Alison Brittain, an alumna of Cambridge Judge Business School (MBA 1994), was named Veuve Clicquot Businesswoman of the Year for 2017.
Alison is Chief Executive Officer at Whitbread, the company that owns Costa Coffee, Brewers Fayre and Beefeater Grill restaurants, as well as and Premier Inn – employing around 50,000 people. She is one of only seven female executives in the FTSE 100.
Alison started her career at Barclays Bank as a graduate trainee, later becoming head of retail banking at Lloyds Banking Group before joining Whitbread in 2016.
The award judges said Alison is “a role model for women striving to reach the top of large organisations and working across a range of traditionally male-dominated sectors.” The Veuve Clicquot Business Woman Award, created in 1972, aims to recognise the success of businesswomen worldwide.