Abril Barba

Abril Barba is an Associate Vice President at BODEN, currently leading U.S. Hispanic brand engagement strategy and program development for McDonald’s. Additionally, during her tenure at BODEN, she has led various retail communications efforts for Target.

Abril specializes in media and influencer relations, brand activations, executive training, and digital content development. She previously served as Account Director at global public relations firm Burson Cohn & Wolfe, designing and implementing communication programs for Florida, U.S., and U.S. Hispanic-focused clients across a variety of industries including consumer products, retail, food and beverage, travel and tourism, education, banking, and non-profit.

She led communications efforts for the U.S. expansion of IKEA, overseeing the grand opening of more than 20 stores across the country. She supported global corporate communication programs for Bacardi Limited, Walgreens, and Coca-Cola. She also managed U.S. Hispanic in-culture initiatives for clients including AVON, Bank of America, Ford, Gatorade, and United Healthcare.

Abril has significant experience in event management, from organizing press conferences and media receptions to red carpet arrivals at major award shows. She coordinated on-site press room activities for organizations including The Recording and Latin Recording Academy, Cartier, Club Med, JW Marriott, and Perry Ellis International.

Abril has worked on several award-winning campaigns, recognized by PRWeek, Ragan Communications and Effie U.S.

She graduated Cum Laude from the University of Miami and holds a Bachelor of Science in Communication, specializing in Broadcast Journalism with a double major in Spanish. While attending college, Abril worked as an anchor/reporter for UMTV Cable Tap and completed an exclusive summer internship program at Univision Communications, where she produced segments for top-rated Noticiero Univision.