Cartier Women’s Initiative

OUR HISTORY

OUR COMMUNITY

OUR IMPACT

OUR STORIES

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Cartier Women's Initiative logo celebrating 20 years, featuring elegant white text on a black background.

WOMEN LIGHTING THE PATH

Women impact entrepreneurs illuminate new possibilities for humanity. Our anniversary marks two decades of championing their courage, creativity and conviction.

Cartier Women’s Initiative

OUR HISTORY

OUR COMMUNITY

OUR IMPACT

OUR STORIES

SHARE

Since 2006, the Cartier Women’s Initiative has supported visionary women entrepreneurs across the world to amplify their impact.

2006

The inception of

the initiative

Launch of the Cartier Women’s Initiative, a program funded

by Cartier to recognize and support promising women entrepreneurs.

Silver puzzle-piece globe trophy with a red "Cartier Women's Initiative Awards" ribbon in a Cartier box.

2007

THE first edition

Announcement of the first group of fellows.

Six smiling women on stage receive awards in red Cartier boxes at the Women's Forum.

2019

Strengthening bonds 

Creation of the Cartier Women’s Initiative community, connecting fellows with each other and a global network of supporters.


Division of Asia into two regional categories, increasing the number of fellows selected annually from 18 to 21.

Three women, including Michelle Obama, react with emotion and applause on stage.

2020

Unlocking fellows’

full potential

Introduction of a one-year fellowship program, including a customized Women’s Impact Entrepreneurship Program with INSEAD business school.

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A large group of diverse people, mostly women, raising their hands in excitement and smiling brightly outdoors.

2021

Fueling innovation

led by women

Launch of the Science & Technology Pioneer Award, which recognizes women impact entrepreneurs at the forefront of scientific and technological innovation.

Two scientists, wearing lab coats, masks, and safety glasses, conducting experiments in a laboratory.

2022

Convening our
global community

Celebration of the 15th anniversary of the program in Dubai with the first edition of the Cartier Women’s Initiative Impact Awards, which recognize former fellows for their outstanding impact. 

Organization of the first world reunion, which gathered more than 300 community members against the backdrop of the Women’s Pavilion co‑created by Cartier and Expo 2020 Dubai.

Four women panelists on stage for the Cartier Women's Initiative event, with audience in foreground.

2023

Expanding opportunities

Creation of two new regional categories: Francophone Sub-Saharan Africa and Oceania.

A diverse group of smiling women proudly holding golden awards on stage against a red background.

2025

A holistic program that continues to evolve

Second edition of the Impact Awards, celebrated alongside the Women’s Pavilion co-created by Cartier and Expo 2025 Osaka, Kansai, Japan.


Introduction of the parental stipend, which provides financial support to fellows with children under the age of six to minimize additional childcare costs related to their fellowship commitments.

Smiling woman piggybacking two children, a girl and a boy, in a sunny backyard.

