Association of Business Women in Serbia – leaders in the promotion of female entrepreneurship

Association of Business Women in Serbia – leaders in the promotion of female entrepreneurship

17.12.2024

“For us, 2024 was a very successful year. We continue to develop our mission of supporting female entrepreneurship through numerous projects and initiatives that affect concrete changes in empowering women and improving their economic position in society” it was said on December 17, 2024, at the Europe House in Belgrade, at the meeting of the Association of Business Women in Serbia, the most representative organization that has been gathering women entrepreneurs, company owners, managers, but also young women at the beginning of their careers for 26 years. In addition to members of the Association, the event was attended by numerous business partners, friends and associates, who had the opportunity to network over a cocktail and exchange experiences and ideas for new joint activities.

The Association of Business Women in Serbia continued to achieve its goals during this year, significantly contributing to the improvement and promotion of female entrepreneurship. The most significant and certainly the most beautiful event this year was the 18th anniversary of the Success Flower event, which has so far promoted more than 500 of the best female entrepreneurs in Serbia, 184 of whom have won awards for exceptional business results. Also, 33 large companies have been recognized as the most gender sensitive in Serbia, while so far three women-led companies have received recognition for the application of intellectual property in business, which is awarded by the Association of Business Women in Serbia in cooperation with the Intellectual Property Office and the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO). In addition, the Association continued its tradition of celebrating the international Girls in ICT Day. Over the past 14 years, this initiative has inspired and motivated more than 11,000 girls to pursue careers in information technology and entrepreneurship.

Through European projects, the Association of Business Women in Serbia achieves a significant impact on improving the position of women entrepreneurs in Serbia and the region. The projects are implemented within the framework of the Erasmus+ program, the Interreg Danube Region Programme, Horizon Wider, and the IPA Cross-border Cooperation Programme for Serbia and North Macedonia. The WINnovators project, successfully completed in 2024, focused on strengthening and boosting the STEM capacity of young women in rural areas. Currently, the Association is engaged in projects such as WIN, which aims to improve the position of women in the labor market of peripheral industrial regions, and the CBC job gender and age equalizer, which has provided training in traditionally “male” sectors such as construction and ICT to 480 women and young people from Serbia and North Macedonia. Also, the e-ABW project contributes to the development of the digital section of the Association, connecting young female entrepreneurs with experienced members, WE.Circular supports women in the transition to the circular economy and digital technologies, while ST(R)E(A)M IT deals with guiding girls and women into STEM education and innovation and research.

“We are proud of this year’s achievements and grateful to all our partners and associates, with whom we work together to create better conditions for women in entrepreneurship. The mission of the Association of Business Women in Serbia continues, and the coming year will bring new challenges and opportunities” said Sanja Popović Pantić PhD, President of the Association of Business Women in Serbia, who together with Dragana Panajotović, Executive Director, Lija Stojković, Project Manager, and Manuela Stamatović, member of the Executive Board and Manager of the e-ABW project, which brings together digital entrepreneurs in the ABW Serbia, presented the most important successes of the Association.

The Association is entering the year 2025 with ambitious plans, including projects such as WOMEX within the Interreg Europe program and initiatives for the digitization of female entrepreneurs, which will support the further improvement of the position of women in the economic sphere, both in Serbia and internationally.