The Learning Curve Podcast - Women Entrepreneurs in the Middle East - Their experiences, their stories
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#52 - The Cartier Women's Initiative Awards.  
A 'Learn More' session with Alexandra Nedellec. 
'An International Business Plan Competition for Women' 
PictureCartier Women's Initiative Awards
The Learning Curve Podcast - THE Podcast for Women Entrepreneurs in the Middle East and North Africa Region: Nicholla had the opportunity to talk with 
Alexandra Nedellec, the Project Manager for the Cartier Women's Initiative Awards.  The Cartier Women's Initiative Awards are an international business plan competition created in 2006 by Cartier, the Women's Forum, McKinsey & Company and INSEAD business school to identify, support and encourage projects by women entrepreneurs.

The mission of the Cartier Women's Initiative Awards is threefold:
  • To identify and support initial-phase women entrepreneurs through funding 
    and coaching
  • To foster the spirit of enterprise by celebrating role models in entrepreneurship
  • To create an international network of women entrepreneurs and encourage 
    peer networking
The Cartier Women's Initiative Awards aim to encourage the most vulnerable category of entrepreneurs in their most vulnerable phase: women entrepreneurs starting up. Since their inception in 2006, they have accompanied over 150 promising female business-owners and recognized 44 Laureates.

Inside This Episode
Strong advocates of women entrepreneurship, the Cartier Women's Initiative Awards has become a productive and credible space to get a jump start on your entrepreneurial journey.  Helping their winners receive networking opportunities, media visibility and mentorship, Cartier moulds these women into strong economically independent business women of society. 

In this interview Alexandra gives us an overview of the selection process and the kind of attributes potential candidates should be thinking about. Alexandra takes us through the process of how the finalised are chosen and what happens over the course of the year to help them develop their business plan and work towards winning the award.

To win this competition you really do need to know your business inside out, you need to know your markets, who your competitors are, and what your unique differences compared to your competitors.  You also have to be very clear about the problem you are solving.  Overall the candidates shouldn't forget the human factor or the story behind their business because investors invest in people, not just in an idea and so investors will be looking at someone they believe in and can move their business forward with a vision and a mission.

If you win the Cartier Women's Initiative Award you get a US$20,000 grant prize, a trophy designed by Cartier, and an additional year of coaching, by McKinsey.  the runners up to the programme might not win but they still come away with media coverage, interviews, networking opportunities and are members of the Cartier Awards community.

And finally Alexandra shares two stories of women that joined the programme and went on to achieve great success.

'Thank you Alexandra for giving us an inside look at the Cartier Women's Initiative awards and how women can be part of this international business plan competition
The Questions
a) What is the Cartier women's award and how did it come about?
b) Why do you think we need these kinds of initiatives? What's the key drivers behind creating such initiatives
c) What are the top 3 things someone wanting to join the initiative will learn straight away from joining your initiative
d) What kind of questions should a candidate be asking themselves to find out if they would be suited to joining this programme
e) Tell us about the selection process. what key factors contribute to a winning candidate
f) What goes on on the day to day life of a contestant?  What is expected?
g) What does the winner and the 2nd and 3rd positions receive after the award ceremony and is their ongoing support
h) It is a competition what does the applicants have to practice to help them be in with a winning chance
i) Share with us two success stories of women that have started with your initiative and gone on to achieve great success with their own work

Connect with Alexandra
www.cartierwomensinitiative.com
Facebook: @CartierAwards
Twitter: #Cartier Awards
LinkedIn page: https://www.linkedin.com/company/cartier-women%27s-initiative-awards?trk=biz-companies-cym

Your Thoughts
Do you have a question?  Let us know your comments and feedback. We would love to hear from you?
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