Award-winning, full-service communications agency d expósito & Partners (DEX) announced the addition of Hispanic PR industry veteran, Andy Checo, as managing director of the agency’s PR and Social Media practices. Checo brings to the agency over 20 years of specialized experience in connecting brands to diverse audiences, with specific expertise in the must-win US Hispanic market; a business imperative for any brand. His collective experience includes developing innovative and award-winning programs for leading brands, including Avocados From Mexico, ABInBev, Ancestry.com, Heineken, TurboTax, The Hope Depot, Oscar Mayer, Johnny Walker, and Chase Bank, as well as client-side work for publicly listed and privately held companies, including MundoFOX, Maximus Inc. and Healthfirst. This appointment underscores the critical roles public relations and social media play in integrated campaigns, especially for brands that aim to establish and maintain deeper connections with multicultural segments. “Andy is one of the most active and devoted professionals in the industry. He has a proven track record of executing best-in-class strategies for some of today’s most recognizable brands. Through his involvement with several professional organizations, he has contributed to thought leadership in the Hispanic PR industry in a way that has created a significant, positive impact,” stated Louis Maldonado, Partner and Managing Director at d expósito & Partners. “We welcome Andy to the DEX family and look forward to further expanding the influence PR and social can have in sparking cultural change in a way that drives business growth for our client partners.” Founded in 2006 by Chairman & CEO and Adverting Hall of Famer, Daisy Expósito-Ulla, d expósito & Partners has helped brands drive business growth through strategies and ideas that better connect them with their desired consumer segments. The agency has been recognized for its best-in-class campaigns by multiple awards programs, including the Emmy Awards, the Effie Awards, the Hispanic Public Relations Association’s National ¡Bravo! Awards, the Public Relations Society of America’s Big Apple Awards, the Advertising Research Foundation’s David Ogilvy Awards, the NY Festivals Awards, the Ojo de Iberoamérica Awards, the Hispanic Marketing Council’s Strategic Excellence Awards, and Telly Awards. “There has never been a more important time for both brands and agencies to recognize the potential of multicultural segments. PR and social media are essential disciplines for engaging and building long-term relationships with diverse communities. I am beyond enthusiastic to join DEX, an MWBE agency that’s committed to diversity and ensuring strategies are anchored in cultural insights that yield meaningful messages to secure meaningful results,” said Checo. A graduate of Mount Saint Mary College (NY), Checo is past-president and current board member of the Hispanic Public Relations Association, and a founding member of the Steering Committee of the Diversity Action Alliance, a coalition of public relations and communications leaders joining forces to accelerate progress in the achievement of meaningful and tangible results in diversity, equity, and inclusion. He will be based out of New York City.