Paola Alejandra TAPIA SALAS

Paola Tapia Salas is a lawyer from the Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile with a Master’s Degree in Law and a Certificate in Public Policy and Public Management. With more than 20 years of experience in public mobility policies, she focuses on the integration of various modes of transportation and the development of projects with a gender perspective.

In 2017, she was named by President Michelle Bachelet as the first woman Minister of Transport and Telecommunications, after developing a large career within the State Secretariat. During her time there, she held various positions, including Legislative Coordinator, Head of the Legal Division, Head of the Legal Area of Oversight and Development of the Civil Aeronautics Board.

Additionally, she served as Vice President of Tren Central and as Counselor of the Public Enterprise System. She also founded the organizations Mujeres en Movimiento and Red Ciudad Futura, through which she has promoted her strong commitment to improving mobility and promoting the role of women and gender equity in urban development.

Today she is the Director of Metropolitan Public Transport, after previously serving as Head of the Infrastructure and Transport Division of the Metropolitan Regional Government. As an important issue in her career, she maintains a permanent link with academia, as a professor at the Central University.