Biography
The management structure of Macedonia2025 is composed of a Board of Directors and led by a Chairperson. Currently, Macedonia2025 has eighteen Board members, including a dynamic membership base, made up of exceptionally successful business leaders of Macedonian origin. Macedonia2025 is predominantly financed by Board of Directors membership fees. Through their advisorship, we continue our work to shape Macedonia’s future by promoting sustainable economic growth that will improve opportunities for citizens, companies, and foreign investors.
Viktor Mizo is the Managing Director of Kostal Macedonia, part of the German family owned Kostal Group – global leader in design and manufacturing of advanced electronics and mechatronics products for the automotive industry. He is also President of the Association of foreign companies with technologically advanced manufacturing within the auspices of the Economic Chamber of Macedonia and an outside expert for McKinsey on various economic development, FDI and free zones projects around the World. Mr. Mizo brings to Kostal a record of exceptional leadership and strategic vision, responsible for numerous greenfield investment projects by multinational companies that have located their production or service operations in Macedonia as a CEO of the Macedonia Free Zone Authority over a period of six year. Prior to that, he spent four years as CEO of Invest Macedonia, where he played a critical role in putting Macedonia on the radar of potential investors looking to expand in Europe and was a key member of the Government’s economic team. He co-founded and managed a technology company specialized in digital file distribution for mobile phones in Japan, as well as an internet start-up in the media and entertainment space in London and New York. Preceding this, Mr. Mizo was a technology and financial services consultant at McKinsey’s New York office. He began his career as a design engineer at Magna International and a member of the esteemed Technical Leadership Program at General Electric where he worked on locomotive design that culminated in a Black Belt position in the Six Sigma quality initiative. Mr. Mizo received his B.S. and M.S. in Mechanical Engineering at the Rochester Institute of Technology, graduating summa cum laude. An alumnus of Harvard University, he holds an MBA from the Harvard Business School.
Chairman of the Board
Vasko Kronevski, B.Sc. Degree in Information Technology is an established entrepreneur and digital transformation strategist focused on the economic growth of organizations utilizing digital transformation solutions. He has been developing his expertise in digital transformation and ICT business since 1996, being General Manager at software development companies. Vasko is CEO and co-founder of Nextsense, ICT company specialized in digital transformation solutions founded in 2001 and digital transformation leader in the CEE region. Vasko is responsible for shaping the vision, strategy, and directly involved in the digital transformation products strategy. Vasko’s carrier development encounters more than 25 years of professional experience in driving digital transformation processes for prominent enterprises in the telecom and finance industry, as well as governmental institutions across Europe and wider. During his professional journey, he established a valuable partnership with business, government, and academia to generate opportunities and build capacities for sustainable economic growth, helping them build a stronger organization and improve their business opportunities. He is skilled at identifying key economic challenges of organizations and guiding them in implementing digital solutions. His strong vision and expertise in ICT and sustainable economic development placed him among the most engaged experts and digital strategists on international projects and speakers on a wide array of high level (reputable) conferences. As a strategist, strong analyst and mediator, Vasko has been a member (past and present) in many distinguished professional bodies: World Information Technology and Service Alliance (WITSA) Member of Board; MASIT – Macedonian ICT Chamber of Commerce, Chairman of the Assembly, President of the Board; Vice President; Steering Committee Coordinator; South East Europe ICT Forum Private sector board member; Member of EBA-European Business Association; e-Democracy Conference Chairman.
Vice Chair
Mike Zafirovski is the Founder, Chairman, and President of The Zaf Group, a family office engaged in operating, investment, and advisory activities. The operating activities include acquiring well-run family businesses with the intention of owning in perpetuity. Currently, the two platform companies are ACP CreativIT, an IT solutions provider and ABCO Systems, a material handling systems integrator for warehouses and distribution centers. Mike is the chairman of both companies, and Mike’s wife Robin is the co-chair of The Zaf Group as well as on the board of ABCO Systems.
Formerly, Mike was an executive advisor to The Blackstone Group (2011-2021) and served on the board of directors of Boeing (2004-2020), Stericycle (2012-2022), Apria Healthcare (2011-2022), Nortel (2006-2009), Motorola (2002-2005), several Blackstone portfolio companies.
During his corporate career, Mike served as President/CEO at Nortel, Motorola, and five GE businesses. In 21 years of direct P&L responsibility, revenue growth exceeded 8% per year, annual productivity averaged over 6%, and EBITDA margin increases averaged 350bps per year.
From 2006 to 2010, Mr. Zafirovski was appointed by the President of the United States to the National Security Telecommunications Advisory Committee (NSTAC), providing recommendations to the President on a wide range of policy issues related to telecommunications, IT, cybersecurity, and other national security concerns.
The Zafirovski Family Foundation (established in 2005) activities focus on education, healthcare, faith-based ministries, and economic development. A native of Macedonia, Mike is co-founder and director of Macedonia 2025 (www.macedonia2025.com), an organization dedicated to enhancing the country’s economic and democratic development. One of the programs (Zafirovski Executive Development), in partnership with the Kellogg School of Management, is accelerating the development of 100 future CEOs and CXOs in the country.
Mike is on Board of Directors of the Special Olympics (www.SpecialOlympics.org) and on Coach K Leadership & Ethics Center Advisory Board. His other philanthropic and civic involvements include: Council of Chief Executives (member, former Chairman), The CEO Forum (member, https://theceoforum.org/Home), American Enterprise Institute (member of National Council), The Halftime Institute (http://halftimeinstitute.org/, completed the Fellows Program in 2017), The Economic Club of Chicago (member, former director), and The Chicago Council on Global Affairs (member). Mike is co-founder of the Faith at Work ministry at the Church of the Holy Spirit in Lake Forest, Il. Mike is the former Chairman of AUSL (www.ausl-chicago.org), an organization that developed teachers to excel in the urban environment and drove education equity at some of the most challenged public schools in Chicago.
Mike holds a B.A. in Mathematics from Edinboro University in Pennsylvania, where he captained the soccer and swimming teams. In 2002, Edinboro University awarded him an honorary doctorate degree in public service. He is a visiting lecturer at Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management. He and his wife Robin are former national chairs of Duke University’s Parents’ Committee.
He has received the Ellis Island Medal of Honor (2004); the Distinguished Leadership Award from the NY Hall of Science (2008); the Medal of Honor from the President of Macedonia (2013); and the inagural John L. Bitove Philanthropy Award (2017). In 2018, the Navy Seal Foundation bestowed on Mike and his wife Robin the “Patriot Award,” in recognition of their extensive philanthropic contributions to society, commitment to the Navy Seal community, and spirit and example of patriotism. In 2021, AUSL recognized Mike and Robin for their leadership impact in education.
Mike and Robin, married for 41 years, have three married sons and nine grandchildren. All three sons are involved in The Zaf Group. Mike’s hobbies include anything with family, mentoring, friends, travel, and sports (he completed the Kona Ironman Triathlon in 2018, the NYC marathon in 2021, and is beginning to take golf seriously).
