South African included in finalists for Cartier Women's Initiative Awards

Cartier, in partnership with the Women's Forum, INSEAD Business School and McKinsey & Co, will be giving awards to six promising laureates (from Sub-Saharan Africa, Middle East and North Africa, North America, Asia-Pacific, Europe, Latin America) who will receive a year of coaching, US$ 20 000 in funding and networking opportunities.

The 18 finalists - 17 finalists and a team of two co-finalists - were selected among over 1000 applications. They will be coached by professionals from Cartier, INSEAD and McKinsey & Co. to prepare for the jury presentations in October. The laureates will be announced at the awards ceremony on 11 October 2012, at the annual global meeting of the Women's Forum for the Economy and Society, in Deauville, France.

"We are honoured to help our finalists build their businesses and make a responsible difference around the globe,' said Bernard Fornas, president and CEO of Cartier.

Sub-Saharan finalists

Nthabi Sibanda of Puo Educational Products, South Africa develops printed and digital educational content for children, based on Africa's languages and heritage.
• Elizabeth Scharpf & Julienne Ingabire of Sustainable Health Enterprises, Rwanda, produce low-cost and eco-friendly sanitary pads on a franchise model fostering local entrepreneurs.
  
• Lindsay Stradley of Sanergy, Kenya provides Kenyan slums with affordable sanitation units that facilitate clean transportation of waste, reprocessed into energy and fertiliser.

Applications for the 2013 edition of the awards will open on 12 November 2012 and end on 11 March 2013. For more, go to www.cartierwomensinitiative.com.