The Veuve Clicquot Awards are considered as the Oscars of the business world for businesswomen and female entrepreneurs.
The award was created as a tribute to Madame Clicquot in 1972. It now operates in 27 countries. The annual awards felicitates the achievements of the world's most successful and brilliant women from both corporate and entrepreneurial sectors.
The 2015 finalists were chosen by a high-profile judging panel, including chief executive of easyJet, Carolyn McCall; ex-chief executive of Thomas Cook, Harriet Green and chairman of Risk Capital, Luke Johnson.
This year, those vying for the New Generation award are the founder of Blaze, Emily Brooke; founder of social gaming start-up Playmob, Jude Ower and the boss of Supreme Creations, Smruti Sriram.
Carolyn McCall spoke about the New Generation Shortlist. She stated, “Madame Clicquot would be proud of their determination, spirit and achievements.
“Encouraging entrepreneurial spirit in young women, and providing role models for future female business leaders is vital, and this award is a great celebration of this purpose”.
The company, Supreme Creations started life making jute and cotton bags for the supermarkets. They were the firm behind the ladybird-patterned Tesco bag. However, with the recession hitting the UK's retailers, Smruti Sriram was compelled to innovate to keep the business running. Smruti Sriram said, “We went from being a basic manufacturer to championing British design and working with clients like Google, Topshop and River Island... Our bags effectively became walking billboards.”
Supreme Creation owns a factory in South India which consists of 90% female workers. Smruti Sriram feels “responsible” for her workers in India. “I feel personally responsible for the 700 tailors and seamstresses and fabricators out there.”
Smruti Sriram feels content with her New Generation award nomination. She said, “It's such an honour to be nominated and it's wonderful to be meeting such an incredible group of women. Running a business can be lonely, so it's good to speak to other people who know what you're going through. I'm not into man-bashing, but empowering for women.”
