The award : a Tribute to All “Grandes Dames”

Created in tribute to Madame Clicquot, the Veuve Clicquot Business Woman’s Award celebrates those women who, like her, have the audacity and tenacity to succeed in the business world. Women whose determination is matched only by their creativity; women who boast an entrepreneurial spirit and the audacity to guarantee success. The award is designed to salute entrepreneurial women in a business sector and in the media with a view to showcasing their talent and success.

Its history

Created in France in 1972, the very first BWA commemorated Giselle Picaud of the Ciments Bouygues company. The following year, this prestigious award was launched in Great Britain. In the 1980s, Ireland, the Netherlands, Germany, Switzerland, Sweden and Denmark followed suit. The 1990s saw the award spread into Norway, Austria, Japan and Brazil. Finland joined the list in 2003, Hong Kong in 2004, Italy and Australia in 2005, and New Zealand in 2008.
The award is today run in seventeen countries across the world, in line with the international scope of Veuve Clicquot which exports 85% of its production outside of France. The cuvee (the first - and most noble - pressing) is used.

Women of Inspiration

Depending on the country, the award ceremony takes place sometime between the months of March and May.
Award winners are then invited to Reims, along with laureates from other countries, for the International Business Woman's Forum where they tour the cellars Verzy vineyards in their name before attending a prestigious gala dinner. The two-day forum gives these exceptional business women an opportunity while bathed in the historical environment of Dame Clicquot to exchange thoughts and life experiences.

Laureates in 2011
In line with the yearly tradition, this year's award winners visited the Manoir de Verzy and Madame Clicquot's vineyards in Reims in October.