Xavier Gutierrez on Latino leadership in the sports industry

Xavier Gutierrez made history as the first Latino president of a National Hockey League (NHL) team, leading the Arizona Coyotes before the franchise relocated to Utah.

In this episode of “Horizonte,” we spoke with Gutierrez, who is the Co-founder of Latinos in Sports and also Chairman and CEO of ImpactX Sports Group, about his latest initiatives and vision for the future.

Reflecting on his journey, Gutierrez described his experience as both everything he expected and completely unexpected. He emphasized the transformative power of sports, highlighting its role in community leadership, media, live events and consumer engagement.

Gutierrez’s first major initiative, Latinos in Sports, is a multi-strategy platform designed to address the need for Latino representation in leadership roles across the global sports industry. He noted a startling statistic: Out of 153 teams across the top five men’s professional leagues in the U.S., he was the only Latino CEO. Determined to change this, Gutierrez partnered with Pedro Guerrero of Guerrero Media, publishers of Hispanic Executive Magazine, to build a comprehensive platform that:

• Highlights the impact of Latinos in the sports industry through meetings and events
• Produces content featuring Latino executives in sports
• Conducts research and data analysis to showcase Latino contributions beyond soccer and Spanish-language media
• Supports career development to ensure more Latinos reach executive roles

Gutierrez emphasized sports should not be viewed solely as entertainment but as a multi-vertical business platform encompassing media, technology, health, wellness and live events.

He advises aspiring professionals and investors to think beyond the game itself and explore growth opportunities in stadium operations, branding and business transactions across industries. He challenged industry leaders with thought-provoking questions like, “If I handed you the Arizona Cardinals’ marks and logos, what business should they be in 10 years from now?”

Gutierrez said he is committed to shaping a future where Latinos hold decision-making roles in major sports organizations. By fostering leadership, research and investment, he aims to ensure sports remain a powerful vehicle for both community impact and business innovation.