Zonta Club of Feldbach presents its first Women in Business and Society Award

On International Women's Day, the Zonta Club of Feldbach, Austria, presented its first Women in Business and Society Award to honor local women for their achievements in business and for inspiring their communities with prize money of 1,000 euros.

Many distinguished guests joined the celebration, including Manuela Khom, President of the State Parliament; State Councilor Juliane Bogner-Strauss; Mayor Josef Ober and more.

In her welcome speech, Club President Margreth Kortschak-Huber described the new award as essential to equality.

"While Zonta Club of Feldbach's work has focused on women in need and as victims of violence in recent years, we now want to support women who make special achievements," emphasized Zontian Barbara Jantscher, responsible for the award, who thanked the eight entries.

A jury selected the young florist Nicola Hochegger as the winner among these. According to Barbara, the 21-year-old stood out after participating in championships after completing her vocational training in her parents' floral shop. Nicola won a state championship title in 2020 and a victory at the World Skills in Helsinki in 2022 for her floral skills.

"Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, I had a preparation time of two years with trainer Johann Obendrauf, with around 1300 hours, which I enjoyed just as much as the competition with eight workpieces and enjoyed", said Nicola.

After winning on an international stage, Nicola plans to take her experience and learn to further her career. The club is happy to honor an exceptional and skilled young woman like Nicola.