“CLIMBING THE LADDER OF SUCCESS” WITH ANITA NIKOVA-BUNDOVSKI: LISTEN TO THE MENTORS, THEIR ADVICE IS WORTH GOLD

Internships are essential. Look for a mentor, listen to more experienced colleagues, absorb everything like a sponge. Be honest and fair players in teams and with colleagues, have a clear goal and ambition. Read a lot of books, play sports, find happiness in the little things that are not bought with money, says Anita Nikova-Bundovski, CEO of MASIT – Chamber of Commerce for Information and Communication Technologies (ICT). She has been in this position for eight years. She says that it’s a privilege to work in the ICT sector. This is her story on the ladder of success.

She was born in Skopje, in a family where both parents were strongly involved in technical sciences, very dedicated to their careers and often away from home. Her father, a mechanical engineer, and her mother, an architect, had a common desire –  their daughter not to graduate from technical sciences, but to go to one of the social faculties.

– My father was a visionary man, always ahead of his time, a true leader who knew 10 years in advance how to plan things.

Under his guidance and vision, I graduated from Nova High School. There I gained the skills that every young person should have when they finish high school – knowledge of foreign languages, public speaking, descriptive writing and general guidance for the academic life that follows – explains Nikova-Bundovski.

“I’ve been to more than 40 interviews”

As early as the third year of high school, she was tested for enrollment at the University of Sheffield in Thessaloniki. Until the last moment, she was thinking whether to enroll in the economics department or in psychology. Her father assured her that the Faculty of Economics would open the doors to all industries.

– Knowing my indomitable temperament, he knew that I needed a dynamic job filled with challenges. And that’s exactly how it turned out.

After graduating from college, 15 days after the last exam, in the middle of summer, when I was less than 21, I started an internship in a USAID project. It lasted 6 months and led me to acquaintances, colleagues and friendships for a lifetime. At a time when no one in our business community has yet used the term clusters, through the USAID project I was already involved in helping to form six different cluster associations, one of which was MASIT. At that time, I was still not even aware of what would happen next … – she says.

With the completion of the project, her internship was completed. She immediately started looking for a job. She was convinced that she would be able to manage that task on her own, without using her family connections. At the time, all job postings were published in daily newspapers. Her father was given a task – to cut all newspaper ads, and thus she began applying non-stop.

– I remember keeping the ads in an empty shoebox, to keep track where I had already applied. I have been to more than 40 interviews. Persistence is my strong point, which I have definitely inherited from my mother. She is the backbone of our family, the woman who has proved to me that anything is possible, so I was literally guided by the example I saw in front me – says Nikova-Bundovski.

Early days at MASIT

She received an offer from two places – MASIT and a textile company that sewed for the famous American brand ” Liz Claiborne”. She consulted with her father, who was a postman in the IT sector and had worked for IBM for more than 27 years. The decision fell on MASIT.

– I will never forget the disorientation in the first few weeks. MASIT’s bodies were innumerable: The Assembly, the Board of Directors, committees, working groups, three presidents, five chairmen and a number of names of various institutions and companies in the ICT sector. And when I thought I would never get out of that whirlpool, the MASIT Election Assembly took place, where a new chairman of the Board of Directors was elected. The colleague who trained me for the first two weeks went to the maternity ward, and I, at the age of 21.5, was left alone in the executive office – Anita remembers.

Under the strict and disciplined leadership of the president at that time, she began to study thoroughly all the processes in the association. The president-mentor dedicated his work to writing – writing letters to public institutions, scheduling and holding meetings, making minutes, keeping neutral sides when it comes to political issues, meeting donors and finding ways to build successful projects, building acquaintances and relationships with regional and world partners.

It was not easy. She also worked on Saturdays and Sundays, devoting herself to learning, listening, and analyzing things. She jokes:

– I realized more and more that I don’t know anything. From the current perspective, I am very grateful because my happiness smiled for the second time. In addition to my father, I had the honor to have as my mentor as a visionary, who’ll hand over to me a bunch of ways of mentoring and managing that I still practice in MASIT.

After three years of working at MASIT, she has already felt that she is finally felt that she was holding the strings in her hands and that it is time to dedicate herself to the academic upgrade. That year at Sheffield opened a direction perfect for her. She was already well-versed in the potential of the ICT industry and wanted to upgrade with the knowledge that would help her in her future career. She wanted to understand the current technologies in the ICT sector, to delve deeper into entrepreneurship and to learn how to foster innovation in her environment. Thus, for a whole year, she spent the last weekend of each month in Thessaloniki studying part-time for a master’s degree. She met colleagues with whom she developed many interesting and innovative projects, with whom she still collaborates and socializes.

