First woman appointed to top post overseeing Panama Canal

A veteran engineer with more than three decades of experience at the Panama Canal has become the first woman ever appointed to lead the administration of the strategic waterway.

Panamanian President José Raúl Mulino announced this week that Ilya Espino de Marotta will serve a seven-year term as head of the canal authority, as reported by AP.

Her appointment follows a weeks-long selection process by the Panama Canal Board of Directors, which reviewed a number of high-profile candidates.

Espino de Marotta, 64, will officially take office on October 1. She has served as deputy administrator of the interoceanic waterway since January 2020.

“I have spoken with the new Administrator of the Panama Canal... to congratulate her and reaffirm the commitment to work in coordination on strategic projects that generate jobs, prosperity and progress for Panamanians,” Mulino wrote on X.

A 35-year veteran of the canal authority, Espino de Marotta is well known both for her trademark pink hard hat and for overseeing major infrastructure projects, including the canal’s landmark $5 billion expansion.

Among the biggest challenges awaiting the incoming administration are plans for two new ports — one at each end of the canal — with tender offers expected to be released in the coming months.

Those projects, along with future tenders for a natural gas pipeline and a broader logistics corridor, form a central part of the canal’s long-term expansion and diversification strategy.

By Nazrin Sadigova