The Latin Recording Academy® Reinforces Leadership Team as It Prepares for the Next Decade
Seasoned Entertainment Executive Manuel Abud Joins as Chief Operating Officer, Chief Financial Officer Luis Dousdebes takes a new role, and Aida Scorza promoted to Senior Vice President of Awards
MIAMI–(BUSINESS WIRE)–As it celebrates its 20th anniversary and make plans for the next decade, The Latin Recording Academy® has today announced key changes to a leadership team that will continue to drive its remarkable and aggressive growth for the next decade. Changes in the Executive team include appointing former Azteca America President and CEO, Manuel Abud, as the new Chief Operating Officer of The Latin Academy while naming 19-year Latin GRAMMY® veteran Luis Dousdebes to the new position of Chief Awards, Membership and Preservation Officer. Additionally, Aida Scorza, who has served both the Recording Academy™ and The Latin Recording Academy for more than 30 years, has been promoted to Senior Vice President of Awards.
“I’m thrilled about the future of The Latin Recording Academy. As we build on two decades of excellence in Latin music, our organization is stronger than ever,” said Latin Recording Academy President/CEO Gabriel Abaroa Jr. “We have a terrific team and I am looking forward to continuing to work with Luis and Aida in their new and expanded roles, while welcoming Manuel to the family. Manuel is a world-class entertainment executive with exceptional leadership and operational skills. His addition to our organization will uniquely position us for another decade of sustained international and domestic growth.”
In his new role as COO, Abud will be spearheading several international and local growth initiatives. He will also be responsible for the day-to-day operation of the Latin Academy including the areas of business development, production, communications, marketing, and digital. He will report to the President/CEO. Abud’s work in U.S. Hispanic television has made him an expert in Latin entertainment. He joins The Latin Academy from Azteca America, where he served as president and CEO since 2014. With an impressive 20-plus year career in the media industry, during which he has held a wide range of high-level executive positions, he has played a pivotal role in the evolution of the news and entertainment landscape in U.S. Hispanic television. At Azteca America, he implemented a full-scale turnaround of the network and spearheaded the November 2017 acquisition by HC2 Holdings, Inc. Before Azteca, he held prominent top leadership positions at NBC Universal where he spent more than 14 years as president of the Telemundo Station Group, TV station president and GM in Los Angeles and Dallas, and president of Telemundo Cable. Prior to that Abud was president of CBS Telenoticias. Earlier in his career he worked for leading Mexican companies Televisa, Medcom, and ICA.
Dousdebes has been part of the Academy since the first Latin GRAMMY Awards®, and is taking on this new role following nearly two decades with the organization, most recently as its Chief Financial Officer. He has been instrumental in the growth and development of The Latin Recording Academy, which he joined after being an employee of the Recording Academy, where he started as a junior controller later transferring to Miami as Director of Administration before being appointed CFO. In his new role, effective early 2020, Dousdebes will oversee the total revamp of The Latin Academy’s Awards structure, embracing the advantages and efficiencies that the digital world can bring to this important area of The Latin Academy’s work. He will also lead a new approach to the Membership department, refreshing The Latin Academy’s membership base. In addition, he will be responsible for developing and implementing preservation programs and initiatives with international organizations and the GRAMMY Museum® in Los Angeles.
Scorza started her career in her native New York, working for Billboard magazine. She moved to Los Angeles to work in radio and at record labels such as Motown Records and Shelter Records, where she assisted in all the production aspects in the careers of global superstars. Soon after that, Scorza joined the Recording Academy to work in its Awards department. She transitioned to The Latin Recording Academy, launching its Awards department.
ABOUT THE LATIN RECORDING ACADEMY:
The Latin Recording Academy is an international, membership-based organization comprised of Spanish- and Portuguese-speaking recording artists, musicians, songwriters, producers, and other creative and technical recording professionals. The organization is dedicated to improving the quality of life and cultural condition for Latin music and its makers. In addition to producing the Latin GRAMMY Awards to honor excellence in the recorded arts and sciences, The Latin Recording Academy provides educational and outreach programs for the Latin music community either directly or through its Latin GRAMMY Cultural Foundation®. For more information about The Latin Recording Academy, please visit LatinGRAMMY.com.
Contacts
MEDIA CONTACTS:
The Lippin Group on behalf of The Latin Recording Academy:
Elina Adut
EAdut@lippingroup.com
323.965.1990
The Latin Recording Academy:
Soledad Estrella
soledad.estrella@grammy.com
305.576.0036
