Florida A&M University (FAMU) announced business executive and entrepreneur Arturo Nuñez as the keynote speaker for the 2023 Homecoming Convocation.
The kick-off for Homecoming weekend will be held at 10:10 a.m. Friday, Oct. 27 in the Al Lawson Multipurpose Center, 1800 Wahnish Way. Doors open at 8 a.m.
Nuñez, a graduate of the FAMU School of Business and Industry (SBI), is founder and chief executive officer of AIE Creative. He addressed new students during Welcome Week in August.
President Larry Robinson, Ph.D., said as a barrier breaking pioneer in the digital age, Nuñez is the right voice for the occasion addressing students, faculty, staff, alumni, and supporters.
“Homecoming Convocation is a celebratory event that brings the FAMUly together. We anticipate hearing a powerful message from alumnus Arturo Nuñez. His life and career are an inspiration to Rattlers everywhere,” Robinson said.
Nuñez is a veteran executive, consultant, investor, and entrepreneur with more than 35 years’ experience at entities such as Apple, Nike, the NBA, and Nubank. He leads AIE Creative, a company he founded to provide immersive experiences to a highly curated selection of brands that are looking for unique ways to connect with diverse customers.
Nuñez said addressing those gathered at the Convocation will give him the opportunity to articulate how central FAMU has been to his success.
“It is a profound honor to return to my beloved alma mater FAMU, a place where I was not only educated but truly celebrated. This historically Black college was the crucible of my successes, and it’s here, that I learned the importance of resilience, determination, the power of unity and the meaning of FAMUly,” said Nuñez, who was formerly the chief marketing officer at Nubank, the world’s largest independent digital bank, where he ran its global marketing efforts in Brazil, Mexico, and Colombia.
“As I stand before my fellow alumni, I hope to impart the message that our history, our community, and our shared experiences are the roots of our strength,” said Nuñez, who is fluent in Spanish and Portuguese. “Together, we can overcome any challenges and continue to celebrate our achievements, for it’s on these hills and in these halls that dreams take flight and legacies are born.”
Prior to NuBank, Nuñez joined Applein 2014 as their head of Marketing for Latin America responsible for marketing, corporate communications, product marketing, education content, and enterprise marketing. In that role, the Pinecrest, Florida, resident was instrumental in developing and fostering business growth across all 38 countries in Latin America and the Caribbean, with a special focus on Brazil, Mexico, Colombia, and Chile.
Earlier in his career, Nuñez held several positions with Nike and was a Board member of the Estee Lauder Companies and the NBA Players Association. In 2012, he became vice president of Global Marketing for Nike Basketball, responsible for driving Nike’s global marketing vision and strategy.
Nuñez’s passion for sports and global culture initially drew him to Nike where he was responsible for creating the voice of Nike Basketball as well as the communications, public relations, events, retail, digital, E-commerce and creative strategies. He developed campaigns and branding for high profile athletes such as Lebron James, Kobe Bryant, Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving, and Paul George.
Nuñez also led Nike’s brand efforts, overseeing all aspects of the marketing mix including brand communications, sports marketing, public relations, retail marketing and category brand management, and driving brand energy around such key categories as soccer, running and sport culture.
Before joining Nike, Nuñez spent seven years at the NBA, where he worked his way from marketing director of Consumer Products for the Latin America office to vice president and managing director of Latin America and the U.S. Hispanic market.