In the beautiful atmosphere of the Old Town in Ljubljana, Slovenia, the regional competition for the prestigious Veuve Clicquot Business Woman Award was held on November 29. Five candidates from the region – who had won their national competitions – fought for the prestigious award. In addition to Croatia’s Aleksandra Dojčinović, the nominated businesswomen were Ana Nives Radović from Montenegro, Ana Petrović and Marija Ignjatović from Serbia, and Irena Fonda from Slovenia.
The prestigious award was given to the Croatian representative Aleksandra Dojčinović, who heads the Lei Lou brand. The decision was made by an expert jury chaired by Anna Wlodarz, general director for Moët Hennessy for Central and South Europe, Urška Šefman Sojer, the last year’s regional winner from Slovenia, and last year’s finalists Nataša Milanović from Serbia, Dejana Ponoš from Montenegro, and Anja Zambelli Čolak from Croatia.
Fashion designer Aleksandra Dojčinović was awarded the Veuve Clicquot Business Woman Award, and she will travel to France in June, where the Business Woman Award Forum will be attended by all the winners of this year’s regional competitions.
There are many reasons why Aleksandra Dojčinović is always among the best. The uniquely-Croatian quality is what has been making Aleksandra Dojčinović, the creative director, founder and owner of the Lei Lou fashion brand, different from her competition for the last 11 years. Her company, which nowadays employs some thirty employees, has been expanding internationally for a number of years and currently exports to fifteen countries. Also, her creations have become a common feature of various global events.
Also, Aleksandra has three stores, two of which are in Croatia (Zagreb and Split) and one in Germany (Stuttgart) and a modern online shop. She organizes two superbly-produced fashion shows a year and works with her team of associates on continual self-improvement, investing in new knowledge and contemporary design and production methods. Aleksandra’s visionary approach to business has turned Lei Lou into an example of a successful small company in Croatia, so it is no surprise she has been selected as the regional winner of the prestigious Veuve Clicquot Business Woman Award, which is given annually to successful businesswomen around the world.
The award was founded in 1972 in honor of Madame Clicquot, an exceptional French businesswoman known for her courage and entrepreneurial spirit. In 1798, Madame Clicquot married the successful champagne producer Françoise Clicquot. When she became a widow at the age of 27, she took over the company and became the first woman to run a business. She demonstrated her entrepreneurial spirit in 1810 when she produced the first vintage wine in the Champagne region. The star of the evening was, in addition to Aleksandra, the top champagne Veuve Clicquot, enjoyed by all the guests, including numerous regional celebrities from the world of politics, culture and entertainment.
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Photos by: Mirko Janković
