Ilya Espino de Marotta Takes Office as Administrator of the Panama Canal

Engineer Ilya Espino de Marotta took office today, Monday, September 7, 2026, as Administrator of the Panama Canal for the 2026–2033 term. The ceremony formalized an orderly leadership transition and marked the beginning of a new administration leading the institution. With more than four decades of service, Espino de Marotta becomes the first woman to hold the Panama Canal’s highest executive position.

“Forty-one years ago, I came here to learn. Today, it is my turn to lead, but my conviction remains exactly the same; to serve Panama with honesty, discipline, and profound respect for this institution,” Espino de Marotta said. “My commitment is to remain focused on efficiency, transparency, and ethics, because every dollar we manage at the Canal belongs to Panama, and that is how we will treat it,” she added. “I accept this appointment with a profound sense of duty and with absolute confidence in the people who make it possible to run the Canal every day.”

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