Valencia elects its first female president

It’s a move which has been welcomed by Propeller Valencia, the association of logistics managers and entrepreneurs. 

“Mar Chao knows that she has the support of Propeller Valencia to address the challenges that Valenciaport has on the table, just as previous presidents have had,” said its president, Alfredo Soler.

”Our commitment is to continue working, side by side and tirelessly, in favoring the interests of Valencian logistics and the economic and social development of the Valencian Community.” 

Popular election

A civil, canal and port engineer from the University of A Coruña and graduate in law from the Universitat Oberta de Catalunya, Mar Chao has long developed her work in the field of logistics in both the public and private sectors.

Until joining the Port Authority of Valencia as commercial and business development director in 2017, she served as general director of the Reyser group.

In the public sector, she has worked for the Port Authority of A Coruña as head of the service provision unit and at the Port Authority of Vigo, as head of the port operations division.

Between December 2006 and March 2009, Chao held the position of general director of transport of the Xunta de Galicia, being a counselor in the Port Authority of Ferrol and assuming the presidency of Portos de Galicia.

After four years in the PAV, in January 2021 she was appointed director of state port operations and just a year later she returned to the private sector as head of multimodal transport at Inditex.

In January 2023, she returned to the Port of Valencia to her previous position, that of commercial and business development director, a position she held until her appointment as president.

Mar Chao López will replace the PAV’s outgoing president, Joan Calabuig.