The NLB Business Forum “Women in Business: The New Value of the Montenegrin Economy” was held on December 11th at the Centre Ville Hotel in Podgorica.
This unique event, opened by Martin Leberle, Chief Executive Officer of NLB Bank a.d. Podgorica, NLB Banka dedicated to the importance of women’s entrepreneurship and presented the successful business stories of its clients in the presence of numerous guests. The panel’s closing statement was given by Dragica Sekulic, Minister of Economy in the Government of Montenegro.
NLB Banka organized a business forum aimed at fostering an important dialogue on women’s entrepreneurship and contributing to creating a more favorable environment for its development. The panel discussion was attended by clients of NLB Banka, together with the director of the NLB Group’s management sector.
Panelists Nemša Nelka Omerhodžić, Executive Director of Mercator International Bijelo Polje, Ljiljana Pižurica, Executive Director of Nergelia doo, Biljana Petrušić, Executive Director of Calgo MN doo, Jana Benčina Henigman, Director of the NLB Group Management Sector, openly discussed the challenges and opportunities for starting their own businesses and assuming responsible functions in companies. They shared the view of the business environment with the attendees, and the panel was moderated by Dino Redžepagić, Executive Director of NLB Bank a.d. Podgorica.
“For NLB Banka, as a member of a strong financial group such as NLB, this region is not just a spot on the map – it is our home. NLB Banka wants to support the development of this region. Life in our country, the health and prosperity of our families are predominantly on the shoulders of the women while the business reality in Montenegro is still a men’s world.
We see a huge potential for our country if we help to change this disbalance. The more women who will take over entrepreneurship and management, the better future for all of us.
This initiative starts today with giving the stage to women, our esteemed clients, who are already very successful as entrepreneurs and managers and with their examples and experiences will certainly motivate and inspire your future projects.
NLB Banka will take special care with this business segment, and through a new line of credit aimed at women entrepreneurship” said Martin Leberle, Chief Executive Officer of NLB Banka a.d. Podgorica.
Dino Redžepagić, Executive Director of NLB Banka a.d. Podgorica, said: “The importance and power of women’s entrepreneurship is a topic that is becoming more and more relevant in the region of Southeast Europe. It is not only a topic of gender equality but also an economic issue, an issue of untapped potential. The McKinsey Global Institute estimates that by 2025, addressing the “bottleneck” of gender equality could create an additional 12 trillion of global GDP and as much as 240 million new jobs. My impression is that things are changing in Montenegro as well. We believe in the potential of our clients, but also the potential of women’s entrepreneurship in Montenegrin society and the region, so the forum was an opportunity to emphasize this topic in the Montenegrin public and announce the launch of a line of credit aimed at developing the potential of women in business.”
“In order to achieve economic independence, women must be educated. That is why it is our task to give women the opportunity to be educated, to know that with their knowledge and their education they can reach their goal ”said Dragica Sekulic, Minister of Economy in the Government of Montenegro.
She also referred to the results achieved in the previous year regarding the development of women’s entrepreneurship. “The fact that in 2018 we had 24% of women-led businesses, as well as the fact that 30% of entrepreneurs in Montenegro are women entrepreneurs is encouraging, but it also encourages us to make additional efforts to increase this number. We have created a Women Entrepreneurship Strategy and an Action Plan to develop that strategy and invested € 1.6 million in 2018 for the implementation of the Action Plan activities, reached an agreement with 11 municipalities in Montenegro that have committed € 144,000 in grants for women entrepreneurship in local budgets. That in all fields we are trying to empower women is also evidenced by the fact that the IRF supported on three credit lines 39 companies worth two million euros, and the Employment Service gave 36 loans in the amount of 205,000 euros for the creation of 41 job” the minister said.
After the panel discussion Jelena Krstović, the successful entrepreneur gave a presentation, and the end of the official part of the forum was followed by a musical surprise – the premiere of the song “She followed her dream”, prepared by the regionally known Who See band in collaboration with NLB Banka for the occasion.
Apart from business entities, the event was attended by state officials and representatives of diplomatic missions in Montenegro, representatives of the EBRD’s Montenegro office, important clients from home and abroad.
