Irene Vantaraki is an international affairs adviser and business relations strategist with more than two decades of experience working with governments, corporations and international organisations across Europe, the United States and the Middle East. She is Executive Investment Director at MWR Holdings AG in Zurich and Founder and Managing Director of Avadar Transatlantic, a government affairs consultancy and business advisory firm with offices in Athens and New York. Her work spans government affairs, reputation management, investor relations, regional cooperation and investment development.

Ms Vantaraki is the founder and driving force behind Greek House Davos, an independent platform established alongside the World Economic Forum in Davos with the aim of strengthening Greece’s international presence in investment, business and dialogue. The initiative has grown into one of the most recognised side-event hubs of WEF week, bringing Greek political and business leaders into direct contact with heads of state, ministers, investors and global corporate leadership. Building on this success, she created Monaco Day in Davos and the Davos Lodge, an exclusive international networking platform which she is now expanding to Zurich through the Global Economic Roundtable.

Earlier in her career, Ms Vantaraki served as Special Adviser to the Vice President of Motor Oil, the leading petroleum company in South-East Europe and the Mediterranean, and as Executive Public Affairs Director of the Greek Orthodox Metropolis of Mexico, with jurisdiction over Central America, the Caribbean, Colombia and Venezuela, working in close cooperation with the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople. She has also served as Senior Adviser to the Delphi Economic Forum, the premier policy forum in South-East Europe, and to the Research Institute for European and American Studies (RIEAS), a leading Greek institute dedicated to transatlantic partnership.

Ms Vantaraki began her professional life as a journalist in print and digital media. She is also active in the arts and civil society: she founded Vandiri Art NYC, a New York-based art advisory company that has partnered with Louis Vuitton NYC and Marlborough Gallery, served as Head of International Relations and Member of the Executive Committee of the Art Thessaloniki International Contemporary Art Fair, and sat on the Board of the Fabien Cousteau Ocean Learning Center, a global NGO championing ocean conservation.

Born in Melbourne, Australia, of Cretan descent, Ms Vantaraki has lived and worked in Australia, the United States, the United Kingdom and Switzerland. She currently divides her time between Athens and Zurich.

DRAGAN PETROVIĆ
Belgrade, Serbia
draganconsulting54@gmail.com | +381 65 43 14 842

Graduate economist with extensive experience in foreign trade, import-export operations, and international trade documentation, gained through work in both Serbia and Australia. He holds specialist expertise in international trade contracts, customs regulations, letters of credit, and documentary collection, along with substantial experience liaising with banks, freight forwarders, shipping agents, and inspection authorities.

He began his career in 1986 at Tehnoservis in Belgrade, where as vehicle branch manager he organized the sale of DAF trucks and SETRA buses and oversaw the export of DAF spare parts to the Netherlands. From 1989 to 1998, he worked at Generalexport as a DAF vehicle sales representative, negotiating and concluding truck sales contracts, organizing trade fair presentations, and drafting leasing agreements as the company’s representative for Yugoslavia.

During 1998 and 1999, he served as export coordinator at Sagosa, responsible for preparing and coordinating consecutive shipments of forged parts to the German market and sourcing forging steel in line with delivery schedules. From 2002 to 2003, he worked at St.George in Belgrade as an import-export officer, handling customs clearance procedures and monitoring import-export regulations.

Following his relocation to Australia, from 2004 to 2009 he gained significant experience in export documentation and banking. He worked as an export documentation officer at Abb Grain LTD and Michell Pty LTD in Adelaide, preparing export documentation in accordance with letter of credit and contractual requirements and coordinating with banks, freight forwarders, and export inspection services. He completed his career in Australia as a loan approval officer at Westpac Banking Corporation, where he assessed and approved consumer loans of up to A$500,000.

He graduated from the Faculty of Economics at the University of Belgrade, majoring in Foreign Trade, and in 1991 earned a specialist qualification in international trade contracts from the Faculty of Law at the same university. He further trained at the Australian Institute of Export in Adelaide, where he qualified as an export trade officer.

He speaks English at an advanced level, German at an advanced level of speaking and reading, and French at an intermediate level. In his free time, he enjoys skiing, swimming, and tennis.

Ambassador Ioseb Nanobashvili is a Georgian career diplomat with more than two decades of experience in European integration, multilateral diplomacy and international economic relations. Since 2020 he has served as Director of the Regional Branch of the European Public Law Organization (EPLO) for Georgia and Armenia, where he leads programmes in governance, policy advisory, executive training and academic cooperation.

From 2015 to 2020, Ambassador Nanobashvili served as Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Georgia to Greece and to Serbia. His ambassadorial service crowned a long career in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Georgia, where he held a series of senior posts, including Director of the Department for International Economic Relations (2014–2015), Head of the Council of Europe Division (2013–2014) and Deputy Director of the Department for European Integration (2006–2007).

His multilateral and bilateral postings abroad include service as Deputy Head of Mission and Senior Counsellor at the Permanent Mission of Georgia to the OSCE in Vienna (2009–2013), Chargé d’Affaires and Chief of Mission in Bucharest, Romania, and Chișinău, Moldova (2007–2008), and Counsellor at the Mission of Georgia to the European Union in Brussels (2002–2006). He began his diplomatic career in the European Integration Department of the Georgian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, where he held various positions between 1998 and 2002.

Ambassador Nanobashvili’s core areas of expertise cover European integration and EU affairs, international law and multilateral diplomacy, democracy, human rights and security, economic diplomacy, trade and international negotiations, and regional and geopolitical analysis.

Alongside his diplomatic career, he maintains an active academic engagement: he has been a Research Scholar at the University of Manitoba in Canada, Lecturer at the University of Piraeus in Greece, Honorary Faculty member at Webster University, Associate Professor at Caucasus University in Tbilisi and Lecturer at the European Law and Governance School (ELGS) in Rome.

Ambassador Nanobashvili holds a PhD in Political Science and a Master’s degree in Diplomacy. He is fluent in English and Russian, in addition to his native Georgian.

Darko Milunović is an economist, statistician and public-sector manager with more than fifteen years of experience in economic policy, statistics, energy and institutional development.

Since 2021 he has served as Director of the Republika Srpska Institute of Statistics, where he leads the modernisation of the statistical system and international cooperation with leading organisations of the United Nations and the European Union.

Over the course of his career he served as Executive Director at Elektroprivreda Republike Srpske (2018–2021) and as adviser to the Prime Minister of Republika Srpska, and held a number of managerial and advisory positions across the public and private sectors. He also delivered notable results in the real economy through his leadership of ECO GROUP, as well as through consulting and research projects carried out via Metrics Consulting. In parallel, for over a decade he was engaged in academia as a lecturer and researcher in statistics and econometrics.

He is particularly committed to questions of demographic development, labour markets, sustainable development and economic reform, and has taken part in numerous projects delivered in cooperation with international organisations and development partners.

Beyond his professional work, he is actively involved in the social and sporting life of the region. He serves as a member of the Management Board of SD Crvena zvezda (Red Star Sports Society), one of the most prominent sporting institutions in South-East Europe. In 2016 he was Secretary General of the Oil Committee of Bosnia and Herzegovina, contributing to cooperation between the energy sector of Bosnia and Herzegovina and international institutions and organisations.

Milunović holds a master’s degree in statistics from the University of Belgrade and a bachelor’s degree from the University of Banja Luka.

Goran Lazić, born May 1, 1984, in Belgrade, married, father of four children.

Scholarship holder at the Railway Technical School in Belgrade. Employed with the Ministry of Interior (MUP) at the Vračar Police Station in police duties from 2004 to 2011. He subsequently served in the Protection Unit, and later in the Unit for the Protection of Designated Individuals and Facilities.

In the meantime, he graduated from the Faculty of Security Studies at the University of Belgrade, majoring in Security, earning the title of graduated security manager.

From 2013, he worked as an inspector in the Sector for Emergency Management, and later as deputy head of department at the National 112 Center. During this period, he was actively engaged in trade union work within the Independent Police Union, first at the MUP Coordination Center of the union, and later as President of the Supervisory Board of the Independent Police Union. He was subsequently elected, at the assembly held in 2021, as a member of the Presidency of the Independent Police Union. He actively participates in union work, negotiations with the employer, and discussions with other competent authorities regarding the improvement of police officers’ status and the resolution of ongoing employee issues.

At the union’s extraordinary assembly in 2024, he was elected head of the Independent Police Union, the largest representative union within the MUP and in the Republic of Serbia individually. He is engaged in resolving current employee issues, negotiations concerning the adoption of certain Government Decrees, and matters related to compensation for police officers working in the field. Of particular importance is his participation in collective bargaining for the adoption of the Special Collective Agreement for all police officers, as well as the new Law on Police. Through his union work and mutual contacts, he has established international cooperation with police unions in the region and with CESP.

BORIS KRIŽAN

Belgrade, Serbia
krizan.boris@gmail.com | +381 69 1818 808 | LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/boris-krizan

BUSINESS & INTERNATIONAL OPERATIONS PROFESIONAL

International business professional with nearly two decades of experience within multinational technology corporations, specializing in regional distribution management, channel development, strategic operations, and cross-border market execution across Southeast Europe.
Professional background includes multi-country commercial and operational responsibilities within global corporate environments, with extensive exposure to international partner ecosystems, regional business coordination, strategic planning, and market development initiatives.
Combines corporate leadership experience with entrepreneurial and operational background across technology, international trade, logistics, and business development sectors. Currently focused on further development of international eCommerce initiatives, digital business
models, AI-driven tools, marketing automation, and cross-border market expansion, including plans related to establishing business operations in additional international jurisdictions.

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE

Connected d.o.o.
International Transport & Logistics Operations | 2024 – Present
Managing international transport and logistics operations focused on cross-border coordination, operational execution, and European market connectivity.

HP Inc.
Distribution Business Manager – Serbia & Montenegro | 2017 – 2024
Led distribution business operations for PC and Printing segments across Serbia and Montenegro, including channel strategy, partner development, commercial execution, forecasting, and regional coordination.

Distribution Business Manager – CDG Multi-Country Cluster | 2015 – 2017
Managed regional distribution and channel operations across multiple markets, supporting strategic initiatives, business development, and partner coordination.

Extended Sales Force | 2007 – 2015
Managed HP presence within the Serbian retail and partner ecosystem, supporting channel sales execution and partner enablement.

NBA d.o.o., Belgrade
Co-Founder & Owner | 1996 – 2007
Co-founded and managed a private business venture focused on sales operations, partner relations, and business development.

EDUCATION

Faculty of Business Belgrade Graduate Economist – Manager for Accounting and Auditing

LANGUAGES

Serbian – Native
English – Fluent

AREAS OF INTEREST

International Relations & Geopolitics | Regional Political & Economic Developments | Public Policy & Institutional Development |Strategic Positioning of Southeast Europe | Regional Economic Cooperation | International Business Development | European Market Integration| eCommerce & Digital Business Models | AI & Emerging Technologies | Entrepreneurship & CrossBorder Operations

Željko Šajn was born on 25 September 1959 in Kovačica, Serbia. He holds a Master’s degree in Law, having written his thesis on “Mihajlo Pupin and Diplomacy,” dedicated to the role of the great Serbian scientist and diplomat in international relations.

He began his journalistic career on 10 January 1980 as a correspondent for the Novi Sad daily “Dnevnik.” Over more than four and a half decades of journalistic work, he has reported from numerous European and world centres, including Vienna, Moscow, Bratislava, Prague, Rome, Rio de Janeiro and other cities, working for TV Priština, TV Novi Sad, TV Zagreb, TV Skopje, the Sarajevo daily “Oslobođenje,” “Večernje novine,” and the Macedonian newspapers “Nova Makedonija” and “Večer.” He received the Annual Journalism Award of “Večernje novine” for 1989.
As a war and international correspondent, he was a direct witness to the breakup of the SFR Yugoslavia and to the dramatic events in Romania in 1989, including the execution of Nicolae and Elena Ceaușescu, during which he himself was wounded while reporting.

For the past ten years he has served as a special correspondent for “Politika,” the oldest daily newspaper in the Balkans, and his articles also appear on the “Kosovo Online” portal.
Over the course of his rich professional career, he has conducted conversations and interviews with numerous statesmen, religious leaders, and prominent figures of world politics and public life. Among them are the President of the Russian Federation, Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin; Pope Francis, for whom he conducted the first interview ever given to a Balkan media outlet; the Secretary of State of the Holy See, Cardinal Pietro Parolin; the renowned Nazi-hunter Simon Wiesenthal; the President of the Republic of Tatarstan, Rustam Minnikhanov; the world chess champion Anatoly Karpov; the Deputy Chairman of the State Duma of the Russian Federation, Pyotr Tolstoy; the former NATO Secretary General, Jens Stoltenberg; the former President of Slovenia, Borut Pahor; as well as members of the former SFRY Presidency, Borisav Jović, Stipe Mesić, and Vasil Tupurkovski.

In contemporary Macedonian politics, he has interviewed Prime Ministers Nikola Gruevski, Zoran Zaev, and Hristijan Mickoski, following the political processes and development of the Republic of North Macedonia.

As an international correspondent, he has covered the most important global gatherings and events, including the BRICS summits in Kazan and Rio de Janeiro, where he reported on the proceedings involving around 50 heads of state and government. He has reported from President Vladimir Putin’s annual press conferences in Moscow, as well as from Victory Day commemorations in Moscow and Beijing.

He is currently accredited in the United States with the State Department, the White House, and the United Nations, as well as in the Russian Federation with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation (MID RF), which allows him direct access to the work of the world’s leading diplomatic centres and international institutions.
In addition to Serbian, he is fluent in Macedonian, Slovak, Russian, and English.

Milica Jovanović is a senior expert in public-sector capacity building, business-process optimization, and the design of strategic and planning documents, with more than 25 years of professional experience across the public and private sectors. She combines exceptional analytical, organizational, and leadership skills with a strong command of regulatory alignment, harmonizing operations with both national legislation and European Union regulations. Her work is largely focused on public administration reform, the design and implementation of regulatory frameworks, and the digital transformation of state institutions.

Her professional experience includes leading complex projects under the patronage of leading international donors and institutions, including the EU, the European Commission, the World Bank, UNDP, and the EBRD. On numerous projects of strategic public importance, she has served as team leader for the development of planning documents, action plans, and change management. Her contribution to public-sector reform has been recognized internationally through professional engagements on projects in Sierra Leone and Angola.

Within the public sector, Milica currently provides key support to working groups in large public systems undergoing business optimization and the establishment of internal controls. Her expertise in public sector strengthening has been successfully applied across a range of significant and complex systems, including the delivery of comprehensive functional analyses and the preparation of complex technical and technological processes for digitalization at the level of state and public administration.

Since 2018, she has served as Executive Director for Europe and Africa at ICS LLC USA.

Alongside her management career, Milica is actively dedicated to academic and educational work. Since 2010, she has also worked as a lecturer at several educational institutions in Serbia and abroad, teaching strategic, crisis, and operational management, as well as skills development. She is the author of a specialized program and workshops for the development of transversal skills – personal, interpersonal, and analytical – in line with European Commission recommendations, and the author of six professional books in the field of professional and personal development.
She graduated from the Faculty of Economics at the University of Belgrade and has continuously pursued professional development across Europe through renowned specializations in communication studies, diagnostics, analytics, and economic psychology.

Vladimir B. Perić was born in Šabac in 1976. He earned his doctorate in 2013 with a thesis entitled “The Autobiographical, Social and Poetic Marginalisation of Dragan Aleksić’s Dadaism” at the Faculty of Philology and Arts in Kragujevac. In 2020 he was awarded the academic title of Research Associate. He served on the expert team that drafted the Cultural Development Plan for the City of Kragujevac 2021–2025. He sits on the management board of Seura, the Serbian-Finnish Society, has been an associate of the Department of Literature and Language of Matica srpska since 2024, and is a member of the Artistic Council of the “Kragujevac October” Memorial Park. He is the publishing editor at the “Koraci” Cultural Institution and for several years chaired the commission of its public competition for the publication of monographs.

He has been a member of Mensa Serbia since 1998. From 2000 to 2001 he worked as a journalist at the TV production company UrbaNS, then headed by Marina Fratucan. He is the author and facilitator of the accredited seminar “Business Communication in Educational Institutions” and organised the literary-academic round table “The Poetics of the Grand School Lesson.” His research interests include literary anthropology, Finnish literature and the literature of Dadaism. He has published more than 70 academic papers and over 100 works of literary criticism, and was for many years a member of the jury for the Meša Selimović Award. From 2013 to 2026 he edited the journal “Koraci,” which holds the M53 academic ranking, serving as its editor-in-chief from 2022 to 2026. He has been an adviser and external associate of the Kragujevac School Administration since 2018.

He is co-author of the bilingual handbook CLIL: Ambience and Project-Based Learning in Teaching Serbian/English Language and Literature (2020). He has published a collection of poems, Ellipses (2015), a book of literary criticism, Exegeses I (2018), and a book of lyrical prose, Études op. 4 (2021). He leads the Erasmus+ team at the “Dr Miloje Milojević” Music School in Kragujevac and is currently working on international projects supporting gifted pupils (IOP 3). He is keen to contribute his expertise to the boards and bodies of East West Bridge that deal specifically with education. He is fluent in English and also uses Finnish and German. He is married and the father of two daughters. He lives and works in Kragujevac.

CEO
EuroTeleSites d.o.o.
Serbia & Slovenia (2023 to present)

• Responsible for overall business operations, growth strategy, and financial performance across the Serbian and Slovenian markets
• Full P&L responsibility for EuroTeleSites operations in Serbia and Slovenia.Managing a portfolio of 2,660 telecommunications tower sites across both markets.
• Leading strategic expansion and execution of new tower and infrastructure build programs.Responsible for acquisition, development, and commercialization of telecommunications infrastructure assets.

Operations Director
Business Integrator d.o.o (2021 to 2023)

• Leadership – Providing strategic direction and leadership to the company by working with the board and other executives to establish long-term goals, strategies and plans
• Monitoring day-to-day operations to ensure efficiency, quality, and compliance with regulations.
• Market analysis and development of the business line
• Acquisition of the clients mainly in public sector
• Active participation in all relevant business organizations in Serbia SAM-a, NALED-a, AMCHAM-a, GIZ-a , BASS, AHK-a SRB.

Institutional Affairs Manager
Vip mobile-d.o.o. Telekom Austria Group (Apr 2018-Jun 2021)

• Identification of potential targets for acquisition in telco industry.
• Building and nurturing positive relationships with key stakeholders, encompassing investors, clients, government agencies, industry associations, and the community.
• Maintaining of active relationship with relevant government institutions Ministry of telecommunication, RATEL, local municipalities
• Responsible for rebranding project for A1
• Lobbing for Serbia-Slovenia cluster
• Member of SAM-a, NALED, AMCHAM, GIZ

Business Sales Team Manager
Vip mobile-d.o.o. Telekom Austria Group (2016-2018)

• Identification of potential targets for acquisition in telco industry.
• Maintaining of active relationship with relevant government

Strategic Corporate Account Manager
Vip mobile d.o.o. Telekom Austria Group (Mar 2013-Apr 2016)

• Regional team leader for acquisition of strategic clients in large corporate and public sector for the Serbian market.

Business Executive
Toza Markovic, ITH Group (2011 to 2012)

• Liaised between the sales teams in the HQ in Belgrade and the production plant, Kikinda
• Coached and trained the sales team members in negotiation skills, international market entry strategy & policies
• Assisted the Operations Director in the formation of response system between the production and sales departments
• Acted as the main negotiator with Kikinda authorities regarding the city’s railway system development plan

Assistant Project Manager
Ministry of Labor and Social Policy (2009 to 2011)

• Acted as assistant project manager in software implementation in social institutions project financed by World Bank
• Directly liaised with the World Bank representative in Serbia
• Represented the Ministry in the negotiation and project preparation with the World Bank
• Responsible for the communication with the other project participant parties

Sales agent
Grawe a.d. 2007 to 2008

• Responsible for executing sales of Grawe insurance products to physical persons
• Worked as part of sales team, ensured good communication and cooperation with customers

Key account manager
Prointer d.o.o. (2005 to 2007)

• Responsible for market development for sales of SAP accounting systems
• Was in charge of negotiations with potential clients and followed up of SAP implementation
• Agreed deals with RTS & Evropa Lek

Associate Lecturer on Modern World History
San Pablo-CEU University

Ricardo Ruiz de la Serna is a Spanish lecturer on Modern World History (20th Century) in the international degrees at San Pablo-CEU University (Madrid, Spain) and the programs at the Center for Studies, Training and Social Analysis CEU-CEFAS (Madrid, Spain).. He has been a visiting teacher/ researcher at the University of Warsaw, the Jagellonian University, the Otto-Friedrich Universität (Bamberg, Germany), the Ludwig-Maximilian Universität (Munich, Germany), the Katholische Universität Eichstadt-Ingolstadt (Eichstätt, Germany), the University of Augsburg (Germany) among others. He uses to contribute on a regular basis in the Spanish media on Serbian and Balkanic European history and culture. He has been decorated by the Republic of Serbia.

Ambassador Igor Popov is a career diplomat with nearly three decades of service in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of North Macedonia, having held senior posts across bilateral diplomacy, economic affairs, state protocol and multilateral cooperation. Throughout his career he has represented his country at the highest level, serving as Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary in Europe and the Americas and as Permanent Representative to a major multilateral organisation.

He graduated in law from the Faculty of Law of the University of Sts. Cyril and Methodius in Skopje and built his diplomatic formation through some of the most respected training institutions in the field, including the Diplomatic Academy in Malta, where he earned a Master in Diplomacy, as well as specialised programmes with the U.S. State Department in Washington D.C., TIKA and the Middle East Technical University in Ankara, and the Young EU Leaders programme in Brussels and Strasbourg. A graduate of Sir Thomas Campion College in Athens, he brings to his work a broad European and international cultural outlook.

Ambassador Popov entered the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in 1995 and advanced through a succession of responsibilities in legal affairs, state protocol and relations with non-European countries, before taking up his first posting in Washington D.C. as Consul and subsequently as First Secretary for Economic Affairs. On returning to headquarters, he led the Minister’s public relations and cabinet, served as Director and Chief of State Protocol, and rose to Director General for European and Non-European Countries, also acting as Special Envoy to the Middle East.

His ambassadorial career has spanned three continents. He served as Consul General in Istanbul, as Ambassador to the Republic of Slovenia in Ljubljana, and as Ambassador to the Kingdom of the Netherlands in The Hague, where he was concurrently Permanent Representative to the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW). He later served as Ambassador at Large and Special Advisor to the Minister, and as Director General for Economic, Cultural and Public Diplomacy. Most recently he has represented his country as Ambassador to the Federative Republic of Brazil and, subsequently, to the Republic of Argentina and the Oriental Republic of Uruguay.

Before entering the diplomatic service, Ambassador Popov gained extensive experience in international trade and consulting in the Netherlands, where he managed an Amsterdam-based consultancy and served as consultant and legal advisor to the Philips Corporation in Eindhoven. This early grounding in international business has informed a career marked by a strong focus on economic diplomacy and multilateral economic cooperation.

He speaks English, Greek, Serbian, Croatian, Slovenian and Bulgarian fluently, with a working knowledge of Turkish and Italian. A Wine Knight of the European Wine Knights, Order of St. George (Golden Cross, Eisenstadt, Austria) and Grand Commander of the Anhanguera Order of Merit of Brazil, he counts among his interests literature, the arts and painting, industrial design, music, tennis, swimming, wine and travel. He is married and the father of two children.

Prof. Krsto Lipovac, Ph.D. is a full professor at the University of Belgrade – Faculty of Transport and Traffic engineering and one of the leading experts in the field of Road safety in Serbia and the region.

For more than four decades, he has been actively involved in education, scientific research and the development of the road safety system. He was the main coordinator of the preparation of the new Law on Road Traffic Safety in the Republic of Serbia, assistant director of the Higher School of Internal Affairs, director of the Agency for Road Traffic Safety, as well as head of the Department for Science, Police Education and Professional Development at the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Republic of Serbia.

At the Faculty of Transport and Traffic engineering, he heads the Department of Road Safety and the Road Safety Module. He has participated in the implementation of numerous scientific and professional projects, strategies and studies. He is the author and co-author of several university textbooks, scientific papers and publications in the field of road safety, risk management and road safety education. As a road safety expert, he has implemented a large number of projects in 15 countries, as well as a large number of studies and projects in Serbia and the region. His professional work is focused on improving road safety, developing capacity for road safety management, and providing professional training for engineers, police officers, public prosecutors, educators, teachers, staff in local government units, driving schools, etc. In recent years, he has paid special attention to strengthening the capacity and integrity of institutions and individuals and strengthening international cooperation in the field of safety and sustainable mobility. He is the founder and president of the international conference “Road Safety in the Local Community”, as well as the non-governmental organization of the same name. He is a full member of the Engineering Academy of Serbia.

Dr. Stefan Surlić is a professor at the Faculty of Political Science, University of Belgrade, where he teaches courses in comparative politics, authoritarian regimes, state-building, and the democratization of post-communist societies. He earned his PhD at the same faculty, defending a dissertation on institutional mechanisms for the integration of ethnic communities in post-conflict societies in the Balkans.

His academic and research work is particularly focused on post-conflict and ethnically divided societies, institutional development, democratization, and regional cooperation in the Balkans. He is the Head of the Center for Interdisciplinary Balkan Studies and the Executive Director of the RESECO Initiative, which promotes dialogue and cooperation among countries in the region.

Throughout his academic career, he has achieved notable results through the publication of numerous scientific papers, participation in international initiatives, research projects, and academic networks. He has been involved in several international projects, including Horizon, COST, and Jean Monnet programs, as well as other forms of scientific and professional cooperation. He is the recipient of several domestic and international awards and scholarships, including those from the Ministry of Education and Science, the Fund for Young Talents, the Konrad Adenauer Foundation, the Civil Society Scholar Award, and the Munk School of Global Affairs and Public Policy at the University of Toronto. In 2024, he stayed in the United States as part of the International Visitor Leadership Program of the U.S. Department of State.

