The inspiration to go into finance came from my mother’s successful career as a top banking executive. Seeing her expertise in finance act as critical driver of her success motivated me to pursue a career in accounting. I’m so grateful for her guidance and support.
My career started at PKF Serbia and has progressed to senior management roles in audit and assurance. I gained broad expertise in audits of multinational companies, but later moved into corporate finance and business advisory, where I now lead the ESG services.
Many experiences push you out of your comfort zone. But when your goal is reached you appreciate yourself more, not just for your mental strength and resilience, but for achieving goals beyond the limits you thought you had. Becoming a parent certainly extends you beyond your comfort zone. I had to cope both emotionally and physically throughout the day, while also studying for my ACCA qualification. At times it felt overwhelming, but this amazing journey was essential to me, so I persevered, determined to achieve my goals.
I firmly believe in lifelong learning and self-improvement
I decided to continue my professional development, and an MBA in London seemed a perfect choice. I gained many valuable skills and also had a wonderful opportunity to exchange insights with students from around the world. This provided me with international exposure and diverse perspectives. I firmly believe in lifelong learning and self-improvement.
The increasing importance of climate change, carbon neutrality, sustainability and social responsibility sets new challenges for companies worldwide, including those in Serbia. To remain competitive within the EU market and move into European supply chains, Serbian companies must adapt themselves to new challenges and business processes, so they are increasingly adopting ESG strategies. However, they are also facing many obstacles, with a lack of ESG experts slowing down the assessment of climate risks, decarbonisation and the gathering of sustainability data.
If I had law-making powers, I would do more to drive the reduction of packaging waste. Many single-use plastic products frequently found littering the environment have already been banned and the EU has adopted a new regulation on waste shipments to non-EU countries – but a more comprehensive approach has to be taken. I think that more responsibility should be put on manufacturers to manage the collection and recycling of their products, and to find alternative packaging solutions, with greater use of recycled packaging, especially in food contact materials.
The best way to predict your future is to create it
What I enjoy most about my job is meeting new people, and working with them across many different industries and companies. The diversity of these interactions makes my role both challenging and rewarding. I also feel that the growing emphasis on ESG reporting adds relevance to the auditing profession, making it even more fulfilling and impactful.
My favourite quote is: ‘The best way to predict your future is to create it.’ I believe it is the responsibility of all of us to leave the world a better place for the next generation.
If I wasn’t an accountant, I would be a psychologist. I always admired the work of Carl Jung and I still enjoy reading his books.
In my spare time, I love to go hiking and have fun with my kids. I have enjoyed sports since my childhood and was a keen youth volleyball player, but nowadays I’m happy just going to the gym.
