Pioneers in vision care, food win Veuve Clicquot Bold Woman Awards

On Nov. 27, Veuve Clicquot, a champagne house under the LVMH Group, held the Veuve Clicquot Bold Woman Award 2025 at Azabudai Hills in Tokyo’s Minato Ward. Masayo Takahashi, the president and representative director of Vision Care Inc., was selected for the Bold Woman Award, and Chihiro Kano, the CEO of Astra Food Plan Co. Ltd., was selected for the Bold Future Award.

Takahashi is an ophthalmologist who led the Laboratory for Retinal Regeneration at the Riken Center for Biosystems Dynamics Research from 2006 to 2022. She conducted the world’s first clinical research using induced pluripotent stem cells in 2014. In 2017, she contributed to the establishment of the Kobe Eye Center, a facility dedicated to researching and treating vision impairments and other eye conditions, prior to becoming the head of Vision Care, which specializes in the development of treatments for visual impairments including low vision and diseases of the outer retina.

Kano established Astra Food Plan in 2020 to address the issue of food waste and loss. The company distributes machines that use superheated steam technology to dry food residues generated during the production and processing of agricultural ingredients, turning them into powder. It also distributes various types of powder, including onion and shiitake mushroom, that are nutritious, delicious and would otherwise have been discarded.

Minako Suematsu, the chairperson and publisher of The Japan Times, served as one of the judges on the panel, which also included Norbert Leuret, the president and representative director of LVMH Moet Hennessy Louis Vuitton Japan K.K.; Ryuko Kida, a journalist and editorial director; and several other experts on entrepreneurship, business management, finance and the creative industries, as well as Kanoko Oishi, a previous award winner and president of the medical consulting firm Mediva Inc. The key elements in their assessments were “boldness,” “insight,” “resilience” and “impact.”

Since the launch of the Business Women Award (now called the Bold Woman Award) in 1972 to commemorate the 200th anniversary of the company’s establishment, Veuve Clicquot has given it to 450 women in 27 countries. Inspired by the spirit and success of Madame Clicquot — who lost her husband at the age of 27 in 1805, took over his business at a time when it was not normal for women to work outside the home and transformed Veuve Clicquot into a world-class champagne brand — the award is dedicated to women who demonstrate boldness, creativity, entrepreneurship and diversity.

The award ceremony began with a video message from Thomas Mulliez, the new president and CEO of Veuve Clicquot. His message was full of powerful words of encouragement for female innovators and young people, urging them to believe in themselves.

The Bold Future Award honors promising next-generation female leaders for their innovative initiatives, and Kano said she was delighted to be recognized as a role model for the next generation of female entrepreneurs. “This experience has propelled me forward. My driving force is ‘expectations.’ The desire to meet people’s expectations and build a better society has grown stronger thanks to this award,” she said. Many of her company’s staff members are working mothers, and the company is dedicated to creating a supportive work environment for them. “I believe the diverse perspectives and multitasking abilities that women possess are a significant strength for advancing business,” she said, encouraging other women to take the first courageous step toward opening up a new world in which they can realize their ideas.

The Bold Woman Award recognizes women who have brought change and growth to established industries and inspired the next generation through their efforts, and Takahashi commented that receiving it was a great honor for her. Driven by her conviction that she would not just provide treatments, but create them, she left a university hospital earlier in her career to join a research institute, where she overcame immense opposition and difficulties to succeed in the world’s first application of iPS cells. “Thanks to this experience, I was able to venture into the world of business without hesitation, and now I find my work deeply rewarding,” she said. She also expressed her determination to continue moving forward with courage to deliver treatments.

After the award ceremony, there was a panel discussion featuring the award recipients, the judges and Rikako, a lifestyle brand CEO and well-being producer, as a guest speaker. The panel exchanged opinions on topics such as “the driving force behind challenges,” “the barriers to balancing work and family life” and “the power of connections.” Data from the Veuve Clicquot International Bold Barometer, compiled from a survey of 49,000 people in 25 countries, was presented to deepen the discussion on the current situation surrounding female entrepreneurs.