LUIS MIGUEL MESSIANU

President, Chief Creative Officer \\ Alma

@LMMessianu

Luis Miguel Messianu has played a respectable and influential role in the most important developments in the U.S. Hispanic market during his career. Born to Romanian parents and raised in Mexico City, where his advertising career started, Luis Miguel Messianu has worked in both the Latin American and U.S. Hispanic markets.

His award-winning work with multinationals such as McDonald’s, State Farm, Clorox, Anheuser Busch, Florida Blue, General Motors, Coca-Cola, Nestlé and L’Oreal, among others, is a testament to that effort. He is an innovator, a mentor and an example followed by many distinguished professionals in the multicultural marketing community.

Luis Miguel led the agency in 2013 to win 2 silver Cannes Lions and 2 shortlist, Art Director’s Club bronze, 3 FIAP (silver & 2 bronze), 6 Wave Festival (3 gold & 3 silver) and an Effie Award, among others. Alma was named “Agency of the Year” at the 2013 Mosaic Awards, which recognizes multicultural excellence. Plus the agency won Adweek’s Project Isaac Award for Innovation at the Clio’s.

The AAF Diversity Achievement Awards named Luis Miguel this year’s Diversity Trendsetter. His industry peers with the American Advertising Federation also honored him the 2013 Silver Medal. Luis Miguel was President of this year’s jury at the Wave Festival for the Direct category and for the Grand Prix (Blue Wave) category presiding over all presidents.

Alma was twice named to Advertising Age’s prestigious “Agency A-List” in 2012 and 2010, and in 2014 was Ad Age’s Multicultural Agency of the Year. In 2010 he was inducted into FIAP’s Hall of Fame, one of the most significant recognitions in the Hispanic advertising industry. In 2009, he was selected Jury President of the Art Directors Club Awards; it was the first time a Hispanic held that position. He was named “Most Influential Leader in U.S. Hispanic Advertising” over the last 20 years at the Internationalist’s Latin American 100 event in 2012. Luis Miguel also founded the Círculo Creativo del Mercado Latino more than a decade ago, and became its first president.

He has always been passionate about mentoring and educating a new generation of Hispanic advertising professionals and has been a member of the Board and part of the Faculty at the Miami Ad School since the school’s inception. He’s also one of the judges of DDB’s Bernbach Minority Scholarship program. This year Luis Miguel also spoke about the multicultural market at University of Miami and Babson College.