Ing. Jorge Luis Quijano

The engineer Quijano was born in Panama City, Republic of Panama and began his studies at the Colegio Javier. He completed his secondary education in Yokohama, Japan and Penang, Malaysia. He graduated in Industrial Engineering in 1973 and Master of Engineering with specialization in Industrial Engineering and Management at Lamar University in Beaumont, Texas, in 1974 He has also conducted professional Updates Advanced Executive Management, both at the Federal Institute Executives in Charlottesville, Virginia, and Northwestern University, Chicago, Illinois.

His first professional experience was with Texaco Oil Refinery Panama Inc., where he worked as a Process Engineer, Production Forecasts and Programming International Shipping.

His career in the Panama Canal began in 1975 and was advancing in different positions to fill the position of Director of Maritime Operations in 1999, a position he held for more than seven years. The Operations Department is the largest in the organization of the Panama Canal Authority (ACP) and is directly responsible for the operation and maintenance of infrastructure and the most critical equipment of the waterway. There he was responsible for overseeing five different divisions, whose functions accident investigation found, scheduling vessel transits, inspection of ships, tonnage and piloting, the lockage of vessels in the Canal, tugs, launches and Raceways , inventory management and motor transport and handling of emergencies and contingencies, including industrial firefighting and response to hazardous material incidents and oil spills.

The engineer has taught Quijano Ports and Channels Management at the Faculty of Law of the University of Panama. He has also given many lectures on the Panama Canal, maintenance and modernization programs at national and international level.

Since 2006, the engineer took the responsibility Quijano Expansion Program of the Panama Canal. To this end, in 2007, was named Executive Vice President of the Department of Engineering and Program Management. In this new appointment, he led a group of nearly 500 professionals responsible for managing the implementation of all components of the Expansion Program. The department is specifically in charge of preparing designs and specifications to bid, negotiate and oversee the execution of contracts for the expansion, including: the contract for Design and Construction of the New Locks; dredging of the Canal entrances both on the Pacific and the Atlantic; five works of various dry excavation, and other support under contracts; and the execution of the dredging of the Gatun Lake level to increase the maximum operating level, which are performed by personnel Panama Canal Authority (ACP). The department works in conjunction with an integrated external programs manager, hired by the ACP specifically to oversee the implementation of all the Expansion Program team. The department also integrates a dedicated group of construction risk analysis and hiring legal counsel.

During extraordinary meeting on March 8, 2012, the Board of Directors of the ACP Quijano engineer appointed as new administrator of the Panama Canal, replacing engineer Alberto Alemán Zubieta, from September 4, 2012.

According to the organic law of the ACP, the engineer Quijano administrator shall hold office for a period of seven years and may be reelected by the Board for an additional period.