After Two Decades, the Cartier Women’s Initiative Is More Impactful Than Ever

In a year marked by shifting conversations around sustainability, leadership, and innovation, the Cartier Women’s Initiative recently delivered a powerful reminder of what progress can look like when women are given the resources to lead.

Founded in 2006, the Cartier Women’s Initiative began with the belief that “empowered women transform society.” Two decades later, the proof is in the progress: the program has supported over 330 women impact entrepreneurs from 67 countries and awarded more than $14 million in funding to businesses that are tackling some of the world’s most urgent issues, including environmental and social causes.

To honor this year’s cohort of 30 fellows from around the world, Cartier held a week-long celebration in Bangkok, Thailand that included a series of dialogues, an immersive art exhibition, and opportunities for the fellows to connect with mentors, alumni fellows, and industry leaders. The theme of “Women Lighting the Path” illuminated the idea that women are often the spark for remarkable change.

The week’s events concluded with the Impact Awards ceremony held at Chulalongkorn University, where Amal Clooney delivered a keynote address to a room of over 700 people.

“We’re here to celebrate this year’s 30 Cartier Women’s Initiative Fellows, a formidable group of women entrepreneurs driving change across diverse sectors,” Clooney said. “I’ve seen how the Cartier Women’s Initiative fellowship not only accelerates these brilliant women’s careers but also creates a sisterhood committed to helping each other through its powerful community.”

At the Awards, each fellow was awarded a grant to continue their work. Among them are women like Vanessa Castañeda Gill, who founded Social Cipher to help neurodivergent children embrace their identities through games; Alba Forns, who is enabling everyday people to invest in renewable energy projects through her company Climatize; and Keely Cat-Wells, whose platform Making Space is helping companies train, hire, and retain disabled professionals.

“The Cartier Women's Initiative has been a profound validation of the work we're doing at Making Space, and meeting fellow founders from across the globe in Bangkok reminded me that the barriers people face in the workforce are universal, even when the solutions must be local," Cat-Wells said. "The recognition opens doors with funders, employers, and policymakers who can help us close the disability employment gap at the scale the problem demands. What I hope to accomplish is simple to say and hard to do, which is to build a world where disability and ambition belong together, where careers and dreams grow with the right access, belief, and opportunity behind them.”

While grant money is an important part of the Cartier Women’s Initiative, the program’s impact extends well beyond financial support. All fellows participate in a year-long fellowship program that includes executive education, leadership training, mentor opportunities, and access to a global network of entrepreneurs and experts.

It’s a formula that’s working: 66 percent of businesses that Cartier has supported are still operating, while 9 percent have been acquired or merged. Meanwhile, 76 percent of recent fellows have increased their revenue.

Next year, the program will take place in Amsterdam, where a new group of fellows will be introduced and honored. Proving that for Cartier, supporting women entrepreneurs is more than a moment—it’s a movement.