Ilya Marotta

Ilya Espino De Marotta earned a degree in Marine Engineering from Texas A&M University in Galveston, Texas(1985). In 1996 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, Managua, Nicaragua (2000) and, The Kellogg School of Management, in Illinois, U.S.A. (2006).

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 as Executive Vice-president of Engineering and Program Management As Chief Engineer of the project, Ilya completed the Panama Canal Expansion on June 2016. In 2019 she was designated as Vice-president of Operations and in 2020 she was appointed as Deputy Administrator 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, recognized as one of the 50 most powerful women in the region. Additionally, she was the 2016 honoree for Women who make a difference, by the International Women's Forum. Ilya is a member of the Board of Directors of the Ronald McDonalds Charity Organization of Panama; She is also a member participant of Women Corporate Director (WCD) and the International Women Forum (IWF).