Croatian Women of Influence & Future Leader Awards presented

Award winners

ZAGREB, 9 March, 2020 – For the fifth time, the Croatian Women’s Network™/Mreža Hrvatskih Žena have held the Croatian Women of Influence Award and Future Leader Awards. 

The winners were awarded at a gala event on the occasion of International Women’s Day and held on Saturday, 7 March, in Zagreb. 

Winners were selected from more than 140 nominations representing 10 countries.  The 2020 class of laureates come from Austria, Bolivia, Bosnia & Hercegovina, Canada, Croatia, Germany and the United States of America. This brings the overall number of award winners to 117 selected from more than 370 nominations. 

Winners

The Croatian Women of Influence Award recognizes leadership, innovation and community impact of Croatian women from the Republic of Croatia and the vast Croatian diaspora. 

Awards were given in the following categories; leadership and innovation, culture and art, entrepreneurship, science, sport and humanitarian work and were presented to them by the State Secretary of the Central State Office for Croatia outside Croatia Zvonko Milas, Director of the Croatian Heritage Foundation Mijo Marić and Editor of the Independent Section of the Program for Croats outside Croatia Ivan Kujundžić. 

Viktorija Matin being presented her award by Zvonko Milas 

Congratulating the winners, Caroline Spivak, the founder of the Croatian Women’s Network™/Mreža Hrvatskih Žena, noted that women’s time has finally arrived. ”Women are becoming more and more involved in economic and entrepreneurial life, politics and diplomacy and are becoming more prominent. It is important that we encourage one another, to enter the social realms in order to achieve change.”

Caroline Spivak

Zvonko Milas added: ’”We are proud sponsors of this beautiful event. My Croats, I congratulate you on all your achievements and on everything you do for your homeland and for the benefit of all of us.”  

The awards were presented at a gala event celebrating International Women’s Day, following the annual conference: Advancing Women, Advancing Economies. Realize the Potential! Women as Changemakers. 

Women should be encouraged in all areas of work, Spivak concluded, be it economics and entrepreneurship, medicine and science, technology and the economy, or culture and the arts. Although more and more women are starting their own businesses, Spivak noted that in Croatia, only 26 percent own a firm and 33 percent own a business.

Marijana Petir and Delfa Kosić

Future Leader Award 

Isabella Grandić – Canada

Croatian Women of Influence Award Winners

1.  Sonja Breljak – Germany – Arts & Culture
2.  Liliana Canadić – Canada – Leadership & Innovation
3.  Debbie Ćosić – Canada – Entrepreneurship
4.  dr. sc. Rozelindra Čož-Raković – Republic of Croatia – Science & Technology
5.  Ana Ganza – Canada – Arts & Culture
6.  dr. Suzana Hlatki-Matijević – Republic of Croatia – Leadership & Innovation
7.  Goranka Horjan – Republic of Croatia – Arts & Culture
8.  Vedrana Jelušić Kašić – Republic of Croatia – Business
9.  prof. dr. sc. Antoinette Kaić-Rak – Republic of Croatia – Science & Technology
10. Ankica Karačić – Germany – Arts & Culture
11. Elizabeta Kera – United States of America – Science & Technology
12. Silvija Kolar – Republic of Croatia – Leadership & Innovation
13. Patricia Avila Kuljiš – Bolivia – Arts and Culture
14. Mirjana Marčinko-Šmit – Republic of Croatia – Entrepreneurship
15. Viktorija Matin – Republic of Croatia – Philanthropy
16. Tommi Mischell – United States of America – Arts & Culture
17. Katarina Pejić – Germany – Arts & Culture
18. Martina Peranović – Republic of Croatia – Athletics
19. Marina Aleksandra Rukavina – Republic of Croatia – Leadership & Innovation
20. Ane Stražičić-Rodriquez – United States of America – Arts & Culture
21. Lucija Veličan – Austria – Business
22. Heidi Wohlfahrt Granić – United States of America – Arts & Culture