The 2009 Finalists

Latin America

Elizabeth Campillo

Work Up Bienestar Empresarial | MEXICO | Finalist 2009 for Latin America

Health programs that improve employees’ well-being and increase their productivity.

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Gabriela Enrigue & Leticia Jáuregui

PROSPERA | MEXICO | Finalists 2009 for Latin America

Mexican dream: supporting the development of women-owned enterprises in Mexico.

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Rosario Monteverde & Magdalena Rodríguez

PRO Internacional | URUGUAY | Laureates 2009 for Latin America

A web agency with a difference.

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North America

Joanna Baker & Phaedra Chrousos

HealthLeap | UNITED STATES | Finalists 2009 for North America

A free scheduling service that makes it easy to book medical appointments online.

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Michele Romanow

Evandale Caviar | CANADA | Finalist 2009 for North America

Supplying the world’s largest caviar market, the United States, while helping preserve the endangered sturgeon species.

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Una Ryan

Waltham Technologies | UNITED STATES | Laureate 2009 for North America

A simple, eco-friendly system that uses bioengineered blue-green algae and solar energy for cleaning wastewater profitably.

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Europe

Halla Tómasdóttir & Kristin Pétursdóttir

Audur Capital | ICELAND | Laureates 2009 for Europe

Financial services based on feminine values.

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Lisa Warner

Fink Cards | UNITED KINGDOM | Finalist 2009 for Europe

A mother’s wisdom: conversation cards that transform the way families communicate.

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Martina Hoffhaus

LOHAS CompetenceCenter | GERMANY | Finalist 2009 for Europe

A consulting company that helps businesses target environmentally and socially conscious consumers.

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Africa

Jeanne Habashi

Jeanne Habashi-Le Caire | EGYPT | Finalist 2009 for Africa

Fit for a queen: premium cosmetics using ancient ingredients for Egypt’s top hotels and spas.

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Jife Williams & Adeola Asabia

MN Environmental Services | NIGERIA | Laureates 2009 for Africa

Sanitation services - showers and toilets - that make a difference in Lagos state communities.

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Laura Mc Seveney-Sprague

Gaĕa | SWAZILAND | Finalist 2009 for Africa

Earth mother: caring for abandoned, orphaned and HIV-positive children.

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Asia

Alia Malik

Shangrila Farms | CHINA | Finalist 2009 for Asia

Pure fair-trade honey from small farms in China’s Yunnan Province.

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Carol Chyau

Shokay | CHINA | Finalist 2009 for Asia

Luxury with a story: textiles made from 100% yak fiber.

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Kimberley Ong

AlgaVentures | PHILIPPINES | Laureate 2009 for Asia

Fighting malnutrition in the Philippines by commercializing new forms of spirulina, a protein-packed microalgae species.

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The 2009 Finalists…

Nominated on the basis of their short business plans, the 2009 Finalists competed for the third edition of the Cartier Women's Initiative Awards. Among them, five Laureates, one for each continent, were selected to receive the Award on October 16, 2009. The 2009 Finalists were selected by the international Jury based on criteria of creativity, sustainability and social impact.

Coached by Cartier, McKinsey and INSEAD mentors, they prepared their detailed business plans and verbal presentations for the next round of the competition. The five most promising businesses, one for each region, received the annual Cartier Women's Initiative Award, 20,000 US$ and one full year of coaching.