March is the month of women and the best time to highlight the visibility and support efforts that are carried out throughout the year. Empowering women entrepreneurs to reach their full potential es is the goal of the Cartier Women's Initiative since 2006, a program by the luxury firm that helps highlight their achievements and offer them the economic, social and human support they need to grow your business and develop your leadership skills.
And, from time to time, it is time to look back and assess what has been achieved: the prominence of this 2022 edition, in which 15 years of the initiative, is the impact of these projects in a retrospective on the evolution and mark that the program has left, always focused on businesses owned or managed by women from any country and sector, who want to have a great (positive and sustainable) impact on society, as established in the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.
Temie Giwa-Tubosun, one of the Cartier Women's Initiative classifieds.
“I am delighted to celebrate the 15th anniversary of the Cartier Women’s Initiative – she has commented Cyrille Vigneron, President and CEO of Cartier International. During all these years, this initiative has brought together a community of passionate entrepreneurs who have developed successful business models that improve the lives of those around them. This community is a constant source of wonder and inspiration.”
What have been its positive repercussions until today? In its 15-year history, the program has supported 262 women entrepreneurs from 62 different countries and has allocated a total of US$6,440,000 cash prizes to boost their business. The training program has been expanded from five participants in 2007 to 24 in 2021.
Unity is strength: in January 2019 the community was born to connect participants with a global support network with access to relationships, knowledge and capital. Since then, more than 260 community members have been actively involved and 43 events have been held.
In 2021, an online questionnaire of 40 questions was sent to 228 former participants to evaluate the impact of the program in the world, to show the important domino effect of the positive changes that these women entrepreneurs began, while carrying out a reflection to address possible better and more opportunities throughout the planet.
Cartier Women's Initiative socially and financially supports women who change the world.
In the future, it is intended to integrate into the program a Cartier Women's Initiative global network of community allies to increase this impact by taking advantage of its characteristic strengths: the group of participants, their knowledge about the ecosystem and their ability to attract the attention of different actors.
The first 9 impact winners they are former participants whose businesses have made a significant impact. Impact Awards are divided into three categories: Improving Lives, Protecting the Planet and Creating Opportunities, based on the aforementioned United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. The work of three former participants in each category.
Temie Giwa-Tubosun's LifeBank business, to improve life in Nigeria, has been ranked by the Cartier Women's Initiative.
On March 6, at a ceremony held in Dubai, the first classified of each of the three categories was announced. The first classified will receive a prize money of $100,000, while the second and third will receive $60,000 and $30,000 respectively. Finally, the 9 winners will get human capital support valued at $10,000.
WHO IS WHO OF THE CLASSIFIED
In the category 'Improving life' it has been classified Temie Giwa-Tubosun for LifeBank, a medical device distribution company that uses data and technology to discover and send these essential products to different hospitals in Nigeria.
In second place, Nneka Mobisson, from South Africa, for mDoc, a mobile platform that offers people with chronic diseases access to virtual healthcare providers 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. And in third place, Rasha Rady, from Egypt, for Chefaa, a digital platform that works with AI and uses GPS to help chronic patients request, schedule and refill their regular medications regardless of your location or your income.
In the category 'Protection of the planet', Charlotte Wang has been the first classified by EQuota Energy.
In the category 'Protection of the planet', Charlotte Wang, China, has been the first classified by EQuota Energy, an energy optimization company that combines artificial intelligence with Big Data to offer energy efficiency solutions.
Joanne Howarth, from Australia, with Planet Protector Packaging, was the second; her company is manufacturer of environmentally friendly packaging from the leftover wool of sheep. These containers are used to transport products that are sensitive to changes in temperature. The third classified was Lorna Rutto, from Kenya, with the company of fences made with plastic waste as an ecological alternative to wood EcoPost.
In the category ‘Opportunity creation’, Fariel Salahuddin, from Pakistan, has been the first classified by UpTrade, an exchange service that enables little-known rural communities to trade livestock for solar-powered home systems and water pumps.
Carmina Bayombong from the Philippines is the second, with InvestEd, an investment platform that uses a proprietary credit scoring algorithm to offer student loans to low-income youth. and the third is Carol Chyau from China with the company Shokay, that manufactures children's clothing and accessories, household products and balls with yak wool that it buys directly from the shepherds of the region.