He is the author of the book “The Balkans After War – Peacebuilding or State-building”.

Prof. Dr. Ernest Vlačić (b. 1964, Labin, Istria; Italian and Croatian citizen) is a university professor, researcher, and strategic advisor with decades of experience at the intersection of industry, academia, and public policy. His professional trajectory is defined by a continuous effort to connect technological, economic, and societal dimensions of development, with a particular focus on innovation ecosystems, competitiveness, and the transformation of economies in the context of global change.

He has built his academic career through engagement with internationally relevant institutions, where he teaches and develops fields such as strategic management, innovation, ESG, and sustainable development. His research focuses on how organizations and national systems develop absorptive capacity, foster innovation, and sustain long-term competitiveness, particularly within small and open economies.

Prior to his academic career, he gained substantial professional experience in industry (PRVOMAJSKA, DANIELI Officine Meccaniche, FATA FIAT Group, Philip Morris International), including development and international managerial roles (notably as DANIELI East Asia Regional Manager), as well as through entrepreneurial ventures in high-tech sectors. In this context, he founded and led several successful international startup companies (including DANIELI SYSTEC and NOVAMINA CIT), one of which evolved into a research and development institute that continues to operate today.

As a university professor, he lectures at multiple institutions in Serbia and abroad, covering topics such as Strategic Management, Geopolitics of Sport, Geopolitics of Tourism, ESG, and Innovation Management, among others. At FEFA Faculty in Belgrade, he serves as Director of Internationalization.

He is also engaged as a juror and evaluator within the European Capital of Democracy (Innovation in Politics) initiative, where he contributes to the assessment of innovative public policies and democratic initiatives across Europe.

Through his work, he actively contributes to the design of public policies and development strategies, collaborating with international institutions and organizations, including projects funded by the European Union/Commission, EBRD, and other financial institutions. As an evaluator and expert in major EU programmes, he is involved in processes shaping the European research and innovation landscape, particularly in areas such as advanced technologies, artificial intelligence, high-performance computing, and Centres of Excellence. He also serves as President of the Thematic Innovation Council of the Republic of Croatia for Energy and Environment, contributing to the strategic direction of the national innovation system.

In recent years, his focus has increasingly turned toward the concept of the evergreen economy and the broader longevity paradigm, through which he explores the relationship between demographic change, health, and economic productivity. Within this framework, he develops the idea that a healthy and active population represents a key resource for future competitiveness, advocating for the integration of health, urban, and economic policies into a unified development model.

He regularly participates in international conferences, panels, and strategic forums, contributing to discussions on global trends, geopolitical implications of economic transformation, and the role of Europe in an emerging multipolar world. His work is characterized by an interdisciplinary approach and a strong orientation toward translating complex ideas into operational and applicable frameworks.

Across all his activities, Prof. Vlačić consistently promotes the values of open dialogue, intellectual rigor, and responsible development, positioning himself as a relevant contributor to strategic discussions that transcend narrow sectoral and national boundaries.

More than 35 years of experience in the field of disaster risk prevention/remediation and emergency risk management. Doctor of Political Science, professor at numerous universities and higher education institutions. Member of the Commercial Crime Bureau in London. Chief Risk Manager of the 2009 Universiade in Belgrade. Member of the International Police Association. Team leader on the Ministry of Internal Affairs project “Emergency Management System of the Republic of Serbia” since 2009. Consultant on the project “Physical Security and Technical Protection of the Museum of Yugoslavia” since 2014. Security advisor at the European Chess Championship in Serbia, Montenegro and Croatia since 2013.

Education

• Doctor of Political Science, thesis: “Strategic Management in Emergency Situations”, Faculty of Political Science, University of Belgrade, 2009.
• Master of Security Studies, Faculty of Security, University of Belgrade, 2005.
• Graduate Defendologist, thesis: “The Role and Place of the Economy in National Defence”, 1991.

Work Experience

• American University in the Emirates, College of Security and Global Studies – Professor and Director of the Master’s Programme in Security and Global Studies (2017–)
• Faculty of Engineering Management, University “Union – Nikola Tesla”, Belgrade – Professor and Head of the Department of Security Studies (2014–)
• EDUCONS International University, Sremska Kamenica – Professor of: Crisis Management, Emergency Management, Conflict Management, Principles of Security (2011–2014)
• Assistant Professor, Faculty of Law, University of Novi Pazar – Subject: Criminal Justice and Security Studies (2009–2011)
• Faculty of Political Science, Belgrade – Lecturer in specialist studies, topic: Organised Crime and Terrorism (2006–2009)
• Valjevo Economics School – Lecturer in specialist programme, subject: Project Management (2006–2009)
• Faculty of Security, University of Belgrade – Lecturer in specialist studies: Security Management in Counter-Terrorism (2006–2009)
• Higher Railway School, Belgrade – Lecturer, subject: Risk Assessment of Fire and Chemical Incidents (2005–2009)
• Security Advisor to the Governor, National Bank of Serbia, Belgrade (1997–2002)
• Chief of Staff to the Deputy Prime Minister of the Federal Government of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, Belgrade (1992–1996)

Conference Participation

• D. Tomić, J. Dinić, P. Lečić: Dynamic Model of the Development of US and Chinese Defence Strategies – North Korea Module, Ohrid, 2016.
• D. Tomić, J. Dinić, P. Lečić: Security Challenges in Migratory Movements, Split, 2016.
• D. Tomić, J. Dinić, P. Lečić: The Need for the Application of High Technologies in the Protection of Critical Infrastructure – Nikola Tesla Airport, Ljubljana, 2016.
• D. Tomić, J. Dinić, Z. Lečić: The Global Migration Crisis – Challenges and Perspectives, Kiseljak, 2016.
• S. Tomić, D. Tomić, S. Bulajić, J. Dinić: Quality as a Competitive Factor in International Companies, Belgrade, 2015.
• S. Tomić, D. Tomić, S. Bulajić, J. Dinić: The Role of Innovative Technologies in the Protection of Critical Infrastructure – Nikola Tesla Airport, Belgrade, 2015.
• D. Tomić, S. Tomić, S. Bulajić: Directions of Development of Agriculture in the RS as a Guarantee of Competitive Quality, Banja Luka, 2015.
• D. Tomić, Z. Dragosavljević, M. Labović: Environmental Strategic Management in the Case of Air Quality Control in Pančevo, 2000–2010, IMKSM 2016.
• Contemporary Trends in the Education of Future Legal Professionals, Kopaonik, 2015.
• Forensic Audit – Money Laundering as a Form of Financial Crime, Belgrade, 2015.
• Regional Conference: Leadership and Management, The Importance of Strategic Management in China, Belgrade, 2015.
• The European Union – Challenges of Enlargement and the Western Balkans, Banja Luka, 2015.
• HR Conference – Personnel Selection and Its Role in Counter-Terrorism Protection, Belgrade, 2015.
• Modern Intelligence Service Management – Metalurgia International
• Direct Implementation of the Security Function in the Intelligence System – Varstvoslovje, Slovenia
• Hybrid Coalitions as a New Form of Security Association – Ohrid, Macedonia
• The Role of Modern Security Management and Innovative Technologies in the Protection of Nikola Tesla Airport – Bor, 2018.
• The Social Significance of Corporate Security – Springer, Dubai, 2018.
• Lone Wolf Terrorism as a New Threat – University of Velika Gorica, 2018.
• The Role of Intelligence Services in the Fight Against Terrorism – University of Nicosia, 2018.
• Challenges of the Moroccan Economy After Covid-19 – Arab World Geographer, 2022.
• A Specific Projection of Chinese Soft Power in Africa – Journal of Liberty and International Affairs, 2022.
• Monitoring of Transboundary Water Pollution – Fresenius Environmental Bulletin, 2023.
• Air Pollution and Mycotoxins in Agriculture – Fresenius Environmental Bulletin, 2023.
• Correlation of GIS Analyses of Mental Health in Serbia – Fresenius Environmental Bulletin, 2023.
• Analysis of Relations Between China and Taiwan – The Policy of National Security journal, 2023.

Siniša Ljepojević was born in 1956 in Gerzovo, in the municipality of Mrkonjić Grad. On his mother’s side, he is from Gerzovo — his mother, Ljilja Popović, was born and raised in Gerzovo, where she married Nikola Ljepojević, Siniša’s father, who worked there as a schoolteacher. He lives and works in Belgrade.

Siniša Ljepojević is one of the most distinguished Serbian journalists and publicists specialising in contemporary political history. The greater part of his professional career was spent at the Tanjug News Agency, where he worked as a journalist and long-serving correspondent in London. His many years of living and working in the United Kingdom earned him a reputation as one of the most knowledgeable Serbian experts on British society, politics and geopolitics, as well as on British–Serbian relations. He publishes in both Serbian and English. He is a regular columnist and guest analyst on regional television and radio stations, where he comments on current geopolitical developments.

Over the course of his long journalistic and research career, he has published several books in the fields of contemporary political history, geopolitics and international relations. Among the most notable titles are:

• EU Against Europe: The Rise and Fall of the European Union
• Prince Arsenije Karađorđević
• Changes, Lies and Fear: Diaries of the Contemporary World
• The Brexit Revolution
• The Hidden Reality of Kosovo
• London Without Fog: Notes of a Futile Chronicler

The Brexit Revolution, presented under the auspices of the Institute for European Studies in Belgrade, has been noted for its scholarly apparatus and analytical depth, despite its author being a publicist rather than an academic. London Without Fog grew out of his telephone reports from London for Big Radio in Banja Luka, and was published by the Centre for International Relations in Banja Luka.

At the parliamentary elections of December 2023, he stood as the second candidate on the “We – A Voice from the People” list and was elected a Member of Parliament in the National Assembly of Serbia, a mandate he has been fulfilling since February 2024. Since mid-2025, he has been serving as an independent member of parliament.

Goran Račić was born on November 14, 1970, in Srbac, where he completed his secondary education at the Mathematical-Physical-Computing High School, majoring in Programming. He graduated from the Faculty of Economics, majoring in Business Economics, at the University of Banja Luka.From 1996 to 1999, he worked at the company “Master IFB” in Banja Luka, which specialized in foreign trade and distribution of food products. At the beginning of 2000, he joined the Directorate for Privatization of the Republic of Srpska as part of the Team for the Preparation of Strategic Enterprises, where he led the project of restructuring Public Utility Companies. At the end of 2003, he moved to Stirokart Srbac, assuming the position of Director.

In March 2013, he was elected President of the Regional Chamber of Commerce Banja Luka and held this position for three consecutive terms. In mid-2025, he was unanimously elected President of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of the Republic of Srpska by the Assembly of the Chamber.

In mid-November 2017, the National Assembly of the Republic of Srpska elected him as Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Insurance Agency of the Republic of Srpska, a position he currently holds in his second term.At the beginning of 2008, together with a group of economists, he founded the Association of Economists of the Republic of Srpska “SWOT”. He served as President of the Assembly until mid-2020, when he founded the Economists Association “Economic Forum”. The Economic Forum is the owner of the rights to one of the most prestigious regional business events in Bosnia and Herzegovina — the Jahorina Economic Forum. This forum serves as a platform where representatives of state institutions, business companies, experts, the academic community, and members of the diplomatic corps engage in discussions and reach relevant conclusions aimed at improving public policies and the economy.

He was also a member of the Initiative Board for the establishment of the Banja Luka Stock Exchange, a consultant at Cepter Invest Fund, a member of the Economic Council of the Government of the Republic of Srpska, and a member of the Accounting and Auditing Council at the Ministry of Finance of the Republic of Srpska.

Since 2000, he has continuously attended numerous seminars and trainings in the fields of consulting, preparation and evaluation of feasibility studies, investment and economic development studies, business plans, and projects.

In the last ten years alone, he has organized over 50 seminars and round tables addressing current topics in the country, such as public procurement, insurance, the impact of crises on the economy of Srpska, as well as energy conferences focused on presenting the energy potential of the Republic of Srpska.On a voluntary basis, he serves as President of the Charity Association “Privrednik”, which provides scholarships to talented children from underprivileged families.

He is married to Kristina Račić and has a daughter, Tara, and a son, Matija.

Education

• PhD at the University of Belgrade, Faculty of Political Science, 2004.
• MPhil in Historical Studies, University of Cambridge, 2000.
• BA in History, Faculty of Philosophy, University of Belgrade, 1997.

Career Progression

• Full Professor at the Faculty of Political Science since 2014.
• Associate Professor at the Faculty of Political Science since March 2010.
• Assistant Professor at the Faculty of Political Science in Belgrade from February 2005 to February 2010.
• Senior Research Associate at the Institute for European Studies since 2011.
• Research Associate at the Institute for European Studies since 2006.
• Research Assistant at the Institute for European Studies in Belgrade, 2002–2006.
• First Secretary for Culture at the Embassy of the FR Yugoslavia in the Hellenic Republic, 2001/2002.
• Research Assistant at the Balkanological Institute of SANU (status frozen since July 1, 2001); external collaborator since 2009.

Teaching Activities at Other Institutions in Serbia and Abroad

• Lecturer at Matej Bel University in Banská Bystrica (Slovakia) for the course Balkan Studies, 2007–present.

Professional Development, Stays and Engagements Abroad

• Visiting Faculty Fellow at CSGG, London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE), during the autumn semester 2005 and spring semester 2007.
• Visiting Fellow at the European Institute of the London School of Economics and Political Science, April–May 2010.
• Research Associate at LSEE/LSE, 2012–present.

Areas of Scientific Interest

• Political Anthropology
• Balkan Studies
• Serbia’s Relations with the USA and Britain
• The Image of the Other
• History of European Pessimism
• Psychoanalytic Anthropology

Most Important Published Books and Edited Volumes

1. G. Markovich, British Perceptions of Serbia and the Balkans 1903-1906 (Paris: Dialogue, 2000), 247 pp.
2. G. Markovich, E. B. Weaver, V. Pavlovic (editors), Challenges to New Democracies in the Balkans (Belgrade: Cigoja Press, 2004).
3. S. G. Marković (ed.), European Union and the Western Balkans after the Big Enlargement (Belgrade: Institute for European Studies, 2005).
4. G. Markovich, E. B. Weaver and V. Pavlovic (eds.), Problems of Identities in the Balkans (Belgrade: Dosije Press, 2006).
5. S. G. Marković, Count Čedomilj Mijatović. A Victorian among the Serbs (Belgrade: Dosije & Faculty of Law, University of Belgrade, 2006), 485 pp.
6. Count Čedomilj Mijatović, Memoirs of a Balkan Diplomat, edited and translated by S. G. Marković, Radio Television of Serbia, Rara edition, Belgrade 2008.
7. Č. Popov, D. R. Živojinović and S. G. Marković (eds.), Two Centuries of Modern Serbian Diplomacy, Balkanological Institute of SANU and IES, Belgrade.
8. Slobodan G. Marković, The Pessimistic Anthropology of Sigmund Freud, Dosije, Belgrade, 288 pp.
9. Žarko Trebješanin and Slobodan G. Marković (eds.), The Relevance of Freud’s Thought, Institute for European Studies, Belgrade 2016, 220 pp.

Edited Special Issue:

• Slobodan G. Marković (editor and translator), Special Issue of the journal Hereticus “One Hundred Years of ‘A Century of Debates on the Sarajevo Assassination’”, Hereticus, No. 1-2 (2015), pp. 5-333.

Contributor to the Book:

• D. T. Bataković (ed.), M. St. Protić, N. Samardžić, A. Fotić, with the collaboration of Dj. R. Maksimović and S. G. Marković, Histoire du peuple Serbe, L’Âge d’Homme, Lausanne, 2006.

Aleksandra Nenadić is a seasoned executive with more than 25 years of experience in diplomatic protocol, international relations, strategic communications, and brand development across the public, private, and nonprofit sectors.

Her professional foundation was built in diplomacy and international relations, through service in the Office of the President of the Republic of Serbia, senior coordination roles within the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and ultimately as Chief of Diplomatic Protocol of the Republic of Serbia. These positions required a high degree of precision, discretion, and the ability to navigate complex cross-cultural and intergovernmental environments with confidence and tact.

After transitioning to the private sector, she led regional operations and communications for global luxury hospitality brands. She now advises organizations on strategic communications, brand development, and operational positioning. In parallel with her executive career, she has maintained a strong commitment to social impact, dedicating nearly a decade to community development, stakeholder engagement, and humanitarian initiatives in the nonprofit sector.

With executive education from Harvard Kennedy School and advanced degrees in international business and the humanities, Aleksandra brings together strategic insight, sound judgment, and a practical, results-driven approach.

Mia Kovačić, born in Belgrade, is a sustainability communications and energy expert with over a decade of international experience. She began her career in the luxury industry in China before dedicating herself to promoting sustainable development. Following five years managing the marketing team at Resalta, the leading energy services provider in Southeast Europe, she joined renewables developer CWP Global as Communications Director. She was an Executive Committee member at LaFarge Serbia, serving as Head of Marketing, Communications and Sustainability, before rejoining CWP Global’s hydrogen business as Communications Director, covering the group’s ambitious project portfolio of 200+ GW of renewable energy capacity across four continents.

Dragan Erić, MD, PhD, is a specialist in general surgery and a doctor of sciences in healthcare management with more than twenty years of professional experience in clinical practice, healthcare administration, and institutional leadership.

He currently serves as Director of the Health Care Institute for Employees of the Ministry of Interior of the Republic of Serbia, where he oversees the development and organization of medical services within the system.

During his career, Dr. Erić has held a number of senior positions within Serbia’s healthcare sector, including Head of the Sector for Prevention, Logistics and Emergency Response at the National Health Insurance Fund, as well as Director of the Health Protection Institute at the Vinča Institute of Nuclear Sciences. In addition to his leadership roles, he has worked as a practicing surgeon in several medical institutions.

Dr. Erić is also engaged in academic and educational work. He lectures in medical sciences and participates in the training of healthcare professionals, with particular focus on health system management, organization of healthcare institutions, and clinical surgery.

He is the author of several scientific papers and contributions to university textbooks in the fields of surgery and healthcare management. For his professional achievements, he was awarded the Golden Medal for Merit to the People by the President of the Republic of Serbia in 2021.

Born in Zemun in 1972, where he completed Primary School “Svetozar Miletić” and Zemun Gymnasium. He completed his undergraduate and postgraduate studies at the Faculty of Economics, University of Belgrade. He devoted his career to the Economics Institute, one of the pillars of Serbian scientific and advisory tradition, where over three decades he passed through all professional stages – from trainee and researcher to project manager, director of consulting, executive and general director, and president of the Shareholders’ Assembly.

The Economics Institute is an accredited research and development institution and one of the oldest regional advisory houses, whose work has included academicians, professors, research advisors, university rectors, distinguished business leaders and holders of high offices in the country and abroad. The Institute has contributed to the work of organizations such as the Serbian Business Club “Privrednik”, the Serbian Economists Association, the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Serbia, the Serbian Association of Managers and others. Its clients include many domestic and international companies and institutions.

Alongside his engagement at the Economics Institute, he serves as Honorary Consul of Georgia in Serbia. He is a Platinum member of SBC “Privrednik”. He is a member of the Presidency of the Serbian Economists Association and the Serbian Association of Managers. He was a member of the Council of the Faculty of Economics in Belgrade and boards of several companies. He is the author of professional papers and a participant in many domestic and international conferences. He has never been employed in the public or state sector. And before and after everything, he is the son of Anđelko and Miljanka and the father of Petar and Vasilije

Born in 1984. Banu is Project Supervisor at Air Telecommunication, an electronics expert. She is self-motivated and result-oriented individual offering in-depth understanding person. Managing and evaluating project needs, timesframes. Ensuring that all projects are delivered on-time, within scope, and budget. Using appropriate verification techniques to manage changes in project scope, schedule and costs.Improving cost control by eliminating needless expenses. Preparing project status update reports and provided detailed completion estimates. Coordinating internal resources and third parties/vendors for the flawless execution of projects Developing project scopes and objectives, involving all relevant stakeholders and ensuring technical feasibility.Ensuring resource availability and allocation.Develop a detailed project plan to track progress Measuring project performance using appropriate systems, tools and techniques.

Banu received her B.Sc. degree in the Department of Electrical-Electronic Engineering from the Erciyes University. She worked in Huawei Technologies as  Also she received her MBa. degree, at the Bahçeşehir University. She worked in Huawei Technologies as a material manager at the department of PMO and worked actively in and VODAFONE’s projects; SWAP,IPMW,2G,3G. Moreover she is the member of IEEE and TOG Turkey.

Qemal was born in 1967 in Preshevo, Southern Serbia, and is a leading Albanian peace activist.  For years Qemal promoted building bridges, confidence and trust between Serbians and Albanians and championed for multiethnic society there. Always against any radicalism he was and is dedicated to paving the way for prosperity and economic stability. His life moto is: „We need a peace, justice and a truth because of future generations“. In the 90ties Qemal was a founder and member of the Board of Serbian Liberal Party LDP for Southern Serbia. His main focus in the time of Balkan wars was on peace activities and trust-building between Serbians and Albanians.

After democratic elections Qemal left political life and concentrated his work on a  humanitarian and peace projects through Swiss Association Morning Star (ASMS). The results of his work are: local municipalities in a Preshevo and Bujanovac organized camps for refugees coming from Middle East and Africa to Serbia; support for education of local youth, he organized for more than 1,200 books to be donated to Preshevo by ASMS; building of several active „informal  dialogue circles“  between Albanians and Serbians, etc. After several armed incidents in FYR Macedonia between radical Albanians and Macedonians Qemal campaigned in public media all over Serbia for „the need to maintain peace“ – which contributed to lowering of ethnic tensions in Southern Serbia. Qemal, speaks Albanian, Serbian and Macedonian languages, is married and has two sons.

Slobodan Boban Vukicevic is a successful private entrepreneur, advisor, and humanitarian activist from Skopje, North Macedonia.

Holding a Msc degree in economics and management Boban manages his own company TRANS PLAM Skopje for the past 20 years. It ranks among the best in its field of activity: trades and transports dangerous substances – gases, chemicals, precursors for the chemical, metal and food industries as well as water supply systems.

He is well known in the community for his humanitarian activism, mainly as a Governor of Lions District 132 Macedonia in 2016-2017, Coordinator of the Provisional Region Bulgaria and International Advisor for the establishment of special Lions Clubs, both in 2017-2020. For his activism, he has earned a number of Presidential Medals, Certificates of Appreciation, Excellence Awards, and Certificates from several Lions Presidents. He is proud of being one of the four founders of the independent civil association Tree Day – Plant Your Future, which involves planting 35 million seedlings on an area of 13,000 hectares over five years.

Boban has many years of experience in working and cooperating with people of different cultural and ethnic backgrounds and is a big supporter of ecology projects and project for socially vulnerable groups in society.

Milan Vujanic, born in 1948, is the foremost Balkans expert in traffic safety, with a PhD in technical sciences, specialty in traffic and communication safety. Milan is currently a Professor of Traffic Safety at the Belgrade University, faculty for Traffic and Communication and head of its Traffic Safety Department. He has been teaching hundreds of students since the early 70s. He is also a member of the Commission for Expert Exams at the Serbian Institute of Technology.

Professor Vujanic is also the president of the assembly of shareholders and the board of governors of the Yugoslav Airlines, the Serbian national carrier. Milan is also a top forensic expert. He was a member of the Belgrade city government in charge of traffic issues and made a valuable input into the latest Bill on Traffic Safety. He is a member of the regional Association for Traffic Safety, the Association of Traffic Forensic Experts, and Association of Driving schools.

Vujanic has been key to the overhaul of the Serbian legal and technical traffic and driving system and bringing it into line with EU standards. He has published seven books on traffic forensics and traffic safety, 41 studies on the related issues both at home and abroad and taken part in almost 100 various seminars or research projects in Serbia and abroad and published relevant studies. He has authored numerous campaigns for traffic safety awareness and strategies to promote traffic safety and behavior of participants. Married and lives in Belgrade.

A leading Balkans security and crime fighting expert, Djordje has impeccable credentials: a criminology attorney; finished postgraduate studies of management of defense (University of Belgrade) and a fight against organized crime course (US Institute of Peace and Center for Management). Djordje has vast experience in top positions in the Belgrade department of the Ministry of Internal Affairs. He was also deputy director of one of Serbia’s premier security companies – Progard Securitas.

Djordje is also a member of Professional security Management Association and the president of SCP International Committee, chairman of a Serbian Chamber of Commerce department, and since 2010, the director of “Poslodavac” Employers Committee.

Currently he is serving as Chairman of the Serbia Securitas Services Board of Governors.

He is also one of the leading activists in Serbia’s civil society promoting religious and ethnic tolerance, equality, justice, human rights etc…

Đura is a manager, political advisor and consultant. He has headed a number of prestigious private universities and faculties in Serbia. Djura was born in Novi Sad, Vojvodina, where he graduated from Law School. He received his MA at the Business Faculty. Djura has extensive experience in economy and his forte is forming and running institutions of high learning. He is also an expert in media and poltics.

He has started his career in the services industry. He was a co-owner and sales manager in a private company manufacturing wood processing machinery. Later he returned to the services sector and did marketing and organization of educational and cultural conferences and events. In 2001, when the Novi Sad Fair management and a group of prominent professors decided to form one of the first ever private universities, Djura was invited to kick-start the project. In 2002, he was appointed the manager of the Faculty for Services Business and he successfully managed the new institution for the next three years. Following this success, Djura also took part in the establishment of the new Faculty for Legal and Political Studies and later ran it. He also managed the USSE University. He was a member of the Vojvodina Commission drawing up the startegy for development of higher education in Vojvodina, focused on private education.