– Socializing with the true friends is my elixir for a longer and happier life. I believe in people, I build long-term relationships and friendships, I invest a lot in them and I think that everything is worth doing for a true friend. Two of my best friends today I know from the first grade. In everyday life, some of the colleagues I work with are my longtime friends, relationships built on sincere cooperation, trust and similar mutual energy. Social life for me is soul food – says Anita.

It is a privilege to work in the ICT sector

They grew up with MASIT, affirming each other. She says that with the strength and importance of the team, they have reached place where they are today. A man never succeeds alone, there are always allies and supporters around him who believe in his ways of reaching the goal, how to succeed.

– This is my team in MASIT, to which I am infinitely grateful and for whom I would do a lot. For a long time, the dilemma of the members of several terms of the Board of Directors time was whether the executive director who will be appointed head of the organization should be elected from outside or raised inside. At that time, the existing associations were but a few, so the selection of potential candidates with appropriate experience was not very large. On the other hand, I tried my best to contribute, learn and mature. Year after year, I filled all the positions of MASIT, I learned from the best, and in 2012 the Board of Directors decided to grant me their trust and appoint me as the Executive Director of MASIT – says Nikova-Bundovski.

After that year, she started a family, which currently has 4 members. She says all the achievements are due to the key support of her life partner, who has never stopped believing in what she believes in.

Anita says it is a privilege to work in the ICT sector. To be part of a chamber work and organization like MASIT, which stands at the top of the pyramid and works with the public and non-governmental sectors, academia and donors, is a luxury.

– Cooperating with people from different academic structures, discussing with rectors, and deans, on the one hand, and ministers and presidents of governments and states, on the other hand, is really rare. And the cherry on the top, is being part of the private sector, and fighting on their behalf, is the greatest achievement for me, because without them, none of the other structures would make sense. And the victories gained in the most difficult battles are always the sweetest – Nikova-Bundovski is decisive.

For the past 15 years, she has worked with eight presidents and seven different MASIT boards. She says this experience is the informal doctorate in management that she is yet to graduate.

The rise in this industry is yet to come

Asked where she sees the potential in this market and the chances for young staff, she said that our country as a country in a previous transition, and current development, faces many challenges at the same time.

– The right direction in terms of education is key for young people. It is important for parents to give their children help and support in choosing their career path. The potential of the ICT industry has yet to rise. Young people see that and persistently enroll in technical faculties or retrain through the programs of non-formal academies – says Nikova-Bundovski.

Given that ICT technologies are the basis on which all other industries will develop, the need for ICT staff, both in our own country and worldwide, is yet to grow.

Developing software tools will become a key requirement, similar to English language proficiency, the possibilities will be endless, and ICT staff will no longer work only in the ICT sector, but in all other sectors.

– I appeal to as many young people as possible to enroll in technical faculties or to follow courses and academies for retraining. For them, the possibilities will be innumerable. Macedonia is a small country that needs to be contest by building highly educated staff and intellectual skills. Let’s follow the example of small and successful countries, such as Estonia and Ireland, which with several strategic moves have raised their economies to an independent and stable level. Currently in our country operate world-renowned companies, the positions and salaries offered by our companies are at the level of European, and the cost of living is many times lower. I believe that this will become a key factor for young people to leave the country less and less, along with the stabilization of the health, educational and environmental systems. But in order for them to improve, we need to stay here and to contribute. Each one of us is important! – Nikova-Bundovski is decisive.

She is pleased with her achievements and is proud to have achieved it in the professional, academic and family fields. She believes that every age has a special peak of achievement and each person has his own rhythm to reach that peak.

– I have many more peaks to achieve, but all in due time. At this stage in life, I enjoy the growth of my sons, long walks in nature with family and friends.

I read a lot of books, practice and dedicate time to myself, to spiritual growth and relaxation. I support various initiatives related to recycling, healthier living and the protection and inclusion of people with disabilities. I would not replace the current satisfaction with all these activities with any admired job position in the world – says Anita.

She tells all young people and students: internships are “a must.” Look for a mentor, listen to more experienced colleagues at the beginning of your career, and absorb what they say as a sponge. Don’t try to look smart, but be honest and fair players in teams and with colleagues, have a clear goal and ambition, read a lot of books, play sports, find happiness in the little things that are not bought with money, find an outlet and after every stress try to relax.

– Respect your parents endlessly, strive to build a family with partners you know you can count on. Travel, be brave, realistic, brutal, idealistic, and utopian if needed. And never stop dreaming and believing in yourself. The world is yours, and we believe in you unreservedly! – says Nikova Bundovski.