WOBA and Board Ready to Propose Women Candidates for Board Positions
SKOPJE, 4 September 2026
Women on Boards Adria (WOBA) and Board Ready will cooperate to expand pathways for qualified women leaders from WOBA’s regional network to be considered for relevant board director and executive search mandates and candidate pipelines. The two organisations agreed the terms of this cooperation in a memorandum of understanding signed in Skopje by Tanja Mihajlovska Dimitrievska, WOBA’s Regional Lead Ambassador, and Kiril Kolemishevski and Marija Kumbaroska Vanbesien, Co-Founders of Board Ready.
Board Ready is a global niche provider of premium leadership and management consulting services, bringing international expertise and high professional standards to the Western Balkans. The firm is among the first in the region to introduce this level of specialised experience and professionalism in leadership, governance and executive advisory services.
Under the agreement, Board Ready will give priority consideration, in line with its inclusive recruitment practices, to qualified candidates from WOBA’s leadership network for relevant board director and executive search mandates and candidate pipelines. Board Ready’s senior partners will also contribute as speakers, trainers, and mentors to the WOBA Board Readiness Programme and other WOBA leadership development initiatives. The two organisations will also cooperate on board readiness programmes, on governance education, and on making the criteria for selecting directors more transparent.
Across the Western Balkans, women hold between 15 and 26 per cent of board positions, and far fewer of the senior executive positions. In the largest listed companies in the region, the average is around 19 per cent, while women make up only 14.2 per cent of top managers.
WOBA’s research points to one reason for the slow progress. Rules on board composition change who sits on a board, but they do not necessarily change who is considered for a position in the first place. That depends on how candidates are identified and selected, and it is where this cooperation is directed.
“The objection we hear most often is that there are not enough qualified women. Our network shows that this is not the case. What has been missing is not candidates, but the connection between them and the people who decide on appointments”, said Tanja Mihajlovska Dimitrievska, Regional Lead Ambassador of Women on Boards Adria.
“Board Ready advises the companies that decide on the composition of boards. From now on, the women from our network will be considered in those decisions”, Mihajlovska Dimitrievska added.
“Good governance depends on process, not on good intentions. If candidates are always sought within the same circle, boards will continue to look the same, and that is a risk for the company”, said Kiril Kolemishevski, Co-Founder of Board Ready.
“This cooperation broadens the pool of prepared and credible candidates we can consider for relevant mandates. It supports both greater diversity and a more rigorous professional search process”, Kolemishevski added.
“We are proud to bring our international experience and high professional standards to the Western Balkans, while promoting inclusive leadership and stronger governance. Through our partnership with WOBA, we hope to contribute to its mission of connecting qualified women leaders with greater opportunities to serve on boards and in senior leadership roles across the region”, said Marija Kumbaroska Vanbesien, Co-Founder of Board Ready.
As a first step under the partnership, Board Ready will deliver an online workshop for WOBA members in October 2026.
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