Co-founder
John I. Bitove has a distinguished record of accomplishment in the corporate, sports and community endeavours. He is the sole shareholder of Obelysk, which has major investments in the wireless, satellite radio, real estate, restaurants and other businesses. He is one of the founders of alternative asset investment firm, PointNorth Capital. Recently Obelysk has obtained the right to develop the Canadian market for Bird e-scooters, and the franchise right to develop Dave’s Hot Chicken restaurants in Canada. Mr. Bitove was the founder, Chairman and controlling shareholder of Canadian Satellite Radio Inc. which brought satellite radio service to Canadians, in partnership with U.S.-based XM Satellite Radio. XM later merged with Sirius to become SiriusXM Canada, Canada’s fastest growing media subscription business with over 3 million subscribers. SiriusXM Canada went public in 2005 and has now gone private with Mr. Bitove remaining as a shareholder. Mr. Bitove was the founder, principal shareholder and CEO of KEYreit, Canada’s premier “small-box” retail property owner with over 220 retail real estate properties in eight provinces across Canada. He was also the founder of Mobilicity, one of Canada’s new entrant wireless operators, which was sold to Rogers in 2015. Mr. Bitove acquired Scott’s Restaurants in 1999. Scott’s was renamed as Priszm and grew to almost 700 restaurants across Canada under the KFC, Pizza Hut and Taco Bell brands, serving 2 million customers a week and employing over 10,000 people. Priszm was eventually taken public as an Income Trust. A passionate Canadian, Mr. Bitove was the volunteer President and Chief Executive Officer of Toronto’s Bid for the 2008 Olympic Games (awarded to Beijing, China). He was the head of the organizing committees that brought the successful World Indoor Athletics (Track & Field) Championships and World Championships of Basketball to Canada in 1993 and 1994 respectively. In 1993, he founded the Toronto Raptors Basketball Club. He led the NBA franchise-bid process, launched the team and created the Air Canada Centre (now Scotiabank Arena), Toronto’s major sports and entertainment venue. A strong believer of giving back to the community, Mr. Bitove founded S’Cool Life Fund, to support public elementary schools across Canada. Since the launch in 2005, S’Cool Life Fund has raised and donated over $3 million helping to make school life more enjoyable for thousands of public elementary school kids.
Co-founder
Mitre Kutanovski is a Co-founder and a former Chairman of Macedonia 2025. Under the leadership of Mr. Kutanovski Macedonia 2025 opened a second office, started an annual golf outing and launched a series of business and professional networking opportunities for the Diaspora. Prior to his involvement with Macedonia 2025, Mr. Kutanovski was the President and CEO of the Mitre Group Inc. a company that consists of: Crown Financial Advisors; Mitre Group LLC. Broker Dealer; Classic and Crown Mortgage Solutions; Crown Tax and Business Services; Crown Insurance Group; Crown Travel Agency; and the weekly radio program Voice of Macedonia.
Co-founder
Vera Stavroff is the President & CEO of HerbalScience, AlkaloidUSA, and co-founder of GreenBeauty. Vera works with Tikveš Winery on a joint venture to penetrate the US market under the brand Vergina wines. Vera was born in Bitola, Macedonia. Her family emigrated to Ohio’s heartland, where she attended The Ohio State University and received her degree in Mechanical and Nuclear Engineering. She worked in the pharmaceutical industry (Abbott Laboratories) for 13 years. Vera joined Limited Brands as a member of the Executive Committee and head of Research & Development, Quality Assurance and Regulatory Affairs for the Bath & Body Works division. Vera is the recipient of two U.S. and international patents. She resides in Columbus Ohio with her husband Frank and they have two children, Jacquilyn and Jeffrey.
Michael Cklamovski is a Senior Managing Director and President of the Northern California region based in the San Francisco office. In this role, Michael is responsible for leading the Wealth Management business in the Bay Area and neighboring communities. Previously, Cklamovski served as West Region Market Executive, Managing Director and Banking Team Lead at CIBC Private Bank, and as a Private Client Advisor at US Trust. Prior to his wealth management experience, Michael was a practicing litigation attorney for Fidelity National Financial. Michael received a dual B.A. degree in both Political Science and Communications from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and a J.D. from the Northern Illinois University College of Law, Cum Laude. Michael has served as an officer and board member with various charitable, civic and educational organizations in the Bay Area and Chicago. Currently, he serves as Chairman of the Board of Macedonia2025, an international ‘thank & do’tank, on the advisory board of the Veteran’s Business Project and as a Fighting Illini mentor serving current student-athletes at his Alma Mater.
Chris Pavlovski is a serial and global entrepreneur. On the heels of selling multiple businesses, and founding numerous successful companies, Chris became a finalist for the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year in 2010. Shortly there after, one of the businesses Chris founded, is a global IT business with offices in Europe & North America. The business was ranked as the 2nd best employer in Macedonia and has been the recipient of numerous awards. Currently, Chris is the CEO and Founder of Rumble.com. Rumble is a video platform that has distribution partnerships with over ten established media companies, including but not limited to Microsoft, Yahoo, and Bell. Chris also sits on numerous boards. He serves on the board of Every Day Child; a non-profit charity organization. He serves on the advisory board of Close.com; a social network for close friends and family, and also sits Macedonia 2025’s Senior Board.
Alek Icev is a Macedonian-American computer scientist and high tech executive based in Seattle, WA. Alek’s research background is in machine learning, data mining and bioinformatics. Alek’s industry experience spans designing core algorithms for life sciences startups, helping scale large enterprise software solutions and leading several engineering teams focused on making Google’s ads systems and platforms smarter. In his free time he is trying to find a sweet spot in his passion for techno-progressivism, stoicism and singularity while being below average soccer player and aspiring yogi. Alek and his wife Kati are blessed of being parents to two kids who share their excitement about skiing and the great northwest pacific outdoors.
Kati Iceva is computer science engineer and leader with over 18 years of experience building and shipping Microsoft products. As Group Engineering Manager, she currently leads the engineering team of Azure Stream Analytics, Microsoft’s real-time analytics service that is designed for mission-critical workloads and was named streaming analytics market leader by Forrester. She is responsible for product strategy, technical vision, architecture, development and operations of the product. Her previous contributions span data technologies including multiple versions of the .NET Entity Framework and Power Query. With her work, she hopes to contribute to advancing the quality of human lives and health. Seeded in her experience of working on three continents, Kati has a strong passion for enabling and supporting diverse and inclusive teams and working environments. Hoping to see more women thrive in technology industries, she takes advantage of every opportunity to encourage girls to explore computer science. Kati holds a bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science at Ss. Cyril and Methodius University of Skopje and Master of Science degree in Computer Science from Worcester Polytechnic Institute. She resides in Seattle, Washington with her husband Alek and their two children. Outside of work, you can find her skiing, running, hiking or practicing yoga.
Borko Handjiski is Associate Partner with McKinsey & Company. He joined McKinsey’s Middle East office in June 2015 and has been primarily serving public sector clients in the Gulf region. Before joining McKinsey, Borko Handjiski worked for the World Bank in Washington DC as Senior Economist. Borko began his career at the Macedonian central bank and worked for the European Commission in Macedonia where he advised the government on economic policies related to EU accession. Throughout his 14-year career, Borko has worked with governments in Europe, Central Asia, Africa, and the Middle East in the areas of economic development, public finances, investment, trade, and labor markets. Borko holds an MBA degree in finance from Purdue University and a BA in Economics from the University of Skopje. He resides with his family in Dubai.
Metodija Papazoski is a Cofounder and Vice President of EMBS Group, a global market intelligence and advisory company. He has more than 15 years of experience consulting to Fortune 500 companies across a variety of industries including healthcare, industrial goods, consumer goods, and financial services. Metodija is also a frequent speaker at industry events, such as SCIP’s and CIMICON’s International Conferences. Areas of expertise: market entry and business development, strategic advisory, market sizing, competitive intelligence (CI). Metodija holds an MA degree in International Business Management from Bradford University and a BA in Economics from the University of Skopje. He resides in Krakow, Poland with his wife Zuzana and their three children. Metodija enjoys playing basketball, reading, travelling and CrossFit.
