Celebrates Female Entrepreneurs from around the World
INSEAD, the leading international business school, today announced its partnership for the fourth year with the prestigious Cartier Women’s Initiative Awards. The awards are an annual business plan competition for women entrepreneurs from around the world, and were created in 2006 by Cartier and the Women’s Forum for the Economy and Society in partnership with INSEAD and McKinsey.
Wendy McMillan, an INSEAD MBA alumna (D2001), was honoured as the laureate in the Europe division by an independent panel of judges at the 2010 Cartier Women's Initiative Awards, announced on 14 October at the Annual Global Meeting of the Women's Forum for the Economy and Society in Deauville, France.
McMillan was recognised for founding Who to Ask?, an Internet platform providing a convenient, low-cost marketplace for professional advisors to promote and sell their services. Who to Ask? will initially launch in the United Kingdom, although McMillan plans to grow the virtual marketplace on a global scale.
Women entrepreneurs from five geographical regions were selected as the 2010 laureates awarded during the Women’s Forum:
- Africa – Ann Kihengu, Prian, Tanzania
- Asia – Gouthami, Travel Another India, India
- Europe – Wendy McMillan, Who to Ask?, United Kingdom
- Latin America – Valentina Peroni, Nutribaby, Argentina
- North America – Birame Sock, Third Solutions, United States
The laureates were chosen from a set of 15 finalists by an independent, international jury of more than 25 members, which included Loïc Sadoulet, professor of Economics and head of the Africa Initiative at INSEAD. Five regional jury groups representing a wide variety of profiles, backgrounds and countries selected the laureates based on creativity, financial sustainability, and social and environmental impact. INSEAD MBAs and alumni also helped select the pool of projects sent to the juries and coached the finalists with Cartier and McKinsey to prepare them for the competition.
INSEAD Professor of Economics Loïc Sadoulet, jury member for the African panel, said: ‘Our role is to help the finalists take their business further, to scale it, replicate it and do more for the world. The 2010 laureates should be commended for their outstanding entrepreneurial ventures and unwavering commitment to making a long-term social impact.’
Bernard Fornas, President and CEO of Cartier International, added: ‘Entrepreneurial spirit is a precious asset to be cultivated, particularly during challenging times. Cartier remains deeply committed to supporting entrepreneurial initiatives from around the world through the annual Cartier Women’s Initiative Awards.’
Fornas continued: ‘Human capital is every bit as valuable as its financial counterpart, if not more so, and we have wanted to highlight this contribution with a look at the work of two volunteer coaches from our partners in this initiative, McKinsey & Company and INSEAD, who share with us the stimulation and rewards their role brings.’
The laureates received a US$ 20,000 cash award, and will benefit from a full year of coaching from INSEAD, Cartier and McKinsey. Former INSEAD MBAs, along with several other prominent leaders from Cartier and McKinsey, will serve as coaches to the laureates.
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 the organisation of 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 The Cartier Women's Initiative site.
