Marita Cheng

Background

Cheng was raised by her mother, a single parent who worked as a hotel room cleaner, in a housing commission apartment.

Career

She was named the 2012 Young Australian of the Year. In 2007 Cheng founded Nudge, a company which provided reminders by phone or text message to help people manage their prescription drug schedules. She founded Robogals in 2008 for the purpose of encouraging young women into careers in Science Technology Engineering And Mathematics fields.

In 2011 Cheng was awarded a Churchill Fellowship, which allowed her to visit the United States., United Kingdom, Germany and Jamaica to learn about international approaches to science education for young women.

In November 2011, Cheng was named Victorian Young Australian of the Year for 2012, and went on to be named as Young Australian of the Year. In 2013 she established a start-up robotics company.

Cheng delivered the closing keynote speech at the 35th World Congress of the World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts in Hong Kong in 2014.

Achievements

• She is the founder and current Chief Executive Officer of 2Mar Robotics, a start-up robotics company. In that same year she was also a winner in the Financial Review – Westpac 100 Women of Influence awards" Young Leader category.