Livingston-based Almond Engineering (www.almond.co.uk) has appointed Michelle Quinn to its board of directors, making her the first female director since the precision engineering company began trading in 1979.

Ms Quinn joined the company after leaving school and has worked her way to the top in just 13 years.

She will be responsible for helping to deliver £2 million of growth over the next three years, through extensive investment in machines and staff, and championing engineering as a rewarding career for young women and men.

Ms Quinn said: “To grow sustainably, we need to invest in more machinery; we plan to invest heavily to grow our machining capacity by 40% this year alone.

“I also want to cultivate young Scottish talent and highlight different ways into engineering, such as apprenticeships and work experience, which is often overlooked in favour of going to university.”

Her passion for engineering comes with a pragmatic approach to career progression. After leaving school she was offered a temporary position as an office junior at Almond Engineering in August 2005.

“I had left school and knew that I wanted to go straight out to work, rather than head for university. The temporary position led to a full-time offer and promotion to office administrator a year later.

“I became a manager in 2009, and now a director. Hard work, dedication and ambition will get you where you want to go, and I’m keen to show young people that’s possible in engineering.”