World-renowned jeweller and watchmaker Cartier will be a “leading partner” at next week’s Global Women’s Forum Dubai. 

Co-organised by the Dubai Women Establishment and the Women’s Forum for the Economy & Society, the forum is set to take place on February 23 and 24 at the Madinat Jumeirah hotel in the UAE city.

The event is being held under the patronage of HH Sheikh Mohammad bin Rashid Al-Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai.

It will be led by HH Sheikha Manal bint Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, President of the UAE Gender Balance Council, President of Dubai Women Establishment and wife of HH Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Presidential Affairs, UAE.

The event will attract more than 2,000 participants as well as 200 speakers and international delegates from around the world.

It aims to consider new perspectives, create a global network capable of boosting the influence of women throughout the world, conceive innovative plans to encourage women’s contribution to society, and promote diversity in business. 

Cartier has a long association with supporting women since the launch of the Cartier Women’s Initiative Awards 10 years ago in 2006. 

Established by Cartier, the Women’s Forum for the Economy & Society, the INSEAD business school and McKinsey & Company, the Cartier awards is an annual business plan competition, which awards six laureates with $20,000 in funding, personalised coaching for one year, networking and visibility opportunities. 

The awards are open to female entrepreneurs leading a creative, for-profit start-up with financial sustainability and social impact. 

The programme seeks to contribute to the global economy by seeking out audacious female entrepreneurs from around the world. 

As part of its partnership with the Dubai forum, Cartier will be hosting two sessions at the event, where previous Cartier Women’s Initiative Awards finalists and laureates will discuss cross-cultural management focusing on the differences of geography, language and culture and the challenges that they usually face when seeking a team’s support for their business. 

The finalists and laureates will also discuss their life-work family balance in terms of challenges and opportunities. The ten-year anniversary of the Cartier awards will be at the heart of two additional events: a session to highlight the awards’ achievements through an assessment study conducted by INSEAD and a private gala dinner hosted by Cartier on February 23 in the presence of Cyrille Vigneron, President and CEO, Cartier International.

Vigneron comments: “Entrepreneurial spirit is a precious asset to be cultivated, particularly during challenging times. Cartier remains deeply committed to supporting entrepreneurial initiatives from around the world through the annual Cartier Women’s Initiative Awards. The Global Women’s Forum Dubai will certainly contribute to women’s empowerment efforts worldwide and thus mirrors Cartier's ideals and values: initiative, audacity and willpower to make the world we live in a better place.” 

Jacqueline Franjou, CEO of the Women’s Forum for the Economy & Society, says: “Building networks, bringing people together to share their knowledge and generosity – that’s the whole point of the Women’s Forum for the Economy & Society, and that’s the spirit with which the Cartier Women’s Initiative Awards began. It all started in 2006 with a partnership between the Women’s Forum and Cartier, and I’m proud to say that, 10 years later, this partnership is still going strong. With barely a dozen finalists in 2006, the Cartier Women’s Initiative Awards has grown into a worldwide network of enterprising women, and I’m thrilled to be able to celebrate this important 10^th anniversary with all of our friends in Dubai.”

Shamsa Saleh, CEO of Dubai Women Establishment, says: “Over the past ten years, the Cartier Women’s Initiative Awards has fostered a unique community of ambitious women entrepreneurs who are striving for change and providing a significant contribution to the global economy. More than 160 promising female business-owners have participated in the awards and nearly 60 laureates have been recognised, some of whom will share their inspirational stories for us at Global Women’s Forum Dubai.”

She continued: “Through a number of initiatives and events, Dubai Women Establishment is committed to creating an environment where women have the opportunities available to grow, develop and succeed in the business world. Providing a key platform for strengthening the influence of innovative, enterprising women from around the world, Global Women’s Forum Dubai supports these aims, and I’d like to express our sincere appreciation to Cartier for partnering with us. We look forward to helping Cartier celebrate ten years of incredible work at Global Women’s Forum Dubai.”

The Global Women’s Forum Dubai will build on the theme “Let’s Innovate!” through five pillars – Achieving, Creating, Giving, Energising and Sustaining. 

The event will feature the Women’s Forum Discovery exhibition, offering a range of creative hubs hosting interactive workshops and exhibits to build on the various topics explored during the main plenary sessions. A number of other key initiatives will also be part of the forum, including ‘CEO Champions’, ‘Rising Talents’ and ‘Women in Media’.