Female entrepreneurs get a business kick-start with Cartier’s Women’s Initiative Awards
With a record-breaking number of applications this year, the brand gets serious about its involvement in supporting women’s initiatives around the world
“These women are fantastic witnesses of their time, and what it means to be a woman, an entrepreneur, and to work for a business that helps the community. Just by listening to them, it has been so inspiring.”
President and CEO of Cartier Cyrille Vigneron is full of admiration as he speaks about women who have been able to achieve their dreams with some help from Cartier’s Women’s Initiative Awards (CWIA).
Since 2006, Cartier Women’s Initiative Awards has seen over 16,000 applicants from across all regions. Through much mentoring and funding, these female entrepreneurs have had the ability to achieve their goals and contribute to the economic and social well-being of their respective countries, and it shows in the numbers.
“Eighty per cent of the past laureates’ companies are still in operation. There are some that have grown quite significantly. With the new set-up I think there [is] more impact,” says Ilian Mihov, dean of INSEAD. These women’s businesses have created more than 6,000 jobs.
Held in Singapore this year, Cartier has upped the ante on the awards, which support women entrepreneurs all around the world with a TED talk session and more lucrative funding – this year, laureates will receive US$100,000, as well as a year of coaching from INSEAD and McKinsey & Co. Runners-up will also get US$30,000 in funding. All finalists received one-on-one coaching sessions and exclusive access to workshops at INSEAD. This year, 2,800 applications were received from 14 countries around the world, and the finalists span six sectors – health, environment, education, culture, electronics, and technology – and competition is, in short, tough.