Djura started his political career in 2005 as the head of Vojvodina Parliament Office for Promotiing Vojvodina. He took part in forming the Centre for Promotion and Strategic Development of Vojvodina in Paris, France, and was its Cfirst oordinator. He was also a chairman and member of several Boards of Governors and Supervisory Boards of public institutions founded by the City of Novi Sad and Vojvodina. He is the Advisor to the President and Vice President of the Vojvodina Parliament for the political system.

Djura is committed to humanitarian work and faced with the growing problem of drug addiction in the Serbian society, he co-founded in 2001 the Civil Association for fighting drug addiction and is its Vice-President. He is also a member of several boards and societies for drug addiction prevention. He loves sports and is a fervent champion of healthy life-style. His family – wife and two sons – are his greatest pride and joy.

Hasan is Senior Advisor at Koç Holding A.Ş. and also represents Turkish Industry & Business Association in London.  He is Turkey expert and Faculty Member of the FT|ie Business School Corporate Learning Alliance. He was an academic fellow at University of Oxford and previously worked for the Turkish Prime Minister’s Office’s Investment Support and Promotion Agency in London where he dealt with UK-based international companies. Hasan holds a PhD and MSc from University of London and speaks English, Arabic and Portuguese.

Ilija Trninić, born in 1974 in Banja Luka, Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH), is an expert in the spheres of international cooperation, political education, and civil society development. Ilija gained his work experience in international and local governmental and nongovernmental organizations. He implemented projects related to community development, research projects, and youth related projects. Ilija earned his MSc in the sphere of political management and analytics. Moreover, he pursued additional knowledge, skills and experiences at universities and seminars in the EU and USA such as International Peoples’ College, Queen Mary University of London, IVLP and others.

Ilija has a long term experience in providing training in the field of project development and management, public policy design, and business systems. He was selected as an official lecturer by the Directorate for European Integration in Bosnia and Herzegovina in the field of project management, strategic planning, and reporting. Ilija is an executive director of Perpetuum Mobile – Institute for Youth and Community Development, an organization that has been implementing the program of the Academy for Political Leaders in BiH for the past decade. The Academy represents a unique training program for young politicians in BiH, and until now it gathered more than 200 young politicians from BiH. Many of Academy participants are today successful politicians and decision makers in various levels of governance.

Until now, Ilija has published various publications, as an author and co-author, related to research in the area of political parties, project management, education of public servants, organizational development, and strategic planning. He is one of the founders and a member of the Strategic Committee of the Coalition “Pod lupom” – Coalition for free and fair elections in BiH. Ilija is a member of the Rotary Club Banja Luka, and also of the Mensa International in BiH. He is married and has two daughters.

Ludvik Toplak, born in 1942, Slovenia, married with two children, is a University professor of International Business Law, a Rector, an Ambassador, a Manager and a Politician, rolled into one. Ludvik is currently the President of the European Centre in Maribor, Slovenia, since 2007. His education includes University of Maribor and Ljubljana, Slovenia, University of Belgrade and Novi Sad, Serbia, New York University, NY and State University of New York Potsdam, USA. He specialized in Oslo, Seattle and San Francisco, Atlanta, London, New York, Strasbourg. His professional experience includes: University Professor, University of Maribor, Faculty of Law, Vice-President Iskra Delta Computers (IDC), Ljubljana (1980 – 1987), Vice-President of the Parliament of the Republic of Slovenia (1990 – 1992), Rector of the University of Maribor (1993 – 2002) and Ambassador of the Republic of Slovenia to the Holy See (2002 – 2006)

Ludvik is a member of the European Academy of Science and Arts (since 2000), member of the Steering Committee of the I.C.H.E. (International Conference on Higher Education), member of Pan-European Union, member of the Board of European Rectors Conference, Magna Charta Universitatum, member of Collegium, member and President of the Danube Rectors’ Conference (1996-1999), member of the international committee European Forum Alpbach (1999- ) and Governor of the American Chamber of Commerce in Slovenia (1999-2001). His main activities and focus of interest lie in social reforms, political parties, human rights, diplomacy and his major fields of expertise include Law, Economy, Environment, Management, Small Businesses, Cooperatives, Professional Ethics, University Management, Foundations, Charity.

Jakša Šćekić, a journalist with more then 35 years experience in Serbian and International media, is the TV producer in the Reuters bureau in Belgrade. After graduating the Law School at Belgrade University, Jaksa started his journalistic career as a print journalist but soon moved to Radio television Belgrade, as a reporter and producer of Belgrade city programme and then on to 1st Channel News.

Jaksa founded the popular 3rd Channel and was editor and chief of the first ever Satellite TV programme in the region. His expertise also included satellite and cable TV technology.

In 1993 he later joined Sky news as the East European Bureau chief based in Belgrade. He covered war in former Yugoslavia, NATO operations in the Balkans, war in Iraq, and traveled through Europe for Sky News.  He spent most of his time in Iraq, heading the Sky operations there during and after the Saddam Hussein regime. He also worked in Sky Bureaus in Moscow, Washington, Brussels.

Jaksa  is one of the most prominent bloggers on the web site of a popular independent TV and radio station B92, and he has been a guest on several panels on International politics  and Serbia. Jaksa, married with two grown up sons, has been teaching TV and war journalism in Belgrade.

Sava Sajko, born in Belgrade 1983, is an independent TV& documentary producer, NGO activist and former Olympic triathlon champion of Yugoslavia and Serbia-Montenegro. Sava started his career at FOX TV Serbia as a presenter. After successfully completing several projects, he established his own company in 2009. One of his first projects as an independent producer was documentary series about ordinary people who had done something remarkable for their community and serve as a good social example. Project named “Moj Heroj” (My Hero), was about human virtues, courage, knowledge and success. Series were broadcasted on Serbian National Broadcasting Company (RTS), Radio Television of Republic of Srpska (RTRS) as well as on Bosnia and Herzegovina Federal TV (FTV). In 2015 he established similar project in Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Croatia and produced regional series “Dobro u ljudima” (Intrinsic Good). This serial is broadcasted on CNN’s affiliate TV, N1.

In 2014 he produced the first ever made animated documentary about Michael Pupin – one of the greatest scientists of all times. Because of the educational and motivational mission of the film, Sava decided to distribute film within Serbia’s educational system as well as on Serbian National Broadcasting Company (RTS) for free. Documentary reached an audience of more than 1.1 million. This fact encouraged him to take larger steps on the well-known ground and to create an animated documentary about Michael Pupin’s in English and for the global audience. This new project is named “Toward the Light” and it was recognized by UNESCO’s initiative to celebrate 2015 as International Year of Light. Sava graduated from University of Belgrade in 2006, majoring history and Byzantium art. He was a founder and the member of the Governing Board of Treća Srbija political party. Sava now serves as the Executive Director at “Tesla Centar”, a Belgrade-based NGO, dedicated on promoting science, sustainable development and education.

Gulmira Rzayeva is a senior research fellow at the Center for Strategic Studies (SAM) under the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Research Associate at the Oxford Institute for Energy Studies (OIES) and Expert/Advisor of the World Energy Council’s Global Gas Center based in Geneva. She is also on board of directorate of the newly established Institute for Effective Governance and Stabilization based in Stockholm, Sweden, and the Trade Forest trading company based in London.

She is an expert on the energy policy of Azerbaijan and Black Sea/Caspian region energy security, Turkish domestic natural gas market, European gas market. She has worked at the Moscow Carnegie Center as a visiting research fellow and Finish Aleksanteri Institute of the Helsinki University. Ms Rzayeva is recognized worldwide for her reports and seminal articles about energy focusing on the region, as well as for her speeches in some of the most prestigious universities including Harvard University, think-tanks and prestigious international conferences world-wide. Having a BA in international relations from the Baku Slavic University and an MA in Global Affairs from the University of Buckingham, UK, Ms. Rzayeva has published several scholarly publications. She is an author of “Turkish Natural Gas Market: Policies and Challenges” and “The Outlook for Azerbaijani Gas Supplies to Europe” published at the OIES.

The Honorable Col. Stuart W. Ross was an international banker before becoming an humanitarian and philanthropist. Ross was the Principal of Pinnacle Capital, a leading independent investor and financial advisory firm, based in Toronto and Calgary, dedicated to wealth generation and preservation. He is a Member of the Board of INSPAD Institute of Peace and Development, an international non-governmental organization incorporated in Brussels which has special Observer Status in the United Nations.

In 2016, Stuart co-founded a new global organization, the Global Resource Epicenter against Human Trafficking (GREAT) to combat human trafficking. Stuart is particularly committed to helping public health and treating women’s cancer. He has made substantial commitments in this sphere. Stuart is an avid student of history and theology. In 2016, Stuart Ross received a commission and appointment of Colonel and courtesy “The Honorable” title from the Governor of Kentucky.

Nafiz Özgür Rifaioğlu is the founding and co-managing partner of Verda Law Firm.  He is responsible for developing the firm in international arena and driving the vision of Verda law firm as a progressive service-orientated law firm.

He has been making substantial contributions to legal and commercial environment with respect to commercial disputes. His experience in the Turkish legal field allows him to shape the entrepreneurial profile of Verda Law Firm.  His deep knowledge of Turkish and international markets helps him to bring companies in Turkey together with foreign investors.

He is active in the Dispute Resolution in commercial law, banking law and real estate law.

Dr. Atta Ur Rehman is an Associate Professor at Faculty of Computing and Information Technology, Sohar University, Oman. Prior to joining SU, he was the Director of National Cybercrime Forensics Lab Pakistan, Head of Air University Cybersecurity Center, and Conferences Chair of IEEE Islamabad Section.

Currently, he is serving as an Associate Editor of IEEE Access, Elsevier Journal of Network and Computer Applications, Associate Technical Editor of IEEE Communications Magazine, Editor of Springer Journal of Cluster Computing, Oxford Computer Journal, IEEE SDN Newsletter, KSII Transactions on Internet and Information Systems, SpringerOpen Human-centric Computing and Information Sciences, SpringerPlus, and Ad hoc & Sensor Wireless Networks journal.

Moreover, he is a Senior Member of IEEE and Steering Committee Member/ Track Chair/ Technical Program Committee (TPC) member of over 60 international conferences. He also serves as a domain expert for multiple international research funding bodies, and has received multiple awards, fellowships, and research grants. His areas of research interest include cybersecurity, mobile cloud computing, ad hoc networks, and IoT.

Oracle Cloud Platform Executive, Sales Manager and business development professional, Nikola has over 15 years of working experience, out of which 8 years in leading various projects, mainly IT Solutions related and both locally and internationally. Cloud solutions ambassador. Frequently involved in projects over 15M$.

Lead following key projects Oracle Cloud Day Serbia – project owner in charge of all aspects of the event resulting in over 300 attendees on invitation bases. Internally rated as the best Cloud day event in CEE region; E Justice project – resulting in increasing efficiency of Justice System in Serbia by connecting all courts (Basic, Higher, Appellation, Misdemeanor, Commercial, Supreme Court of Cassation) into “Judicial Network System” able to monitor and control court cases; Orion telekom CDMA project resulting in nationwide CDMA coverage and enabling Orion telekom to become first alternative (Triple play) telecommunication operator in Serbia; Orion telekom TV project (OrionTV) – Android/IOS/Windows based software application for Live TV watching resulted in 300.000 downloads in 3 months with average user’s grade of 4.6 out of 5.

Nikola has attended scores of training courses, conferences and seminar across the world, notably in USA, China, Germany, Spain and other.

Branko Radulovic is an economics expert from Belgrade. He graduated at the Faculty of Economics in Belgrade and holds a master’s degree in International Economics from the University of Birmingham and a PhD in Economics of Law and Institutions from Collegio Carlo Alberto, University of Turin. He was also a visiting scholar at the Cornell Law School. His professional interests include the economic analysis of law, public policy analysis, international economics and econometrics. Mr. Radulovic is presently a lecturer at the University of Belgrade Law School and works as a consultant in the field of the regulatory reform. He has nearly 15 years of experience and prior to his current positions he served as a private and financial sector specialist with the World Bank and as a research fellow in several Serbian think-tanks.

For the past seven years, he has led or provided key inputs to several drafting committees responsible for business-related laws including the new Bankruptcy Law and has published and presented papers at several academic and policy-oriented conferences.

Ranks among top Serb business experts in his generation, with excellent understanding of German-Serbian economic and political relations. He is the managing director for Profine Belgrade, a subsidiary of HT Troplast AG, Troisdorf, a German subsidiary company in the polymer industry.

Bojan is also the Vice-President of the German Business Association in Serbia, Member of the Executive Committee of the Forum Serbia – Germany and board member of the German school in Belgrade.

Born in East Berlin, he graduated high school in the then German Democratic Republic. Bojan studied economics at Hochschule für Ökonomie, Berlin, Technische Universität zu Berlin and Faculty for Economics, University of Belgrade, Serbia where he obtained his Master degree in Economics. Furthermore, he continued his education at the London School of Economics and Political Science in International Business Strategies.

He also completed the Advanced Management Program at the IEDC School of Management, Bled, Slovenia and the courses on Lead Management at Management Partner, Stuttgart, Germany, Management Assessment Workshop at People Invest, Munich, Germany, as well as the Assessment Center at Deutsche Bank in Frankfurt.
He has attended dozens of international business, finance and energy conferences in Europe.

George is a security expert, committed to supporting youth and sport organizations and above all to helping the poor, the elderly and the vulnerable parts of the society.

After graduating economics and philosophy at the University for Political Sciences in Budapest, Hungary, Geroge moved to the US where he founded IBSAA Inc -the International Bodyguard and Security Services Association (IBSSA). IBSSA is the official international association of private security, manpower and technical resources, technological companies and individual members of the security profession. Today, IBSSA is a leading international association involved in organizing, coordinating, giving comprehensive assistance, technical help and development to its members worldwide in the field of security. In a meantime George was also a Senior Director of the field of Security at the Israeli College for Security and Investigations, Professor and active member of the International Informatics Academy, Deputy Rector and Professor of PRO-DEO State University (PDSU).

Today he is a President of IBSSA Inc (USA), Executive President of the International Budo Academy (IBA), Lieutenant General and Prime Minister of the Sovereign Order of Saint John of Jerusalem, Knights of Malta, Federation of the Autonomous Priories (KMFAP) – Executive Grand Chancellor of the Sovereign Order of Cyprus Knights of Sword and Silence – Vice President of the Malta Cross Foundation International Florida, USA – Vice President of FEMERAID International – Member of the International Narcotic Enforcement Officers Association (INEOA) – Honorary President of the International Protective and Security Academy (PSA) London, UK – Honorary President of the Diplomatic Institution Geneva, Switzerland and Honorary President of the Hungarian Karate Federation.

Championing for the women’s rights to work in Afghanistan, Abdulhaq has one of the most difficult, challenging and downright dangerous jobs in the world today. He is the business consultant to the Afghan Women’s Business Federation (AWBF) in Kabul, Afghanistan. He manages and oversees the technical aspects of the AWBF/FAIDA|USAID funded project by providing overall consultancy service, defining work plans, and ensuring achievement of all project activities and milestones, making recommendations for performance improvements, communications, and resource allocations for AWBF programs. His job is to design the framework for financial management advisory, prepare Business Development, management and leadership training manuals, conduct assessment survey and develop questionnaires to diagnose member associations (SMEs) and assess those who need AWBF capacity building services.

Analyzing SME’s financial position, including their investments, debts and income for loans and development of their businesses.He Graduated in June 2010 as Master of Business Administration (MBA) at the Amity University Uttar Pradesh (Noida – New Delhi) INDIA and won his BA in 2006 at Colorado Technical University, USA. Abdulhaq also holds a Postgraduate Diploma in International Human Rights (part-time program at Peshawar Campus) Thesis/Dissertation work on Education Environment in Afghanistan Qurtuba University of Sciences & Information Technology, Peshawar, Pakistan and has attended the Kabul Medical University & Ahmad Shah Abdali Medical University.  He also headed the Humanitarian Assistance Service for Afghanistan (HASA) Mission to Peshawar, Pakistan. HASA is a local NGO working for the rehabilitation and reconstruction of the country and reintegration of Afghan refugees.

EWB Legal Counsel

Born in Belgrade 1968, Educated in Belgrade, Faculty of Law, Belgrade University, 1992, Bar Exam, 1995, Intellectual Property Protection Specialist Exam, 1996, He is a founder of Law Office Naumović & Partners Attorneys at Law (http://www.naumovic-partners.com). He is an expert in different areas of law – Corporate law, Contracting law, IT and IP law. He is an active member of various professional and business organizations such as: Bar Association of Serbia, 1995, INTA (International Trademark Association), 2000, American Chamber of Commerce in Serbia (http://www.amcham.rs), 2003 and  Member of Overseas Security Advisory Council (OSAC) in AmCham.

He is founder of Serbian Association of Managers (http://www.sam.org.rs), 2006 and member of supervisory board of Serbian Association of Managers from 2006-2015. Now he is a member of Board of directors of Serbian Association of Managers (http://www.sam.org.rs) He is a founder of Foundation “Good Name” which helps young talents in Serbia in the field of classical music and other fine Arts  (http://www.dobarglaszatalente.rs/). Also he is a mentor for legal affairs in ICT HUB business incubator for information and communication technology (http://www.icthub.rs/). Zoran is an arbitrator at Sports Arbitration of Olympic Committee of Serbia and member of Presidency of Sports Arbitration of Olympic Committee of Serbia (http://www.oks.org.rs), He is member pf EPI (Institute of Professional Representatives before the EU Patent Office), 2011 (http://www.patentepi.com) and he has a title of  European patent attorney in the front of EPO (European Patent Office http://www.epo.org) 2011.

Prerna is the Founder of Outline India – a for-profit social enterprise in India that aims to create social impact through data. Outline has recently started operations in Nepal. Prerna was featured on Fortune magazine’s 40 under 40 list for her work with ground level data in 2017 and again in 2018. She was recently featured among the top 25 businesswomen in India by Forbes magazine in their annual issue featuring women leaders running profitable companies. She was also among the top 40 women changemakers in the 2018 annual list released by India Today.

Her research startup has changed the way data is collected and utilized for social schemes and programs by academics, policy makers, private stakeholders and the Indian government. Founded in 2012, with a strong presence across rural India, Outline India has worked across 26 states, over 7000 villages and interviewed over 4 million stakeholders. Prerna is now launching Track Your Metrics (TYM) – an easy-to-use tech tool for quick impact assessment by small NGOs and big funders, equipping the former with means to secure more funding and the latter to hold their grantees accountable. The Android app/web-based platform aims to change the way we track finance social programs at ~0 unit cost. TYM recently won at accelerator program competitions in India and California.

In 2018, she joined the prestigious league of Chevening Fellows at Oxford University. Awarded by the Ministry of External Affairs, Prerna was also declared a Raisina Fellow in 2017. She has prior research experience working at Centre for Policy Research and holds an MA in Economics from Boston University.

Siniša is an environment analyst, a passionate naturalist devoted to the preservation of the natural capital in Serbia and the Balkans. His greatest career contribution is to boost the development of Valjevo, the Serbian town where he was born, and its renaissance during which he helped build a modern gallery, the Petnica Nature Research Station and rally young people to boost economic growth in the region. His biggest successes were in saving and protecting rare bird species in Serbia, including salvation from extinction of a rare type of white-headed eagle in the Tresnjica canyon near Ljubovija. He has volunteered for the past 25 years as the leader of the NATURA Centre for Natural resources, the national organization for environment and natural resource protection in Serbia.

Sinisa was politically active in the 90ties and in the October revolution in 2000. Since 2001, he was a deputy in the Serbian Parliament and deputy head of the Democratic Opposition (DOS) parliamentary group. He chaired for three years the parliamentary Environment Committee.  Since 2005, he was advisor to several ministers and the Prime Minister of Vojvodina. Sinisa is now working in the Serbian Chamber of Commerce on issues pertaining to the green growth of the Serbian industry, ecological European integration and application of best technologies and waste and waste water management. He is one of the leading promoters of the doctrine of circular economy as a new tool of competitive economy, energy efficient and responsible towards local communities.

He is an author of several studies for international organizations like ILO and UNOPS pertaining to the inclusion of the Roma community into the business sector. He is a member of the Board of Governors of the Global Compact of the United Nations in Serbia and chairs the group for the promotion of the Millennium goals of sustainable development, adopted in New York in 2015. He is actively involved in including SMEs in the promotion of sustainable development of local communities, preservation of values of local resources and better quality of life in creating new jobs. He is one of the founders of the MISIJA Foundation, a think tank seeking answers to the challenges Serbia will face in the future. Sinisa also lectures at the FUTURA Faculty for applied ecology, married with two children.

Serbian baritone Nikola Mijailovic has received accolades for his operatic and concert performances throughout the world. A versatile artists equally at home on both concert and opera
stages, Mr. Mijailovic has collaborated with some of the most eminent conductors of our day including Giuseppe Sinopoli, Riccardo Muti, Alberto Veronesi, Leopold Hager, Zoltan Peszko,
Stefano Ranzani, Arthur Fagen, Michail Jurowski, Nicola Luisotti to name a few.

Mr. Mijailovic was bom in Belgrade, Serbia in 1973. After taking a diploma in piano, he continued vocal studies at the University of Arts with his mother, a renowned serbian soprano Radmila Smiljanic. He shortly after made a debut at the age of 19 as Conte Almaviva in Le nozze di Figaro at the Vienna Conservatory in 1992., under the guidance of Ks. Waldemar Kmentt. He holds a Bachelor’s Degree from the Vienna Conservatory and Master’s Degree from Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia, where he studied with Galina Vishnevskaya, Edward Zambara and Michael Eliasen. In 1995 and 1996 he participated in Music Academy of the West in Santa Barbara, CA where he studied with Marilyn Horne. Nikola Mijailovic completed his studies at Academia di perfezionamento per cantanti lirici del Teatro alla Scala in Milano, under the vocal guidance of Leyla Gencer and Luigi Alva in 1999.

Nikola Mijailovic is a World Winner of the 5th Luciano Pavarotti International Voice Competition in Philadelphia in 1995, First Prize winner of Mario Lanza Competition in Philadelphia in 1994, and a Third Prize winner of Leyla Gencer International Voice Competition in Istanbul in 1997.

Nikola Mijailovic made his professional debut at the Bolshoi Theatre in Moscow as Schaunard in Boheme in 1996, and sang Marcello next to Luciano Pavarotti’s Rodolfo the same year in Academy of Music in Philadelphia. Since then, he appeared throughout the world in major opera houses of Milano, Verona, Venezia, Montreal, Hamburg, Hannover, Bonn, Dresden, Catania, Lima, Havana, Moscow, Rome, Vienna, Tokyo, Montpellier, Las Palmas, Malaga, Sofia, Bucharest, Peking, Shanghai, Rotterdam, Ravenna, Tel Aviv to name a few. His repertoire includes around 50 major operatic roles such as Rigoletto, Jago, Conte di Luna, Eugen Onegin, Barone Scarpia, Escamillo, Enrico, Belcore, Prigioniero, Simone Boccanegra, Macbeth, Posa among others. He has also appeared in concert perfomances of Carmina Burana (Rome, Ravenna, Pavia, Dubrovnik, Belgrade, Sarajevo), The Bells by Rachmaninoff (Milano), Messa di Gloria by Puccini (Lima, Belgrade), Lieder eines fahrenden Gesellen by Mahler (Monte Carlo, Belgrade), Dichterliebe (Philadephia, Belgrade), Liebesliederwaltzer (Stresa) and gave recitals for Marilyn Home’s Foundation in New York and Renata Scotto Opera Academy in Albissola Marina with Giovanni Reggioli and Ridotto dei palchi in Teatro alla Scala with Roberto Negri.
There are a few DVD’s available on market with Nikola Mijailovic: Boheme (Luciano Pavarotti’s staging from Teatro della Fortuna in Fano 2004), Samson et Dalila (Vlaamse Opera Antwerp 2009), Carmen (Color Line Arena Hamburg 2006) and CD’s of Juan Diego Florez’s Una furtiva lagrima (Decca 2002), Le Trouvere (Martina Franca 1998), Cassandra (Montpellier 2000), La volpe astuta (Teatro la Fenice Venezia 1999), Gli esiliati di Siberia (Montpellier 1999), Stabat Mater by Pergolesi (2000) and Sadko (Teatro la Fenice Venezia 2000).

Nikola Mijailovic has been Artistic Director of Opera at National Theatre in Belgrade, Serbia from 2021/2022 to 2023/2024 season. He is a full time Professor at the Vocal Department of the Faculty of Music at the University of Arts in Belgrade, Serbia. He is currently Artistic Director of Opera & Ballet Madlenianum Theatre in Belgrade, Serbia.

Aleksandar Mihajlovic is an accomplished technology leader and entrepreneur specializing in secure data management and advanced computational solutions for the healthcare and life sciences sectors. Mihajlovic is a member of Upsilon Pi Epsilon (UPE) or the International Honor Society for the Computing and Information Disciplines, the Association for Computing Machinery (ACM), and the former vice president of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) chapter of the New York Institute of Technology. He demonstrated early leadership potential through his participation in the National Youth Leadership Forum with a focus on National Security in Washington, D.C. in 2004 where he led a team of young diplomats through simulated dialogs intended to resolve a simulated international conflict.

He earned his bachelor’s degree in Computer Science at the New York Institute of Technology (NYIT) in New York City (2005-2008) with a focus on information security before pursuing graduate studies in Bioinformatics at the Technische Universität München (TÜM) in Munich (2009-2012), where he specialized in genomic data analysis. He furthered his academic pursuits with doctoral research at the University of Belgrade (2014-2018), concentrating on mathematical modeling of tumor metastasis in lung cancer. His scholarly contributions have been published in prestigious scientific journals including Nature and Cell, establishing him as a recognized voice in computational biology and precision medicine.

His professional trajectory includes serving as a Bioinformatics Analyst and Education Coordinator at Seven Bridges Genomics, where he led the development of the Cancer Genomics Cloud (CGC) for the U.S. National Institutes of Health – National Cancer Institute (NIH-NCI), and founding Beogenomics d.o.o., a genomic biomarker discovery company in Belgrade, Serbia, which was successfully acquired by APIS Assay Technologies Ltd. of Manchester, UK in 2020.

