¡Qué Bello! Meet iHeart’s New D&I Leader

She joined iHeartMedia in October 2019 as SVP of Multicultural Sales, responsible for developing sales opportunities with key advertisers and their agencies across the company’s broadcast stations, digital, podcast, events and its Premiere Networks arm.

Now, this former Google U.S. Multicultural Sales Lead, with experience at Hulu following a nearly eight-year run in sales at NBCUniversal Telemundo Enterprises, is iHeart’s D&I leader.

Yesenia Bello has been selected to serve as iHeartMedia’s first SVP of Diversity and Inclusion. She reports to Chief HR Offier and Chief Diversity Officer Michele Laven, who Bello will work closely with “to drive comprehensive long-term and measurable diversity and inclusion strategies across iHeartMedia.”

Bello will also be charged with the development and implementation of specific Diversity and Inclusion goals and solutions for employee, community, client and agency engagement that drive inclusive behaviors and business practices.

Further, iHeart says Bello will spearhead the development and implementation of inclusion strategies for iHeart that focus on employee retention and development, including identifying and showcasing existing high potential talent across iHeartMedia and promoting internal mobility; collaborating on ongoing Diversity and Inclusion training and education for employees and leadership; and attracting dynamic, diverse and multi-generational talent across the company’s spectrum of audio brands and platforms.

There’s more: Bello will be tasked with creating opportunities to engage and collaborate with iHeartMedia’s advertising and business partners on Diversity and Inclusion initiatives; supporting the advertising sales and marketing teams on Diversity and Inclusion client and agency conversations; working closely with iHeartMedia’s sales and marketing teams on sales and marketing materials; and partnering on Diversity and Inclusion events and projects supporting various iHeartMedia businesses across the country.

“At iHeart, we know that supporting our company’s diverse voices while continuing to bring in new ones is essential to our company’s success,” Laven said. “Throughout her career, Yesenia has made it a priority to understand the needs and goals of multicultural communities. This, combined with her deep knowledge of our company, makes her the right person to take on this newly created role.”

Bello added that she was excited to move into “this critical new role” at iHeart. “I’ve seen iHeart’s commitment to diversity and inclusion up close since joining the company in 2019, and I’m looking forward to working closely with our entire company on new, exciting initiatives to continue to enhance diversity, equity and inclusion at iHeart.”

Bello immigrated to the United States from the Dominican Republic at the age of 11. Upon graduating from CUNY-Staten Island in 2003, she traveled to Rome for a study abroad program. When she returned, she joined Telemundo as a sales assistant working on the network level and for Mun2, now Universo. She’d rise to a sales planner and eventually to a sales associate.

In December 2011, Bello departed to become Hulu’s Multicultural NSM, a role she’d hold for nearly five years.

In August 2016, Bello joined Google to lead multicultural sales, exiting in October 2019 for her most recent role at iHeart, in New York.