At the ESG Adria Summit, Women on Boards Adria (WOBA) and NLB Banka a.d. Podgorica signed a partnership agreement to help increase the number of women in senior and boardroom positions across the Adria region.
Through the partnership, NLB Banka will support practical steps such as mentoring, leadership training, policy research, and public campaigns that highlight the importance of gender balance.
Employees of NLB will also gain access to WOBA’s network, opening up new opportunities for professional growth and leadership development.
The move comes amid ongoing efforts to address the lack of women in top roles — not just as a matter of fairness, but as a way to improve how businesses lead and make decisions.
“We believe leadership balance matters — not just socially, but strategically. Partnerships like this one create more space for women to grow, lead, and contribute at the highest levels of decision-making,” said Biljana Braithwaite, Chair of Women on Boards Adria.
As the first commercial bank in Montenegro to join the EBRD’s “Women in Business” programme, NLB Banka continues to lead by example. This new collaboration reflects their broader commitment to inclusion, transparency, and responsible leadership across the financial sector and beyond.
“More than 60% of managers in the management structure of NLB Bank are women today. We foster a modern, innovative, and sustainably successful corporate culture. We have significantly expanded financing for female entrepreneurs across Montenegro, with the goal of supporting their potential and enabling access to financing, as well as the knowledge needed for business growth — and we will continue to do so. Women are exceptional business leaders, and the numbers confirm it. Businesses led by women are twice as less risky compared to those led by men,” said Martin Leberle, Chairman of the Management Board, NLB Banka Podgorica.