As Head of Operations in Bioinformatics at Apis Assay Technologies Ltd. and founder of Persida Inc., Mihajlovic leads global teams in developing secure data management solutions and software systems with particular emphasis on genomic and health data security. His enterprises bridge the critical intersection of cybersecurity, healthcare innovation, and international collaboration, serving partners across the MedTech, BioTech, and BioPharma industries. His research interests encompass tumor profiling, mutation signatures, genomic fingerprinting of autocrine signaling pathways, and circulating tumor DNA for cancer diagnosis. Fluent in Serbian, English and German, Mihajlovic brings a unique combination of technical expertise, scientific rigor, and global perspective to advancing secure and ethical applications of health data in the digital age.

Suki Medenčević was born in Derventa 1964., Bosnia and Herzegovina, and studied at the renowned National Film School (FAMU) in Prague, where he earned his Masters Degree with Honors in cinematography. Since shooting his first feature film in the US in 1994, Suki has become a household name on feature length films, television projects and numerous commercials and documentaries. He keeps lecturing as an important part of his professional life and is currently teaching the art of cinematography at USC – School of Cinematic Arts, New York Film Academy in Los Angeles, and at the Global Cinematography Institute, a newly formed school founded by Vilmos Zsigmond, ASC and Yuri Neyman, ASC.

As a cinematographer, he has earned many international awards including a nomination for The Golden Frog at Camerimage 2004, International Film Festival of The Art Of Cinematography, and “The Best Photography Award” at Mostra di Valencia International Film Festival in Spain. Suki continues to explore cutting edge technology on a large variety of locations all over the world. In 2010, Suki became a member of the American Cinematographers Society, and is currently living and working in Los Angeles.For Suki  Steven Douglas Smith, Director of Photography and Cinematographer  from L.A. says „ Experienced and very talented Director of Photography.One of the Best in the World“. Married with Catalina and has two children. Speaks English, Czech  and Serbo-Croatian.

Nina holds a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), MAIR-MDip from The Australian National University, and a BA/Hons from The University of Western Australia, specializing in the analysis of domestic and foreign affairs, Australian military and diplomatic history, national security, and diverse areas of international relations. Her expertise encompasses Australia-European Union-United States relations, Australia-Asia engagements (including second-track diplomacy), as well as geopolitical dynamics in Eurasia and the Middle East. In addition to her academic accomplishments, Dr. Markovic-Khaze has built an impressive career in the private sector, where she co-founded Immunity Group Australia biotech company, worked as Director of Communications for Solve Law, served as a Human Rights Specialist at Home Migration Services, and held the role of foreign investment research analyst at Bemex, showcasing her ability to bridge scholarly insights with practical applications.

As an academic, Dr. Markovic-Khaze has lectured in International Relations, Diplomacy, and Security Studies at the University of New South Wales and Macquarie University, while also being a guest lecturer at LUISS University in Rome. Her reputation as an expert in the field is further reflected in her invitations to speak at over 100 academic conferences globally. Before transitioning into academia, Dr. Markovic-Khaze served as a Senior Parliamentary staff member specializing in European and Middle Eastern affairs, where she drafted speeches and provided strategic advice on foreign, defense, and security-related research.

Branislav Ž. Majstorović is attorney at law and the managing partner of Majstorović & Partners, a law firm that have been serving clients across the globe for more than half a century and throughout three generation of lawyers.

Branislav is the third generation of lawyers in his family, whose tradition of advocacy actually reaches to the early 19th century and heads the Corporate / M&A and Commercial practices. He is experienced in blockchain technologies, GDPR, IT outsourcing, clinical trials and IVF. Branislav specializes in commercial law across a range of industries, including the technology, media, telecommunications, pharmaceuticals and healthcare sectors. He regularly advises multinational clients on complex issues relating to commercial matters, regulatory risks and data protection/data privacy matters.

In addition to working with multinational clients, Branislav is also very active on the startup scene, working with emerging tech and web-focused companies. Another area of focus, in recent years, has been the harmonization of national legislation with EU law.

Živan B. Majstorović is attorney at law and the founding partner of Majstorović & Partners, a law firm that have been serving clients across the globe for more than half a century and throughout three generation of lawyers. He has over 40 years of experience advising corporates, financial investors and financial institutions on international M&A transactions, including private acquisitions and disposals, joint ventures, public takeovers and restructurings.

Zivan was the vice president of the Bar Association of Vojvodina in two terms (1994-2001) and was a panelist in European President’s Conference of the European Bar Associations and Law Societies (Europäische Präsidentenkonferenz, Vienna, Austria. Živan had been appointed legal adviser for civil and criminal areas on implementation of the Final Award to the Supervisor of Brcko District – Principal Deputy High Representative, the Office of the High Representative (OHR).

His experience includes advising OHR Team working within the framework of the USAID project: Local Governance Assessment and Policy Recommendations, USAID, 2003, Bosnia and Herzegovina, developing legislation and supporting the judicial reform in Brcko District, Bosnia and Herzegovina, drafting a number of laws and regulations including but not limited to the Law on Weapons and Ammunition, EU Programme, Brcko District, Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Nelson Lage has a degree in Political Science-International Relations and he is finishing an Executive Master in Management – Leadership Development, at Católica Lisbon School of Business & Economics. With more than 10 years of professional experience in the public sector, he worked in several Ministerial Cabinets as senior adviser and senior specialist in areas such as strategic communication, innovation, technology, energy, sustainable development, European policies and international affairs. During that time he has lead several international business missions and official visits and participated in the drawing of national strategic documents.  At this time he is Senior International Affairs Adviser of the CEO/Directorate General at the Portuguese National Energy Agency.

Nelson was also volunteer at International Amnesty Portugal, Spanish Red Cross and Youth Red Cross. He was also member of the board of the NGO ADBES – Association for Development and Social and Welfare and he still is a member of the board of Lux Vitae Association. In the last years Nelson received several special recommendations from members of the Portuguese Government, diplomatic representations and recently a Certificate of Appreciation from the President of the Republic of Macedonia, Dr Gjorge Ivanov, for the contribution as lecturer in his 7th “International Training for Young Leaders”. Nelson is a member of the Board of the Foundation Alliance of Civilizations in Macedonia.

Marijana is an economic expert by trade, having earned her BA and MA at the Belgrade Faculty for Economy, Finance and Administration (FEFA) Faculty. During her studies, she interned at the Societe Generale bank in Belgrade, the Foreign Investors’ Council, FEFA’s Promo Team and the Innovation Fund.

Marijana coauthored public policy paper “How to increase traffic security and raise awareness among the young” and wrote a paper on socially responsible business for the Belgrade 2015 CSR Forum. She also worked as a manager for corporative relations in the Economic Forum of the Young and worked hard to make the biggest conference on entrepreneurship among the young in cooperation with the Serbian Chamber of Commerce such a success.

She is very active in the Rotary organization in Belgrade – starting from chairing the Rotaract youth to full membership in the Rotary Club in Belgrade where she has held several positions. Marijana is employed in the Serbian Ministry of Interior Affairs and is a member of the International Police Association IPA.

Politician from the northern Serbian province of Vojvodina, which boasts of six official languages, Bojan is the Deputy President of the League of Socialdemocrats of Vojvodina (LSV).

Bojan is a member of the Serbian parliament, Deputy Chairman of the Parliamentary Committee for Defense and Home Affairs, member of the Committee for European Integration and member of the Committee for Legal and Political Affairs.

He is also member of the delegation to the Parliamentary Assembly of the Black Sea Region for Economic Cooperation.

Born in 1974, Bojan has a BS in economy but has been a politician and member of LSV all his adult life. He cofounded the LSV youth and LSV Women’s Forum. He founded and was the editor in chief of the LSV newspaper “Slobodna Vojvodina”. He was the chief of the elections campaign HQ in almost all election campaigns for the past 20 years.

Bojan moved steadily in the LSV ranks – from first secretary of a local chapter in Ecka, a little town in Vojvodina, within five years he became the LSV Executive Committee Chairman and LSV Secretary General. He was very active in the anti-Milosevic movement having been arrested 15 times in the 1999/2000 demonstrations.

He became a Serbian parliament deputy for the first time in 2000 and headed the LSV deputy club.

In 2004, Bojan became the youngest ever Speaker of the Vojovodina parliament saying his primary task is to “restore Vojvodina’s constitutional position” provoking anger in some rightist circles.

In 2008 he retuned again as deputy to the Serbian parliament and has been a member ever since. Bojan is staunch supporter of Serbia’s drive to become a member of the European Union. He is also very actively cooperating with other social democratic parties in former Yugoslavia and Europe.

Igor Kostic is a researcher, analyst, civil society activist, and Director of the Initiatives, a leading Serbian NGO. Born in late 1970s in Southern Serbia, Igor, educated in Serbia, Europe and the U.S., has over the past 20 years amassed a vast knowledge of strategic planning, project proposal development, and monitoring and evaluation. In 2007, out of hundreds of candidates, Igor got the opportunity to present his own work to the professors and master students at the Kennedy School of Government (Harvard University), and take back the necessary knowledge for his work.

Igor’s activity in civil society began within the famous anti-Milosevic Serbian student movement “Otpor” (Resistance) at the end of the 1990s, and continued in the Initiatives, he co-founded. Since 2000, Igor has been working on designing local projects and actions. As a result of coordinated activities of the Initiatives, local and national government institutions, and international organizations, Igor established the Business Incubator Center and Regional Development Agency, the first two development institutions in Southern Serbia. These two institutions were launched as joint bodies (public, private and civil sector) to help local community development.

Igor has worked with many international organizations, private foundations, and institutions from Europe, former Soviet republics, and the USA.

Recently, Igor’s focus is on exploring opportunities for cross-sectorial cooperation, development of programs based on long-term research and development of special projects for international bilateral donors in the field of youth employment, and effective programs for youth self-employment.

Damjan Jugovic, born in 1992, made his first youth activist steps in the student council  of the „Mihailo Petrovid Alas” Ugljevik high school as it president. He implemented a number of projects which boosted the development of his school, local community and the youth activist society on the whole. After that Damjan became the member of the Board of Governors of the High School Association of Bosnia-Herzegovina and led its international relations department. He represented the B-H Association in the High School Union of Europe (OBESSU). In the period between 2011and 2014,  Damjan was one of the five youth Ambassadors of Peace with the Council of Europe tasked with promoting peace, dialogue and tolerance among the young.

He received his Ma in security and peace studies in Sarajevo at the Faculty of Political Sciences. He was named the best student of his generation at the Sarajevo University. He contributed to the cooperation between Faculties of Political Sciences in Sarajevo, Mostar and Banja Luka and organized a number of conferences which built ties among the students and teaching staff. He is today a member of the Advisory Youth Group of the OSCE. He has won a scholarship from the Konrad Adenauer Foundation, a holds a Legion of Honor medal for promoting peace and reconciliation among the young. He has taken part in scores of conferences and seminars in the region. His focus of interest are international relations, security and education.

One of Serbia’s foremost experts in civil aviation and security, Goran is a legal regulation adviser in the Civil Aviation Directorate. Goran was born in 1964 in Zagreb where he also graduated and won his MA in law. He completed his bar exam in Belgrade in 1996. His career includes Deputy Secretary General of the Government of Serbia and member of the Board for the Legal System and State Organs of the Government of Serbia (2000-2004). In the same period Goran was a member of the Serbian Election Commission. Security and Safety Manager of the Belgarde Airport Nikola Tesla (2004-2009) and Deputy Director General of the Civil Aviation Directorate of Serbia (2009-2013).

He participated in scores of international conferences pertaining to civil aviation including: FAA Washington, 2005, Tel Aviv 2005,  EFAA Salzburg 2005, Prague 2006, FAA-TSA USA 2006, Osijek 2006,  Israel 2007,  EFAA Brussels 2007, ICAO-ECAC Kiev 2008, ECAC Strassbourg  2009, ECAC Paris 2009, EUROCONTROL Brussels 2009, ICAO Montreal 2010,  COSPAS SARSAT Montreal 2010, Koeln 2010, 2011, Wisbaden 2011, Aranđelovac 2012, Ankara 2012, Brussels 2012, Albourg 2012. He represented the CA Directorate in ICAO, ECAC, EUROCONTROL, EASA, COSPAS SARSAT, EC, SES,  ISIS.

Goran also trained in state administration at the State Administration Academy in Vienna in 2001, election systems at the British Association For Central and Eastern Europe, state administration in the Czech Ministry of the Interior, Prague, State and Local Administration, Ljubljana, Slovenia 2003, Public Administration, US Department of State, SAD, 2003, Management of Aviation Security“ – IATA Aviation Training and Development Institute, Geneva 2005, Civil Aviation Chief  Executives Programme, Singapore Aviation Academy 2010.

Igor Jovicic is the Secretary of the Serbian Ministry of Culture and Information since September 2013.

Igor was the State Secretary in the Serbian Ministry of Defense, June 2007- July 2012 (coordinating legislative activities under the jurisdiction of the MOD as well as the affairs related to personnel, social and pension insurance, veterans and the disabled care, housing education and training of the MOD and SAF personnel, conscription, work and material duty, democratic and civilian control, religious service, labor union forming by the professional members of the SAF, privacy, confidentiality and protection of personal information).

Served as Chairman of the Military Academy Board, Chairman of the MOD Personnel Committee, member of the Commission for decorations of the President of the Serbia, member of the Council of Relations with Serbs in the Region, member of the Serbian National Council for Co-operation with the ICTY, member of the Defense Planning Committee as well as the Scientific Research Committee, acted as the Republic Serbia representative at various international conferences and meetings in the relevant field of responsibility.

His various previous jobs include: editor for the social, economic and legal subjects and the assistant director of the legal department and human resources for commercial operations, Public Textbook Institute, Chief of Staff of DDOR ”Novi Sad” a.d.o. CEO, Secretary General of the Council of Ministers, Deputy Secretary General of the Federal Yugoslav Government, 2000-2003, Federal administrative inspector, Ministry of Justice, etc.

Born in 1964 in Zagreb where he graduated at the Faculty of Law, University of Zagreb in 1989 (thesis: Loan contract) and got Master degree and the same Faculty. He passed the Bar Exam in Belgrade in 1996. His specializations include: Venetian Committee, Council of Europe: Control of executive government: judiciary, parliamentary and ombudsman, Trieste, September 2001, British Association For Central and Eastern Europe: Forum for New Serbia, Refugees Integrations, London, July 2002, US Department of State, USA: Responsibility in state administration and management, US , September 2004, and notably – Ecole Nationale d’ Administration, Republique Francaise: Public government and human resources management, Belgrade – Paris, October 2005 – June 2006

Married, father of two children.

Violeta Jovanovic is the Executive Director of the National Alliance for Local Economic Development (NALED).  She joined NALED in 2007 as its first full-time employee when the organization was only several months old.  Under Violeta’s leadership, NALED grew to the organizations that it is today: one of the most important think-thanks in Serbia, employing 20 people in its Executive Office, and gathering over 160 members amongst which some of the biggest local companies and investors present in Serbia, majority of local governments, and a number of civil society organizations. NALED is the only organization in the region which gathers businesses, local governments, and civil sector with the goal to work together and influence positive changes to the business environment in Serbia. 

Prior to NALED, Violeta established the Ethno Network with the goal to preserve traditional Serbian handicrafts and combine them with modern design and a luxurious packaging to fit the contemporary industry standards.  The Ethno Network was established in May 2005, with the help of USAID, and is today a self-sustainable organization which provides livelihood to women across Serbia’s rural areas and, since 2008, produces gifts for the protocol of the Serbian Government.

Violeta is to this day the President of the Ethno Network.

Violeta possesses over ten years of experience in managerial positions within USAID programs of democratization and economic development, within which she worked on different projects in an effort to secure long-term support for the business community at large.

Katarina Jonev, born in 1987 in Belgrade, is an expert on cyber terrorism and one of the rare who is educating children and parents about Internet and social networks security and protection in this region.

A graduate from the Faculty of Political Sciences, University of Belgrade, at the age of 23, in international relations, she enrolled and completed her master studies of international public law at the Law Faculty in Belgrade. Since October, 2016 she has been PhD candidate at Faculty of Security Studies.

At the age of 10 she became the youngest ever journalist in Serbia. From 1997 to 2011 she worked for TV Studio B, Radio Television of Serbia, Radio Belgrade 202, Radio Stanka, wrote for daily newspapers Blic, daily newspaper Politika “Politika za decu”, Voždovačke novine, Novosadski Neven, Sportski Žurnal, magazin “Samo Partizan”, portal “Serbia Today”, etc.

Marija Jelic, the youngest member of EAST WEST BRIDGE, is the President of  Network for Business Development (an NGO) and Director of its affiliated project School of Business Skills designed to enable students adapt to working environment and requirements immediately upon graduation and develop in-study relations with potential hiring companies.

She was born in February 1993 and she currently studying Faculty of Electrical Engeneering University of Belgrade, focusing on  Physical Electronics. Marija also graduated from the Belgrade Musical High School in solo singing and flute. She is a Director of Marketing and Communications at New Belgrade Opera. After graduating from Mathemmatical Grammar School, she became one of the Administrator Alumni organization for former students of Mathematical Grammar School “ALMAGI“. During 4^th year of High School, she worked as PR Manager at School for Talents in Commercial Bank. As a teenager she had initiative to lead couple of projects and one of them is: “Dealing with the Past-Building the Future” supported by European Christian Political Movement. She was awarded Vuk Karadzic diploma, scholarships City Hall for gifted students, the award “Dositej” Young Talents Fund of the Ministry of Youth and Sports. Awards from the cast: short dramatic forms and theatrical performances in the monodrama “Upstart”, “Miss Julie,” “Master Class”. Prize in the competition from the literature, organized by the Serbian literary society for young people, for the story “Life is full of obstacles when you are without support” (published in the book Shortcut). Third prize at the festival of poetry and short stories, “Dusko Trifunovic”. Awards for scientific research Rutherford’s experiment at the Institute of Physics in Belgrade.

Serbia’s leading daily Politika’s Foreign Desk Editor, Bosko Jaksic is a journalistic thoroughbred, a frank and unfailing critic of foibles of authorities in Serbia and elsewhere – for the balance. He started off in Politika way almost 40 years ago, first as a junior reporter with the Metro Desk, moved up the world to the foreign desk  and then down to the destruction, carnage and misery of wars. He covered the killing fields of Kampuchea, Lebanon’s civil war, Islamic revolution in Iran, Soviet intervention in Afghanistan, Pakistan, India, Iran-Iraq war, First Gulf War,  the hunger in Ethiopia, Israeli-Palestinian conflict. For R&R, Bosko also covered European affairs, including Belgrade OSCE conference, OSCE Stockholm and Helsinki summits, Carter-Brezhnev Vienna summit and number of other European and world events.

Bosko was Politika’s Middle East correspondent in Cairo, 1987-1992  Politika’s Foreign Editor,  1992– 1993, Politika’s Editor in Chief, 1994-1994, Politika’s  Italy correspondent in Rome, 1994–1998, Politika’s Secretary General, 2000 – 2001, its Senior columnist,  2001-present and Foreign Desk editor since October 2010. He regularly contributes to BBC, Radio Free Europe, Al Jazeera TV and number of Serbian and Balkan region radio and TV stations.

He has interviewed scores of notables across the world including  Benazir Bhuto, Indira Gandhi, Sirimavo Bandaranaike, Leh Walesa, Yasir Arafat, Muamar Ghadafi, ayatollah Mohammad Ali Montazeri, King Hussein of Jordan, Gen. Kenan Evren, Rauf Denktash, Shimon Peres, Butros Ghali, Lord Karington, to name just a few.

Hristijan Ivanovski, born in 1979 in Macedonia, is a Research Fellow and a Research Assistant at the UM Centre For Defence and Security Studies (CDSS) & Associate Editor at Iaffairs Canada. He holds a B.A. (Hons) in Political Studies, specialization in International Relations at  Sts. Cyril and Methodius University, Iustinianus Primus Faculty of Law. Subsequently, he earned M.A. in Political Studies with an informal concentration in Strategic & Security Studies at University of Manitoba, Faculty of Graduate Studies, Department of Political Studies.

During his professional career, Hristijan has been predominantly involved in issues such as security, defense, immigration and EU integration. From 2005 to 2009 he was a Senior Coordination Officer at the Government of Macedonia, Secreteriat for European Affairs.

Hristijan made a direct contribution to national policy achievements such as the 2005 EU candidate status and the 2009 EU visa liberalization. Among other things, he Co-administered the financial dimension of the process of preparing the national version of Acquis Comminautaire. From 2011 he is a Research Assistant where he runs a European security project at the University of Manitoba. Hristijan also prepared prepared a thorough analysis on Canadian defence spending 1945-2011. Hristijan published over a dozen of papers and peer-reviewed scholarly articles internationally and he is a certified translator for English to Serbian/Macedonian/Croatian.

Ivan, a security expert, was born in Krusevac, Serbia in 1973 and studied Philosophy at the  Belgrade University. He lives and works in Mexico City since 1999 as CEO and Owner of Ayax Global Security Group which is specialized for VIP Protection, Anti–Terrorism, Anti- Kidnapping and Dangerous Human Behavior. Ivan is a member of ASIS International, ASIS Mexico and IFPO. He is certified CPO and CPOI by International Foundation for Protection Officers and has specialized in Dangerous Human behavior by ESI International. Ivan has given numerous lectures and conferences about VIP Protection, Anti- Terrorism and Anti-Kidnapping in Mexico, South America and USA. He is the author of scores of articles on the same subjects in specialized security magazines.

He was the Chairman of the Executive Protection Committee of ASIS Mexico from 2002- 2005 and has received numerous awards for significant contributions in improving Executive Security in Mexico.

Branko is a professional with experience in both military and civilian pharmaceutical sectors, a successful businessman, humanitarian, and member of the Rotary Club.

After twelve years of service in the Serbian Armed Forces within the pharmaceutical sector, he left the Institute of Pharmacy at the Military Medical Academy and transitioned into the civilian sector. He currently works as a consultant for several pharmaceutical companies across Serbia and the wider region.

He is actively engaged in the education and professional training of young physicians and pharmacists for careers in the pharmaceutical industry. He organizes accredited seminars and congresses throughout the Western Balkans, as well as internationally (including Turkey, Italy, Austria, Hungary, the Czech Republic, and others).

His professional focus is on fostering collaboration across different segments of the pharmaceutical and healthcare sectors, connecting leading domestic and international companies, civil society organizations, and relevant institutions. He is recognized as a driver of innovation and modern trends in the promotion of new pharmaceutical products in the Western Balkans.

As part of his humanitarian work, Branko has supported more than 200 charitable projects, assisting socially vulnerable groups. For his contributions, he has received numerous local and international awards.

He is a father of three and a proud grandfather of five grandchildren.

Ibro Ibrahimović, born in 1970, is the Secretary of the Executive Committee of the Socialist Party of Serbia, Novi Beograd, member of the Main Board of the SPS, member of the Council for Defense and Public Safety, member of the Laity Commission and member of the Board of the Partizan Sport Club.

A graduate economist, Ibro started his career in the leading Yugoslav foreign trading company GENERALEXPORT (Genex), acquiring extensive experience in international and domestic trade, hotel and catering industry. Later he started working for Modiano international sales company from Trieste, Italy and followed by the Heinz Tröber company based in Germany. Currently he is the Executive Director of the Tibar trade company.

Among other certificates and diplomas, he has a Diploma of the Center for Business Education of the Serbian Chamber of improving trade and transport in South East Europe. Throughout his career he was also engaged in charity work, donations to the orphanages, investment in training and renovation of schools and kindergartens as well as sports fields and halls.

Communications and European Union policy expert, think tank founder, Nordic and Baltic partner, author, moderator and coach.

With over twenty years’ experience in communications, public affairs and lobbying, Glen is the founder of the think tank Free Trade Europa, which focuses on promoting free trade, liberalization and the rule of law within the European Union and internationally. Glen was previously responsible for the Nordics, Baltics and Central & Eastern Europe within a leading international communications agency. Prior to this he worked for the European institutions as well as governments, blue-chip international companies, startups and NGOs as a lobbyist, strategist and communications advisor.

Glen was also the Secretary General of a European trade association for five years. Today, Glen is based in Stockholm and a respected commentator on European affairs, as well as a frequent presenter, moderator and panelist at European policy events. Glen is also a trainer and coach on policy and communications techniques for the public and private sectors.

James Gunn has over 25 years’ experience working in technology, media, financial advisory and property as both director and shareholder. One of several consultancy positions and directorships, he supports from Belgrade export growth to the United Kingdom and British inward investment. A British citizen and since 2008 a Serbian resident, he was educated in the United Kingdom and lived extensively abroad, including Spain, southern Africa and southeast Asia.

From his team’s Belgrade hub, James leads emerging markets’ corporate affairs and investor relations programmes for companies and governments internationally, and provides company representation services for several inward investors to SE Europe. His sector experience includes defence, government and commercial diplomacy, pharmaceuticals, mining, technology and telecoms, media, financial advisory and property.  He has also worked and undertaken education in the United Kingdom, South Africa, Thailand and Spain where he lived for extended periods.

James commenced his management consulting career in South East Asia supporting infrastructure development and environmental projects.  In Serbia his mandates include European Union lobbying in the defence, infrastructure development, mining and renewable energy sectors for US, UK and Israeli companies; as well as issues management consulting for a Big Four audit firm. His professional delivery of advisory services has been recognised by several public, professional and academic bodies including the Criminal Justice Board and Public Relations Consultants Association in the UK.  He is a frequent guest lecturer at leading educational institutions; serves as chairman or director of several charities; and mentors several start-up businesses.  In 2015, James was appointed vice-chairman of the British Society of Serbia.

Faruk, born in 1983, is a computer expert, currently a research assistant in the Department of Computer Engineering at the Atatürk University, Turkey. He received his B.Sc. degree in the Department of Electrical-Electronic Engineering from the Erciyes University. Faruk was a transmission department engineer in Türk Telekom Corporation, 2007-2010.

