Two Fully Funded Places on the WOBA Leadership and Board Readiness Programme

Macedonia2025 and Women on Boards Adria are funding two places on the Leadership and Board Readiness Programme. Applications open 1 September.

Most women who are ready for a board seat don't get there because a role was advertised. They get there because the right people knew what they were capable of, and because they had already done the work of understanding how boards actually operate.

That is what this programme is built to accelerate.

Macedonia2025 and Women on Boards Adria (WOBA) are opening a fully funded opportunity for two women from Macedonia ready to take the next step toward senior leadership and board roles. Programme fees and materials for selected participants are covered in full. Travel and accommodation is not covered.

At a glance

What the programme covers

The Leadership and Board Readiness Programme combines two intensive days in Belgrade with online modules spanning:

• Authentic Leadership: Defining personal goals, understanding context, and navigating common leadership
  challenges.
• Strategic Leadership and Board Positioning: Conflict resolution, leading change, team leadership, and
  board-readiness strategy, alongside developing a personal brand aligned with board expectations,
  understanding key competencies, and presenting board-relevant experience.
• Corporate Governance and ESG: Board structures, stakeholder management, and implementing ESG
  frameworks.
• Emotional Agility in Leadership: Building resilience, managing stress, and promoting team wellbeing.
• Public Appearances and Personal Branding: Building an authentic and confident presence through
  effective communication, public speaking, and on-camera skills.

Two additional models will be held online:

• Financial Proficiency for the Boardroom: Key concepts in accounting, corporate finance, budgeting,
  and forecasting.
• Crisis Management and Communication: Handling crises, communicating under pressure, and
  protecting board reputation.

The teaching is deliberately practical. Participants learn directly from C-level executives, active board members and internationally recognised experts - people describing decisions they have actually had to make, rather than governance in the abstract.

Who teaches it

C-level executives, active board members, and internationally recognised experts:

• Sanela Pašić
• Katarina Đulić
• Maida Salom
• Mia Popić
• Ognen Janeski 

What you get beyond the training

Selection is not the end of the relationship. Participants become part of the WOBA membership and Alumni Network, a regional community of women in and around executive and non-executive leadership across the Adria region.

For most alumni, that network is the part that keeps working long after the sessions end.

Who should apply

• Women who are citizens or residents of Macedonia
• Women who have 5–7 years of professional experience, including at least 3 years in a managerial or leadership role.
• Women who are fluent in English, as sessions are delivered in English.

How to apply

Applications open on 1 September 2026 and close on 2 October 2026. 

APPLY HERE

To find out more, visit wobadria.org/board-readiness-programme or email us at jana@macedonia2025.com.