The youngest female FTSE 100 CEO, Liv Garfield, has been named as the winner of the 2018 Veuve Clicquot Business Woman Award.
Garfield, who is CEO of Severn Trent, follows in the footsteps of some of the most outstanding female business leaders – from Anita Roddick, founder of The Body Shop to leading architect Dame Zaha Hadid CBE.
The judging panel outlined Liv’s strong customer-focused approach and business acumen as two reasons as to why she won the award. Since taking the role in 2014, Liv has shepherded strong growth for the water company. Not only is it strongly outperforming the rest of the sector, she has also helped forge a customer-focused culture in the company, reflected in its outperforming challenging targets set by customers themselves. However, it was this commitment to customers combined with a responsible business that made her stand out.
Alongside Garfield, Amanda Nevill CBE, CEO of the British Film Institue (BFI) has been awarded the Veuve Clicquot Social Purpose Award which honours female leaders whose organisaitons are championing social purpose. Nevill’s pioneering efforts to bring equality to the UK film industry was one of the key achievements outlined by the judging panel.
Another campaigner for equality is the winner of the Veuve Clicquot New Generation Award, Stephanie Alys. As Founder and Chief Pleasure Officer of MysteryVibe, Stephanie has created an entire category by bringing the world of sextech to the masses with her first product, Crescendo.
Since 1972, the awards have honoured women impacting different aspects of business today and celebrates those who share the same qualities as Madame Clicquot, an original trailblazer: her enterprising spirit, her courage and the determination necessary to accomplish her business goals.
Speaking about her win, Garfield said, “This is an incredible honour, not only because I remember taking a huge amount of inspiration from some of the previous winners of this award but also because of the awesome story of Madame Clicquot herself, who was a strong role model at a time when women in business were almost unheard of.”
“I truly am delighted but also a little humbled – I know I wouldn’t have been able to win this award without the help and support of absolutely everyone at Severn Trent who works to keep customers’ water flowing every second of every day, so this is as much a win for them as it is for me.”
Julie Nollet, Marketing & Communication Director, Moët Hennessy UK, added, “Every one of our three winners this year exhibits many of the core values that Madame Clicquot had when she began her journey into business.”
“Whether it’s Liv’s leadership, Amanda’s social impact or Stephanie’s challenging of the status quo, these are the attributes that Madame Clicquot maintained as one of the world’s first female entrepreneurs.”
“Each woman comes from a diverse sector but what unites them is their commitment to empowering women.”
“That is our core mission for the Veuve Clicquot Business Woman Awards and why we continue to celebrate them today.”
