Reader’s Digest Announces New President for Asia Pacific/Latin American Business
21 April, 2010 - The Reader’s Digest Association, Inc. today announced that Patricia Hespanha, President, Canada & Latin America, will become President of Asia Pacific / Latin America (APLA), comprising Asia, Australia-New
Zealand-South Africa and Latin America. In the Asia Pacific role she succeeds Andrea Martin, who is leaving RDA to
pursue new endeavours. Hespanha will continue to be based in Mexico City.
Walter Beyleveldt, Managing Director for Australia, New Zealand and South Africa (ANZSA) will report into Hespanha and a
Managing Director will soon be appointed for Asia.
Patricia joined Reader’s Digest Brazil in 1996, and has successfully undertaken several senior roles across many areas
and several countries within the company, including Magazine Circulation Director for Europe, Managing Director for
Brazil, Managing Director for Mexico from 2008 and President of Canada/Latin America (CALA) business. Prior to her time
with RDA, Patricia worked with Citibank and Banco Nacional.
“I am excited about the challenge of adding the Asia Pacific business to my remit,” says Hespanha. “I believe the key to
success is a strong team that explores the local potential, whilst taking advantage of the global reach we have, and
that thinks about the client in everything they do. By ensuring that our customers receive our content and products
where, when and how they chose to, we will work towards maintaining RDA’s relevance to a growing and diverse group of
customers within the markets it operates in and hopefully others too,” she continues.
Patricia graduated in Economics at State University of Rio de Janeiro and has a Marketing MBA from Coppead, the Federal
University of Rio de Janeiro. She is a Brazilian national and currently lives in Mexico with her husband and two sons.
ENDS