He received his M.Sc. degree in the Department of Electrical-Electronic Engineering, at the Atatürk University. Also, he received his second M.Sc. degree in the Department of Computer Engineering, at the Karadeniz Technical University. Currently, he is a PhD student in same department. His current research interests are in the fields of hardware, wireless communications, optical communications and wireless sensor networks.

Faruk has served as Board member of Turkish Atlantic Council since 2012. Moreover, he is also a member of several Turkish and world-wide think tanks and foundations. He has published and presented scores of papers in scientific magazines and conferences at prestigious institutions all over the world.

Željko Gajić, born in 1981, is a graduate economist, an expert on private security and business management. A member of the International Bodyguard Security Services Association (IBSSA), he has been engaged in professional private security for many years. IBSSA is present in 120 countries around the world, with over 50,000 active members.

IBSSA Anti Human Trafficking Project (IBSSA AHTP) was established in February 2017 at the regular IBSSA congress held in Sarasota (Florida). It now has 30 offices and bureaus in 26 countries across the world. Due to his outstanding results in the field of private security, Zeljko has been appointed director of EU operations IBSSA AHTP and currently manages the work of 18 European bureaus, including the one in Serbia which he founded. It includes prominent members from the field of government security, fight against human trafficking, as well as experts in the field of terrorism and anti-terrorism.

Zeljko is the owner of a private company, a Knight of the Sovereign Order of Saint John of Jerusalem, Knight of Malta, Federation of the Autonomous Priories (KMFAP – Knight Commander of Magisterial Guard of the Sovereign Order of Cyprus, Knight of Sword and Silence), a Lieutenant Colonel of the Hungarian National Guard, a member of the Europolice Federation, and a former member of the military police.

Alexander Felsing is the Founder and Managing Partner of Adamas Advisors, a company specializing in strategic consultancy, banking compliance, corporate and wealth structuring in Andorra. He has attained his M.A. at Cambridge University as an Army scholar and graduated as well from Royal Military Academy. He is a retired British army Captain.

During his professional career, Alexander has been active throughout the world, primarily on executive positions as well as in banking and portfolio management. Prior to establishing Adamas Advisors, he has been an Executive Director at Andbank Group, the largest banking group in Andorra. His primary focus were strategic clients as well as Russia and Central Asia. He was covering the same region at the position of Managing Director. In addition, he was a real estate investor, primarily focusing on Los Angeles, Mauritius and Barcelona for seven years. He left the banking industry in 2005 from a position of Managing Director at Deutsche Bank London. Previously he served as a country head of German private banking at J.P. Morgan Private Bank as well as portfolio manager at Baring Private Investment Management.

Alexander is a passionate 4*4 driver and his hobbies include adventure travel, tennis and history. He is fluent in English, German, Spanish and French with good knowledge in Italian and basic in Arabic and Russian.

Sergej Dojčinović, born in Belgrade, is a political advisor and lobbyist based in London. He holds a joint degree in Economics and in International Relations from the University of Amsterdam (UvA) and in Politics and Political Communications from the London School of Economics (LSE).

He began his career in the global private intelligence sector working for Vantage Intelligence, an international intelligence consultancy based in London. His role encompassed providing strategic counsel and actionable insights to both state and non-state entities across Europe, the Middle East, Africa, and Asia, focusing on advisory in areas such as dispute resolution, asset recovery, and high-profile arbitration cases.

Presently, Sergej is a consultant in the PA Group, a prestigious London-based international political advisory firm. He offers political, diplomatic, and communication guidance to heads of state, governments, multinational corporations, as well as private individuals and offices across Europe, Asia, Africa, and the Middle East.

He advised multiple heads of state in the Balkans, aiding in their election and re-election campaigns while assisting governments in navigating Western media landscapes effectively and connecting them with key stakeholders in London, Paris, and Brussels.

He is the Co-Founder of London-based humanitarian organization Srpsko Dobrotvorno Drustvo (Serbian Charity Society).

Following his education in economics, Ahmet Doğan has worked in London in the financial sector and insurance industry for over five years and has gained experience in fund management, underwriting and risk analysis.

He is the Founder and Managing Partner of Sigma Business Services Corp USA, Sigma Media International, Sigma Insight Turkey and Sigma Risk Consultants, a multinational group of companies active in defence, security, media and digital publishing. Mr Dogan at the same time acts a senior advisor to a number of international organizations, corporations as well as government agencies.

For the last twenty-five years he has participated in developing, securing and managing the public affairs and government relations for projects in energy, defence, infrastructure, transportation, telecommunications and industrial plants and facilities.

Born in Izmir in 1968, he is a Turkish citizen and as of 2015, focuses on providing objective and fair news on political, societal and foreign policy issues of Turkey through an independent news portal at sigmaturkey.com.

Lawyer by education and a veteran diplomat to key posts, Ambassador Davidovic holds a LLM degree in International Law and currently is a PhD candidate in international public law. After having served as a Chief of Staff to the Prime-Minister of the Republic of Srpska, Davidović, spent the largest part of his career as a diplomat – as the Ambassador to the USA, Ambassador-at-Large and the Chief Negotiator with the EU for the SAA, Ambassador to the OSCE and the UN Office in Vienna and the Ambassador-Head of Mission.

Currently, Igor is a Counselor to the Speaker of the Republic of Srpska Parliament in charge for foreign policy of Bosnia and Herzegovina to the EU in Brussels. He attended and completed numerous courses and professional training in country and abroad in areas of international relations, public diplomacy, international organizations and international contractual law. He is the author of scores of scientific articles published in various magazines and books in field of the international law and international relations. Married, father of two daughters.

Gabriel is a  Director of California University (Los Angeles)  in Brazil and  Rector of  Logos University  in the city of Manhumirim – Minas Gerais (Brazil).  As a  Doctor he specialized in psychoanalysis and the traditional Chinese medicine. He used to work as for many years as the secretary of the city government of  Manhumirim in Brasil were he has organized hundreds humanitarian programs to help the children and youth. After he  got  his Ph.D in Psychoanalysis at Emill Brunner -Florida World University (USA) in 2012., Gabriel has developed a new model of E-learning  for Brasil, with a aim to help poor people  obtain a better education.  For all his efforts Gabriel was awarded a special consultative status with a Brasilian Government, in recognition of his professional and humanitarian work.

Lopes is also the Honorary Founder of the World Academy of Human Sciences. – Diplomatic Corps Recognized by the UN / Director of DEIPS – Economics Division, Research and Health Prevention of L’Assemblée Citoyenne Européenne (France) / Member of the Association Française de Psychanalyse Evolutive (France) / Special Adviser to the exchange with psychoanalysis schools worldwide – Association Française de Psychanalyse Evolutive (France). He is married and has one son. Speaks fluently Portuguese, Spanish and English.

Zoran is one of the leading business and financial experts in the region, specialized in the food, beverage and distribution sector. Born in 1961 in Belgrade, a Serbian and Slovenian citizen, Zoran is the Atlantic Group Director of Central finance for Serbia and Macedonia. The AG is the largest producer and distributor of snacks, savory, coffee, beverages and food products in this part of Europe.

In 2015 he was appointed Integration Manager for one of the leading Serbian food companies, Foodland, to oversee its smooth inclusion into the Atlantic Group. From 2008 to 2011 Zoran was PepsiCo Intl. (Marbo) CFO West Balkans and from 2005-2008 Pernod Ricard Srbija d.o.o. (former Allied Domecq Agencies) General Manager. From 2002 to 2005 he was Allied Domecq Agencies d.o.o. Managing Director and before that from (1997 to 2002) its Finance&HR Director. Zoran worked in the NEA d.o.o. company as Finance Manager, Kriko d.d. company, and the Komet company.

Zoran was the Project Manager of the BPS (Banking Payment Systems) VISA card, VISA International, and sales executive in Iskra Delta Computers, Ljubljana. Zoran graduated from the School of Economics, Department of economic statistics and cybernetics, University of Belgrade where he was also appointed its Vice-Chancellor of Belgrade in 1983-85. Zoran also attended professional training courses, including INSPIRE program for Leadership for Atlantic Group, IEDC Bled 2012/13, Finance consolidation trainings Paris Dec 2005, Dec 2006.  Finance training: Introduction of IFRS and differences to UK GAAP, Frankfurt 2005, Reporting in high inflation economies; Bucharest January 2001, Company trainings for Budgeting&Reporting 1998-2000, Bristol, Investment Projects, Brioni, 1989, Export Marketing, Brdo, Kranj 1987. Business communication, Nova Gorica, 1987. He is an avid mountain climber.

Ms. Cruikshanks has over 25 years of public diplomacy and strategic communications experience. Having worked for the Foreign and Commonwealth Office in London and in Brussels, she then joined Hill & Knowlton International in Brussels. She built the public affairs client base there over a time period of 21 years to being the biggest consultancy on the Brussels scene.  In addition, she had the role of Head of Hill & Knowlton’s global public affairs practice bringing together public affairs practitioners from all over the world.

Elaine has worked for a number of governments and international organisations such as the Global Fund, the Gates Foundation, Temasek (Singapore Sovereign Wealth Fund), the governments of Botswana, Republika Srpska, Dubai, Maldives and Turkey.

Ms Cruikshanks served as a Board Member on the American Chamber of Commerce to the EU from 1998-2008. She was also a founding member of the European Public Affairs Consultancy Association. She currently serves on the Advisory Board of the Euractiv Foundation.

Since January 2010, she is the owner and managing director of Elaine Cruikshanks Consulting, an independent consultancy specialised in providing strategic advice and public affairs and public relations support to governments, associations, corporations and NGO’s.

Duncan has been engaged with the Balkans for over twenty years. He has established business interests in the region as well as a wide network of contacts and associates.

A graduate of the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst he served as a British Army officer for twelve years and as part of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office for five. During his latter service from 2005 – 2000 he was attached to the Office of the High Representative in Sarajevo and was part of the Kosovo Verification Mission under OSCE in Pristina.

Having studied International Relations at Cambridge University he continues to be a contributor to a variety of media organisations. He is the CEO of Henderson Risk Limited, a global security risk management provider operating primarily in Latin America, Africa, the Middle East and South East Europe.

Nenad Bogdanovic is Serbian-born Cypriot cultural worker and musician. After the graduation from Kragujevac Music School, he studied accordion on the National Music Academy of Ukraine in Kiev. He obtained MA in Cultural Managemet from Northumbria University (UK) in 2007. He is permanently resident in Limassol, Cyprus since 2001. Currently, he is the Executive Director of Cyprus Symphony Orchestra Foundation, managing national symphony and youth symphony orchestras of the island.

Nenad worked as CEO of Cultural Movement of Limassol EPILOGI – Jeunesses Musicales Cyprus and Dance House Limassol. He played major role in establishing the Euro-Arab Youth Music Centre, which is a joint venture of Jeunesses Musicales International, Arab Academy of Music (of the League of Arab States) and Cultural Movement “Epilogi”. Nenad managed various projects for youth in music funded, among others, by EU “Culture” and “Youth in Action” Programmes, Anna Lindh Foundation, European Cultural Foundation and Cyprus Ministry of Education and Culture. Nenad served as Board member of Jeunesses Musicales International (2008-2014) and from 2013  serves on the Board of the European Music Council.

Nenad is fluent in Serbian, English, Greek, Russian and Ukrainian languages. He is married and has two daughters.

Marko Blagojevic is the Director of Office for Reconstruction of Flooded Regions, appointed by the Serbian Prime Minister in 2014 when catastrophic floods took lives and destroyed thousands of homes in Serbia, totaling over a billion euros in damages.

Born in 1974, Marko is an expert in social marketing and communications, campaigning, strategic planning and tactics and election monitoring. Marko is the founder of the Center for Free Elections and Democracy (CeSID), since August 1997, Member of the Board of Directors and Communications Director of the Center and its Director of Operations. CeSID is a top public opinion poll and market research agency in the region.

Marko is also Lecturer at the Department for Political Marketing of the Faculty for Media and Communications, Singidunum University in Belgrade and PR & Communications Consultant for the SVA/Luna advertising agency, Serbian partner of TBWA.

Marko was since 2000 to 2008 the Campaign Director of supporting election campaigns (motivation and recruiting campaigns) and from January 2003 to January 2008 member of the Board of Directors of the Fund for an Open Society, Serbian branch of the Soros Foundation. In his rich career Marko has worked as a contracted consultant for OSCE, NDI, Soros Foundation and Freedom House, on projects in Serbia, Georgia, Azerbaijan, Macedonia, Romania, Hungary, Bulgaria, Russia and Montenegro. He was very active as student leader in the anti-Milosevic struggle: in 1997 he was the founder and spokesperson of the first Students’ parliament of the Belgrade University, member of the Board of the Students’ Protest (as a representative of the Law Faculty), and also of the Legal board of Students’ protest.

Santosh Biodari founded the organization Peace for People in Nepal in 2009 to help steer the transition process in his country to one that is based on, justice, peace and sustainability.

He was only 15 years old started social work in a local social welfare youth society.

The turbulent times of the Maoist insurgency between 1996 and 2006 convinced him that the media is a key tool for the gathering and distribution of information that will especially benefit in understanding the roots, thereby the cure, of conflict. Bidari studied Mass Communication and Journalism in college, after which he pursued his journalistic instincts as publisher and senior editor at newspapers Vaskar Pakshik and Gadatantirk Bihani.

Peace for People conducts peace education, encourages reconciliation, tolerance and a culture of peace in cities. Bidari is also the Country Coordinator of Master Peace and Advisory Council member of International City of Peace.

Writer, consultant and lecturer, passionate about foreign affairs, entrepreneurship, and writing, Elmira has spent the past two decades working on foreign policy, international development, and with startups worldwide. Today, she does both as a writer, speaker, consultant, lecturer, and co-founder. In 2013, she co-founded Foreign Policy Interrupted, an education and media startup dedicated to increasing female foreign policy voices in the written and electronic press. She is also a visiting fellow at the New America Foundation, and a lecturer at New York University. Her book, From the Other Side of the World: Extraordinary Entrepreneurs, Unlikely Places was released on September 8, 2015 (published by Public Affairs). It is a book that looks at the growth of innovation beyond Silicon Valley, focusing on talented individuals around the world who have overcome insurmountable obstacles to lead high-growth businesses.

In 2002, she left a cushy job in New York’s private sector for Sarajevo, Bosnia-Herzegovina. There, she served as the Chief Spokesperson for the OSCE Mission. From 1994-2000 she was presidential appointee at the State Department, working for Madeleine Albright and Richard Holbrooke, respectively. From 2011-2013, she wrote about global innovations and entrepreneurship in a weekly column entitled, Entreventures, on Forbes.com. She has also contributed to the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Reuters, Foreign Affairs, VentureBeat, The Huffington Post, and MIT’s Innovations Journal. In 2010, she co-authored a study for Pakistan’s Planning Commission on entrepreneurship, entitled: “Creating a Place for the Future.”

Proudly from Brooklyn, pre-hipsters, she loves yoga, Turkish simit, and the New York Mets.

Can Baydarol who born in 1958 graduated from Galatasaray High School in 1978. He first graduated from in Principal Sciences Faculty of Boğaziçi University and then International Relations Department of The Political Sciences Faculty of Ankara University. He also studied Political Sciences in France.

He worked as a research expert in Foundation for Economic Development (IKV), Director for European Surveys in Piar Gallup and wrote in Finansal Forum Newspaper.

He has given lectures on Turkey- EU relations, customs union, and basic principals of the European Law, European policies, consistency to acquis communitaire for candidate countries, European integration process and contemporary issues in Istanbul, Istanbul Bilgi, Galatasaray, Marmara, Istanbul Ticaret and Kültür Universities.
Can Baydarol wrote 10 books and several researches and reports published on EU issues, attended several conferences, panel discussions, study seminars, TV and radio programs on Turkey- EU relations and European policies. He speaks English and French.

Current Serbian Ambassador to Israel, Zoran is a foreign policy and communications expert. He moved to New York city in 1982 where he initially pursued Ph. D. in comparative politics and later made a stellar career in marketing and corporate communications. He was part of the team which successfully branded the “Yugo Mania” – first ever sales of a developing world mass-produced car on the U.S. market. In early 1991 he moved to the U.S. pharmaceuticals company ICN with interests across Eastern Europe and China. When ICN’s CEO, Milan Panic, became the Prime Minister of Yugoslavia in 1992 Zoran served as his chief of staff. Despite maintaining family residence in the U.S., Zoran has been active in Serbian political and administrative affairs ever since.

Zoran has held a number of senior government positions in Yugoslavia and later Serbia: Chief of Staff to the Prime Minister, Secretary General of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Secretary General of the Ministry of Environmental Protection, etc. His main area of expertise is political analysis and marketing; he was the manager for Panic’s historic Serbian election campaign against Slobodan Milosevic. Zoran has proven himself to be an experienced hands-on manager with ability to communicate across cultural and hierarchical boundaries.

Zoran is also a resourceful negotiator and has advised a number of stakeholders on negotiating strategies involving cross-cultural sensitivities. He usually commutes between San Diego, Belgrade, Munich , Podgorica and now Tel Aviv. As of late 2011, he has assumed the post of Serbia’s Ambassador to Israel.

Vladan Atanasijević is a leading Serbian IT expert with a reputation that well surpasses the region. He is a member of the Asseco SEE Board of Governors and Integration Systems Director. He is also the Chairman of the Board of Governors of the National Alliance for Local Economic Development (NALED).

Born in Kragujevac in 1967, he attended technical faculties in Zagreb and Belgrade. Vladan has over 20 years of experience in the IT sector, working on projects involving large information systems for the government and both the public and financial sectors. He also has 15 years of experience in managing leading IT companies at the Serbian market.

He began his career in the Zastava company, Kragujevac, where he moved up the ladder from the position of manager of the organization system development department to the company’s telecommunications Executive Director. He founded his own start-up company, Virtual Team, in 2001 producing software for regional and global leaders. Five years later the company was merged into Hermes SoftLab, of Slovenia, and Vladan ran the Serbian branch. After being the head of ComTrade Spinnaker New Technologies for one year, he moved to the leading IT company in the region, Asseco SEE, to the position of Integration Systems Director, a post he occupies today. His cooperation partners are banks, state organs and institutions and large systems.

Vladan has won numerous awards, including Microsoft World Wide Award twice, Manager of the Year awarded by the Business Journalists Club, Manager of the Year awarded by The Serbian Chamber of Commerce, Best Start-Up Investment in Serbia Award and many others.

Vladan is also very active in a number of business and manager’s associations and is involved in economic development and manager profession promotion. He was appointed NALED Chairman of the Board of Governors in 2013: he is a founder of the Serbian Managers Association (SAM): deputy Chairman of the IT Experts Society of Serbia (DIS); member of the American Chamber of Commerce (AmCham), member of the Advisory Board of EMC company, etc.

Rza is a private banker, Wealth Manager, at the ANDBANK, Escaldes-Engordany, Principality of Andorra, in direct contact with HNWI from Central Asia, Caucasus, Russia, Ukraine, Turkey, Greece and Lebanon. Rza is also the Deputy Secretary General of the influential Nizami Ganjavi International Center promoting Learning, Tolerance, Dialogue & Understanding whose influence has long since surpassed the Azerbaijan borders. The NGIC has successfully organized the Baku International Fora for the past three years turning it into a must-attend annual event on the world policy discussion agenda, drawing scores of current and former heads of state or government and hundreds of academicians.

After receiving his Master of Arts in Diplomacy and International Affairs in 2011 at the Azerbaijan Diplomatic Academy, Baku, Azerbaijan (a double Major: Conflict Resolution and Security Studies; Caspian Basin Studies) Rza got his PhD in Economy in 2013 at the Academy of Public Administration. He won the prestigious Good Will Ambassador Award from the US Congress and Children Uniting Nations in recognition of international support to the welfare of children and the fight against trafficking. He is the Special Envoy of “Children Uniting Nations”, World Academy of Arts and Sciences – Junior Fellow and a very active participant in Club of Rome and Club de Madrid meetings.

He was previously a financial adviser, private banker at Credit Andorra SA, Andorra La Vella, Principality of Andorra, Founder and Director of ST Ventures LLC, Baku, Development Officer at the Azerbaijan Diplomatic Academy, Baku, Adviser, Youth Delegate from the Republic of Azerbaijan to the United Nations, New York, during which time he had delivered a speech at the UN General Assembly Economic and Social Committee (ECOSOC) and produced the Draft UN Resolution on Policies and Programs Involving Youth. He was also a Development Officer at the American University, School of International Affairs, Washington DC, Executive Assistant to the Dean of the Azerbaijan Diplomatic Academy, Baku, Intern at the Embassy of the Republic of Azerbaijan in the USA, Washington DC, Research Assistant at the Atlantic Council, Washington DC, focusing on the energy issues, Azerbaijan, Turkmenistan and China. Rza, only 26 years old, speaks Azerbaijani, Russian, English, Spanish and Turkish.

Dr.sci.Kenan Ademovic, attorney at law, was born in 1971 in Sarajevo where he finished six grades of the Elementary School. He lived in Egypt where he finished Elementary School in CAC (Cairo American College). He finished High School in Ethiopia as he lived there at that time. He completed the Faculty of Law in Sarajevo, as well as his first Masters degree at the University of Sarajevo at the Faculty of Law. The second Master Thesis he obtained at the University of Bologna and London School of Economics.

He obtained his PhD at the University of Sarajevo, at the Faculty of Law and the theme of this thesis was: “European Constitution and perspectives of B&H towards European Integrations” and gained the title of the Doctor of Laws.Since 2007. he is working as a partner in the Law Firm Filipovic-Ademovic. The Filipovic Ademovic  Law Office is representing both national and international companies in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Kenan is the 5th generation of attorneys at law on his mother’s side and forth on his father’s side. Kenan’s great-grandfather was an Attorney at law back in the late 1883. He is as well an Assistant Professor for scientific filed “Administrative Law”, “Business Law” and “State and International Public Law” and gives lectures at several Universities. He worked as an legal expert in several projects of the European Commission. As well he worked in OHR in the Brcko District, in OSCE, then in Soros Foundation as a coordinator in the Legal Center of the Soros Foundation. Recently Kenan was involved in one of the USAID’s projects “Justice Project in B&H” (2015). He was a elected representative in the Sarajevo Canton from 2010 to 2014. At the present he is not active politically. Kenan is fluent in English language and author of two books, many article regarding legal matters, etc.

Özgün Akkaymak, born in 1986, is a political scientist and political communication expert, currently the CEO of Victory Alpha Advertising and Communication Co.,Turkey.

He received his bachelors degree at  the Faculty of Economic and Administrative Sciences, Yeditepe University. He graduated from subliminal sales and marketing program at the Sapienza Università in Italy.

He worked on several subliminal sales and marketing projects during his education in Italy. Akkaymak was hired by CNN TURK and Kanal D on the documentary desk, as an editor. During his career, Akkaymak did a lot of documentaries about national and international political issues. In 2010, he left the media industry and began  to work on political communication strategies and political campaigns. Through this process he founded Victory Alpha Advertising and Communication Co. in 2014.

Akkaymak is a member of several local and world-wide think-tanks and foundations.

Drasko T. Acimovic, born in 1965 in Banja Luka, Bosnia-Herzegovina, studied in Austria and Bulgaria, is an expert in insurance affairs, is the new B-H Ambassador to Belgium, appointed in early 2016.
He won his MA at the Economic Faculty of the Svishtov State University in Bulgaria and got his Phd at the State Mariopul University in Ukraine.

He is a member of the UTA Academy in Ukraine.
Drasko participated in the reform of the insurance markets in Eastern Europe and was a member of the Board of Governors of the Austrian Insurance Society. He headed the project involving the development of the biggest company in financial mediation in eastern Europe “Eurolife” with 35,000 employees in 11 countries for the Swiss OC Occident company in cooperation with the giants like AiG (USA), Allianz (De) and others.

He is the Chairman of the Supervisory Board of the Eurolife Group in Ukraine, partnered with Aegon of The Netherlands and  PZU of Poland.
He holds the St. Michael award for development of spiritual values awarded by the Patriarch of Ukraine, as well as several other awards.
He speaks five languages and was the Honorary Consul of Ukraine in Austria from 2011 to 2015.
His novel “The East is not that Close” was published in Serbia in 2014.

Professor at the National University of Sciences and Technology, Pakistan, Haider Abbas is a Cyber Security professional, academician, researcher and industry consultant, trained and certificated at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), USA, Stockholm University, Sweden, Stockholm School of Entrepreneurship, Sweden, IBM, USA and EC-Council.

Abbas has been appointed by Springer as full-time Regional Editor for the Neural Computing and Application (ISI-Indexed, Q1, IF 4.2) for all submission from Iran and Pakistan. He is also serving as full-time Associate Editor for the IEEE Communication Magazine and as an adjunct Faculty Member at Florida Institute of Technology, United States. He is the principal advisor for several graduate and doctoral students at Florida Institute of Technology, United States, Manchester Metropolitan University, United Kingdom, National University of Sciences and Technology, Pakistan, King Saud University, KSA, and Al-Farabi Kazakh National University, Kazakhstan.

Dr. Abbas has received several research grants totaling US$180+ million for ICT related projects from various research funding authorities and has been working on scientific projects in US, EU, KSA and Pakistan. Abbas has received awards from National and International organizations including Research Productivity Award from PCST, Best researcher award from MCS, NUST, CyberPatriot from US Air Force Association, USA and Research Excellence from COEIA, KSA. He has been named as one of the youngest Fellows of The Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET) UK; a Fellow of The British Computer Society (BCS), UK and a Fellow of The Institute of Science and Technology, UK. He has also been elected to the grade of Senior Member of Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE), USA.

