For nearly 50 years since Madame Clicquot took the reins of the maison, the House of Veuve Clicquot has honoured BOLD entrepreneurial women who have built, taken on, or developed a business. It is this audacious spirit of courage and tenacity that inspired the creation of the Veuve Clicquot BOLD Woman Awards which recently celebrated four new winners: Ndidi Nwuneli (Nigerian BOLD Woman Award Winner 2023) and Tarebi Alebiosu (Nigerian BOLD Future Award Winner 2023) in Nigeria, Claire Blanckenberg (South Africa BOLD Woman Award Winner 2023) and Zama Ngcobo (South Africa BOLD Future Award Winner 2023). The four join a global community of over 450 audacious business women across 27 countries recognised for their entrepreneurial prowess.
Two of this year’s award winners have driven a new way of thinking in the world of agriculture. In Nigeria, Ndidi Nwuneli created Aace Foods when she realised how much of the food in Africa was imported and, as a continent, the high rate of malnutrition. Aace Foods processes the likes of spices and snacks from local African farmers in order to displace imports and nourish its people. Through her non-profit organisation, African Food Changemakers, Ndidi also provides a platform for food and agriculture entrepreneurs in 37 countries to scale their business and change the food narrative on the continent.
— South Africa BOLD Woman Award Event 2023
In South Africa, the BOLD Woman Award winner, Reel Gardening founder Claire Blanckenberg, has innovated the home-food-cultivation sector. Comprising a simple colour-coded system of embedded seed tape, her patented Garden in a Box has revolutionised how family nutrition is approached while providing an estimated 48 100 households with food security. “When I embarked on this path, there were very few female entrepreneurs to mentor me. Today, as one of those women, I hope to inspire others at the start of their journey,” she says.
Providing specialist advice in another male-dominated industry, South Africa’s BOLD Future Award winner Zama Ngcobo founded a boutique Black female-led commercial law firm called WMN Attorneys Inc. Prioritising the progression of women and the youth, her growing law practice promotes a grass-roots approach to the development of legal practitioners. “I originally set out to create a safe space for young, Black, female lawyers to thrive and am immensely proud to represent all of those categories as the BOLD Future Award winner,” she comments.
— Nigeria BOLD Woman Award Event 2023
The winner of the Veuve Clicquot BOLD Future Award in Nigeria, Tarebi Alebiosu, is a technology professional and Founder of QShop – an eCommerce DIY platform designed for SMEs in Africa to be able to set up their own eCommerce platforms. “Every BOLD future is built on a foundation of BOLD decisions, perseverance, and grind. To my fellow dream-chasers: keep that fire alive. Stay relentless in your pursuits and always, always remember the might of resilience,” she says.
Speaking at the South African event, Jean-Marc Gallot, president of Veuve Clicquot, said: “We recognise that South Africa’s female entrepreneurs are a national asset. Leading their industries bravely and ethically, women like Claire and Zama dare to be BOLD, creating better business practices and contributing to flourishing communities.”
2019 also saw the launch of the international programme, BOLD by Veuve Clicquot – a series of initiatives to generate conversations around the world, designed for more impact and inclusiveness. This year, Veuve Clicquot created the BOLD Open Database of female entrepreneurs – a global network of BOLD women entrepreneurs free of cultural, geographical and technological barriers and aimed at stimulating social and economic development.
Female business leaders are invited to register at boldopendatabase.com and join a global community of BOLD women who walk in the footsteps of Madame Clicquot.
Please drink responsibly.
