Now in its fourth year in South Africa, the Bold Woman Award by Veuve Clicquot continues to highlight the power and potential of women redefining the business world. The six exceptional finalists for the 2025 edition are transforming entrepreneurship across sectors—from health and wellness to energy—ushering in a new era of leadership rooted in purpose, resilience, and innovation. Each embodies the boldness that has characterised the award since its inception over 50 years ago.
Inspired by the legacy of Madame Clicquot, who boldly took the reins of the Maison at the age of 27, in an era when women couldn’t even open a bank account, the award celebrates women who share her pioneering spirit. A true innovator, Madame Clicquot transformed the champagne industry by creating the first riddling table, vintage champagne, and rosé champagne. Today, she is known as La Grande Dame of Champagne, and this award honours contemporary women who share her fearless determination. These are leaders with an audacious approach, bold ideas, and a drive to create lasting impact in their industries and communities.
This year’s judging panel includes past Bold Woman Award winners Amanda Dambuza (Founder and CEO of Uyandiswa Group) and Morongwe Mokone (Co-Founder of Mo’s Crib) alongside leadership and business experts Erik Kruger, Happy Ralinala, Timothy Maurice Webster, and Aimee Kellen, Regional Marketing Director for Moët Hennessy Middle East and Africa.
The Bold Woman Award by Veuve Clicquot features two categories: the Bold Woman Award and the Bold Future Award. Winners in both categories will join a global network of accomplished female entrepreneurs who, like Madame Clicquot, are reshaping the future of business through their exceptional achievements, innovation, and vision.
BOLD WOMAN AWARD
The Bold Woman Award recognises women in business who have built and sustained significant success, growth, and innovation for more than five years. The finalists selected this year are:
Botheo Lentsoane – Founder, Khetho Healthcare
A healthcare innovator, Botheo Lentsoane, is transforming how hearing and swallowing disorders (dysphagia) are addressed across marginalised communities in Southern Africa. Her company, Khetho Healthcare, connects health professionals with work and training opportunities via its Health Connect App and partners with insurers, banks, and universities to create a more inclusive ecosystem.
Botheo’s vision is a continent-wide healthcare ecosystem focused on equity and innovation; she also helped establish Botswana’s first speech therapy curriculum and is pioneering newborn hearing screening initiatives. Her work is reshaping healthcare access for vulnerable groups, particularly in rural and under-resourced regions.
What does it mean to you to be a bold woman”?
“It means being fearless and unapologetic. It means embracing the power of femininity and leading with purpose”.
Retang Phaahla – CEO & Founder, Setšong Tea Crafters
A former quantity surveyor turned social entrepreneur, Retang Phaahla founded Setšong Tea Crafters to celebrate Indigenous tea knowledge while driving rural development. Based in Sekhukhune, Limpopo, the majority women-owned social enterprise collaborates with communities to produce a range of health-promoting teas (known for calming nerves, relieving tension, and supporting balanced blood pressure), and hosts cultural tours to promote eco-tourism and preserve heritage.
Setšong’s business model has created sustainable income streams for rural women while reviving ancient botanical traditions.
What sets women apart in business?
“Women bring a unique balance of empathy and resilience. We are often able to build businesses that are not only innovative but also deeply rooted in community and the upliftment of others. Our ability to lead with both heart and strategy sets us apart”.
Sydelle Willow Smith – Co-Founder of Sunshine Cinema
Sydelle co-founded Africa’s first solar-powered mobile cinema, Sunshine Cinema, which empowers youth in townships and rural areas to become Impact Facilitators. These Impact Facilitators are entrepreneurial changemakers who use cinema kits to host community screenings that drive awareness and access. This unique model blends storytelling, sustainability, and grassroots entrepreneurship to spark local impact and scalable change across Southern Africa. With over 1,000 screenings and more than 300,000 people reached, the initiative has created meaningful employment while addressing critical social issues.
A filmmaker by training, Sydelle uses visual media as a tool for education, advocacy, and economic opportunity.
What are your hopes for the future of women in business?
“I hope we move beyond representation toward real transformation, where women don’t have to shrink or overperform to be seen as worthy. I want to see women thriving on their own terms, shaping regenerative economies, and building work cultures that prioritise sustainability, joy, and justice”.
BOLD FUTURE AWARD
Bold Future Award celebrates emerging leaders whose businesses are less than five years old and who have already demonstrated remarkable innovation and evolution in their fields. The 2025 finalists are:
Dr. Phindi Cebekhulu-Msomi – Founder & CEO, Hazile Group
A social entrepreneur and thought leader in climate resilience, Dr. Phindi leads Hazile Group, a black woman-led enterprise driving climate-smart solutions in agriculture, energy, and water. The company’s core mission is to address food insecurity, water scarcity, and energy transition while uplifting marginalised communities. Hazile’s focus on rural development, empowering farmers, and integrating climate-smart technologies directly supports several UN Sustainable Development Goals, notably zero hunger, gender equality, clean water and sanitation, and climate action.
She also runs Acumind Consulting, guiding organisations toward inclusive, values-driven leadership and ESG strategies. With clients across Southern Africa, her work bridges environmental innovation with social impact and policy change.
What does it mean to you to be a bold woman?
“It means challenging the status quo, leading with authenticity, and inspiring others through purposeful action. It’s about transforming challenges into opportunities and paving the way for future generations of women leaders”.
Phumzile Khoza – Founder, Lathitha Biodiesel
From selling homemade skirts at 13 to launching Lathitha Biodiesel in 2021, Phumzile’s journey is rooted in resilience and reinvention. Her award-winning green energy company turns waste cooking oil into biodiesel, improving air quality while creating jobs and green skills in local townships.
Through Lathitha, Phumzile is driving climate action and youth employment, intending to expand across Africa, Brazil, and Europe. Her Green Energy Skills Development Hub equips young people with vital green skills, while her company reduces waste oil pollution and empowers communities through the circular economy.
What sets women apart in business?
“We don’t just build for profit; we build with heart for people and the planet. This deep sense of purpose positions women entrepreneurs to lead the next era of business—one that’s inclusive, sustainable, and truly transformative”.
Vanessa Mhlom – Founder & CEO, Pleroma Patch
Vanessa created Pleroma Patch, a modern wellness brand pioneering a simpler, smarter way to care for your body, through transdermal vitamin patches designed for modern life. She was inspired to create the brand after confronting burnout and hormonal imbalances firsthand. Pleroma’s discreet, plant-based patches support sleep, recovery, and menstrual health, all underpinned by Vanessa’s intentional research, formulation, and ethical sourcing.
Driven by her belief that dignified self-care should be a right, not a luxury, she is developing the ‘Patch It Forward’ initiative, a give-back model that channels a portion of each purchase toward expanding access to wellness essentials like menstrual and sleep support for underserved women and girls.
What are your hopes for the future of women in business?
“I want to see a future where women’s ideas shape markets and policies. I want women to be funded because our vision is valued. Above all, I hope the next generation of girls grows up knowing that leadership is their birthright and that they never need permission to make an impact”.
Compiled by: Tamar Hayden
Also see: Meet the riches women in South Africa
