Mulheres a Bordo carries out international mission in Panama

From Monday (17) to Thursday (20), the delegation, comprising 20 female leaders from the port sector, will take part in a productive and enriching agenda, including visits to the Panama Canal (Adobe Stock)

A strategic logistics hub for international maritime trade, Panama, known for its canal connecting the Atlantic and Pacific oceans, was chosen as the destination for the first international mission of the Mulheres a Bordo Project 2026, promoted by Grupo Tribuna . From Monday (17) to Thursday (20), the delegation, comprising 20 female leaders from the port sector, will take part in a productive and enriching agenda featuring visits to the Panama Canal, port terminals and logistics companies, as well as Casco Viejo, the historic district of Panama City, the country's capital.

The president of the Mulheres a Bordo Committee, Flávia Takafashi, says the international mission to Panama will provide an opportunity for exchanging experiences and networking among executives from different segments of the logistics chain. “It is impossible to work in the maritime and port sector without understanding the importance of the Panama Canal. And having the opportunity to see the canal's entire operation, management and functioning up close is a unique experience”, says the former director of the National Waterway Transportation Agency (Antaq).

Flávia comments on the highly positive prospects of the technical visits. “We will have a comprehensive technical agenda, visiting local terminals and speaking with executives who view their operations on a global scale. This will undoubtedly enrich the experience and knowledge of the executives taking part in this mission”, she says.

Takafashi notes that the participants' diverse professional backgrounds will also be a distinguishing feature of the experience. “The group of executives on this mission is highly diverse. We have lawyers, representatives of public ports, pulp terminals, dredging companies, container terminals and other segments of the transportation logistics sector.”

The executive adds that contact with an international benchmark such as the Panama Canal will allow each participant to broaden her perspective on different aspects of the industry. “Each of them will have the opportunity to gain unique references that will greatly enrich their views on logistics, efficiency, connectivity, transportation and global trade”, she reiterates.

Flávia believes that “the benefits provided by a mission such as this go beyond the mission itself. Having one of the most strategic and vital maritime passages for global trade as a place for study and learning will certainly help us better understand the current geopolitical context.”

Meanwhile, Elen Guimarães, Business Solutions executive at Grupo Tribuna, says that “the international mission is a very important part of this entire project, whose purpose is to connect, develop and strengthen women's participation in the port, maritime, logistics and foreign trade sectors.”

Elen emphasizes that the experience broadens horizons and creates opportunities for executives to gain a closer understanding of other markets, ports, new technologies and different business models in the sector, while also strengthening connections with global leaders. “These are opportunities that, until recently, were predominantly offered to men.”

Demetrio Amono, Business Director at Grupo Tribuna, said Panama was chosen because of its relevance as the largest port in Latin America, its prominence in female leadership and its logistical convenience. “As this is the first international Mulheres a Bordo mission, we opted for a shorter trip, but one that would be very rich in content and experiences.”

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Panama Canal

According to information from the Panama Canal Authority (ACP), in 2025, the Panama Canal recorded 13,400 transits, connecting 1,920 ports in 170 countries through 180 maritime routes.

Project highlights female leadership

Created by Grupo Tribuna in 2025, with a focus on valuing and encouraging women's participation in Brazilian foreign trade, the Mulheres a Bordo Project is more comprehensive in 2026, featuring two discussion forums, an International Mission to Panama, and a doubling of editorial content, with biweekly reports in the newspaper A Tribuna , as well as a dedicated section on the A Tribuna portal.

The project originated with research presented at the first meeting by Flávia Takafashi, then director of the National Waterway Transportation Agency (Antaq), in April last year, at the Grupo Tribuna auditorium.

The survey, conducted by Antaq in partnership with Wista Brasil, found that, globally, women's participation reached 18%, an increase of 0.5 percentage points between 2023 and 2024. In Brazil, however, the rate remained stagnant at 18%.

Wista Brasil is part of the Women’s International Shipping & Trading Association (Wista International), whose name can be freely translated as Associação Internacional de Mulheres no Transporte Marítimo e Comércio.

Access the interviews on the portal . Nine more professionals will be interviewed by December.

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At intermodal

This year's Mulheres a Bordo Project was officially launched at Intermodal, the largest logistics trade fair in Latin America, on April 15 in São Paulo. The initiative was announced during the Intermodal Women Network, which brought together approximately 100 women from companies across different segments of foreign trade.

On May 5, Grupo Tribuna hosted the 1st Mulheres a Bordo Meeting in the company's auditorium, bringing together industry professionals to discuss diversity and inclusion policies at port companies.

On that occasion, Flávia Takafashi also officially joined the project in collaboration with Grupo Tribuna and was appointed president of the Mulheres a Bordo Committee.

Following the International Mission to Panama, which will take place from Monday (17) to Thursday (20), another meeting is scheduled for October 1, although the venue has not yet been defined.