Manuel Abudis taking the helm…
The Mexican American media executive, an industry veteran with domestic and international experience, has been named the Latin Recording Academy‘s chief operating officer (COO).
Abud, formerly Azteca America‘s president and CEO, begins his new role along with Latin Recording Academy staff Luis Dousdebes, who has been named chief awards, membership and preservation officer, while Aida Scorzabecomes senior vice president of awards.
“I’m thrilled about the future of The Latin Recording Academy,” said Latin Recording Academy president/CEO, “As we build on two decades of excellence in Latin music, our organization is stronger Gabriel Abaroa Jr. than ever.”
Abud’s extensive entertainment experience as a strong leader with operational skills, Abaroa said, made him a logical choice as the Latin Recording Academy continues to grow domestically and internationally. As COO, Abud will be working on several international and local growth initiatives in addition to overseeing the day-to-day operation of the Latin Recording Academy. His areas of focus include business development, production, communications, marketing, and digital. He will report to Abaroa.
Abud’s career trajectory makes him an expert in U.S. Hispanic television and Latin entertainment. He began working at Azteca America in 2014. In his 20-plus media industry years, the executive played a key role in the news and entertainment landscape.
At Azteca America, he carried out a full-scale network turnaround and lead the November 2017 acquisition by HC2 Holdings, Inc., according to his official Latin Recording Academy bio. Previously, he held leadership positions at NBC Universal, where he spent more than 14 years as president of the Telemundo Station Group, TV station president and general manager in Los Angeles and Dallas, and president of Telemundo Cable. Earlier, Abud was president of CBS Telenoticiasand also worked at Mexican companies Televisa,Medcom, and ICA.
Abud’s education includes a bachelor’s degree from Instituto Tecnológico Autónomo de Mexicoin addition to an MBA in management from Houston Baptist University, according to his LinkedIn profile.