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, selected to receive the Award on October 16, 2009.
The 2009 Finalists
Jife Williams and Adeola Asabia
MN Environmental Services
NIGERIA
Sanitation services - showers and toilets - that make a difference in Lagos state communities.
MN Environmental Services
NIGERIA
Sanitation services - showers and toilets - that make a difference in Lagos state communities.
Elizabeth Campillo
Work Up Bienestar Empresarial
MEXICO
Health programs that improve employees’ well‑being and increase their productivity.
Work Up Bienestar Empresarial
MEXICO
Health programs that improve employees’ well‑being and increase their productivity.
Joanna Baker and Phaedra Chrousos
HealthLeap
UNITED STATES
A free scheduling service that makes it easy to book medical appointments online.
HealthLeap
UNITED STATES
A free scheduling service that makes it easy to book medical appointments online.
Gabriela Enrigue and Leticia Jáuregui
PROSPERA
MEXICO
Mexican dream: supporting the development of women-owned enterprises in Mexico.
PROSPERA
MEXICO
Mexican dream: supporting the development of women-owned enterprises in Mexico.
Kimberley Ong
AlgaVentures
PHILIPPINES
Fighting malnutrition in the Philippines by commercializing new forms of spirulina, a protein‑packed microalgae species.
AlgaVentures
PHILIPPINES
Fighting malnutrition in the Philippines by commercializing new forms of spirulina, a protein‑packed microalgae species.
Carol Chyau
Shokay
CHINA
Luxury with a story: textiles made from 100% yak fiber.
Shokay
CHINA
Luxury with a story: textiles made from 100% yak fiber.
Martina Hoffhaus
LOHAS CompetenceCenter
GERMANY
A consulting company that helps businesses target environmentally and socially conscious consumers.
LOHAS CompetenceCenter
GERMANY
A consulting company that helps businesses target environmentally and socially conscious consumers.
Lisa Warner
Fink Cards
UNITED KINGDOM
A mother’s wisdom: conversation cards that transform the way families communicate.
Fink Cards
UNITED KINGDOM
A mother’s wisdom: conversation cards that transform the way families communicate.
Michele Romanow
Evandale Caviar
CANADA
Supplying the world’s largest caviar market, the United States, while helping preserve the endangered sturgeon species.
Evandale Caviar
CANADA
Supplying the world’s largest caviar market, the United States, while helping preserve the endangered sturgeon species.
Jeanne Habashi
Jeanne Habashi-Le Caire
EGYPT
Fit for a queen: premium cosmetics using ancient ingredients for Egypt’s top hotels and spas.
Jeanne Habashi-Le Caire
EGYPT
Fit for a queen: premium cosmetics using ancient ingredients for Egypt’s top hotels and spas.
Una Ryan
Waltham Technologies
UNITED STATES
A simple, eco-friendly system that uses bioengineered blue-green algae and solar energy for cleaning wastewater profitably.
Waltham Technologies
UNITED STATES
A simple, eco-friendly system that uses bioengineered blue-green algae and solar energy for cleaning wastewater profitably.
Laura Mc Seveney-Sprague
Gaěa
SWAZILAND
Earth mother: caring for abandoned, orphaned and HIV-positive children.
Gaěa
SWAZILAND
Earth mother: caring for abandoned, orphaned and HIV-positive children.
Halla Tómasdóttir and Kristin Pétursdóttir
Audur Capital
ICELAND
Financial services based on feminine values.
Audur Capital
ICELAND
Financial services based on feminine values.
Alia Malik
Shangrila Farms
CHINA
Fair-trade, pure honey from small farms in China’s Yunnan Province.
Shangrila Farms
CHINA
Fair-trade, pure honey from small farms in China’s Yunnan Province.
Rosario Monteverde and Magdalena Rodríguez
PRO Internacional
URUGUAY
A web agency with a difference.
PRO Internacional
URUGUAY
A web agency with a difference.
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 were prepared their detailed business plans and verbal presentations for the next round of the competition. The five most promising businesses, one for each continent, received the annual Cartier Women's Initiative Award, prize money of 20 000 USD and one full year of coaching.
Finalist 2010 Laureates 2008 Laureates 2007
