Western Balkans Women Entrepreneurs of the Year to be announced at a RCC-hosted ceremony tonight
12 March 2024
Western Balkans Women Entrepreneurs of the Year
Sarajevo – The Regional Cooperation Council (RCC) is to present the 2023 Western Balkans Women Entrepreneurs of the Year at a ceremony to take place this evening in Sarajevo.
Out of 250 nominations received from all over Western Balkans this year, the jury members from across the region selected 6 remarkable women to hold this prestigious title, in 6 categories: Young Woman Entrepreneur, Green Woman Entrepreneur, Artistic Woman Entrepreneur, Tourism Woman Entrepreneur, ICT Woman Entrepreneur and Social Star Woman Entrepreneur. Due to the number and quality of applications received this year the jury had a hard time choosing only six women, hence it has decided to give out Special Jury Recognitions to additional 5 outstanding women entrepreneurs from the region. The names of the Women Entrepreneurs of the Year as well as the Special Jury Recognition recipients will be announced at the ceremony tonight.
The initiative launched two years ago in the framework of the Common Regional Market Action Plan 2021-2024 and RCC’s Women Economic Empowerment Agenda is aimed at recognising women who have started and developed a business while contributing to new and sustainable jobs for other women and men in our region. Dhurata Thanasi Daneri, Snjezana Köpruner, Elki Shehu, Mirjana Babic, Zagorka Blazevska, and Marijana Gligoric carried this prestigious title Western Balkans Women Entrepreneurs of the Year 2022 proudly and justifiably, and this year will not be any different.
Women entrepreneurs play a crucial role in driving prosperity across the Western Balkans. Their dedication, creativity, and steadfast determination are catalysts for economic growth and societal advancement. With this initiative, we aim to honour the courageous and resilient women who challenged stereotypes and created positive transformation in our communities.
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, Country Director at Hilfe zur Selbsthilfe e.V.; Branimir Zugic, Co-founder and Programme Director, Creative Industries and Media Forum Kotor; Zagorka Blazevska, CEO Vita Nova; and Jelena Mihajlović-Tanasijević, Head of Department for Local Economic Development, Association of Local Authorities in Serbia.