For four years and change, a WarnerMedia veteran who came on board with the appointment of Wade Davis as TelevisaUnivision CEO’s played an integral role leading U.S. ad sales and marketing for the biggest Spanish-language content creation and distribution company in the world.
Come June 9, Donna Speciale will be seeking her next opportunity.
In an announcement distributed Monday, TelevisaUnivision confirmed that Speciale will step down from her role as President of U.S. Advertising Sales and Marketing.
Assuming that position is Tim Natividad, who the company says “brings deep experience across some of the world’s leading technology and media platforms.” He joins TelevisaUnivision from TikTok, where he served as U.S. Head of Enterprise Sales for the social media app at the heart of national security concerns.
Prior to that, he held senior roles at Roku, focused on TV advertising in the digital realm. He’s also an Amazon veteran, and there Natividad led global search and performance advertising sales across key verticals. Earlier in his career, he worked at Google, as Natividad “supported top marketers in developing brand and performance strategies across YouTube, Search, and Display.”
Commenting on the end of her time at TelevisaUnivision, Speciale said, “It’s been a privilege to have led this team during such a pivotal phase of growth and reinvention. Together, we’ve elevated the role TelevisaUnivision plays in helping hundreds of new brands connect with U.S. Hispanic audiences in powerful and performance-driven ways—from introducing [direct-to-consumer video platform] ViX to the marketplace and advancing creator-driven social solutions, to expanding how we deliver for clients across every platform. The work is far from done, and I’m confident the team is poised to keep pushing boundaries and deliver impact where it matters most.”
Speciale in July 2019 departed as President of Ad Sales for WarnerMedia’s cable television brands — TNT, TBS, TRU, Adult Swim, Cartoon Network and CNN. It was a role she held from March 2012, when she joined WarnerMedia after enjoying a lengthy career in media buying. From December 2003 until joining WarnerMedia, Speciale was President of Investment, Activation and Agency Operations at MediaVest. For nearly 15 years prior to that, from March 1989, Speciale was at Mediacom, holding the title of EVP/National & Local Broadcast from March 1997-November 2003. Her departure from WarnerMedia was tied to a wholesale ad leadership shift at the AT&T-owned operation, which at the time was highly focused on debt reduction tied to the MVPD-distributed channels.
TelevisaUnivision’s current CEO, Daniel Alegre, commented, “Donna has left an indelible impact on TelevisaUnivision, serving as a fierce advocate who helped shift the industry’s focus toward the full potential of U.S. Hispanic consumers—bringing hundreds of new advertisers into the fold and expanding the market’s understanding of our value. Her leadership has been instrumental in elevating our commercial strategy and positioning us for continued growth. We’re deeply grateful for the foundation she’s built and the momentum she’s helped create as we enter this next chapter.”
Speaking of Natividad, Alegre continued, “We’re thrilled to have Tim at the helm of our U.S. advertising business at such a pivotal time for both our business and the industry at large. Tim’s deep expertise in platform strategy, data-driven marketing, and emerging media will accelerate innovation, sharpen our commercial edge, and reinforce our position as the partner of choice for brands looking to engage the most critical growth consumer in America today: U.S. Hispanics.”
For Natividad, he’s honored to join TelevisaUnivision “at a moment of such transformation in media, marketing, and consumer engagement. The company’s unrivaled connection to U.S. Hispanic audiences presents a powerful opportunity for brands to grow through cultural relevance, innovation, and measurable impact. I look forward to building on the momentum of this world-class team and advancing solutions that deliver performance at scale for our partners.”
