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\n Photo: \u00a9 Victor Picon and \u00a9 Cartier\n <\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re here to celebrate this year\u2019s 30 Cartier Women\u2019s Initiative fellows,\u201d said Amal Clooney onstage in Bangkok, as the brand brought together \u201ca formidable group of women entrepreneurs driving change.\u201d Now in its 20th year, the event\u2019s honorees included <\/strong>Keely Cat-Wells, whose U.S.-based company, Making Space, trains and hires disabled individuals; Myl\u00e8ne Fifam\u00e8, whose company, Irawo, supports Africa\u2019s workforce by trying to close skill gaps; and Monika Shukla, whose company, Humble Bee, empowers rural women in India through beekeeping. After the ceremony wrapped, Clooney talked about their work, what inspires her, and how to find the antidote to hopelessness.<\/p>\n Which Cartier Women\u2019s Initiative fellows would you highlight, and why?\u00a0<\/strong> Why was it important for you to get involved with the Cartier Women\u2019s\u00a0Initiative?\u00a0<\/strong> Yet, at the current rate, gender equality is still more than a hundred years away. And only about 2 percent of charitable giving in the United States goes to organizations focused on advancing equal opportunities for women and girls. So any initiative that helps to unlock talent and unleash women\u2019s ability to participate in the workforce is one that I You\u2019ve said you cannot prevent evil, but you can combat apathy. What would you say to a woman who feels hopeless?\u00a0<\/strong> Beyond the grant money, what can the\u00a0Initiative really do for a fellow?\u00a0<\/strong> \n From left: <\/strong>Photo: \u00a9 Victor Picon and \u00a9 CartierPhoto: \u00a9 Victor Picon and \u00a9 Cartier\n <\/p>\n \n From top: <\/strong>Photo: \u00a9 Victor Picon and \u00a9 CartierPhoto: \u00a9 Victor Picon and \u00a9 Cartier\n <\/p>\n As a professor at Oxford, what advice do you give your students entering the law?\u00a0<\/strong> Stay in touch.<\/p>\n The latest in style, self, culture, and power in your inbox.<\/p>\n Vox Media, LLC Terms and Privacy Notice<\/p>\n
It\u2019s hard to choose \u2014 every fellow I\u2019ve met in the last few years is a force in her own right and has taught me something. I remember the founder behind the \u201cUber ambulance,\u201d Caitlin Dolkart, who was concerned that 95 percent of Africa lives without an effective emergency service and was able to cut emergency-response times across Kenya from hours down to just 16 minutes. I have enjoyed following the progress of Mariam Torosyan, who built Safe YOU, which uses technology to help survivors of violence gather evidence and reach support. I have loved hearing from fellows from small countries like Benin and Nepal, to understand their journey. And it\u2019s been fascinating to see how many of the fellows this year are putting AI to noble use: screening retinas to catch disease before it causes blindness, building diagnostic tests designed for women, and giving parents trustworthy pediatric guidance around the clock.<\/p>\n
I believe we need women\u2019s talent to solve every challenge we face \u2014 from building responsible AI to countering violence and disease to advancing opportunities for women and girls. It\u2019s shocking that even in places like the U.K., Japan, Korea, and the U.S., women make up less than 10 percent of brain surgeons. Wouldn\u2019t you want the best talent pool to be available for your brain surgery? The U.S., Spain, and the Netherlands have never had a woman lead their country. And reports suggest that women\u2019s full economic participation would add $12 trillion to the global economy.<\/p>\n
support. And this one is particularly impressive. They have now spent more than $14\u00a0million funding women entrepreneurs, and their program is holistic \u2014 from\u00a0funding to mentorship, training at INSEAD, and great networking opportunities. And each year, I am so impressed with the impact these women are already having in their communities.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s interesting. I am a visiting professor at Oxford. I was there last week with my students, and this week I\u2019ve been in Thailand with these young entrepreneurs. I do feel there is a sense of pessimism and hopelessness for many. I can feel the weight that they are carrying on their shoulders when they describe the conditions they face in their countries. I can feel their sense of hopelessness from simply reading the news. I remind them that history doesn\u2019t move in a straight line; that things will change. That we are all privileged to be able to play a part in bending the arc
toward justice. And that they are not alone \u2014 they are part of a community of people who care, and who are trying to make a difference.<\/p>\n
A lot of the fellows have talked about access \u2014 that the fellowship gives them access not only to capital and new skills but to people and conversations that they would not otherwise have. In my own work, the secret of scaling impact has been through powerful collaborations \u2014 with partners like Melinda French Gates and Michelle Obama, with Microsoft\u2019s AI for Good Lab, and with law firms giving tens of\u00a0thousands of pro bono hours. So I am excited for these young women, some of\u00a0whom are coming from small countries, that their exposure and networks can grow.\u00a0When they surveyed the fellows in recent years at the completion of their fellowship,\u00a097 percent reported increased self-confidence, and 100 percent felt a sense of belonging to a\u00a0global community. Similarly, at the Clooney Foundation for Justice, many of our legal fellows say that the fellowship has boosted their self-confidence and made them feel like they are part of a community so that \u201canything is possible.\u201d And that is my favorite thing to hear.<\/p>\n![](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/9cb4556345eec3b45dc2692aa2a466a324-20260608-CARTIER-CWI26-CEREMONY-59521.rdeep-vertical.w460.jpg\")
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My advice is not to have a ten-year plan, but to follow the work they are most passionate about. And remember that the only real failure is not trying: If you go for something and don\u2019t get it, you\u2019ve lost nothing. But if you never try, you\u2019ll spend your life wondering what could have been, and that\u2019s corrosive. I want my students to be bold and to move from a frame of mind where they think, Why would they pick me?\u00a0to Why not me? And just go for it.<\/p>\n