Carmen Ibáñez

Carmen Patricia Ibáñez Soto (born 7 February 1959) is a Chilean social communicator, former television presenter, and politician.^[1][2]

She served as a member of the Chamber of Deputies representing the 13th District (Valparaíso, Juan Fernández, and Easter Island) from 11 March 2002 to 11 March 2006. Later, she was appointed Ambassador of Chile to Greece,^[3] serving from 11 March 2010 until 31 January 2013, and was subsequently Cultural Attaché at the Chilean Embassy in Argentina until October 2019.

Ibáñez is the daughter of former deputy Arturo Ibáñez Ceza and Eliana del Carmen Soto Klauss. She holds a degree in Social Communication from Santiago College. Before entering politics, she worked at Radio Agricultura as Communications Director and contributed to Red Televisión and Revista Cosas. During the 1980s, she became known to the public after appearing in a Concha y Toro wine commercial.

Carmen Ibáñez was born in Santiago on 7 February 1959, the daughter of Arturo Ibáñez Ceza and Eliana del Carmen Soto Klauss. She completed her secondary education at Santiago College and earned a degree in Social Communication.

She worked for media outlets including Radio Agricultura (where she served as Director of Communications), Revista Cosas, and La Red Televisión. In the 1980s, she appeared in a notable wine advertisement, an appearance that earned her the nickname "La Regalona".

Ibáñez has been married twice: first to Domingo Godoy Matte (with whom she had three children, including former deputy Joaquín Godoy Ibáñez and journalist María Luisa Godoy) and later to businessperson Gonzalo Menéndez.

Ibáñez first entered electoral politics in the December 2001 parliamentary election, running as an independent within the Alianza por Chile coalition and winning a seat to represent the 13th District with 24.68% of the vote. She took office on 11 March 2002 and served until 11 March 2006.

During her term, she joined the Permanent Commissions on Mining and Energy, National Defense, and Family, and the Special Commissions on Tourism Development and Youth.

After leaving the Chamber, Ibáñez ran unsuccessfully for a deputy seat in Santiago’s 22nd District in 2005 and in the 15th District of Valparaíso in 2009. She then turned to diplomacy: in March 2010, President Sebastián Piñera appointed her Ambassador to Greece, a position she held until January 2013.

In December 2013, she resigned from National Renewal, citing the party's increasingly conservative stance, and joined Amplitude in 2014. During Piñera’s second term, she served as Cultural Attaché in Buenos Aires from 2018 to October 2019.

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