Commitment
to Service
The Port of Long Beach is the
greenest, fastest, most efficient
gateway for goods moving to
and from Asia and marketplaces
across America. We’re keeping our
competitive edge while working
sustainably, offering unrivaled
customer service while we build
the Green Port of the Future.
www.POLB.com
AWESOME announces this
year’s Legendary Leadership
Award winners
Susan Seilheimer Brennan and Ilya R. Espino de Marotta
know what it’s like to be the only woman in the boardroom.
Brennan, now chief operations officer (COO) of Bloom
Energy Corp., has spent 25 years climbing the corporate ladder in the automotive and energy industries. At
Nissan Motors, for example, she was the highest-ranking
woman in operations—and one of the few women to hold
an executive position at a leading Japanese corporation.
Meanwhile, Marotta is the first woman to serve as executive vice president (EVP) for engineering and programs
management at the 100-year-old Panama Canal Authority.
In May, the organization AWESOME (Achieving
Women’s Excellence in Supply Chain Operations,
Management and Education) will recognize Brennan and
Marotta for their role as trailblazers by presenting them
with the AWESOME Legendary Leadership (ALL) Award.
The award honors women who have achieved extraordinary professional excellence and success, addressed
challenges impacting opportunities for women, and
advanced the changing landscape of women’s supply chain
leadership.
“Their accomplishments are extraordinary, and they
have excelled in two areas where women at the highest lev-
els of leadership are rare,” said Heather Sheehan, executive
director of AWESOME, in a statement. “By their example
and by their efforts, they have made expanding opportuni-
ties for other women a priority.”
As COO of Bloom Energy Corp., Brennan is responsi-
ble for global supply chain and purchasing as well as new
product launch strategy and sales execution, operations,
capacity management, labor management, environmental
health and safety strategy and compliance, and govern-
ment affairs.
As EVP for engineering and programs management for
the Panama Canal Authority, Marotta is responsible for
preparing the designs and specifications for all Panama
Canal projects and leads the execution of the Panama
Canal Expansion Program. She has worked for the Panama
Canal Commission/Panama Canal Authority for more
than 30 years. She participated in the development of the
Panama Canal Master Plan and the expansion proposal
presented for national referendum in 2006.
AWESOME is a network of more than 950 women in
diverse senior supply chain leadership roles. Members
participate in networking, research, industry events, discussions, and collaborations to support the advancement
of women’s supply chain leadership.
