Stella’s best by design

By Melissa Meehan
CARDINIA Shire’s final business breakfast for 2010 was held last week, with arguably its best speaker yet.
Dandenong businesswoman Stella Axarlis, a former opera singer, told of her career change from rising star to managing director of Bilcon Engineering.
A video was shown to the smaller than normal group before Stella took the stage.
It was of Stella dressed in a shimmering cloak speaking of her love for Australia and her Greek heritage.
The video raised the eyebrows from some in the room, but when Stella started to tell her story – all was forgotten.
Stella migrated to Australia with her family in 1950.
For 24 years she performed opera, and was looking forward to the next five years of her bourgeoning career before her stepmother fell ill to Alzheimer’s disease and left Stella to take over her small business, Bilcon Engineering in 1990.
“So there I was, abandoning my own opera career to take on an engineering company, something I knew nothing of,” she said.
“Being a woman in a world dominated by men was difficult to get the respect, but I got it.”
Stella spoke of ways to get her team working hard, and also worked with them to bring quality control into the workplace.
This saw increased productivity and saw Stella become a member of the National Quality Control Council and Liberty Learning.
Stella has also been awarded an Order of Australia Medal, an award for excellence and a centenary medal.