KINGSTON, Jamaica— As the only female engineer at IGL Blue Limited, Tami-Leigh Mitchell is proud of her contribution and hopes to do even more for women in the field.

Mitchell is the holder of a Bachelor of Engineering in Mechanical Engineering, as well as a Master of Business Administration (MBA).

She realised early in life her aptitude for STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics)- based subjects growing up with four sisters in Clarendon.

She told Observer Online that it was through these experiences of tinkering at home that ignited a love for engineering within her.

“I somehow always ended up being the one to figure out anything technical that needed fixing at home. Those home-based trial and error experiences led by curiosity, combined with my academic interests, set me on the path to a career in engineering,” Mitchell shared.

Years later, Mitchell’s dream actualised. So far, in her role as an engineer at IGL Blue Limited, Mitchell has played an integral role in addressing areas of national importance by putting her critical thinking skills to the test. The most outstanding example of this was during the local oxygen crisis at the peak of the coronavirus pandemic.

Tami-Leigh Mitchell

“Being a part of a team that commissioned the PSA (pressure swing adsorption) plant at IGL during the pandemic has been my most notable achievement. It wasn’t just about ramping up oxygen production—it was about providing a scarce, life-sustaining resource when the world needed it most. Picture the absence of my team and me—how would we have managed the pandemic without the ability to produce our own oxygen? Ensuring hospitals had the oxygen they needed to save lives was incredibly fulfilling, and being at the forefront of that effort was an accomplishment in itself,” she shared.

Her work in the integration of the IGL and Gas Pro brands has also been particularly impactful. The integration led to improved production efficiency and reduced operational costs, while upholding the highest safety and quality standards.

The road to success has not always been a smooth journey for Mitchell, especially considering her gender. However, she has remained diligent, being guided by passion and core beliefs to be the change she wants to see in the field.

“When I first started my career in engineering, the work environment didn’t have some specific facilities for women. I would have never fathomed that such simple things could have been overlooked. That’s when I knew for certain that we needed more female representation in the field. I also think that, generally speaking, you may find women being less compensated and less respected than their male counterparts. But, I find it fulfilling to cause a change to occur in the space. As women, we have to speak up about the challenges, educate others and remember that we have to work twice as hard to get half the recognition and respect that our male counterparts do. In so doing, we also improve ourselves,” she argued.

With hopes of launching a female-led engineering firm, in the future, Mitchell is certain that she has a wealth of knowledge and skills that can enhance the engineering industry globally.

“I’d like to believe that my technical skills, soft skills, work ethics and the quality of work that I produce are all of a standard that is transferable and valuable across the globe. That combined with a woman’s touch and perspective is a lethal combination, but what means the most to me is representation – being a figure that little girls can aspire to be. Women are still the largest untapped reservoir in the world,” Mitchell said.