Viktor Mizo is the Managing Director of Kostal Macedonia and Vice President for Governmental Affairs at Kostal Group – global leader in design and manufacturing of advanced electronics and mechatronics products for the automotive industry. He is also President of the Foreign Investors Council within the Economic Chamber of North Macedonia.

He is also President of the Association of foreign companies with technologically advanced manufacturing within the auspices of the Economic Chamber of Macedonia and an outside expert for McKinsey on various economic development, FDI and free zones projects around the World. Mr. Mizo brings to Kostal a record of exceptional leadership and strategic vision, responsible for numerous greenfield investment projects by multinational companies that have located their production or service operations in Macedonia as a CEO of the Macedonia Free Zone Authority over a period of six year.

Prior to that, he spent four years as CEO of Invest Macedonia, where he played a critical role in putting Macedonia on the radar of potential investors looking to expand in Europe and was a key member of the Government’s economic team. He co-founded and managed a technology company specialized in digital file distribution for mobile phones in Japan, as well as an internet start-up in the media and entertainment space in London and New York. Preceding this, Mr. Mizo was a technology and financial services consultant at McKinsey’s New York office.

He began his career as a design engineer at Magna International and a member of the esteemed Technical Leadership Program at General Electric where he worked on locomotive design that culminated in a Black Belt position in the Six Sigma quality initiative. Mr. Mizo received his B.S. and M.S. in Mechanical Engineering at the Rochester Institute of Technology, graduating summa cum laude. An alumnus of Harvard University, he holds an MBA from the Harvard Business School.

John I. Bitove has a distinguished record of accomplishment in the corporate, sports and community endeavours. He is the sole shareholder of Obelysk, which has major investments in the wireless, satellite radio, real estate, restaurants and other businesses. He is one of the founders of alternative asset investment firm, PointNorth Capital.

Recently Obelysk has obtained the right to develop the Canadian market for Bird e-scooters, and the franchise right to develop Dave’s Hot Chicken restaurants in Canada. Mr. Bitove was the founder, Chairman and controlling shareholder of Canadian Satellite Radio Inc. which brought satellite radio service to Canadians, in partnership with U.S.-based XM Satellite Radio. XM later merged with Sirius to become SiriusXM Canada, Canada’s fastest growing media subscription business with over 3 million subscribers. SiriusXM Canada went public in 2005 and has now gone private with Mr. Bitove remaining as a shareholder.

Mr. Bitove was the founder, principal shareholder and CEO of KEYreit, Canada’s premier “small-box” retail property owner with over 220 retail real estate properties in eight provinces across Canada. He was also the founder of Mobilicity, one of Canada’s new entrant wireless operators, which was sold to Rogers in 2015. Mr. Bitove acquired Scott’s Restaurants in 1999. Scott’s was renamed as Priszm and grew to almost 700 restaurants across Canada under the KFC, Pizza Hut and Taco Bell brands, serving 2 million customers a week and employing over 10,000 people. Priszm was eventually taken public as an Income Trust.

A passionate Canadian, Mr. Bitove was the volunteer President and Chief Executive Officer of Toronto’s Bid for the 2008 Olympic Games (awarded to Beijing, China). He was the head of the organizing committees that brought the successful World Indoor Athletics (Track & Field) Championships and World Championships of Basketball to Canada in 1993 and 1994 respectively. In 1993, he founded the Toronto Raptors Basketball Club.

He led the NBA franchise-bid process, launched the team and created the Air Canada Centre (now Scotiabank Arena), Toronto’s major sports and entertainment venue. A strong believer of giving back to the community, Mr. Bitove founded S’Cool Life Fund, to support public elementary schools across Canada. Since the launch in 2005, S’Cool Life Fund has raised and donated over $3 million helping to make school life more enjoyable for thousands of public elementary school kids.

Mike Zafirovski is the Founder, Chairman, and President of The Zaf Group, a family office engaged in operating, investment, and advisory activities. The operating activities include acquiring well-run family businesses with the intention of owning in perpetuity. Currently, the two platform companies are ACP CreativIT, an IT solutions provider and ABCO Systems, a material handling systems integrator for warehouses and distribution centers.

