Studies across Europe and beyond show that companies with gender-diverse boards deliver stronger performance, better governance, and clearer long-term vision. Women on Boards Adria (WOBA) was created to bring that advantage to the Adria region.
WOBA Board Readiness Programme is offering an intensive, practical pathway for women aiming for leadership and board roles. The programme is first in the region and blends in-person and online learning, mentoring opportunities, and peer-to-peer networking, focused on governance, finance, ESG, strategy, and practical leadership skills. We spoke with Biljana Braithwaite, Chair of WOBA, and Tanja Mihajlovska Dimitrievska, WOBA Lead Ambassador for North Macedonia and senior banking executive, about the business case, the barriers, and the fix.
What is Women on Boards Adria, and what is your mission?
Biljana Braithwaite:
WOBA is a regional, non-profit initiative to increase gender diversity in executive and non-executive leadership across the Adria region. Our mission is straightforward: expand the pipeline of board-ready women and work with businesses, investors, and policymakers to improve the progression of women in leadership roles. As poet Ezra Pound put it, “When two people in business always agree, one is unnecessary”. That’s the boardroom risk: monolithic thinking creates blind spots, and, especially in our region, we feel the cost of missed opportunities and unmanaged risks. The evidence base is broad: multiple large studies over two decades associate higher gender diversity with stronger financial outcomes and tougher governance: less groupthink, better challenge, clearer strategy metrics, and stronger ethics.
Tanja Mihajlovska Dimitrievska:
In practice, WOBA delivers more than training—it provides the structured readiness, mentoring, networks, and advocacy that dismantle barriers to leadership. My own international journey, from banking in North Macedonia to senior management roles in the UK and US, was accelerated by access to global professional networks and women’s leadership platforms. Those connections gave me the credibility and visibility to secure two non-executive board roles.
The leap to the boardroom isn’t just a career progression—it’s a mindset shift. Moving from fit to impact means knowing your value, building the right relationships, and embracing the transition with clarity and purpose. Your network and mentors are the bridge, and your strategic perspective is your greatest asset. The Board Readiness Programme equips women to make that leap. I have seen first-hand, through my work with global banks, how essential it is to prepare leaders for impact at the top table. Diversity at the board level transforms the conversation from formality to genuine challenge, and the excuse that “qualified women cannot be found” disappears once the search extends beyond narrow circles. I am passionate about ensuring that women in North Macedonia and across the region have the same visibility, preparation, and access—because the talent is here; what’s needed is the bridge to opportunity.
WOBA is designed for experienced leaders with a global mindset. This membership blends world-class board education, cross-border peer exchange, exclusive speaking sessions with high-class leaders and in-person networking events.
Why should companies in North Macedonia and the region treat gender balance in leadership as a business priority?
Biljana Braithwaite:
Because the evidence is overwhelming. Companies with more women in leadership tend to perform better financially and are stronger on governance. Boards with at least three women, for example, are far more likely to have clear criteria for measuring strategy and robust codes of conduct. Gender-diverse boards also bring broader market insight: women influence the majority of household spending and make up a large share of the investor base. Ignoring that perspective is not just unfair — it is a strategic mistake.
Tanja Mihajlovska Dimitrievska:
For companies in North Macedonia and across the Adria region, gender balance in leadership is not just a social issue—it is a business priority. For those seeking investment or cross-border growth, diverse boards are a visible marker of credibility. Investors increasingly assess governance through ESG criteria, and board composition sends a clear signal about a company’s values and long-term resilience. In practice, we recommend three concrete steps: broaden searches beyond familiar networks, provide structured onboarding and mentoring, and set measurable goals with accountability. This is not a cosmetic exercise. It is about building boards that are effective, future-oriented, and trusted by stakeholders.
What does board-ready actually mean in WOBA’s programme, and what can participants expect?
Tanja Mihajlovska Dimitrievska:
Board-ready means being prepared not only with the technical skills but also with the confidence and strategic mindset to step into the boardroom and contribute from day one. At WOBA, this is about moving from being a successful executive to becoming a trusted voice at the decision-making table. Participants gain practical grounding in financial oversight, governance, and ESG, but equally important, they learn how to frame their own value proposition, ask the right questions, and influence outcomes in a board context.
The second regional cohort of our programme delivers this through eight carefully designed modules that combine in-person two-day training in Skopje with online workshops. What sets it apart is the interactive nature: case studies based on real board scenarios, peer-to-peer coaching, and direct feedback from experienced board members. The result is not just knowledge, but applied confidence—the ability to walk into a boardroom understanding both the responsibilities and the opportunities of the role. From the success stories of our first edition, we’ve seen how this preparation accelerates women’s journeys into advisory and non-executive positions, proving that there is a clear pathway when the right support and structure are in place.
Biljana Braithwaite:
We also built the programme around three learning pillars: Explore (leadership identity and industry context), Consolidate (personal development strategy), and Connect (building a professional network with mentors and peers). After Sarajevo, bringing the second cohort to Skopje was a deliberate choice: there is strong female talent here, but it too often remains invisible in board appointments. By the end of the programme, participants will not only understand how boards function, but they will also have the skills and networks to be seriously considered. I would suggest that anyone interested visit the Women on Boards Adria website for more information and to apply.
What barriers are most persistent in North Macedonia, and how does WOBA address them?
Tanja Mihajlovska Dimitrievska:
In North Macedonia, the challenge is not a lack of talent; there are many capable women ready to serve on boards—just look at our Ambassadors from Macedonia. The problem lies in visibility and access. Too often, appointments are drawn from a narrow circle, which means many qualified candidates are simply overlooked. We do see encouraging signs in financial institutions, where women’s participation on managing boards has been steadily improving. However, when it comes to other industries and, in particular, supervisory board positions, the progress is much slower and far from satisfactory. This shows that systemic barriers still exist, especially in sectors where networks are more closed and traditional views of leadership are harder to challenge.
That is precisely why WOBA combines high-quality training with strong partnerships. We are proud to have ten corporate partners in North Macedonia who share our mission. These companies recognise that gender diversity strengthens governance, but they also see it as an investment in their own future leadership. By opening WOBA membership to their employees, they ensure that talented women within their organisations gain access to mentoring, networks, and knowledge—tools that help them break through those barriers and be fully prepared for board roles.
Across Europe, quotas are reshaping board composition. What is happening in the region?
Biljana Braithwaite:
Quotas are simply binding targets set by law: they require companies above a certain size to ensure that a minimum percentage of board seats, usually 40 per cent of non-executive directors or one-third of all directors, are held by the underrepresented gender. Why is this significant? Because the data show quotas work. In countries that adopted binding quotas early, like France, Italy, and Norway, women now make up around 40 per cent of board members. Compare that with countries that relied only on voluntary measures, where women hold closer to 20 per cent. That is a doubling of representation within a decade.
In our region, the picture is mixed. Slovenia and Croatia have already legislated to comply with the EU Directive, while Montenegro went further this August with a new law that sets binding thresholds, introduces transparent selection rules, and even restricts company registration if quotas are not met. North Macedonia and several neighbours still lack binding measures, and women remain underrepresented. Bottom line is that quotas are about opening doors — they ensure that talent is no longer overlooked, so that leadership better reflects the diversity of the societies and markets companies serve.
Note: This interview was originally published in Macedonian in Ekonomija i Biznis magazine, September 2025.
