The tech industry is becoming increasingly diverse, and Hispanic leaders are playing a major role in shaping the world of computer science as we know it today. During Hispanic Heritage Month (September 15 - October 15), we wanted to highlight some prominent Hispanic leaders in the tech industry.
Ignacio Contreras
Ignacio Contreras, who is originally from Chile, currently leads the product marketing team at Qualcomm, who focuses on 5G and licensing for AI, gaming, Bluetooth, infrastructure and Wi-Fi. Ignacio joined Qualcomm in 2009 when the company was growing their 3G and 4G businesses. Contreras also has experience managing support of IoT and automotive technologies.
Contreras showed interest in technology from a young age when he chose to build small circuits over any other extra curricular activities. He graduated from Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile with a Bachelor of Science in industrial engineering and a master's in engineering sciences. He also holds two patents related to electric vehicle charging systems and small cells.
Guillermo Diaz Jr.
Guillermo Diaz Jr. served as the global chief information officer at Cisco for more than 20 years before founding Web3 and AI digital platform Conectado in 2022. Guillermo started his telecommunications career by being in the U.S. Navy. Afterwards, he held senior IT positions at Silicon Graphics, Alza Corp. and Ingram Micro before long term tenure at Cisco. At Cisco, he was a leader within the Cisco Diversity Council and served as the visionary executive sponsor for Conexión, Cisco's dedicated Hispanic/Latino employee resource organization.
On top of this, Guillermo is also the chairman at Hispanic IT Executive Council and on the social impact boards for the Cristo Rey High School Work Study program and the Stanford Latino Entrepreneur Initiative.
Lilian Rincon
Lilian was born and raised in Venezuela before moving to Canada when she was nine years old. She is currently the senior director of product management at Google and leads the development of new features and functions for Google Assistant such as AI and machine learning.
Before Google, Lilian worked on Microsoft's platform Conversations, as well as Bing, Bing Mobile, adCenter and Skype Mobile. Rincon was named one of the 15 most powerful women at Google in 2019. She's been widely recognized as an important Latina leader in technology.
Arlyssa M. Jaquez
Arlyssa is currently the Network Security Architect at Verizon where she is dedicated to enhancing network security and mitigating threats. Arlyssa’s path to engineering was initially uncertain until she overheard conversations about engineering projects during her college years. Her current role at Verizon involves designing and implementing security controls across applications, systems, and networks, reducing the risk of data breaches.
Besides her work at Verizon, Arlyssa is also committed to mentorship and engagement in women-focused organizations like Women in Cybersecurity and the Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers. She is dedicated to empowering the next generation of professionals.
Stephanie Saliba
Stephanie is the Global Head of Data Analytics at Bloomberg. Her skill set includes SQL, Data Analysis, Business Analysis, and Financial Analysis. Stephanie is particularly adept at people management and serves as a prominent diversity and inclusion advocate.
Stephanie has a Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA) with a specialization in Business Administration and Management, earned from Centenary University.
These are just a handful of the remarkable Hispanic men and women in the tech industry today. There are plenty of people who we should celebrate and highlight for their continued contributions to the world as we know it today. Did you recognize any of the names? Did anyone stand out to you? Take some time and look up some more influential Hispanic leaders in this field and let us know what you find out!