Mike is the chairman of both companies, and Mike’s wife Robin is the co-chair of The Zaf Group as well as on the board of ABCO Systems. Formerly, Mike was an executive advisor to The Blackstone Group (2011-2021) and served on the board of directors of Boeing (2004-2020), Stericycle (2012-2022), Apria Healthcare (2011-2022), Nortel (2006-2009), Motorola (2002-2005), several Blackstone portfolio companies. During his corporate career, Mike served as President/CEO at Nortel, Motorola, and five GE businesses. In 21 years of direct P&L responsibility, revenue growth exceeded 8% per year, annual productivity averaged over 6%, and EBITDA margin increases averaged 350bps per year. From 2006 to 2010, Mr. Zafirovski was appointed by the President of the United States to the National Security Telecommunications Advisory Committee (NSTAC), providing recommendations to the President on a wide range of policy issues related to telecommunications, IT, cybersecurity, and other national security concerns. The Zafirovski Family Foundation (established in 2005) activities focus on education, healthcare, faith-based ministries, and economic development. A native of Macedonia, Mike is co-founder and director of Macedonia 2025 (www.macedonia2025.com), an organization dedicated to enhancing the country’s economic and democratic development.

One of the programs (Zafirovski Executive Development), in partnership with the Kellogg School of Management, is accelerating the development of 100 future CEOs and CXOs in the country. Mike is on Board of Directors of the Special Olympics (www.SpecialOlympics.org) and on Coach K Leadership & Ethics Center Advisory Board. His other philanthropic and civic involvements include: Council of Chief Executives (member, former Chairman), The CEO Forum (member, https://theceoforum.org/Home), American Enterprise Institute (member of National Council), The Halftime Institute (http://halftimeinstitute.org/, completed the Fellows Program in 2017), The Economic Club of Chicago (member, former director), and The Chicago Council on Global Affairs (member). Mike is co-founder of the Faith at Work ministry at the Church of the Holy Spirit in Lake Forest, Il.

Mike is the former Chairman of AUSL (www.ausl-chicago.org), an organization that developed teachers to excel in the urban environment and drove education equity at some of the most challenged public schools in Chicago. Mike holds a B.A. in Mathematics from Edinboro University in Pennsylvania, where he captained the soccer and swimming teams. In 2002, Edinboro University awarded him an honorary doctorate degree in public service. He is a visiting lecturer at Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management. He and his wife Robin are former national chairs of Duke University’s Parents’ Committee. He has received the Ellis Island Medal of Honor (2004); the Distinguished Leadership Award from the NY Hall of Science (2008); the Medal of Honor from the President of Macedonia (2013); and the inagural John L. Bitove Philanthropy Award (2017). In 2018, the Navy Seal Foundation bestowed on Mike and his wife Robin the “Patriot Award,” in recognition of their extensive philanthropic contributions to society, commitment to the Navy Seal community, and spirit and example of patriotism. In 2021, AUSL recognized Mike and Robin for their leadership impact in education. Mike and Robin, married for 41 years, have three married sons and nine grandchildren. All three sons are involved in The Zaf Group.

Mike’s hobbies include anything with family, mentoring, friends, travel, and sports (he completed the Kona Ironman Triathlon in 2018, the NYC marathon in 2021, and is beginning to take golf seriously).

Vasko Kronevski, B.Sc. Degree in Information Technology is an established entrepreneur and digital transformation strategist focused on the economic growth of organizations utilizing digital transformation solutions. He has been developing his expertise in digital transformation and ICT business since 1996, being General Manager at software development companies.

Vasko is CEO and co-founder of Nextsense, ICT company specialized in digital transformation solutions founded in 2001 and digital transformation leader in the CEE region. Vasko is responsible for shaping the vision, strategy, and directly involved in the digital transformation products strategy. Vasko's career development encompasses more than 25 years of professional experience in driving digital transformation processes for prominent enterprises in the telecom and finance industry, as well as governmental institutions across Europe and wider.

During his professional journey, he established a valuable partnership with business, government, and academia to generate opportunities and build capacities for sustainable economic growth, helping them build a stronger organization and improve their business opportunities. He is skilled at identifying key economic challenges of organizations and guiding them in implementing digital solutions. Mike Zafirovski is the Founder, Chairman, and President of The Zaf Group, a family office engaged in operating, investment, and advisory activities. The operating activities include acquiring well-run family businesses with the intention of owning in perpetuity. Currently, the two platform companies are ACP CreativIT, an IT solutions provider and ABCO Systems, a material handling systems integrator for warehouses and distribution centers.

