She's Next Talks

“I graduated into chaos,” says Sanja Popović Pantić, President of the Association of Businesswomen in Serbia and head of the female entrepreneurship group at Enterprise Europe Network, in the latest episode of Emerging Europe Talks She’s Next, empowered by Visa. Sanja came of age during Serbia’s hyperinflation in the 1990s—when your salary could become worthless within an hour. “I studied economics, but nothing in the textbooks matched reality.” While many of her peers emigrated, she stayed—and started building. She now leads research at the Mihajlo Pupin Institute, one of Serbia’s top centres for science and technology. But her deeper purpose emerged through supporting women entrepreneurs. “I hadn’t even heard of ‘women’s entrepreneurship’ until a conference in Washington opened my eyes.” Back home, she co-founded the Association of Businesswomen in Serbia—during wartime. At one early workshop, displaced women shared their stories. “They’d lost everything—but were still determined to build something. That day, I decided: don’t leave—help.” Over the past two decades, Sanja has helped reshape the landscape for women in business, including launching Success Flower, a national award recognising exceptional women entrepreneurs. “Many winners cry on stage—they never saw themselves as extraordinary until others told them.” Despite progress, challenges remain. Traditional inheritance practices still block rural women from owning land. Young female founders are doubted twice—for their age and their gender. “It still takes women nearly a decade to earn the trust men gain in three.” Yet Sanja believes women bring vital strengths to leadership. “We think beyond profit. That’s not a flaw—it’s long-term strategy.” “Sanja’s story blends resilience and clarity,” says podcast host Andrew Wrobel. “She proves that reinvention starts not with power—but with purpose.” Asked what she dreams of today, Sanja smiles: “To stay young in spirit. And to keep believing that goodness wins—even when the world says otherwise.”

“I applied for a job I wasn’t fully qualified for—at least on paper,” says Iryna Tytarchuk, Executive Director at Ukraine’s Investment and Trade Facilitation Centre, in the latest episode of She’s Next Talks, empowered by Visa. Back then, she was a university lecturer with deep expertise in agricultural policy but only intermediate English. “I rehearsed idioms just in case,” she laughs. “But at the interview, they never even asked.” She got the job—and it changed everything. Today, Iryna leads both policy work and grassroots entrepreneurship initiatives. She’s also the founder of Women In, a platform born from a simple observation: “Most of the people showing up to export training sessions were women—and most had more questions than confidence.” That realisation turned into action, then into a movement supporting female-led SMEs in navigating finance, strategy, and global markets. When war broke out in Ukraine, Irina saw both devastation and reinvention. “Some businesses were destroyed—literally,” she says. “Others pivoted with extraordinary courage. It wasn’t just about survival. They learned to calculate, strategise, export. They became true businesswomen.” She’s clear-eyed about the challenges, including access to finance and the biases women face in male-dominated investment circles. “We need to stop romanticising support,” she warns. “It’s not just about helping women because they’re women—it’s about recognising the innovation and value they bring.” Iryna is also redefining leadership. “Mentorship isn't therapy,” she says. “It’s about accountability, structure, and growth. And yes, we need more of it—especially in Eastern Europe, where the concept is still new.” “Iryna’s story is full of grit, warmth and practical reinvention,” says podcast host Andrew Wrobel. “She doesn’t just support women—she challenges them to own their potential and make bold moves.” Looking back, Irina has one message for her younger self: “Ask for help. Sooner. You’re not alone. And if something feels off—change it. Don’t wait five years like I did.”

Across emerging Europe, almost 2.2 million women entrepreneurs form a vibrant community, yet they face profound disparities when it comes to securing venture funding. According to recent figures shared during a panel discussion moderated by Andrew Wrobel, Chief Reinvention Officer at Reinvantage, women-founded businesses receive a meagre one per cent of venture capital. Mixed-gender teams fare slightly better at five per cent, while all-male teams dominate with 94 per cent of the total funding pie. Emilia Mamajowa is a founding partner at Espira Investments, a private equity fund, which has a gender-smart investment strategy. Before founding Espira, she says that the funds she worked for made “very few” investments in women-led or gender-diverse firms. “I saw a gap on the market,” she adds. “I carried out a great deal of market research which reinforced international findings: companies with gender diversity in leadership positions prove significantly more resilient, particularly during financial downturns.” Ewa Chronowska, general partner at NextRoad Ventures and CEO at Vestbee, echoes this sentiment, emphasising perseverance and mission-driven entrepreneurship. “I just went for it,” she says, underscoring the need for laser-focused determination and the willingness to manage significant personal sacrifices, especially when balancing family and career demands. Chronowska stresses the importance of changing societal attitudes early: “We need to educate the market, but without turning it into a gender fight—this harms the perception of women who have already achieved success.” Viktorija Trimbel, managing director of the sovereign VC fund Co-Invest Capital, provides a compelling personal narrative of navigating professional roles in traditionally male-dominated financial sectors while balancing family life. Trimbel highlights the critical role of support networks, suggesting that success for women in leadership roles also requires systemic shifts within company cultures. "We need mixed environments,” she says, “mixed funds. We need to look at entrepreneurs as innovators, first of all, rather than as simply men or women. Only when speaking together can find best solutions that will address problems in a way which is beneficial to everyone.”

