She's Next Talks

For over two decades, Nadera Alsukkar managed complex operations in some of the world's most volatile conflict zones. Born during the outbreak of the Bosnian war to a Bosnian and Jordanian family, she experienced displacement firsthand, igniting a lifelong passion for human rights. Armed with a degree in actuarial science and early experience volunteering with the Red Cross, she carved a uniqu...

At just 20 years old, journalism student Gayane Arakelyan was handed a daunting task: translate an English article about "cloud computing" into Armenian. She knew nothing about technology, but she accepted the challenge anyway. That single translation connected her with international diasporan entrepreneurs and laid the groundwork for Digital Pomegranate, which has grown into the largest...

For 25 years, Dorina Lluka Davies built a successful career in Kosovo’s civil society, shaping policy and empowering youth. Yet, her most recent venture began not in an executive office, but in her parents’ garage, wrestling with a power drill and discarded car tyres. The pivot came during the quiet reflection of the pandemic. Pregnant with twins, Davies found herself confronting a profound questi...

“I always stand as the only woman at the pictures of, let's say, 10 or 13 CEOs of regional exchanges,” observes Ivana Gažić, President of the Management Board at the Zagreb Stock Exchange. Speaking on the latest episode of She’s Next Talks , her tone is not one of defeat, but of pragmatic resolve. Gažić's ascent in the financial sector mirrors the economic evolution of her own country. Ent...

“I am a seasoned project manager with 20 years of progressive working experience,” says Jamilya Yusupova, a business development consultant based in Dushanbe, Tajikistan, in the latest episode of She’s Next Talks, empowered by Visa . Her journey spans health, education, and rural development—but her heart lies in agriculture.  “Tajikistan is a rural country,” she explains. “I’m passionate about cr...

“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 econom...

“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 t...

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 s...

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 pr...

“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...

“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.  Amal...

“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...

“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...

“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 cre...

“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...

“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. ...

“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...

“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 functi...

“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...

"When we started in 2018, […] it was really to try something new in the region and in our country [of Czechia],” Silke Horáková tells Andrew Wrobel in the fifth episode of Emerging Europe Talks She’s Next empowered by Visa.  “It was about convincing investors that impact investing is something valid and has a future. That it's worthwhile to invest for financial returns, and doing something good fo...

“I was born into a century and a family that went through every kind of disruption imaginable. I come from […] Central Asia, which has gone through tremendous turbulence: two brutal world wars, multiple civil wars in between every kind of disruption possible, and then that finished with the collapse of our government,“ Nadya Zhexembayeva tells Andrew Wrobel in the fourth episode of Emerging Europe...

“I was born and raised in a family of engineers. All around me were gadgets and software, and I wasn't really excited about them. My father taught me how to programme. It was basic, and it was more than 30 years ago, and did not excite me that much,” Elena Marinova tells Andrew Wrobel in the third episode of Emerging Europe Talks She’s Next empowered by VISA.  Elena is president and chair of the b...

“My background is the tourism industry, but when my son was born, he came with a bonus. [This is how] autism came into our lives,” Turkan Ismayilli, the founder of the YouTube channel Cin Bala with animations and fairy tales addressed to special children, tells Andrew Wrobel in the second episode of She’s Next Talks.  Turkan started the channel during the Covid-19 pandemic, after her family had co...

“I'm a growth guide which means I support leaders and managers and start-up founders and some public figures in sorting out their businesses and lives,” Dragana ‘Gaga’ Djermanović tells Andrew Wrobel in the first episode of She’s Next Talks.  Gaga is a recognised and awarded personal and professional growth advisor. Through her extensive career, she has mentored more than 1,000 managers, leade...