Twelve women from the region recognized in first ‘Women Leaders 2024’ contest

Yesterday El Mercurio de Antofagasta, La Estrella and SQM’s Nitrates Iodine Division held the awards ceremony for the first “Women Leaders 2024” contest as part of their efforts to commemorate Women’s Month. This particular initiative was designed to spotlight, recognize and promote women social leaders, athletes and entrepreneurs who stand out in the Antofagasta Region.

At the closing ceremony, 12 women selected by the event organizers were honored for their leadership and commitment in their respective areas.

This year’s recipients of the ‘Women Leaders 2024’ awards were: Ariela Flores, who leads various projects in María Elena in support of the elderly through the ‘Juventud Acumulada’ center; Daniela Núñez, founder of Verdical, which promotes eco-entrepreneurship and environmental recovery; Carolina Galaz, president of the Pampa Biker group and volunteer for the MES program in María Elena;

Eugenia Echeverría, an active volunteer with the Sierra Gorda Fire Department; Genoveva Williams, a teacher and the principal at Óscar Bonilla High School in Antofagasta; Marcela Mercado, one of the founders of the Rebel Reading Club and the Chepuja Rebelde School;

Olga Hernández, a teacher who works on various projects to encourage science in children and young people (Vilti Semann program); Dammari Tabilo, who stands out for her contribution to sports and recreation in Mejillones; Rubí Moya, a psychologist by profession, an expert in neurodivergence and leader of initiatives related to labor inclusion; Sara Bravo, founder of the Antofagasta Women’s Basketball Neighborhood League;

Ximena García, concertmaster of the Antofagasta Symphony Orchestra and teacher at the LEA; and Cecilia Meléndez, manager of Impulsa 4.0, an associative and social mobilizing project of the CCM-Eleva alliance and the Antofagasta Mining Cluster Corporation.

“I am very grateful for and proud of this recognition. As they say, it’s never too late and much less so for one who is a sports leader and founder of the women’s basketball league that has been making history in regional sports since 1988,” said Sara Bravo.

Daniela Núñez expressed her delight at receiving this recognition and said, “More than an award for me, it is for the work that Verdical carries out in the region, for seven years of tireless effort.”

Pablo Pisani, Corporate Affairs Manager for SQM’s Nitrates Iodine Division, commented, “We are very pleased to recognize this group of women from Antofagasta, Mejillones, Sierra Gorda and María Elena, who are contributing to the sustainable development of their territories in important areas like education, sports, social innovation, academia and others.” This initiative is in addition to Lideresas del Desierto, an unprecedented initiative that we promoted as a company, which recognized 42 women from different districts and towns in the regions of Antofagasta and Tarapacá.”

The ceremony was attended by the regional secretaries for the ministries of Women, Mining, Energy and Labor (Paulina Larrondo, Macarena Barramuño, Dafne Pino and Guido Muñoz (interim), respectively); the Mayor of Sierra Gorda, Deborah Paredes; a representative of the Mayor of Mejillones, Iván Maturana; the CEO of Emelnor, Carlos Rodríguez; and the Director of La Estrella, Sergio Mercado.