20 years of impact: Inside Cartier’s long-standing support for women social entrepreneurs

At a time when consumers increasingly expect the brands they support to stand for something beyond the products they sell, luxury brands are leveraging their global influence to champion causes that reflect their values and create meaningful social change.

For French jewellery house Cartier, one of its most enduring commitments has been empowering women entrepreneurs through the Cartier Women’s Initiative (CWI). The global programme champions a simple but powerful belief – that women entrepreneurs can be a force for meaningful change. It was launched in 2006 to support early-stage women-led or women-founded businesses that address some of society’s most pressing challenges, providing funding, mentorship and a platform to scale their businesses.

The Cartier Women’s Initiative celebrates its 20th anniversary in 2026, a milestone that underscores two decades of championing women-led ventures. Over time, the initiative has grown beyond an awards programme into a global network of entrepreneurs, mentors and changemakers connected by a shared ambition to drive social and economic impact.

FOUNDATIONS OF CARTIER WOMEN’S INITIATIVE

For Cartier, the focus on women entrepreneurs is closely tied to the maison’s history. Kiyo Taga, global programme director of CWI, points to the influence of pioneering women who helped shape the brand's identity.

“Women have always had a pivotal role in the maison,” said Taga. “It comes from our history as well. We had Jeanne Toussaint, who was the first female designer of jewellery and was an entrepreneur herself back in the day.”

That legacy continues to shape the company today. According to Taga, women make up a significant portion of Cartier’s workforce and hold leadership positions across the organisation. The CWI, she said, is a natural extension of the company’s longstanding support for women’s leadership and entrepreneurship.

At its core, the CWI supports women entrepreneurs through three forms of capital: financial, social and human. The programme comprises 10 awards, including nine regional awards and the Science & Technology Pioneer Award. The latter category was introduced in 2021 to recognise founders developing breakthrough scientific and technological solutions.

For each award category, the top three fellows receive grant funding, with first-place awardees receiving US$100,000 (S$128,118), second-place awardees US$60,000 and third-place awardees US$30,000. Since its inception, the initiative has distributed more than US$14.1 million in funding.

The top three applicants in each category are chosen by a jury of entrepreneurs, investors, former fellows, venture philanthropists, academic experts and industry leaders. Beyond reviewing and selecting applicants, jury members also serve as mentors to fellows, extending valuable support and connections to entrepreneurs.

EVOLUTION OF CARTIER WOMEN’S INITIATIVE

But funding is just one part of the equation. In 2020, CWI introduced a one-year fellowship encompassing a customised INSEAD Women’s Impact Entrepreneurship Programme, providing fellows with training on various business topics as well as executive leadership coaching. Increased media visibility, particularly in the months following the awards, has also proven especially valuable in helping fellows raise awareness of their businesses and expand their networks.

The programme's impact is reflected in several measures tracked by Cartier. According to its 2025 Fellow Survey, 76 per cent of recent fellows reported increased revenue after completing the fellowship, while 44 per cent expanded into new markets and 66 per cent secured additional financing in 2024.

Community is another key component of the initiative. Cartier says the CWI network comprises more than 520 members across nearly 80 countries, including current and former fellows, mentors, jury members and coaches. The network provides opportunities for collaboration, peer learning and professional connections.

Taga describes it as a support system that has grown over time, particularly for founders balancing the demands of entrepreneurship with personal responsibilities. “It’s a really lonely business to be an impact entrepreneur, so to feel that you have support and people you can lean on and call, it’s really a sisterhood,” she said, adding that many participants are young mothers who are also navigating caregiving and family life. “The community has grown over the past 20 years, and I really hope that it continues to grow for the next 10 to 30 years,” she added.

Looking at the future of the programme, Taga believes it will continue to be shaped by ongoing feedback from fellows and the changing business landscape. “We really take to heart the feedback we have every year,” said Taga. “It’s constantly evolving, and we remove elements that are no longer serving the fellows because times are changing.”

Recent updates have included training content on AI and technology, as well as a greater focus on wellness and mental health support for founders under sustained pressure. The initiative has also introduced measures to support participants with caregiving responsibilities, including a parental stipend to help offset childcare costs, based on feedback from mothers in the network.

SOUTHEAST ASIA LANDSCAPE

For its 2026 edition, the CWI held its annual awards ceremony in Bangkok on Jun 10, hosted at Chulalongkorn University, reflecting the growing importance of Southeast Asia and Oceania within the global entrepreneurship landscape.

“What truly excites me about Southeast Asia and Oceania is its incredible potential. There's a powerful entrepreneurial spirit here, strongly supported by growing networks of investors, mentors, and accelerators who are helping entrepreneurs turn brilliant ideas into real-world impact,” said Yanina Novitskaya, CEO of Cartier Southeast Asia and Oceania.

“For women-led ventures, we're seeing encouraging progress across the region: more opportunities through better education, increased workforce participation, and women stepping into leadership. This is directly paving the way for them to build and grow thriving businesses,” Novitskaya added.

Since 2007, Cartier has supported over 20 fellows across Southeast Asia and Oceania, with 87 per cent of those ventures still thriving or acquired. “One of the strengths that stands out most to me is how deeply human-centred many women-led businesses in this region are,” commented Novitskaya, citing examples such as Singaporean entrepreneur Mint Lim, a 2023 fellow who founded School of Concepts after her own experience with dyslexia, and Rosie Dumbrell, a 2026 fellow whose postpartum recovery challenges inspired the creation of femtech company Everform Therapywear.