Confidence is often misunderstood as a trait you either possess or don’t. However, according to prominent female leaders from diverse professional backgrounds who recently discussed this topic on She's Next Talks, confidence is much more akin to a muscle—one strengthened with practice and determination. “Confidence gets stronger each time you push past your comfort zone,” shares Jovana Vulic, a project manager at Digitalise Me from Montenegro, recounting her nerve-wracking first presentation as a university student in front of CEOs and royalty. “Preparation and mindset shifts,” she says, “helped me to take control of the situation. Zhanna Kazakbayeva, founder of Botaqan, a resale platform for children’s items, highlights similar strategies drawn from her early career as a drilling engineer—a notably challenging field dominated by men. She pinpoints mastery of knowledge, mentorship, and proactive initiative as critical confidence builders. “My knowledge became my power,” Zhanna asserts, underscoring the tangible results of persistent learning and advocacy. Cristina Doros, senior vice president at Visa, reinforces this narrative by reflecting on her initial lack of industry knowledge and resulting self-doubt. “I realised that I needed to make my expertise unquestionable,” she said. Through diligent study, she turned her uncertainty into strength, proving that confidence indeed can be cultivated strategically.

“I became CEO on the day the war in Ukraine started — it’s a date I’ll never forget,” says Olga Surugiu, CEO of Orange Moldova, in the latest episode of Emerging Europe Talks She’s Next, empowered by Visa. For Olga, leadership began long before the boardroom. “I think my leadership skills were visible back in kindergarten,” she laughs. Born and raised in Moldova, she left home at 17 to study in Bucharest, then later in France, driven by insatiable curiosity and a desire to understand the ‘why’ behind everything. Despite speaking seven languages and earning multiple degrees, Olga recalls struggling with insecurity early on. “I wasn’t sure anyone would hire me,” she admits. “But within 10 days, I had seven offers. That changed everything.” Today, Olga leads Orange Moldova with what she calls an “entrepreneurial mindset.” She’s built products from scratch, launched a robotics and innovation hub, and champions simplicity as a business principle. “Simple sells. Simple delights. Simplicity is tough—but it's worth it.” She’s also outspoken about the need to redefine leadership. “We become leaders so we can grow other leaders. You shouldn’t be afraid that someone will outgrow you—that’s the point. They should.” “I found Olga’s story both striking and grounding,” says podcast host Andrew Wrobel. “She’s reinvented what it means to lead, especially in a region where transformation isn’t abstract—it’s lived daily.” Reflecting on her journey, Olga says: “I’d tell my younger self—take it easy. Don’t worry so much. Things have a way of working out.”

“Growing up in Gyumri, Armenia’s second city, I was surrounded by traditions that often-placed limitations on women. My dream was always to escape, to leave for Yerevan, the capital, and start a new life. But life had other plans for me, and I’m glad it did,” says Amalya Yeghoyan, Executive Director of the Gyumri Information Technologies Centre (GITC), in her conversation with Andrew Wrobel. Amalya’s story began in 2007 when, as a 21-year-old linguistics student, she was encouraged to apply for a receptionist role at GITC. Despite her doubts about succeeding without connections, she aced the interview and began her journey at an organisation that would transform her life and her hometown. “GITC was a revelation for me. At a time when Gyumri was struggling with poverty and unemployment following a devastating earthquake, the centre’s mission was to teach people how to ‘fish’ instead of giving them fish. We aimed to train young people in programming and coding to create opportunities and attract companies to Gyumri,” she recalls. Amalya’s vision doesn’t stop at technology. She has spearheaded initiatives like empowering war veterans and developing entrepreneurship programmes for women displaced by conflict. “Women are natural problem solvers and risk-takers. They see opportunities where others see obstacles. This is why entrepreneurship is so vital for them,” she says. Amalya Yeghoyan’s journey from a linguistics student to a trailblazer in Armenia’s tech ecosystem is a testament to the power of perseverance and the impact of investing in people. Just recently, Amalya was also named Emerging Europe’s Female Business Leader, chosen in a public voting and by a professional jury.

