries and creative studios, Sony Music Latin-Iberia chairman/CEO Afo Verde says the company’s greatest achievement has been building a deeper, more versatile ecosystem around its acts.
“We’ve had a year with a very special focus on our roster,” Verde says of the past 12 to 18 months. “What makes me most proud is the quality, diversity and strength of the projects we’ve been able to develop alongside our artists.”
That depth was evident across Sony’s roster, which includes Shakira, Rosalía, Alejandro Sanz, Milo J, Rauw Alejandro, Jorge Drexler, CA7RIEL & Paco Amoroso, Mon Laferte, Kany García, Carlos Vives, Trueno and Beéle. Verde also points to Romeo Santos and Prince Royce’s collaborative album Better Late Than Never (which debuted at No. 1 on Billboard ’s Top Tropical Albums chart), as well as projects from the company’s rock roster, including Arde Bogotá, Dani Martín, Draco, Dante Spinetta, Emmanuel Horvilleur, Fito Páez and Leiva.
Sony continued investing in the next generation — signing Amaia in Spain and Natanael Cano in Mexico through a distribution deal with Rancho Humilde — while maintaining a strong focus on música mexicana . Sony’s Brazilian operation, led by Fernando Cabral, also had a notable year with artists including Grupo Menos É Mais, Luan Santana, Pedro Sampaio and Gusttavo Lima.
Beyond recorded music, Sony Music Vision has developed a diverse slate of documentary series, movies, concert films and music videos, while a new 5020 Studios location in Los Angeles will soon provide additional creative space for its roster. Capitalizing on this momentum, rapper Residente began filming Porto Rico , his feature directorial debut.
“Our responsibility as a company is to serve our artists by giving them the tools and support they need to develop their full potential and advance their creative visions,” Verde says. “That commitment to talent and artistic quality is essential for Latin music to continue growing in a strong and sustainable way globally.”
That global growth was evident in Verde’s favorite moments of the year: Shakira’s appearances at both the opening and closing of the World Cup, which was an unprecedented opportunity that she delivered with “quality and impact,” he says. “Dai Dai,” her official World Cup collaboration with Burna Boy, reached No. 1 on both the Billboard Global 200 and Global Excl. U.S. charts, leading for seven and 10 weeks, respectively.
The executive also praises Rosalía and the worldwide impact of LUX . “The album is a true gem, a work of art,” he says. “We feel that many things are happening around Rosalía, and that her talent deserves everything that is happening to her.” —ISABELA RAYGOZA
Jesús López Chairman/CEO Elsa Yep COO Luis Estrada Executive vp of marketing and artist ventures Skander Goucha Executive vp of e-commerce, business development and digital Angel Kaminsky President of A&R and artist relations
Alejandro Duque President, Warner Music International/ADA Giselle De Armendi Senior vp of business and legal affairs Marcela Vaccari Senior vp of marketing and commercial services
For Warner Music International and ADA president Alejandro Duque, a telltale sign of success is the talent that wants to work with you. “We remain a company that attracts the youngest talent — artists who are at that point where they’re starting to break out and really turn heads,” he says. “I believe we’re still the company these artists want to partner with,” adds Duque, who held the dual roles of president of Warner Latin and president of ADA and was upped to his new role in September, adding Asia-Pacific and Europe, the Middle East and Africa under his oversight. (Duque will continue to oversee ADA outside the United States.)
Warner Latin’s roster includes Colombian urban pop and Afrobeats singer Aria Vega, named Billboard ’s Latin Up & Comer for July and whose hit “Chévere” with Ryan Castro reached No. 1 on the Latin Airplay and Latin Rhythm Airplay charts in September; Omar Camacho, a promising young Mexican artist who, at 19 years old, has amassed 13 million monthly listeners on Spotify; and Puerto Rican acts De La Rose and Clarent. “We are at the forefront of new talent, consumption drivers, the younger generations who are beginning to connect with younger audiences as well,” Duque adds.
He attributes this to a combination of the services Warner offers, along with its commercial flexibility. “We have a fully vertically integrated company encompassing both distribution and the label, so we have business models that are incredibly flexible and truly adapt to what these artists need and what their aspirations are,” he says. “That helps us immensely, as does the team — a top-tier team that artists connect and identify with, engage in dialogue with and feel comfortable around.”
That same approach led to another major achievement for the label this year: signing the Brazilian sertanejo duo Hugo & Guilherme, one of the genre’s most successful acts. “In Brazil,” he says, “we are a powerhouse in urban music and funk, but we are just getting started in regional genres and this signing is a major validation of our strategy.”