Mladen is the Chairman of the Board at TCCA, the most influential global association leading the development and promotion of standardised critical communications solutions for mission and business critical users. A telecommunication professional for 37 years, Mladen covered many jobs: from installation and maintenance engineer, embedded software designer, quality assurance manager to large scale project management, different key expert consultancy positions and senior management in leading international associations and organizations.

With a MA degree from the Faculty of Electrical, Electronic and Communications Engineering of the Belgrade University, Mladen also worked, inter alia, as Vice-President, Vice-Chair of Advisory Board and Vice-Chair of Operations Committee of EENA, the European Emergency Number Association, a non-governmental organisation focused on improving people’s safety & security. He is also a member of the Editorial Advisory Board of the Crisis Response Journal, Dorking, England, United Kingdom, Public Safety Specialist at Motorola Solutions and a key telecommunications expert in Geneva Centre for Security Sector Governance (DCAF) and so on.

Goran Svilanovic, former Minister for Foreign Affairs of Serbia and Montenegro, has just been appointed Secretary General of the Regional Cooperation Council, in June 2012. Before this, he was the Co-ordinator of OSCE Economic and Environmental Activities and the Chairman of the Working Table I of the Stability Pact for South Eastern Europe and a member of the Serbian Parliament since 2004.

Active in politics for more than a decade, Mr. Svilanovic was a member of the Upper Chamber of the Federal Parliament of Serbia and Montenegro from 2000-2003, President of the Civic Alliance of Serbia from 1999-2004, and before that the party’s Vice President (1998) and Spokesperson (1997). From 1989-1998 he was a Teaching Assistant at the Law School, University of Belgrade.

Mr. Svilanovic also served on the International Commission on the Balkans, and in 2004 was the Laureate of the Sasakawa Foundation Prize for the Young Future Leaders of the World. Mr. Svilanovic has worked with a number of non-governmental organizations, including the Centre for Anti-War Action, the Belgrade Center for Human Rights, and the Center for Advancement of Legal Studies. He has published many articles and books on civil procedure and civil law, as well as on the legal status of refugees and issues relating to citizenship.

GORAN SVILANOVIC was born in 1963, Gnjilane, (Serbia) SFR Yugoslavia,

Employments

• 2008 – Coordinator of OSCE Economic and Environmental

Activities, OSCE Secretariat, Vienna

• 2008 – Union University, Law School
• 2007–2008 – Belgrade center for Human Rights
• 2000–2007 – Member of Parliament of Serbia
• 2000–2004 – Minister of Foreign Affaires, Government of Yugoslavia/

Serbia and Montenegro

• 1998–2000                Mikijelj-Jankovic, lawyer’s office
• 1989–1998                Teaching Assistant, University of Belgrade, Law School, Belgrade

Key professional achievements

• 2008 – Coordinator of OSCE Economic and Environmental Activities
• 2007–2008    Consultant for South East Europe, UNECE, Geneva
• 2004–2007    Chair, Working Table on Human Rights and Democracy (WT I), Stability Pact for South East Europe;
• 2002-2004       President, National Council for Cooperation with The International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY);
• 2000-2003 – Member of the Upper Chamber of the Federal Parliament of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia;

• 2004–2006 – Member of the Parliament of Serbia;
• 2000-2004 – Minister of Foreign Affairs of Yugoslavia/Serbia and Montenegro

• 1999-2004 – President, Civic Alliance of Serbia, political party

Committees

• 2008 – Council for European Integration, Government of Serbia
• 2007 – Council for Foreign Relationship, MFA Serbia
• 2006 – Traveling Ambassador for the follow up of the Zagreb declaration, on behalf of the Council of Europe and the Stability Pact for SEE
• 2006 – Member Advisory Board, Center for European Perspective, Ljubljana, Slovenia
• 2006-2008 – Member Advisory Board, Office for the EU integration, Government of Serbia, Belgrade, Serbia
• 2005-2006 – Senior Review Group (formed to propose reform of the Stability Pact for SEE)
• 2004-2006 – Member of The International Commission on the Balkans (so called Amato Commission)
• 1995-1999 – President of the Council for Human Rights of the Center for Anti-War Action, Belgrade, national affiliation of the Federation Internationale des Ligues des Droits de l’Homme, Paris, (F.I.D.H.)
• 1993-1996 – Founder and the coordinator of the legal service “SOS Hotline for the victims of ethnic, religious, national, political and labor discrimination”, conducted by the Center for Anti-War Action, Belgrade
• 1989-1991 – Associate, Yugoslav Forum for Human Rights (Chaired by Prof. Vojin Dimitrijevic)

• 2004 – Member of the Board, Belgrade Fund for Political Excellence

• 1995-1999 – Member of the Board, Center for Antiwar Action, Belgrade

Conferences

• 2005 – UNESCO Protection and Preservation of Cultural Heritage in Kosovo – International Donors Conference, Paris, France
• 2004 – UNECE Regional Preparatory Meeting for Beijing + 10, Geneva, Switzerland
• 2002/2003 – United Nations Commission of Human Rights
• 2002 – The World Summit on Sustainable Development, Johannesburg, South Africa
• 2001 – World Conference against Racism, Racial Discrimination, Xenophobia and related Intolerance, Johannesburg, South Africa

• 2005 – 6^th Global Forum on Good Governance, Seoul, Korea

• 2002 – Communities for Democracy, Seoul, Korea

Education

 

• 2008 – PhD with the Thesis: “Substantial Legal Effects of the Civil Court

Decisions”, Union University, Law School, Belgrade

• 1994 – European Peace University, Staadtschlaining, Austria

• 1993 – Masters degree with the thesis ”The Reasons for the Repetition of the Civil Litigation Procedure”, Law School, University of Belgrade

• 1991 – Europa Institute, University of Saarland, Germany
• 1989 – Institute for Human Rights, Strasbourg, France
• 1987 – Graduated from Law School, University of Belgrade

Books

• Roma in Serbia, editor and co-author, 1997, Center for Anti-War Action
• Proposal for the Repetition of the Litigation Procedure, (Wiederaufnahmegruende in Zivillprozess) University of Belgrade, Law School, 1996
• The problem of Citizenship in Yugoslavia,  co-author, Project sponsored by UNHCR, Belgrade, 1995
• Split up of former Yugoslavia, Legal consequences, and co-author (chapter on international legal aid between newly established states on the territory of former Yugoslavia, and chapter on Hereditary Law consequences after the split up of the country), University of Belgrade, Law School, 1995

Articles

• Evidences obtained through violation of Personal Rights, Pravni zivot (Legal Life Magazine), Belgrade, 1995
• Transitional Litigation and the Evolution of the Law of Evidence, National report at the VII Congress of Procedural Law, Taormina, Italy, September 1995
• Action to omit further release and temporary measures in the case of violation of Personal Rights in the media, Pravni zivot (Legal Life Magazine), Belgrade, 1994
• The role of the Federal Court and the Federal Constitutional Court in the civil protection of Human Rights, University of Belgrade, Law School, 1993
• Possible extension of Declaratory Relief in Yugoslav Civil Procedure, Pravni zivot (Legal Life Magazine), 1989
• Incorrect Court Decisions in Yugoslavia and the Damage (The Case of the German Law), Pravni zivot (Legal Life Magazine), Be

• lgrade, 1991
• Articles on the Human Rights situation in Serbia published in the Belgrade alternative monthly “Republika” and in the bulletin “Voice” edited by the Center for Antiwar Action

Lectures

• Right to take part in the conduct of public affairs, Article 25 ICCPR and Article 3, Protocol 1. with the ECHR
• Right to a fair trial, Article 6 ECHR
• Minority Rights in South East Europe, Central European University, Budapest
• Legal position of Refugees in Yugoslavia;
• Competencies of the State Bodies of Yugoslavia concerning the protection of refugee children without parents care;
• Citizenship problem in Yugoslavia;
• Separate international agreements on the refugee problems.
• Regular lectures in Human Rights education seminars organized by The Belgrade Center for Human Rights, Helsinki Committee for Human Rights in Serbia, Save the Children Fund, Belgrade, UNHCR office Belgrade

Dr Marko Selaković is UAE-based business professional, scholarly academic, and consultant. Born in 1977 in Kragujevac, Serbia, and residing in the UAE since 2015, Marko has proven leadership experience in strategic and business communications, including research and advisory. He is a strategic management and communications professional with more than 20 years of top-level international exposure. Throughout his professional career, Marko worked with numerous international organizations, Governments, trade missions, academic institutions, and business entities in Europe, Middle East, and Africa.

Currently, Dr Marko serves as Deputy Director and Assistant Professor at S P Jain School of Global Management – Dubai, Sydney, Mumbai & Singapore. In addition to the academic positions, he is currently Chairman of Serbian Business Council in Dubai and international consultant. During his tenure in the United Arab Emirates, he also served as Head of Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Serbia Office to the UAE, Business Director of Expo 2020 Serbia, and Vice-president of the International Association of Business Communicators (IABC) Gulf Chapter. Dr Marko played pivotal role in defining IPRA (International Public Relations Organization) ethical standards and guidelines for the use of artificial intelligence in public relations, acting as a co-chair of the committee for creation of IPRA Gold Paper no. 19. He is also author or co-author of numerous research papers and opinion leadership articles related to the strategic, crisis, investor, and internal communications.

Marketing manager and producer, Robert was born in Tuzla, 1969, and studied at the Tuzla faculty of Technology and the Economic Faculty, specializing in “Management – Business Process Management”. He also actively played basketball in the former Yugoslav basketball league. In the early 90ties he was a basketball coach of Sloboda Dita club in Tuzla where he also ran a basketball school. After working for two years in his early 20ties as a machine technician in the Mramor coal mines, Robert went into private sector, mainly in entrepreneurship, marketing and production industry.

In 1995 he went to Split to work for UNHCR and “Terre des Hommes” NGO from Swiss as the chief of logistics for the programme which was implemented across BiH until 1997 when he returned to Tuzla and set up with his wife their own media, fashion, marketing and production company, which also includes the “Miss BiH” pageant, licenced from London, and focuses mostly on promoting social values in BiH’s recovering post-war society. Its programmes appeal to the development of awareness through several socially beneficial themes that span both entities in BiH.

His company also includes the ABC models agency which organizes school for young models, promotes and engages them in BiH and in the world.

Since 1997, twice a year, the agency ABC models traditionally organizes BiH Fashion Week in four BiH cities (Sarajevo, Banja Luka, Mostar and Tuzla), which certainly contributes significantly to the affirmation of the Bosnian-Herzegovinian fashion industry of culture and tradition, along with the young designers and other creative people who participate in the realization of this fashion event.

Robert was also politically active, twice before he was a candidate for Federal Parliament in front of the European Ecological Party. He is currently not a member of any political party, but is still very socially active.

From 2006 to 2015 Robert was a board member of the America-Bosnia Foundation, and two years was the executive director of the Foundation for BiH. During that time, the Foundation has implemnted many projects in BiH and the United States, with the aim of better understanding and strengthening friendly relations with the United States.

He is married and father of one daughter.

Ali Wyne is a Washington, DC-based policy analyst in the RAND Corporation’s Defense and Political Sciences Department. He serves as a nonresident fellow with the Atlantic Council’s Scowcroft Center for Strategy and Security and a nonresident fellow with the Modern War Institute. Since January 2015 he has been the rapporteur for a National Intelligence Council working group that convenes government officials and international relations scholars to analyze trends in world order.

Ali served as a junior fellow in the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace’s China Program from 2008 to 2009 and as a research assistant to Graham Allison at the Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs from 2009 to 2012. He has also conducted research for Robert Blackwill, Derek Chollet, Henry Kissinger, Wendy Sherman, and Richard Stengel. From January to July 2013 he worked on a team that prepared Samantha Power for her confirmation hearing to be ambassador to the United Nations. From 2014 to 2015 he was a member of the RAND Corporation’s adjunct staff, working for the late Richard Solomon on its Strategic Rethink series.

Ali graduated from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology with dual degrees in Management Science and Political Science (2008) and received his Master in Public Policy from the Harvard Kennedy School (2017), where he was a course assistant to Joseph Nye. While at the Kennedy School, he served on a Hillary for America working group on U.S. policy towards Asia.

Ali is a coauthor of Lee Kuan Yew: The Grand Master’s Insights on China, the United States, and the World; (2013) and a contributing author to Our American Story: The Search for a Shared National Narrative (2019); Power Relations in the Twenty-First Century: Mapping a Multipolar World? (2017); and the Routledge Handbook of Public Diplomacy (2008). He has published extensively in outlets including the New York Times, the Washington Post, the Wall Street Journal, the Boston Globe, and the Christian Science Monitor.

Ali delivered the welcome address at the 2011 St. Gallen Symposium, participated in the 2015 Manfred Wörner Seminar, was selected to attend the 2016 Young Strategists Forum and the 2018 Brussels Forum Young Professionals Summit, and participated in the 2018 China-U.S. Young Scholars Dialogue. In 2012, Young Professionals in Foreign Policy and the Diplomatic Courier selected him as one of the 99 most influential professionals in foreign policy under 33.

Ali is a term member of the Council on Foreign Relations, a David Rockefeller fellow with the Trilateral Commission, and a security fellow with the Truman National Security Project.

Darko Tanaskovic born in Zagreb, 1948, the leading Orientalist scholar in this part of Europe, is currently serving as Serbia’s Ambassador to UNESCO.

He graduated from the Classical (The Eighth) High School in Belgrade in 1966

and in 1970 from the Belgrade Faculty of Philology, Department for Oriental philology MA (1972) and Ph.D. (1979), with thesis – Arabic in contemporary Tunisian -diglossia and bilingualism, at the same University, where, at the department for Oriental studies he was elected a Teaching Assistant for Oriental Philology (1971).

As lecturer (1980), Associate Professor (1981) and since 1988, the Professor of this department, he was teaching and still is, multiple subjects (Arabic, Turkish, Introduction into Oriental Philology, Arabic Literature, Persian Literature, Foundation of Islamic Civilization, and in postgraduate curriculum – Introduction to the Comparative Grammar of Semitic Languages, Linguistic and Literary Arabic, Islam and Christianity, Islamic Fundamentalism …).

He published over 600 scientific and professional papers in the broad field of Oriental studies, including the books: Arabic Poetry (1977), Sufism (with I.Šop) Arabic in contemporary Tunisia (1982), Contrastive Analysis of Arabic and Serbo Croatian (1982), The Dialogue with Islam (1992), Turkish-Serbian Dictionary (co-author with S. Djindjic and M. Teodosijevic, 1997), The East of the West (with M. Jevtic,2000, two editions), Islam and Us (2000, four editions ), South East Serbia. Continuity of the Crisis and Possible Outcomes (with a group of authors, 2001), A Grammar of the Arabic Language (with A. Mitrovic, 2005), Islam: The Ddogma and Life (2008, two editions), Autonomy of Thought (with M. Jevtic, 2009), Neoosmanizam (2010).

His work was published also in several foreign languages.

Darko Tanaskovic was teaching, by invitation, at the universities in Sarajevo and Skopje, and at the College of Social Sciences (Ecole des Hautes Etudes en Sciences Sociales -EHESS) in Paris (1984), since 1990 he is a member of the Executive Committee of the Euroarabic University (Université Euro-Itinerant arabe) in Rome and in 1995 was elected at the European Academy of Arts and Sciences (Academia Scientiarum et ArtiumEuropea – Salzburg).

He is a corresponding member of the Turkish Language Society (Türk Dil Kurumu) in Ankara (2000). He was lecturing at the number of universities in the country and abroad and held a series of public lectures in the Oriental and Islamic field.

Since 1999. he lectured at the University of Applied Sciences ”Megatrend”, at the Academy of Diplomacy and Security (Belgrade), Faculty of Media and Communications (Belgrade ), Faculty of Theology (Belgrade) and the Faculty of Political Sciences (Banja Luka).

He is an associate of the Belgrade Open School (BOS) and, earlier, of the Institute for Geopolitical Studies (Belgrade). He is visiting professor at the ECPD University of UN , Belgrade (since 2007),Member of the Association of Literary Translators, Writers’ Association of Serbia and the Serbian PEN club. Since 2010. He is the member of the Council of Foreign Relations of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Serbia.

Mihai Nicolae Tanasescu is the Vice-President of the European Investment Bank as of 2012. Previously he was a Senior Adviser to the International Monetary Fund’s Executive Director for 13 countries of Central and Eastern Europe, the Caucasus region and the Middle East since 2007, based in Washington DC. He is also a member of the Trilateral Commission.

Previously, Mihai was a member of the Romanian National Assembly and Chairman of the Budget Committee (2004-07). As Minister of Public Finance (2000-04) he strengthened the macroeconomic stability of Romania and negotiated its entry into the European Union. He also sat on the Board of Governors of a number of international financial institutions including the IMF and the World Bank.

Mihai has taught economics and public finance at Bucharest’s Academy of Economic Studies. He also studied economics and budget planning at the prestigious École Nationale D’Administration (Institute Internationale D’Administration Pubique) in Paris and participated in Harvard’s Business School’s executive development programme. He has written more than 500 articles and interviews, published in leading world papers like the FT, WSJ, Emerging Markets, etc.

President of the Republic of Bulgaria 1997-2002, Petar is President of the Center for Global Dialogue and Cooperation. He won the 1996 presidential election as a candidate of the Union of Democratic Forces (UDF).

From 1992 to 1993 Mr. Stoyanov was Deputy Minister of Justice in the first non-communist (UDF) government of Bulgaria since 1944.

In 1994, as the holder of a doctorate in law, he was elected as a member of the 37th National Assembly in Bulgaria and in 1995 he was elected Deputy Chairman of the UDF. Petar Stoyanov is an active and passionate promoter of democracy and European ideals.

In 2002 he founded the “Petar Stoyanov Centre for Political Dialogue” in Sofia. He is member of several different international associations, e.g the Clinton’s Global Initiative, the Board of Global Fairness Initiative, the Judging Committee of the European Business Awards, the International Advisory Board of the American Bar Association, Honorary co-chair of the World Justice Project and is a member of the European Executive Committee of the Trilateral Commission. Additionally, he has been the winner of numerous awards like the Anti-Defamation League’s Courage to Care Award, the Annual Award of the Association of the Russian Lawyers, etc.

Marko Škreb, former Croatian National Bank Governor, is the Chief Economist and Strategist at Privredna banka Zagreb, Croatia. Before that, he was a professor at the University of Zagreb, Faculty of Economics. Following his academic career he joined the Croatian central bank, first as Research and Statistics Director and later on as Governor (from 1996 to 2000). In 1997 he was awarded the Central European Annual Award for Excellence – Best Central Bank Governor by the prestigious Banker media.

Since then he worked as consultant for International Monetary Fund and the World Bank to central banks in numerous countries, including Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, Madagascar, Montenegro, Romania, Ukraine, etc. Marko also worked as a consultant, Independent Evaluation Office, IMF, Washington DC, on the evaluation of the Financial Sector Assessment Project (FSAP). During that time participated in a short term mission to Ukraine for the WB (on monetary policy and liquidity).
Besides his work at the PBZ, he teaches Money and Banking course at a private University in Zagreb, Croatia. Marko is a member of Intesa Sanpaolo International Network Research Steering Committee. He published a few articles and edited books, most of them on transition questions with the focus on financial issues.

Aleksandar Simic, composer and humanist, was born in Belgrade, in 1973. He spent most of his youth shifting between different cultures and continents, from London to Singapore, from St. Petersburg to New York. Half-way through med school he switched to study music and quickly established himself among leading composers of his generation. In his large and versatile opus that encompasses concert, spiritual, world and film music, a special place is reserved for compositions that were used to mark important jubilees such as 50 years of victory in WW II (for the Russian Federation), or 950 years of the East-West split (for the Vatican).

Although he wove his liberal political views and humanism into his music, Aleksandar has been a spokesperson and an activist for some of the most important charity campaigns such as Helping the Blind, the Safe House program or Notes from the Heart. His made a contribution to the global inter-religious dialogue over the many years and in many different countries: be it as a part of the mediating team between the Vatican and the State of Israel, or as a part of the Pave the Way Foundation from New York, to name a few. He was a part time lecturer at the Faculty of Political Sciences teaching Political Philosophy. He is presently assisting the Simon Wiesenthal Center and the Special Prosecutors Office for War Crimes in the program called The Last Hope.

President of Trinity College Oxford, and retired U.K. Ambassador, Sir Ivor was born in 1946 in Liverpool,educated at St. Mary’s College, Crosby and at Keble College, Oxford (Open Gomm Scholar). He graduated in Modern Languages in 1968 and took his MA in 1972.

He entered the Diplomatic Service in 1968 and served in Lebanon, Paris, Luxembourg, Canberra, Vanuatu, Madrid, Belgrade, Dublin and Rome. He moved from Eastern European and Soviet Department (Balkans desk), then to Western European Department (German desk) and subsequently in European Integration Department, where he worked on the European Community’s Common Agricultural Policy and the European Parliament.

From January 1998 to February 1999 he was on a sabbatical as a Senior Associate Member of St. Antony’s College, Oxford, writing and lecturing on his experiences in Yugoslavia. He retired from the Diplomatic Service in September 2006 on his election as the President of Trinity College. Sir Ivor is the editor of the sixth edition of Satow’s Diplomatic Practice, a classic work first published 90 years ago. This is the first edition in 30 years, comprehensively expanded to accommodate the reality – that the world and diplomacy have changed almost beyond recognition -and it has already become a must read for any one even remotely connected to diplomacy or international politics.

Paul Révay is a member of the Board of Trustees of Friends of Europe, a “Think and Do Tank” in Brussels after having served the Trilateral Commission as its European Director from 1981 to 2017.

He was actively engaged from 1996 to 2017 with the Lisbon-based Fundaçao Oriente organizing its annual Arrabida Meetings.
In 1994-2000, he coordinated the “Informal Advisory Group” set up in Geneva by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees.
In 1978 he joined the Foreign Trade Board of the French Government (CFCE) involved, as senior research officer, in assisting French exporting companies to the (then) centrally-planned economies of the COMECON countries and was appointed desk manager for Yugoslavia-Albania-China.

In 1995-1996, he participated in European Union TACIS projects on technical assistance (institution-building) to the Executive Secretariat and to the Inter-State Economic Committee (MEK) of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) in Minsk and in Moscow.
Between 1980 and 1996, he was secretary general of the French Committee of the East-West Vienna International Council and, in 1994-1996, a member and treasurer of the French Business Association for the World UN Social Summit (BUSCO) as well as in 1989-92 secretary general of an East-West project on creating a Management Institute for Training in Europe (MITIE).

After his secondary education in the United Kingdom and in Switzerland, he graduated in from Sciences-Po Paris, the Institut d’Études Politiques, and the Faculty of Law of the University of Paris II. A Reserve Officer in the French Air Force, he attended the Senior Executive Seminar of the Aspen Institute in Colorado in the summer of 1984, and contributed to Le Dictionnaire des Premiers Ministres et Présidents du Conseil de la France (1815-2002) on Robert Schuman (Editions Perrin, Paris, 2002).

Dr. Lukas Rasulić (61) is a neurosurgeon and serves as Head of the Department of Functional Neurosurgery (Department B) at the Neurosurgery Clinic of the University Clinical Center of Serbia in Belgrade, Republic of Serbia. He is also a Full Professor of Neurosurgery at the University of Belgrade Faculty of Medicine.

Dr. Rasulić graduated from the Faculty of Medicine, University of Belgrade, in 1991 with a GPA of 9.36. He completed his specialization in neurosurgery in 1998 with distinction (cum laude). His further professional development in neurosurgery and healthcare management took him to Japan, Germany, Italy, Slovenia, Portugal, France, Croatia, Romania, Brazil, Argentina, the United Arab Emirates, and other countries with relevant and distinguished medical institutions, where he worked, trained, and achieved outstanding results (summa cum laude). Since then, he has continued cooperation with dozens of hospitals, institutes, and institutions worldwide.

Dr. Rasulić has published more than 800 scientific publications, papers, and presentations in international and national scientific journals, as well as chapters in scientific books, including the Medical Lexicon, of which he is a co-author. He has organized dozens of international congresses, courses, and symposia in his field in Serbia and the region, and is a member of a large number of international professional organizations, including the Southeast Europe Neurosurgical Society, which he founded in 2012, the European Association of Neurosurgical Societies, the Congress of Neurological Surgeons, and many others.

Dr. Rasulić has been an invited speaker at numerous international meetings and has mentored dozens of future professionals.
He is married and has two children.

Shlomo Mofaz is a retired Colonel (2005) from the Israeli Defense Forces – IDF, with more than 25 years of experience as an Intelligence officer. His experience includes practical and operative experience in Intelligence and Counter Terrorism, Research and Analysis, Risk and Threat Assessment. Mr. Mofaz provides strategic consulting to countries and organizations in the fields of National Security, HLS, Intelligence and Counter Terrorism, including integrated solutions and technology.

Mr. Mofaz is a research fellow in the ICT (International Institute for Counter-Terrorism – Herzliya, Israel).

Alex Machaskee is the retired Publisher, President and Chief Executive Officer of The Plain Dealer, Ohio’s largest newspaper. In that capacity, he was responsible for the overall policy, operation and direction of the newspaper.

Mr. Machaskee joined The Plain Dealer in 1960. Before being named Publisher in 1990, he had served five years as Vice President and General Manager. Previously, he served as Director of Labor Relations and Personnel, Assistant to the Publisher and Promotion Director. In June, 2006 Mr. Machaskee retired from The Plain Dealer.

Born in Warren, Ohio, Mr. Machaskee worked as a sports reporter and general assignment reporter for the Warren Tribune before joining The Plain Dealer. He is a graduate of Cleveland State University with a bachelor’s degree in marketing. Mr. Machaskee was awarded the honorary degree of Doctor of Humane Letters by Cleveland State University in 1995, from the University of Akron in 1998 and from Heidelberg College in 2006.

