Hispanic Executive continues its mission of celebrating Latino leaders whose ambition, expertise, and deep sense of community are fundamentally changing how modern business gets done. True leadership, as defined by the publication, goes far beyond traditional metrics of success. It is about building resilient teams, taking on the most complex and difficult problems, and actively making room for others to rise alongside you.
The publication’s flagship October Executives to Watch 2026 list proudly highlights six exceptional Hispanic and Latino executives who are currently making waves across a wide array of competitive industries, including technology, legal practice, finance, supply chain, real estate, and sports. From a prominent Major League Baseball front office to the creative studios of Hollywood, and from the digital shelves of Amazon and TikTok Shop to one of the fastest-growing residential brokerages in the entire country, these dynamic leaders repeatedly prove that cultural heritage and a broad global perspective are genuine competitive advantages in today’s interconnected marketplace.
Nicolas Carballo
Assistant Vice President, Omnichannel Supply Chain, L’Oréal
The journey to corporate leadership is rarely a straight line, and for Nicolas Carballo, it was a path forged through sheer persistence. Carballo sent fifty cold emails to L’Oréal recruiters before a single one finally wrote back. Born in the United States while his parents were pursuing their studies abroad, his family returned to Uruguay before he celebrated his first birthday, and it was there that he spent his formative years.
Before making the momentous leap into the corporate world with a major Chilean company operating in Uruguay, Carballo spent more than six years honing his skills in accounting, operations, and business management at smaller, localized organizations. He and his wife—who was also born in the United States—had always shared a long-term dream of returning to the US. Driven by this ambition, they both made the bold decision to leave their jobs behind to pursue full-time MBA degrees at Boston University.
Arriving with virtually no professional network in the country, Carballo kept knocking on doors until a coveted internship at L’Oréal opened the door to his future. He has since advanced through a diverse range of roles within the beauty giant. Today, he manages the omnichannel supply chain, supporting a fast-growing business footprint that stretches seamlessly from Amazon to TikTok Shop. Beyond his demanding day-to-day responsibilities as an executive and a father to three young children, Carballo also serves actively on the leadership team of L’Oréal’s Hispanic coalition, dedicated to building the exact kind of professional community he wished he had when he first arrived in the United States.
Ezio Carrion
Vice President, Information Security Architecture and Engineering, Sony Pictures Entertainment
For Ezio Carrion, a single computer course taken while growing up in a tight-knit Brazilian town of about five thousand people set the foundational trajectory for an extraordinary global career. Carrion built his formidable technology expertise through a progression of high-stakes roles in Brazil, which included notable tenure at Citi, followed by several years serving as the chief technology officer at what was then the largest credit card organization in the country.
In 2017, his exceptional track record caught international attention, leading to an invitation to relocate to the United States. Upon arrival, he joined First American before stepping into his current high-profile role at Sony Pictures Entertainment. Today, Carrion leads a sprawling global team tasked with information security architecture and engineering, focusing heavily on building scalable, high-performing organizations driven by artificial intelligence and automated security frameworks.
His responsibilities include directing security-by-design principles across all Sony Pictures software and services, leading crucial security assessments for complex mergers and acquisitions, and overseeing comprehensive risk and compliance measures. In these capacities, he works in close collaboration with external partners, senior leadership, and the C-suite. Because his organization is deeply committed to cutting-edge AI adoption, his teams are actively building and training proprietary AI agents. True to the innate curiosity that first drew him to a computer screen in his small Brazilian hometown, Carrion is also completing a master’s degree in artificial intelligence at the University of Colorado Boulder.
Eddie Garcia
CEO and Founder, Realty of America
Long before he founded and scaled one of the fastest-growing residential real estate brokerages in the United States, Eddie Garcia intimately understood what it meant to start life with very little. He immigrated from Mexico to Chicago at the tender age of five, and his childhood was defined by severe financial hardship. At one point, his family shared a cramped, single-bedroom apartment with eleven other people.
Those formative years of struggle profoundly shaped his relentless drive to build a better life and, crucially, to create tangible opportunities for others. Garcia initially established Realty of Chicago, turning it into a formidable regional powerhouse before envisioning a revolutionary industry model. His new vision centered around shared equity, recurring revenue structures, and long-term wealth creation specifically designed for agents. In September 2024, alongside fellow real estate leaders, he officially launched Realty of America.
