Woman Leadership – Breaking the “Glass Ceiling” by Bridging the Gender Gap

M6 Educational Centre prides itself on pushing for positive change and following the SDG and ESG sustainability goals. For this reason, we created the conference “Woman Leadership – Breaking the ‘Glass Ceiling’ by Bridging the Gender Gap”, held on December 21st, 2023, at M6 Educational Centre.

The objective of the conference was to raise awareness of the societal pressure and prejudice women face in the workplace, while preparing individuals, companies, and society as a whole to embrace women leadership and youth inclusion.

The conference brought together successful women from different industries and provided an opportunity to share their experiences, challenges, and journeys toward leadership. At the same time, the discussion included both women and men, creating space for different perspectives on gender equality and the gender gap.

Youth representation was also placed at the centre of the discussion, recognizing the importance of preparing future generations to contribute to positive societal change. The event aimed to explore how women empowerment and youth inclusion can contribute to a better and more inclusive future.

09:00–10:00 — Registration

10:00–10:30 — Welcome Speeches

Inspirational Speeches

• Mrs. Elizabeta Georgievska — Spouse of the President of the Republic of North Macedonia
• Mrs. Antje Wandelt — Director, AHK
• Mr. Svetozar Janevski — President of the Management Board, Tikves Winery

10:30–11:15 — Panel Discussion 1: SOCIETY’s Perspective

11:15–11:45 — Coffee Break

11:45–12:30 — Panel Discussion 2: WOMEN’s Perspective

12:30–13:15 — Panel Discussion 3: MAN’s Perspective

13:15–13:40 — Coffee Break

13:40–14:25 — Panel Discussion 4: YOUTH Perspective

14:20–14:45 — Closing Remarks

14:45–17:00 — Cocktail Party

Society’s Perspective
• Mrs. Slavica Grkovska — Deputy Prime Minister in charge of Good Governance Policies
• Mrs. Tanja Mihajlovska Dimitrievska — Country Lead and Ambassador for North Macedonia, Women on Boards Adria (WOBA)
• Mrs. Dita Starova — Director, National Gallery
• Mr. Nazim Rashidi — Moderator

Women’s Perspective
• Mrs. Biljana Ivanovska — President, Anti-Corruption Commission
• Mrs. Valentina Taseva — Chief Executive Officer, Semos Education
• Mrs. Maja Stevkova Shterieva — Chief Financial Officer and Member of the Management Board, Komercijalna Banka; President of Macedonian Banking Association
• Mrs. Branka Slaveska — Chief Executive Officer, Tikves Winery
• Mrs. Vlora Ademi — Chief Executive Officer, Digicube
• Mrs. Lidija Tripunovska — Moderator

Man’s Perspective
• Mr. Ivan Steriev — CEO, Macedonian Stock Exchange
• Mr. Gjorgje Vojnovic — CEO, Triglav Insurance
• Mr. Arlind Zeqiri — Managing Partner, LANSKY, GANZGER, ZEQIRI + partner
• Mr. Trajan Angelovski — President, Macedonian Chambers of Commerce
• Mrs. Ida Protuger — Moderator

Youth Perspective
• Mr. Filip Ivkovski — National Youth Council
• Mrs. Sanja Lazarevska — Co-founder and Chief Executive Officer, Aspire Accelerator; Owner, ForLady
• Mr. Dimitar Kaljoshevski — Project Coordinator, Career Transition Support
• Mrs. Verica Jordanova — Moderator

Society’s Perspective — Societal attitudes, expectations, and barriers affecting women in leadership.

Women’s Perspective — Experiences and perspectives from women leaders across different industries.

Man’s Perspective — The role of men in supporting gender equality and bridging the gender gap.

Youth Perspective — The role of young people in creating positive societal change and shaping future leadership.

• Women Leadership

• Gender Equality and the Gender Gap

• Breaking the “Glass Ceiling”

• Women Empowerment

• Youth Inclusion

• Societal Change

• Inclusive Leadership and Workplace Equality

Participants were symbolically charged, with the income donated to young individuals from SOS Children’s Village.

M6 Educational Centre, with a commitment to positive social change, sustainable development, women empowerment, inclusive leadership, and youth inclusion.