Annual Media Forum 2023: Short biographies of speakers
USAID's Balkan Media Assistance Program to Foster Organizational Readiness While Advancing Resilient Development (USAID's BMAP Forward)
ANNUAL MEDIA FORUM 2023
Thinking Forward in Disruptive Times
The Annual Media Forum provides an important opportunity to bring together representatives from USAID's BMAP Forward partner media outlets across the region to share best practices and lessons learned, deepen their understanding of global and regional trends, and seed or strengthen partnerships in order to advance solutions to common challenges in content production and content monetization in the digital environment.
Below you can find short biographies of the speakers at the Annual Media Forum 2023.
DAVOR GLAVAŠ, USAID’s BMAP Forward Chief of Party, Internews’ Western Balkans Advisor
More than 25 years of professional experience in the field of media development, freedom of expression, media legislation, investigative journalism, conflict sensitive reporting and reconciliation projects in post-conflict societies, transitional countries and emerging democracies. Chief of Party/Team Leader in seven complex projects so far. Working experience in 21 countries, with a focus on the Western Balkans region. Extensive experience in cooperation with international donors. USAID’s BMAP Chief of Party as of 2017, and USAID'S BMAP FORWARD Chief of Party as 2022.
More than 40 years of professional experience in media including: BBC World Service - Head of Croatian Service (2003-2007); Feral Tribune, senior columnist (1996-2001); Danas weekly, journalist, section editor, senior columnist (1982-1992), etc. More than a thousand articles, interviews and comments published. Voted the best lecturer four consecutive times as Head of Investigative Reporting and Media Legislation Department at the University of Zagreb, Faculty of Political Science/Study of Journalism (2007-2011).
VESNA ALABURIĆ, Lawyer, Media Legislation Expert, Alaburić Law Office, Zagreb
Vesna Alaburić is an expert in criminal law; commercial law; civil law (specially tort); constitutional law; international human rights law and international human rights law and is currently a lecturer of the media law at the Faculty of Political Science (journalism) of the University in Zagreb.
Vesna is a lecturer on various seminars on the case law of the European Court of Human Rights concerning Article 10 of the European Convention of Human Rights, organised by the Council of Europe or other institutions for journalists, judges and lawyers (Strasbourg, Ukraine, Russia, Belarus, Montenegro, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia, Slovenia, Macedonia...)
She cooperated extensively with various international government and non-government organizations (CoE, OSCE, Article 19, Committee to Protect Journalists, Reporters Without Borders, Freedom Forum, SEEMO ...) on various issues of freedom of expression legislation and court practice.
Vesna is a member of the Mediation Centre of the Croatian Chambre of Economy and an arbitrator at the Permanent Arbitration Court at the Croatian Chamber of Commerce (including proceedings with the international character).
Vesna received the American Bar Association (Section of Litigation) International Award for Human Rights and Access to Justice in 1998.
SLOBODAN KREMENJAK, Lawyer, Media Legislation Expert, Samardžić and Živković Law Office, Belgrade
Slobodan Kremenjak practices law since 1996 and is with Živković Samardžić Law Office in Belgrade since its founding in 1998. At Živković Samardžić, he is the Head of IP, Media, and Telecommunications department which represents major media, their associations, telecoms operators.
Slobodan lectured on media regulations and judicial practices for the Judicial Academy of Serbia, European Institute for Media, Stanhope Centre for Communications Policy Research, Article XIX, ANEM, and on telecoms regulations and judicial practices for TAIEX, Technical Assistance and Information Exchange instrument managed by the DG Enlargement of the EC and for the Belgrade Open School (BOS).
Slobodan was a senior legal expert for BBC Media Action on the IPA — assistance to the digital broadcasting switchover in Serbia project (2011-2013), senior legal expert on the EU-funded “Strengthening Media Freedom” project (2013-2016), advisor of Ratel (Serbian Telecommunications Regulatory Authority) on issues related to the renewal of licenses and with respect to the judicial review of regulators decisions. He used to work as a legal counsel for the national commercial broadcaster in Serbia B92 and ANEM - Association of Independent Electronic Media since 1998 and public service broadcaster RTS since 2015. He acts as a legal counsel for several investigative journalism outfits in Serbia, such as the Center for Investigative Journalism of Serbia – CINS and Birn.rs.
