Hispanic Heritage Month: Meet HITEC’s Top Hispanic Channel Leaders

National Hispanic Heritage Month comes to a close this weekend. Instead of beginning on the first of the month like most celebration months, Hispanic Heritage Month starts on Sept. 15 in honor of the anniversary of independence for Latin American countries Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua. (In addition, Mexico and Chile celebrate their independence days on September 16 and September18, respectively).

Over the past four weeks, Americans have celebrated the histories, cultures and contributions of Americans whose ancestors came from Spain, Mexico, the Caribbean and Central and South America.

According to the Hispanic Heritage Month website, this year’s theme of “Unidos: Inclusivity for a Stronger Nation” is intended to encourage us “to ensure that all voices are represented and welcomed to help build stronger communities and a stronger nation.”

The Census Bureau reports that Hispanics represent the fastest-growing portion of the American population. In 2021, 62.6 million people identified as Hispanic or Latino; that’s 19% of the U.S. population. Between 2010 and 2020, more than half of the total U.S. population growth (51.1%), was due to an increasing Hispanic population.

And according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Hispanics were responsible for nearly 80% of growth in the U.S. workforce between 2010 and 2017. was due to the number of Hispanic workers grew from 10.7 million in 1990 to 29.0 million in 2020 and is projected to reach 35.9 million in 2030. It is projected that 78% of net new workers between 2020 and 2030 will be Hispanic. By 2050 they will account for nearly one-third of the workforce.

Numerous but Neglected

But despite their substantial numbers, Hispanics are sorely underrepresented in executive positions. They account for 17% of the workforce, but only 4.3% of executives. And in the tech industry, the numbers are even worse in terms of both workers and executives. Hispanics account for less than 8% of tech industry workers.  Even at the biggest tech firms representation is lacking. Axios reports that as of 2021, Hispanics accounted for 8.8% of the tech workers at Google, 8% at Apple, 7% at Microsoft and 6.5% at Meta (Facebook).

And according to the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, only about 3% of executives in the tech industry are Hispanic. For that reason and more, their recognition is especially important.

Each year, the Hispanic Information Technology Executive Council (HITEC) names the 100 most influential Hispanic leaders in technology. Many of these HITEC 100 honorees are with channel-oriented companies. They are a source of pride for their communities as well as an inspiration to achieve. As HITEC Chairman Guillermo Diaz Jr. stated, “This amazing group of awardees has shown us — and more importantly, the next generation that they ‘can be what they can see.’”

Click through the gallery above to see some of the HITEC 100 for 2023.