Technology increases productivity. But it also brings about other consequences: it creates, removes and modifies the tasks that are supposed to be performed. This in turn affects the demand for workers with new skills. This is why equipping all young people with the skills to adapt and reinvent themselves is one of the three policy recommendations, alongside promoting technology adoption and adapting technology to meet society’s needs, included in the recent report The Future of Work: Implications for Equity and Growth in Europe, released by the World Bank. “I'm talking about numeracy, literacy, problem-solving, and in particular social skills; the ability to work in teams, the ability to project a future and be consistent...the ability to listen to others. These types of skills, these foundational skills are the perfect complement of new technologies,” Rafael E. de Hoyos, programme leader in human development for EU member states at the World Bank and one of the report’s authors, tells Andrew Wrobel. “These are precisely the things that we should provide to our students because this is what will allow them to re-invent themselves,” he adds. “[These skills] will allow them to benefit from technology, not compete with it.” They also talk about the future of education and about how to prepare educational systems in Europe and the emerging Europe region for future challenges.

“I was working in a corporate environment, in a hotel, in the marketing department, and we were seeking professional travellers and family travellers [who could help us] promote our hotel,” Havva Safarova tells Andrew Wrobel. “Unfortunately, I couldn't manage to find any travelling families who have a blog. One night my husband said to me: ‘You travel, we have kids, and you are a marketer so you can do it best’.” Now, Havva is an internet personality and a content creator with thousands of followers. She also educates others. She is the author of seminars and marathons that empower women and emphasise that, “the limit of women is only in their brains.” Like many mothers, she struggled with dividing her time between family and work. “I couldn't work and manage, taking the kids to the kindergarten and then taking care of them. As a freelancer it was very hard; when you are in a corporate environment, you are working from nine to six. But when you are a freelancer, you are working 24/7. “And I was sitting in coffee shops aware that people were watching...I was bringing my kids to the coffee shop and people were saying that they disrupted them.” So, Havva came up with yet another idea: Ninja Kids Club.

“My mother was my first mentor. I remember her advice when I was a child. Back then, we had grades from one to five. Five was the best mark, four was okay and three was not very good. And one day, I came back and said ‘Mum, I got a four, and that’s really good because the rest of the class got threes.’ And my mother said to me, ‘Darling, you had better look at those who are ahead of you, not those who are behind,” Viktoria Konstantinova, Head of EMEA Talent Marketing at GlobalLogic, tells Andrew Wrobel. With over 20 years in marketing across various sectors, Konstantinova now works for an international software company with 30,000 engineers worldwide and leads marketing efforts in 20 countries. Now she encourages other women to look for mentors. "We are literally sitting and waiting for you to reach out and ask questions. This is a two-way street. This is not a monologue. This is a dialogue. While giving, we are receiving; and communicating with inspiring people, especially women who want to start a business or who want to change their lives. This is inspirational for us.”

“Our [solution] is an innovative platform for riders of any level to book and fully explore our tour features with the assistance of digital video routes. When you go to our website, you can see all horseback tours around Georgia. The platform's objective is to develop a niche market for equestrian tourism in the region,” Ana Nadiradze, co-founder of Horsetours, tells Andrew Wrobel. “Ana has created a really interesting business and she can show how to combine ecommerce and equestrian tourism together,” says Diana Kiguradze, regional manager, Caucasus, CISSEE at Visa. Not only that, she has introduced digitalisation to a sector that was analogue for too long. “We are going to digitise the potential of equestrian tourists in Western Georgia and create a digital video road,” Ana adds.

“I am a person that loves experimenting and learning by doing. So, it was just this passion that I have for doing something that makes the world better, but by learning from others, by connecting with other cultures, and learning from those who have already done more,” Agnieszka Hryniewicz-Bieniek, Global Director of Google for Startups, tells Andrew Wrobel. She has created a series of workshops called ‘I Am Remarkable.’ “We just wanted to support women to be more confident and to acknowledge their strengths, to acknowledge how great they are. Because very often we see female founders don't have that confidence. This is a very popular workshop right now, not only among female entrepreneurs but also any female audiences from students through regular individual contributors.” Agnieszka comes from Poland and she cherishes the fact that she comes from Central and Eastern Europe. “I come from this region. This region is diverse, with a lot of different countries, and a lot of different connections and languages. Somehow it's easy when you come from this region to actually manage a global team because you already know that there are differences, you already know that you have to listen and you understand the context of the other person from another country…because it all matters in communication.” Today she manages Google for Startups initiatives carried out in over 125 countries including joint activities with over 60 incubators, accelerators, and co-working spaces.

