News

This year the Awards welcome a new, sixth region, the Middle East & North Africa, to the original five geographical zones. The finalists all receive business coaching to move on to the next phase of the competition. The six Laureates, each representing a geographical region, will be announced at the Awards Ceremony on the evening of October 14, 2011, at the Annual Global Meeting of the Women’s Forum in Deauville, France.

Starting up in business has been a taxing venture since 2009, with a sharp decline in access to funding. We are delighted to play our part in helping such enterprising women to develop and scale their businesses and bring bright ideas to the world,’ said Bernard Fornas, President and CEO of Cartier.

Applications for the 2012 edition of the Cartier Women’s Initiative Awards will open on November 7, 2011 and end on March 13, 2012.


ENVIRONMENT

Green is the new black

Benita Singh and Summer Rayne Oakes
Source4Style, United States
Connects brands and fashion designers to a network of global suppliers through an online community and platform that sources sustainable, ecological materials.

Kresse Wesling
Elvis& Kresse, United Kingdom
Converts industrial and commercial waste such as fire hoses and coffee bags into luxury goods and accessories.

Recycling for the environment

Liset and Ximena Contreras
PelletBol, Bolivia
Transforms unexploited Brazil nut shells into biomass pellets, an ecological fuel for domestic and industrial use.

Carolina Guerra
Ingerecuperar, Colombia
Engineers eco-friendly solutions to turn hazardous wastes such as aluminium dross into useful products and raw materials

Lorna Rutto
EcoPost, Kenya
Manufactures durable fencing posts using plastic waste, an environmentally friendly alternative to timber.

Chunhong Chen
Yiyuan Environmental Group, China
Manufactures and marketstoilets whose patented technology can save up to 83% of water.


CONNECTING PEOPLE AND BUSINESSES

Connecting people

Penina First
GoWorkIt, Israel
Instantly connects workers and employers on a mobile employment platform via SMS, web or smartphone applications.

Linda Ravenhill
VideoLive, South Africa
Transmits knowledge and information with a focus on healthcare to the continued adult education market in developing countries, using video and audio streaming technologies

Improving business processes

Rosario Rariz and Adriana Brusa
InforPyME, Uruguay
Provides economical consultancy services and open-source management software to smalland medium-sized businesses in Uruguay and Panama.

Zein Shiyyab
ETraining1.com, Jordan
Facilitates and streamlines interaction between trainers, training centres and trainees in continuing adult education via an online hub.


PERSONAL SERVICES

Making life easier

Lauren Thomas
Mozambikes, Mozambique
Imports, assembles and sells high-quality bicycles at affordable prices to businesses and individuals in low-income markets

Nawal Yaghi Fakhry
Nayaghi Banet Taxi, Lebanon
Offers taxi services in pink cabs driven by women for women.

Svati Bhogle
Sustaintech, India
Promotes the use of healthier, sustainable energy technologies by developing and selling energy-efficient cooking stoves.

Adressing parents’ needs

Cara Sayer
Really Simple Ideas Ltd., United Kingdom
Develops and markets an innovative blackout blind, baby sleep aid and high-grade sunscreen for prams and pushchairs.

Rana El Chemaitelly
The Little Engineer, Lebanon
Enables youngsters to build basic engineering skills through hands-on activities in an after-school and summer ‘edutainment’ centre.

Yi Chen
Shanghai Web Elephant, China
Offers learning and gaming activities combined in a virtual community for children, with control systems and educational reports for their parents.

Promoting healthcare

Jeanette Hill
SpotonSciences, United States
Simplifies blood sample collection and transfer with an all-in-one device for dried blood spot testing.

Meg Wirth
Maternova, United States
Combats maternal mortality in childbirth with a web-based marketplace for products, tools and information and by aiding clinicians in the field.