WOMEN, A SYMBOL OF EMPOWERMENT
The 15th anniversary of the Cartier Women's Initiative celebrates nine brilliant women once again by awarding female entrepreneurs who made an impact over the years
Founded in 2006, the Cartier Women's Initiative is an annual event created to celebrate the environmental and social impact of women in entrepreneurship to aid them in reaching their maximum potential, honoring them with awards and accolades for their outstanding achievements to society. For the foundation's 15th anniversary, nine former fellows were chosen and divided into three categories based on the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals: Improving Lives, Preserving the Planet, and Creating Opportunities. Now it's time to meet the goddesses of legend.
PRESERVING THE PLANET
To be selected under this category means being intimately involved with Mother Earth, a trait found in Australia's Joanne Howarth, founder of Planet Protector Packaging who intelligently markets environmentoriented insulated packaging made from sheep waste wool. On the other hand, Ecopost's Lorna Rutto from Kenya recycles plastic waste, using them to build durable fencing posts to promote less logging to save trees.
All the way from China, with Equota as her brainchild and technology at her beck and call, Charlotte Wang leads an energy optimization company that works with artificial intelligence and huge loads of data to increase energy efficiency, a feat that can only be achieved with a fiery dragon-like passion.
IMPROVING WILLPOWER
Medicine, science, and engineering—harnessing the full potential of these subjects and making it their own is the superpower of these women to protect and serve the citizens of their respective countries. Egypt's medical assistance for all has never been better when CHEFAA'S co-founder Rasha Rady helps the chronic patients in her land order, schedule, and refill their maintenance medicines through an Ai-powered and Gps-enabled digital platform that can be accessed anytime, no matter your income or social status. In relation to that, another spectacular mobile platform, mdoc, becomes the master key to virtual healthcare providers available 24/7 at the fingertips of patients with recurring illnesses. The genius behind this masterpiece was none other than Nneka Mobisson, also running for an award.
Temie Giwa Tubosun uses her country's healthcare situation as her motivation in establishing a medical distribution company, Lifebank. She utilizes data and technology to deliver essential medical products to Nigerian hospitals, giving more hope to her beloved people.
CREATING OPPORTUNITIES
Using their strength to join hands with their communities and evolving them into stronger individuals, these women support the youth and farmers by upgrading and funding the societal ecosystem.
From the islands of the Pearl of The Orient, Filipina businesswoman Carmina Bayombong introduces Invested as a saving grace to underserved youth. The investment platform provides student loans using a proprietary credit rating algorithm, a result of Bayombong's love and selfless nature. Also in Asia, China prides itself with the achievement of Carol Chyau as she creates a mutually beneficial relationship between Shokay, the children of her country, and the region's yak herders. By purchasing yak fiber from the farms and using them to manufacture premium children's clothes, children's accessories, home furnishings, and yarn, she truly has set an example for social responsibility.
Westward, Fariel Salahuddin focuses on the hidden treasures of the off-grid rural areas of Pakistan, wherein she offers a bartering service to exchange livestock for solarpowered water pumps and home systems. Her company, Uptrade, lives by meeting the needs of all the citizens.
THE CEREMONY
Using their strength to join hands with their communities and evolving them into stronger individuals, these women support the youth and farmers by upgrading and funding the societal ecosystem.