Panama Canal has appointed  Ilya Espino de Marotta as deputy administrator, becoming the first female to hold this position.

Mrs. Espino de Marotta began her career at the Canal in 1985 as the sole female engineer on the shipyard. She now works alongside more than 1,000 women and recently served as the Vice President of Transit Business and the Executive Vice President for Engineering during the Panama Canal Expansion Program.

Aristides Royo, directors chairman, Panama Canal Board, commented: “Ilya skillfully oversaw the construction of the Expanded Canal, leading the waterway into a new era for global shipping,”

“It is a great honour to work alongside a visionary such as Ilya, and I am certain that she will continue leading the Canal into a new decade of inspired innovation,” added Ricaurte Vásquez Morales, Panama Canal administrator.