Photo credit: Natalie Seery
When Lord Davies announced that 25% of FTSE 100 board positions were finally held by women, he emphasised the importance of senior female role models for establishing equality. And as role models go, you can do far worse than Sarah Wood. So it is encouraging to see the Unruly co-founder and co-CEO named Veuve Clicquot Business Woman of the Year for establishing a culture of strong female leadership at the groundbreaking adtech company.
Having co-founded Unruly in 2006, Wood has established a culture of equality, with 48% of the workforce and 46% of the managers being female. Her outspoken support of female leadership and her successful expansion of the company to 15 offices across the world were the two main reasons why the judging panel chose Wood for the prestigious award.
“As an entrepreneur I know just how important it is to celebrate success and as a mum of three amazing children I can see first-hand the significance of role models for the next generation of entrepreneurs and female business leaders,” said Wood of the award.
However, she was not the only business leader to be celebrated by the champagne company. Cassandra Stavrou, co-founder and CEO of Propercorn, was given the Veuve Clicquot New Generation Award for having successfully broken into the UK snack market.
Julie Nollet, marketing and communication director for Moët Hennessy UK, commented: “We are thrilled to celebrate two incredible winners who come from such very different sectors, both are incredibly inspiring in not only their approach to business but what they continue to achieve outside their very busy working lives.”
With female role models such as this, Lord Davis’ new goal of having 35% women on boards seems closer than ever. 
