Veuve Clicquot honors exceptional women in business with award

LVMH-owned Champagne maker Veuve Clicquot honored successful women in business with an awards ceremony in France Nov. 3.

The Veuve Clicquot Business Woman Award is given each year and was created in 1972 to celebrate the Champagne maker’s bicentennial. According to Veuve Clicquot, the women who are nominated for the award “exemplify the heritage of one of the first exceptional women leaders in the world of business, Madame Clicquot."

Leading ladies
Since its inception, Veuve Clicquot has presented the Business Women Award to more than 340 women in 29 countries. For the 2014 award, Veuve Clicquot recognized the work of women in Canada, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, Germany, Austria and France.

The women who won this year have have been successful in a range of fields such as social entrepreneurship, philanthropy, prestige events, cuisine, online payment, ecology and furniture design.

The 2014 French Business Women Awards ceremony was held at the Villa Emerige in Paris and hosted by Veuve Clicquot CEO Jean-Marc Gallot. The winner for 2014 was Chantal Andriot, president of furniture manufacturer Tolix.

A new award, the Clémentine Award, was also introduced this year to recognize the emerging talents of female entrepreneurs in various countries. The award was given to Céline Lazorthes, founder of Leetchi, an online solution to collect payment for group gifts and events.

2014's winners: Céline Lazorthes of Leetchi (left) and Chantal Androit of Tolix (right)

In addition to the award, the winners from all six countries were invited to Veuve Clicquot’s vineyard where they “baptized” their own vine at the Manoir de Verzy before a cellar tour.

Many brands organize awards or programs to support female entrepreneurs.

For example, French jeweler Cartier is supporting women entrepreneurs with its annual Cartier Women’s Initiative Awards that promotes female-led startup companies.

Created in 2006 by Cartier and its partners, the Women’s Forum, McKinsey & Company and Insead Business School, the awards are given to the woman or group of women with the best business plan submitted to the global competition. Brands can be humanized by investing in causes that empower future leaders (see story).