Ilya Marotta
Judge
Ilya Espino De Marotta earned her degree in Marine Engineering from Texas A&M University in Galveston, Texas. She obtained a Master's in Economic Engineering from the Universidad Santa María La Antigua in Panama. She has successfully completed Managerial Development courses in: The INCAE Business School, and The Kellogg School of Management, Northwestern University.
She has worked for the Panama Canal for more than 35 years and held multiple engineering positions in several of its' departments. In 2012 Ilya was appointed Executive Vice President of Engineering and Program Management as Chief Engineer of the project Ilya, completed the Panama Canal Expansion in June 2016. In 2019 she was designated Vice President of Operations and in 2020 she was appointed Deputy Administrator of the Panama Canal. In 2024 Ilya was selected as the first Chief Sustainability Officer of the Panama Canal.
Ilya was awarded “Outstanding Woman of the Year” by the Panamanian Association of Business Executives; “Global Chairman’s Diversity Leadership” by Stanton Chase. She made the cover of Forbes Magazine Central America, recognised as one of the 50 most powerful women in the region. Additionally, she was the 2016 honouree for Women who make a difference, by the International Women's Forum. Ilya was a member of the Board of Directors of the Ronald McDonalds Charity Organization of Panama; She is also a member participant of Asociación Directoras de Panamá r (ADP) and the International Women Forum (IWF), and Advisory Board Member of FUNDAPROMAT Panamanian Foundation for the Promotion of Mathematics (FUNDAPROMAT).