When she was growing up in Peru, Villegas’s family expected her to become a stay-at-home mother like her own mother was.
Villegas, however, had different plans. Now, Villegas is Chief Marketing Officer at Affinipay. Prior to her current role, she was marketing director for North America commercial business at Dell Inc., where she was responsible for B2B marketing communications. Villegas has led the evolution of the marketing efforts through digital and next-gen technology adoption, establishing forums to drive innovation and partnering with key vendors to be first in market for new marketing tactics. Villegas also speaks at B2B marketing forums, where she discusses digital evolution, omnichannel strategy, and how to succeed in a shifting landscape.
Villegas’s work at Dell Inc. goes beyond marketing, however. Soon after joining the company in 2003, Villegas joined the employee resource group (ERG) Latino Connection, formerly known as Adelante. She attended events and independently mentored Latina employees until 2014, when members of Latino Connection’s board asked her to join the ERG as an emerging leader.
In 2014, Villegas established the Day at Dell, an annual day when Latino Connection and Latinitas bring a group of girls to the campus.
Villegas herself is a model of what the Latinitas mentees can achieve. Among her recent accomplishments is the Dell B2B digital campaign which guided potential customers through the journey of choosing Dell and sent them to the website only after several levels of off-site engagement. The campaign achieved thirteen times the engagements over previous campaigns with a fourth of the cost.
In June 2017, Villegas was honored at the Latinitas Quinceañera gala. The event featured artists from around Austin, a silent and a live auction, and recognition of Villegas and other Latinitas supporters. Villegas wants to give young women the opportunities that she’s had and the confidence to take them. “I’ve learned that you have to make your own opportunities. You have to push and keep giving your best,” she says. “That’s what’s going to take you into the next step in your journey. That’s what’s going to keep you moving.”