TIME Names 12 Latino Leaders for 2025, Highlighting Economic and Cultural Impact
Selection honors entrepreneurs, creators and changemakers as research underscores Latinos’ outsized role in U.S. economic growth
TIME on Wednesday published its annual selection of Latino Leaders for 2025, spotlighting 12 figures whose work spans business, culture, philanthropy and the arts. The list includes restaurateur and cocktail-bar owner Ignacio “Nacho” Jimenez, who won a James Beard Award this year for his New York City bar Superbueno; consumer-products entrepreneur Daniel Lubetzky; investor in women’s sports Emma Rodriguez-Ayala; novelist Isabel Allende; and entertainers such as Liza Colón-Zayas, Isabela Merced and Marcello Hernandez.
The magazine’s “How We Chose the 2025 Latino Leaders” package emphasized achievements, public impact and a commitment to lifting communities as guiding criteria. TIME said its picks reflect the diversity of Latino identities and professions and the multiple ways Latino leaders shape American life and markets.
The selections underscore broader economic trends documented by independent research. A December McKinsey report found Latinos start businesses at higher rates per capita than any other racial or ethnic group in the United States. An April study by UCLA researchers concluded that Latinos, who make up just under 20% of the U.S. population, accounted for more than 30% of the country’s economic growth. An October 2024 fact sheet from the nonpartisan American Immigration Council cited a study associating higher Latino population shares with decreases in homicides, assaults and burglaries in some communities.
TIME’s feature frames the leaders’ work within those larger data points, presenting entrepreneurship and cultural production as drivers of jobs, investment and social capital. Jimenez said the path to recognition in the culinary and hospitality world has at times involved being stereotyped: “People tend to put you in a box—you know, you’re Mexican, and you’re this way,” he told TIME, recounting early career experiences in the United States. He added that his recent award and business success enable him to expand his work and influence.
Comedian and actor Marcello Hernandez said representation is a central concern for many of those named. “I’m actively trying to work as much as I can so that I can have the means and the power to do more and help more people and create a name for myself,” Hernandez said, adding that he aims to represent Latinos in mainstream entertainment.
The list mixes established cultural figures with business founders and civic leaders. Lubetzky is known for founding a major snack-food company and for philanthropic ventures; Rodriguez-Ayala has invested in women’s sports and startups aimed at expanding opportunities for female athletes; Allende is an internationally known novelist whose books have sold millions of copies. TIME has previously marked Hispanic Heritage Month with similar profiles, and its 2025 compilation builds on those earlier efforts to document influence across sectors.
The TIME profiles also highlight how many of the honorees combine professional success with community-focused initiatives. The magazine described philanthropic activities, mentorship programs and advocacy work alongside commercial achievements, portraying the leaders as both market actors and civic contributors.
TIME’s full list of 2025 Latino Leaders and the magazine’s account of its selection process appear in the publication’s feature package. The profiles aim to illuminate how a range of Latino entrepreneurs, creators and changemakers contribute to economic growth, cultural life and community resilience across the United States.