In a world saturated with noise, convening has become one of the rare acts that still create meaning. The ability to bring people together — across borders, sectors and perspectives — is emerging as a new form of leadership. In the Adria region, this role belongs to a handful of individuals who have turned dialogue into a driver of change.
From Bled to Belgrade, Sarajevo to Tivat, their forums and summits do more than fill auditoriums; they shape how the region speaks to itself and to the world. They gather those who don’t just debate the future — they build it, one conversation at a time.
In this Roundtable, The Region speaks with four conveners whose platforms have redefined the power of dialogue: Biljana Braithwaite, Executive Director of the Adria Future Summit; Peter Grk, Secretary- General of the Bled Strategic Forum; Amra Babić, Director of the Sarajevo Business Forum; and Aleksandar Vlahović, Founder of the Kopaonik Business Forum.
Their answers reveal a quiet but profound shift — from protocol to purpose, from speeches to connection. In their hands, convening is no longer logistics; it is leadership.
BILJANA BRAITHWAITE
Founder and CEO, Sustineri Partners; Executive Director, Adria Future Summit
PETER GRK
Secretary-General, Bled Strategic Forum; Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs of Slovenia
AMRA BABIĆ
Director, Sarajevo Business Forum; Director of Marketing and Communications, BBI Bank
ALEKSANDAR VLAHOVIĆ
President, Serbian Association of Economists; Founder, Kopaonik Business Forum
