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RCC announces the Women Entrepreneurs of the Western Balkans, for the year 2023

2024-03-13 20:03:00, Aktualitet CNA

The Women Entrepreneurs of the Year of the Western Balkans for 2023 are: Rigerta Loku - "Green" Entrepreneur Woman; Ilda Humic - Entrepreneur in social networks; Hana Qerimi - Young Woman Entrepreneur; Nikolina Kova?evic - Woman Entrepreneur of Tourism; Irena Chaushevska Danilovska - ICT Entrepreneur Woman; and Marija Ivankovic Jurisic - Woman Artist Entrepreneur.

This was announced at a ceremony organized by the Regional Cooperation Council (RCC) held last night in Sarajevo.

"From around 250 nominations this year, the jury has selected six women entrepreneurs of 2023. Thank you to all the nominees and congratulations to those who won the prestigious title tonight.

Appreciation and applause for those who inspire us with their success. I know that behind each of you there is a story of struggle, sleepless nights, sacrifices, but also strength, perseverance, dedication and courage. Women entrepreneurs are a vital contributor to the prosperity of the Western Balkans and through this initiative, we give a humble tribute to the brave and strong women who dared to fight stereotypes and bring about change," said Amer Kapetanovic, Head of the Political Department of the RCC in his welcoming speech on behalf of the General Secretary of the RCC.

"To illustrate the persistent stereotypes, I will mention only a few data. One in two women in the Western Balkans is unemployed, while only one in four business owners are women. Only 18% of board members in the largest companies in the region are women. We cannot mention these stereotypes and unfavorable statistics only on March 8 with the beautiful bouquet, a box of chocolates and of course not only with words. We need a systemic change that comes from a clear understanding that women represent an important part of the human capital in our societies. We at RCC live what we preach. Not by chance, we created a Regional Network of Women in Entrepreneurship, which recognizes the importance of support networks in the education of women entrepreneurs, and this recognition is part of this initiative," concluded Kapetanovic.

RCC announces the Women Entrepreneurs of the Western Balkans, for the year 2023

In addition to Mr. Kapetanovic, the introductory speech was given by Mrs. Anna Vezyroglou from the European Commission's General Directorate for Neighborhood and Enlargement Negotiations, while Mrs. Nafisa Latic, the international news anchor, was the moderator of the activity.

Due to the high interest and the quality of the received nominations, this year we decided to present a Special Jury Recognition to 6 other female entrepreneurs, namely Ivana Gazivoda for reforming gender norms in society; Blerina Bombay for promoting healthy lifestyles; Zorica Gjukiq for the promotion of Balkan cuisine; Liridona Osmanaj for the promotion of mental health; Ksenija Nikolova for empowering women; and Danka ?ivkovi? for the development of the family business.

The initiative launched two years ago in the framework of the Common Regional Market Action Plan 2021-2024 and the RCC Agenda for Women's Economic Empowerment aims to recognize women who have started and developed a business contributing to new and sustainable jobs for other women and men in our region. The project is financed by the European Union.

Brief biography of the Western Balkan Women Entrepreneurs of the Year for 2023:

Rigerta Loku has returned to Albania after living in Italy for 12 years, to give life to the abandoned land of her grandparents. She has set up a breeding farm , where they raise about 200 goats of the autochthonous breed to process and sell the biological byproducts of the goats' milk raised in the wild.

Ilda Humic is a mother of three children, soon expecting a fourth, a fashion enthusiast and founder of HI by Ilda. Known for her personality on social networks. Thanks to the Instagram account, Ilda started her company with about 15 employees, producing handmade fashion products.

Hana Qerimi founded two large technology companies, Digital School, a key coding company for children and teenagers , founded in Pristina, with a presence in over 20 countries through its franchise model; and StarLabs, a software development company.

Nikolina Kovacevic's career has spanned from enriching experiences in the USA to managing a family hospitality business, and eventually to founding a luxury venture , dedicated to making Montenegro synonymous with luxury travel.

Irena Chaushevska Danilovska is an accomplished neurotech entrepreneur, start-up mentor and passionate advocate for space exploration. It actively supports the next generation of start-up businesses and is dedicated to developing neuro-technologies for high-demand occupations and zero-gravity neuroplasticity to expand our understanding of the brain's potential.

Marija Ivankovic Jurisic is a textile designer and owner of the knitting studio Marija Handmade for over 10 years. The artistic pieces of textile work are the result of Marija's research into traditional weaving techniques and are based on the principles of sustainable fashion production.

Jury members: Andriola Kambo, Union of Albanian Municipalities; Brankica Rakovic, editor-in-chief of Lola magazine and owner of digital marketing agency Dot Media; Shqipe Breznica, Local Director at Hilfe zur Selbsthilfe eV; Branimir Zugic, Co-Founder and Program Director, Creative Industries and Media Forum Kotor; Zagorka Blazevska, Vita Nova CEO; and Jelena Mihajlovic-Tanasijevic, Head of Department for Local Economic Development, Association of Local Authorities in Serbia.