Western Air, the largest privately owned airline in The Bahamas, has just made history.
The company has announced the appointment of Sherrexcia “Rexy” Rolle, Esq. as President, CEO & Accountable Manager, making her a part of just 8% of women airline CEOs. Rexy said she aims to set her sights on the customer, the operation and the mission of Western Air.
“Customers matter most and we are here to serve from check-in to landing and beyond,” she said per a news release announcement. “Passengers motivate our growth and innovation. However, our core mission remains the same; to provide safe, quality, affordable, efficient air service. We believe travel should be easy & no pressure. Hence, our tickets are usable for one year with no change or cancellation fees, ever. I thank God and I thank our hard working, talented team for their commitment to the service we provide. Each person plays a part.”
Her father, Rex Rolle founded the company in 2000 and has led operations to grow the family businesses into an entity that holds the best on-time record in the region. “Rexy is deeply committed to the service we offer passengers,” he said in a news release. “She’s hands on. For years, her role has been all encompassing, overseeing the day-to-day operations and the legal & regulatory affairs of the airline. We know she will continue to work hard to enhance and develop the Western Air experience for passengers.”
In a 2018 exclusive interview, Rexy told ESSENCE that she’d previously faced many challenges in her career climb over the years.
“I’ve absolutely [been met with apprehension,” she said. “That’s something that I first experienced interning at an aviation and business law firm. The majority of the individuals in that department and firm did not look like me. And when we did go to the conferences, there was nobody that really looked like me. So I immediately understood that there was some sort of curiosity about me being there. It wasn’t until you start speaking to people that they understand, ‘she’s not just somebody’s assistant, she’s actually involved in the industry.’ I definitely do find that there are some preconceived notions to what an airline executive should be. I think for a long time they’ve always looked a certain way. I have had challenges even here in the Bahamas, where people are predominantly black, where it wasn’t so much a race thing, as it was a gender and age thing. It’s more so because I’m running a family-owned and operated company, you’ll have people who would have known me as a child thinking, ‘What is this girl doing? So what if she’s a lawyer, or she’s experienced in XYZ, I knew her when she was 5-years-old.’ So it’s combatting that, and understanding that your work must speak for itself.”