As a strategist, strong analyst and mediator, Vasko has been a member (past and present) in many distinguished professional bodies: World Information Technology and Service Alliance (WITSA) Member of Board; MASIT – Macedonian ICT Chamber of Commerce, Chairman of the Assembly, President of the Board; Vice President; Steering Committee Coordinator; South East Europe ICT Forum Private sector board member; Member of EBA-European Business Association; e-Democracy Conference Chairman.

Professor Nikica Mojsoska-Blazevski is the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) at Macedonia2025. Nikica's prior experience was in academia, where she served two terms as Dean of the Business School at University American College-Skopje, as well as in the public administration where she worked as a Head of the Macroeconomic Policy Department at the Ministry of Finance of Republic of Macedonia.

Nikica has an extensive experience of over 15 years in research, consultancy and advisory in economic policies, social systems and policy, labour markets, and education in Macedonia, as well as the Western Balkan region. She has been working with major international economic organisations and institutions, such as the World Bank, ILO, RCC, UNDP, UN Women and the European Commission. Mojsoska-Blazevski is author of many journal articles and several book chapters, mainly in the area of social policy, labour markets, education, gender issues, youth, etc.

Nikica has served as an advisor to the government institutions in Macedonia and the Western Balkan region on economic, employment and social policy issues. Nikica is a member of several professional organizations in Macedonia, as well as of well-renowned international scientific organizations.

Vojdan Karapetkovski is the CEO of Kara5®, a next-gen digital agency headquartered in New York and Skopje, renowned for accelerating digital evolution across Switzerland, EU, US and worldwide for over a decade. With a strong commitment to delivering first-class digital solutions, Kara5® has driven successful transformations and sustainable growth for clients across various industries, including BMW, MINI, CVA, SpiroChem, Emerald, Abhati, Modirum, Connect and more.

Under his leadership, Kara5® has cemented its position as a digital pioneer in Macedonia, ranking among the top 2% of the most successful companies in the country for five consecutive years. The agency is also a long-standing Google Partner, recognized for its expertise in high-impact digital advertising. As a regular keynote speaker at regional conferences, he shares deep insights into data and strategy, contributing to the advancement of digital knowledge and innovation across the industry. His visionary leadership and proven track record earned him the recognition as 'Man of the Year' in 2021 in the category of Manager of the Year under 40 and a place in the '40 under 40' in Europe in 2024.

Today, Vojdan continues to shape the future of digital advertising through his work with global tech companies and brands, alongside his active role as Chief Digital Officer (CDO) at CEV – the European Volleyball Confederation in Luxembourg.

Jordan Bitove is the CEO and Chairman of NordStar Capital, Publisher of the Toronto Star and Owner of Torstar Corporation. Torstar's news organizations deliver trusted reporting and high-quality journalism.

More than 11 million Canadians turn to Torstar for their news every month. Torstar's news organizations include the Toronto Star and over 60 local news brands across Ontario. Jordan's distinguished career at the forefront of Canadian business includes ownership of Canada's leading media brands, and significant investment in businesses related to technology, online gaming, real estate, hospitality, natural resources, and distribution.

As a leader in Canada's sports industry, Jordan helped launch the Toronto Raptors basketball team, the first NBA franchise awarded outside the United States, and he was part of the ownership consortium that built the SkyDome (now Rogers Centre). Jordan was a member of the Board of Trustees for SickKids Foundation from 2012 to 2025. He has also served as a member of the Board of Directors of the Toronto International Film Festival, the Board of Governors of Western University, and the Canadian Advisory Board for Right to Play.

In 2012, he was a recipient of the Queen Elizabeth Diamond Jubilee Medal for his philanthropic work. In November 2023, Jordan was awarded the Order of Ontario, the province's highest civilian honour for extraordinary contributions. He received the King Charles III Coronation Medal in July 2025 for meritorious public service. Jordan is a graduate of Western University and holds the position of Honorary Consul to the Republic of North Macedonia.

Andrew Wrobel is a reinvention strategist working at the intersection of systems, strategy, and future relevance. As Chief Reinvention Officer at Reinvantage, he helps governments, corporates, and start-ups rethink the operational architecture beneath performance—how decisions are structured, value is captured, incentives align, and resilience is embedded.

