The 16th awards ceremony for the Cartier Women’s Initiative was held in Paris on Friday, under the theme “Forces for Good.”
The event celebrated pioneering businesswomen and changemakers from all corners of the globe, including a slew of accolades for 32 women of note from each continent.
Setting the tone for the evening, British-Lebanese human rights lawyer and activist, Amal Clooney, gave an inspiring speech on the advancement of women’s rights.
Amal Clooney at the Cartier Women’s Initiative. (Credit: Instagram)
“Throughout my career as a lawyer, I have sought to advance women’s rights,” she said.
“It seems pretty obvious that this is a worthy area of focus. Whether you believe in human rights, or just prosperity, it is a good idea to try to unshackle half the population of the world. The latest data shows that women’s economic parity would add $12 trillion to the global economy,” Clooney continued.
She went on to celebrate the women gathered for the event: “In this room we have some amazing women…These are all people changing systems, one project at a time. People who are not satisfied with the status quo and who are determined to scale the impact they’ve already had,” she concluded.
The evening saw talks from several thought leaders, including French actress Melanie Laurent on the importance of sustainable thinking and Black-ish star Yara Shahidi who discussed how her parents inspired her to become an activist.
Yara Shahidi discusses her activism. (Credit: Cartier/Instagram)
The 32 women celebrated on the night included tech entrepreneur Mariam Toroysan who developed the app Safe You, to help eliminate gender-based violence and Siny Samba who developed pioneering nutrient-dense baby food for women in Senegal.
Discussing the successful evening, Cyrille Vigneron, the President and CEO of Cartier said: “Cartier is proud to continue building on its commitment for women’s empowerment, thus leveraging business as a force for good.”
