When tropical rain swept through one of Cartier’s meticulously orchestrated high-end dinners, Yanina Novitskaya, CEO of Cartier Southeast Asia and Oceania, witnessed the shine of perfection give way to something far more profound. The rain, while disruptive, highlighted the need for innovation and adaptability—qualities that define both crisis management and successful entrepreneurship. This spirit of turning challenges into opportunities is at the heart of the Cartier Women’s Initiative, the Maison’s enduring commitment to female entrepreneurs. Since its creation, the Initiative has supported 330 female entrepreneurs and changemakers across 66 countries.
Months of meticulous planning had culminated in an evening of utmost precision: every crystal flute positioned perfectly, and every table place arranged with mathematical alignment. Then the rain arrived without warning, dismantling the choreography in minutes. Guests suddenly found themselves laughing beneath hastily procured umbrellas as glasses caught raindrops and carefully placed hangings surrendered to tropical winds. What should have been catastrophic became unforgettable.
“It reminded us that the unexpected can be the most human and memorable part of luxury,” reflects Yanina Novitskaya, CEO of Cartier Southeast Asia and Oceania, of that tempestuous evening.
The thought has lingered, not least because it captures the spirit of the Cartier Women’s Initiative (CWI)—that true value lies not in controlling every variable, but in transforming disruption into possibility.
Since its founding in 2006, CWI has stood apart with more than 330 fellows from 66 countries having received support, including a total of $13,700,000 in financial assistance to scale their impact-driven businesses. This is complemented by training with INSEAD business school, one-to-one coaching, and access to a lifelong community of 500+ peers and mentors worldwide. The structure is deliberate. Financial, human and social capital are interwoven to help women impact entrepreneurs achieve their goals and scale their impact. By targeting structural barriers—reduced access to capital, networks, and visibility—CWI seeks to reset the terms of impact business itself.
The nine regional awards and one thematic award celebrate women who are not only building thriving ventures but also inspiring as role models within their communities. As Novitskaya affirms, “Leadership rooted in local knowledge brings unique value and fresh perspective. It carries a deep sense of responsibility, not only to the business, but also to nurturing the next generation of talent.”
This is powerfully illustrated by CWI 2014 fellow Rama Kayyali, who was also honoured at the 2025 Impact Awards for her sustained contributions to social change. As an edtech innovator, she’s working to close the learning poverty gap for children across the Middle East and North Africa. Through her company, Little Thinking Minds, Kayyali and her team deliver culturally relevant, engaging learning experiences that strengthen reading skills and support teachers in improving student outcomes. Her work exemplifies how impact entrepreneurs can help shape a brighter future by equipping the next generation with the tools to thrive.
The annual international entrepreneurship programme looks for women who have not avoided obstacles but converted them into opportunity. It’s what Novitskaya calls authentic power. “It’s the potential to shape your own life, a gift we all possess. If something truly ignites your interest or resonates with your values, chase after it with all your heart, without letting fear hold you back.” Cartier’s belief for women impact entrepreneurs is that with resources and recognition, that same power can ripple outward into communities, industries, and cultures.
In May 2025, that commitment deepened further with the graduation of the first local Cartier Women’s Initiative Entrepreneurial Programme in Thailand. Co-developed with Chulalongkorn University in Bangkok, the six-week curriculum equipped 26 women in leadership roles with practical tools, foundational knowledge, and strategic guidance to scale socially responsible businesses. As Novitskaya and Pornpreya, Managing Director of Cartier Thailand, addressed the inaugural cohort, the message was clear: this wasn’t simply a regional milestone, it was a call to action. With the 2026 edition set to culminate in a global awards ceremony in Bangkok, the local programme reaffirmed Cartier’s belief that enduring impact begins by investing in women where they already lead and giving them the tools to lead further.
That belief resonates across continents. From grassroots ventures to global-scale solutions, CWI fellows are reshaping industries and solving urgent challenges in deeply local ways. In Pakistan, fellows include Fariel Salahuddin, whose company UpTrade enables rural communities to barter livestock for solar pumps and home systems, expanding access to water and energy. In Australia, Joanne Howarth’s Planet Protector Packaging has reimagined cold-chain packaging using waste wool, reducing reliance on plastic and polystyrene. And in Singapore, Lynne Lim was honoured in the Science & Technology Pioneer category for NousQ, a healthtech company pushing medical innovation into fields where better monitoring can prevent needless suffering. Each success story reinforces Cartier’s conviction that luxury is not only about heritage, but about relevance and aligning beauty with the urgent needs of a changing world.
“Luxury’s eternal challenge is relevance,” Novitskaya observes. “Today, tomorrow, 20 years on, it doesn’t change. The dance between timelessness and reinvention never ends.” CWI is Cartier’s answer to that challenge, a demonstration that relevance in the 21st century comes from the ability to make culture, commerce, and purpose inseparable.
The programme itself is designed as something interwoven. Grants, training, networks, and visibility have been combined into a fabric stronger than any single strand. Its fellows remain rooted in their own cultures while building companies that transcend them, expanding markets and reshaping industries. Novitskaya recognises that same pattern in the lives of many CWI fellows, noting, “Like the programme, their lives are not compartmentalised, but interwoven. As women, leaders, and entrepreneurs, they draw strength from it all. This interconnectedness extends beyond their individual lives, forming a powerful and supportive community of women who uplift and inspire one another.”
Nearly two decades on, the Cartier Women’s Initiative has become more than a programme; it’s a form of infrastructure. Built to endure and designed to scale, it serves as scaffolding for women entrepreneurs navigating disruption, enabling them to build futures that are as grounded as they are visionary. Cartier’s investment in women-led ventures shows no sign of slowing, but perhaps the more compelling question is no longer whether the Maison’s legacy will be preserved in vitrines of fine jewellery, it’s how much of it will be etched into the businesses, cultures, and communities its fellows continue to reshape.