In April, Warner Music Group also entered into a strategic partnership and made a minority investment in independent distributor TuStreams. “It is a platform that has hosted many of the biggest Mexican music artists currently topping the charts. By making this strategic investment, we are positioning TuStreams to retain artists and, naturally, secure longer-lasting relationships with them,” Duque explains, adding that he hopes it will serve as a “highly powerful incubator” for his Mexican music team.
However, Latin music and music in general, Duque believes, is still undervalued compared with the price trends of video subscription platforms, which have doubled or even tripled since launch. In music, “we have seen a price increase of 30%, so we remain a form of entertainment that is extremely undervalued,” he says. “Clearly, there is a huge opportunity to close that gap for the benefit of everyone in the ecosystem, especially the artists.” —SIGAL RATNER-ARIAS
Rafa Arcaute Bruno Duarte Co-presidents
Nicolas Cortázar Senior vp of growth strategy, Latin America Diego Abaroa Vp, ADA Latin
Alejandra Olea Managing director, Americas Rodrigo Gonsalves Head of label and artist solutions for U.S. Latin, Andean and Southern Cone Bruno Duque Head of Latin America and Brazil, TuneCore
Bruce McIntosh Vp of Latin catalog Eliezer Ponce Vp of contemporary Latin catalog
Ben Patterson President Raymond Tapia Vp of A&R
Luis A. Suárez Silva Co-founder/president
Antonio Silva Managing director of U.S./Mexico
Isaac Lee Chairman/CEO Juan S. Arenas President of global label services, HYBE
With BTS’ spectacular return to the stage and additional world tours by groups including ENHYPEN and KATSEYE, HYBE has been on a high, and has found a growing fanbase in Latin America. In addition, HYBE Latin America, which launched its first Latin boy band, Santos Bravos, in 2025, has also gained an enthusiastic response in the United States and Latin America.
In the first year since its inception on a reality show also titled Santos Bravos , the group — comprised of Drew Venegas, Alejandro Aramburú, Gabi Bermúdez, Kauê Penna and Kenneth Lavíl from the United States, Peru, Puerto Rico, Brazil and Mexico, respectively — has received industry recognition and awards including a nomination from Premio Lo Nuestro, two wins at Premios Juventud and one at Premio Tu Música Urbano.
“It’s all connected,” HYBE label services president of global Juan S. Arenas says. “I think of the success K-pop has seen, the reception ENHYPEN got in Brazil, what BTS is doing in Mexico right now and their upcoming tour across various countries in October — all of that has fueled the success of Santos Bravos.”
“The most important thing for the company over the past year is the validation that Bang’s formula — as both creator and producer — has been confirmed,” adds HYBE Americas chairman/CEO Isaac Lee, speaking of HYBE founder and chairman Bang Si-Hyuk. “Santos Bravos is the first test of that concept in Latin America, a region that hadn’t seen a boy band in a very long time, bringing together guys from five different countries and utilizing the methodology Bang created.”
Right now, the company is holding auditions to launch a group in India and is preparing to assemble a U.S. boy band next year with the help of producer Ryan Tedder, Lee says.
The biggest issue the music community faces, Arenas says, is breaking through the noise. He believes that with so much content being released — including that created by AI — standing out from the noise is harder for every artist, Latin or not.
“That means the connection with fans — the way you tell your story — becomes much more important, in addition to the music. And that’s why, as Isaac says, our methodology has been so successful,” Arenas says.
“At the end of the day, a good story is a good story,” Lee adds, “and a good song is a good song.”
HYBE Latin America has helped tell the Santos Bravos story through its reality show formation, as well as with multiple documentary series and the band’s K-pop-style variety show, ¡Vamos, Bravos! , on both YouTube and Spotify.
“There is such a strong focus on the artist’s ecosystem,” Arenas says, “and we put a lot of effort into how we tell the story — not just the music itself, but who the members are and how they connect with their fans.” —S.R.A.
