Serbian Association of Managers Celebrates 20 Years of Leadership, Trust and Responsibility

The Serbian Association of Managers (SAM) is celebrating its 20th anniversary with a special edition reflecting on two decades of leadership, professional development and the changing role of managers in society.

Founded in 2006, SAM has grown from a small group of around 40 managers into a community of more than 500 business leaders, representing companies whose teams employ more than 70,000 people.

Throughout its development, the association has remained focused on professional excellence, integrity, responsible leadership, knowledge-sharing and strengthening the wider business community.

Interviews with SAM’s former presidents underline that the organisation’s greatest achievement is its ability to build trust between people.

Across successive leadership periods, SAM developed its Managers Forum, annual awards, mentoring programme, SAM Academy and regional cooperation initiatives.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, the association also played an active role in bringing together the business community, supporting solidarity and helping managers respond to unprecedented challenges.

The association’s evolution also strengthened its institutional foundations.

Under Stanka Pejanović’s presidency, SAM introduced term limits, strengthened its ethical framework and became a full member of CEC European Managers, subsequently hosting the CEC General Assembly in Belgrade in 2018.

This marked an important step in connecting Serbian managers with the wider European managerial community.

Leadership is becoming more human

The anniversary edition asks what it means to be a good leader in an environment shaped by geopolitical uncertainty, technological disruption and changing expectations among employees and society.

SAM President Dragomir Kostić identifies three essential qualities: the ability to learn, responsibility and integrity.

Leadership, he argues, can no longer be reduced to fast decision-making or financial performance.

Managers are increasingly expected to consider employees, communities, younger generations and the long-term consequences of business decisions.

This is consistent with a broader European leadership debate. CEC European Managers likewise emphasises leadership based on trust, competence, participation and responsibility, particularly as managers navigate digitalisation, AI and changing working environments.

AI will change management and make leadership more important

One of the central themes of the SAM edition is the impact of Artificial Intelligence.

AI is expected to transform the managerial role itself by taking over an increasing share of analytical, operational and information-processing activities.

The timely debate coming from Serbia matches the EU Commission’s initiative, led by CEC European Managers, called AI Manage, which aims, in collaboration with other employer organizations, to produce clear guidelines on how AI should be implemented in the workplace.

 

The distinctly human dimensions of leadership, judgment, empathy, purpose, trust, ethical responsibility and the ability to inspire people therefore become increasingly important.

From hierarchy to collaboration and inclusion

The publication also looks at the evolution of leadership over the past two decades. Traditional top-down structures are giving way to more agile, collaborative and flexible approaches.

The COVID-19 pandemic accelerated this transformation, bringing hybrid work, employee wellbeing, psychological safety and trust into the centre of managerial practice.

Discussions on women in leadership reinforce the same shift.

Modern leadership is increasingly associated with collaboration, emotional intelligence, authenticity, listening and the ability to create space for others to contribute. The old organisational “pyramid” is increasingly being replaced by models based on partnership and shared purpose.

This also connects with CEC European Managers’ work on gender equality and diversity, which stresses that inclusive leadership is a question of representation and a driver of innovation, competitiveness and better decision-making.

In that sense, you can get back to our talk with Jelena Bulatovic, Executive Director of the Serbian Association of Managers (SAM) and Board Member at “3 bank”.

Developing people for the future

Another recurring theme throughout the anniversary edition is the importance of developing the next generation.

SAM’s mentoring programme, Academy and newer initiatives aimed at students and young people illustrate the association’s ambition to connect experienced managers with emerging talent.

The current leadership identifies people development, stronger links between business and education, and the development of managerial competences as priorities for the coming years.

The edition also explores generational transition through the experience of a family business, showing that successful succession depends not only on transferring ownership but on gradually transferring responsibility, building trust and allowing the next generation to develop its own leadership identity.

Serbian leadership: A European perspective

The 20th anniversary publication ultimately presents SAM as more than a professional networking organisation and dives into its ambition to act as a platform where managers exchange practical experience, strengthen professional standards and contribute to wider economic and social development.

In this sense, SAM’s anniversary is also a reflection on the future of management and Serbia in the common European project. A future in which technology may increasingly manage systems, but people will remain essential to leading people.