The Bold Woman Award, or the very fine commitment of Veuve Clicquot
Who better than Veuve Clicquot to support exceptional women ? That's the whole story of the house! Madame Clicquot, a widow at only 27 years old, took over the Champagne House founded in 1772 by her husband's family and ran it with talent and daring.
At a time when women had neither bank accounts nor the right to work, Madame Clicquot had to face many obstacles before she was respected and called "the Grande Dame of Champagne", the name "Grande Dame" would later be given to the prestige cuvée of the house. An audacious and ambitious woman with an extraordinary spirit of innovation... Madame Clicquot had a dream, that her house would cross borders, "I want my brand to be at the forefront in New York as well as in Saint Petersburg" (Madame Clicquot, 1831).
It was inspired by the pioneering spirit of one of the very first businesswomen in history that the Veuve Clicquot Businesswoman Award was created in 1972, celebrating the 200th anniversary of the prestigious company. Since that year, 650 exceptional women have received this award across 27 countries. The women rewarded? Those who participate in the business world and share the qualities of entrepreneurship, creativity and determination of Madame Clicquot. Since 2007, sustainable development approaches have been included in the award criteria. In 2014, the Clémentine prize, named after Madame Clicquot's daughter's first name, will be awarded to a new generation of businesswomen leading young companies and start-ups. In 2019, both prizes are renamed and become the Bold Woman Award for the businesswoman's prize and the Bold Future Award for the Clementine prize.
Today, the House is taking this commitment even further with Bold by Veuve Clicquot, an international programme built for greater impact, around numerous concrete actions, such as the Bold Woman Award. "Our company has been at the side of women entrepreneurs for so many years, but so much remains to be done. So we need to speak out even louder, go faster and take action. "Jean-Marc Gallot, CEO of Veuve Clicquot.
A true social commitment, Veuve Clicquot unveiled its first international barometer on female entrepreneurship last June, revealing preconceived ideas and barriers to be removed. In France, only 12% of women can name a successful female entrepreneur. In France, the UK, South Africa, Japan and Hong Kong, 80% of women entrepreneurs say they need a network of women entrepreneurs to be successful and 72% of women value being their own boss more than men.
The names of some of the winners of this prestigious prize over the years: Françoise Nyssen, former minister and president of Acte sud publishing house, Claudie Ossard, film producer, Geneviève Lethu at the head of the shops of the same name, Michèle Cassegrain, president of Longchamp, Marie Béjot, founder of Oenobiol, Anne-Charlotte Pasquier, president of the Aubade lingerie house, Nicole Bru, president of Upsa laboratories... more recently, decorator Sarah Lavoine, chef Hélène Darroze, and in 2019, Chrystèle Gimaret, founder of Artupox.
This year, the new edition awarded its prizes on Monday 9th November, in a 100% digital edition presented by Sophie Fontanel, writer and fashion critic. The 2020 winners ? the Bold Woman Award for Juliette Lévy, the founder of Oh my cream (a network of cosmetics shops offering only "clean" brands), and the Bold Future Award for Loubna Ksibi and Donia Amamra, co-founders of Meet My Mama (a catering service highlighting the culinary talents of a community of migrant and refugee women).
As Thibaut de La Rivière, director of Sup de luxe, points out, "Veuve Clicquot has a formidable role, that of inspiring more and more women to go further and further, through their audacity and entrepreneurial spirit".