MEPS celebrates inclusivity on International Women’s Day

Three female members of the MEPS International team urged others not to fear pursuing a career in a male-dominated industry as they prepared to mark International Women’s Day 2025.

Steel market analysts Benedicte Mikolajczak and Michelle Kirton, and customer support supervisor Debbie Godbold recognised the contribution of strong female role models in their careers as they were asked what the annual (March 8) celebration meant to them.

Importance of workplace culture

MEPS prides itself on its staff retention record. Just one member of staff has left the business in the past 12 years. Benedicte, Michelle and Debbie say that an inclusive approach is central to this success.

Debbie said: “The culture at MEPS fosters an environment where female employees can thrive.”

The business, which has provided independently researched steel prices and indices, and steel price forecasts from across the world for over 45 years, is led by director Jayne Craven – the daughter of MEPS founder Peter Fish. There are several other women in senior positions.

Michelle said: “Having strong female leadership sends a clear message about the company’s commitment to gender equality and career progression for women.”

According to Debbie, MEPS’s inclusive culture empowers women at all levels to both “succeed and contribute meaningfully to the company's growth and success”.

Benedicte added that the business has a “culture of teamwork” which “cuts through gender”. She also acknowledged the influence of Jayne Craven and another, now retired, member of staff on her professional development.

“When I first joined MEPS, I was working together with senior consultant Christine Sharp, whose professionalism and thoroughness always set the highest standards for my work”, Benedicte said.

The road to MEPS

Michelle started her career in 2005, working for a global leader in the design, manufacture, and supply of threaded bar and cable systems. She worked her way up to become a sales manager, working on large international projects. Later, she would become a key account manager for a number of steel service centres, before making the move to MEPS.

Michelle has now been maintaining steel market contacts across the world for over eight years in her role as a steel market researcher and analyst, specialising in stainless steel.

“I never originally intended to work in the steel industry, but I’ve always enjoyed the roles I’ve taken on, and I’ve never looked back”, she said.

“Over the past two decades, I’ve seen a significant shift in the steel industry, particularly in the number of women entering the sector.

“When I first started, I was told that, as a woman, I would have to work twice as hard as my male counterparts to succeed in steel sales. Thankfully, times have changed. More women are not only joining the industry but also in more leadership and ownership roles.”

Benedicte started her career as a steel industry journalist, working in London. She joined MEPS when she moved to Spain 20 years ago and, although French, says that all the countries in which her steel market research is focussed (France, Italy and Spain) are close to her heart.

She added: “I like the diversity of my work which mainly involves researching market trends, analysing data, formulating prices and writing up reports.

“I still use the very skills that I started developing at university, studying economics and languages, which were subjects I chose out of personal interest, especially the latter.”

Diversity delivers ‘different perspectives’

Prior to joining MEPS, Debbie worked for another family-owned business, which manufactured and fitted commercial refrigeration, where she was supported to take on new challenges and progress her career. Debbie has now been a MEPS employee for 15 years and says that the diversity of its workforce makes the business an enjoyable place to work. “We all bring different perspectives and strengths to the table”, she said.

Asked to define what International Women’s Day meant to her, Michelle described it as a time to celebrate the achievements of women in industries like steel, where gender diversity is still improving. She added: “I’m incredibly proud to have built a career in this sector for the past 20 years and I hope to see even more opportunities open up for women in the future.”

Meanwhile, Benedicte described March 8 as a celebration of the power of women to “define success on their own terms, challenging expectations and reshaping spaces where we have long been underrepresented”. She added that it was also a day to think of the women who “have a crucial but undervalued role in societies but are often ignored”.