New president for Engineers Ireland

Speaking at the inauguration, which took place in Engineers Ireland HQ in Dublin in May, the new president expressed her goal to promote the integration between engineering and technology: "There is a collision between the physical and the digital world, which is creating many opportunities for all of us in the engineering and technology sectors. For example, you cannot design and build the Samuel Beckett Bridge without technology and you cannot design a smart phone application without engineering.”

Regina also outlined her plans to visit schools across the country, promoting engineering to primary and post-primary students, in particular girls. She will work closely with the Engineers Ireland STEPS team to support the school’s outreach programme, which encourages students to explore the world of engineering and science.

In her role as Fujitsu Ireland CEO, Regina has spoken extensively on the need to encourage women to embrace the subjects of science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM): "Many secondary school students believe that STEM subjects are more suited to males than females. A lack of female role models and encouragement from parents and teachers contribute to these misperceptions and as an organisation, this is something we must change.”

Regina highlighted that despite these misconceptions there were positive signs of change recently: "2013’s Engineering Perspectives report gives us an insight into the evolving engineering profession in Ireland – on average, the ratio of men to women in engineering has been around 9:1. A fifth of all respondents in the survey were women and, of these, half were under the age of 35 years. This shows a very promising gender balance shift in the engineering landscape in Ireland. We must build on this and encourage young students, especially young women, to explore opportunities in engineering.”