Mónica Gil is the true embodiment of a Latina Powerhouse. Born and raised in Santa Barbara, California, the youngest of 12 and raised by a Mexican homemaker and gardener, Monica took the opportunities she had to become a good student and from there, her hard work and perseverance led her to a successful career. As the Executive Vice President and Chief Administrative and Marketing Officer of NBCUniversal Telemundo Enterprises, Gil is currently one of the most important women in Hispanic media.
Her career path began with her undergrad in Political Science at Berkley University, followed by her Master’s Degree from the University of Southern California School of Public Administration. After she graduated, Monica worked as an advisor on strategy, communications, and fundraising for multiple political campaigns in California. She was press secretary for a politician, Antonio Villaraigosa, who was the first Hispanic in over 130 years to serve as Mayor of Los Angeles.
© CourtesyBefore Telemundo, Gil had leadership roles at Nielsen, where she learned the power of data and created several comprehensive insight reports that became industry staples on consumer trends for the packaged goods and media sectors. Now, in her role at NBCUniversal Telemundo, Gil leads the company’s Operations, Marketing, Strategy and Insights, and Communications teams. Gil has been instrumental in establishing Telemundo as the nation’s number one Spanish-language network. She once described her role as the symphony director who makes sure everyone and their instruments are working in total harmony.
In addition, Gil is a long-standing advocate for women and diversity in the workplace. Gil created and launched Telemundo’s women leadership programs and developed the Telemundo Academy to support the next generation of media leaders. During a Latina Leaders Summit, when asked about the importance of women empowerment, she said she sees it more as how Latinas unleash their power. “The word empowerment, to me, makes the assumption sometimes that we’re starting from a position of no power in the front, but I think it’s very different.”
“The reality is that Latinas when they have the self-confidence, it’s about unleashing all of that, everything that comes with you to make sure that you bring your best self to the table and that you’re able to unleash all the skills that make an organization run or be better.”
She shared that at Telemundo, they created a program called Unstoppable Women, which is truly helping Latinas accelerate their career trajectory, so they don’t cap at a certain level and continue to grow professionally.
Monica has overseen numerous marketing and brand campaigns across Telemundo’s broadcast, cable, and digital properties, including its broadcast of the 2018 FIFA World Cup, which led to record-setting viewership across all platforms. She is also the recipient of notable awards and industry recognitions, including Adweek 50, Variety’s New York Women’s Impact Report, Multichannel News Wonder Women, and PRWeek’s Hall of Femme, among others.
