Croatian women leaders and innovators from around the world awarded  

The 2024 award winners

The Croatian Women’s Network/Mreža Hrvatskih Žena for the seventh time in Zagreb, at the Sheraton Hotel, on March 8th, awarded the “Croatian Women of Influence” and “Future Leaders” Awards in categories including leadership and innovation, culture and art, entrepreneurship, science, sports, and humanitarian work to recipients from Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia, Hungary, the United Kingdom, Canada, the United States, Argentina, Chile, Bolivia, and Australia.

The awards are a mechanism to connect successful women from around the world, who share Croatian ancestry and heritage, to celebrate their achievements, to inspire, champion and mentor younger generations.

Congratulating the recipients, the founder of the Croatian Women’s Network (CWN), Caroline Spivak, emphasized that the time for women has finally arrived. “Women are increasingly involved in economic and entrepreneurial life, politics, and diplomacy, and are increasingly coming to the forefront. It is important that we encourage each other, enter into social spheres to achieve change.”

“Our desire is to connect Croatian women and raise society’s awareness of the engagement, innovation, and impact of women of Croatian origin, who with their successes and achievements inspire and represent great potential in the countries where they live, and are a wonderful example and message to the world about Croatians,” said Spivak, highlighting that the Network has more than a thousand members. “We are not seeking equal results, but equal opportunities.”

A complete list of the 2024 Croatian Women of Influence Award and Future Leader Award winners can be viewed at https://croatianwomensnetwork.org/cwoi-awards/cwoi-2024.

The award winners

Progress in gender equality is evident; the number of women in politics and in leadership positions is increasing, women are economically empowering themselves, but there is still a gender pay gap and disparities in business opportunities and possibilities, warned participants of the seventh international conference “Women’s Progress. Economic Progress. Realize the Potential!” held the same day in Zagreb under the slogan “Her Power.”

Spivak emphasized that the conference emphasizes women’s involvement and that today women are pilots, engineers, nuclear physicists, presidents of states, and CEOs of large companies but also mothers, sisters, and guardians of their families. “We must encourage and empower women to use and invest their strength to engage even more and become agents of change. Encouraging the potential of women and other underrepresented groups is crucial for a more equal society,” she concluded.

Caroline Spivak

The conference was opened by the Chairwoman of the Agriculture Committee, Marijana Petir, acting as the representative of the President of the Croatian Parliament, Gordan Jandroković, the high patron.

She reminded that positive legislative provisions related to increasing women’s participation in politics exist, as well as recently in managerial positions in companies, but there are prejudices and stereotypes that women are exposed to daily. “Of course, I don’t mean that women should engage in politics, manage companies, or advance in their professions just because they are women, but above all, I believe that being a woman should not be an obstacle to stronger engagement in any area of life,” said Petir, adding that this world needs both women and men, so we don’t need to compete with them but work together to make this world a better place to live.

Although women make up more than half of the population in Croatia, only a quarter of them are in entrepreneurship. We cannot achieve a healthy economy without gender equality, warned the representative of the President of the Republic of Croatia, Martina Ciglević, adding that state institutions must offer solutions.

There was also discussion about a new European directive stipulating that by 2026, the proportion of women in directorial positions in large companies listed on the stock exchange must be at least 33 percent. All participants agreed that it is important to create such provisions because without them, things will not change.

“I hope it won’t all remain on paper, but that the directive will highlight quality women, who will retain a female way of management. A woman should remain a woman with all her qualities regardless of how high she climbs on the ladder,” said Petir.

Vice-President of the European Parliament’s Group of the European People’s Party (Christian Democrats) and European Democrats Željana Zovko shared her experiences from her long-standing work in diplomacy and politics, as well as legislative activities related to achieving gender equality.

In Croatian diplomacy, women make up more than 60 percent of the staff, and female diplomats hold more than 50 percent of managerial positions.