Paris Cabezas Ana González Managing partners
Nir Seroussi President José Cedeño Executive vp/GM Manny Prado Senior vp of marketing and A&R Cristina Nadal Ferreria Vp of commercial strategy and operations
Erol Cichowski Jason Pascal Executive vps of global artist and label partnerships Laura Tesoriero Senior vp/managing director, Latin-Iberia Albert Torres Senior vp, Latin-Iberia and Southern Europe
Alex Gallardo President Esteban Geller GM Nerea Igualador Senior vp of digital business, commercial partnerships and operations Txema Rosique Senior vp of A&R
Jesús Ortiz Paz CEO Cristian “Toro” Primera Dimas COO Gustavo López President Jesús Ivan “Moska” Amezcua Vp of marketing
Jorge Brea CEO
Alfredo Delgadillo President/CEO Daniel Luna GM, Universal Music Latino
Victor González President of Latin America, U.S. Latin and Spain Cris Falcão President of Brazil and Portugal Armando Rodríguez Senior vp/GM of U.S. Latin
Roberto Andrade Managing director Brenda Carrasco Senior vp of marketing and artist strategy Francisco Granados Senior vp of A&R Rubén Abraham GM of música mexicana
Pablo Casals CEO
Jessica Giraldo Navarro CEO; co-manager, Karol G
Polo Montalvo President/CEO
Barry Daffurn Co-founder/president Ruben Santos Vp of A&R, Latin America
Federico Lauria Founder/CEO
Hassan Emilio “Peso Pluma” Kabande Laija Co-founder George Prajin Co-founder; founder, Prajin Parlay
Ghazi Founder/CEO
Emilio Estefan Jr. CEO/producer
Luana Pagani President
Aaron Ampudia Christopher Den Uijl Co-founders
Jorge Ferradas President
“I no longer believe in the model of the manager who knows everything and can respond to everything,” FPM Entertainment president Jorge “Pepo” Ferradas says. Instead, the executive favors a network of specialized partners who can help artists navigate an increasingly complex global business.
That approach has powered a major year for FPM’s roster. Ferradas points to Rauw Alejandro’s Cosa Nuestra world tour as a defining achievement: The Puerto Rican star performed more than 70 shows across the United States, Latin America and Europe for his first trek alongside Ferradas. “It was a very important tour for his career,” Ferradas says. “It puts him in the position of an artist who has the recognition that we believe he deserves.”
The company’s management structure varies by artist. Ferradas oversees Camilo through FPM; co-manages Alejandro with his personal manager, Matías Solar, and business manager, José Juan Torres, of JAK Entertainment; and shares responsibility for Rels B with Dale Play founder and CEO Federico Lauría, whose company handles booking and related areas. The model, Ferradas says, reflects the needs of contemporary artists better than a traditional one-manager approach.
“It’s more about teamwork and finding alliances with the people who know other areas of the business better,” Ferradas says. “Then you give the best through that team.”
The results have been substantial. Rels B followed a Latin American tour with his first stadium performance in Madrid, drawing 45,000 people to Riyadh Air Metropolitano in July. Camilo released his fifth album, Para Cuando Sean Mayores ; renewed his recording agreement with Sony; graced the June cover of Billboard Español ; and completed nine European dates ahead of a new North and South American tour. FPM also helped expand Rauw’s work into film, with the artist set to appear in Guy Ritchie’s 2027 action-thriller, Viva La Madness . And recent brand partnerships include Rauw with Prada Beauty, Red Bull and Buchanan’s Whiskey and Rels B with G-Shock.
The FPM president identifies touring as a central priority for Latin music, particularly as immigration concerns, shifting streaming economics and a crowded attention economy create new challenges for artists earning income. Ferradas believes artists must continue delivering world-class shows while preserving the emotional connection that distinguishes Latin music.
That bond was especially present for Ferradas this past year as he helped to bring Rauw’s Cosa Nuestra tour global and watched Rels B’s Madrid show in a stadium filled with family, friends and fans. “Beyond the professional side, it’s important to stop and feel those moments,” he says. “Music defended its identity; it didn’t copy. When we began defending our sound, our colors and our identity, the music exploded.” —I.R.
Narcis Rebollo President/CEO Rosa Lagarrigue Executive vp of global
Polo Molina Founder/CEO
Juan Diego Medina CEO/artist manager Diego Toro Business and brands
Andy Martínez Co-founder
Jesús Josafat Chávez Angulo CEO/manager/producer
Michel Vega Co-founder/CEO Tomas Cookman Co-founder; founder, Latin Alternative Music Conference/Nacional Records Ana Christina Ordóñez Vp
Robert Fernandez Co-founder/CEO, Mr. 305 Inc. Tom Muzquiz Managing partner, Entotal Agency; executive business partner, Pitbull Jorge Sanchez Managing partner, Entotal Agency; manager, Jenni Rivera estate
Isael Gutiérrez Founder
Pablo Belalcázar A&R senior director/Colombia co-director of operations
Jimmy Humilde Co-founder/CEO Jose “JB” Becerra Co-founder/COO Roque Venegas Co-founder/CFO Miguel “Mickey” Sánchez President
The United States’ ongoing visa restrictions have affected Rancho Humilde’s business, especially its booming roster of música mexicana artists. “It’s very frustrating for the entire industry, as we haven’t been able to work the way we always have,” Rancho Humilde president Miguel “Mickey” Sánchez says.
