Applications for the first cohort are open until November 11
TWBM Launches Mentorship Program: Six Business Leaders to Support the Development of Women-Led Businesses
Six mentor–mentee pairs, six months of individual work, and practical support for business development will mark the first cycle of the TWBM Mentorship Program, a new initiative by the Top Women Business Montenegro platform.
Top Women Business Montenegro has launched the TWBM Mentorship Program, an initiative designed to harness the experience of successful businesswomen and businessmen to support the development of women’s entrepreneurship through direct assistance, knowledge sharing, and individual mentoring. Applications for the first cohort are open until November 11.
The program was created in response to the need to provide women who are starting or developing their own businesses with access to practical knowledge and the experience of professionals who have already navigated entrepreneurial and career paths, faced similar challenges, and made important decisions concerning business development.
Speaking about the motivation behind launching the program, TWBM founder and Director of BI Communication, Ljiljana Burzan-Nikolić, emphasized that over the platform’s five years of operation, it has brought together a significant number of successful businesswomen whose experience represents a valuable resource that should be made available to new generations of women entrepreneurs.
“Success requires knowledge, hard work, and perseverance. But having support along the way can make a tremendous difference. Sometimes that means access to financing. Sometimes it is a piece of information we were missing, a contact that opens up a new business opportunity, or advice from someone who has already faced the challenge we are dealing with. Over the past five years, we have met and featured many exceptional businesswomen who have built companies, made difficult decisions, taken risks, and achieved results. Their experience is an enormous asset. And we thought — why not make that experience available to women for whom it could be particularly valuable right now?” said Burzan-Nikolić.
The first cycle of the program will be organized as a six-month pilot involving six mentor–mentee pairs. Each participant will be assigned a mentor with whom she will work on issues relevant to the development of her business, whether related to business strategy, organization, finance, market positioning, team management, or other areas where support is needed.
The program includes individual mentoring sessions during which participants, with the support of their mentors, will define development goals, assess business challenges, and work on concrete steps to improve their operations.
“Our role will be to carefully match mentors with participants, coordinate the program, and monitor its implementation. We are starting with a small number of pairs because we want this first cycle to be of high quality, to learn from the experience, and to use those insights to build a sustainable, long-term program,” Burzan-Nikolić emphasized.
The first group of mentors consists of experts from various areas of business and the public sector, who will dedicate their knowledge and experience to supporting the development of women-led businesses.
Sanja Ćalasan, Executive Director of Trebjesa Brewery and Chair of the Board of Directors of AmCham Montenegro, will provide support in strategic management and business leadership; Duško Milanović, Accounting Department Manager at MFI Alter Modus, will focus on financial management and business sustainability; while Adrijana Husić, Founder and Director of Communication Studio Cassiopeia, will specialize in branding and strategic communications.
The mentoring network also includes Aleksandra Radević, Customer Operations Manager at One Montenegro, who will provide support in leadership and team development; Filip Popović, entrepreneur and long-time international manager at Avon, whose mentoring expertise focuses on business growth and development; and Jovana Vukčević, Coordinator of Organizational Units at the Secretariat for Entrepreneurship and Investments of the Capital City of Podgorica, who will support participants in turning business ideas into sustainable businesses.
Burzan-Nikolić thanked the mentors for their willingness to dedicate their time, knowledge, and experience to the participants of the program’s first cohort.
“I believe this is one of the most meaningful ways in which successful businesswomen and businessmen can contribute to the success of others,” she said.
The program is intended for women who are starting or developing their own businesses, as well as those facing business challenges who wish to improve their knowledge and skills. Participants will be selected through an application and selection process, while mentor–mentee pairs will be formed based on participants’ development needs and the mentors’ areas of expertise.
“We do not expect prospective participants to have all the answers or to know in advance how they will resolve every business challenge. What matters to us is that they have a genuine desire to develop their businesses, recognize the areas in which they need support, and are willing to work actively with their mentor,” Burzan-Nikolić concluded.
Applications for the first cohort of the TWBM Mentorship Program are open until November 11, 2026. Interested candidates can apply through the official website, where detailed information about the program, mentors’ professional biographies, and their areas of expertise are also available.