Do we need to say that technology is changing every aspect of human life? No, we don’t—and healthcare and life sciences are no exception. Leading pharmaceutical companies explore data science and artificial intelligence (AI) to speed up the development and production of new and more effective medicines. Healthcare professionals use virtual reality to improve their skills. Patients use virtual tools to access medical services. Both groups consume far more content than ever before. High demand for personalised customer experiences forces companies to invest more in tailored content production. “We are all about storytelling, about content” says https://www.linkedin.com/in/andreychuk/https://www.linkedin.com/in/andreychuk/, one of the founders and CEO of Viseven, a MarTech services provider. “We are a digital content agency, a digital content factory for pharmaceutical clients. We create digital content, digital narratives. We create a content strategy, end-to-end marketing services, omni-channel campaigns. We build the entire architecture and infrastructure for marketing content.” She speaks with Andrew Wrobel about leadership, entrepreneurship and disruption. One of the biggest disruptions for her was Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. She turned it into an opportunity and her company’s team has since grown by some 50 per cent, now exceeding 700 people.

“I started [the business] on my second maternity leave 10 years ago. Before that, I was engaged in large corporations in high positions in marketing and public relations. [...] I used the pause to rethink my purpose in business and I started testing healthy oatmeal cookies, which was really strange back then,” Milica Ličina Čalija, the founder of Anđeli (Serbian for Angels) tells Andrew Wrobel. “Now, we do have some kind of awareness of the importance of healthy eating. Back then, online shopping was not as developed as it is now. And healthy habits in eating were not as developed.” The cookie producer now has eight employees, and seven of them are women. They are a social enterprise because all of the female employees are either over 45 years old, which is a group in Serbia that cannot be easily employed, or have some kind of chronic illness. “It's a community, a kind of family. And when I say that I'm an activist and I empower women, I do not only do that through some kind of advocacy,” she adds. But Milica is also an activist and runs her own podcast. "I always talk about difficult moments and obstacles, thinking that if I share that experience, someone else will be encouraged to overcome the same obstacle,” she says.

Technology has significantly expanded access to education. We saw that firsthand during the Covid-19 pandemic. It has also begun to change the roles of teachers and learners. The teacher’s role is changing as students take more responsibility for their own learning using technology to gather relevant information. But the impact of technology is even more profound than that. Advances in technology have led to the automation of many tasks, which has led to the creation of new job roles that require different skills. “We need to really teach our students to adapt, to learn, constantly relearn what they've learned so far and unlearn certain things that would limit them from learning new things,” says Sayasat Nurbek, Kazakhstan’s minister of science and higher education. He speaks with Andrew Wrobel about how Kazakhstan is reinventing its approach to education, its educational system and the role teachers play in the process.

Climate change affects all regions around the world, and the number of risks generated by changing weather conditions and disasters are increasing. Knowledge about potential risks is essential for their reduction, transfer, and adaptation. Climatig is a Croatian climate fintech start-up that helps banks, insurers, facility managers, and real estate decision-makers mitigate climate risks such as drought, floods, extremely high temperatures, and more through the power of climate intelligence. Duško Radulovic, Climatig’s CEO, spoke with Andrew Wrobel about his company’s solution to the challenges in obtaining reliable climate intelligence using geolocation with a precision of 10 metres. One UK-based investor considered flooding to be the main issue but after obtaining the coordinates it turned out wind might be a bigger risk. They also discussed access to the solution. Currently, it is addressed at business clients but will soon be available for individuals who will be able to understand risks, for example, before investing in a new home.

“Moldova is no longer just a consumer of technologies. We are now a nation that exports and generates technologies,” the country’s Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Economic Development and Digitalisation, Dumitru Alaiba, wrote on Linkedin in August. He shared the example of Informbusiness, a domestic company that has just launched the production of dynamically-charged electric buses. “We have a booming IT industry. Year-on-year growth is 45 per cent, and 95 per cent of the IT services produced are oriented for export. Altogether, the IT industry in Moldova is about five per cent [of GDP] and if the sector grows even half as fast as it has over the past three years, I think we can double that soon,” he tells Emerging Europe’s Andrew Wrobel. According to the Future of IT in emerging Europe report, 4.4 per cent of Moldovans are employed in the ICT sector. Across the 23 countries of emerging Europe, only Estonia has a higher percentage employed in the sector. “We want to prove that it’s not just Estonia [that can be 100 per cent digital]. Any other country can do it if they take [digitalisation] seriously and if they believe it is possible,” Alaiba adds. “We want to show that you can have a high quality of service when you deal with the Moldovan government, whether you are an entrepreneur, a citizen or a visitor. […] You don't need to go through a massive crisis in order to benefit from the digital transformation.”

