Camila Merino

In 1991, she joined Sociedad Química y Minera de Chile (SQM), where she worked for 14 years in various executive positions, including Vice President of Administration and Corporate Services, Human Resources, and Operations.^[6]

Due to her responsibilities at the mining company, she also served as director of the Asociación de Industriales de Antofagasta.^[7]

In December 2007, she was appointed General Manager of Metro de Santiago.^[8] During her tenure, she led the expansion of Lines 1 and 5 and implemented the Express Operation system during peak hours, increasing transport capacity and reducing travel times.

In October 2011, she joined Arauco as Corporate Manager of People, and in 2017 she became Vice President of the Forestry Business. She resigned in late September 2020 to pursue a public career as a candidate for mayor of Vitacura representing Evolución Política (Evópoli).

She is a member of Evópoli and has participated in the party since its founding.

In March 2010, she assumed office as Minister of Labor and Social Welfare under the first administration of Sebastián Piñera. Her main priorities included employment and support programs in response to the 2010 earthquake (27F) and the establishment of a working group to improve occupational safety.

In November 2020, she was proclaimed as the Chile Vamos candidate for mayor of Vitacura in the 2021 municipal elections. She obtained 45.78% of the vote in the primary, defeating Max del Real (RN) and Pablo Zalaquett (UDI), who received 32% and 21%, respectively.^[9]

In the 2021 municipal election, she was elected mayor of Vitacura with 56.84% of the vote and assumed office on 28 June 2021, becoming the second woman to hold the position after Patricia Alessandri in 1994.^[10]

In the October 2024 municipal elections, she was re-elected as mayor of Vitacura with 81.19% of the vote, achieving the highest vote percentage in the Metropolitan Region and the third-highest nationwide.^[11]