Venera Krliu Handjiski is the Deputy CEO, Chief Operations Officer, and Vice President of the Board of Directors at the University American College Skopje (UACS). Besides these management positions, she is also an Associate Professor in Organizational Behavior at the School of Business Economics and Management and Vice-Rector for Education. In 2012, Assoc. Prof. Krliu Handjiski, PhD, was awarded the “Business Leader of the Year” award by the European Business Association in Macedonia. She has completed executive education courses, European Entrepreneurship Colloquiums by Harvard Business School in 2009 and 2015, as well as the Young Managers Programme, organized by the IEDC-Bled School of Management, Slovenia. Assoc. Prof. Krliu Handjiski’s long-term charity work and support was recognized in 2017 by the highest state award “Mother Teresa” for humanity and human solidarity, and for encouraging, promoting mutual understanding and developing cooperation, both between peoples and between members of different communities, cultures and religions in Macedonia.
Gjorgje Vojnovic is the CEO of TriglavOsiguruvanje AD, Skopje and President of the Association of Financial Organizations at the Economic Chamber. He started his professional career at the age of 15, as a basketball player. Throughout his career he played for several Macedonian and international basketball teams, and was a representative player for the National Basketball Team. While advancing in his sports career, Vojnovic gained a University degree at the Faculty of Physical Education, University of Ss. Cyril and Methodius, Skopje. He finished his Master’s studies at Sheffield’s University City College in Thessaloniki, with a dissertation in marketing. In 2006 he was appointed as General Manager of the official Ford importer in Macedonia and in 2007 started working in the financial sector as a Member of the Management Board in the leasing company Hypo Alpe Adria Leasing. In 2012 Vojnovic was appointed as CEO in Triglav Osiguruvanje AD, Skopje and ever since is working in the insurance sector. He attended and completed the Advanced Management Program at Northwestern University-Kellogg School of Management in 2018. In addition to his professional engagements, he is a member of numerous associations and institutions and devoted to humanitarian projects.
Since year 2006, Mukaetov is heading the biggest Macedonian pharmaceutical industry, “Alkaloid AD Skopje”.
Founded in 1936, “Alkaloid” brand is recognizable and well-established, just like its motto- “Health above all”…slogan of one of the key drivers of the Macedonian economy and one of the leading pharmaceutical industries in Southeastern Europe. Headquartered in Skopje, “Alkaloid” places its products in over 40 countries worldwide through its 20 subsidiaries abroad.
For his extraordinary endeavors in the sphere of culture, sports, business and corporate social responsibility, Mukaetov was awarded various national and international acknowledgments. He was decorated with two orders: “Order of the Danish Flag” on behalf of Her Majesty Queen Margrethe II of Denmark for valuable services as Consul General of the Kingdom of Denmark (a function he’s performing since 2007) and the “Order of Merit” by the President of the Republic of North Macedonia, H.E. Mr. Stevo Pendarovski for impeccable professional standards in the modern corporate management in the pharmaceutical industry, investments in new technology, education as well as philanthropic culture and broad social responsibility.
Mukaetov is a member of the management boards of various economically important institutions in his country, such as vice-president of the “Chamber of Commerce”. Since 2013, he is President of the “Macedonian Handball Federation” presently running his third mandate and besides being a patron of the Chess Club “Alkaloid”, in 2021 he founded the Handball Club “Alkaloid” aimed at supporting young Macedonian handball talents.
In 2014, Mukaetov joined the prestigious organization “Forum of Young Global Leaders”. Under their auspices, he attended trainings at the prestigious American “University of Yale” in New Haven, CT the “Harvard Kennedy School” in Cambridge, MA and the United Kingdom’s “Saїd Business School” in Oxford.
Since 2007, Mukaetov is presiding the Foundation “Trajche Mukaetov” aimed at supporting young and talented students and professionals who devoted their careers to medicine and pharmacy. Up to date, this Foundation donated EUR 1.9 million for scholarships and premiums to valedictorians.
Zhivko and his wife Emilija are devoted parents of four children.
Robert Stevanovski is Co-Founder and Chairman of ACN Inc., the world’s largest direct selling telecommunications service provider. Robert has worked hard from the beginning, investing his own time and money to make a name for ACN in this highly competitive field.
In addition to his daily operational duties, Robert is a distinguished ACN Board Member. His success has not slowed him down but rather encouraged Robert to continually reevaluate himself and his company. He constantly strives to be better and encourages others to work hard in relentless progression toward greater success.
Borijan Borozanov has more than 20 years of experience in international management and corporate leadership roles. Currently, he is serving as Manufacturing Director for Central and Eastern Europe for Johnson Matthey, a FTSE 100 company, and a leading global provider of clean air technologies. His earlier work history includes building up the new Delphi Electronic Systems factory and serving as plant manager for Aptiv Services. Borijan had a variety of positions in the European automotive sector before moving back to North Macedonia, including Strategic Manufacturing Footprint Planner as part of his Rotational Leadership Development Program. Additionally, he oversaw Invest Macedonia’s Investor Servicing Division and contributed to the execution of over 12 investment projects in North Macedonia’s automotive supply chain.
Sashe Dimitroff is a US qualified lawyer who was born in Skopje. He is the global practice leader of BakerHostetler’s International Arbitration and Litigation team. He is the only Macedonian in the world to lead one of the top 100 practices in the world, as ranked by Global Arbitration Review (GAR) 100 firm. Sashe is also ranked in both Chambers USA and Global. Sashe has successfully represented U.S. and international companies in courts and arbitral tribunals around the world, including the International Centre for the Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID) in Paris, the London Court of International Arbitration (LCIA), the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC), the International Centre for Dispute Resolution (ICDR) in Miami, the International Institute for Conflict Prevention and Resolution (CPR) and the International Trade Commission (ITC) in Washington, D.C. Sashe has won multimillion-dollar awards prosecuting clients’ claims and has successfully defended Fortune 100 companies in multi-plaintiff lawsuits alleging up to $300 million in damages. Sashe is currently listed as an arbitrator by both the ICDR and the international division of the American Arbitration Association, as well as its complex commercial arbitration panels. As an adjunct professor at the University of Houston Law School, Sashe teaches classes in International Arbitration and International Risk Management in Oil Field Services. Internationally respected for his insight, he has spoken extensively on international arbitration and litigation topics throughout the U.S., South America, Mexico, Canada, Qatar, Poland, Moscow, and Kazakhstan.
Mihail Matevski is CEO and Partner in the company’s GREENTECH in Serbia and Macedonia, waste plastic recycling and processing industry. GREENTECH is member of GREEN GROUP, the largest waste PET bottle recycler/convertor in Eastern and Central Europe.
Highlights of expertise: packaging waste management, waste plastic processing, business development, sales, international trading, production management and team leadership. Working experience of 23 years: 16 years at position of CEO/General Manager, 2 years in business consultancy and 5 years in sales management.
Co-founder and Board President of the Serbian Association of Packaging Waste Recyclers, co-founder of the Macedonian Solid Waste Association (MASWA), member of CANSEE – Canadian-Serbian Business Association, member of the working group for recycling and waste minimization within the International Solid Waste Association (ISWA), Macedonia2025 diaspora organization Board member.
Master of Science in Mechanical Engineering at State University of Macedonia.
Northwestern University-Kellogg School of Management, Advanced Management Program Certification since 2018.
Dr. Jana Marin graduated from the Faculty of Dentistry at the “St. Cyril and Methodius” University in Skopje, Macedonia. She attained a Master’s degree in International Healthcare Management, Economics and Policy at Bocconi University in Milan, Italy. Dr. Marin obtained her first professional experience in healthcare management in the Quality Department of the German unit of Capio Group , Capio Deutsche Klinik GmbH.
