Maricella Herrera Avila

Maricella Herrera Avila is the CEO of Ellevate Network, the largest community for women+ at work focused on creating a culture of equity and inclusion in business. She oversees overall business operations, growth and strategy, and works closely with Ellevate's Chapter Leaders, Business Partners, and Champions to further Ellevate's impact.

As a strategy executive with 15 years of experience building and scaling teams, brands and businesses, Maricella has led the creation of impactful programming such as the annual Mobilize Women Summit, which reaches thousands of professionals across the globe and is supported by some of the world’s leading companies. Maricella is also the host of the Ellevate Podcast, Conversations with Women Changing the Face of Business. Through her 10-year career at Ellevate Network, she has managed the business through an acquisition, a re-brand, and a full operational/workforce transformation.

Prior to Ellevate, Maricella held several positions in real estate banking at Banamex, Citi’s Mexican subsidiary, where she worked on providing credit funding for low income housing development projects in the north of Mexico.

Maricella received a BA in Financial Management from ITESM in Mexico and an MBA from Columbia Business School.

Female Role Model: Jacqueline Novogratz, Founder of Acumen

What’s your favorite place on earth? The beach in El Salvador. There is one specific beach club that I’ve been going to since I was a kid and it still makes me so happy to spend some time there every year just relaxing with my family. Second place is the Reservoir at Central Park.

Favorite book: I have two - The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas and The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry

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