Innovative former Brighton University student Emily Brooke has been recognised at the Veuve Clicquot Business Woman of the Year Awards.
The 29-year-old picked up the New Generation Award after building a business on the back of a safe bicycle light that she invented while studying at Brighton.
Miss Brooke started her business Blaze to produce the Laserlight – a front bike light that projects a symbol of a bike on to the road ahead.
It is expected to generate sales of more than £1 million this year.
The Laserlight is now on sale in 50 countries while Blaze has raised £1.5 million from the trading app Index Ventures and the family of Virgin founder Sir Richard Branson.
Miss Brooke collected her award at a ceremony at Claridges, in London, on Monday night (11 May).
The Veuve Clicquot award judges included former Pizza Express chairman Luke Johnson.
And the 43rd @VeuveClicquotUK New Generation Award goes to… our founder & CEO Emily @buzzbrooke!!! Congratss!! pic.twitter.com/lPpwV7wZ4j
— Blaze. (@blazefeed) May 11, 2015
Peter Boizot – now dead – was the founder of Pizza Express. Met him skiing in Lech in 1971 through friends I went with. A really sweet man. Pizza Express in Fulham Road was already established and much loved by then.
Thanks, Valerie. Noted and corrected. Luke Johnson and Hugh Osmond transformed the small chain into the big business that it rapidly became during their tenure.