(Right) Veuve Clicquot's Cecile Bonnefond with Hong Kong winner Betty Yuen. Hong Kong was chosen as the first Asian location to host the award as "it sets the trends in terms of culture, trends and consumerism."

The head of a Hong Kong electric power company was recently voted the Veuve Clicquot Businesswoman of the Year. Betty Yuen, managing director of CLP Power, was given the prestigious award by the French champagne brand which had chosen Hong Kong as their first Asian location to host the award.

Veuve Clicquot international president, Cecile Bonnefond, said Ms Yuen chosen out of 50 nominations, stood out as "a woman who clearly demonstrates business vision with an entrepreneurial spirit that has helped her to identify new opportunities for both herself and her business, and to take calculated risks to achieve them."

Ms Bonnefond said she was delighted by the calibre of the nominations received and the response of Hong Kong's business community to the award. "Hong Kong proved to be a hot-bed for talented, audacious and innovative business women who exude the entrepreneurial spirit that enables them to succeed."

Hong Kong first Asian location to host award

On selecting Hong Kong as the first Asian location to host the award, Ms Bonnefond said Hong Kong is the door to Asia. "It sets the pace in terms of trends, culture and consumerism. It's where you have to be if you want to be a success."

Ms Yuen - the first ethnic Chinese appointed to managing director in the 100 year history of CLP Power as well as the first woman to hold the role - will be invited to join the Business Women International Meeting held at the House of Veuve Clicquot in Rheims, France, and to have a vine named after her.

Currently presented in 13 countries including France, the UK, Brazil and Sweden, the Veuve Clicquot Award was created to pay tribute to the company's founder - Madame Veuve Clicquot - who, widowed at 27, assumed control of her husband's vineyards and build the foundations of the global label.

Veuve Clicquot, part of the LVMH Group, has had a presence in Hong Kong for more than 100 years and the SAR serves as its regional headquarters.

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