Panama, March 27, 2026.- The Minister of Culture, María Eugenia Herrera, participated as a panelist at the Forum "Women: Leadership, Innovation and Legate 2026," organized by Diario La Prensa, a space that brought together leading women to reflect on the role of women in social transformation, innovation and decision-making.

The Forum was organized into three thematic panels that addressed different approaches to women's leadership. The first, "Leader in times of change," brought together Irene Orillac of Simone, president of the Panamanian House of Building (CAMEC), Olga Cantillo, executive president of Latinex and Giuditta Giorgio, ambassador of Italy to Panama, who shared their experiences about how to exercise leadership in changing and uncertain contexts and adaptation capacity.

The second Panel, "Innovation with Purpose," was with the participation of Olivia Rodriguez, Vice President of products at Global Bank, Susana Lau, CEO and founder of ETYALAB, and Jochebebec Arjona, CEO of the firm Jochebebec Design, where she reflected on the interaction between companies, organisations and communities to generate social impact.

The third panel, "Culture, Creativity and Legacy," was composed of the plastic artist Olga Sinclair, the Minister of Culture María Eugenia Herrera and the actress, singer and producer Mafe Achurra, who reflected about the contribution of art and culture to the construction of identity, memory and social transformation.

Minister Herrera shared stage with plastic artist Olga Sinclair and actress, singer and producer Mafe Achurra, who brought their experiences from the artistic stage, highlighting the resilience, discipline and value of authenticity in their trajectories.

During her closing speech, the Minister emphasized the power of art and culture in society. "I firmly believe in the transformative power of art. Panama is a country rich in culture and talent and we have to work with private enterprise and civil society to generate changes that have a positive impact on our communities," she said.

Herrera also referred to his path, recalling his passing through the National Institute of Culture (2009- 2014) and his experience as a first dancer, enabling him to open up roads for new generations. He also emphasized his legacy as Reina Torres de Araúz, a pioneer in his cultural research, noting that "no legacy begins with us, we are the result of women who have sown so that we can move forward today."

In his intervention, she also recognized the work of the crafts as bearers of an identity and living history and highlighted initiatives by the Ministry of Culture as the Creative Economics Section, the MiCultura App, the City of the Arts, the Colón Center of Art and Culture and the project "Latidos del Barrio."

A round of questions and answers was also developed that allowed for direct interaction with the public.

The forum brought together artists, entrepreneurs, entrepreneurs and diplomats, who agreed that the leadership of women involves constant evolution, learning about mistakes and commitment to the environment. "When a woman leads, she doesn't just transform her life, she transformed her community," she was one of the powerful messages of this meeting.