Cartier president and CEO Cyrille Vigneron once said, “The best thing you can do in business is to empower women. It changes everything.” 

In sync with this ethos, Cartier Women’s Initiative is an annual international entrepreneurship programme dedicated to empowering women-impact entrepreneurs, specifically women-run and women-owned businesses from any country and sector that aim to have a strong and sustainable social and/or environmental impact.

Its mission is to highlight women impact entrepreneurs around the world and provide them with financial, social and human capital support to grow their business, build their leadership skills, and by extension, change their communities and the world for the better.

Learn more at cartierwomensinitiative.com

See also: Cartier Women’s Initiative 2024: Meet the inspiring women impact entrepreneurs driving global change

Clé de Peau Beauté, in partnership with UNICEF, has empowered over 3 million girls through its Skills4Girls initiative, which provides crucial STEM education. This program addresses gender inequality by equipping girls with skills for the 21st-century workforce. With a US$17.4 million pledge funded through sales of their best-selling skincare product, The Serum, the partnership is on track to reach 5.7 million girls globally by 2025.

“Over 90 per cent of jobs worldwide have a digital component, but options remain limited or non-existent for girls, especially adolescent girls, in these male-dominated fields,” says UNICEF director of private fundraising and partnerships, Carla Haddad Mardini. “We are thrilled to see such significant progress made in bridging the STEM gender gap in only the first year of our renewed partnership with Clé de Peau Beauté, and we look forward to continuing our work together to empower the next generation of girls.” 

Learn more at cledepeau-beaute.com/int/cpb-for-unicef.html

Don't miss: Clé de Peau Beauté Partners With Unicef to Empower Aspiring Female Scientists and Engineers

Launched in 2017, Women@Dior is an international mentoring and educational program dedicated to empowering young women worldwide. The initiative connects participants from 58 countries with Dior mentors who guide them in building self-confidence and shaping their career paths. Through a curriculum focused on leadership, gender equality, and sustainability, Women@Dior fosters creativity, autonomy, and inclusion. Participants also create impactful projects like “Dream for Change,” supporting the empowerment of young girls globally.

Read more: Get the look: Alicia Amin’s Dior Beauty glam with Tatler Malaysia

In 2020, Dior joined UNESCO’s Global Education Coalition on World Youth Skills Day, becoming the first couture House to do so and opening its Women@Dior program to over 200 talented young female students from Nigeria, Kenya, Ghana, Tanzania, Jamaica, Pakistan, the Philippines and Sri Lanka.

Learn more at womenatdior.com

In partnership with the US-based Breast Cancer Research Foundation (BCRF), The Estée Lauder Companies’ campaign is hard to ignore. The Breast Cancer campaign was founded in 1992 and is the company’s largest social impact programme. To date, Estée Lauder has raised over US$16.8 million for BCRF and funded more than 337,000 hours of lifesaving breast cancer research.  

Collectively, the campaign and The Estée Lauder Companies Charitable Foundation have funded more than US$131 million for lifesaving global research, education and medical services.

Learn more at elcompanies.com/en/our-impact/social/the-breast-cancer-campaign

Another formidable force in the global fight for gender equality through education, cosmetics powerhouse Bobbi Brown has partnered with numerous NGOs to help amplify its impact in this area. In 2019, it launched the Pretty Powerful Fund, donating over US$1 million to global women’s empowerment organisations and gender equality initiatives. 

In 2020, Bobbi Brown joined forces with She’s the First, contributing over US$1 million to the NGO’s education programmes to help ensure that girls everywhere are educated, respected and heard.

Learn more at bobbibrowncosmetics.com/pretty-powerful-fund

Through a combination of online business resources and tools along with funding for female-owned small businesses, a year-lond fellows programme, and business webinars, the Tory Burch Foundation has supported 600,000 small business owners, disbursed more than US$100 million in affordable loans to over 500 female entrepreneurs through its programme with Bank of America.    

You can also shop the Tory Burch Foundation collection, where 100 per cent of the proceeds will go towards the brand’s efforts to empower women.  

Learn more at toryburchfoundation.org

NOW READ

Women’s health is in the spotlight—but beware companies cashing in on the movement

International youth art competition She Is More returns celebrating women’s defiance

Queen of her craft: Why Aida Ihsani founded a women’s woodworking workshop