Regional airline LIAT has appointed a female to its engineering team, the carrier said in a statement Friday, the first time in its 53-year history that a woman is serving in this capacity. Tesia Alexander, 28, a native of Guyana, has been employed with LIAT since 2007 as a licensed mechanic.

“We are particularly pleased to welcome Ms Alexander to our engineering staff,” Acting Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Brian Challenger said. “LIAT’s engineering department has a proud history of achievements and this record can only be enhanced with the addition of our first female engineer. We also have at least one more young female engineer in training and so we can expect to see an increasing number of female professionals as part of our engineering team,” the acting CEO said, adding that “this can only auger well for the future of the company and underlines LIAT’s role in building human resource capabilities in the Eastern Caribbean”.

LIAT’s Director of Engineering Alan Alexander, congratulated Ms. Alexander for her achievement, noting that she has demonstrated the qualities the company strives for in the aircraft maintenance field – honesty, integrity and diligence. For her part, Alexander is encouraging other females who are contemplating a career in engineering not to be afraid to step up to the challenge. “I would encourage them to join the engineering field as it has been a very rewarding and satisfying experience for me,” Alexander said.