Bojana Božanić
Bojana Božanić is the Director of the Public Enterprise “Gold Gondola”, Chair of the Gender Equality Council of the Municipality of Čajetina, and Founder of the Women’s Entrepreneur Association “Zlata”.
As a woman born and raised in what was once one of the least developed municipalities in Serbia, Bojana proudly states that she now lives in the most famous and most visited tourist destination in the country and has the privilege of managing a public enterprise that holds the title of the longest panoramic gondola in the world.
Her life journey, in addition to her academic education obtained during her studies in Belgrade, is closely tied to the region from which she comes. As she says, she was fortunate to grow alongside her community for 19 years within the Čajetina municipal administration.
As the president of the local Gender Equality Council, she founded the Association “Zlata”, which has become an active participant in numerous progressive processes and projects on Zlatibor.
Her appointment as Director of the PE “Gold Gondola” Zlatibor is, for Bojana Božanić, not only the culmination of her dedication and belief in a project that has become a generator and incubator of local community development. For her, it is also a way to use the ecosystem being built around the Gondola to elevate the leadership and personal capacities of women and actively promote their involvement in decision-making and community development.
Zlatibor is recognized as a symbol of innovation and progress in tourism, and the “Gondola”, in addition to being the longest in the world, is a unique example of a public enterprise that continuously pushes the boundaries of cooperation with the local community, especially with women entrepreneurs. Preserving tradition, promoting women’s creativity, enhancing tourism and healthy lifestyles, as well as mutual support and collaboration among women, are the themes of the conference titled “A Leader with Soul”, launched under the patronage of the Gondola. This initiative has enabled the women of Zlatibor to learn from internationally recognized experts and leaders, and to proudly showcase their skills, heritage, and culture.
The “Zlata” Association has, for many years, been a place where the past and future meet — where tradition and innovation are intertwined through the golden hands of women — guardians of Zlatibor’s cultural heritage, skills, and authentic products.
Although originally established to improve the position of rural women, the Association has grown into a hub of competent, empowered, and digitally literate entrepreneurs, managers, and leaders — women who grow together with the community and who play a key role in cultural diplomacy and the representation of the Zlatibor region.
