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.

Prime Minister Dimitar Kovachevski, born in 1974 in Kumanovo, is Doctor of Economics, Associate Professor at the School of Business Economics and Management at the University American College Skopje. He is lecturer at the undergraduate, postgraduate and doctoral studies and author of numerous scientific papers in the field of economics and management published in international scientific journals and conferences.

He started his working career in Makedonski Telekom AD Skopje as finance associate and later finance controlling regulation and harmonization coordinator (1998-2005), and then promoted to a number of managerial positions, director of marketing and sales management (2005-2008), director of marketing communications (2008-2010), director of communications (2010-2016) and director of residential sales (2016-2017). He was part of the international brand committee and the international communications committee of Deutsche Telekom (2008-2016). Then he became Executive Director of one.Vip Macedonia (A1 Macedonia) part of Telekom Austria Group (2017-2018). He was part of the establishment of a start-up high-tech company for production and development of elements for production of electricity from renewable sources (2018-2020). During his professional career he worked on a number of corporate projects for business processes reengineering and integration, to increase the efficiency and profitability of companies. He was part of the project management teams for implementation of SAP integrated material and finance management system and CRM integrated customer management system.

He started his high school education at the Goce Delchev High School in Kumanovo, and finished it at Waterville Elysian Morristown High School, Waterville, MN, USA. In 1998 he graduated from Ss. Cyril and Methodius University, Skopje, Faculty of Economics, and received his master’s degree in 2003 from the same Faculty. He completed his doctoral studies in economics at the Faculty of Economics at the University of Montenegro in 2008, where he obtained a doctorate in economics.

He completed executive education at Harvard University, Harvard Business School, USA Executive Education Program in 2011, the European Entrepreneurship Colloquium at the Technical University of Munich where he became EFER EEC alumni in 2015, Rotterdam School of Management, Erasmus University, Rotterdam, the Netherlands in 2016 and EADA Business School, Barcelona, Spain in 2017.

He started his academic career as an Adjunct Assistant Professor at the New York University in Skopje (2009-2012), and continued as an Assistant Professor at the School of Business Economics and Management at the University American College Skopje (2012-2018). In 2018 he was elected Associate Professor at the School of Business Economics and Management at the University American College Skopje

He worked on a series of international and domestic projects including the World Bank Local and Regional Competitiveness Project, Sub-Project: Capacity and innovation of tourism services for sustainable local economic growth in North Macedonia, Finance Think, Economic Research and Policy Institute Skopje (2019) , Internationalization at Home through Online Micro Masters and Virtual Mobility, Vytautas Magnus University Lithuania, Istanbul University Turkey, DOBA Business School Slovenia, ICS Skopje, (2019-2022), The project for increasing the competitiveness of small and medium enterprises in the Republic of North Macedonia (2019) and the e-PROFMAN Project, Online Professional Development Program for Innovative Management, Leadership and Strategic Communications – DOBA Business School Slovenia, Istanbul University Turkey, ICS Skopje (2016-2017).

In 2020 he was part of the Economic Council of the Government of the Republic of North Macedonia to deal with economic consequences caused by the COVID-19 virus pandemic.

Adrian Shehu is the CEO of TCN (www.tcn.al), which is an advanced technology system integrator and infrastructure company headquartered in Albania and operating internationally in Western Balkans and other countries.

The entrepreneurial and managerial experience extends in about three decades. Adrian was the CEO of Albtelecom, the incumbent telecom operator in Albania and the CEO of AMC, the first GSM mobile operator in Albania. Both companies are now merged together into ONE Telecom.

Actually, he runs the TCN business in the ICT, defense and security, air and maritime traffic management, operating in a multicounty and multicultural environments. In this context he manages also the relationships with various stakeholders, including government agencies, international corporations and other business related parties.

Adrian has established local companies in Kosovo, North Macedonia and Montenegro, pursuing the same business lines.

He participates actively in several international leadership, business and technology forums and events

Adrian was AmCham (https://amcham.com.al/) Board Member for three consecutive terms, and actually is the Head of the Investment and Trade Committee.