His work centres on systemic reinvention: redesigning the logic of how organisations function, not just what they plan, so they remain relevant as context shifts. Andrew advises leaders across Europe and emerging markets, delivers keynote talks on reinvention, and is the author of Capture What You Create, a book on value capture in an age of constant change.

Ron Thomas is a globally recognized executive advisor and leadership strategist with more than two decades of experience architecting enterprise-level people, leadership, and workforce transformations across the Middle East, Africa, North America, and Asia. Known for pioneering the Workforce Architect approach, Ron works at the intersection of enterprise strategy, organizational design, leadership capability, and future-ready workforce systems.

His advisory work supports CEOs, Boards, and CHROs in translating strategy into execution through modern workforce architecture, leadership pipelines, governance models, and operating structures aligned to growth, productivity, risk, and resilience. Ron has held senior executive and board-level roles, including CHRO at Al Raha Group (Riyadh), VP HR & Board Director at Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia (New York), and CEO of Great Place to Work® MENA, advising organizations through large-scale transformation, culture integration, and leadership renewal.

A respected global thought leader, Ron has been consistently recognized among the world's most influential HR and leadership voices, including Top 5 HR Thinkers in the Middle East (CIPD), Asia's 50 Most Talented Global HR Leaders, Global 200 Inspirational Leaders, and Power 200: Biggest Voices in Leadership. In 2025, he was named one of the Top 10 Inspiring HR Leaders to Watch, nominated for the Global Image Awards under UAE Royal Patronage, and appointed Jury Member for the 17th HRM Summit Awards & Expo, the region's most respected HR platform. In December 2025, Ron received the Distinguished Service Award for Advancing HR Excellence in Africa, recognizing over a decade of contributions as a judge, assessor, and thought leader, shaping professional standards and leadership capabilities across the continent.

Ron is deeply engaged in academic leadership and governance. He serves as Executive Faculty at Howard University's Global HR Leadership Institute and as Faculty at the American University in the Emirates, and he sits on multiple academic advisory boards, including the MBA Advisory Board and the Doctor of Business Administration (DBA) Advisory Board at The American University in the Emirates. He also serves on the Advisory Board of the Stirling Centre for Strategic Learning & Innovation in the UK, contributing to the design of future-focused leadership, learning, and innovation agendas.

In parallel, Ron is a member of the Harvard Business Review Advisory Council and the McKinsey Quarterly Executive Panel, contributing practitioner insight to global executive discourse. Ron is the creator of several globally deployed leadership and workforce frameworks, including The Symphonic C-Suite®, the Workforce Architect Method™, the Workforce Architect: Executive Leadership Program, and the Future Leaders Program. He has delivered over 100 global keynotes in 30+ countries, influencing workforce systems and leadership models that impact more than 250,000 people worldwide.

Ana Arsov is a senior financial services executive and board member with more than 25 years experience at Wall Street's leading financial institutions. She currently serves as an operating partner and senior advisor at Blackrock Private Financing Solutions and is also a Chief Investment Officer of her family office, Bright Fame Holdings.

Ana also serves on the boards of Toronto Dominion Bank Group and Lumus Group. Before her advisory and board roles, she spent more than 2 decades at leadership positions at Moody's Corporation, UBS Investment Bank, Morgan Stanley and Lehman Brothers. Ana hails from Skopje and is based in the New York area and Florida.

Elizabeth Naumovski is a multi award-winning financial literacy & female empowerment advocate, television host, moderator, emcee, speaker and is Board certified. Elizabeth is the recipient of the 2025 Wealth Professional Pier 4 Award for Female Trailblazer of the Year. In 2022, she received the noteworthy Queen's Platinum Jubilee award for her contribution to community. Elizabeth is honoured to be the 2021 & 2019 inaugural recipient of the Wealth Professional IFSE Institute Award for Financial Literacy Champion.

Elizabeth is proud to be a 2020 Alumni of Distinction Award winner for Creative Arts & Design. Since winning the award, she created the Elizabeth Naumovski Alumni of Distinction Bursary, for a single mother (or woman) enrolled in any STEM course at Mohawk College. She is Vice President Marketing at Caldwell Securities, since 1997, and is responsible for marketing, corporate communications & public relations. She has her Chartered Marketer Designation. Since 2023, she is the host of EMPOWERED. with Elizabeth Naumovski, a weekly Canadian national television show on the News Forum Network, aimed at empowering women and future female Canadian leaders. Empowered airs every Wednesday & Friday at 7:30pm EDT.

