The Cartier Women’s Initiative celebrated its 20th anniversary in Bangkok, culminating in the annual awards ceremony at Chulalongkorn University. This event honoured the 2026 fellows of the Maison’s international programme dedicated to women impact entrepreneurs, forming part of a week-long celebration that included the Cartier Dialogues and an immersive exhibition.
Under the theme, “Women Lighting the Path”, the 2026 edition recognized women entrepreneurs whose courage, creativity and commitment drive social and environmental impact at both local and global levels.
Two decades of empowering women entrepreneurs
Established in 2006, the Cartier Women’s Initiative is built on the conviction that empowered women transform society. Over 20 years, the programme has expanded its reach, supporting women entrepreneurs addressing critical global challenges and fostering an international community rooted in solidarity, shared experience and mutual inspiration.
To date, the Cartier Women’s Initiative has supported 330 women impact entrepreneurs from 67 countries, awarded USD 14.1 million in funding, and connected over 520 active community members across more than 80 countries.
A celebration of impact
The awards ceremony at Chulalongkorn University welcomed over 700 guests, including Cartier Women’s Initiative community members, international press, changemakers, local entrepreneurship stakeholders and distinguished personalities.
Hosted by Sandi Toksvig OBE, broadcaster, writer, and gender equality champion, the evening opened with a film setting the tone for a ceremony imagined as a journey through light, transmission and collective action.
Following opening remarks by Yanina Novitskaya, CEO of Cartier Southeast Asia & Oceania, the ceremony highlighted the journeys of the 30 fellows from 19 countries of the 2026 edition.
The fellows’ entrepreneurial stories were brought to life through three segments. These segments illuminated the initial spark behind each venture, the critical societal and environmental challenges their businesses confront, the innovative breakthroughs they are achieving in their fields, and the guiding people, principles, or ideals that inspire their path.
The end of each moment was marked by the trophy presentations and a tribute to the long standing partners and supporters of the Cartier Women’s Initiative.
Speeches from Cyrille Vigneron, Chairman of Cartier Culture and Philanthropy, and Nualphan Lamsam, Chairperson of FIFA’s development committee and president of the Football Association of Thailand, underscored the importance of empowering women. Cyrille Vigneron notably stated:
“In 20 years, the Cartier Women’s initiative has not only evolved but thrived. From an award-giving platform to a global supporting community, the initiative keeps helping its members and their businesses to grow. 20 years in, most of the fellows’ businesses continue to operate and many scale up, positively impacting millions of people. The fellows become role models, lighting the path for others.”
Nualphan Lamsam shared what she has learned about breaking the barriers that keep us out:
“Real change happens when we have the courage to step into spaces where we are told we do not belong, not to fit into broken structures, but to help change them. And in the end, trust is earned by standing your ground when things get difficult.”
The ceremony concluded with a compelling keynote address from Amal Clooney, barrister, law professor and co-founder of the Clooney Foundation for Justice, who emphasized the transformative power of courage and advocacy for human rights and a more equitable world. She praised the fellows, stating:
“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. 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. And I am certain this new cohort will sustain this legacy.”
The evening closed with an inspiring performance by the Bangkok Dance Academy, representing how women entrepreneurs transform obstacles into opportunities and ideas into impact.
The 2026 Awards
This anniversary edition honoured 30 women entrepreneurs across ten categories including nine regional awards and the Science & Technology Pioneer Award. The 30 fellows were selected through a rigorous evaluation process by an independent jury.
The Awards recognise women-led businesses addressing urgent social and environmental challenges, with the 2026 edition notably including the first-ever fellow from Nepal.
First-place awardees will receive a USD 100,000 grant, while second- and third-place awardees will receive USD 60,000 and USD 30,000 respectively.
Beyond financial support, all 30 fellows will benefit from a comprehensive one-year fellowship programme, as well as lifelong access to the Cartier Women’s Initiative global community.
An exhibition celebrating twenty years of impact of the Cartier Women’s Initiative
An immersive exhibition complemented the ceremony, exploring the Cartier Women’s Initiative’s 20-year impact and community. It showcased the journeys of 20 fellows whose ventures tackle challenges from biodiversity and healthcare to education, inclusion, and women’s economic empowerment. Interactive “cabinets of curiosities” and a dedicated space featured impact-driven objects by Cartier Women’s Initiative fellows and selected Thai women entrepreneurs from a local programme with Chulalongkorn University. An anniversary film concluded the exhibition, celebrating the programme’s legacy and the vitality of women’s entrepreneurial ecosystems.
Cartier Dialogues: exploring contemporary forms of leadership
Preceding the awards, the Cartier Dialogues on June 9 at Dusit Thani Bangkok gathered 140 guests, exploring leadership under the “Women Lighting the Path” theme. The first dialogue, “Unveiling Brilliance: Imposter Syndrome & The Path to Authentic Leadership,” featured Cyrille Vigneron and Lisa Orbé-Austin, a psychologist, executive coach and organisational consultant, discussing imposter syndrome as both an individual and systemic challenge. The second, “Strength Reimagined: Leadership, Kindness and the Courage to Defy Expectations,” included Cyrille Vigneron, Amal Clooney, and Ramla Ali, the Olympian boxer, filmmaker and UNICEF UK Ambassador, addressing stereotypes of strength and the role of education, legal protection, and allyship in empowering women.
Discover more from Cartier here.
cartier The Cartier Women’s Initiative