Nonetheless, the current political climate in the United States has encouraged Rancho Humilde to focus on other markets, and the independent label has started to work outside of the United States and Mexico with both Natanael Cano and Junior H touring Central and South America. In July, Junior H played Spain for the first time, including a date at Madrid’s Movistar Arena. Meanwhile, Cano performed at the 2026 Premios Juventud in Spain followed by an extra week of promotion in the country.
“We’ve crossed the pond, as the saying goes,” Sánchez says. “We’re opening doors with an audience that has heard our music but never seen us perform live. Those two have been the ones to blaze the trail for the [ corridos ] genre, and we want to achieve the same thing across Europe.”
Thanks to global streaming trends, the label has witnessed other regions interpret música mexicana, including “Italian corridos” and “flamenco corridos” emerging in Spain.
“Talented artists influenced by the corrido styles are already stepping forward,” he says. “They take those musical influences and adapt them with their own lyrics. We’re thrilled about this, and perhaps down the line, we’ll be able to collaborate with a group or artist from over there.”
Meanwhile, the label’s rising group Herencia de Grandes from Culiacán, in the Mexican state of Sinaloa, is making waves. This spring, the group’s “Ya Borracho” became its first and only top 10 on Hot Latin Songs , reaching No. 6 in March. It also ruled Regional Mexican Airplay and landed at No. 3 on the overall Latin Airplay chart in April. The group is also a finalist at the 2026 Billboard Latin Music Awards including artist of the year, new; hot Latin song of the year for “Ya Borracho”; and regional Mexican artist of the year, duo or group.
The band’s impact is especially exciting for “a group that specifically went down a more romantic path,” Sánchez says. “We aren’t just a corrido label. We’ve signed a great many groups, though we’re still grinding to build our success,” pointing to additional emerging acts Lencho and Los Farmerz.
“Jimmy [Humilde, founder of Rancho Humilde] has the sharpest ear in the industry; he keeps signing artists and consistently hits the mark with what people want to hear,” Sánchez says. “Seeing Herencia de Grandes, a group no one expected or had even heard of, hit No. 1 on the charts makes me proud, because people tend to think we only reach those positions with major artists.
“For an independent record label to reach the level we have,” he adds, “that is the real feat.” —JESSICA ROIZ
Noah Assad CEO Jorge Bracero COO Jonathan Miranda President Rodrigo Prichard GM Mónica Jiménez Head of marketing and brand relations for Bad Bunny Alejandro Pabón Head of operations; partner, Move Concerts
Jorge Juárez CEO
This summer, Carín León made history as the first Mexican artist to headline the Summer Sonic Festival in Japan, where he performed Aug. 14 in Osaka and Aug. 15 in Tokyo. Beyond just a festival performance, the artist from Hermosillo, Sonora, immersed himself in the culture by producing an edition of his album MUDA featuring Japanese art, hosting a gastronomic pop-up with food from his hometown and filming a music special at a 400-year-old Japanese temple.
“Japan is the second-largest music market in the world; you realize you have to be there, and the language barrier shouldn’t be an obstacle,” says Jorge Juárez, León’s manager and co-founder and CEO of Socios Music. “Japanese audiences are deeply cultured and very open to music. If you look at the market, there is a wide range of independent record labels. For me, it was about connecting with the right people and presenting a musical proposal that was very exotic to them. It’s about daring to be disruptive.”
A month later, León once again made history at Sphere, becoming the first Latin artist to headline a residency at the innovative Las Vegas venue. The two-weekend stint took place in early September. He will return to the venue in 2027 during Mexico’s Independence Day celebrations — a booking planned 48 months in advance, according to Juárez.
“When I execute, I’m working on plans made two years prior,” he says. “The only way to keep things largely under control is to plan ahead. When you have a clear sense of direction for your artist — combining planning, direction and a clear goal — you make those steps happen, turning them into solid, impactful achievements.”
Additionally, Juárez produced Elton John’s two concerts at the Estadio Banorte in Mexico City in October, marking John’s first shows in the city in nearly 15 years. Producing John’s farewell dates in Mexico and bringing León to Sphere “are like my life’s trophies,” he says. “I aim to be someone who fosters culture, drives disruptive change and is genuinely committed to innovation and creating experiences.” —J.R.
