Podgorica, Montenegro – A significant event called #WomenInTech was held today in the prestigious Hilton Hotel. The event was organized by ICT Cortex and the Secretariat of the Council for Competitiveness. It was dedicated to the support and affirmation of women’s participation in the IT sector.
The central part of the event was a panel discussion, followed by a workshop, where participants exchanged opinions and experiences on key challenges and opportunities for women in the ICT sector.
Marija Risteska, moderator and consultant for women’s economic empowerment at the Secretariat of the Competitiveness Council, led the discussion, focusing on women’s economic empowerment.
Jasna Pejović, executive director of the Digital Academy and founder of the FlourishApp startup, shared her experience in running a start-up and developing technological initiatives.
Vera Kovačević, Design Lead at Logate, emphasized the importance of design in technological innovation and its impact on gender equality.
Dr. Andreja Mihailović, president of Women4Cyber Montenegro, spoke about cybercrime as a first-class threat to economic development and innovation, the importance of education, support networks and mentoring for women in the field of information security.
Mirjana Ivanović, executive director of PR Consultancy Hub 2023, emphasized the importance of communication and PR strategies in the promotion of gender equality.
The discussion emphasized that the empowerment of women is not only a matter of equality, but also a significant potential for the development of the ICT sector. The inclusion of women contributes to the creation of a more diverse, innovative, and resilient digital environment.
After the panel, Women4Cyber Montenegro and ICT Cortex, a cluster for information technology, innovation, education, design, and technological development of Montenegro, signed a cooperation agreement with a strategic focus on the affirmation of an inclusive approach and private-public partnerships in the development of cybersecurity. Private-public partnerships with the IT community represent a vital component of strategies for improving the cyber capacity of EU countries because they integrate the resources, expertise, and human capital of both sectors in an effective response to increasingly sophisticated cyber threats.
The signed agreement creates a platform for the development of the ICT ecosystem, the strengthening of national cyber resilience, and the implementation of educational programs in the fields of cybersecurity, technological innovation, and research (R&D). It encourages the participation of women in cybersecurity and the ICT sector, gender equality in the labor market, as well as the formulation and implementation of cybersecurity policies with the active engagement of the private sector.
During the event, an interactive workshop was organized, led by psychologist Jelena Marković, devoted to guidelines for choosing a career path in the IT industry. This event was an opportunity to highlight the importance of women in the ICT industry and to emphasize the obvious need for synergistic action aimed at promoting gender equality, empowering women, and supporting their career development.
