Depop CEO Maria Raga nominated as finalist for Bold Woman Award
The finalists for the Bold Woman Award and Bold Future Award by Veuve Clicquot have been announced, with Depop's CEO Maria Raga nominated.
Now in its 49th year, the double award honours the impact of female leadership, innovation and entrepreneurism across the UK.
The Bold Woman Award, which Raga is nominated in, celebrates female leadership, honouring inspirational women with an established track record of organisational and personal success.
Raga has been instrumental in driving Depop forward in its mission to reshape fashion consumption. Under Maria’s leadership, the marketplace has seen 100% year on year revenue growth, raised $100m in funding and has a community of over 27 million users worldwide.
The app operates on a peer-to-peer (P2P) commerce platform, combining selling methods modelled from eBay with an aesthetic designed for Instagram lovers.
The Depop platform is becoming the new eBay for fashion-savvy young shoppers, offering sellers an accessible way to gain financial skills and business acumen. Since it was founded in 2011, it has now amassed more than 15 million users
Other nominations in the category include Professor Sarah Gilbert, who led Oxford’s COVID-19 vaccine development and Dame Donna Kinnair CEO and General Secretary of the Royal College of Nursing.
Jean-Marc Gallot, President of Veuve Clicquot, said: "Veuve Clicquot launched the Bold Woman Award in 1972 and Bold Future Award in 2014 to recognise innovative and audacious female leadership, so it is fantastic to see that every changemaker on this shortlist truly embodies the pioneering spirit of Madame Clicquot."
Alongside the shortlist, a new research report from Veuve Clicquot indicates that the COVID-19 crisis has galvanised female entrepreneurship. The International Veuve Clicquot Barometer on Women In Entrepreneurship surveyed more than 34,000 adults around the world about their views on entrepreneurism, including 2,000 UK adults.
When asked if they would like to become an entrepreneur, 47% of women said yes - an increase from 39% in 2019. This comes despite 70% of these female business leaders considering entrepreneurship a riskier prospect thanks to the COVID crisis.
64% of aspiring female entrepreneurs said they would like to launch an environmentally-sustainable initiative (compared to 49% of men) and 57% of women said they would like to lead a business or organisation that benefits society, compared to 48% of men.
The winners of the Bold Woman Award and Bold Future Award will be announced in Q4 2021.
TheIndustry.fashion included Maria Raga on our list of five women who are making their mark in the fashion and beauty industries, in celebration of International Women's Day 2021.