By its second anniversary, the company experienced explosive growth, expanding to encompass more than 3,600 agents across 26 distinct markets and surpassing $8 billion in lifetime sales volume. Garcia has maintained an unwavering focus on mentorship, working tirelessly to carve out pathways to leadership and ownership for Hispanic real estate professionals. In 2026, his efforts bore remarkable fruit when 47 Realty of America agents were recognized across the prestigious NAHREP Top 250 Latino Agents and specialty rankings. Fueled by a personal pledge to help one thousand agents and leaders achieve millionaire status, Garcia continues his work to transform real estate into a powerful vehicle for generating generational wealth in underrepresented communities.
Luis Huerta
Head of Finance, Product Engineering Hardware, Meta Reality Labs, Meta
Luis Huerta never could have imagined that his professional path would ultimately place him at the absolute frontier of consumer technology. Originally from Mexico, he launched his professional life domestically, securing an internship and subsequently his first post-college job at Kellogg’s. Seeking to broaden his horizons, he later moved to the United States to pursue his master’s degree. Early in his American career, he made a conscious point of exploring multiple industries—an adventurous professional approach he still enthusiastically recommends to anyone starting out due to the invaluable perspective it provides.
A multi-year stint at Microsoft challenged Huerta in entirely new ways. He grappled with imposter syndrome and had to consciously learn how to find and project his own authentic voice, a valuable lesson that continues to inform his leadership style today. Currently, he serves as the head of finance for product engineering hardware at Meta Reality Labs, the pioneering division responsible for the company’s virtual reality, augmented reality, and wearable hardware devices.
Huerta openly credits the immense personal discipline required to navigate his journey, expressing profound gratitude for every step along the way. At the same time, he remains deeply clear-eyed about the road ahead. When he surveys his own organization and the broader technology sector, he notes the persistent underrepresentation of Hispanic professionals, and he hopes that openly sharing his personal and professional journey will help inspire change and pave the way for others.
Darline Llamas Llopis
Chief Financial Officer, Baltimore Orioles
Darline Llamas Llopis etched her name into sports history when she broke barriers to become the first Latina chief financial officer in Major League Baseball. Currently in her second high-profile season as CFO of the Baltimore Orioles, Llopis brings a wealth of financial acumen forged across some of the most dynamic, high-revenue properties in the entire landscape of professional sports.
Before taking the helm with the Orioles, she spent four successful seasons as the vice president of finance and retail for the Miami Dolphins, Hard Rock Stadium, and the high-octane Formula 1 Miami Grand Prix. This demanding role placed her squarely at the operational and financial center of an NFL stadium, a major sports franchise, and a global racing spectacle simultaneously. Prior to that tenure, she spent four years acting as the director of finance and controller for the Los Angeles Rams.
Llopis originally launched her career in public accounting with powerhouse firms Ernst & Young and PricewaterhouseCoopers as a dedicated member of their commercial real estate practices, successfully building the rigorous technical foundation that she has carried into every subsequent executive role. She earned her MBA from the UCLA Anderson School of Management and her master of accountancy from the University of Southern California, where she also graduated cum laude with an undergraduate degree in business. Her historic rise has effectively opened a door in elite sports leadership that many young Latinas can now see themselves walking through.
Kimberly Lord
Partner, Entertainment, Manatt, Phelps & Phillips
Kimberly Lord firmly believes that the most successful and enduring entertainment companies of the future will not simply tell stories—they will build vibrant communities, immersive experiences, and entire worlds that audiences actively want to join. As a partner in the prestigious entertainment practice at Manatt, Phelps & Phillips, she works closely with content developers, major producers, rightsholders, prominent brands, and diverse entertainment enterprises as they navigate an industry fundamentally reshaped by rapidly evolving technology, shifting audience behaviors, and innovative modes of storytelling.
Lord routinely counsels clients across film, television, digital media, immersive experiences, and emerging platforms, helping them expertly build and monetize valuable intellectual property across various channels. Highly regarded for representing the producers and production companies behind highly successful unscripted and nonfiction programming, she previously advised an Emmy Award-winning nonfiction studio from its initial launch all the way through to its strategic acquisition by a major entertainment enterprise.
Her practice increasingly focuses on the future of media, including interactive audience engagement platforms and multidisciplinary ventures that successfully bridge media, technology, hospitality, and live experiences. Prior to joining Manatt, Lord gained valuable experience working at boutique talent firms and handling business and legal affairs directly within production companies. A proud graduate of Yale University and the Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law, she draws deeply upon her Puerto Rican heritage, fueling her strong professional interest in helping culturally diverse stories and creators reach expansive global audiences. In recognition of her significant industry contributions, she was named to Variety’s Legal Impact Report in 2026.
