Kitchener, ON, Sept. 18, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Diva International Inc. (Diva) is proud to announce that Carinne Chambers-Saini, CEO and Co-Founder of Diva International, has been named a Finalist for the 2019 RBC Canadian Women Entrepreneur Awards for the TELUS Trailblazer Award. The RBC Canadian Women Entrepreneur Awards are the pre-eminent national business awards recognizing the country’s leading female entrepreneurs. Now in its 27th year, the program is an initiative of Women of Influence, an award-winning organization dedicated to advancing Canadian women.
From a pool of thousands of nominees, 23 Finalists from coast to coast have been selected to represent 7 Award Categories. The TELUS Trailblazer Award is dedicated to a female entrepreneur that has recognized a new market, product, service, technological advancement or opportunity and led the way, demonstrating outstanding leadership within her company and her market. Carinne is one of 3 Regional Finalists being recognized in this category, representing the Central region.
A graduate of Wilfrid Laurier University’s business program, Carinne Chambers-Saini joined forces in 2001 with her mother, Francine Chambers, to develop the original DivaCup, a reusable menstrual cup made of 100% medical grade silicone. It’s a modern redesign of a relatively unknown menstrual care concept that dates back to the 1930s.
Vying against giant corporations, Francine and Carinne faced years of rejection from retail buyers, unable to get on the mass market shelves. But through modest advertising, educational outreach and trade show appearances, the mother-daughter duo soon became renowned as industry disrupters, gaining their first national Canadian distribution deal in 2014. Today, the DivaCup is the top selling menstrual cup in the world , sold in over 35,000 retail outlets in the US and in 22 countries worldwide. While Francine Chambers is now retired, Carinne has led the company to triple digit growth over the last five years, with growing sales in Latin America and Asia.
“Being a finalist for the TELUS Trailblazer Award is a true honor, a testament to what a small company with a mission can do to make a difference in women’s lives,” said Carinne. “By offering a revolutionary product that defied the skeptics, we’ve always been ahead of our time. So I’m proud to be nominated alongside so many female leaders with the same boundary-pushing spirit!”
The winners will be announced and celebrated at the 27th Annual Awards Gala, on Wednesday, November 20, 2019 at the Fairmont Royal York in Toronto.
The RBC Canadian Women Entrepreneur Awards recognizes female business owners from across Canada who make impressive and substantial contributions to the local, Canadian or global economy. Candidates share a strong entrepreneurial vision and a relentless passion in pursuing their dreams. These awards recognize business women from three major regions across Canada: East, Central and West. All nominees were required to submit thorough applications, which are reviewed and judged by a panel of prominent business leaders and subject to a due diligence performed by KPMG.
“We are honoured to celebrate the accomplishments of our 2019 award finalists,” says Alicia Skalin, Co-CEO, Women of Influence. “These entrepreneurs have applied their intelligence, dedication and ingenuity to challenge the status quo of their industries. As we approach the end of the decade, the 2019 RBC Canadian Women Entrepreneur Award finalists are an exciting representation of the growth and innovation that is to come for Canadian business.”
The 2019 RBC Canadian Women Entrepreneur Awards are presented by RBC. Award sponsors include The Diversity Institute, RBC, TELUS and official Due Diligence partner KPMG.
About the RBC Canadian Women Entrepreneur Awards
The RBC Canadian Women Entrepreneur Awards are the pre-eminent national business awards recognizing the country’s leading female entrepreneurs. The awards are an initiative of Women of Influence, an award-winning organization dedicated to advancing women globally.
About Women of Influence
Women of Influence, now in its 25th year, is one of North America’s leading organizations offering solutions to further women’s career advancement. With courses in executive leadership, global events, and print and digital content, Women of Influence annually reaches over 300,000 professional women and men across Canada and internationally. Signature events include the Women of Influence Luncheon Series and the RBC Canadian Women Entrepreneur Awards. For more information, please visit www.womenofinfluence.com.
About Diva International
Established in 2001, Diva’s founders, Francine Chambers and her daughter, Carinne Chambers-Saini, have become disruptors in the menstrual care industry, passionately following their dream to create a menstrual cup, a healthy and effective alternative to disposables. Their product, the DivaCup, is an easy-to-use, cost-effective, and eco-friendly alternative to disposable tampons and pads, offering up to 12 hours of leak-free protection. Diva is also passionately committed to the philanthropic arm of the company, its corporate social responsibility program called DivaCares. Its mission is to establish meaningful partnerships globally to address issues of accessibility, menstrual equity, and education. As Diva believes that menstruation should be a fact of life, not life-limiting, the company is passionately committed to breaking taboos surrounding menstruation worldwide. For more information, please visit divacup.com.
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