Cartier Celebrates 20 Years Of Uplifting Female Entrepreneurs 

Since its inauguration in 2006, the Cartier Women’s Initiative – an annual international entrepreneurship programme funded by Cartier – has centered its goal on driving change by empowering impactful women entrepreneurs. This mission lies in the heart of the Maison’s belief that women can become vital changemakers when equipped with the necessary financial, social and human capital tools. 

This year, Cartier celebrates the 20th anniversary of the Cartier Women’s Initiative, marking two decades of supporting promising women entrepreneurs who have leveraged their business as a force for good, and the growth of a global community grounded in making a profound impact. 

A total of 30 laureates from the Americas, Europe, Africa, Middle East, Asia and Oceania were honoured under the theme “Lighting the Path” – a fitting tribute to the stellar feats these trailblazers have accomplished within their sectors of healthcare, climate innovation, food systems and technology. 

Amongst the 30 are women like Monika Shukla, the Co-Founder of Humble Bee, an India-based business built to empower rural women through tech-enabled beekeeping; Vanessa Castañeda Gill, Co-Founder of Social Cipher, an American game creation company focused on assisting neurodivergent children; and Hahyeon Park, the Chief Product Officer of Omena Technologies, a digital menopause care company in France. The other laureates, as you would expect, are also deserving leaders who have created significant sustainable impacts through their businesses. 

Additionally, the Cartier Women’s Initiative marked a monumental milestone this year with the recognition of its first Nepalese woman impact entrepreneur – a testament to the initiative’s expanding reach. 

The 2026 Cartier Women’s Initiative awards ceremony will take place on June 10 in Bangkok, Thailand where its first to third place awardees will take home a sum of money in grant funding. On top of that, all 30 fellows will receive a year-long fellowship programme and lifelong access to the Cartier Women’s Initiative community.

Full list of the 30 Cartier Women’s Initiative 2026 fellows: 

1. Cristina Campero Peredo, CEO and Co-Founder of Prosperia, Mexico 
2. Maricruz Larrea Perez, CEO of Farmtastica, Chile 
3. Natalia Cano, Co-Founder and CEO of Docokids, Colombia
4. Keely Cat-Wells, Founder and CEO of Making Space, United States
5. Alba Forns, Co-Founder and Chief Operating Officer of Climatize, United States
6. Vanessa Castañeda Gill, Co-Founder and CEO of Social Cipher, United States
7. Hahyeon Park, Co-Founder and Chief Product Officer of Omena Technologies, France
8. Angela Ursem, Co-Founder and CEO of Food for Skin, Netherlands
9. Elise Thorel, Co-Founder and Co-Manager of Marie Curry, France
10. Alice Ndeh, Chief Technology Officer of Nkwa, Cameroon 
11. Mylène Flicka, Founder and CEO of Irawo, Benin
12. Adeline Pelage, Co-Founder and CEO of Biscuiterie Bobo, Cameroon
13. Susan Namirimu, CEO of Mtindo, Uganda
14. Céleste Tchetgen Vogel, Co-Founder and CEO of Ewaka, Kenya
15. Louisa Gathecha, CEO of Bottle Logistics, Kenya
16. Vriko Yu, Co-Founder and CEO of Archireef, United Arab Emirates
17. Salma Tammam, Founder and CEO of Reme-D, Egypt 
18. Nidal Tafah, Co-Founder and CEO of Mirriah, Morocco
19. Ting Ye, Co-Founder and CEO of BloomGem, China
20. Hyojeong Kim, Founder and CEO of NomadHer, South Korea
21. Jeklin Kim, CEO of GemGem Therapeutics, South Korea
22. Prakriti Gautam, Co-Founder and CEO of Khetipati Organics, Nepal
23. Monika Shukla, Co-Founder and CEO of Humble Bee, India 
24. Divya Kamerkar, Co-Founder and CEO of Pinky Promise, India
25. Alexandra Cannizzaro, Founder of Platform Zero, Australia
26. Ruby Riethmuller, Founder and CEO of Womn-Kind, Australia
27. Rosie Dumbrell, Founder of Everform Therapywear, Australia
28. Vida Gabriel, Co-Founder and CEO of TerraFixing, Canada
29. Dali Rashid, Co-Founder and Chief Technology Officer of Genomines, France
30. Isabel Pulido, Co-Founder and CEO of NanoFreeze, Colombia