Steel Chicks Featured in Greater Dandenong Business

We're proud to share that our Founder and Director, Maria Mavrikos, was recently featured by Greater Dandenong Business, recognising her contribution to the steel industry and the growing impact of Steel Chicks.

With more than 30 years' experience in steel fabrication, Maria has built a career breaking barriers and creating opportunities for others. As the founder of Structural Challenge, a successful steel fabrication company employing more than 80 people, she has spent decades delivering commercial and infrastructure projects while proving that leadership in the industry has no gender.

In 2025, Maria launched Steel Chicks with a clear purpose: to help more women step into, stay in, and thrive within the steel industry.

'Steel Chicks is a passion project for me. The steel fabrication industry is very much a boys' club, so I didn't really have much support when I started. I wanted to do something where women can come together and network and have training and support within the industry.'

What began as a local initiative has quickly grown into a national community, connecting members from across Australia through networking events, mentoring, professional development, work experience opportunities, apprenticeships, and industry partnerships.

At Steel Chicks, we believe the steel industry offers rewarding and diverse career pathways. Whether your interests lie in trades, engineering, project management, administration, leadership or manufacturing, there are opportunities to build a long and successful career.

Changing perceptions of the industry doesn't happen overnight, but every event, partnership, mentoring relationship and workplace opportunity helps create a more inclusive future.

We're incredibly proud of what has been achieved so far and grateful to Greater Dandenong Business for highlighting Maria's journey and the work Steel Chicks is doing to inspire the next generation of women in steel.

You can read the full feature from Greater Dandenong Business here:https://www.greaterdandenong.vic.gov.au/business/steelchicks