PARIS, October 17 /PRNewswire/ -- Five women entrepreneurs received the 2nd Annual Cartier Women's Initiative Awards during a ceremony held at the Women's Forum for the Economy and Society in Deauville, France. After two rounds of competition, the laureates were selected by an international jury of entrepreneurs and members of the business community for the creativity, sustainability and social impact of their start-up projects.

From an applicant pool of 400, one winner from each region (Africa, Asia, Europe, Latin America, North America) received a Cartier trophy, a US$20,000 cash award, and will benefit from a full year of coaching from Cartier, McKinsey & Co., and INSEAD Business School.

"If as many women were to be engaged in start-up businesses as men, we would see thousands of jobs and opportunities open up across all markets and on all continents," said Aude de Thuin, Founder and President of the Women's Forum for the Economy and Society.

"More than ever, our economies need the spirit of enterprise, the taste for challenge. Small businesses play a key role in building the global economy. We believe that these brave and spirited laureates will be drivers of change for their communities and the future of their countries," added Bernard Fornas, President and CEO of Cartier.

Laureate for Europe: Laura Chicurel, Founder of Chicurela (United Kingdom), a producer and distributor of ecofriendly salmon skin leather. Chicurela has introduced a novel approach to addressing the problem of waste fish skins, by turning them into luxury leather goods.

Laureate for Africa: Mame Khary Diene, Founder of Karistal (Senegal), a local laboratory promoting the finest African cosmetics and essential oils. Karistal uses natural products with high saturated active ingredients.

Laureate for Asia: Renee King and Caroline Cua, co-Founders of Tamang Timpla Foods (Philippines), a food manufacturing startup that promotes naturally pure and healthy Filipino foods. Tamang Timpla's star product is the Calamansi Squeeze, a pure and convenient, ready-squeezed, un-sweetened calamansi concentrate with a shelf life of six months.

Laureate for Latin America: Dr. Cynthia Guy, Founder of the Institute of Cochlear Implant (Panama), the only provider of cochlear implants for people with severe and profound hearing loss. So far, IICSA has successfully carried out three cochlear implant operations, and plans to perform 18 more in 2008.

Laureate for North America: Mona Jhaveri, Founder of Foligo Therapeutics Inc (USA), a biotech company aiming to improve the detection and treatment of ovarian cancer. Her company, Foligo Therapeutics, Inc., is developing early diagnostic techniques and DNA-based therapeutics that aim to destroy cancerous cells and reduce suffering.

Applications for next year's Cartier Women's Initiative Award open on October 18, 2008 and end on February 13, 2009. Find out more on http://www.cartierwomensinitiative.com

Sarah Carlsen (Head of Press), +44(0)20-7408-5740, sarah.carlsen@cartier.com