She decided to host only female guests to give women a voice. To watch episodes of EMPOWERED. click here: https://thenewsforum.ca/series/empowered/ or on her YouTube channel. She is on the Advisory Council of the United Macedonian Diaspora ("UMD"). She is a past Board member of the Macedonian Film Festival. She was a member of the Canadian Capital Markets Association's (CCMA) T+1 Communications & Education Committee, on the Advisory Committee of Canadian Blood Services Partners Council and on the Communications Committee of the IIAC. She is Past Director of the Canadian Motorsport Hall of Fame & was on the Advisory Board of XTRX Solutions prior to their IPO.

Elizabeth has climbed the active volcano Stromboli, hiked through the Dolomites in Italy, snorkeled thru Silfra Fissure & hiked & climbed a glacier in Iceland. She also completed the Tough Mudder Half. She mentors young women & donates blood to Canadian Blood Services every 84 days. She has donated over 85 times. She also volunteers and feeds Toronto's homeless through the Out of the Cold program. Caldwell Securities Ltd. is regulated by Canadian Investment Regulatory Organization & a member of the Canadian Investor Protection Fund.

Tanja M. Dimitrievska is a senior banking executive and board member with more than 20 years of international experience in audit, risk, and governance. As Global Audit Director at Barclays Bank in the UK, she leads multi-regional teams across APAC, EMEA, and the US, driving large-scale transformation and elevating global governance standards.

A recognised leader in the governance community, Tanja is a founding Board Member of the Institute of Internal Auditors in North Macedonia and serves as Country Lead for Women on Board Adria. Through her work, she champions diversity, influence, and stronger professional and business ties between North Macedonia and the UK.

She is known for her strategic insight, cross-border leadership, and commitment to building resilient, well-governed organisations.

Tomas Lauko is Chief Executive Officer of Publicis Groupe Central & Eastern Europe (CEE), where he leads 14 markets through large-scale digital, data, and business transformation. Since returning to the region in 2018 after a global role in Paris, Tomas has focused on strengthening digital competitiveness by embedding AI-driven innovation, integrated platforms, and data-led operating models across the region. Under his leadership, the CEE business has outperformed industry growth every year since 2021, increasing market share despite challenging economic conditions.

A strong advocate of end-to-end transformation, Tomas initiated a global digital transformation solution developed out of CEE, supported by three Centers of Excellence in Poland, Hungary, and the Czech Republic. These hubs accelerate scalable delivery across data, technology, and platform-enabled services, reinforcing the region's role in global capability building.

With experience spanning both client and agency environments, he is a certified innovation practitioner known for challenging the status quo — with his favourite word: Imagine.

Sally Yuanyuan Qin is a Partner at BakerHostetler in Washington, D.C., where she focuses on antitrust and competition law, complex litigation, and government investigations. Sally leads BakerHostetler's Asia practice. She advises multinational companies on U.S. and cross-border risk assessments, investigations, and complex commercial litigations. Her practice also spans white-collar defense, congressional inquiries, and parallel enforcement matters involving U.S. and foreign regulators. Sally regularly guides senior executives through high-stakes enforcement scenarios such as dawn raids, subpoenas, and multi-jurisdictional investigations, helping organizations manage legal risk while supporting strategic business objectives.

Sally serves as outside in-house counsel to emerging growth companies, managing a broad range of legal matters and advising management teams on staffing and risk mitigation as companies grow. Born and raised in China, she gained early professional experience working with the National People's Congress of China, CCTV, China Daily, and Shanghai Media Group. This background provides her with deep familiarity with Chinese business, regulatory, and political environments, which significantly informs her cross-border practice and her work with clients facing complex international and regulatory challenges. Sally is a guest lecturer at Shanghai Jiaotong University and frequently speaks at international conferences.

Tom Klein is an international transformation consultant and organizational developer with more than 30 years of hands-on experience guiding companies, leaders, and teams through change. As the founder of Tom Klein & Co., he helps organizations build high-performance cultures rooted in freedom, responsibility, and trust.

