Around 1,000 state and local leaders, business figures, representatives of the international community, and the diplomatic corps gathered at the White Palace to celebrate the 18th anniversary of NALED and mark the start of a new reform season during the traditional September Gathering of Members and Partners.
Digitalization and artificial intelligence were the central themes of the event, highlighting the importance of technological development for Serbia’s future.
The gathering was opened by HRH Crown Prince Alexander Karađorđević, Vladislav Cvetković, Chairman of the NALED Board of Directors, Vlastimir Vuković, Chairman of the Executive Board of NLB Komercijalna Banka, Nikola Dašić, Mayor of Kragujevac, and Miloš Vučević, Prime Minister of Serbia.
“As a former member of NALED’s Board of Directors, I had the opportunity to understand the significance of this organization for local governments, the economy, and businesses. We’ve come a long way together, allowing us to now talk about digitalization and artificial intelligence, which were unimaginable 18 years ago. Serbia is moving forward relentlessly, and how fast depends on us,” Vučević said, emphasizing that NALED has been the essential link needed.
NALED’s coming of age was symbolically celebrated with a birthday cake, in the presence of the Speaker of the National Assembly, Ana Brnabić, who was instrumental in founding the organization with the support of USAID in 2006.
“When we founded NALED, we had the idea of creating the first association that brings together local governments, the private sector, and NGOs. We succeeded, and thanks to this, Serbia now has an organization that can assist any responsible and smart government that wants to listen and take advice, to implement reforms faster and better for the benefit of every citizen in this country,” said Brnabić.
NLB Komercijalna Banka, one of the regional leaders in digitalization within the banking sector, was the sponsor of the event, while the City of Kragujevac, a leader in digitalization and home to the state data center and high-tech companies, was the local government host.
At the end of the ceremony, NALED’s annual awards were presented to the top contributors to the organization’s work and achievements, as decided by the Board of Directors, based on proposals from the Executive Office.
The award for Leading Development Member went to Dragana Vujko, Senior Manager for Government Relations at PMI, for her invaluable contributions to the development of startups and innovation in Serbia through NALED.
The title of Leading Business Member was awarded to Zoran Daljević, Director of the Atlantic Grupa Presidency, for his promotion of dialogue and cooperation, always putting the common interest above individual gain.
In the Local Leaders category, the title of Leading Member for 2024 went to Boban Janković, Mayor of Mionica, as one of the founders of the Club of Cities and Municipalities with a Favorable Business Environment and a member of the Executive Board who has always supported NALED.
NALED expressed deep gratitude to the sponsors, partners, and friends who supported the event: Premium sponsor NLB Komercijalna Banka; host city Kragujevac; partner of the Best Tastes of Serbia, UniCredit Bank; prominent partner Coca-Cola HBC; and partners A1, AstraZeneca, Imperial Tobacco, Lafarge Serbia, Philip Morris International, Sekopak, and Steel-impex. The friends of the event included Apatinska Pivara, AIGO, Atlantic Grupa, Accreditation Body of Serbia, CWP, the Public Notary Chamber of Serbia, and NITES. Health services were provided by Medigroup, and luxurious transportation by Starimport with exclusive Mercedes Benz vehicles. The wine of the evening was supplied by the Faculty of Agriculture, Novi Sad.
The Best Tastes of Serbia were provided by municipalities and cities from across the country: Bela Palanka, Kragujevac, Mionica, Paraćin, Pirot, Požarevac, Smederevska Palanka, Šabac, Šid, Vrnjačka Banja, and Zrenjanin.
Photo: NALED