Sandra García-Sanjuán Co-founder/executive president
Gabriel Buitrago President
Gerardo Mejía Senior lead of Latin music; president, Crossover Management María Gracia Head of Latin marketing
David West Founder
Walter Kolm Founder/president Miguel Lua Head of music
Fabio Acosta Founder/president
Patty Vega Director/office manager
Diana Rodríguez Founder/CEO
Luis Villamizar Manager
Raymond Acosta Head of talent management
Andrés Castro CEO/artist manager
Rebeca León Founder/CEO
Felipe Pimiento Founder/CEO
Lorenzo Braun CEO Carlos Framil Partner
Nadine Eliya CEO; manager, Shakira
Rocío Guerrero Director of music, Latin-Iberia Paul Forat Head of music, Spanish-speaking Latin America
When Bad Bunny announced his 30-date No Me Quiero Ir de Aquí residency at the José Miguel Agrelot Coliseum in Puerto Rico in January 2025, Rocío Guerrero, Amazon Music’s director of music for Latin-Iberia, remembers feeling “like I’ve been working my career to this moment. This is the moment where we utilize the Amazon power with one of the biggest icons of today to mark the evolution of what artist partnership looks like between [digital service providers] and artists.”
The residency allowed Guerrero and her team at Amazon Music LAT!N to partner with Rimas Entertainment (the management and promotional team behind Bad Bunny headed by Noah Assad) for a yearlong celebration of Puerto Rico through the platform’s Music Connects Us campaign. Launched every year in September, the campaign has previously focused on música mexicana with ambassadors like Peso Pluma. For 2025, Amazon Music launched the Uno Más initiative that kicked off with a livestream of the 31st and final date of Bad Bunny’s residency on Sept. 20 — the eight-year anniversary of Hurricane Maria devastating the island. The event became the most-watched livestream ever for Amazon Music and, more than 3,000 miles from Puerto Rico, New York bar Bad Habits transformed its facade into Bad Bunny’s famed onstage casita for a watch party event.
“Look, I get goose bumps,” Guerrero says, discussing the livestream’s cultural impact a year later. “It was such a beautiful moment.”
During the livestream, an exclusive Amazon edition of Bad Bunny’s DeBÍ TiRAR MáS FOToS became the top-selling item on the entire e-commerce site.
But the livestream was just the beginning. Amazon committed educational resources and disaster relief to Puerto Rico alongside Fundación Rimas and Fundación Good Bunny. Together, they have bolstered STEM programs in Puerto Rican schools, funded the building of schools that can double as hurricane shelters and are working on support for local agriculture. In addition, Amazon created a digital storefront called comPRa Local to highlight Puerto Rican goods and music in time for Bad Bunny’s historic Super Bowl halftime performance in February.
“For both parties, it was very important that this was more than just a livestream,” she says of the monthslong negotiations with Rimas. “What unlocked the deal was all of the Amazon doors we were able to open. Literally, we knocked on I don’t know how many doors inside Amazon of teams I didn’t even know existed. It created a blueprint of what we want to continue doing in the future.”
That blueprint has informed Amazon Music’s latest Music Connects Us campaign, The Women Shaping Latin Music, alongside Shakira, whose Las Mujeres Ya No Lloran world tour became the highest-grossing tour by a Hispanic artist earlier this year. In September, Amazon unveiled El Museo Shakira, an interactive experience on 30 years of her influence on music, fashion and more on-site at ES Latina festival in Madrid. Amazon also streamed one of the final nights of Shakira’s tour in Spain on Oct. 3 (which became the most-viewed livestream performance by a female artist on the platform) and launched Las Mujeres Facturan, an Amazon storefront that will give greater visibility to women entrepreneurs and female Latin artists.
Alongside Shakira’s Fundación Pies Descalzos, Amazon Web Services will also work with the Laboratoria organization that provides tech education for women in Latin America.
In Brazil, Amazon is also celebrating Marília Mendonça’s legacy through a Maiara & Maraisa livestream, new music, vinyl and Amazon Music Originals. Documentary Marília Mendonça: Sentimento Louco will air on Prime Video this October, with a feature film on the artist arriving next year.