She developed an important, formative part of her professional expertise while working at the Ministry of Health of the Republic of Macedonia. During her appointment as Advisor to the Minister of Health, Dr. Marin was personally involved in a broad spectrum of issues of concern to National Healthcare Policies and Economic Planning of Public Health in Macedonia.
Her educational background, coupled with the expertise she obtained in the last decade of independent, intensive, daily involvement in decision making processes, paved the way to Dr. Marin being holding key management positions. Due to her proven managerial capability and particularly her innovative approach to problem solving, she had been entrusted with management of key projects. Recently, she led the team, which successfully completed the prominently complex and important Joint Commission International Accreditation process and thus, brought Acibadem Sistina Hospital the title of First JCI Accredited Hospital in Macedonia.
Vanja Josifovski is the Co-Founder and CEO of Kumo, a Forbes AI 50 company in 2024. Before Kumo, Vanja was the CTO of Homes at Airbnb, where he led an organization that included horizontal groups such as Homes Engineering and Homes Data Science, as well as having a GM role for critical business areas such as Marketplace, Relevance and Personalization, and Regulatory Frameworks. Before Airbnb, Vanja was the CTO & VP Eng at Pinterest, responsible for the company’s overall technical vision and strategy, communicating that to leadership and the teams, hiring and developing technical talent, and driving execution to deliver user value and revenue. Vanja has also served as an advisor and investor for multiple startups and co-founded Kosei, which Pinterest acquired. Before founding ventures and scaling high-growth companies, Vanja spent his time in industrial research at Google, Yahoo, and IBM, developing AI, search, and database technologies. He is an ACM Distinguished Scientist, has published over 100 publications in top-tier technical conferences, and holds 30 patents.
Vladimir has been an IT consultant and a serial entrepreneur in Macedonia, New Zealand and Australia – currently working on a SaaS start-up in Manly NSW in addition to providing architecture and cloud transformation consultancy to the government and the banking sectors.
An electrical engineer (ETF Skopje) with postgraduate in business management (AIM Sydney) and treasury and derivative markets (FINSIA Sydney).
Started his career as a UKIM researcher and published academic papers internationally on automation and control systems predominantly for the IFAC (International Federation of Automatic Control).
Blessed with a wonderful family living in a wonderful spot shared with a wonderful community that includes many Macedonians too! Picnics, kids’ soccer tournaments and, of course, that extra shrimp on the barbie… it’s the vibe of it.
Vlad is a passionate sailor and he completed his first Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race in 2017.
Lily Stojanovska is a Professor at the Department Dept of Nutrition and Health, at the College of Medicine and Health Sciences, United Arab Emirates University. For a number of years, she worked as a professor at Victoria University in Melbourne, Australia, where she now holds the position of an Emeritus Professor. She is also an Honorary Professor at Universities in Thailand, Hong Kong, Mexico, and North Macedonia. She is actively involved in the areas of nutritional research, and management of chronic diseases through nutritional and complementary modalities. She is teaching and supervising graduate students in the areas of nutrition, immunology, women’s health, and prevention of chronic diseases including diabetes and cardiovascular health.
Professor Stojanovska has over 115 publications in highly ranked international journals, 8 book chapters, and she is a co-author of 4 popular books.
Her list of publications can be accessed following this link: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7186-4461
Since 2010 Professor Stojanovska’s achievements have been listed annually in Who is Who Internationally. She is also a recipient of many awards including the Australian Honour Roll of Women for her role as an international educator including her active engagement with the Macedonian community in Australia.
Ivan Skenderoski is a founder and managing partner of Salience, a telecom management consulting and professional services organization. He has been with the company since its launch in 2010 and is based in Dubai, UAE since 2008. Ivan is the Engagement Lead on a number of Salience projects, strategist on National Broadband enablement and lead on the New Operator Launch practice. He is a board member of Salience, management team member and is involved in setting the company’s strategic vision and direction. In addition, he also has a hands on approach in the financial and operational management of the company.
He has over 17 years of dedicated telecom experience across Europe, Asia and the Middle East. Prior to Salience, Ivan was working for the UK incumbent operator, British Telecom (BT) on numerous roles – Principal consultant in the Middle East, Specialist technology and service advisor for BT’s bid to acquire telecom license in Singapore, Head of the Asian Innovation Centre in Malaysia as well as the UK based technology roles at the BT Labs in Martlesham. He is also a Board Member of Awasr Oman, the first regional fibre only operator.
Ivan is a recognized thought leader, speaking frequently at Telecom conferences covering broadband strategy. He has contributed to several Salience whitepapers on National Broadband, Next Generations Access Networks and Fibre to the Home. He holds MSc in Telecom Engineering from Macedonia.
Vlado Dimovski is a Professor of Management and organization unit, at the University of Ljubljana. His primary areas of expertise are organizational learning, knowledge management and leadership. Prof Dimovski has published numerous articles in recognized journals and has authored a number of books on leadership.
Prof Dimovski was the State Secretary for Industry in the Government of Slovenia (1995-1997), the president of the Centre for International Competitiveness of Slovenia (1997-2000), and the Minister of Labor, Family and Social Affairs (2000-2004). He was also the consultant to the Prime Minister of Macedonian Government. He has received numerous awards, such as the Beta Gamma Sigma Award (1992) and Harvard Directory of Scholars (1993).
Prof Dimovski is also the Head of the Slovenian national research group dealing with knowledge management and organizational learning in contemporary organizations and is Head of the economic and business department of IFIMES (The International Institute for Middle-East and Balkan Studies).
Prof Dimovski has a BA degree in Economics and Philosophy and MA degree in Economics from the University of Ljubljana. He has a PhD in Management and Finance from Cleveland State University.
Prof Slavica Waite, Director of PEC International, and founder and Trustee of the ‘Kiril Trajkovski Foundation’, UK
Prof Slavica Waite is the CEO of PEC International, UK, an energy consultancy that specializes in the Oil and Gas Industry; concentrating mainly on high value capital investment projects. Prof Waite is also the founder and Trustee of the ‘Kiril Trajkovski Foundation’ founded in memory of her late brother who was a renowned Macedonian Archaeologist and patriot.
From the early days of Macedonia’s independence, Prof Waite has been an active lobbyist in the UK and Europe on behalf of Macedonia. In 1992, she was appointed Director of the Macedonian Information Office in the UK. In 2000, Prof Waite was awarded the Order of St. Kliment in recognition of her achievements in promoting Macedonian business and culture in the UK.
Prof Waite graduated from the Saints Cyril and Methodius University of Skopje with a PhD in world literature.
Dr. Vlaho Kostov is an R&D Executive, Head of CEE and Mediterranean region and represents Panasonic in several management boards of industry consortiums and associations. He has more than 20 years of expertise in Consumer Electronics, Telecom, and Automotive industries within the private sector, the public organizations, and academics. Dr. Kostov is deeply involved in R&D, technology management and new business strategy.
Previously he was based in the UK, managing the new business development for Panasonic in Europe and was responsible for industry alliances & collaboration. He spent ten years in Japan, leading the Technology Germination and R&D development including venturing & start-ups in the Silicon Valley (US). The early career was in the telecom industry, United Nations and T-Mobile.
Dr. Kostov obtained his Ph.D. at the Tokyo Metropolitan Inst. Of Technology, where he also worked as Associate Professor teaching Project Management and Communications (in English and Japanese). He has more than 25 peer-reviewed technical publications and led the design innovation and industry projects while studying at Stanford University. Among his most memorable volunteer activities are serving as President of IAESTE Macedonia (International Association for the Exchange of Students for Technical Experience) and Board Member of the European School Frankfurt (leading international school with >1400 students), responsible for overlooking the after-school activities and Social Fund Committee. He is currently a member of the Education Councils for both Primary and Secondary.
