The President of the Economic Chamber of North Macedonia, Branko Azeski, in his new role as Chair of the Board of Directors of the "Progressive Academy," participated in the First Progressive Leadership Conference on the topic "Access to Finance for Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises," held on 15 May 2025, in Vinica, at the Vincinni Development Center of Makprogres DOO Vinica.

“We want to shift from general to individual questions and needs for each company and help them together to create competitive products, as demonstrated by our hosts. At Makprogres, they have a clear vision, which they have proven over the past ten years, and in the next phase, our strategic priority is to turn toward human resources and create a workforce tailored to the needs of business. To that end, I will contribute my many years of experience, contacts, and knowledge in this field to elevate this Academy to a higher level—and we are starting immediately,” emphasized President Azeski.

The General Director of Makprogres Vinica, Gligor Cvetanov, stated in his address that investments by Makprogres and other local companies in the region, combined with the improved road infrastructure and the activities of the Progressive Academy aimed at improving skills according to business needs, have given a new impulse to the development of the eastern region.

“We are honored to strengthen our cooperation with the Economic Chamber, and to welcome its president as the new chair of the Board of Directors of our Progressive Academy,” Cvetanov said.

The Progressive Leadership Conference featured three panels that presented financial instruments to support small and medium-sized enterprises, donor instruments for business financing, and non-financial support offered by various associations, agencies, and chambers of commerce. This conference, attended by a large number of entrepreneurs and businesspeople, aimed to prepare business leaders from the region—and beyond—to meet new business challenges, facilitate networking, and promote the exchange of knowledge and experiences in the field.

The Progressive Academy is an innovative training center whose vision is to develop skills through high-quality educational programs, enhance technical knowledge, offer accelerator programs and R&D activities that foster regional growth and business development. Supported by the Economic Chamber of North Macedonia, the goal is for this educational center to become a recognized business school outside of Skopje, offering quality content for strengthening managerial knowledge for middle and senior management, as well as upgrading the skills of technical staff in line with business needs.