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Jadranka Kosor regional leader, Gordana Kovačević the most successful Croatian

At the LeaderShe conference in Vienna, Gordana Kovačević, CEO of Ericsson Nikola Tesla, was declared the most successful Croatian entrepreneur, while Jadranka Kosor, the President of the Croatian Government, was recognized as the regional leader for her exceptional success in politics.

Upon receiving the award, Gordana Kovačević, with the motto ‘be the change you wish to see’, thanked primarily her colleagues, highlighting their role in achieving good business results during the crisis year of 2009. Instead of the Prime Minister, the award was received by the Croatian Ambassador to Austria, Zoran Jašić, conveying the Prime Minister’s message in which she emphasized that achieving success requires courage and determination, which she is currently demonstrating in the decisive fight for Croatia to become a member of the European Union.

The LeaderShe Forum, which gathers prominent women active in the fields of politics, business, and social engagement from Central and Southeast Europe, was held for the fifth time this year organized by Forum Invest. In addition to the ceremonial award presentation, workshops and round tables were held at the event, gathering more than 150 participants from around the world – entrepreneurs from the USA, Egypt, and Jordan, ministers from the governments of Austria, Bulgaria, and Finland, as well as representatives of international organizations responsible for promoting the role of women in the business environment. Poslovni dnevnik, as the Croatian partner, was responsible for nominating representatives from Croatia and participated in selecting the most successful in the Central and Eastern European region.

This year’s awards had competitors from Bulgaria, Romania, Ukraine, Poland, Hungary, and Croatia, and among the nominated Croatians were the directors of Hrvatska lutrija Vesna Bakran, Agrokor Iva Balent and Ljerka Puljić, Cardif insurance Ana Ivančić, Digitel media services Jasna Hrvić-Smolec, HT Irena Jolić-Šimović, and 24 sata Jasna Zemljić, prominent scientist Dijana Dominis-Prester, athlete Ana Sršen, actress Urša Raukar, Zagreb Woman of the Year Maja Mamula, and the mayor of Knin Josipa Rimac.

Other awardees include: Iona Filipescu (Romania), Executive Director of Raiffeisen Investment, Sasha Bezuhanova (Bulgaria), Director of Hewlett-Packard responsible for Central and Eastern Europe, Ildiko Polgarne Majer (Hungary) for contributions to modernizing the management of small and medium enterprises, Henryka Bochniarz (Poland), President of the Polish Confederation of Private Employers Lewiatan, and Zhanna Savrylova (Ukraine), founder of the University for Older Adults. In addition to the Croatian Prime Minister, a special award was also given for political merits to Zita Gurmai (Hungary).