Canadian educational program for entrepreneurs, LEADER project Serbia 2018 from the Ivey School of Business, one of the best business schools globally, was officially opened on Monday, May 7, 2018. The program is held in Belgrade for the third year in a row and is organized by the CANSEE Canadian Serbian Business Association in cooperation with the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Serbia and the Embassy of Canada to Serbia, Macedonia and Montenegro.
Mirjana Dončić Beaton, Managing Director of CANSEE, said that Ivey is one of the most prestigious business schools in the world, that has been organizing this mini MBA project for young entrepreneurs for the past 27 years. The course is targeting people who want to start their own business and acquire necessary skills in finance, marketing, management, communication and human resources.
“We are very happy that we can share the information that the LEADER project will have a sequel this year. Three winners of the LEADER project Serbia, who have, according to the jury, developed and presented the best business plans, will be given the opportunity to continue developing their business ideas with the help of mentors and present them at the regional events in Belgrade, Sarajevo and Skopje. This regional project was supported by the Western Balkans Fund, which was designed to finance small and medium-sized projects in the field of education, sustainable development and human rights in the countries of the Western Balkans”, said Dončić-Beaton.
Ambassador of Canada to Serbia, Macedonia and Montenegro Kati Csaba welcomed all the participants, wished them a lot of success in the project, as well as in developing business ideas and establishing their own businesses.
Mihailo Vesović, Special advisor at the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Serbia, said that he is very pleased to organize the third LEADER project Serbia in cooperation with CANSEE. He pointed out that three things are important for starting up a business – knowledge, finance and networking. He explained that the LEADER project is an excellent platform for networking and that the Serbian Chamber of Commerce will always be there to help entrepreneurs develop their business ideas.
The 10-day course will be attended by 40 participants, mostly young entrepreneurs from various industrial fields – IT, food and pharmaceutical industry, design, mining and geology and others.
The course will focus on acquiring the necessary skills and knowledge important for entrepreneurship development. During two weeks, the participants will create, develop and present their business plans. The Canadian LEADER project is an international educational program which has been realized in eight countries worldwide since 1991. It has the form of MBA program-styled workshops, specially prepared according to the attendees’ profile.
Partners at the LEADER project Serbia 2018 are Ivey Business School from the University of Western Ontario, Canada, Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Serbia, the Embassy of Canada to Serbia, Macedonia and Montenegro. The general sponsor of the event is Rakita company, and the project is supported by Holiday Inn Express Belgrade – City, Division Visual Solutions, Metalfer Group, Ravel Poslastičarnica and Apollo digitalna štampa.