Mariana Atencio - Journalist

Originally from Venezuela, Mariana studied journalism at Universidad Católica. Whilst here, she participated in student protests for democracy sparked by the government of Hugo Chavez shutting down independent media outlets. After being assaulted in an armed robbery, Mariana moved to the USA, where she was able to continue studying, having received a full-merit scholarship to Columbia University's Journalism School, where she would earn her master's degree in broadcast journalism.

Mariana's big break came whilst anchoring and reporting for Univision, where she also filed stories for the Documentaries and Investigative Unit. Here, she won a Peabody Award and an Investigative Reporters and Editors Award for her work exploring the illegal weapons trade across the border in Mexico. She also won a Gracie Award for directing, writing and reporting a documentary about the freedom of the press in Latin America.

It was from here that Mariana went on to host The Morning Show on the Disney and Univision joint venture, Fusion, and was a co-anchor for the Democratic Presidential debate in 2016. Mariana later made the crossover from Spanish to English-speaking television as a correspondent for NBC News, where she fast became known for her engaging and compassionate field work. Her investigative pieces on Latin America, the Latino community, cartel violence, women's and migrants' rights earned her three Emmy nominations as well as a Hillman Prize and the National Association of Hispanic Journalists Presidential Award. 

Over her varied broadcast career, Mariana has reported across the globe from places such as Haiti, the Syrian border and China, and has interviewed high-profile figures such as President Joe Biden, Pope Francis and King Felipe VI of Spain.

Mariana's inspirational journey was featured in the award-winning HBO series Habla and just ten years after she first arrived in the USA, she was awarded Columbia's First Decade Award.

In addition to her incredible media success, Mariana is a 2021 Henry Crown Fellow at the Aspen, and a spokesperson for the American Latino Museum in Washington DC. In 2022, she launched her popular true crime podcast Lost in Panama, which brings to light the issue of missing women and girls in the region. Her podcast quickly made Apple's top 10 list, and Mariana would go on to headline Foreign Policy magazine's HerPower summit, arranged to tackle gender inequality in the Americas.

In Mariana's keynotes, she takes the lessons learnt from her hard-fought career in journalism and explores change, navigating difficult changes and uncertainty. Moving to the US from Venezuela as a young girl, Mariana felt self-conscious about being different. In her powerful TEDx talk, she describes her struggles to adapt to her new life and surroundings. Her message of celebrating our differences to unleash our full potential resonates with many audiences.

A natural-born storyteller, Mariana strives to build bridges and understanding in her media reports, keynote speeches and her bestselling book. Drawing on her own experiences, she inspires people to use their personal and professional authenticity to strengthen their careers, workplace cultures and personal relationships.