Collegiate and Veuve Clicquot nurture future female leaders at 2018 Business Woman Awards
- 2 Collegiate competition winners to attend prestigious awards event in May
- Just 21% of UK SMEs led by women (House of Commons briefing)
- Veuve Clicquot awards competition recognises future female talent at Collegiate
Just 21% of the UK’s small and medium-sized enterprises are led by women, according to the December 2017 House of Commons Business Statistics briefing. The figure for female board members of FTSE100 companies is marginally better, but still sits at only 28%. The statistics, coupled with recent revelations about gender pay gaps across a vast range of UK industries, confirm that the country may have enshrined gender equality in law, but certainly not in practice yet.
Aspirations and expectations are set at a young age, including those relating to employment. However, it’s never too late to break the cycle and inspire women towards greater success in business. Innovative student accommodation and lifestyle provider Collegiate is working to prove just that. After firmly establishing its position as a market leader in the provision of purpose built student accommodation (PBSA) in the UK, Collegiate is now at the forefront of developing world-class student residences in Spain and Portugal.
With its new accommodation considered to be some of the leading student residences in the world, Collegiate enjoys a unique position in terms of inspiring its female residents to know no limits in relation to their employment prospects. In that vein, Melanie Cuanalo, Director of Collegiate, was personally invited, along with two young, talented and entrepreneurial females, to attend the prestigious Veuve Clicquot Business Woman Awards in May.
The awards champion the qualities of courage, enterprise and determination in businesswomen around the world. They were created in 1972 to honour Madame Clicquot, who single-handedly took on her husband’s champagne business when he passed away in 1805, and went on to pioneer a number of industry innovations.
To nurture future female leaders, Collegiate launched a competition for the two tickets to the Veuve Clicquot Business Woman Awards. The entrants were tasked with describing what makes them a future female leader.
Winners Kamakshi Palli and Laura Blackshaw will accompany Collegiate’s owner and director, Melanie Cuanalo, to the event. Kamakshi is a final year design student at London College of Fashion. She won as a result of her detailed start-up plans for her own fashion brand, as well as her confidence in combining innovative designs with cotemporary technology and traditional techniques in order to conceive new ideas.
Laura Blackshaw, an apprentice at the Collegiate head office, won her place at the Veuve Clicquot event as a result of her appreciation for what it takes to be a successful female leader and her understanding of how professional networks are built and how to include inspiring (female) individuals within those circles for the benefit of all.
“We are delighted to be further building on our strong relationship with Veuve Clicquot by supporting the 2018 Business Woman Awards. We’re also thrilled to have the opportunity to recognise the achievements of two of Collegiate’s future female leaders – Kamakshi and Laura – and to nurture their professional development in this way.”
Melanie Cuanalo, Director, Collegiate
For more information about purpose built student accommodation in university towns and cities across the UK and Europe, contact Collegiate on +44 1235 250 140 or visit www.collegiate-ac.com.