Laureates announced for prestigious 2012 global business plan competition that awards six women entrepreneurs with funding to develop their ventures
INSEAD, the leading international business school , celebrated the sixth anniversary of its partnership with the Cartier Women’s Initiative Awards, and announced the winners 2012 At the Women's Forum in Deauville, France. The awards are an annual business plan competition for women entrepreneurs from around the world. Created in 2006 by Cartier and the Women’s Forum for the Economy and Society, in partnership with INSEAD and McKinsey, the awards advance opportunities for female business innovators.
Once again, this year six female entrepreneurs, each representing a major world region, were selected from among 18 finalists. The 2012 finalists, hailing from 15 different countries, were selected from a pool of more than 1,000 people and projects. The entrepreneurs lead companies in sectors ranging from maternal health to waste management, engineering and continuing education.
Three finalists were grouped in each region, including Asia-Pacific, Europe, Latin America, Middle East & North Africa, North America and Sub-Saharan Africa and six were named 2012 laureates. The winners received the Cartier Women’s Initiative Award, which grants US$20,000 in funding toward their business, as well as a year of coaching and unique networking opportunities. This year’s winners were:
- Asia-Pacific: Lianna Gunawan, La Spina Collections, Indonesia
- Europe: Cécile Real, Endodiag, France
- Latin America: Gabriela Flores, Kirah Design, Bolivia
- Middle East & North Africa: Iba Masood, Gradberry, United Arab Emirates
- North America: Ting Shih, ClickMedix, United States
- Sub-Saharan Africa: Julienne Ingabire and Elizabeth Scharpf, Sustainable Health Enterprises, Rwanda
INSEAD Dean Dipak C. Jain said that INSEAD was proud to offer its enthusiastic support of the Awards, which reflected the school’s long commitment to diversity, entrepreneurship and global business perspectives. “Entrepreneurship is a vital part of increasing prosperity and opportunity for people worldwide,” Dean Jain said. “By advancing women entrepreneurs, as the Cartier Women’s Initiative Awards have done, our partnership is spurring innovation that transforms people, communities and the world. This project is at the heart of INSEAD’s mission. We are delighted to mark the sixth year of our partnership on this journey with Cartier.”
Now in its sixth year, the competition has supported nearly 100 women entrepreneurs from around the world.
Bernard Fornas, President and CEO of Cartier International, said that the Awards provide financial support for “solid businesses driven by committed entrepreneurs whose ideas will make an impact on people, the community and the economy. From health and sanitation to craftsmanship, heritage and employment, this year’s initiatives are doing just that. Cartier is proud to encourage women entrepreneurs.”
A set of six regional jury panels selected the 2012 laureates. These jurors represent a wide variety of profiles, backgrounds and countries. They are responsible for selecting the laureates based on creativity, financial sustainability, and social and environmental impact.
The Cartier Women’s Initiative Awards are a joint partnership project initiated by Cartier, the Women’s Forum, McKinsey and INSEAD. Each partner brings its expertise to the initiative. Cartier plays a leading role in organising the competition and provides coaching and funding for the projects. The Women’s Forum delivers visibility and networking opportunities for the finalists, and INSEAD and McKinsey pre-select the projects and coach the finalists.
For more information on the Cartier Women’s Initiative Awards, please visit: http://www.cartierwomensinitiative.com