A global tapestry OF change

EXPLORE THE MAP TO DISCOVER IMPACTFUL COLLABORATIONS BETWEEN MEMBERS OF OUR VIBRANT COMMUNITY

World map showing all continents in white on a dark green background.
A solid black image, completely devoid of any visual content or discernible features.
Golden dots forming a symmetrical inverted U-shaped arc on a black background.
An entirely black image, completely devoid of any discernible content or light.
Golden dots form a dynamic upward curving arc against a black background.
A solid black image.
A string of golden dots forms a downward curving line against a dark background, starting top-left.
Black dots form a downward-sloping curve against a dark green background.
Golden yellow dots form a smooth, increasing curve across a dark green background.
A plain black image with no visible details.
A series of golden dots forming an upward-curving line, resembling exponential growth, on a black background.
A pattern of black dots forming an upward-curving arc on a dark green background.
A curved line of golden yellow dots diagonally crosses a dark green background.
A completely black image.
Gold dots forming a C-shaped or crescent arc on a black background.
An image that is entirely black, with no discernible content or features.
Golden yellow dots forming a smooth curve from top-left to bottom-right against a black background.
A dark green background with a dotted black line curving from the top right, down along the left side, forming an arc.
A golden dotted arc across the top and left edges of a dark green background.
A completely black image with no discernible content or features.
A vertical wavy line composed of gold oval shapes, arranged against a plain black background.
Black dots form an upward curve on a dark green background.
Golden dots form an arch curve on a dark green background, resembling a data plot.
An entirely black image with no visible content or subjects.
A golden dotted arc on a black background, forming a semi-circular shape composed of numerous small circles.
A solid black image with no discernible features or content.
A U-shaped curve composed of many small golden dots on a black background.
Headshot of a woman with long dark hair, wearing a dark top, smiling gently.
Headshot of a smiling woman with curly brown hair wearing a burgundy blazer, looking at the camera.
Headshot of a smiling woman with dark hair, wearing an orange and blue patterned top.
Headshot of a Black woman with dark skin and hair, a neutral expression, and a dark top.
Smiling South Asian woman with dark hair, wearing a blue top and pearl earrings.
Headshot of a smiling Asian woman with long dark hair, wearing a black top and a patterned jacket.
A smiling Asian woman with dark, wavy hair in a red and white patterned top.
Headshot of a smiling woman with short curly brown hair, wearing a dark jacket and a necklace.
Smiling Asian woman with light brown hair and a dark shirt, headshot.
Smiling Asian woman in an orange top, headshot.
Smiling young woman with dark hair wearing a light-colored jacket, looking directly at the viewer.
Smiling woman with dark curly hair wearing a navy lace top and pearl necklace against a stone wall.
A smiling young woman with long brown hair, wearing a dark top, against a white background.
Young woman with dark hair and glasses, smiling.
Smiling woman with wavy blonde hair and a white top looking directly at the camera.
A woman with long dark hair and a red top smiles gently, looking slightly to the right.
Headshot of a smiling young woman with long dark hair, wearing a blue top, against a brown background.
A smiling middle-aged woman with long brown hair wearing a red top looks directly at the camera.
Black and white headshot of an Asian woman with short, dark hair looking directly forward.
A smiling woman with brown hair and light eyes looks directly at the viewer.
Smiling woman with dark hair and light eyes wearing a light blue top in a headshot.
Smiling woman with brown hair in a pink top. Professional headshot.
Blonde woman smiling, wearing a teal top and pearl earrings.

