Meet the women shortlisted for the 2022 Veuve Clicquot Bold Women Award
Every year, the Veuve Clicquot Bold Women Award recognises exceptional women changing lives and transforming businesses across the UK.
In 2022, the highly anticipated annual event celebrates its 50-year anniversary by bringing together some of the country’s most impressive female leaders.
The finalists for the show’s two awards categories – the Bold Woman Award and the Bold Future Award – have been announced and we’re delighted to see some familiar faces and some emerging names.
The shortlist for the prestigious Bold Woman Award features three women from very different industries. It includes Dr Hayaatun Sillem CBE, CEO of the Royal Academy of Engineering; Roni Savage, founder and managing director of engineering and environmental company Jomas Associates; and Melanie Smith CBE, CEO of grocery retailer Ocado. All three have accomplished incredible feats that have had ripple effects across the entire country – Dr Sillem, for instance, is praised for transforming the Academy, almost doubling its income in five years and driving inclusion within the engineering community.
“This year’s shortlist honours women who are having a transformative impact on the UK, driving not just financial success but real change across industry and wider society,” said Pip Jamieson, Bold Awards judge and founder of The Dots.
“The Bold Future category in particular is dominated by those leading social enterprises and charitable organisations, reflecting a shift towards entrepreneurship that’s driven by ethical values and purpose,” she adds. “Alongside representing a new generation of pioneering leaders, these tremendous nominees are driving fresh initiatives that will truly improve the lives of many.”
The Bold Future Category finalists include Victoria Hornby OBE, founder and CEO of the UK’s first free 24/7 digital mental health messaging service Mental Health Innovations (Shout); Mursal Hedayat MBS, founder and CEO of AI-powered language learning platform Chatterbox; and Lavinya Stennett, founder and CEO of empowering social enterprise The Black Curriculum.
Jean-Marc Gallot, President of Veuve Clicquot, said: “This is the fiftieth year that Veuve Clicquot has celebrated trailblazing female leadership and while each candidate demonstrates the same entrepreneurial spirit of Madame Clicquot, all are leading organisations that are committed to driving a better future. This list encapsulates everything these awards were originally launched to recognise, from phenomenal business acumen and true entrepreneurial daring, to a commitment to improving female representation.”
While all six women are worthy of recognition, there can only be two winners. The winners, who will selected by an esteemed judging panel of female industry titans, will be revealed at an award’s ceremony in London in September.