Mr. Machaskee has been presented with numerous awards throughout his career because of his commitment and leadership in the greater Cleveland community. He was honored by the Urban League of Cleveland with the Whitney M. Young Humanitarian Award, by the World Trade Center Cleveland with the International Executive of the Year Award, by Inside Business magazine with the Nonprofit Board Executive of the Year Award, by the International Services Center with the Golden Door Award and by the Associated Press with a special recognition Award for exemplary service in print journalism. He was inducted into the Northeast Ohio Business Hall of Fame in 2001 and inducted into the Cleveland Journalism Hall of Fame by the Press Club of Cleveland in 2006.

In 1999, Mr. Machaskee was awarded the Ellis Island Medal of Honor by the National Ethnic Coalition Organization, one of the highest national awards in America.

Mr. Machaskee is on the executive committee of the Musical Arts Association of the Cleveland Orchestra and Chairman of International Orthodox Christian Charities. He is an Emeritus Board Member of the Cleveland Museum of Art and past Chairman and current Board Member of the Cleveland Council on World Affairs. Mr. Machaskee is a Board Member of Crime Stoppers of Cuyahoga County, University Circle Inc., St. Vladimir’s Orthodox Theological Seminary in Crestwood, New York, Orthodox Christian Network and the Advisory Board of the Cleveland Opera. Mr. Machaskee is a member of the Cleveland Foreign Consular Corps as the Honorary Consul of the Republic of Serbia. He is a member of The Sovereign Order of St. John of Jerusalem, Knights Hospitaller. Mr. Machaskee was the Chairman of the Board of United Way Services for 2002-2003. He also served as Chairman of the 2000-2001 United Way Campaign. In March of 2004, he was named Lifetime Director of United Way Services.

As Chairman of International Orthodox Christian Charities, Mr. Machaskee has traveled to Greece, Serbia, Kosovo, Bosnia, Tbilisi, Beirut, Damascus, Jerusalem, Amman and Ethiopia to oversee the organization’s humanitarian efforts.

Currently, Mr. Machaskee is President of Alex Machaskee and Associates, LLC at Key Tower, 127 Public Square, Cleveland, Ohio 44114, 1-216-344-2013. AM&A specializes in Media/Public Relations, Strategic Planning, International Relations, Marketing and Event Promotion.

Mr. Machaskee is interested in the performing arts and is an accomplished musician. He and his wife, Carol, live in Beachwood, Ohio.

Gábor Kovács is a banker and philanthropist from Hungary. After high school he received a scholarship to the Moscow State Institute of International Relations (MGIMO) from where he graduated in 1980. Kovács started a professional career at the foreign currency division of the Hungarian National Bank. In 1985 he transferred to Citibank as managing director, later he moved to Citibank London where he was responsible for the bank’s Eastern European investments. In 1991 Kovács returned to Hungary to form an investment company, Bankár Holding, specialized in corporate mergers and acquisitions and investment banking. Expanding his interests beyond the financial sector, Kovács opened the first private hospital in Hungary in 1998.

Gabor has been purchasing works of art for fifteen years. Covering the period from the early 18th century to the present, the collection is comprised of nearly 400 pieces. In 2002 he established the Kovács Gábor Art Foundation (KOGART) with a donation of 3 billion HUF (approximately 10 million GBP) with the aim of supporting contemporary artists in Hungary. The Foundation’s gallery is located in a historic villa on Andrássy Avenue in Budapest, bought and renovated by him. Kovács also purchased a monastery in Sopron, Hungary. The project received significant support from the Norwegian Fund and the building was renovated in 2010 to become the home of an international retreat, education and meditation centre of an international organization, World Servers Foundation (WSF) that was enabled by r Kovács in Geneva in November 2010. Kovács is very honoured to be a member of the Trilateral Commission since 2006.

Igor is appointed by the United Nations Secretary General as Member, the UN Committee of Experts on Public Administration (formerly Group of experts on the United Nations Programme in public administration and finance) for the initial four years starting from January 2014 and then at the first session of the Committee in April 2014 Igor was elected by the Committee as its deputy Chairman. The Committee is responsible for supporting the work of ECOSOC concerning the promotion and development of public administration and governance among Member States. Igor is also the Chairman of the Board of Russian Diplomats Association, appointed in March 2013, and the Vice-President of the International Alliance “Labor Migration”. He has finished his term as director of the Customs Union Commission, Department for Management, November (2012).

Born in Novosibirsk. Graduated from the Moscow State Institute of International Relations (MGIMO) in 1967. In 1974 he was awarded a degree of Candidate of Economic Sciences from the Institute of Oriental Studies of the USSR Academy of Sciences in Moscow.

From 1967 till 2009 he was on the staff of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, USSR/Russia. 1967–69 and 1974–79 – the USSR Embassy in Pakistan. 1969–74; 1980–83 – in the MFA. USSR. 1983–88 – Senior Counsellor, the USSR Permanent Mission to the United Nations, New York, USA. Member, Advisory Committee on administrative and budgetary questions, UN. 1988–1991–Deputy Director, Director, Consular Affairs Department, USSR MFA.

In 1992 he was Deputy Minister of Labor and Employment of the Russian Federation. 1992–96 – Deputy Minister of Labor of Russia; 1996–97 – Deputy Minister of Labor and Social Development of Russia; 1997–98 – Ambassador-at-Large and Deputy Inspector General in the Russian MFA; 1998–2003 – Head of the UN Office in Belgrade, Federal Republic of Yugoslavia/Serbia and Montenegro; 2003–2009 – Ambassador-at-Large in the Ministry for Foreign Affairs, including in 2004–2006 – Plenipotentiary Representative of Russia to the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO), in 2005–06 – Chairman of the Permanent Council at the CSTO as well as in 2006–2008 – Member, Advisory Committee on administrative and budgetary questions, UN. Since June 2009-Director, Department of Management, in the Secretariat of the Customs Union Commission.

Igor has written a number of publications on the issues of international relations, world economy and social policy.

Since 1994 he has been Vice- President of the International Information Academy. Since 2002 he has been member of the Management Board of Serbian Society for Fight against Cancer.

Zoran Ilievski is a Professor at St.Cyril and Methodius University, Head of East-West Bridge, Skopje and member of the Presidency of East-West Bridge International.

Formerly, Professor at the Department of Political Science at the Faculty of Law Iustianus Primus and Head of the Centre for Policy Research and Analysis, Zoran won his B.A. in Political Science, Faculty of Law “Iustinianus Primus”, in 2004, a M.A. in European Integration and Regionalism, Faculty of Law, University of Graz, Graz, Austria in 2006, PhD in Political Science, Faculty of Law “Iustinianus Primus” in 2009, attended the Academic Fellowship Program for Returning Scholars of the Open Society Institute, Budapest, Hungary and the Harvard Kennedy School Executive Education, Istanbul, Turkey. Until recently he was the Political Affairs Advisor to the Macedonian President and also coordinated the School of Young Leaders of President Ivanov and the President’s Council of Foreign Affairs.

Zoran was engaged at the Cyril and Methodius University, Skopje, as Assistant Chair for Political Theory (2007-2009), Assistant Professor of Political Theory (2009-2014), Head of Department of Political Science (2009-ongoing) and Associate Professor of Political Theory (2014-present), 2009-2012 Coordinator of the Теmpus IV ETF-JP-00442-2008 international project: “Examples of Excellence in Joint Degree Program Development in South-Eastern-Europe”, 2009-2014 Contact person for the Republic of Macedonia of the FP7 Research Program of the European Union, in the area of Socio-Economic Sciences and the Humanities, 2008-2010 Assistant Coordinator of the Tempus JEP-41035-2006 international project: “Masters Programs in EU Institutions and Policies and Political Management”, 2005-2009 Senior Non-Resident Researcher at the Kompetenzzentrum Südosteuropa in Graz, Austria and a collaborator of EURAC Research in Bolzano, Italy.

For his extensive research work, Zoran won several awards including Knight of the European Order of St. George of the House of Habsburg-Lothringen, (St. Pölten, Austria). He is an Associate Fellow, World Academy of Art and Science (San Jose, California, USA), Distinguished Fellow and Appointed Professor of Ethical Leadership, New Westminster College (Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada).

Professor at Ss.Cyril and Methodius University, Head of East-West Bridge, Skopje, and member of the Presidency of East-West Bridge International.

Department of Political Science

Faculty of Law “Iustinianus Primus”

Bulevar Goce Delchev 9b

1000 Skopje, Republic of Macedonia

Email: z.ilievski@pf.ukim.edu.mk; ilievski.zoran@gmail.com

Born: 21 January 1981

Education

2004 B.A. in Political Science, Faculty of Law “Iustinianus Primus”,

· SS Cyril and Methodius University, Skopje, Republic of Macedonia

2006 M.A. in European Integration and Regionalism, Faculty of Law

University of Graz, Graz, Austria in cooperation with European Academy Bolzano/Bozen, Italy

2009 PhD in Political Science, Faculty of Law “Iustinianus Primus”,

Ss. Cyril and Methodius University, Skopje, Republic of Macedonia

2006-2012 Academic Fellowship Program for Returning Scholars, Open Society Institute, Budapest, Hungary

2012 Harvard Kennedy School Executive Education, Istanbul, Turkey

· Program on Public Leadership in South-East Europe

Language proficiency

Spoken and written Macedonian, English, Serbian/Croatian/Bosnian, working knowledge of Bulgarian, beginner in German.

Work experience

2002-present Ss Cyril and Methodius University, Skopje, Republic of Macedonia

Department of Political Science at the Faculty of Law “Iustinianus Primus”

· Student Assistant (2002-2004)

· Junior Assistant (2006-2007)

Assistant (2007-2009)

· Assistant Professor of Political Science (2009-2014)

· Head of Department of Political Science (2009-2016)

· Associate Professor of Political Science (2014-present)

· Head of the Centre for Policy Research and Analysis (2017-present)

2017-present President of East-West Bridge, Skopje

2015-present Advisory Board Member of East-West Bridge International, think-tank based in Belgrade, Serbia and Honorary Member of the Serbian National Group to the Trilateral Commission

2015- 2017 Chairman of the Board, Foundation Alliance of Civilizations, Skopje, Republic of Macedonia

2009- 2017 Cabinet of the President of the Republic of Macedonia

· Political Affairs Advisor (2009-2015)

· Coordinator of the Council on Foreign Relations (2009-2016)

· Program Coordinator of the School of Young Leaders (2009-2017)

2009-2012 Coordinator of the Теmpus IV ETF-JP-00442-2008 international project: “Examples of Excellence in Joint Degree Program Development in South-Eastern-Europe”

2009-2014 Contact person for the Republic of Macedonia of the FP7 Research Program of the European Union, in the area of Socio-Economic Sciences and the Humanities

2008-2010 Assistant Coordinator of the Tempus JEP-41035-2006 international project: “Masters Programs in EU Institutions and Policies and Political Management”

2005-2009 Senior Non-Resident Researcher at the Kompetenzzentrum Südosteuropa in Graz, Austria and a collaborator of EURAC Research in Bolzano/Bozen, Italy

2002-2006 President of the Citizens’ Association for Democracy, Peace and Tolerance “Aurora” Bitola, Macedonia

Research projects

2017-present Expert, Civil Society Reference Group, Project on National Dialogue, Berghof Foundation, Berlin, Germany

2016-present Expert, “Ctrl+Enter: Jean Monet Network on Migration”, Erasmus+ EU research and networking project

2014-present Researcher; Research project “Identity Fluctuations at the Crossroads of Religion, Ethnicity and Language – the case of the Macedonian Muslim (Torbeshi and Gorani) Communities in the Republic of Macedonia and Kosovo” funded by the Swiss National Science Foundation and the University of Zurich

2012-2013 Project coordinator and researcher of UNDP Political Analysis and Emerging Scenarios Initiative (PAESi) for Macedonia

2012-2013 Project coordinator and researcher: “Europeanization through the Rule of Law in the Western Balkans”, funded by the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation, coordinated by the University of Fribourg

2009-2011 Researcher and project manager for Macedonia: “The Role of the European Union in Democratic Consolidation and Ethnic Conflict Management in the Republic of Macedonia” Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation, coordinated by the University of Fribourg

2007-2009 Researcher; Research project “Research and Tertiary Education in Central and South-East Europe”, sponsored by the Austrian Ministry of Science

2007-2009 Researcher; Research project “Human and Minority Rights in the Phases of Conflict in the WBCs” (MIRICO), under the 6th EU-Framework Program

2006-2007 Researcher; Research project “European integration and its effects on minority protection in SEE” within the NODE Research Program of the Austrian Ministry of Sciences

Honors and Awards

2014 European Order of St. George of the House of Habsburg-Lothringen (St. Pölten, Austria)

2013 Associate Fellow, World Academy of Art and Science (San Jose, California, USA)

2006 Best Student of the Master Class, Master Program for European Integration and Regionalism, University of Graz, Austria

2004 Golden Iustinianus Award as Best Student of the Class, Faculty of Law “Iustinianus Primus”, Ss Cyril and Methodius University, Skopje, Republic of Macedonia

Research Interests

Peace building, Conflict Transformation, Ethnic Nationalism and Conflicts, Transitional Societies, Post-Communism, European Integration, International Relations, Contemporary Political Philosophy, Geopolitics in South-East Europe

Publications (selection)

Ilievski, Z., Popchev, I. (2018) Non-violent Measures for Preventing Violent Extremism: International Resolutions on the Role of Education, Iustinianus Primus Law Review, [Online]: www.pf.ukim.edu.mk

Ilievski, Z., (2017) European Migrant Crisis Symposium: Challenges of a fragmented corridor, the Case of Macedonia, South-East European Research Centre, University of Sheffield, Thessaloniki, March 2017, ISBN: 978-960-9416-09-2

Ilievski, Z, Sotiris, S, (2016) EU perceptions of the crisis and their impact on relations between Greece, Macedonia and other Balkan states, The Balkan Human Corridor, Essays on the Refugee and Migrant Crisis from Scholars and Opinion Leaders in Southeast Europe, Columbia University, [online] www.faoc.org.mk

Ilievski, Z. (2014) Policy paper, Europeanization by Rule of Law Implementation in the Western Balkans. [online]. Institite for Democracy “Societas Civilis”- Skopje.

[Online]: http://idscs.org.mk/images/rrpp/recommendations_europeanization_by_rule_of_law_implementation.pdf [Accessed 15 February 2016]

Ilievski, Z. and Runceva, H. (2013) Ethnicity and the state, deadlocks of institutionalized identity in the case of Bosnia and Herzegovina. Politicka Misla, vol. 44, 39-44.

Markovic, N., Ilievski Z., Damjanovski I. and Bozinovski V. (2012) Die Rolle der EU beim Konflikt management in Makedonien. Religion und Gesellschaft in Ost und West 4 (40 jahrgang)

Илиевски, З. и Марковиќ, Н. (2012) Сложено делење на моќта. Годишник на Правниот факултет „Јустинијан Први“ во чест на 35 години од основањето на студиите по новинарство на Правниот факултет – Скопје, 189-204.

Илиевски, З. (2012) Macedonia and Turkey’s emerging role as a power player in the Western Balkans: filling the vacuum of blocked EU perspectives?. Годишник на Правниот факултет „Јустинијан Први“ во чест на 18 години од основањето на политичките студии на Правниот факулте – Скопје, 429-440.

Илиевски, З. (2011), Интегративниот модел на делење на моќта и македонскиот случај. МИЦ Скопје.

Markovic, N., Ilievski, Z., Damjanovski, I. and Bozinovski, V. (2011) The role of the European Union in the democratic consolidation and ethnic conflict management in the Republic of Macedonia. [online]. http://rrpp-westernbalkans.net/en/library/Research-Results/Macedonia/The-Role-of-the-European-Union-in-Ethnic-Conflict-Management-and-the-Democratic-Consolidation-of-the-Republic-of-Macedonia/mainColumnParagraphs/0/text_files/file/paper.pdf [Accessed on 15 February 2016].

Ilievski Z. and Wolff, S. (2011) Consociationalism, Centripetalism and Macedonia. Crossroads, Ministry of Foreign Affairs Journal.

Ilievski Z. and Taleski D. (2009) Was the EU’s Role in Conflict Management in Macedonia a Success?. Ethnopolitics, 8:3,355 – 367

Илиевски, З. (2009) Македонскиот политички систем и моделите на делење на моќта. Зборник во чест на проф. д-р Владимир Митков, Правен Факултет “Јустинијан Први“.

Илиевски, З. И Марковиќ Н. (2008) Студија за транспарентноста, отчетноста и демократскиот капацитет на граѓанскиот сектор во Република Македонија. Форум, Центар за стратегиски истражувања и документација, Скопје.

Ilievski, Zoran (2008) Protection of Minority Rights, Euro-Atlantic Integration and the Power-Sharing Model in Macedonia. In E. Lantschner et al. (eds) European Integration and its Effects on Minority Protection in South Eastern Europe. Nomos, Baden-Baden. p.189-211.

Ilievski, Z. (2008) Human and Minority Rights in the Life-cycle of Ethnic Conflict: the Role of Human and Minority Rights in the Process of Reconstruction and Reconciliation for State and Nation-building: Macedonia. [online]. EURAC, Bolzano, Italy. Available from: http://www.eurac.edu/en/research/autonomies/minrig/Documents/Mirico/23_Macedonia.pdf [Accessed 15 February2016]

Ilievski, Z. (2007) Human and Minority Rights in the Life-cycle of Ethnic Conflict: the Conflict Settlement in Macedonia. [online]. EURAC, Bolzano, Italy. Available from: http://www.eurac.edu/en/research/autonomies/minrig/Documents/Mirico/16%20Macedonia.pdf [Accessed 15 February2016]

Ilievski, Z. (2007) Human and Minority Rights in the Life-cycle of Ethnic Conflict: Ethnic Mobilization in Macedonia. [online]. EURAC, Bolzano, Italy. Available from: http://www.eurac.edu/en/research/autonomies/minrig/Documents/Mirico/Macedonia%20Report.pdf [Accessed 15 February2016]

Ilievski, Z. (2006) Conflict Resolution in Ethnically Divided Societies: the case of Macedonia. Unpublished MA thesis. Karl-Franzens University, Graz, Austria.

Conference papers include:

Zoran Ilievski, Delphi Forum, Geopolitics of the European Borderlands: The Western Balkans, Delphi, Greece, 8 March 2017

Ilievski, Zoran, Damjanovski, Ivan, “Explaining Variation of Self-Identification of the Slavic Speaking Muslim Communities in Macedonia and Kosovo”, ASN 2016 World Convention, Columbia University, NYC, NY, USA, 14-16 April 2016

Ilievski, Z. (2012) Macedonia and Turkey’s Emerging Role as a Power Player in the Western Balkans: Filling the Vacuum of Blocked EU Perspectives?, paper presented to 17th Annual ASN World Convention, Columbia University, NYC, NY, USA, 19-21 April 2012

Ilievski, Z. (2011) Power-sharing and Territorial Self-governance in the Western Balkans, paper presented to 16th Annual ASN World Convention, Columbia University, NYC, NY, USA, 14-16 April 2011.

Ilievski, Z. (2010) Macedonia: How an Identity Conflict Stands in the Way of Its EU Integration, paper presented to 15th Annual ASN World Convention, Columbia University, NYC, NY, USA, 16-17April 2010.

Ilievski, Z. and Wolff S. (2009) Successes and Failures of Complex Power Sharing in the Balkans, paper presented to 14th Annual ASN World Convention, Columbia University, NYC, NY, USA, 16-25 April 2009.

Lebamoff, M.F. and Ilievski, Z. (2008) The Ohrid Framwork Agreement in Macedonia: Neither Settlement nor Resolution of Ethnic Conflict?, paper presented to the Annual Meeting of the ISA’s 49th Annual Convention, Bridging Multiple Divides, San Francisco, CA, USA, 26 March 2008.

Professor Slobodan Grebeldinger (born in 1962, Novi Sad) is children’s and vascular surgeon, professor at the Medical Faculty of the University of Novi Sad, Director of the Institute for Health Care of Children and Youth of Vojvodina, founder and a chair of the Centre for National Strategy (CNS). Professor Grebeldinger is a founder and president of NGO “Right to work”which has been achieving significant results in its humanitarian activities. He is the founder of the first Department of pediatric vascular surgery in Serbia.

He graduated in 1991 from the Medical Faculty in Novi Sad (9.29). He earned Master’s degree in 1996 with a study that has set global standards in the field of ultrasound diagnosis of appendicitis. He holds a PhD in 1999, with his fundamental research in the field of practical application of stimulation of stem cells. He teaches undergraduates, residents in general and vascular surgery and doctoral students at Medical Faculty in Novi Sad. Professor is an author of 94 published papers (M119, 14SCI). He has been cited 52 times in domestic and international medical literature. He wrote four professional monographs. He is the author of software solutions for clinical work and scientific projects. He is a member of the editorial board and reviewer of professional journal BMJ and Sanamed.

For many years he was manager of the Clinic for Pediatric Surgery at the Institute for Health Care of Children and Youth of Vojvodina in Novi Sad and during his term in office clinic made significant professional and scientific progress. As Director of the Institute he attracted significant investments that have led to the accreditation of the Institute. The institution has become prestigious and was made recognizable for the very low mortality rate (0.37). Professor Grebeldinger participated in the work of health boards of the Democratic Party. He made art his hobby and is particularly interested in macro photography. He is a father of four children.

One of the Founding Fathers of East West Bridge Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH), Jakob Finci is a prominent Sarajevo lawyer, specializing in international commercial law, ambassador, professor and one of the most prominent humanitarian, social and religious leaders in his country, recognized for his efforts worldwide. Born in 1943, Jakob comes from an old Jewish Sephardic family, which draws its roots in Sarajevo from mid-16th century after being expelled from Spain.

Jakob is very active in Jewish Community and in 1991 was one of the founders and first Vice-President of the reborn Jewish cultural, educational and humanitarian society LA BENEVOLENCIJA, the only implementing partner for UNHCR, and one of the most successful NGOs, helping all citizens of Sarajevo and BiH on a non-sectarian basis in the war-torn country. In 1993, Jakob became its President, a post he holds to this day. In 1995 he became the first elected President of the Jewish BiH Community. From 1996 until 2000 Mr. Finci was the Executive Director of the Soros Foundation – Open Society Fund for BiH. Since 1994 he is a member, and from 2001 to 2002 was the President of the Association of Free Intellectuals Circle 99. In 1997 Mr. Finci co-founded the Inter Religious Council of BiH, and for two years served as the first President of the IRC, fulfilling the same function again in 2003.

In 2000, he was elected Chairman of the Association of Citizens “Truth and Reconciliation” aimed at establishing a Truth and Reconciliation Commission in BiH. In 2001 the High Representative appointed him to Chair the Constitutional Commission of the Federal Parliament and in 2002 the first director of the State Agency for Civil Service. In 2008 he was named as BiH’s Ambassador to Switzerland, and non-resident ambassador to Lichtenstein.

On academic side, after working as a tutor at the UN University on the ECMIR project between 1988 and 1990, Jakob since 2001 lectures at an interdisciplinary postgraduate studies program at Sarajevo University. He also lectures on international commercial law, privatization, conflict resolution, interethnic coexistence, as well as about matters as the organization of humanitarian work, fund raising, Judaism, etc. As the only Bosnian representative, Mr. Finci is a member of the Advisory Council of OSCE -ODHIR’s Panel of Experts on Freedom of Religion or Belief.

For his work, Jakob has been decorated several times: the Grand Cross of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany as well as the American decoration First American Freedom in Richmond Virginia. He has also been named Chevalier de la Légion d’Honneur of the French Republic, and in 2009 was proclaimed “Person of the Year” by Sarajevo’s daily newspaper SAN, and Man of the Year for 2013 by Bosnian daily “Večernji list”. Jakob Finci received International Prize Primo Levi in 2013 in Genoa – Italy. Mr. Finci is married with two sons.

Highly experienced career diplomat with missions in bilateral and multilateral affairs, representing either country, or international organisations, working in the headquarters, or in the field. Law school graduate, Dragana has provided leadership across the fields of negotiations, security issues, preventive diplomacy, mediation, post-conflict capacity building, implementation of judicial reforms, and promotion of democracy and human rights. Key-note speaker or panelist on issues related to conflict management, women’s rights, human rights, international law, religious and cultural diversity.

 

Dragana served as Ambassador, Head of Office, Permanent Observer of the Council of Europe to the United Nations Office and other international organizations in Geneva; Ambassador, Special Representative of the Secretary General of the Council of Europe, Head of CoE Office in Azerbaijan Republic; Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary, Permanent Representative of Serbia to the Council of Europe, Strasbourg, France; Director – Directorate for Americas (North and South), Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Republic of Serbia; Deputy Head, Research and Documentation Service, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Republic of Serbia; Director for Cooperation in Combating International Terrorism and Organized Crime, Research and Documentation Service, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Republic of Serbia; Minister Counselor, Directorate for Americas (North and South), Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Serbia and Montenegro; Counselor for Political Affairs, Embassy of Republic of Serbia and Montenegro to U.S.A. Washington, D.C.; Counselor for United Nations Security Council Affairs, Department for United Nations and International Organizations Ministry of Foreign Affairs of FR of Yugoslavia.

Princess Elizabeth is the daughter of Prince Paul, the Prince Regent of Yugoslavia and Princess Olga of Greece.  She is second cousin to the Prince of Wales, Queen Sophie of Spain and the great great granddaughter of Karageorge, a near-mythic hero who started the first uprising against the Turks in 1804.  On her mother’s side she descends from Empress Catherine the Great of Russia.

Banished at an early age from Yugoslavia to Kenya with her parents and two brothers, they all lived under British house arrest for three years.  From there they went to South Africa for five more years before finally returning to Europe in search of a new home, first to Greece and then Switzerland and Paris.  Three marriages, three children, several continents and half a century later she finally returned to Yugoslavia in 1987, the first member of her family to do so since the war despite a communist national law forbidding entry to anyone of the dynasty.  From then on, having re-learned her native language, she defied the ban regularly and engaged herself fully to education, publishing and charity work. She published a book in 1990 called “Prince Paul, Britain’s much Maligned Friend”.