Over the years, Tom worked in around 40 countries, supporting transformation across strategy, leadership, and culture. His work focuses on creating the organizational framework needed for highly motivated performance cultures, while preparing individuals and teams to embark on and master their own learning paths. As a Business Senator in the Senate of the Economy of Germany, Tom works closely with entrepreneurs to address business development challenges and drive sustainable growth.

Through coaching, workshops, and cultural interventions, Tom enables leaders and employees to become active participants in shaping their organizations. His clients consistently highlight his ability to create trust, inspire motivation, and provide clarity in complex transformation processes. He believes true change succeeds when structures adapt to people, unleashing creativity, resilience, and long-term growth.

Tom also mentors executives, supporting them personally and professionally as they design and manage transformation initiatives.

Aleksandar Seratlić is a distinguished business leader with more than 20 years of executive experience across retail, telecommunications, and FMCG sectors in Southeast Europe. He currently serves as CEO and Chairman of the Supervisory Board of Mercata VT, MPC Holding, and is a member of the Supervisory Boards of Kraš and MPC Investment.

Throughout his career, he has led major business transformations, market expansions, and organizational growth initiatives, including senior leadership roles at Mercator-S, Idea, SBB, United Group, TDR, and Ledo. Known for his strategic approach to leadership, change management, and customer-focused growth, he has built a strong track record in developing high-performing teams and driving long-term business value. He holds a Master's degree in Economics and Finance from the University of Zagreb and completed the General Management Program at Harvard Business School.

Aleksandar Nikoloski is a prominent Macedonian politician and graduate in political science. He was born on 24 March 1984.

He graduated from the Faculty of Law Iustinianus Primus within the University Ss. Cyril and Methodius in Skopje where he obtained the title of BA in political science. Afterwards Nikoloski continued his education at the same faculty where he became a candidate for master's in political science and international relations.

His professional career started in 2000 when he became a President of the High-School Union of Macedonia. He held that position until 2002. In the period between 2002 until 2004, Nikoloski was a Secretary of FRESTA - the programme for non-governmental organisations and multi-ethnic dialogue of SEE, supported by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Kingdom of Denmark.

In 2006 Nikoloski was elected member of the Assembly of the Republic of Macedonia where he performed his duties by 2016. He was re-elected in 2002 and discharged his duty until 2024. In the Assembly he was a member and president of several commissions and committees, including the Committee on Rules of Procedure and Mandatory-Immunity Issues, Foreign Policy Committee, Committee on Constitutional Issues and the Committee on the Political System and Inter-Ethnic Relations. Nikoloski was also an active participant in the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe where he performed the duty of a Vice-President in the period 2015-2017. He was the first Vice-President of the Committee on Political Issues and Democracy and first Vice-President of the Committee on the Honouring of Obligations and Commitments by Member States of the Council of Europe (Monitoring Committee).

During his career Nikoloski was awarded numerous acknowledgments and awards. He was elected European Young Leader 40 under 40 most influential persons in Europe in 2022 by the organisation "Friends of Europe", an official selection of the European Union.

Aleksandar Nikoloski is fluent in English and French.

Dr. Jelena Begović is a Serbian scientist who has spent over 27 years exploring the fascinating worlds of molecular genetics, genetic engineering, and biotechnology — and loving every minute of it. With more than 25 years dedicated to research, innovation policy, intellectual property, and technology transfer, she's been a driving force behind building Serbia's innovation ecosystem — from launching the country's very first biotech spin-out from academia to shaping national strategies for science and innovation.

From 2013 to 2022, she led the IMGGE, proving that great science thrives where great leadership meets curiosity. When the COVID pandemic hit, she rolled up her sleeves and coordinated the rapid setup of high-throughput testing labs in major Serbian cities because science never runs from challenges - it runs toward them.

Since 2022, as Minister of Science, Technological Development, and Innovation, she has been on a mission to future-proof Serbia's research landscape. She led the transformation of 20 research institutes and championed bold infrastructure projects like the BIO4 Campus — a European hub where researchers, startups, faculties, and industry collide in the best possible way, advancing biotechnology, information technologies, and AI.

Her influence extends well beyond Serbia. She has represented the country at the United Nations, UNESCO, the European Research Council, and the World Economic Forum. In 2023, she proposed to the UN what would become the "International Decade of Sciences for Sustainable Development" (2024–2033) — a milestone adopted by the UN General Assembly on August 25, 2023.

