WestJet Airlines Ltd. is hiring Dr. Tammy McKnight as its first chief medical officer.
According to a press release, McKnight will develop and implement initiatives related to the health and well-being of the organization’s employees and customers, as well as advise on risk mitigation and make recommendations around complying with health guidelines around the world. Previously, the portfolio was spread out among various service providers and company staff.
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“WestJet has always valued physical and mental health as core to our caring for our people and our guests, and 2020 only made the importance more evident, so much so that hiring a dedicated [chief medical officer] to bring everything together and in-house made a lot of sense,” said Mark Porter, the airline’s executive vice-president of people and culture, in the release.
The airline’s move in creating the role comes as the industry contends with an economy ravaged by the coronavirus pandemic and the subsequent public-health regulations and protocols that its essential and frontline employees, as well as customers, must follow in a bid to curb the spread of the virus.