”For a few days in March, I felt like I was living in another life, another world, as if a miraculous hand pulled me out of my life and took me to wonderland. That’s how I could sum up the experience I had on the occasion of Cartier’s 15th anniversary of the Cartier Women’s Initiative (CWI).
What is CWI? It’s a project through which Cartier supports the world’s women entrepreneurs, those who have the ideas, enthusiasm and energy to move the world, creating companies that have an impact on society, are sustainable and help keep the planet sustainable.
The project was launched in 2006 as part of the Women’s Forum for Economy and Society. Since then, Cartier has awarded and supported 262 women entrepreneurs from around the globe, working in a variety of areas. The community spans 62 countries and includes a variety of sectors, such as pharmaceuticals, agriculture, e-learning, technology, medicine, materials recycling.
In 2017, the Cartier Women’s Initiative chose to go its separate way from the Women’s Forum and became a program in its own right.
This community, made up of entrepreneurs, business coaches, mentors, investors, jury members, demonstrates that it is possible to solve global problems and initiate change, even when conditions are very rudimentary. Less than a decade left to achieve the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UN SDGs). These relate to the elimination of poverty, hunger, health and well-being, quality education, gender equality, clean water and sanitation, access to sustainable energy sources, decent work and economic growth, to name but a few areas of focus. Basically, they cover all areas that can ensure a decent existence for people and a sustainable future for the planet.
In the meantime, the Cartier project aims to equally support projects that have a proven impact, global initiatives, policy changes.
In addition, one of the beliefs of those collaborating in this project is that gender equality and support for women are critical issues to meet those goals, targets (SDGs).
Looking at the statistics, the programme supported 5 women entrepreneurs in 2007, and in 2021, awarded 24 women with a socially impactful, sustainable business. The awards were worth $6,440,000. More than 3000 women entrepreneurs apply each year. Of these, 24 make it to the finals and 8 are awarded.
Each winner receives a prize of $100,000 and a Social Entrepreneurship programme at Insead Business School.
Before the final round, the 24 finalists receive support to build a business plan, financial forecasts, and prepare their presentation to potential investors. Cartier works with business coaches from around the world, and the partnership with Insead means that many of these coaches are graduates of the business school’s executive programmes. This is also the case for me.
Going back to the event that took place in Dubai in March, the Alice in Wonderland feel comes from a few things. Sure, the place is a special one, and beyond the artificiality that some may accuse, it’s amazing to see what they were able to build in a place where there wasn’t much in the way of development. Obviously it took huge investments and they had resources, but they used those resources constructively, they managed to attract the best architects, engineers, for their constructions. Like it or not, we can see the achievements.
But what impressed me was to see so many entrepreneurs, so many coaches, mentors, investors, who have a lot of energy, ideas, faith that they can change the world around them, step by step, action by action, minute by minute. It was a kind of immersion in a world where anything is possible, if you want and work in that direction. In front of these entrepreneurs you can only bow down, be humble, be inspired, promise yourself that you will do something too, that you won’t feel like you can’t, it’s too hard, it’s impossible. Audrey Hepburn said that nothing is impossible, the word itself says ‘i’m possible’.
The irony is that it turns out that women are 20% less confident than men (55% vs. 66%), according to the latest Global Entrepreneurship Monitor, 2020/2021, Women’s Entrepreneurship Report. And yet, this project proves that beyond this lower confidence, beyond the biases we find in so many cultures, beyond the variety of day-to-day activities, there are women entrepreneurs who can always be leaders, innovating, making heaven where there seemed to be no chance of growth.
In a way, this reminds me of the story of the two shoe salesmen. Both were sent to Africa to sell shoes.
One came back saying that the situation is hopeless, people there don’t wear shoes. The other one came back saying it’s a huge opportunity, given that people don’t have shoes.
Looking back, the Cartier event was more than a welcome stop in Wonderland. It was a reunion with a whole world gathered at the J W Marriott Bonvoy, Dubai. Those people brought with them the culture of the country, its fragrance, its colours, its stories. The soul of each country, and there were around 60 countries present, from all continents, manifested itself there, written on the bodies and in the stories of its representatives.”
via: Forbes