Adrian has professional background in IT and Telecommunications engineering. He graduated as Electronic Engineer at the Polytechnic University of Tirana and holds a PHD from the Polytechnic University of Milan. Adrian has a parallel academic career. He is an Associated Professor of PUT.

KETEVAN (KETI) BOCHORISHVILI

Former Vice-Minister of Ministry of Economy and Sustainable Development of Georgia

Counting 24 years of management experience including 7 years of her dedication to Georgia’s public sector as a senior executive, Ketevan has successfully served as vice minister of the Ministry of Economy and Sustainable Development of Georgia, under four consecutive leaderships of two democratically elected governments. Her area of work included Economic Policy, FDI Attraction, SME Sector Development, Export Promotion and Development, Tourism Development, R&D, and National and International Promotion Campaigns. Kevin has an impressive record of cooperation with all leading International Financial Institutions and International Organizations through the development and implementation of multimillion-dollar economic development programs. Bochorishvili is recognized as a leading business environment reformer, a fighter against corruption, and an innovator in terms of the provision of government services. Bochorishvili has contributed to several successful reforms and state projects targeting private sector development, simplifying bureaucracy, and economic diversification. Her achievements were awarded the Forbes Woman title in 2017. She has been also chosen as a Young Global Leader by the World Economic Forum in 2019.

Ms. Bochorishvili then became one of the first woman executives to take responsibility for managing a city-scale special economic zone, next to the deep-sea port, encompassing such economic clusters as logistics, light manufacturing, tourism, hospitality, financial and business, and other services. Currently, Ms. Bochorishvili is the Managing Partner of “Business Georgia” and advises large International and local companies in Georgia in diverse sectors, including renewable energy, Tourism & Real Estate Development, Education, Transport & Logistics, Film Production, and Media. She also works for Tony Blaire Institute as an advisor.

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Ms. Bochorishvili holds an MA degree in International Public Management from SDA Bocconi School of Management (Milan, Italy) and BA/MA degree in International Conflict Resolution from Georgian Technical University. She has accumulated several intercultural experiences and developed entrepreneurial skills through participating in executive programs at Stanford University (USA), Georgetown University (USA), the Iacocca Institute (USA), and Charles University (Czech Republic). She has recently completed Global Leadership and Public Policy Executive Education at Harvard Kennedy School (USA) and Leadership Module at Cambridge Judge School (UK).

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.

Kam Buckner is the Assistant Majority Leader of the Illinois House of Representatives from the 26th district. The district, located entirely in the city of Chicago, includes Bronzeville, Downtown, Gold Coast, Hyde Park, River North, South Shore, and Woodlawn. Buckner is the past Chair of the Illinois House Legislative Black Caucus and Co-Democratic Whip. Buckner was raised on the Southside of Chicago. He graduated from Morgan Park High School and from the University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign where he played for the Illinois Fighting Illini football team and earned a B.A. in Political Science. Buckner holds a law degree from the DePaul University College of Law.Buckner formerly worked for United States Senator Dick Durbin, Mayor Mitch Landrieu of New Orleans and in the front office of the Chicago Cubs. He served as Executive Director of World Sport Chicago; a nonprofit that grew from the Chicago bid for the 2016 Summer Olympics. He has passed monumental legislation on Education, Criminal Justice and the Environment. He was a member of the Board of Trustees of Chicago State University from 2016-2019. He was named to the 2021 class of Crain’s Chicago Business 40 under 40.He is active with the Economic Club of Chicago and the Chicago Council on Global Affairs.He has been published in the Chicago Tribune, Chicago Defender, Politico, the Hill and Crain’s Chicago Business and has taught Public Policy at the University of Chicago.

