The topics that will be covered are:
Women in Leadership
Work-Life Balance
Overcoming Challenges
Sustainability and Corporate Social Responsibility

Meet the speakers:

Julija Gruden is a civil engineer from Slovenia with nearly a decade of work experience in the UAE. She worked as construction manager and project manager in projects such as Dubai Islands, Wasl towers, VIP bridge and parking for Sharjah Airport. Later she also specialized in passive fire protection solutions and testing and inspecting construction materials. From 2019 she worked as sector coordinator of the mobility zone at Expo 2020. Since the construction of the pavilions has been completed, she is looking after Urbanscape Green Solutions in the Middle East as a Senior technical sales and specification manager. Her main focus is on landscaping, green roofs and green walls.


Sasha Mrak Hendrickson, MBA is a professional with over 15 years of proven marketing, media, and business development expertise. After establishing her career in Slovenia, she moved to Washington DC, USA 4 years ago. She holds a bachelor’s degree in marketing and completed an Executive MBA program. Her career has spanned diverse industries including government contracting, real estate, non-profit, and publishing. She also has experience as an editor for specialised magazines focusing on leadership and people management. 

Currently, she serves as Director of Business Development at Buckingham Mortgage, one of the leaders in the mortgage industry in the US. She also initiated the inauguration of the American Slovenian Club in Washington, DC. 

Sasha was honoured as an Ambassador of Diversity for the Slovenian Chapter of an EU Diversity Project and received the Woman of Excellence award from the Women's Economic Forum in 2020. Prior to moving to the United States, she led one of the most influential non-profits for economic and leadership development in Slovenia.

The online event will take place on May 23, 2024, on the ZOOM Platform at 6 p.m. CEST / 12 p.m. EST / 1 p.m. BRT. The event is free but the prior registrations is mandatory. Please register HERE.