Leading by Example

Success has not been a goal or purpose for Alexandra Caraballo. She has always put her best foot forward and conquered the biggest obstacles. Alexandra’s willingness to learn, adapt, and persevere are the qualities that contributed to her forward marching pioneering career. “I always advise everyone to focus on your goals, be open to new opportunities, and surround yourself with a supportive network of mentors, colleagues, and friends,” she explains. “The most important thing is to educate new generations to understand that great ideas can come from anyone in the team, that there is no advantage or disadvantage in gender differences, and that only talent speaks for everyone.” To be successful, one of the most critical lessons Alexandra has learned is the importance of authenticity and staying true to oneself. “As a female leader, navigating a male-dominated industry can be challenging, but staying true to one's values and identity can earn respect and trust from team members and clients.”

After a successful career and a clear next step, Alexandra stepped in to oversee Lopito Ileana & Howie from 2022. Her plan has always been to develop the business as a creative ideas company and keep creativity at the heart of everything they do. Finding business solutions for the clients, focusing on agility and profitability for the benefit of all, Alexandra brings a broad knowledge of the business with a clear understanding of how it should evolve and what the advertising market needs.

Her qualities are perfect for achieving what we need: success in everything she sets out to do and the respect of everyone in the industry. Ethics, a commitment to excellence, and transparency in everything she does while remaining humble. Everything is fully aligned with Lopito Ileana & Howie’s business values.

As a female leader, it is essential for Alexandra to support women entrepreneurs in their respective fields and for every woman to believe in her ability to achieve anything she sets her mind to. It is important to mentor others and help them develop their strengths to grow as leaders in their business field. At Lopito Ileana & Howie, she prioritizes the development and growth of the team members, encouraging them to become the leaders of tomorrow. “We do this by providing opportunities for training, mentoring and education. We also foster a culture of collaboration and innovation where each team member's voice and ideas are valued and respected,” elucidates Alexandra. “My personal style is to teach by example. I firmly believe in the value of all of us learning from each other. We all have something to teach and a lot to learn. Future generations need someone to motivate and inspire them to do their best and be great professionals. I want them to remember me tomorrow as a great person from whom they learned to be a better professional and person.”

Armed with her unique perspectives, Alexandra has been taking the company to new heights navigating various challenges with her expert skillsets. “Right now, one of the biggest and most important challenges or trends is the shift towards marketing and digital advertising and making sure we don't lose the impact and brand recall,” says Alexandra. “Another important trend today is automation and how we take advantage of it internally for our business and externally as an ally to our work. Ensuring we never fall into mediocrity and always understand the power of humans where great, unique, and exclusive ideas come from. At Lopito Ileana & Howie, we stay ahead of these trends by investing in new technologies and tools that help us better understand and target our clients’ audiences.”

The agency has had a track record of successes and great projects that everyone in the industry remembers, and Alexandra has been a part of some of them. Still, one of her most significant achievements is creating and developing Horoma3, in partnership with two other local agencies as the first purely local media group in Puerto Rico. This approach has made us the largest agency for billing and media buying in the Puerto Rico market. Additionally, the agency has been recognized with numerous industry awards, including Cannes, NY Film Festival, Marketing and Digital Awards, Hispanic Media Planning Award, OBBIE, and the Creative Media Award in NY, among others.

“As I look to the future, I am excited about the opportunities and challenges that are ahead. I am committed to continuing to grow and develop as a leader while helping our organization to stay at the forefront of the industry,” says Alexandra. “We are exploring new markets, business opportunities and investing in new technologies and tools to better serve our clients.”