The Monte-Carlo Woman of the Year Award 2025 celebrates two exceptional women in the space industry
Under the High Patronage and Honorary Presidency of H.S.H. Princess Charlene of Monaco, the 13th Monte-Carlo Woman of the Year Award was held on Friday 21 March 2025 at the Méridien Beach Plaza in Monaco, at the close of the Monaco Women Forum.
This year's theme was the space industry, and the ceremony honoured two women whose careers and achievements are helping to shape the future of space exploration in Europe and beyond.
Hélène Huby, founder and CEO of The Exploration Company, was awarded the "Monte-Carlo Woman of the Year Prize" by Mr Christophe Pierre, Monaco's Director of Space Affairs, and Amalia Ercoli Finzi, scientist and space engineer, received the "Special Career Award" from Ms Cinzia Colman, President of the Prize and of the Monaco Women Forum.
A fitting tribute to these exceptional women, for their vision, leadership and commitment to this fast-moving sector.
Portrait of the Laureates
Hélène Huby - A visionary of European space exploration, French entrepreneur Hélène Huby founded The Exploration Company in 2021, a company based in Germany and France that is developing the Nyx reusable space capsule. With the ambition of becoming a major player in European space exploration, it has raised more than 215 million euros in three years and signed several strategic contracts with the ESA and private operators such as Starlab Space and Vast.
Under her leadership, The Exploration Company is positioning itself as the future European rival to SpaceX, developing innovative reusable and sustainable space transport solutions. Hélène Huby represents a new generation of European players ready to make space history.
Amalia Ercoli Finzi - Pioneer of space exploration and emblematic figure in aeronautics
An aerospace engineer and professor emeritus at Milan's Politecnico, Amalia Ercoli Finzi is a true legend of the European space industry. The first woman to graduate in aeronautical engineering in Italy, she has devoted her career to applied research for space missions.
Scientific advisor to the Italian Space Agency and the ESA, she has been involved in emblematic projects such as the Rosetta mission, and for over 25 years has been involved in the organisation of programmes relating to space missions.
She is currently still scientific advisor for the exploration of Mars and the Lunar Lander project.Among other honorary positions, she is President of the Italian Association of Women Engineers and Architects,she actively promotes the participation of girls and women in the technical and scientific fields, taking part in conferences on the subject.
The “Monte Carlo Woman of the Year” awards celebrate the achievements of remarkable women who have made significant contributions to their communities in their respective fields. We extend our most sincere congratulations to all the winners and express our gratitude to them for their dedication and commitment to excellence.
The Monte-Carlo Woman of the Year Award now opens its Gala to the public. Indeed, for 11 years, it was only possible to participate in the Gala by private invitation. It will now be possible for companies and organizations to invite their members and clients to attend this evening of discoveries and meetings by sponsoring a table during the Gala dinner. This year, we were able to count on the presence of NanoTemper Technologies, Moppex, EFG Bank, My Crown, and ELT Group, among others.