Also in 2023, she became the first woman in the 42-year history of the UN International Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology (ICGEB) to chair its Board of Governors. With 69 scientific papers published and numerous collaborative projects led across Europe and beyond, she is equally at home in the lab, at the negotiation table, or in high-level policy discussions. She has also served as an expert for the European Commission's Joint Research Centre and the World Bank on Serbia's Smart Specialization Strategy.

Jelena's career is about connecting the dots: a bridge between science, policy, and global collaboration, built with the vision of creating a society and economy resilient and smart enough to meet the challenges that lie ahead.

Outside of work, she's a sports enthusiast — tennis, sailing, and aikido are her passions (she even holds a black belt, 1st DAN, in aikido).

Favorite motto? "The future belongs to those who see things that are not obvious." The only windows through which we can see the future are knowledge and creativity.

Borko Handjiski is Associate Partner with McKinsey & Company. He joined McKinsey's Middle East office in June 2015 and has been primarily serving public sector clients in the Gulf region.

Before joining McKinsey, Borko Handjiski worked for the World Bank in Washington DC as Senior Economist. Borko began his career at the Macedonian central bank and worked for the European Commission in Macedonia where he advised the government on economic policies related to EU accession.

Throughout his 14-year career, Borko has worked with governments in Europe, Central Asia, Africa, and the Middle East in the areas of economic development, public finances, investment, trade, and labor markets. Borko holds an MBA degree in finance from Purdue University and a BA in Economics from the University of Skopje. He resides with his family in Dubai.

Mitre Kutanovski is a Co-founder and a former Chairman of Macedonia 2025. Under the leadership of Mr. Kutanovski Macedonia 2025 opened a second office, started an annual golf outing and launched a series of business and professional networking opportunities for the Diaspora.

Prior to his involvement with Macedonia 2025, Mr. Kutanovski was the President and CEO of the Mitre Group Inc. a company that consists of: Crown Financial Advisors; Mitre Group LLC. Broker Dealer; Classic and Crown Mortgage Solutions; Crown Tax and Business Services; Crown Insurance Group; Crown Travel Agency; and the weekly radio program Voice of Macedonia.

Ana is the head of Visa company for Southeast Europe as of February 2024, where together with her team of experts, she develops initiatives aimed at further improving the payment industry, developing cashless payments, and expanding the local economy to the global market through innovative models of electronic transactions.

Previously, Ana was part of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) in London, where she worked as the Director of Development Business Banks in more than 70 countries. Before that, she held various positions, including Partner at KPMG, Vice President at Citibank, Operations Officer at the World Bank, and Associate at JP Morgan in London.

Ana holds a master's degree in international relations from the University of Westminster in London as a Chevening Scholar of the British government and has additional training in innovation and digital transformations from Cambridge Judge Business School.

Metodija Papazoski is a Cofounder and Vice President of EMBS Group, a global market intelligence and advisory company. He has more than 15 years of experience consulting to Fortune 500 companies across a variety of industries including healthcare, industrial goods, consumer goods, and financial services. Metodija is also a frequent speaker at industry events, such as SCIP's and CIMICON's International Conferences.

Areas of expertise: market entry and business development, strategic advisory, market sizing, competitive intelligence (CI).

Metodija holds an MA degree in International Business Management from Bradford University and a BA in Economics from the University of Skopje. He resides in Krakow, Poland with his wife Zuzana and their three children. Metodija enjoys playing basketball, reading, travelling and CrossFit.

Emil Hristov was born in Strumica, Macedonia, and came to the United States at age 15 as an exchange student. He earned a B.S. in Architecture from the New Jersey Institute of Technology (NJIT) and an MBA from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania. Emil began his entrepreneurial career at 22, founding a construction management company, and three years later launched a solar EPC company.

In 2017, Emil formed a joint venture with a French luxury real estate firm focused on short-term rentals, which led to frequent extended trips to Paris. Living near a neighborhood bakery reconnected him with his love of bread and inspired him to learn artisan baking. Within months, he launched an online bakery, then expanded into a commercial kitchen. Today, Emil is the founder of Domaselo Bakery, widely recognized for its sourdough and rapidly growing across South Florida—helping people rediscover real bread, just as he did during his time in Paris.