Over 150 participants and 30 speakers from Albania and various countries around the world turned Tirana into a hub for discussions on diligent boards, the power of board diversity, and women’s leadership in executive boards—especially in key economic sectors such as artificial intelligence, tourism, energy, and healthcare.
The Women on Boards Albania Annual Conference opened with a plenary session featuring distinguished figures from international diplomacy, governance, and private enterprise leadership.
In her opening remarks, Albana Vrioni, Founder and Executive Director of WOB-AL, highlighted that “globally, women hold 30.1% of board seats in leading corporations. In Europe, despite EU directives requiring 40% female representation in corporate boards by 2026, progress has slowed. In Albania, only 6.2% of board seats in the country’s ten largest companies are held by women. In the banking sector, where we’ve seen significant progress, women’s representation reaches 44%. However, this remains an isolated success not yet mirrored across the wider business landscape. Beyond the limited inclusion of women in senior corporate structures, the lack of well-structured boards remains an urgent issue.”
Silvio Gonzato, Head of the EU Delegation to Albania, emphasized that “diligent boards are a key gateway to economic growth and a more civilized society. The first step to ensuring women’s voices are heard is to make sure they are represented across all levels of society. Establishing gender quotas in corporate governance is essential. To serve on a company’s board, women must be empowered and supported to grow.”
Meanwhile, Deputy Minister of Health Entela Ramosaçaj noted that strengthening governance boards is even more crucial now, as Albania approaches EU integration.
Edlira Muka, CEO of Balfin Group, underlined that “careful governance through skilled and visionary boards is the compass for Albania’s future growth. Every investment decision we make in new products relies on key governance principles. Governance enables strategy. To have a strong business strategy, we must first have strong governance. When we talk about governance, we talk about trust—it is a bridge toward future growth.”
In the second discussion panel, leaders of international organizations shared their vision and commitments to empowering governance structures and board leadership. Sonja Kurz, Director of GIZ Albania, spoke about creating a supportive ecosystem through GIZ programs, while Anette Juellund, CEO of European Women on Boards, stressed that “European countries, including Albania, must now move beyond the goal of fulfilling quotas and focus instead on measuring the impact of having more expert women serving on top executive boards.”
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