The 9th Board Meeting of the Institute for Business and Management Heidelberg – Skopje, took place on January 25, 2022. On the invitation by the President of the Dean’s Board Prof. Dr. Ulrich Zeitel, the members of the board Prof. Dr. Ronald Gleich (Frankfurt), Prof. Dr. Sinisha Naumoski (Skopje), Prof. Dr. Mike Schulze (Mainz) and Dr. Brigitte Spielmann (Plankstadt) gathered on Zoom to discuss a couple of important topics, analyzing the current situation in Germany and N. Macedonia, that will help develop targets and specific plans for the new year.
The President of the Dean’s Board opened the meeting with heartfelt condolences to the family and loved ones of the victim of the fatal shooting which happened at the Heidelberg University in Germany on Monday, with a wish for a fast recovery for the injured.
Prof. Dr. Zeitel opened the agenda with an analysis of the current economic situation in Germany, followed by a review on N. Macedonia by Prof. Dr. Naumoski. The focus was on N. Macedonia’s current political, economic and COVID-19 situation, with the conclusion of a positive comeback, stable conditions and an optimistic view of the future steps and growth of IBMHS. The key indicators are the efforts of the new government, aimed at clearing a path to the N. Macedonian membership of the European Union. COVID-19 related news, stated an increase in COVID-19 positive cases in the country, with positive predictions by epidemiologists – Omicron changing the shape of the pandemic, stating that this is the last “high wave” of cases, which will develop collective immunity and a safe transfer from an epidemic to an endemic. Regarding vaccination, N. Macedonia has administered at least 1,755,026 doses of COVID vaccines so far.
On the note of economical results, N. Macedonia has made great strides in reforming its economy over the past decade. For N. Macedonia, this translates into a growth projection of 4.6 percent for 2021, much higher than the forecast in spring. On the other hand, the Government is taking a route for faster transformation of the Macedonian startup ecosystem, with an amendment to the labour law that makes Sunday a non-working day, as well as developing a brand new visa program aimed at attracting global digital nomads and more.
The General Board highlighted that the improved economic outlook has reduced the probability of severe scenarios and the risk of the COVID‑19 crisis spilling over to the financial system. This was followed by a forecast of the balance of the IBMHS in 2021, with targets and planning for 2022, with a focus on the collaboration with Duale Hochschule.
At the end of the meeting, a new member in the Heidelberg business family was presented – MSc. C. Teodora Boshkova, who is now head of Marketing and Public Relations at the Heidelberg Institute of Skopje and the Alumni Coordinator for IBMHS and ABIT. Teodora presented a strong marketing strategy, showing her excitement and enthusiasm for the vision of education being a bridge to success.
