Juan Carlos Rodriguez — President of Sports at Univision, the leading Hispanic media company in the US. He’s regarded as one of the most powerful and influential sports executives in the industry.

We talk about his journey, being shaped by growing up in Mexico City, how childhood insecurities led to his creativity and unique leadership style, and how football informs his approach for business, including hiring decisions. He’s one of the rare breed of sports media executives and a disruptive force in a typically traditional industry.

Under Rodriguez’ guidance, Univision Deportes Network has become the No. 1 Spanish-language sports network in the country, just five years since its debut, and is consistently among the top five sports networks in the country, regardless of language. Rodriguez was also responsible of delivering the most successful FIFA World Cup broadcast in the United States to date. Among many other things, he’s lead the acquisition of exclusive Spanish-language media rights of most major tournaments and leagues, including the World Cup and the Champions League.

Rodriguez has been named one of the “31 Most Powerful People in U.S. Soccer” by FourFourTwo, he has also been named for two years in a row to Sports Business Journal’s annual list of sports business mavens, “50 Most Influential” and appeared in Sports Illustrated’s “30 Most Influential Hispanics in Sports”. Under his direction, Univision Deportes has garnered five Sports Emmy Awards for excellence in sports coverage.