“It is kind of like copying a model, but why not? It’s a model that works and that is good for humanity,” Guerrero says, comparing the last two Music Connects Us campaigns. “I will continue doing this for as long as I am allowed.” —TAYLOR MIMS
Juan Paz Global head of Latin music business Patty Flores Head of U.S. Latin music business partnerships Andrea Portela Head of U.S. Latin music marketing Jerry Pullés Head of urbano Latino and música tropical editorial
Dion Baez Vp of community
Mia Nygren Vp of Europe and Latin America Maykol Sánchez Head of music, Latin America Antonio Vázquez Head of U.S. Latin and Canada editorial Samantha Aanerud Artist and label partnerships lead, U.S. Latin
AJ Ramos Head of artist and label partnerships, Latin music and culture Sandra Jimenez Regional director/head of music, Latin America and U.S. Latin Andrea Barbosa Artist partnerships manager, Latin America
Yvette Medina Vp of A&R, Latin music
Leslie Ahrens Managing director/executive vp of creative, Latin America
Elizabeth Rodda President of U.S. Latin, Latin America and global society relations
Carlos Souffront President
Jorge Mejía President/CEO, Latin America and U.S. Latin
Alexandra Lioutikoff President, Latin America and U.S. Latin
In the midst of a busy and fruitful year for Universal Music Publishing Group, Alexandra Lioutikoff, the company’s president of Latin America and U.S. Latin, lists “the continued expansion of our global A&R program, being named ASCAP publisher of the year for the fourth consecutive year and signing exceptional talent” as some of the publisher’s greatest achievements of the past 12 to 18 months.
Los Angeles alternative band The Marías, a UMPG signee, spent the last two years earning recognition for its 2024 album, Submarine , which led to nominations for American Music Awards, Billboard Latin Music Awards and MTV Video Music Awards in 2025 and, in 2026, a nod for best new artist at the Grammy Awards.
In April, UMPG signed an exclusive publishing deal with Latin Grammy-winning Argentine rapper Trueno, who has had four entries on the Billboard Global 200 chart, five titles on the Billboard Global Excl. U.S. chart and 30 hits on the Billboard Argentina Hot 100 . “For me, this marks a new stage in my career and a new team to share with and learn from,” Trueno said upon signing. “I’m proud that, from Argentina, we can connect with a team as big as Universal.”
Other recent signees include Pepato, DannyLux, Julia Costa, Majo, Aguilar, Xavi, Marcos Villalobos and Papi Sousa — all of which Lioutikoff says are achievements she’s incredibly proud of. “Together,” she adds, “they reflect both the strength of our team and our commitment to identifying and supporting the most exciting songwriters and artists in Latin music.”
With such a robust roster of talent, Lioutikoff remains vigilant in ensuring the fair compensation of songwriters for the enormous value they create. “Latin music has become a truly global force, yet Latin America is still not always valued or treated on equal footing with other regions around the world,” she says. “There is still significant work to be done to close that gap.”
Lioutikoff’s favorite music moments of the year also came from UMPG songwriters. “Seeing Carín León become the first musical artist to perform at Miami’s Nü Stadium was incredibly meaningful because of what he has come to represent for regional Mexican music and its continued global growth,” she says. With more than 24,000 fans in attendance, the performance was also the first sold-out show at the venue, which is the home of MLS’ Inter Miami CF.
Another highlight: watching Rosalía close out her critically acclaimed LUX tour that made nearly 60 stops throughout North and South America and Europe in 2026. After rescheduling the first three dates of the U.S. leg, Rosalía concluded the tour in Orlando, Fla., and Miami in September. “I saw her the very first time she performed in Miami,” Lioutikoff says, “so witnessing firsthand how much she has grown and evolved as an artist was extraordinary.” —S.R.A.
Gustavo Menéndez President of U.S. Latin and Latin America
Jay Marciano Chairman/CEO; COO and office of the chairman, AEG Rich Schaefer President of global touring
Henry Cárdenas CEO Carolina Daza Alexander Cárdenas Senior vps of live entertainment
Hans Schafer Senior vp of global touring Fabi Kulick Vp of Latin tour marketing Manuel Morán Vp of Latin touring Viviana Suárez Vp of Latin touring, Live Nation Latin America Jorge García Global tour promoter
In 2021, Hans Schafer took what may have been his biggest roll of the dice in a career full of them.
That summer, as the live sector restarted following the pandemic, the legendary grupero band Los Bukis decided to reunite after 30 years. At the time, Schafer explains, Los Bukis “was not an Instagram phenomenon. There was no viral moment. There was no real, current streaming story that fully explained what was there.”
But Schafer and his team understood the band’s intangible “cultural currency” — and how it could “open the gate for something that seemed unrealistic, that hadn’t been done before.” Under Schafer’s guidance, Live Nation put Los Bukis in the Los Angeles-area SoFi Stadium for two nights that August. The shows grossed $13.8 million, according to Billboard Boxscore, a figure that “exceeded what we thought we could do,” he says. Those shows forever altered touring for the biggest Latin artists. “The scale became bigger than what people expected and helped redefine the stadium ceiling for Spanish-language touring in the U.S.”