"Such ventures, rooted in lived experiences and a profound understanding of the communities they serve, empower women entrepreneurs with a unique ability to identify unmet needs and craft solutions that are both innovative and profoundly impactful," she said.

Yet the path to growth is not always straightforward. While Southeast Asia's diversity is one of its greatest strengths, Novitskaya noted that it can also create challenges for founders looking to scale across the region. Entrepreneurs often have to navigate different languages, cultures and regulatory environments as they expand into new markets. For women founders, these challenges can be compounded by more limited access to influential networks, visibility and opportunities beyond their immediate circles.

“This is why the Cartier Women’s Initiative places such importance on support beyond funding, helping entrepreneurs build the confidence, connections and capabilities needed to navigate these complexities and scale both their businesses and their impact,” said Novitskaya.

Looking ahead, Cartier hopes to broaden awareness of the programme while strengthening the ecosystem that supports women entrepreneurs across the region. "We want more women entrepreneurs to see that an idea born from a local challenge or community need can have the potential to scale and create impact far beyond its original context."

Beyond supporting individual founders, the focus is also on fostering stronger connections across the entrepreneurial landscape by “deepening local partnerships, increasing the visibility of women founders, fostering greater exchange between fellows, and creating more opportunities for collaboration across markets,” said Novitskaya.

FROM AMBITION TO ACTION

The programme’s broader impact is perhaps most evident in the stories of its fellows, whose ventures offer a glimpse into how the initiative’s support translates into real-world impact. Among the programme’s alumni are two Singaporean entrepreneurs.

Dr Lynne Lim, a surgeon and medtech entrepreneur, was the first-prize winner of the Science & Technology Pioneer Award in the 2024 edition of the CWI. She is the founder of NousQ, which developed ClickX, the world’s first handheld device for treating glue ear, a condition in which fluid builds up in the middle ear and can lead to hearing loss.

Dr Lim came across the CWI while searching online for impact accelerator programmes and decided to apply. At the time, ClickX was still at the prototype stage and had yet to undergo clinical trials. The award came at a pivotal moment for the company.

In the months that followed since winning the award, NousQ conducted human trials in both children and adults, achieving a 100 per cent safety profile and a 97 per cent success rate. The company subsequently established manufacturing capabilities in Singapore and secured ISO 13485 certification, an internationally recognised quality management standard for medical device manufacturers. In April 2026, NousQ received regulatory approval from Singapore’s Health Sciences Authority (HSA), followed by approval from Australia’s Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) in June.

For Dr Lim, one of the programme’s greatest strengths was the opportunity to connect with a global community of entrepreneurs tackling challenges across different sectors and geographies.

"One of the most important takeaways was realising the good work that everybody else is doing and that you're part of a much bigger picture," she said. "It made me dare to dream bigger."

The relationships forged through the programme have also had a lasting impact on the business. One of the jury members she met through the Cartier Women’s Initiative has since joined NousQ’s advisory board, providing strategic guidance as the company expands into new markets.

With regulatory approvals now secured, Dr Lim is focused on bringing the technology to underserved communities. "We can now get our device to many unmet-need areas, and I hope to work with impact investors to bring it to the people who need it most," she said.

Mint Lim, founder of inclusive learning centre School of Concepts (SOC), was a fellow in the 2023 edition of the CWI. The school’s curriculum is inspired by Lim’s own challenges with dyslexia growing up and her belief that learning should be more accessible and inclusive.

Lim was approached by a Cartier representative to apply for the CWI. “One of the things that surprised me at the beginning was discovering that Cartier had such a programme – that Cartier actually cares about women in society,” she admitted. The experience shifted her perception of what luxury brands can represent. “People often associate luxury with money, or something that feels very surface-level. But this programme carries so much weight,” she said.

Lim described the entire journey as a fellow of the programme as “empowering” and “enriching”. The connections she built through the initiative extended her sense of what was possible both personally and professionally. “For once, this girl from the Little Red Dot had resources beyond the Little Red Dot,” she quipped.

At the time of her application for the 2023 edition, Lim admitted her pitch for SOC’s regional expansion was largely aspirational, describing a sense of imposter syndrome as she presented her plans to scale across Asia. Three years on, that ambition has taken clearer shape. The company has since expanded into eight markets, with presence in Japan, Vietnam, Hong Kong, Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, India and Thailand.

The company has also introduced a subscription-based “franchise-in-a-box” system that allows educators to run SOC programmes within their own communities. Its offerings have since expanded beyond its core English literacy curriculum to include financial education, STEM learning tools and a values-based programme that teaches children the importance of empathy, resilience and respect through board games.

As the first Singaporean fellow for the CWI, Lim has continued to be involved in the programme, taking on an informal mentoring role for other founders interested in applying for the programme. Her advice to fellow social entrepreneurs: “You don’t have to limit your solution to just Singapore. You can scale this impact, and we can do it together."

Lim believes that the CWI’s relevance and role in the social entrepreneurship landscape will continue to grow. “So long as there are gaps in our society, so long as there are people that need support, a collective force like CWI needs to exist to really empower a growing population of like-minded people to make a difference,” she enthused.

Additional reporting by Serene Seow.

Source: CNA/st