Marcela Berland

President, Latin Insights

Marcela M. Berland is the founding President and CEO of Latin Insights. Marcela is an internationally recognized leader who has built a strong reputation as a trusted advisor and strategist, and is widely considered an expert in crisis management, strategic communications and public affairs. She leverages consumer insights, market trends, and emerging technologies to conceive innovative and actionable strategies for corporate and political clients. Marcela is a 2021 Forbes Next 1,000 honoree. The award celebrates bold and inspiring entrepreneurs.

In Latin America, Marcela has been a political strategist for Presidents Luis Abinader of the Dominican Republic, Álvaro Colom of Guatemala, Martín Torrijos of Panamá, Leonel Fernández of the Dominican Republic, Vicente Fox of Mexico, Miguel Ángel Rodríguez of Costa Rica, Carlos Andrés Pérez of Venezuela, Gonzalo Sánchez de Lozada of Bolivia, Jaime Paz Zamora of Bolivia, Fernando de la Rúa of Argentina, and Rodrigo Borja of Ecuador. Her work addressed women issues, innovation, digital strategies, smart cities, foreign investment, unemployment, and political and economic reform. In addition, she has worked for Mayor Bloomberg in New York City, New Democrats Network, and Governor Rafael Hernandez Colón of Puerto Rico.

Marcela has conducted many studies in the U.S., Latin America, and Europe on behalf of corporations and governments. Her clients include Airbnb, WeWork, Audible, Marsh McLennan, Facebook, Biossance, the Department of Commerce and Tourism of Florida, the Department of Tourism of Costa Rica, Pro-Chile, New York City Tourism, Panama Canal Authority, Earthjustice, Nissan, Carnival Cruise Line, Circle Line, American Airlines, United Airlines, TWA, the Organization of American States, the World Bank, USAID, the Department of Homeland Security, NHCC, Microsoft, Skype, Univision, Fox News, New Line Cinema, El Diario/La Prensa, Hispanic Trends Magazine, LeapFrog, Scholastic, Discovery Communications, Inc., Discovery Kids, VH1, the National Association of Broadcasters, NBC, Viacom, The League of Theater Owners and Producers, Qwest Communications, Starbucks, The Coca-Cola Company, PepsiCo, A&P, Unilever, Anheuser-Busch Inc., Heineken, Prudential Securities, Scotiabank, Lladró, Merrill Lynch, Texaco, Shell, British Petroleum, Atlantic, Harley Davidson, ADP, AARP, Johnson & Johnson, Bayer, DuPont Pharmaceutical, Cigna, Blue Cross/Blue Shield, Novo Nordisk, Pfizer, Alcon, Symrise, Perry Ellis, Autism Speaks, and Underwriters Laboratories among others.

On behalf of USAID and the government of Romania, she assisted in the formulation and evaluation of the Romanian privatization program. Her international experience also includes work conducted in Eastern Europe shortly after the end of communist rule in Hungary, Czechoslovakia and Poland. Her studies on emerging democratic government were compiled in the book Strategies of Democratization.

In addition, she has worked closely with Fox News Latino, U.S. News & World Report and The Hollywood Reporter, creating special polling reports on a wide variety of issues. She has also worked with El Caribe and El Siglo, two of the leading newspapers in the Dominican Republic.

Marcela has collaborated on several books and published essays including Strategies of Democratization, ed. Tatu Vanhanen (Washington: Ed. Taylor & Francis, 1992), Dynamics of Societal Learning About Global Environmental Change, (ISSC/UNESCO, 1991), and Racionalidad del Peronismo, ed. José E. Miguens and Frederick C. Turner (Buenos Aires: Ed. Planeta, 1988). She has also appeared frequently on CBS News, CNN en Español, NY1 News, Channel 12 News, and other media networks.

Marcela has been a guest-speaker at numerous conferences in the U.S. and abroad. She has been a key note speaker at WEF, NYU, Harvard University, Stern School of Business at New York University, the Lee Iacocca Institute, the University of Connecticut, George Washington University, The Washington Center, the Catholic University of Argentina, the World Association of Public Opinion Research, the American Association of Public Opinion Research, Konrad Adenauer Foundation, the National Association of Hispanic Publications, the Congress of Hemispheric Chambers of Commerce, the National Hispanic Corporate Council, and Prospanica among others.

Prior to founding Latin Insights, Marcela was the Head of Latam at Edelman Berland, from 2014 to 2016. She founded Latin Insights in 2003. Ms. Berland was also a Managing Director at Bozell, Sawyer and Miller, and President of the Latin America division at Penn & Schoen. In 1990, she worked at Market & Opinion Research International (MORI), London, as Director of their Corporate and Environmental Practice. From 1982 to 1989, she was a Professor of Political Science and a founder and Director of the Center of U.S. Studies at the Catholic University of Argentina in Buenos Aires.

Marcela completed an Executive Program at the Business Graduate School at Stanford University, she also holds a Licenciatura Summa Cum Laude in Political Science and International Relations from the Catholic University of Argentina where she received a Fulbright Scholarship; a Delta Kappa Gamma Scholarship and a Monica Mourier de Archibal Scholarship to study in the US. She holds a Master’s Degree in Public Policy and Survey Research from the University of Connecticut.

Marcela is an Advisory Board member of the Pan-American Development Foundation (PADF), a member of LBAN (Latino Business Action Network), and a Board member of WEF Caribbean (Women Economic Forum).