Next she created a non-political, not for profit Foundation at end of 1990 called the “Princess Elizabeth Foundation” to address the brewing inter-ethnic tension.

Every year she organized fund raisers in New York and accompanied shipments of medicines and medical supplies back home. In 2000 in Belgrade she formed a new foundation called ‘Serbian Foundation’ which is dedicated to promoting young and talented artists from Serbia. A regular resident of Belgrade since 2002. She has written four children’s books and has had 100 book promotions during four years across Serbia.  At each event, part of the proceeds goes to the local hospital or kindergarten or playground.

Vladimír Dlouhy is currently international advisor for Goldman Sachs, located in Prague and covering the region of Central and Eastern Europe, and Chairman of the Czech Chamber of Commerce. He was also European Deputy Chairman of the Trilateral Commission.

Vladimir studied mathematical economics and econometrics at the School of Economics and at Charles University in Prague and later pursued MBA studies at Catholic University in Leuven (Belgium). Mr. Dlouhy started his professional career as university lecturer, and in 1983 he moved to the Czechoslovak Academy of Sciences as a researcher, later becoming deputy director of the Forecasting Institute. In 1989, he was invited to join the first post-communist government, and he served as minister of economy of Czechoslovakia until 1992.
After the split of the country, he served as Minister of Industry and Trade of the Czech Republic until June 1997. He was simultaneously a member of the Parliament and Vice-Chairman of Civic Democratic Alliance, part of the governing coalition. In 1997, he announced his departure from politics and joined Goldman Sachs as an international advisor for Central and Eastern Europe. Between 1997 and 2010, he advised ABB in a similar capacity.

Vladimir Dlouhy also holds the following positions: chairman of the Advisory Board, Chayton Capital, London, UK; non-executive director, KSK Power Ventur, Hyderabad, India; chairman of the Advisory Board, Meridiam Infrastructure, Paris, France; associate professor of macroeconomics and economic policy at Charles University, Prague; member of the Scientific Board, Faculty of Economics and Public Administration, School of Economics, Prague; and member of the Board of Overseers, Illinois Institute of Technology, Chicago. He is the author of numerous publications.
Vladimir Dlouhy was elected European deputy chairman of the Trilateral Commission in 2010.

Dr. Dragana Djermanovic is digital transformation expert, speaker, and founder proclaimed “Woman of the Decade in Social Media and Leadership“ at the international Women Economic Forum in New Delhi (India) and the only Serbian businesswoman enlisted in The Hundert’s top 100 female entrepreneurs in Europe. The list has been confirmed by the renown American magazine Forbes.

As a representative of European Public Relations Education and Research Association (EUPRERA) and Euroblog Association, she was also the honorable jury member for “Social Media Awards” and respectable ambassador of WebIT committee of Internet Practitioners of South-Eastern Europe. Also, she was a jury member for European ICT awards in Luxemburg, as noble representative. This Serbian entrepreneur is a guest and keynote speaker at the world’s biggest conferences and professional events in ICT, such as Women Economic Forum (New Delhi, India), WebCom (Montreal, Canada), CeBIT (Hannover, Germany), ICT Spring (Luxembourg), DigIT (Ljubljana, Slovenia), Le Web (Paris, France), Rise (Hong Kong), Web Summit (Dublin, Ireland), Next (Berlin, Germany) and many others. Business Women Association of Serbia presented her “The Flower of Success”, a prestigious award for the most successful female entrepreneur in her home country.

Ambassador Ünal Çeviköz is a Turkish diplomat who retired from Government service in September 2014. He began his diplomatic career as second secretary at the Turkish embassy in Moscow in 1981. He served as the chief of section at the East European Department of the Turkish MFA in Ankara, later as counsellor of the Turkish embassy in Sofia, Bulgaria.

In 1989, he was detached from the MFA to work in NATO’s International Secretariat, first at the Economics Directorate and then the Political Directorate as an East European expert. In 1994, he was commissioned with launching the NATO Information Office in Moscow, after which he prepared the NATO-Russia Founding Act. On return to the MFA in 1997, he worked as the head of the Balkan Department and then as the Deputy Director General for Caucasus and Central Asia.

He has served as the Turkish Ambassador to Azerbaijan (2001-2004), to Iraq (2004-2006) and to the United Kingdom (2010-2014). He was also the Deputy Under-Secretary for bilateral political affairs at the Turkish MFA from 2007 to 2010 and prepared the protocols signed between Turkey and Armenia. Ambassador Çeviköz presided the 28th General Assembly of the International Maritime Organisation between 2013 and 2015.

Dr. Baram is Professor Emeritus at the Department of Middle East Studies, University of Haifa, Israel. In 1986 He was awarded the Ph.D. degree at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem for a dissertation on Ba’thi Iraq. Since then, Dr. Baram has been teaching at the Universities of Jerusalem, Haifa, and Georgetown (Washington, DC). Dr. Baram served as a Senior Associate Member at St. Antony’s College, Oxford, resident senior fellow three times at the Woodrow Wilson Center, twice at the US Institute of Peace, once at the Brookings Institute (all three in Washington, DC), and the Rockefeller Foundation’s Center in Bellagio, Italy.

In 2008-2009 he lectured to US officers at Fort Leavenworth. At the University of Haifa, he served as Chairman of the Department of Middle East Studies, Director of the Jewish-Arab Center and the Institute for Middle East Studies, founder and Head of the Center for Iraq Studies and co-founder and the first Head of the Ezri Center for the Study of Iran and the Persian Gulf. Since 1986 Baram has been occasionally advising the US government during the Reagan, Bush, Clinton, Bush and Obama administrations about Iraq and the Gulf.

His latest book Saddam Husayn and Islam 1968-2003 (WWC and Johns Hopkins University Press, 2014) used extensively the CRRC, Saddam’s secret personal archive at the National Defense University in Washington, DC. Presently Dr. Baram is publishing academic works (most recently: “Speaking Truth to Power”, in JMEA magazine, 2022) and contemporary political analysis on Iraq, Iran, Syria, and Lebanon, for GIS, the electronic magazine for international businessmen issued by Prince Michael of Liechtenstein. He is also advising on Iraq and Iran.

baram@research.haifa.ac.il

Former advisor to the US President and National Security Advisor, Walter has extensive 23 years of comprehensive experience in problem solving working in the State Department and the White House and subsequently as a manager in the private sector. He is currently the Director, Program in National and Competitive Intelligence and Adjunct Professor for Business Administration at the University of South Florida.

He was Deputy U.S. Permanent Representative to NATO where he managed a mission of 170 during the Obama transition and prepared the President’s participation in the NATO summit in Strasbourg/Kehl, 2001-2003l Security Council / White House, Director, European Directorate, Department of State – Since August, 1980, Fall 2001 Director, Task Force on Terrorism, supervising a staff of over 300 in the largest task force in State Department history following the September 11 attack, 1999-2001 Director, NATO Office where he managed the largest policy office in the State Department and supervised annual programs of $200 million, 1997-1998 Chief of Mission, American Embassy Tallinn, Estonia, 1996-1999 Political Counselor, American Embassy Stockholm, 1995-1996 detailed to American Embassy Sarajevo during the Dayton Peace Talks, 1994-1995

Political Officer, American Embassy Bonn, 1992-1994 Senior Baltics Desk Officer, and before that Special Assistant to the Assistant Secretary of State for European Affairs Grenada desk officer, Political Officer, American Embassy Berlin (East), Visa Officer, American Embassy Stockholm etc.

Walter was decorated in 1996 with Secretary of State’s Award for Heroism, one of the State Department’s most prestigious awards. On the eve of the Dayton Peace Talks, he talked his way through Serbian guard posts and navigated a harsh snow storm to drive about 250 miles and successfully secure the release of an American journalist. He also holds the Superior Honor Award, 1991, for contributing to the negotiated settlement of the re-unification of Germany, and has received the highest country awards from the Presidents of Germany, Romania, Hungary, Lithuania, and Latvia as well as the King of Sweden for improving ties between the United States and their countries.

A distinguished Serbian mathematician and intellectual, Miloljub was born in 1967 and graduated at the Faculty of Mathematics of the Belgrade University, his thesis being „Numeric Mathematics, Cybernetics and Optimization“. His specialist work was entitled ‘Differential Equations“. He won his masters degree at the Belgrade FEFA Faculty analyzing „Knowledge as Source of Competitive Advantage“. His Phd thesis was called „Quantification of Intellectual Capital’s Impact on Competitiveness“ and he defended it at the Singidunum Faculty, Belgrade in 2011.

He was a math professor from 1995 to 2003 when he became the Director of the Electrotechnical School Nikola Tesla in Belgrade. He was appointed Deputy Director of the Institute for the Promotion of Education and Teaching in 2004. Miloljub was a deputy in the Serbian Parliament from 2004 and parliamentary group leader from 2004 to 2006. He was also the Deputy President of the Serbian Parliament from 2007 to 2008 when he became the Director of the Serbia’s Curicullum Literature Publishing Institute until 2013. He is the Editor for Mathematics at the Institute, Professor of Analyses with Algebra in the Mathematics Gymnasium and assistant Professor at Universities Singidunum and FEFA since 2011.

Miloljub has published „Intellectual Capital“ book and coauthored together with Dobrila Tosic and Daniel Milenkovic„Elements of Differential and Integral Calculus“, co-edited together with Milovan Vitezovic and Miodrag Mateljevic the „People of Intellectual Virtue: 170 years of the Serbian Academy of Science and Arts“ monography, and has published scores of expert works in mathematics and intellectual capital. Married with two daughters, Tijana and Milena.

Director of Business Development, Ernst & Young, Belgrade, Serbia, Vladimir is a leading Serbian and regional banking expert whose experience encompasses general management of financial, state and consultancy institutions and projects, privatization, corporate strategies development, evaluation, restructuring and reorganization of enterprises, either in ex-Yugoslavia or in the Central and Eastern Europe.

Vladimir’s impressive experience includes: CEO, ALTA Banka a.d. Belgrade, Director, Atlantic Grupa, Representative Office in Serbia, two times , CFO, Victoria Group, Belgrade, Serbia, CEO, AIK Banka a.d. Niš, Belgrade, Serbia, CEO, Hypo Alpe Adria Bank a.d. Belgrade, Member of the Executive Board, Hypo Alpe Adria Bank a.d. Belgrade, Executive Director for Privatization, Privatization Agency, Republic of Serbia, Director, Privatization Agency, Republic of Serbia, Advisor to the Minister, Government of the Republic of Serbia, Ministry of Economics and Privatization and Manager in Charge, Deloitte & Touche Belgrade, Yugoslavia.

Vladimir is a member of dozens of related associations and committees with varying functions: Formerly Untitled Governor of the American Chamber of Commerce in Serbia, Chairman of the Food and Agriculture Council of NALED, Member of the Supervisory Board Serbia, Chairman of the Board of Directors of National Alliance for Local Economic Development (NALED), Vice Chairman of the Finance Committee of the American Chamber of Commerce in Serbia, Member of the Board of Directors of Serbian Association of Managers SAM, Chairman of the Banking and Insurance Committee of the Serbian Chamber of Commerce, Member of the Board of Directors of Serbian Tennis Association, Member of Serbian Business Club Privrednik, Member of the Board of Directors of Association of Serbian banks, Chairman of the Finance Committee of the American Chamber of Commerce in Serbia, Member of the Board of Governors of the American Chamber of Commerce in Serbia, Member of the Board of Serbian Economists Association and Member of the Business Advisory Council for South Eastern Europe.

Miloš Stevanović, born in 1983 in Bijeljina, Bosnia-Herzegovina, is an attorney at law in the Law firm Stevanović. Since 2006, when Milos took over the company, it has grown into the largest law firm in BiH and one of the leading law firms in the region, all in a very short time. Milos is the newest Associate Member of the Serbian Group of the Trilateral Commission as a representative of Bosnia-Herzegovina.

After finishing his studies at the Faculty of Law in Belgrade in 2006, he expanded his legal and business knowledge through work and cooperation with prestigious offices in the UK, Israel and the leading offices in the region.

In previous governments of Republic of Srpska, he was the Prime Minister’s advisor, he was also engaged in the Ministery of Agriculture, Forestry and Water Management, as the advisor for International Relations and Diplopamcy, as well as the advisor to the Minister of Internal Affairs in the field of international relations and diplomacy.

At the moment, he is expanding his family business in the field of finance, banking and accounting, within the “Standard Group”.

Aleksandar Lalić is a senior executive in the food and feed commodity trading sector, serving as CEO, co-owner, shareholder of Agricom Company Group doo since 2011. Lalic is one of the key players in agricultural business. A Member of the Trilateral Commission (Serbian Group) since 2023, he brings extensive international experience to his leadership role in Serbia’s agricultural trade industry.

Lalić earned a BBA in Marketing and Management from Northwood University in Midland, Michigan, USA, in 2008. He graduated Cum Laude with a 9.75 GPA, earned Dean’s List honors as an outstanding student among 2,000 peers, and received a full scholarship, Golden Graduation Award, and multiple leadership recognitions, including International Vice President of the Student Union and Chief of the Entrepreneurship Fair Organizational Board.

Beyond corporate achievements, Lalić holds memberships in the American Marketing Association (International), memeber of the Board of the Serbian Chamber of Commerce, and the Business Board of the City of Sombor, where he advises the mayor on business development. He is also an elected Member of the Sombor City Parliament, underscoring his commitment to local economic growth and strategic leadership.

He is a member of several non-profit organizations in Serbia and abroad, where he consistently contributes to community development.

Marko Čadež, born in 1977 in Belgrade (Serbia), is the President of the Serbian Chamber of Commerce. He is a leading media, communications and Serb-German relations expert who has made an immeasurable contribution to the development of the NGO and media sector in Serbia. Schooled in Germany, Marko graduated at the Academy for Marketing Communications, Frankfurt (Main) in 2001. He also studied at the International Institute for Journalism (IIJ), Sofia and the Deutsche Welle Akademie and Television Training Centre, Sofia, the South East European Network for Professionalisation of Media (SEENPM) and Danish School of Journalism. He is also a Licensed Trainer for Multimedia Journalism.

He started his professional career as an intern in daily newspaper “Politika” in Belgrade, later became a journalist with daily newspaper “Vesti” in Frankfurt (Main), and then moved on to staff the Serbian Desk of WDR in Cologne. He was a member of “Forum of Media Initiatives” (FOMIN), Belgrade, and in 1999-2000 Coordinator for Campaign on voters mobilisation “Nas je više” (“We are the majority”) of FOMIN and opposition movement OTPOR. He was a lecturer at the Konrad Adenauer Foundation in Montenegro; Coordinator of investigative reporting workshops in Belgrade, organised by SEENPM, FOMIN and FRESTA of Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Denmark, Coordinator of  court reporting workshops in Belgrade, organised by FOMIN und Heinrich Boell Foundation, Programme Coordinator and Advisor for Politics und Communications with Konrad Adenauer Foundation, Belgrade, Editor and presenter of monthly TV business show “PUT” at the Serbian State TV – RTS, trainer for Strategic Communication Management for Press/Media Officers of Serbian political party “G17Plus” (financed by the  Konrad Adenauer Foundation), Editor-in-chief of online magazine “Politikas” of the Konrad Adenauer Foundation, Belgrade.

Marko joined the Press Department of German Embassy, Belgrade in 2003 and two years later was appointed the Embassy Spokesperson, a job he still holds. He is also the Deutsche Welle Coordinator for Serbia and Montenegro.

Nikola is a finance and investment professional with 20 years of rich experience in investment banking and financial advisory, underpinned by a proven and comprehensive international track record.

Advising clients from around Europe on mergers and acquisitions, investments, strategy definition and risk management. Strong leadership skills, far-reaching worldwide professional network across a wide range of industries and international institutions, entrepreneurial mindset.

In September 2023, Nikola joined a highly reputable global advisory firm Alvarez&Marsal as a Senior Director, building and leading firm’s Central-East Europe advisory practice in financial industry area.

Prior to joining Alvarez&Marsal, Nikola was a member of a 3-person management team who has built AxFina Holding, Vienna based pan-European investor and asset manager, from zero to 200+ employees, in 7 EU countries, having more than EUR 3 billion assets under management.

Before that, Nikola was Director within the Financial Industry Advisory team in PwC Europe, for 4 years, where he successfully led and executed some of the largest transactions in the CEE region. From 2009-2015, he held several head positions in Hypo Alpe Adria Bank International, Austria, being responsible for the Balkan region.

Nikola is a member of Harvard Club Serbia and Harvard Club Austria.

Nikola gained his financial degrees from the University of Economics in Belgrade, Frankfurt School of Finance and Management, and the Harvard Business School.

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetuer adipiscing elit. Donec odio. Quisque volutpat mattis eros. Nullam malesuada erat ut turpis. Suspendisse urna nibh viverra non semper suscipit posuere a pede.

Donec nec justo eget felis facilisis fermentum. Aliquam porttitor mauris sit amet orci. Aenean dignissim pellentesque felis.
Morbi in sem quis dui placerat ornare. Pellentesque odio nisi euismod in pharetra a ultricies in diam. Sed arcu. Cras consequat.
Praesent dapibus neque id cursus faucibus tortor neque egestas auguae eu vulputate magna eros eu erat. Aliquam erat volutpat. Nam dui mi tincidunt quis accumsan porttitor facilisis luctus metus.

Phasellus ultrices nulla quis nibh. Quisque a lectus. Donec consectetuer ligula vulputate sem tristique cursus. Nam nulla quam gravida non commodo a sodales sit amet nisi.

Ivan Jakšić was born in 1979 in Belgrade.

He graduated from the Faculty of Economics, University of Belgrade, majoring in Marketing, and completed his Master’s academic studies in Business Management, with a focus on Communication and Public Relations, at the same faculty.

He has built his professional career in the field of communications and public relations across both the public and private sectors. He began his career in the judiciary, after which he served as Director of Marketing and Communications at the Chamber of Commerce of Serbia. He subsequently worked in the public sector as a media adviser to ministers in the Government of the Republic of Serbia, covering the portfolios of economy, Kosovo and Metohija, and foreign affairs.

He also served as Executive Director for Public Relations at the marketing agency Communis and as a communications consultant for UNIQA Insurance. In addition, he was a member of the supervisory boards of the Belgrade Beer Industry and the Public Enterprise for the Development and Improvement of Information in the Autonomous Province of Kosovo and Metohija (“Mreža-Most”). As a lecturer at the Fifth Economic School in Belgrade, he taught marketing, modern business correspondence, and statistics.

After more than twenty years of professional engagement in public relations, he founded Avala Media Group, where he currently serves as Director and Editor-in-Chief of the media outlets within the group.

From 2012 to 2014, he served as President of the Serbian Public Relations Association (DSOJ), the national professional organization for public relations practitioners, of which he has been a member since 2005. Within DSOJ, he also served as a member of the Managing Board (2008–2010) and as Vice President (2010–2012). He is a member of the International Public Relations Association (IPRA), the world’s oldest international professional organization in the field of communications.

He is a co-author of the handbook Public Relations in Courts (2007) and a lecturer at training programs in public speaking and media relations.
Based on surveys conducted among journalists and editors from print and electronic media, he is a recipient of four awards for excellence in media relations—awarded for 2008, 2010, and 2012 on behalf of the Chamber of Commerce of Serbia, and for 2013 on behalf of the Ministry of Economy.

PRESIDENT OF THE EAST-WEST BRIDGE

Branko is an experienced administrator of international and public policy with extensive expertise in institutional governance and diplomacy. He is distinguished by strong financial, organizational, and communication skills, as well as the ability to manage complex commercial and institutional matters within an international environment.

His professional experience includes the strategic leadership of international initiatives, the organization of high-level events, and the management of teams in complex and sensitive institutional contexts, with a strong emphasis on inter-institutional cooperation and international engagement.

After nearly six years of diplomatic service in Athens, during which he first served as Deputy Head of Mission and subsequently, for several years, as Chargé d’Affaires ad interim of the Embassy of the Republic of Serbia to the Hellenic Republic, Branko currently serves as an Advisor on Security Policy and International Relations.

Prior to his diplomatic appointment, he held senior positions within the Ministry of the Interior of the Republic of Serbia, including Adviser to the Minister and Chief of Staff. During that period, he acted as Team Leader in the visa liberalization process for citizens of the Republic of Serbia, which was successfully finalized in December 2009, enabling visa-free travel to the Schengen Area. He also participated in the organization of the deployment of members of the Ministry of the Interior of the Republic of Serbia to United Nations police missions.

Among his notable professional contributions is the introduction and implementation of Google Street View in Serbia, as well as a special recognition awarded by the Greek Parliament for his contribution to strengthening parliamentary relations between the Republic of Serbia and the Republic of Greece.

During his diplomatic tenure in Greece, in addition to conducting political and bilateral affairs of strategic importance, he was strongly engaged in the development of public and cultural diplomacy. In this capacity, he organized the cultural manifestation “Seven Days of Serbian Cinema” in Athens, the project “Serbs in Greek Sport,” and the concert “European Rhapsody” marking the opening of Serbia’s European Union accession negotiations.

He is particularly recognized for his role as the architect and organizer of three rounds of de-escalation talks in Belgrade between representatives of the Government of Afghanistan and Taliban interlocutors. In that context, Serbia served as a neutral platform for dialogue within the framework of the East-West Bridge initiative, with the knowledge and approval of relevant international stakeholders, including the United States, the European Union, and the United Nations.

He graduated from the Faculty of Economics, University of Belgrade, majoring in Marketing. He holds a Master’s degree in Organization and Management from the Faculty of Management and Economics in Novi Sad, where he is currently pursuing doctoral studies. He has completed the Executive Education program at Harvard Kennedy School.

Branko also serves as Special Adviser to the Economics Institute in Belgrade. He is an Honorary Member of the Navy Club in Piraeus (Greece) and an Honorary Member of the Rotary Club of Agia Paraskevi in Athens. He previously served as a Member of the Board of the Water Polo Club Partizan in Belgrade and as a Member of the Executive Board of the Football Association of Serbia.

Jovan Kovačić is a distinguished Serbian journalist, diplomat, and policy advisor with a career spanning various fields. He initially gained prominence as a war correspondent for esteemed media outlets like CNN, BBC, and Reuters from the late 1970-ies up to the end of the tumultuous Yugoslav wars in the 90-ies. Covering significant events from Slovenia to Kosovo, his work brought critical international attention to the region. Beyond more than a 25-year, award-winning career in journalism, he has taken on key advisory roles, such as working with the Office of the High Representative in Bosnia and Herzegovina and the OSCE in Serbia, contributing to reconstruction and refugee resettlement, post-war recovery and media development. He was also actively involved in bringing down the regime of Serbia’s strongman Slobodan Milosevic.

A major highlight of Kovačić’s career are his diplomatic initiatives. As a skilled mediator and strategist, he has been involved in fostering dialogue and cooperation within Southeast Europe and beyond. His efforts include organizing secret talks between conflicting parties, such as the Afghan government and the Taliban, demonstrating his ability to navigate complex geopolitical challenges. His contributions have strengthened regional stability and helped align Southeast Europe with broader Euro-Atlantic structures. He also held senior advisory positions for governments, big corporations and international organizations.

Jovan Kovačić is the Founder and Honorary President of East West Bridge, an independent, non-partisan international policy platform based in Belgrade that brings together policymakers, diplomats, academics, and business leaders from Europe, the United States, Russia, China, and the broader Middle East.

East West Bridge serves as a forum for strategic dialogue on geopolitical, economic, and security issues affecting Southeast Europe and the broader international system. It facilitates exchange across political and ideological boundaries, with particular attention to regional stability, international cooperation, and the evolving global order.

Kovačić is also a member of the Executive Committee of the Trilateral Commission, contributing to transatlantic and transpacific discussions on global governance and strategic affairs.

East West Bridge offers its members a platform for strategic dialogue, analytical exchange, and participation in selected events and forums with relevant domestic and international actors. For corporate entities, cooperation with EWB provides structured insight into geopolitical, regulatory, and socio-economic developments, enabling timely understanding of trends and frameworks shaping strategic and business decision-making in a complex international environment. The organization remains open to cooperation with individuals, institutions, and corporate entities that recognize responsible and evidence-based dialogue as an important component of the contemporary strategic and business environment.

Draško Miletić, writer, was born in Kotor, Montenegro, in February 1963. He graduated from Belgrade University with a BA in tourism but later changed his vocation, working as a journalist for fifteen years. He was an editor and author in digital media (RB202, RB1, B92), daily newspapers (Voice of the Public), and ART TV (show Art litera).

Since 2001, he has been a writer and editor-in-chief of the literary magazine URB, which was published monthly from 2003 to 2007 by Independent Editions Slobodan Mašić.

From 2005 to 2007, he ran a literary workshop at the Center for Youth Creativity and published three books. More than fifty literary and web magazines in Serbia and the region have published his works.

He is a member of the Serbian Literary Society as an independent artist. He wrote six novels and two books of poetry.
The first and second novels are listed in the Washington Library of Congress. The second novel was nominated, as a finalist, for the prestigious NIN Award (2007).

Since 2022, he has been writing for an international magazine published in London, as well as ARS REGIA, an annual magazine published in Belgrade.

During 2024, he was a panelist at the International Conventions in Belgrade: “FIAT LUX” paper Today’s date reflects a Generative egg, “Service, Sustainability, Dignity. All about people” paper Nobility is needed, as well as a participant at the International Symposium in Timisoara (Romania): “Banat’s multiculturalism” paper Invisible letters. The following year, he served as a panelist at the Belgrade symposium, presenting the paper The State of Being Fully Human.

He is multilingual, speaking English and French. He lives and works in Belgrade. He is married and has two children.
Novels are available on Amazon.com: https://www.amazon.com/s?k=dra%C5%A1ko+mileti%C4%87&i=stripbooks-intl-ship&crid=XIAHBZH6XPV6&sprefix=dra%C5%A1%2Cstripbooks-intl-ship%2C369&ref=nb_sb_noss