Moreover, Slobodan is an experienced competition lawyer as well as a media, telecoms, and intellectual property litigator.
FRANE MAROEVIĆ, CEO International Press Institute, Vienna
Frane Maroević is the Executive Director of the International Press Institute, a global network of editors, media executives and leading journalists who share a common dedication to quality, independent journalism. He has been working in journalism, media development and press freedom for more than 30 years. He developed his passion for journalism and learned the skills, professional standards and values of this profession at the BBC World Service in London. In post-war Bosnia and Herzegovina he worked on the reform of public broadcasting, media regulation and managed donor support for independent media. As the director of the office of the OSCE media freedom representative, he managed responses to numerous cases of media freedom violations in 57 countries that are part of this intergovernmental organization. Just before joining IPI, his work at the Internet and Jurisdiction Policy Network and the Freedom Online Coalition Advisory Network focused on threats to online freedom of expression.
VANDA KUČERA, VP Corporate Affairs I&F Grupa
She has been working at I&F Grupa, one of the leading marketing communications networks in southeastern Europe and the Nordic region, since it’s founding in 1997. She has been active in the marketing and communication field, both locally and regionally, for more than 30 years. At I&F Grupa, Vanda started as Research & Planning Director, followed by two years of being Managing Director at McCann Skopje and two years of developing the Montenegro office. Later on, she became first the New Business Director at McCann Grupa and then the Managing Director of the first digital agency in Serbia – MRM. For the past nine years, Vanda has been the Head of Corporate Affairs, responsible for corporate relations with various stakeholders (state institutions, professional associations) and all CSR initiatives and strategies. Currently, she is a Board member of the professional associations IAA and UEPS. She was Board member of the business association SAM. With I&F Grupa, Vanda has been developing an active relationship with ASMEDI, AmCham Serbia and other regional offices, as well as with the Nordic Business Alliance, as a representative of professional associations. Vanda was a member of the working group responsible for the new Law on Advertising in Serbia. With the IAA, Vanda was the initiator of an advertising self-regulatory body, responsible for communication with the EACA and EASA on these topics, the coordinator of the working group in charge of drafting the National Code of Ethics in Advertising. Now she is the President of the Board of the first national self-regulation body - National Association of Ethical Standards in Advertising - NAESA.
GORAN RADMAN, Professor - Dean Algebra University, Zagreb
Goran Radman is an experienced business, media and academia executive. Most recently, he was the Vice Dean for International Cooperation, Director of e-Leadership MBA Program and senior lecturer of technology and innovation strategy at Algebra University College. Goran has authored and edited many professional and scientific papers and books in the areas of strategy management, competitiveness, media and social development. He also serves as a BMAP project consultant since 2019.
FEĐA KULENOVIĆ, BMAP Forward, Data and Digital Transformation Manager
He is an information and communication expert researching and practicing in the fields of data science, information sciences, knowledge management and communications. He cooperates as a consultant with many governmental bodies, non-governmental organizations and business sector.
He is trying to transfer his knowledge and experience to students of library and information sciences at the Faculty of Philosophy, University of Sarajevo. He is also working for USAID’s BAMP FORWARD as a Data and Digital Transformation Manager, as well as editor of www.balkansmedia.org.
MILENA TIHOJEVIĆ, SmartOcto, Lead Audience Analytics Specialist
With more than 5 years of experience in the media sector, together with her team, Milena cooperates with journalists and editors, hoping to bridge the gap between numbers and the written word.
Her NGO background, where she volunteered as an HR and Marketing Manager, came in especially handy in her daily tasks as she is currently holding the position of a Media Support Specialist for an editorial analytics company - smartocto.
DANICA ILIĆ, Journalist and Media Consultant
Danica Ilic is a former BBC World Service and Radio B92 journalist, expert in digital media and social media networks. She leads projects related to ethical standards in the digital age, disinformation, diversity and quality journalism in digital environment. As media trainer and workshop facilitator, she worked with media outlets and civil society organisations in China, Turkey, Eurasia and MENA regions, and in the Western Balkans.
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More to come...
