After 20 years at Warner Music, most recently as Warner Latina’s managing director, Gabriela “Gaby” Martínez is leaving the company, Billboard has learned. Martínez’s last day in Warner’s Miami offices will be Jan. 31.
She has not announced future plans.
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In a Jan. 14 memo obtained by Billboard announcing Martínez’s departure to staff, Warner Music Latin America president Alejandro Duque wrote: “[Gaby] has taken a holistic approach to artist development, helping our talent craft their music and collaborate with their peers, while designing constantly innovative marketing campaigns, and forging pioneering brand partnerships. She’s a trailblazer, a world-class leader, and an all-around incredible person who earned the respect and trust of so many of our artists and all of you.”
Martínez, who is Mexican, was second in command at Warner’s Latin operation and the most senior woman in its executive ranks. In fact, with the exception of Maria Fernandez in Sony and Elsa Yep at Universal, who are both CFOs, she was the highest-ranking woman in a Latin major.
Perfectly fluent in English and Spanish, Martínez had label expertise but had also worked in production and as on-air talent in television and radio — including a stint with MTV — which gave her a unique understanding of the market.
Throughout her tenure in Warner Music Latin, which began in 2001 when then-president Iñigo Zbala brought her in as VP of marketing, Martínez interacted closely with the entire company’s roster across the continent, including Maná, Laura Pausini, Alejandro Sanz (when he was a Warner artist) and Jesse & Joy. Martínez rose to become SVP of marketing, general manager and finally, managing director. Her recent accomplishments include steering the career of J Quiles, a singer and songwriter who went from writing major hits for others to helming global smashes in the last couple of years.
“I feel so proud of being part of a team all across Latin America that always pulled together and that the level of conviction that we had with our artists made us fight until the last consequences,” Martínez told Billboard. “Sometimes we succeeded, sometimes not, but we gave it our all.”
Broadly respected at all industry levels, Martínez was a regular on Billboard’s Women In Music and Latin Power Players lists, and was recently named a Leading Latin Lady by the Latin Recording Academy.
Martínez’s departure comes almost a year after Zabala announced he was stepping down as president of Warner Music Latin America. Zabala was succeeded last year by Duque, who took over the role in October.
Duque has not announced any other management changes inside the company, nor has he announced a replacement for Martínez.
You can read his full memo to staff below:
I want to share some important news with you. After a remarkable two decades with the Warner Music family, Gaby Martinez has decided to step away from the company. Her last day with us will be on January 31st.
Gaby has been at the heart and soul of this team since 1990, when she started as a label manager in our Mexico office, before returning in 2001 to our regional office, serving most recently as Warner Latina’s Managing Director. She’s been instrumental in the careers of superstar acts such as Alejandro Sanz, Maná, Luis Miguel, Justin Quiles and Jesse & Joy. She’s taken a holistic approach to artist development, helping our talent craft their music and collaborate with their peers, while designing constantly innovative marketing campaigns, and forging pioneering brand partnerships. She’s a trailblazer, a world-class leader, and an all-around incredible person who earned the respect and trust of so many of our artists and all of you.
Our peers have taken notice of Gaby’s brilliance as well, as she was regularly named a Billboard Latin Power Player, landed a Women in Music honor, and was named a Leading Lady honoree by The Latin Recording Academy. Her contributions to our company, and to the wider music industry, have been invaluable and we will miss her greatly. We will be announcing her successor soon.
For now, please join me in thanking Gaby for everything she has done for our artists and for our company. We wish her well for the future and know she’ll always stay in touch.
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