María Ignacia Benítez (1 August 1958 – 28 February 2019) was the Chilean Minister of the Environment, between 2010 and 2014.

Biography

Benítez was born in

Viña del Mar Viña del Mar (; meaning "Vineyard of the Sea") is a city and commune on central Chile's Pacific coast. Often referred to as ("The Garden City"), Viña del Mar is located within the Valparaíso Region, and it is Chile's fourth largest city w ...

in Chile. She was the oldest of five children. She went to school locally before studying civil engineering at the University of Chile. She served under General Pinochet before leaving to be a consultant. In March 2010, she was appointed to be the Minister of the Environment by the President of Chile Sebastián Piñera despite conflicts of interest with her business interests.Appointment
1 February 2010, accessed October 2012 The previous minister was

Ana Lya Uriarte Ana Lya Uriarte (born 17 July 1962) is the former Chief of the Cabinet of The Presidency elected by Michelle Bachelet in her second presidential period. She was also the Minister for the Environment for Chile from 2007 to 2010. Biography Uriarte ...

. In 2012, she had a public row with the Supreme Court who were holding up a contract she was interested in. Accusations of "improper and unacceptable interference" were made against her. Benítez was married and had three children. She died of pancreatic cancer in February 2019.Fallece ex ministra de Sebastián Piñera María Ignacia Benítez
(in Spanish)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Benitez, Maria Ignacia 1958 births 2019 deaths People from Viña del Mar Chilean civil engineers Government ministers of Chile Women government ministers of Chile Chilean women engineers 20th-century women engineers Deaths from cancer in Chile Deaths from pancreatic cancer Independent Democratic Union politicians