Previously, stadium touring had been nearly unheard of for even the most popular Latin acts. But Schafer and his team didn’t stop with Los Bukis, soon plotting stadium tours for ascendant new artists including Bad Bunny, Karol G and Fuerza Regida, as well as veterans such as Shakira.
In one form or another, Schafer has been making these bets — successfully — for the last 20 years. Since joining Live Nation in late 2017 as a senior vp of global touring, the promoter, 44, has played an integral part in reimagining the touring map for Latin artists, putting them on bigger stages than ever before, and in places far beyond the long-standing traditional markets and territories. He’s grown what began as a largely U.S.-focused role into one of global influence, and today, he “[thinks] across markets and [connects] teams around the world,” harnessing Live Nation’s vast resources and network of promoters to help Latin artists scale their businesses and meet high demand worldwide.
Read the full story on Executive of the Year Hans Schafer here.
Nelson Albareda CEO
Phil Rodríguez CEO
Francisco “Paco” López President
Alex Mizrahi CEO
Pedro Zamora Chairman/CEO
Mac Clark Devin Landau Music agents Rudy López Negrete Music brand partnerships agent
Ryan Soroka Juan Toro Vps
Jbeau Lewis Nigel Meiojas Partners/agents Toni Wallace Partner/head of global music brand strategy and partnerships Carlos Abreu Agent
Arguably no Latin artist, and arguably no other artist, has had a bigger year than Bad Bunny.
UTA’s star client made a global impact in 2026, winning the album of the year Grammy for his Billboard 200 No. 1 DeBÍ TiRAR MáS FOToS — a victory that made him the first artist to win the category with an entirely Spanish-language album. A week later, the Puerto Rican superstar became the first Latin artist to headline the Super Bowl halftime show solo and followed that zeitgeist-shaking performance with a world tour that grossed $472.2 million and sold 3.1 million tickets over 57 shows, according to Billboard Boxscore.
“One of the most exciting parts about everything we’re doing in Latin music right now is that our artists are becoming the first to ever do things,” UTA partner/agent Jbeau Lewis says. “When you see a tour like Benito’s — clearly playing 10 sold-out shows in Madrid is historic — but when you also see sold-out nights in Stockholm and Warsaw [Poland] and other places like that, that’s never happened before. A Spanish-speaking artist has never headlined a stadium-level tour across Europe.”
Bad Bunny wasn’t the only Latin UTA artist to clock such history-defining touring achievements this year. In April, Karol G became the first female Latin artist to headline Coachella. “It’s taking these artists to new cultures where they’ve never been,” Lewis says, “and it’s allowing these new places to understand their cultures in the way we saw Benito bring Puerto Rico around the world or we’re seeing Karol bringing Colombia.” (Karol G is currently on her global Viajando Por El Mundo Tropitour stadium tour.)
These massive moments have also fueled each artist’s overall business. For Bad Bunny, this has included brand partnerships with companies like adidas, Zara, Ritz Crackers, Method and Hennessy, with the artist now on his native island shooting the film Porto Rico , his first starring role in a cast that also includes Javier Bardem and Viggo Mortensen. “To be true partners with our clients and work with them across so many different aspects of their business,” Lewis says, “is what I think we’re proudest of.”
Lewis also feels that representing these artists requires educating both the business community and fans about where each act is coming from. “People may not understand the difference between reggaetón and regional music, or the difference between a Puerto Rican or Colombian or Mexican artist,” he explains. “We take the role we have in these clients’ lives seriously, so we make sure we’re helping the community at large understand who they are.”
But Lewis knows it’s also crucial to remember how far he and the team have already come on this mission. “It’s not just career goals, but life goals,” he says of Bad Bunny’s record-breaking moves. “We were all like, ‘This is never going to happen again in the history of the world, so let’s savor every minute of it.’ ” —KATIE BAIN
Richard Lom Partner/head of Latin Richard Vega Partner/agent César Figueiredo Agent Melissa Rodríguez Marketing executive
For WME’s Richard Lom, the agency’s Latin music business is defined by scale, cultural fluency and, above all, teamwork. As partner and head of Latin, Lom points to the agency’s investment in a Latin music group of more than 30 professionals across touring and branding as a key recent achievement.
“Our diversity is our superpower,” he says, noting that the team includes professionals with roots in Cuba, Mexico, Nicaragua, Brazil, Colombia, Spain, Argentina, Peru and Ecuador. “This company has really gone all in on our team, and they’ve given us the resources to really help supercharge so many of our clients’ careers.”
