About Louise

I’m Louise Azzopardi. I spent seven years as a heavy vehicle mechanic before I became a coach, speaker and workshop facilitator.

Everything I do now is grounded in what I learned on the tools, what I wish I had known earlier, and what women in trades still need today.

My Story

From the workshop floor to leading industry change

The apprenticeship

I started at 15

I started my apprenticeship as a heavy vehicle mechanic at 15. I didn’t know then what I know now: that being the only woman on site would mean constantly proving I belonged there, long after I’d already proven I could do the job.

Making my mark

I built a career they said I didn't belong in

I finished my apprenticeship. I kept going. In 2017, I represented Australia at the WorldSkills International Competition (and won), picked up a run of awards along the way, and built a career where a lot of people told me it just wouldn’t work.

But “thick skin” was never enough on its own. I got tired of watching other women go through what I went through, with nobody around who understood the trade well enough to actually help.

Now

So I built what was missing

Today I work with tradeswomen at every stage of their careers, and I partner with businesses, industry organisations and governments that improve attraction, retention and leadership outcomes for women in trades. Both sides of that relationship need to change for things to get better.

Through keynote presentations, workshops, mentoring, coaching and the Building Confidence Podcast, I combine lived experience with practical strategies that create meaningful, lasting change.

My Mission

To give tradeswomen the support, strategies and skills they need to succeed at every stage of their career, and to give the businesses that employ them the tools to build workplaces where tradeswomen are respected, valued and supported.