ABOUT US
DRIVING CHANGE BY EMPOWERING WOMEN IMPACT ENTREPRENEURS
The Cartier Women's Initiative is an annual international entrepreneurship program that aims to drive change by empowering women impact entrepreneurs. Founded by Cartier in 2006, the program is open to women-run and women-owned businesses from any country and sector that aim to have a strong and sustainable social and/or environmental impact.
The call for applications for the 2023 edition is now closed. The 2023 Awards Ceremony will take place in Paris on May 10, 2023.
OUR VISION
Our vision is a world in which every woman impact entrepreneur driving social and environmental change can achieve her full potential.
OUR MISSION
Our mission is to shine a light on women impact entrepreneurs and provide them with the necessary financial, social and human capital support to grow their business and build their leadership skills.
Our Guiding Principles
1.
We believe women can be extraordinary change agents, and we leverage business as a force for good.
2.
We contribute by creating opportunities for everyone. Talent is universal but opportunities are not.
3.
We are constantly learning. We leave room for the possibility that there is something we have not learnt yet that could make us even better.
4.
We see beyond ourselves and care for our team, communities that we serve and communities that we are a part of.
WHAT WE DO
OUR IMPACT
FELLOWS SINCE 2006
COUNTRIES REPRESENTED
USD GRANTED
A big part of our work is to create opportunities for role models and sisterhood amongst women impact entrepreneurs. It’s amazing how empowering that is – when you are in the company of someone who has been there, and done that, and also when you are in the company of others doing the same thing but in different parts of the world.
Wingee Sampaio
Wingee serves as the Global Program Director of the Cartier Women’s Initiative. She also serves on the investment committee of Next Wave Ventures, a venture capital fund investing in social impact businesses. She co-authored “Impact with Wings: Stories to Inspire and Mobilize Women Angel Investors and Entrepreneurs”. Wingee has had a distinguished career in the capital markets for fifteen years at State Street Global Advisors, Barclays Global Investors, and Goldman Sachs & Co.
OUR TEAM
Global Program Director
WINGEE SAMPAIO
"Happiness is when what you think, what you say, and what you do are in harmony.” – Mahatma Gandhi. Leading the Cartier Women’s Initiative gives me the opportunity to advocate for all the remarkable women leveraging business as a force for good.
Head of Community and Content
Meng Xu
When great people are brought together, magic happens. I believe in the power of collaboration and it’s my goal to foster meaningful connections and build an even more vibrant community of change makers.
Community Engagement Manager
MAÉVA MENDY
"There is no limit to what we, as women, can accomplish"- Michelle Obama. One thing that I find truly powerful is women empowering women: joining our strengths enables us to grow stronger and faster. I am very proud to help the Cartier Women’s Initiative community develop and increase the leadership of women leveraging business as a force for good.
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COMMUNICATIONS MANAGER
ANMOL PRITHANI
“There is a way to do better – find it.” – Thomas Edison. Our world is currently facing a lot of problems – social, environmental and economical. The Cartier Women’s Initiative helps support changemakers as they bring solutions to the world’s problems and find ways to do better. I am proud to be working with these innovative minds, not only to help them communicate in the best possible way, but to also learn from them.
Project Coordinator
ITZEL ONTIVEROS
I enjoy working with an international team in a challenging environment where I can develop my full potential. I find the initiative very attractive because it has introduced me to novel ways of thinking. I am also proud to work for a company such as Cartier, which is widely recognised for its high standards.