Theme
Forces For Good
The World Expo, a celebration of human accomplishments and innovation, serves as an ideal canvas to showcase the women impact entrepreneurs reshaping our world.
The Impact Awards honor the remarkable journeys of these visionaries, who are not only addressing social and environmental challenges, but crafting a narrative that paves the way for future generations.
Women impact entrepreneurs draw their strength and inspiration from a rich tapestry of relationships—the communities they uplift, their mentors, and their peers. Together, they weave a powerful fabric of change, demonstrating that when we join forces, the possibilities are boundless.
Join us in honoring the unwavering spirit of women impact entrepreneurs, as they show us what the future could look like if everyone became a part of meaningful change.
FEATURED SPEAKERS
PROGRAM
Opening Artistic Performance
Opening Remarks
June Miyachi
President and CEO of Cartier Japan
Fireside Chat
Wingee Sin
Global Program Director of Cartier Women's Initiative
Sandi Toksvig
Broadcaster, Writer, Comedian and Gender Equality Champion
Awards Announcement
"Preserving the Planet" category
Lightning Talks by Impact Awardees Kresse Wesling (Elvis & Kresse), Kristin Kagetsu (Saathi), and Tracy O'Rourke (Vivid Edge)
Awards Announcement
"Improving Lives" category
Panel discussion featuring Impact Awardees Caitlin Dolkart (Flare), Namita Banka (Banka Bio), and Yvette Ishimwe (IRIBA Water Group)
Awards Announcement
"Creating Opportunities" category
Lightning Talks by Impact Awardees Jackie Stenson (Essmart), Mariam Torosyan (Safe YOU), and Rama Kayyali (Little Thinking Minds)
Closing Remarks
Cyrille Vigneron
Chairman of Cartier Culture and Philanthropy
Closing Artistic Performance
Opening Artistic Performance
Composition: Keiichiro Shibuya | Violin: Sumire Hirotsuru | Dance: Chiaki Hotta
"Ring for Violin and Piano (2025)"
This piece, "Ring for Violin and Piano (2025)," written for the Cartier Women's Initiative, is a fluctuating dialogue of sound and body, born from the resonance of the three artists' sensibilities. The starting point for the composition was a ring that had once been given to the composer — a form that, while seemingly stable, evokes a certain fragility, with the beauty of reflected light and the interplay of shifting shadows resonating within it. Shibuya’s piano, Hirotsuru’s violin, and Horita’s dance drift and swim through the shapeless, ever-moving music, gradually building a shared space as if tracing each other's breath. The composition also contains a subtle inspiration from a piece of the same title by Toru Takemitsu.
Closing Artistic Performance
KAORIalive
"A New World"
Inspired by the dawn of Japan’s Reiwa era (令和時代), this performance embodies the epoch’s guiding spirit of “beautiful harmony.” The word “Reiwa” means “a culture born and nurtured as people come together in beautiful harmony” and draws its name from two characters: Rei (令), symbolizing beauty, and Wa (和), representing harmony. This piece transforms that profound message into movement, weaving hope and harmony into every gesture. With a deep sense of anticipation for the era ahead, the choreography was created to uplift, energize and encourage us all to move confidently toward a brighter future.
KAORIalive
The 2025 Impact Awardees for
Preserving the Planet
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Kristin Kagetsu
Saathi creates natural, biodegradable sanitary pads offering positive impacts on health, the environment and society.
Tracy O'Rourke
Vivid Edge provides energy efficiency as a service to large and medium organizations, making it easier and more affordable for them to meet their climate goals.
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Kresse Wesling
Elvis & Kresse rescues and transforms industrial and commercial waste, including fire hoses and scrap leather, into luxury goods and accessories.
Improving Lives
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Namita Banka
Banka Bio provides sustainable water and sanitation solutions across India, including biotoilets, biodigesters and sewage treatment plants.
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Caitlin Dolkart
Flare connects Kenyans to life-saving services via its subscription-based emergency-response product, rescue.co.
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Yvette Ishimwe
IRIBA Water Group makes clean water available, accessible and affordable for low-income communities across Africa.
Creating Opportunities
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Rama Kayyali
Little Thinking Minds is an edtech company dedicated to creating digital Arabic language learning and reading platforms to enhance literacy outcomes for K-12 students.
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Jackie Stenson
Essmart distributes livelihood-generating, life-improving products in rural India.
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Mariam Torosyan
Safe YOU is a mobile application and AI platform that provides women suffering gender-based violence with emergency support, relevant resources and an online community.
Read More
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Awards
2025 Impact Awards
Explore the 2025 edition of the Cartier Women's Initiative Impact Awards.
Community
2025 Imapct Awards Jury
Find out more about the 2025 Impact Awards Jury members.