A Swell Birthday Present

Laurent Boidevezi, Maryanne Shearer & Boris de Vroomen

We admit to being a tad jealous of this award as we love the product. Maryanne Shearer is the lucky recipient of the 2012 Veuve Clicquot Business Woman Award. 
  
The award was presented at a lunch at Cafe Sydney restaurant by Veuve's International Director Laurent Boidevezi, appropriately on International Women's Day last  Thursday (other notable events-Europe's biggest selling tabloid Bild has promised no more nudes will appear in the publication!). 
The lunch was attended by some of Australia's best known business women including NSW Governor Marie Bashir, Deeta Colvin, Janet Holmes à Court, film producer Rebel Penfold Russell and our favourite pearl producer Marilynne Paspaley.

Ronni Khan of OzHarvest

Maryanne Shearer is the founder and CEO of Tea Too P/L (T2) and while everyone else was pondering whether a Cafe con leche was superior to an Espresso Con Panna or if the intricacies of an Latticino really were appreciated by the inner city latte crowd, she realised there was a huge gap in the market-tea drinkers were demanding, but not getting much more than their morning cup of Billy Tea. 
And thus 16 years ago an empire was born with Maryanne now employing 300 people with 30 stores throughout Australia selling her superb premium blends of tea.

But not only does Ms Shearer get the well deserved accolade from Veuve Clicquot-the awards were held jointly in 16 countries to celebrate female innovation and achievements in business -she will fly to Reims in France and, this is the good part-she'll receive a bottle of champagne on Madame Clicquot's birthday every December 16.
Also receiving an award for innovation was Ronni Khan who runs OzHarvest Food Rescue a non profit company that collects and delivers surplus food to charities. And that is something worth raising your glass to.