He is a Senior Member of IEEE and received a Gold award of the Lincoln Foundation Graduate Design Competition (Stanford Univ./TMIT for Toyota Corp.)
He has been working, living and communicating in native language in Tokyo, the Silicon Valley, London, Zurich, Milan, Frankfurt, and South East Europe.
Professor Terziovski joined the Swinburne University of Technology in January 2018 as Professor of Entrepreneurship and Innovation. He is the Department Chair of Business Technology and Entrepreneurship, Swinburne Business School and Director of the Master of Entrepreneurship and Innovation program in the Australian Graduate School of Business. Professor Terziovski is the Former Dean of the Curtin Graduate School of Business for 4 years, and Professor of Innovation, and Former Head of School, International Graduate School of Business, at the University of South Australia (4 years). He worked at the University of Melbourne as Assoc. Professor and Executive Director of the Centre for Global Innovation and Entrepreneurship for 10 years; and at Monash University as Senior Lecturer for 4 years.
Prior to his academic career, Professor Terziovski held several positions within the Rio Tinto Group. He left Rio after 17 years to do his Ph.D. research studies at the Melbourne Business School. Professor Terziovski’s publications have been featured in prestigious journals such as the Journal of Operations Management (JOM) where he won the best paper award, the Strategic Management Journal (SMJ), where he published a single-authored article. He is also the recipient of two best paper awards from the US Academy of Management and was nominated for an all-academy international best paper award.
Igor Ivan Tulevski is Macedonian born cardiologist, living in Amsterdam, The Netherlands. He finished elementary school and gymnasium in Skopje (place of birth), while earned his medical degree, PhD and cardiology residency at the University of Amsterdam (AMC Hospital). Currently Igor is the CEO of the Cardiology Centers of The Netherlands (CCN) www.cardiologiecentra.nl which he founded in 2006. His sub-specializations are congenital cardiology, imaging (PhD thesis) and sport cardiology, He is elected fellow of the European (FESC) and American (FACC) college of cardiology. Igor also serves as a Chairman of the Supervisory Board of de Sionsberg hospital in Dokkum (acquired in 2015). His mission as disruptive innovator in cardiology and healthcare in combination with research have been predominating his professional career.
His list of publications can be accessed following this link: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/?term=tulevski+ii
Entrepreneurship, sports (triathlons, skiing and endurance activities), travelling and his family are the real joy of Igor’s life.
Dejan Krstevski joined Franklin University-Columbus, Ohio in December 2012 as an International Teaching Faculty of Corporate Finance and Management Accounting for Central and Eastern Europe and the Middle East. Also, he has been working as a Visiting Professor for Cost Accounting at Modern College of Business and Science – Sultanate of Oman and Associate Professor at State University St. Kliment Ohridski. He is playing a key role in the ongoing development, facilitation, and management of undergraduate and graduate courses within the University’s Master of Business Administration, Corporate Finance and Managerial Accounting programs delivered to students around the globe. Navigate face-to-face and online instructional models, working equally well engaging students in a traditional campus setting or via an internet-based classroom.
Prior to his academic career, Krstevski has been worked for Deutsche Telekom AG on numerous roles: a member of Financial Board of T-Mobile International, Bon, Germany, a member of Executive Management committee of Deutsche Telekom AG, a member of Management Committee of Magyar Telekom, Budapest, Hungary and a CFO of T-Mobile Macedonia. He is a proven business partner to management, effective in working with all departments, linking finance with operations to improve productivity, efficiency, and bottom-line results.
Krstevski holds a Ph.D. in Economics, a Masters of Business Administration (MBA), a Bachelor of Economics (BSc) and a Bachelor of Engineering (B.Eng). He also obtained an executive education and specialization from London Business School (LBS) – UK, Joint Vienna Institute (JVI) – Austria and Management Centre Europe (MCE) – Belgium.
Peter is a senior leader of transformation and change with a career spanning over 20 years in industries including manufacturing and financial services. He is currently the co-founder and director of SixEdge, working with some of Australia’s leading organisations to turn ‘strategy talk’ in to execution and leading and delivering high value outcomes to drive improved performance.
Before co-founding SixEdge, Peter spent time leading transformation with specialties including strategic planning and execution, business transformation, operations management, operational excellence, and lean/six sigma implementation. Peter is particularly passionate about bringing together different stakeholder groups in large organisations and leading and delivering high value outcomes across organisational silos. He enjoys developing and leading high performing teams with a focus on taking strategic themes and high-level enterprise objectives and creating a clear path to delivering business results.
Peter holds a Masters of Business Administration (MBA) from Deakin University, a Bachelor of Engineering (BEng Hons) from RMIT University and is a Graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors (GAICD).
Peter is a keen traveller and enjoys experiencing different cultures. He enjoys a range of sports and on weekends can typically be found spending time with family and friends and supporting his three children in their various pursuits.
For over 15 years, Branko Trajkovski has been a noteworthy leader in IoT. Driven by the desire to solve complex problems, he created Bransys, an international solution provider of next gen cloud-based technology that combines big data, analytics and security to help businesses get actionable insights and improve their operations in transportation and asset tracking.
An electrical engineering graduate, Branko also holds an MBA. His rigorous business acumen lead the expansion over 3 continents, serving hundreds of customers worldwide.
In addition to his contributions in IoT, Branko is a well-known pioneer in the future of energy and co-founder of a smart energy storage technology company.
A multi-award winning serial entrepreneur, today Branko lives with his family in the San Francisco Bay Area.
Ambassador Zoran Jolevski has a 35-year track record of diplomatic, managerial and consulting experience within the public and private sectors in the domains of international development, international trade, public-private dialogue, private sector development, foreign affairs and national security. Ambassador Jolevski currently provides advice to a few multinational companies. Ambassador Jolevski has been Fellow at Harvard University in 2021 and the first half of 2022. Dr Jolevski is professor at European University Skopje. He also is lecturing at the prestigious universities, such as the LSE. He is regular speaker to international conferences around the world.
He served as a Minister of Defense from 2014 until 2017. Jolevski was ambassador of Macedonia to the United States from 2007 until 2014. In 2008, he was appointed the Macedonian’s chief negotiator on name differences with Greece. He was the non-resident Ambassador to Mexico and Brazil from 2011.
From 2000 to 2004, Ambassador Jolevski was Chief of Staff to the late Macedonian President Boris Trajkovski and served as the Chief Adviser to the Macedonian Government on Macedonia’s World Trade Organization accession. He has worked in various capacities in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs from 1988 until 1999.
He served as a member of the boards of several companies and non-governmental organizations and held several positions in the United Nations bodies in the field of international trade. Ambassador Jolevski is the President of the Institute for Strategic Initiatives and Policies as well as of the Art Colony Debarca. He serves as a Chairman of Advisory Board of Ambassadorial Roundtable, San Diego, US too. Dr. Jolevski was honorary member of the Board of “Macedonia 2025”, as well as founder and the first President of the Institute for Economic Strategies and International Affairs – “Ohrid”. He served also as the President of “The Boris Trajkovski International Foundation”, as a as a member of the Presidency of Macedonian Euro-Atlantic Club.
Jolevski holds a Ph.D. in International Economy from the School of Economics, University of “Cyril and Metodij”, as well as a Master of Science in International Trade Law from the Law School at the same University. He is teaching at the European University in Skopje. He has authored three books and has been the chief editor of several books. He is the author of more than fifty articles.
