Since 2006, the program has awarded 262 impact entrepreneurs from 62 countries with $6.4 million in prizes.
“The fact is that while we’re all women in business who have faced similar challenges in getting a seat at the table, the focus of their businesses are so different from my day-to-day work that I find them each fascinating in their own right,” Abramo added. “The measurable and immeasurable ways in which their work makes a positive impact both moves and inspires me. It also gives me hope that future generations just might inherit a more sympathetic and connected world.
She went on to say that many of the women could relate to “experiencing a world that does not support our dreams,” she said. “And as we wake to the realization that the dream was not imagined with us in mind, we do what comes to us oh so naturally: We activate. “The Cartier Women’s Initiative continues to keep us inspired through the beautiful work of honoring women that are redefining a more inclusive dream,” Shahidi added. “Tonight represents 15 years of innovation, discipline and commitment in this very room. We’re drawn together by a shared interest in using personal passions to serve the world at large.”