Meet The 24 Fellows Of Cartier's 2021 Women's Initiative
The luxury brand is offering both financial support and mentorship to a select group of female entrepreneurs
Cartier is serious about supporting female business owners. Of the 876 applicants from 142 countries, the storied luxury brand has selected a group of 24 fellows to take part in the 2021 edition of its Women's Initiative—and for the first time since the program's inception in 2006, the brand will be spotlighting the impact of women entrepreneurs from Mali, Iraq, and Myanmar. The regional finalists from North America are Rebecca Hui, Ellington West, and Sabina Bharwani.
"Women have always had a pivotal role at Cartier, both as a driving force and an endless source of inspiration," Cyrille Vigneron, the president and CEO of Cartier International, said in a press release. "It is our honor and pride to support these women who keep pushing the boundaries in order to make the world a better and more equal place."
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To toast the participants looking to make the world around them a better place, the brand is hosting a virtual A-list gathering ahead of the May 26 ceremony, with a wide range of notable speakers including actor-producer Yara Shahidi, CEO and founder of Acumen Jacqueline Novogratz, astronaut and former director of NASA Johnson Space Center Ellen Ochoa, as well as Laura Huang, a professor of business administration at Harvard Business School, and Nassim Nicholas Taleb, who is a former trader and a best-selling author. All of the above are committed, in their own right, to helping female business owners achieve success.
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In the last 15 years, the luxury brand's program has awarded more than $4 million in prize money to help support women-owned and women-led businesses. Cartier will give each of the eight laureates, or winners, across participating regions (Latin America & the Caribbean, North America, Europe, Sub-Saharan Africa, Middle East & North Africa, East Asia, and South Asia & Oceania) a $100,000 investment in their business, with 16 finalists receiving $30,000 each.
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However, support for all 24 fellows will go beyond finances, meaning tailored one-on-one training, collective workshops, media visibility, and international networking opportunities, as well as a chance to join an INSEAD entrepreneurship program.
For a full list of the selected fellows and to learn more about their impact, visit the Cartier Women's Initiative website, or visit the program's Instagram or Twitter.
This article originally appeared in Harper's BAZAAR US.