Ambassador Zoran Jolevski has a 35-year track record of diplomatic, managerial and consulting experience within the public and private sectors in the domains of international development, international trade, public-private dialogue, private sector development, foreign affairs and national security. Ambassador Jolevski currently provides advice to a few multinational companies. Ambassador Jolevski has been Fellow at Harvard University in 2021 and the first half of 2022. Dr Jolevski is professor at European University Skopje. He also is lecturing at the prestigious universities, such as the LSE. He is regular speaker to international conferences around the world.
He served as a Minister of Defense from 2014 until 2017. Jolevski was ambassador of Macedonia to the United States from 2007 until 2014. In 2008, he was appointed the Macedonian’s chief negotiator on name differences with Greece. He was the non-resident Ambassador to Mexico and Brazil from 2011.
From 2000 to 2004, Ambassador Jolevski was Chief of Staff to the late Macedonian President Boris Trajkovski and served as the Chief Adviser to the Macedonian Government on Macedonia’s World Trade Organization accession. He has worked in various capacities in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs from 1988 until 1999.
He served as a member of the boards of several companies and non-governmental organizations and held several positions in the United Nations bodies in the field of international trade. Ambassador Jolevski is the President of the Institute for Strategic Initiatives and Policies as well as of the Art Colony Debarca. He serves as a Chairman of Advisory Board of Ambassadorial Roundtable, San Diego, US too. Dr. Jolevski was honorary member of the Board of “Macedonia 2025”, as well as founder and the first President of the Institute for Economic Strategies and International Affairs – “Ohrid”. He served also as the President of “The Boris Trajkovski International Foundation”, as a as a member of the Presidency of Macedonian Euro-Atlantic Club.
Jolevski holds a Ph.D. in International Economy from the School of Economics, University of “Cyril and Metodij”, as well as a Master of Science in International Trade Law from the Law School at the same University. He is teaching at the European University in Skopje. He has authored three books and has been the chief editor of several books. He is the author of more than fifty articles.
Dr. Dobrin Nedelkov, President, Isoformix Inc. Phoenix AZ
Dr. Nedelkov is a leader in clinical mass spectrometry assays and technology development, with 25+ years scientific and management experience.
Dr. Nedelkov received his Ph.D. in Biochemistry from Arizona State University in 1997. After a year as a Postdoctoral Associate at Yale University, Dr. Nedelkov joined Intrinsic Bioprobes where over the span of 15 years he progressed through the ranks to ultimately become Scientific Director and CEO of the company, leading the early commercialization efforts in technology development for targeted proteomics and protein biomarkers. After Thermo Scientific acquired the company, in 2013 Dr. Nedelkov joined the Biodesign Institute at Arizona State University as a group leader of the Molecular Biomarkers Unit, focusing on proteoform biomarker discovery, validation, and translation. In 2017 Dr. Nedelkov started Isoformix Inc. with the goal of translating mass spectrometry protein tests into the clinic.
Dr. Nedelkov has authored over 100 peer reviewed scientific articles, presented at more than 60 scientific meetings, has 4 issued patents, and has served as a principal investigator on numerous NIH grants.
Biljana Nikolova is a highly qualified finance professional with more than 15 years’ experience and strong track record in leadership, strategy execution, business transformation, private equity, and advisory. Biljana currently holds the position of General Manager at National Australia Bank (NAB).
Prior to this, Biljama held the roles of Chief Operating Officer, Global Corporate and Institutional Banking at NAB; Executive Director, NAB Corporate Bank; Head of Performance, NAB Group Strategy; Investment Executive, NAB Private Equity; Senior Manager, ANZ Corporate Finance Advisory and other management roles within the Institutional and Corporate divisions of ANZ. She is an Honorary Fellow at Macquarie University at the Masters of Applied Finance Centre.
Biljana holds a Ph.D. in Finance and her academic work has been published in reputable international finance journals and presented at a number of domestic and international finance and economics conferences.
Eliza Prendzov is a distinguished leader and innovator in finance. Eliza serves as Head of Partnerships and Director of Consulting at 17 Asset Management. She has over 15 years Wall Street and government experience. Eliza’s background includes asset management, finance, global financial product management, government, consulting and multilateral relations. She has worked at Merrill Lynch, Morgan Stanley (formerly Smith Barney), the United Nations, and on the Biden Presidential Campaign. Eliza has a B.A. in English Language and Literature from Ss Cyril and Methodius University, Skopje, has earned her Master in International Affairs (MIA), International Finance and Banking from SIPA, Columbia University, New York, and is a PhD in Economics candidate at American University College Skopje. Eliza’s interests span across geographies and industries, and include collaborative leadership, asset management, sustainable finance, and financial education. Eliza lives in New York City with her family.
Angelka is one of the frontrunners in the area of public relations and communication management in NMacedonia and insists on high level of ethics, professionalism and commitment in her profession and broader field of work.
Professional profile – Extensive experience in the area of corporate, institutional and political communications, working for some of the most successful international and domestic companies, institutions and organizations and designing and implementing political campaigns within the country and the region. She has also a huge political experience.
Political Profile – First generation of politicians developing liberal idea in the country – starting from 1990 until 2006 when she froze her political activities. She was President of Liberal Youth (1992-1997), Vice President of Liberal-Democrats (1997-2006), elected member of Skopje City Council (1996-2000). Member of Parliament (2002- 2006).
Business profile – Professional politician in her early career and later an entrepreneur, co-creating, co-founding, developing and coordinating several successful companies within the country and the region – all of them in the segment of communications, covering: communication management, public relations, media monitoring and analyses, advertising, production, research, below the line communication. She is a visionary in creating new business stories with successful portfolio on the markets.
Academic Profile and Philanthropy – Angelka is a Lecturer of Public Relations at the University American College Skopje, PhD candidate and founder of the Movement for supporting young creatives „Bravo sine!“, which has supported and implemented more than 50 humanitarian projects. She was elected Rotarian of the Year in 2019 for her contribution in the same field.
The most challenging life project are her kids – Vera and Vedran.
She is often invited to speak on various public events, panels and debates.
Jim Nikopoulos is the Founder and CEO of MJ Holdings Corp., an asset management company. Jim also serves as Founder & CEO of Core Data Centres Inc. (a data centre and connectivity services company), Vice-Chair of Triad Financial Services Inc. (the longest-standing manufactured housing finance company in the U.S.), and Vice-Chair of My Abilities Technologies Inc. (a smart health technology company focused on workplace injury prevention and resolution).
Jim was the former President of ECN Capital Corp. (TSX: ECN), a leading provider of prime credit portfolios to more than 90 US financial institutions, and was formerly the EVP and GC of Element Fleet Management Corp. (TSX: EFN), the world’s largest fleet management company.
Jim also served as Board Chair and SVP at TeraGo Inc. (TSX: TGO), a cloud, collocation and connectivity services provider to Canadian businesses.
Jim began his career as a Partner at Davies Ward Phillips & Vineberg LLP, a leading business law firm, where he practiced in the areas of mergers and acquisitions, corporate finance, and governance.
Mr. Nikopoulos currently serves as a Director on the St. Michael’s Hospital Foundation Board. He also holds positions on numerous other charitable and private boards.
