ROSE BYRNE SPEAKS, AUSTRALIAN FEMALE ENTREPRENEURS HONOURED AT THE BOLD BY VEUVE CLICQUOT AWARDS KRISTY CHONG AND MANURI GUNAWARDENA ANNOUNCED AS WINNERS OF THE 2021 BOLD BY VEUVE CLICQUOT AWARDS ROSE BYRNE MAKES VIRTUAL KEYNOTE SPEECH, TALKS RESILIENCE AND COURAGE IN CHALLENGING TIMES

 
Last night at a virtual ceremony, Veuve Clicquot announced the Australian winners of the Bold by Veuve Clicquot 2021 awards. They are Kristy Chong, Founder & CEO of Modibodi®, winner of the Bold Woman Award 2021 and Manuri Gunawardena, Founder & CEO of HealthMatch, winner of the Bold Future Award 2021.
 
Bold by Veuve Clicquot is a global initiative celebrating successive generations of audacious female leaders, the modern evolution of the Business Woman Award which was the first and remains the longest-running international award of its kind.
 
In 1972, to celebrate its 200th anniversary, the House created the Veuve Clicquot Business Woman Award to honour bold women who walk in the footsteps of Madame Clicquot. For almost 50 years, the House has awarded businesswomen who have founded, built or developed a business and had a positive impact on the world. To date, over 350 women in 27 countries have been honoured.
 
Actress Rose Byrne joined the virtual event and spoke of the importance of courage and resilience during the pandemic. Says Rose Byrne: “The Bold by Veuve Clicquot Awards recognizes female leaders who inspire us with their courage, tenacity and resilience. Right now, when the world is in turmoil, these women are a great reminder that it’s often in the difficult moments that we find our strength, find a path through and create positive change.
 
I’ve always been interested in women’s stories and these women, who walk in Madame Clicquot’s footsteps, blaze a trail for others and are great role models, inspiring future generations of female leaders.”
 
Veuve Clicquot’s story is one of boldness, creativity and entrepreneurial spirit. In 1805, Madame Clicquot took the reins of the House after the death of her husband, at a time when women could neither work nor hold a bank account. She went on to revolutionize the world of champagne; her innovations include the first vintage champagne and the first blended rosé champagne. Obsessive about quality, famously saying “Only one quality, the finest” Madame Clicquot invented the ridding table as a means to achieve crystal-clear champagne, a technique still used in champagne production today. Madame Clicquot’s ambitions for her House also transcended geographic borders: in 1831, she wrote “I wish my brand to rank first in New York like in Saint Petersburg.”



 

Bold by Veuve Clicquot pays homage to Madame Clicquot, and the worthy female heirs of “la grande dame de la Champagne”. Meeting challenges and breaking ceilings, these Award winners share a bold entrepreneurial spirit, audacious foresight, firm creativity and innovation.
 
The Bold by Veuve Clicquot winners were chosen for their entrepreneurial spirit, transformational abilities and ethical approach to business by an expert panel of judges, all bold women themselves and previous Award winners. The jury comprises Sarah-Jane Clarke, Co-Founder and former Director of sass&bide; Mandy Foley, Founder and Managing Director of Stedmans Hospitality; Kim Jackson, Co-Founder of Skip Capital; Mikaela Jade, Founder of Indigital; Elizabeth Ann Macgregor OBE, Director of the Museum of Contemporary Art Australia and Maryanne Shearer, Founder of T2 Tea.
 
Says global CEO and President of Veuve Clicquot, Jean-Marc Gallot, “Today more than ever, Veuve Clicquot has a concrete role to play and a real societal contribution to make by supporting women entrepreneurs. Our nearly 250 years of history are built on optimism, Madame Clicquot was resilient and she rebounded from any setback with her audacity and solid faith in creativity. Driven by our House’s resolutely optimistic and forward-looking vision, we want to continue inspiring generations of women to be even bolder.”
 
Further information on the Bold Woman Award and Bold Future Award by Veuve Clicquot is available at https://www.veuveclicquot.com/en-au/bold-by-veuve-clicquot/about.