A distinctive feature of the Cartier Women’s Initiative Award is to offer coaching to its candidates both during the competition and after the Finals for one full year.

The coach is an experienced and senior-level businessperson from McKinsey, Cartier or INSEAD’s network (enrolled students and alumni) who commits on a voluntary basis to supporting the Cartier Women’s Initiative Awards’ Finalists and Laureates.

The coaching for the Finalists who make the first round of the competition is designed to help them move to the next round where a detailed business plan and verbal presentation are required.

The coaching for the Laureates lasts one full year. It is personalized and focused on clear objectives defined jointly by the coach and the Laureate.

Our mentors have been instrumental in providing business advice, emotional support and guidance in the writing of the business plan. In many cases, they have accompanied major changes and evolutions in the business model and ideas which is why, between the first and the second round of the competition, the business plans evolve significantly. Meet the 2009 coaches.

The matching of profiles takes into account:

• The company’s business model and industry
• The needs as identified by the candidate
• The weaknesses as identified by the Juries

Generally, the coaching takes the form of a weekly meeting or phone session of about 2 hours. The coaching is personalized: the candidate and the coach jointly define a program with objectives and milestones. All our coaches sign confidentiality agreements.

Before the last round where the Finalists are requested to present and defend their projects in front of their regional Juries, coaching workshops are organized at Cartier’s Paris headquarters. It is a unique opportunity for them to bond and share experiences while improving their presentation skills.