MiaDonna is proud to announce that our Founder and CEO, Anna-Mieke Anderson, was just recognized on Entrepreneur Magazine’s first-ever list of 100 Powerful Women. Entrepreneur recognized the “100 female-led businesses and brands that are creating change and redefining the rules of success.”
Anna-Mieke created MiaDonna and The Greener Diamond 15 years ago with a focus on bringing a modern twist to an outdated industry. “Mining for diamonds is not right for today's society,” she said. "We can now grow diamonds in a modern-day lab environment or source them from a recycled origin to prevent any destruction to native communities, societies or the earth.”
Entrepreneur Magazine highlighted Anna-Mieke’s foresight to create a social enterprise committed to giving back long before the concept was mainstream. “It is no longer acceptable for companies to have short-term gains at the long-term cost to people and the planet,” said Anna-Mieke.
Being recognized as a Powerful Woman who is changing the business landscape is especially meaningful to Anna-Mieke since she has been up against the antiquated beliefs of the traditional diamond industry. “They’ve been criticizing me for so long, and trying to stop the success of the company, so it’s wonderful to see the business world endorse that it really is possible to lead with transparency and compassion while being commercially viable,” she said.
When asked by Entrepreneur how she strikes a balance between selling a product and promoting a cause, she answered, "When starting a social enterprise, people often think you need to launch a business and then add the philanthropic part. But it’s the other way around. Identify an issue. Then identify a product that aligns with that cause. The sole purpose of selling conflict-free fine jewelry at MiaDonna is to fund our foundation, The Greener Diamond. Some people love the idea and cause; some don’t. It’s not about persuading. It’s about finding people who align with your vision.”
The list of 100 Powerful Women is comprised of other notable women who are bringing about real change in the world, such as Serena Williams, Karlie Kloss, Kendra Scott, Emily Weiss of Glossier and Katrina Lake of Stitch Fix.
The praise and support she’s received from complete strangers because of this award is something Anna-Mieke didn’t expect. “I couldn’t believe that people I didn’t know were taking the time to send me messages. So many people reached out saying how deserving I was of this award. These are people who are following my journey and believe in me and my mission. It was incredibly humbling. As an entrepreneur, you spend so much time with your head down embedded in the work, so it’s extremely rewarding when you realize people are acknowledging all the hard work you put in and they’re rooting for your success,“ she said.
You can see the who else made the list here.