Michael Cklamovski serves as Managing Director and Market Leader with CIBC Bank USA in San Francisco. Cklamovski works closely with business principals, leading a team built to provide tailored banking solutions to strategic clients. He is attuned to client’s personal and professional interests and helps business owners, entrepreneurs, senior executives, and multigenerational families navigate significant crossroads in their financial lives, providing them with the resources and counsel required to make sound decisions. Prior to joining CIBC, Michael held roles of increasing responsibility at Bank of America in Chicago. Before his career in finance, Cklamovski was a litigation attorney focused on tax and real estate issues appearing in both state and federal court. Michael earned a B.A. with dual majors in Political Science and Communication from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign as well as a Juris Doctor with Honors from the Northern Illinois University College of Law. Cklamovski served as Vice-Chair of the Macedonia2025 Board of Directors since 2019.

Saša Bilić is the CEO of APIS IT, the leading Croatian public ICT service provider which

delivers tailor-made IT solutions for public administration bodies, supports digital

transformation of the public sector and operates two national TIER3 data centers in Croatia.

With a background in STEM and MBA skills, Saša

Bilić

has held various managing positions

in several multinational companies, focusing on ICT and telecommunications. Over the last 20

years, as a team manager he has led projects that ranged from cloud services development and

commercialization to digitalization of business processes and creating virtual platforms. Before

taking over as CEO of APIS IT in 2017, Saša

Bilić

has worked both with public and private

sector as a corporate sales director at a major telecom company, responsible for development

of sales and marking strategy and creating vertical industrial solutions.

Saša

Bilić

is an active member of Croatian ICT community and Vice-President of European

Association of Public IT Service Providers (EURITAS).

Gerhard Laga is responsible for the E-Center of the Federal Austrian Economic Chamber (WKÖ) and has been involved in information technology for more than 35 years. His main job is to help classic SME from analog branches to use the digital world and create services for their benefit. An example is the www.eday.at or the digitalization initiative KMU.DIGITAL. For the past 17 years, the law graduate has headed the AustriaPro e-billing working group, which developed the Austrian XML standard ebInterface. He represents Austria in relevant EU bodies, is a lecturer at universities of applied sciences and the University of Vienna and the author of numerous specialist books.

Vladmir Đorđević is the General Manager of Visa company for Southeast Europe. Vladimir is in charge of six markets – Serbia, Montenegro, Bosnia and Herzegovina, North Macedonia, Albania and Kosovo.

Vladimir joined Visa in 2004 and during this time Đorđević initiated and implemented numerous successful projects: opening new electronic payment channels: government, taxes, utilities; launch of the first Visa Platinum program for Southeast Europe; the introduction of Visa payWave technology and etc. Đorđević was also involved in the launch of the first VCAS service in North Macedonia, i.e. the CEMEA region. Vladimir has more than 20 years of overall experience in financial industry.

Beatriz Orrantia

ESG/Sustainability expert, certified director

Beatriz Orrantia is an ESG/Sustainability expert focusing on decarbonization and Just Transition. She sits on the Boards of Fission Uranium Corporation (TSX, FSE) and Star Royalties Ltd. (TSXV). Previously, she was VP Special Projects at Barrick Gold, one of the largest gold producers in the world. Prior to Barrick, Ms. Orrantia was an M&A, securities and mining lawyer at leading law firms in Canada. She holds a law degree (Civil Law, full scholarship for academic excellence) from Universidad del Rosario in Colombia, and a law degree (Common Law) from Osgoode Hall Law School (York University) in Canada. She is pursuing her Master’s degree in Sustainability at Harvard University and holds a certificate in Sustainability and Innovation also from Harvard University. Ms. Orrantia is a corporate director certified by the National Association of Corporate Directors, the leading certification body in the United States.

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.

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.

Branko Stanchev is a Chief Commercial Officer of Makedonski Telekom, being responsible for marketing, product development, digitalization, sales and servicing, and ICT, both for the B2C and B2B market. Prior taking over this position, he was also in charge for other areas in the company, including corporate functions like legal and regulatory. His experience prior joining Makedonski Telekom includes R&D area for mobile communications, banking industry, ICT industry, as well was working for the regulatory authority responsible for telecommunications. Branko finished university education on the Faculty for Electrical Engineering in Skopje, and holds MSc degree in Telecommunications and MBA degree.