2026 Veuve Clicquot Bold Woman Awards honours bold South African women business owners with awards
Entrepreneurs Lindiwe Nkuna-Kgopa and Pretty Kubyane were recognised in Johannesburg for building businesses that empower women and transform communities.
Two South African business women were celebrated for their leadership and creativity at the 2026 Veuve Clicquot Bold Woman Awards.
Held at the Four Seasons Hotel The Westcliff in Johannesburg on July 15, founder of Lindiwe Sanitary Pads (LSP) Lindiwe Nkuna-Kgopa received the Bold Woman Award, while Pretty Kubyane, co-founder and tech lead of the eFama app, was presented with the Bold Future Award winner.
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These awards celebrate women who lead with courage and are dedicated to creating opportunities for others.
Nkuna-Kgopa built Africa’s first large-scale sanitary pad manufacturing facility owned and operated entirely by women. She started the business from her home kitchen, which later grew into a 4 000m² factory in Centurion.
Today her business employs 36 fulltime employees and 93 seasonal workers, most of them being women coming from disadvantaged communities.
Through partnerships across 11 African countries, the company also takes parts in supporting business owners to start their own sanitary pad brands, and has donated over 100 000 school girls with free sanitary products this year.
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Kubyane was honoured for her use of technology in strengthening agricultural supply chains through the eFema app.
The platform has linked more than 40 000 farmers with buyers, assisting them in making rational production decisions based on market demand since 2023.
Speaking at the ceremony, Veuve Clicquot president and CEO Thomas Mulliez said the winners’ businesses were creating opportunities and inspiring the next generation of entrepreneurs.
Now in its fifth year in South Africa, and 54th globally, the Bold Woman Award honours women who are reshaping the future of business, while uplifting others.
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