Talent Champion – Louis Maldonado

Talent Champion Spotlight

AEF Talent Champion - Louis Maldonado

Louis Maldonado
Partner, Managing Director
d expósito & Partners

Louis Maldonado is an award-winning marketing strategist and communications professional that specializes in multicultural advertising and marketing. At d expósito & Partners, he leads cross-functional teams for several key client accounts, leveraging his deep expertise in branding, insights and strategy, public relations and grassroots outreach to develop breakthrough campaigns that effectively connect with communities of color.

Maldonado is a staunch champion for the Latino community and currently serves as board chair of the National Puerto Rican Day Parade. In 2020, City & State, the premier media organization dedicated to covering New York’s local and state politics and policy, named Maldonado as one of the “Latino Power 100,” a list of distinguished leaders that have helped promote and shape diversity.

What prompted you to get involved with the AEF and why are you passionate about the future of the industry?

Our agency leader and a personal mentor, Daisy Expósito-Ulla, is a long-time AEF board member, and she introduced me to the AEF as a way to ensure multicultural marketing is represented and encouraged when developing the next generation of advertising and marketing talent.

What is the best career advice you've ever received?

To always leave every situation in a better state than how I found it.

Who was your favorite professor and why?

I was a music double-major in college, and my clarinet professor, Dr. Alan P. Squire, taught me the importance of self-expression in creativity and the need for total dedication and discipline to vocation. He also emphasized the dire need for deliberate, artful phrasing in music or any communication form and the importance of intent listening when co-creating with an ensemble.

What do you enjoy most about your job?

The ability to be a champion for communities of color, ensuring that they are not overlooked and are well informed so they can connect with the brands and organizations that can best meet their needs.

"Our future marketing and advertising leaders are not just looking for a job, they are looking for a meaningful career that will make a positive impact on society."
— Gord McLean, President and CEO at ANA Educational Foundation