Over the past 18 months, WME’s Latin team worked across 21 global tours, in addition to festivals, one-off performances and private events, performing throughout the United States, Latin America and Europe, as well as in Asia and Australia. Among the highlights: 49 dates with Mexico’s Humbe; a 22-stop tour with Argentine rapper Paulo Londra, including his first stadium show in Lima, Peru, where WME says he sold 44,000 tickets; and international milestones for artists including J Balvin, Danny Ocean and Aria Vega.
The team’s work also extends beyond live music. Brand partnerships included Becky G’s UGG collaboration with Mexican American designer Willy Chavarria and Maluma’s Hot Wheels collaboration, which connected the Colombian superstar’s childhood memories of the toy brand with his heritage and latest album, Loco X Volver .
Lom sees the Latin music community’s most important current issue as the rapid expansion of its global live ecosystem. He explains that promoters are increasingly willing to take chances on developing artists, giving them opportunities to perform for fans around the world. “It’s a good problem to have that there is so much content out there,” he says, “and people — not only the hardcore fan, but the casual music fan — have a chance to really dig into our culture.”
His favorite recent musical moment was an international crossover: Pitbull’s performance at London’s BST Hyde Park, where the veteran Latin superstar set a ticket-sales record with nearly 70,000 attendees. At the show, thousands of fans also wore bald caps in Pitbull’s likeness, setting a Guinness World Record. For Lom, the moment captured Pitbull’s enduring global appeal and WME’s broader mission. “Everything that we do here, within our Latin group, somos un gran, gran equipo [we are a great, great team],” he says. —I.R.
Enrique Santos President, iHeartLatino; host, The Enrique Santos Show ; co-founder, My Cultura Podcast Network Pedro Javier “PJ” González Senior vp of programming, iHeartLatino
Luis Fernández Chairman Javier Pons Tubio Chief content officer/head of Telemundo Studios Ingrid Graham Executive vp of business operations
Trinity Colon Vp of music programming Bryant Pino Senior director of music programming Manuela Ferradas Senior manager of Latin talent and industry relations
Gabriel Llano González Head of A&R Americas
Raúl Alarcón Chairman/CEO
Ignacio Meyer President of Univision Networks Group Ulises Chang Vp of live events and music Cindy Hill Vp of content and industry relations Ismar Santa Cruz Senior vp of audio first content and music strategy
Sherrese Clarke Founder/CEO
Manuel Abud CEO
Gabriela González Senior vp of Latin membership and international affairs
Jesús González Vp of creative, Latin
Celeste Zendejas Senior vp
Contributors: Katie Bain, Eric Renner Brown, Pamela Bustios, Anna Chan, Leila Cobo, Thom Duffy, Ingrid Fajardo, Eric Frankenberg, Paul Grein, Lyndsey Havens, Gil Kaufman, Taylor Mims, Sigal Ratner-Arias, Isabela Raygoza, Kristin Robinson, Jessica Roiz
Methodology: Billboard executive power list honorees are chosen by our editorial staff with consideration given to industry nominations. For industry-sourced executive lists, nominations open no less than 150 days in advance of publication. A submission link is sent to all who request to participate in the power list process before the nomination period. (Email thom.duffy@billboard.com for inclusion on the email list for nomination links and for how to obtain an editorial calendar.) Priority for the Latin Power Players list was given to companies previously recognized on the Billboard Power 100. Priority for managers was given to those whose clients ranked highest on year-end artist and Boxscore charts, and those whose clients are participants in the Latin Power Players event. Honorees are chosen by editors based on factors including the impact of honorees and their companies on consumer behavior, as measured by year-end Billboard charts, sales and streaming performance, market share, revenue or, where not available, Billboard revenue estimates, which may be aided by company guidance, social media impressions and radio audiences reached, using data available as of Aug. 16. Career trajectory and momentum were also considered. Where required, U.S. record-label market share was consulted using Luminate’s current market share for albums, plus track-equivalent and streaming-equivalent album consumption and Billboard ’s quarterly top 10 publisher rankings. Unless otherwise noted, Billboard Boxscore and Luminate are the sources for tour grosses and sales/streaming data, respectively. Luminate is also the source for radio audience metrics. The source for radio metrics is monitored station airplay from Mediabase provided by Luminate.
Separate from Latin Power Players, these five executives are designated by Billboard as up-and-comers to watch.
Luis Mesa Label and marketing director, Bichota Records
Clarissa Paez Founder, CP Music Marketing
Gaby Pino Vp of programming, Kaseya Center
Marcos Fernández Talent manager, Lionfish Entertainment
Victor Zambrano Founder/CEO, Vizual
This story appears in the Oct. 10, 2026, issue of Billboard.