Mr. Nikopoulos earned an Honours BA degree (Economics & Political Science) from the University of Toronto and a Law degree (JD) from Osgoode Hall Law School. Mr. Nikopoulos was named one of Canada’s Top 40 under 40 Lawyers by Lexpert in 2014.
is a Biomedical Data Science & Technology Executive with a strong innovation and strategy track record. She is a passionate scientist and a technologist with a drive to bring cutting edge data science, diagnostic and biopharmaceutical technology to solve problems in human health, clinical and life sciences through digital transformation. She is a PhD in Computer Science, with extensive leadership of cross-functional global teams to initiate solutions, with multiple stakeholders in a complex matrixed organization. Nevenka has over 140 publications, 80 issued patents spanning healthcare, life sciences, and technology.
In her role as a VP of Biomedical Data at GlaxoSmithKline she brought transformational change stepping into first of a kind next gen cloud for pharma R&D. Many first of a kind digital technology implementations for R&D at large in the areas of computational data governance and data staging, new dataflows on Google Cloud, full stack machine learning applications to speed up the biopharma process for R&D.
Previously, as CTO of Oncology Informatics and Genomics in Philips, she took products from conception to market success and open new business opportunities. She has been committed to improve patients’ outcomes, by bringing digital innovations into the world of researchers and practicing clinicians to add precision and clarity – with cloud informatics and machine learning. She was awarded with the Gilles Holst award, the highest peer recognition at Philips. Her expertise is in improving clinical outcomes in oncology, epidemiology, and immunology.
Nevenka feels strongly about giving back to the community and has been involved in many initiatives. Nevenka serves on the Macedonia 2025 to help build initiatives in leadership education as well as high-tech education. She is very passionate about implementation of programs for enhancing digital skills, as well as coding and robotics, among young underserved Macedonian students. She has founded and serves on the board of Seed of Life, an innovative nutrition company in North Macedonia.
She serves on the board of Institute for Artificial Intelligence in Serbia supporting with expertise and networking for the Institute to become a global Center of Excellence in scientific research and technology transfer in Artificial Intelligence for Serbia and the region. Nevenka serves on the Advisory Council of the global Ekagrid Artificial Intelligence in India where she brings expertise in research, education, innovation, road mapping for the institute and its Centers for Excellence in Health and Cyber Security.
is an experienced corporate commercial and securities lawyer. As a partner in Gowlings’ Toronto office, Peter focuses his practice on corporate finance, mergers and acquisitions, and structured products. Working closely with issuers, underwriters, and other corporate clients, Peter delivers practical, effective advice to help businesses move their transactions forward. He has acted for clients across a range of industries, such as mining, energy and technology. His expertise includes: Public offerings, including initial public offerings (IPOs); Private placements; Reverse takeovers and qualifying transactions; Bought deal financings; Secondary offerings; Share and asset purchase transactions In addition to his work in private practice, Peter is also an experienced in-house lawyer. He spent several years as corporate counsel at a multinational technology company, and completed a secondment at the Ontario Securities Commission in its Market Regulation Group.
has been a General Manager of Tikveš Winery since 2017. His professional background includes working in the business sector for leading domestic companies and for international corporations, as well as in the public sector where he was engaged in a government agency aiming to promote Macedonian export and attract foreign investments. Radoš started his career in Alkaloid AD Skopje where he got his first managerial experience as Head of the Supply Chain in PC Pharmaceuticals in 2003. He further expanded his experience in pharmaceutical business as Area Sales Manager for Serbia, Montenegro & Bosnia and Hercegovina, a position he held until 2008. In the following years, he pivoted in FMCG sector as Operations Manager for Macedonia at the Coca Cola Company and from 2010 until 2013 he was assigned on the position of Head of Marketing and PR at Tikveš Winery, where he later became General Manager. In the period from 2013 to 2017, Radoš was part of Invest Macedonia – Macedonian Government Agency responsible for attracting foreign direct investments and export promotion, as Head of International Office for Bulgaria and Serbia. During his tenure, he was also named First Secretary at the Embassy of the Republic of Macedonia to the Republic of Bulgaria.
The Ambassadors Club is Macedonia2025’s face to the outside world. It is a group of successful professionals of Macedonian origin from around the world, all of whom share one goal: To help us build a stronger nation! As a network of exceptional individuals, the Ambassadors join their efforts to assist in the implementation of Macedonia2025’s projects and events, adding value to the networking opportunities within the organization, as well as contributing to the expansion of the Macedonian market and fundraising opportunities. The Ambassadors’ potential contribution is shaped by their physical location and expertise, varying from year to year.
All our Ambassadors Club members come from diverse backgrounds, many of them working in middle or high level management. Macedonia2025 is looking to expand the Ambassadors Club around the world and reach out to as many Macedonians as possible. If you would be interested in joining our Ambassadors Club, we would love to hear from you. Feel free to contact Macedonia2025’s Diaspora Relations Officer at galena@macedonia2025.com for more information on the Ambassadors Club membership.
Professor Nikica Mojsoska-Blazevski is the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) at Macedonia2025. Nikica’s prior experience was in academia, where she served two terms as Dean of the Business School at University American College-Skopje, as well as in the public administration where she worked as a Head of the Macroeconomic Policy Department at the Ministry of Finance of Republic of Macedonia. Nikica has an extensive experience of over 15 years in research, consultancy and advisory in economic policies, social systems and policy, labour markets, and education in Macedonia, as well as the Western Balkan region. She has been so far working with major international economic organisations and institutions, such as the World Bank, ILO, RCC, UNDP, UN Women and the European Commission. Mojsoska-Blazevski is author of many journal articles and several book chapters, mainly in the area of social policy, labour markets, education, gender issues, youth, etc. Nikica has served as an advisor to the government institutions in Macedonia and the Western Balkan region on economic, employment and social policy issues. Nikica is a member of several professional organizations in Macedonia, as well as of well-renowned international scientific organizations.
Chief Executive Officer
Nena Manchev is the Leadership and Education Program Manager at Macedonia2025. She graduated at the Faculty of Economics at the Ss. Cyril and Methodius University in Skopje, at the Department for Comprehensive Economy. Nena’s prior experience is in the public administration sector, where she worked as Head of Unit for Administrative Support and Coordination at the Fund for Innovation and Technological Development. She also worked as Head of Cabinet of the Minister of Finance at the Ministry of Finance of the Republic of North Macedonia. Before joining the public administration, Nena accumulated an extensive experience of around 15 years in the civil society sector, working at the Country Office of the German Foundation Friedrich Ebert, Skopje. She has been working mostly in developing and implementing consultancy programs in the field of political science, strengthening of political dialogue and political parties’ capacities, as well as programs in the area of socio-economic policies, social-just reforms projects, active civic participation and improving citizens’ and youth participation in social discussions and decision-making processes. Nena has a significant knowledge and experience in conceptualizing and organizing regional SEE platforms and programs, political and experts programs for high-ranking politicians/officials/experts from Germany and EU member-state countries, as well as for representatives from the SEE region. During her career in FES Skopje, besides the position of Program Coordinator, she also held the positions of Finance and Accounting Manager for 6 years and Head of Office for two years.
Leadership and Education Program Manager
Galena Cunningham is the Senior Associate for International Relations and Summit Manager at Macedonia2025. She works to connect people and support the extension of Macedonia2025’s strategic vision. Galena has been a local project manager on international research projects in the field of education. She has worked on transition teams, helping to launch small businesses in Macedonia. Galena started her professional life in Macedonia in 2013 as an intern with the Macedonian Ministry of Education, and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Before returning to Macedonia, Galena studied Political Science at the University of Toronto. She rounded out her competencies by completing a degree in Business Administration and Finance at University American College Skopje.
Senior Associate for International Relations
Bojana Kiseloski born and raised in Kumanovo, Macedonia received her bachelor’s degree in business administration from Euro College Kumanovo (official partner of American Heritage University of Southern California). She has diversified experience between production, sales and telecommunications. Currently based in Kuwait, she is working in the logistics area.