CLICK EACH PHOTO TO DISCOVER IMPACTFUL COLLABORATIONS BETWEEN MEMBERS OF OUR VIBRANT COMMUNITY

World map showing all continents in white on a dark green background.
A solid black image, completely devoid of any visual content or discernible features.
Golden dots forming a symmetrical inverted U-shaped arc on a black background.
An entirely black image, completely devoid of any discernible content or light.
Golden dots form a dynamic upward curving arc against a black background.
A solid black image.
A string of golden dots forms a downward curving line against a dark background, starting top-left.
Black dots form a downward-sloping curve against a dark green background.
Golden yellow dots form a smooth, increasing curve across a dark green background.
A plain black image with no visible details.
A series of golden dots forming an upward-curving line, resembling exponential growth, on a black background.
A pattern of black dots forming an upward-curving arc on a dark green background.
A curved line of golden yellow dots diagonally crosses a dark green background.
A completely black image.
Gold dots forming a C-shaped or crescent arc on a black background.
An image that is entirely black, with no discernible content or features.
Golden yellow dots forming a smooth curve from top-left to bottom-right against a black background.
A dark green background with a dotted black line curving from the top right, down along the left side, forming an arc.
A golden dotted arc across the top and left edges of a dark green background.
A completely black image with no discernible content or features.
A vertical wavy line composed of gold oval shapes, arranged against a plain black background.
Black dots form an upward curve on a dark green background.
Golden dots form an arch curve on a dark green background, resembling a data plot.
An entirely black image with no visible content or subjects.
A golden dotted arc on a black background, forming a semi-circular shape composed of numerous small circles.
A solid black image with no discernible features or content.
A U-shaped curve composed of many small golden dots on a black background.
Headshot of a woman with long dark hair, wearing a dark top, smiling gently.
Headshot of a smiling woman with curly brown hair wearing a burgundy blazer, looking at the camera.
Headshot of a smiling woman with dark hair, wearing an orange and blue patterned top.
Headshot of a Black woman with dark skin and hair, a neutral expression, and a dark top.
Smiling South Asian woman with dark hair, wearing a blue top and pearl earrings.
Headshot of a smiling Asian woman with long dark hair, wearing a black top and a patterned jacket.
A smiling Asian woman with dark, wavy hair in a red and white patterned top.
Headshot of a smiling woman with short curly brown hair, wearing a dark jacket and a necklace.
Smiling Asian woman with light brown hair and a dark shirt, headshot.
Smiling Asian woman in an orange top, headshot.
Smiling young woman with dark hair wearing a light-colored jacket, looking directly at the viewer.
Smiling woman with dark curly hair wearing a navy lace top and pearl necklace against a stone wall.
A smiling young woman with long brown hair, wearing a dark top, against a white background.
Young woman with dark hair and glasses, smiling.
Smiling woman with wavy blonde hair and a white top looking directly at the camera.
A woman with long dark hair and a red top smiles gently, looking slightly to the right.
Headshot of a smiling young woman with long dark hair, wearing a blue top, against a brown background.
A smiling middle-aged woman with long brown hair wearing a red top looks directly at the camera.
Black and white headshot of an Asian woman with short, dark hair looking directly forward.
A smiling woman with brown hair and light eyes looks directly at the viewer.
Smiling woman with dark hair and light eyes wearing a light blue top in a headshot.
Smiling woman with brown hair in a pink top. Professional headshot.
Blonde woman smiling, wearing a teal top and pearl earrings.

KRESSE WESLING

2001 FELLOW AND

2025 IMPACT AWARDEE

Launched a wristband crafted from decommissioned fire hoses to raise funds for Mariam Torosyan’s Safe YOU platform, which protects women and girls from violence.

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Mariam Torosyan

2023 fellow and

2025 Impact Awardee

Partnered with Kresse Wesling to create a wristband out of upcycled fire hoses. Sales fund Mariam’s Safe YOU mobile application, which protects women from gender-based violence.

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Namita Banka

2013 fellow

and 2025 Impact Awardee

Sharing Banka Bio’s biodigester technology to help Jife Williams scale safe, sustainable waste management in Nigeria, starting with a bus station in Lagos.

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JIFE WILLIAMS

2009 fellow

Piloting Namita Banka’s low-cost, low-maintenance biodigester technology to provide an environmentally friendly waste management service to a public convenience facility in Lagos, Nigeria.

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ISHANI ROY

2023 fellow

Secured a DEI partnership with a new flagship client and expanded into Europe with the support of jury member Jamie Soon-Kesteloot.

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Jamie

Soon-Kesteloot

JURY MEMBER

Connected Ishani Roy with a new flagship client, enabling her to expand her business Serein into Europe.

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LYNNE LIM

2024 fellow

Pioneering better treatment for glue ear via a groundbreaking handheld robotic medical device with the support of jury member Cécile Réal.

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Cécile Réal

2012 fellow and jury member

Lending her entrepreneur-investor perspective and deep medical device knowledge to Lynne Lim’s business NousQ by joining its advisory board.

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MINT LIM

2023 fellow

Extending the reach of School of Concepts’ transformative childhood literacy work by expanding into lifestyle spaces in partnership with Toto Deng.

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TOTO DENG

JURY MEMBER

Inspired Mint Lim to transform retail spaces into learning environments to help School of Concepts reach more children with its interactive literacy education.

