Ximena Valenzuela Cabrera
2024-2025 University of Chicago Scholar
Peru
Founder, Wista Peru
Advancing women’s inclusion in the maritime, port, foreign trade, and logistics industries through education and skill-building initiatives.
Ximena Valenzuela Cabrera is a Peruvian lawyer dedicated to promoting women in the maritime, port, logistics, and trade industries. She began her career in the private sector before transitioning to government work, where she addressed issues ranging from telecommunications to transportation (highways, railways, ports, and airports) to sanitation. Her experience advising one of Peru’s major ports highlighted the challenges women face in the male-dominated maritime industry, inspiring her to co-found Wista Peru with 10 other women. The organization now has 90 members and offers technical training and soft skills development to advance women's professionalism in the region’s maritime industries. Ximena plans to include technicians in Wista Peru’s membership and to collaborate with port concessionaires in Peru that have gender equality programs in place. These entities are contractually obligated to manage funds addressing critical local needs, and Ximena wants to learn from experts, other Scholars, and practitioners how to transform systems to be more inclusive so she can ensure these funds are distributed appropriately and effectively.
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