In an industry overwhelmingly dominated by men, finding engineering firms that are owned and run by women is extremely rare.
But two such unicorn firms have announced this week they are coming together to launch a new partnership, working together to better service the key areas they cover including Australian SMEs and critical defence programs.
The first firm, Adroita, is owned by CEO Sarah Pavillard, a Navy weapons engineer and veteran who founded the consultancy in 2016. Her team is growing rapidly, positioned to offer engineering capabilities to support defence and industry.
The second is Engineering Business, run by managing director Julie Mikhail, also founded in 2016, and having already gone on to secure millions of dollars in contracts and grants for clients. As an engineer, Mikhail previously worked in the public sector on defence projects, including major acquisitions and long-term sustainment contracts.
The partnership will see them sharing knowledge and work, ultimately to help deliver better capabilities to their clients. Both will also be showcasing their work at the INDO PACIFIC 2022 International Maritime Exposition tradeshow in Sydney.
Mikhail said the partnership will see them broadening out their service offering the better meet the needs of Australian businesses looking to offer capability to government.
“I look forward to exploring opportunities with Adroita that provide mutual benefit and ultimately improve sovereign capability within the industry and the outcomes for the Australian government,” she said.
The partnership has been praised by Stuart Ayres, the NSW Minister for Enterprise, Investment and Trade, noting just how critical the defence and aerospace sector across NSW is to the economy.