Panel discussion

“As a Member of the European Parliament, I actively work to achieve gender equality and empower women. My contribution to this is particularly focused on continuously seeking to involve more women in EU external affairs and diplomacy, considering that research also shows that women’s participation in peace processes leads to stronger and more sustainable peace agreements and greater security,” Zovko said.

“I am especially pleased that the European Parliament and the Council recently reached an agreement on the first EU law to combat gender-based violence, thereby providing better protection for women and victims of domestic violence,” concluded Zovko.

Women contribute to the democratic development of countries

The representative of the Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs Roman Kuzmanić Oluić emphasized that women accounted for five percent in the veteran population in the Homeland War, eight percent in twelve international peace operations (UN, NATO, EU), and fourteen percent in the Armed Forces of the Republic of Croatia and the Ministry of Defense.

“As part of membership in relevant international organizations, we emphasize the importance of confronting sexual violence in conflict as a war crime, the importance of punishing perpetrators, and providing support to victims. Croatian diplomacy has the opportunity to convey Croatian experiences in dealing with the consequences of such violence,” said the representative of Minister Gordan Grlić Radman. 

She added that the Ministry has implemented fourteen projects aimed at improving gender equality and strengthening the position of women and girls, with a value of 446,278 euros, which has positively affected the position of women in some African countries.

The Croatian Bank for Reconstruction and Development (HBOR) finances projects for female entrepreneurs totaling 7 million euros by the end of this year, it was heard at the ShePreneurship women’s entrepreneurship panel, which included Antonija Trupinić, a military pilot and entrepreneur, Ana Barjašić, this year’s recipient of the Influential Croatian Women Award, proclaimed one of the hundred most influential women in startup entrepreneurship and venture capital, and Lidija Kovarik, life and business trainer, successful entrepreneur, and director of the Museum of Illusionary Art in Prague.

An employed woman in the EU earns on average 12.7 percent less per hour than a man, and Barjašić added that women have significantly less access to venture capital than male colleagues, and therefore less chance of success.

“No one wants equality of results, but equality of opportunities!” she emphasized.

“Most of history, Anonymous was a woman,” Virginia Woolf

The conference also discussed the preservation of Croatian identity in numerous Croatian communities around the world and the importance of involving women in history textbooks.

The main speakers at the conference were Cathy Gorn, Executive Director of National History Day, the leading program for history education in American schools, Mateja-Angelina Kramar, project manager and advisor for sustainable financing, owner of the first Croatian stock exchange for investment in green and social transition, and Mirjana Miličević, head of the Tourism and Environmental Protection Studies at the University of Mostar, who spoke about the challenges facing contemporary women in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

“In the awards, the strength of numerous Croatian women around the world is woven.”

“We are proud sponsors of this beautiful event. My Croatian women, congratulations on all your achievements and everything you do for your homeland, and for the good of all of us,” said State Secretary of the Central State Office for Croats Abroad Zvonko Milas, adding that the crucial role of women in preserving the Croatian identity and language among Croats outside the Republic of Croatia. “Deeds, not words,” he said, adding that the Network does just that, connecting Croatia wherever it is.

Director of the Croatian Heritage Foundation Mijo Marić said he hopes that one day we will lose this one day, March 8th, and that women will get all the other days in the year. “Thank you for protecting, witnessing, and spreading the Croatian identity!” said Marić.

The award ceremony for Influential Croatian Women and Future Leaders is an opportunity to find, meet, and honor the leadership, innovation, and social impact of Croatian women around the world. The growing international interest in the award motivates us to work even more intensively to connect and highlight the achievements of Croatian women around the world, concluded the founder of CWN/MHŽ, Caroline Spivak.

The International Conference and Award Ceremony CWN/MHŽ was held under the high patronage of the Croatian Parliament, the Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs of the Central State Office for Croats Abroad, the Croatian Heritage Foundation, the City of Zagreb, the Ministry of Economy, the Ministry of Science and Education, the Ministry of Tourism, the Croatian Tourist Board, the Zagreb Tourist Board, the Chaplaincy for Croats Abroad, with the support of the President of the Republic of Croatia, Zoran Milanović.