It’s no secret that most start-ups don’t succeed. In fact, more than two-thirds never deliver a positive return to investors. According to a recent Skynova study, 47 per cent of start-up failures in 2022 were due to a lack of financing, nearly double the percentage that failed for the same reason in 2021. Running out of cash was behind 44 per cent of failures, while 33 per cent of start-up failures were attributed to the Covid-19 pandemic’s wide-ranging effects on business and the broader economy. Start-up founders often rely on their knowledge and experience, or that of external consultants, and mentors. And almost 60 per cent of almost 500 founders polled by Skynova said they would have done more market research prior to launching. What if they relied on artificial intelligence to help them put together a business plan? This is what Hotball.ai intends to offer. Maksym Nagara, the founder and CEO of Hotball.ai and the founder and leading consultant of Bezmezh.Consulting, talks with Andrew Wrobel about how the firm’s solution can help start-ups understand strategy and plan better. They also talk about the reasons why start-ups often fail and how AI can help small businesses grow in a sustainable way.

“Before I started my internship at Visa, I [ran] a small eco-hotel in the mountains of Ukraine. It was a travel co-working space. It was after the first invasion in 2014. A lot of travel agencies were closed and travel managers needed to work somewhere so I decided to open a space where everybody could help each other and develop the travel industry,” Nataliia Ievtushenko, first an intern and now a full-time employee at Visa tells Andrew Wrobel in the eighth episode of Emerging Europe Talks She’s Next empowered by Visa. “During the [internship] interview, I chose the product team. It's very interesting for me to see how products are created from the beginning, from the idea until the product is done.” “I'm the head of the women's Visa network inside the company. And I used to be the mentor for some of the newcomers and some of the women in the network. It's really great to feel that your experience, your advice helps someone to grow or just to realise themselves, to achieve results or even to build a relationship with someone. It's important not only for the mentee but also for the mentor just to know that they are helping the younger generation grow, find new paths,” Svitlana Chyrva, Vice President, Country Manager for Visa in Ukraine and Moldova, adds.

“I changed companies for the first three roles that I had and then I came to Microsoft,” Michelle Simmons, General Manager Central Europe at Microsoft, tells Andrew Wrobel in the seventh episode of Emerging Europe Talks She’s Next empowered by Visa. “And what I found was that I've been able to take on new challenges and really work for many different companies inside Microsoft by changing functions, changing geographies and expanding my scope of responsibility. And so that's how I've ended up spending so long at one company because it's been just a platform for incredible learning, professional growth.” “I had the pleasure of first meeting Michelle earlier this year and during our conversations it was her approach to leadership that struck me most,” Andrew says. “That curiosity and authenticity, showing the way forward, especially now in such uncertain times and being able to create a vision for what the future looks like. And identifying and challenging talent in a supportive way so that they can move into their next role, even if it is at a different company.” “I measure myself on how I'm helping people in my organization to achieve their career goals,” Michelle adds.

“There's been a lot of positive discussion and some positive progress when it comes to gender equality around the world, […] but I think clearly there's much more to be done to truly ensure the level of equality that we all aspire to and I think men have to play a vital role in that,” said Dan Baxter, Vice President, Corporate Communications for Central & Eastern Europe, Middle East and Africa at Visa, in conversation with Emerging Europe’s Andrew Wrobel. This is why halfway through the first series of Emerging Europe Talks She’s Next empowered by Visa, we take a look at the role of men in the development of female empowerment as the process must include the awareness and engagement of men. “One of the steps is ensuring that you have a diverse work force to start with and setting very clear goals which are measured to ensure that you're continuing to increase the level of diversity within the organisation. [...] We need to show that there are significant benefits of having more women in the workplace, but also in the company environment.” “Involving men in initiatives such as She’s Next contributes to a broader understanding that diversity is an enormous benefit in a workplace. I am also delighted to be the podcast host and I very much hope I will be able to help raise awareness about diversity and the value of female entrepreneurship,” Andrew added.