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Atilana Piñón

2023 fellow

Accelerating the growth of Retorna, which improves access to financial services for migrants, with investment and support from capital mentor Anna Raptis.

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ANNA RAPTIS

Capital mentor, jury member

Supports fellows’ fundraising journeys in her role as a capital mentor, including leveraging her network to open doors for their businesses. To date, Anna has also invested in three fellows.

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Valentina Rogacheva

2021 fellow

Received investment from capital mentor Anna Raptis for her agri-fintech solution Verqor.

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Komal dadlani

2015 fellow

Received investment from capital mentor Anna Raptis for her laboratory technology company Lab4U. In turn, Komal has invested in imagi, the inclusive programming tool created by 2020 fellow Dora Palfi.

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Dora Palfi

2020 fellow

Received investment from 2015 fellow Komal Dadlani into her business imagi, which makes computer programming fun and relevant for teenage girls.

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ANISHA SINGH

jury member

Provided catalytic investment to 2018 fellow Swati Pandey’s plant-based food ingredients manufacturer Arboreal Bio Innovations.

SWATI PANDEY

2018 fellow, jury member

Scaling her plant-based food ingredients manufacturing business Arboreal Bio Innovations with the support of catalytic investment from jury member Anisha Singh.

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YVONNE BRADY

2014 fellow,

community activator

Provides mentoring and business coaching to 2007 fellow Angel Chang, who specializes in sustainable fashion.

angel chang

2007 fellow

Benefits from mentoring and business coaching from 2014 fellow and community activator Yvonne Brady to support the development of her sustainable fashion business.

LAUREN MAILLIAN

JURY MEMBER

Mentoring 2024 fellow Sadriye Görece as she builds BlindLook, which closes the communication gap for visually impaired people.

Sadriye Görece

2024 fellow

Receives mentoring from jury member Lauren Maillian as she builds her business BlindLook, which closes the communication gap for visually impaired people.

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Claire van Enk

2024 fellow

Received investment from jury member Lyndsay Holley Handler in her business Farm to Feed, a digital marketplace for imperfect and surplus produce.

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Lyndsay Holley Handler

JURY MEMBER

Invested in Claire van Enk’s business Farm to Feed, Africa’s first digital marketplace for imperfect and surplus produce.

Our impact

in numbers

315

fellows from

51

countries

56%

of impact businesses fellows applied with are still operating and

0%

have been acquired or merged

490+

active community members FROM

70+

COUNTRIES

CLICK TO SEE ALL ARTICLES

Our community in action

A smiling woman in a blue patterned dress talks on her phone while seated at a desk with a laptop.

From fellowship to France

How a 2023 fellow expanded her reach with a jury member’s support.

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A medical professional examining a child's ear with specialized equipment, assisted by another staff member.

A SURGEON, AN INVESTOR,

A SHARED VISION

Transforming access to vital earcare, one click at a time.

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Two smiling women in casual attire, one in sequins, the other in a blouse, both show fisted hands.

A BRACELET THAT SAVES LIVES

How two Impact Awardees turned shared purpose into swift action.

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HIDE ARTICLES

Two women at a table, one looking at her phone, the other smiling, with neon lights in the background.

A springboard to success

How a connection with Amplifica Capital helped Retorna thrive.

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People in "Clean Hands, Safe Toilets, Healthy Lives" t-shirts at a market.

The power of social capital

Community creates opportunity for women impact entrepreneurs.

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photo gallery

THROUGH THE LENS

Large red double quotation marks on a black background, indicating a quote or statement.

There is a Japanese proverb, ‘Fall seven times, get up eight.’ That is not just resilience — it is the lived reality of women who build with purpose. When we invest in women impact entrepreneurs, we invest in courage, conviction and lasting change.

Kiyo Taga

Cartier Women’s Initiative Director

Quote of the month