Listening to President Barack Obama and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton at a White House event in Washington, D.C. is a rare opportunity that business executives worldwide would welcome.  For two Albanian businesswomen - - Donika Mici and Elsa Balteza - - attending President Obama’s first ever Summit on Entrepreneurship was a unique and memorable experience.  They shared their experiences and thoughts about the Summit with committee members at a breakfast meeting last week.

The June WoBAC working breakfast was hosted by Mrs. Mici, CEO of Donianna, who is an active member of AmCham's Women of Business Active Committee. Ms. Mici and Mrs. Balteza shared their experiences about the Summit as they met with not only U.S officials and dignitaries but with men and women around the world that were leading entrepreneurs.  The Summit, held at the White House from April 26 to 27, was attended by 700 entrepreneurs worldwide who represented 170 countries, from Brazil to Switzerland and Turkey to China. With participants bringing unique perspectives from various sectors and professions, the summit aimed to emphasize the importance of entrepreneurship. 

Speaking about the meetings she attended at the White House, Ms. Mici discussed with members about the necessity of networking and pooling resources and talents to move initiatives forward.  She said she was also impressed with the caliber of women who were her counterparts from other countries.  Above all, Ms. Mici discussed the impact that President Obama's and Secretary Clinton's remarks had on the assembly.  Ms. Mici stated, "It was a meeting that has left a mark on my 20-year career in business. I was deeply impressed by their friendship and hospitality and the great interest they showed in learning about everything and their willingness to help."   She also explained an idea launched by President Obama, which became reality with the creation of the Global Technology and Innovation Fund that will provide 25 to 150 million dollars for selected projects.  At the summit, President Obama said,  "This is private capital, and it will offer new opportunities for people throughout these countries in telecommunications, healthcare, education and infrastructure,"

Invited by the AmCham WoBAC Committee, U.S. Embassy Deputy Chief of Mission Deborah Jones praised the committee’s efforts to promote the professional development of Albanian businesswomen.  Ms. Jones stated, "I'm always interested to come to your meetings, but even more so today, when the two women who went to the White House bring back their insights and experiences."  She underscored the President’s commitment to supporting entrepreneurial communities around the world and emphasized that information sharing and exchanges are at the heart of helping these communities growing.  As President Obama recognized in his June 2009 address in Cairo, education and innovation will be at the forefront of progress into the 21^st century, and the conference was born out of his desire to deepen ties between entrepreneurs, business leaders and foundations in the United States.  The U.S. Embassy had nominated Mrs. Mici and Mrs. Balteza to attend the White House Summit.  

 During the AmCham Women of Business Active Committee meeting members also discussed the benefits of global and regional cooperation. AmCham Executive Director Floreta Luli-Faber said cooperation with other American Chambers of Commerce in the region shows that the Albanian market’s value goes up when it is part of a regional market that is increasingly powerful. AmCham Albania, as an important part of the network of other AmChams in the region, applies working practices that develop the right type of dialogue and communication with members, investors and the government. And this is reflected in the meetings AmCham has organized during the past 10 years.  Ms. Pogorzelski, Economic & Commercial Officer at the U.S. Embassy, shared some of the follow-on programming from the Embassy, the White House and the Department of State in connection with the Entrepreneurial Summit.

Three Women, Two Countries, United in Purpose

The region was well represented at the Presidential Summit on Entrepreneurship in Washington by two female business executives from Albania and one from Kosovo.  From Albania, they brought to the White House, before the country’s highest officials, the experience of religious tolerance that characterizes Albanian society.  Mrs. Balteza, one of the invitees, expressed how proud she was that the representatives from Albania were able to present with dignity the religious tolerance that characterizes Albanians and how well they were received by the White House.  The presence of three Albanian women from two different countries brought to the event a clear message of peace and social harmony that exists between different religious groups among Albanians, and between ethnic Albanians from different nations and backgrounds.

 This has been one of the messages that the women entrepreneurs gave the conference attended by 170 representatives of countries with Muslim majority or significant Muslim communities.  President Obama said in his speech at the summit, “The new beginning we seek is not only possible, it has already begun.  It exists within each of you, and millions around the world who believe, like we do, that the future belongs not to those who would divide us, but to those who come together; not to those who would destroy, but those who would build; not those trapped in the past, but those who, like us, believe with confidence and conviction in a future of justice and progress and the dignity of all human beings regardless of their race, regardless of their religion.”