Senior Associate for Business Programs
Misho Nikolov is the Chief Economist at Macedonia2025. He is responsible for economic analysis and forecasting, preparing white papers and presenting the findings, preparing strategic documents in line with the mission and vision of Macedonia2025, and participating in public debates on various economic topics. His research interests include monetary policy, the external sector, the labor market, and social and environmental policies. He has eight years of working experience with the Ministry of Finance of the Republic of Macedonia as an economist and head of the Macroeconomic modeling unit, and six years of working experience with the Central Bank as senior economist in the Research Department. Misho is an Internal Auditor as well, with three years of working experience in Micro Financial institution.
Since 2007, Misho is a part-time teacher with the Business School at American College Skopje, teaching Economics, Public Finances and European Union Economics.
Licenses: Internal Auditors license holder since 2024 issued by IIA (Institute of Internal Auditors).
Misho has published many journal articles in the field of economics and his publications can be seen on the following site: https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=acEXwmQAAAAJ&hl=en
Chief Economist
Jana Krstevskais the Economics Analyst with Macedonia 2025. Jana contributes to the international and domestic research studies and policy briefings. Jana has only recently gained a master’s degree in Policy Economics from the Erasmus University in Rotterdam, after gaining a bachelor’s degree in Economics and Business Economics from Utrecht University in the Netherlands. While in the Netherlands, she held the position of Chair of the event management club in the Utrecht School of Economics Study Association and was an active member of The Royal Society for Political Economy. Jana has several internships in her career. She has been an administrative assistant in Melon Solutions in Skopje and worked on the implementation of the Erasmus + Entrepreneurial Manual in the Entrepreneurship and Innovation Lab of the Mechanical Engineering Faculty in Skopje.
Economic Analyst
Biljana Orovchanec Nineska is a dedicated program coordinator, learning and development specialist, and teacher with over 15 years of experience in education and professional training. She has successfully led initiatives such as designing and implementing learning management platforms, organizing large-scale testing, facilitating professional development programs for educators, and delivering tailored learning and assessment programs for students.
Currently, she serves as the Senior Associate for the Atanas Bliznakoff Program for Student Excellence at Macedonia2025, where she oversees scholarships awarded to outstanding students at “Ss. Cyril and Methodius University” in Skopje. These scholarships support individuals with exceptional academic achievements particularly those facing financial challenges. Biljana holds a Master’s degree in English Linguistics and is a certified translator and interpreter. Her expertise includes strategic planning, effective communication, and cultivating collaborative educational environments.
Senior Аssociate Atanas Bliznakoff Programme for Student Excellence
Anisija holds a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from the Faculty of Law “Iustinianus Primus” at Ss. Cyril and Methodius University of Skopje. She is currently pursuing her Master’s degree in International Relations, European Integration, and Diplomacy. Anisija has participated in numerous prestigious schools and programs.
Anisija specializes in research, data analysis, strategic communication, and youth engagement in politics, civil society, and economic development. Her professional experience includes roles in both the civil society and private sectors. At Macedonia2025, she contributes to fostering academic excellence and professional growth through the Atanas Bliznakoff Program for Student Excellence.
She has significant experience in strategic communication for EU-funded projects, and has conducted extensive research on migration and diaspora issues. Anisija is dedicated to community engagement and has played a key role in various community activities, including public policy advocacy, event planning, fundraising, and mentorship.
Јunior Аssociate Atanas Bliznakoff Programme for Student Excellence
Jasmina Dimkovska is an Associate for Administrative and Financial Operations at Macedonia2025. She is responsible for material and financial bookkeeping and other administrative-financial matters. She studied at the Faculty of Economics at the University Ss. Cyril and Methodius Skopje, at the department of accounting and auditing. She has extensive experience working in multinational companies in the field of finance and administration. Jasmina began her career in 2006 in market and public opinion research companies, including Mediana Group in Macedonia conducting TGI research in the region. She continued her career in a French company in the oil industry, in the finance and procurement sector. The last two years, she worked in an international trading company in the finance department.
Associate for Financial and Administrative Operations
Marija Poposka Trenevska is the Multimedia Designer at Macedonia2025. She creates engaging presentations of images and information for various media including the web, social media and Macedonia2025 events. Marija holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science and Diplomacy and a Degree in UX/UI design from Brainster Academy. Marija also studied Theatre Film and Media Studies at the University of Vienna, Austria. Marija has lived in Sweden, Canada, Belgium, Austria and Portugal before returning to Macedonia, and is fluent in English, German and Macedonian.
Multimedia Designer
Gordana Klincharova, born in Skopje, is a seasoned financial expert with extensive experience in both public and private sectors. She holds degrees in Financial and Accounting Management and Monetary Economics from “Ss. Cyril and Methodius” University in Skopje. Currently, she is the State Secretary of the Ministry of Digital Transformation and also serves as a Financial Consultant for Macedonia2025, where she manages financial activities and reporting.
Her career includes roles as the Head of Finance Department at the Municipality of Aerodrom, Financial Manager at Mateo Dizajn, Secretary General of the City of Skopje, and Director at the Commodity Reserves Bureau. Fluent in English and Serbian, with proficiency in financial software, Gordana has also contributed to supervisory boards and published articles on finance. She is married.
Financial Consultant
Marija Adjiev is a third-year marketing student at the University American College Skopje and a volunteer at Macedonia2025. She started her professional career with Macedonia2025 as an intern in June 2021 and since then she has worked on many projects within the company and has joined our annual Summit two years in a row. She has been a part of many other non-profit organizations such as the American Corner Skopje and Girls up. Marija is an ambitious person who wants to accomplish even more and strive for success in her youth, very communicative and eager to collaborate and help her colleagues to achieve greater success together and maintain an effective and efficient work ethic within the company. On a professional level she is always ready in the field of managing serious projects and tasks. Moreover, as a former event volunteer she has excellent skills in leading, controlling and motivating her.
Volunteer
Matej Mincev is a student volunteer at Macedonia2025. He edits and proofreads a variety of written documents, such as monthly newsletters, interviews and articles. Matej joined Macedonia2025 in February 2021, after he was featured on the Youth Diaspora campaign. Matej is going into his final year of engineering studies, and is currently working as an intern at HTS Engineering in Toronto, Canada. Along with his native Macedonian and English, he also speaks French and Spanish. Throughout his time at university, he has been involved in several projects pertaining to the fields of electronics, fluid mechanics and programming. Outside of school and work, Matej likes to stay active by participating in different sports, including soccer and skiing. He enjoys travelling and experiencing new cultures, as well as watching major sports leagues such as the National Basketball Association (NBA). Matej is also a Level 1 Ski Instructor, having obtained his license in 2016 from the Canadian Ski Instructors’ Alliance (CSIA). Matej also seeks to give back to his home country of Macedonia in various ways. Since 2021, he has been involved in Project Happiness (Proekt Sreka), which is a fundraising campaign that builds and renovates homes for children in need.
Volunteer
Tea Pesheva lives in Toronto, Canada, and works for the Ontario Ministry of Environment, Conservation and Parks. She has a BSc in Sustainable Development from the University of St Andrews, Scotland and an MSc in Sustainability Management from University of Toronto. She has worked with the Ontario government for over 4 years, in various environmental departments as well as for accessibility. Her primary focuses are on stakeholder relations, communications, and program implementation and enhancement. Before moving abroad, she lived in Skopje, Macedonia, where her family still resides. She is always interested in learning and finding ways to bring back the knowledge and experience she has gained through her professional career to enhance Macedonia’s awareness of environmental management options.
Volunteer