Ahead of the third ESG Adria Summit, taking place from April 9 to 11 in Porto Montenegro, Biljana Braithwaite, Director of Sustineri Partners and founder of the Summit, shares key messages of this year’s program, announces high-profile international guests and highlights the importance of sustainable development for the region.
She emphasizes the significance of hosting future-focused discussions in Montenegro, adding that the country has both the capacity to host important talks and propose new solutions. According to Braithwaite, this is the moment for the region to demonstrate strength, responsibility, and a shared vision.
The most important aspect they wanted to preserve from previous years is openness. The Summit is not a closed-door event, but a space for honest exchange, including questions that still don’t have answers. With the support of the Government, the President of Montenegro, Porto Montenegro, and trusted partners such as Universal Capital Bank and MTEL, along with local municipalities, international organizations, media, and the wider community, the Summit has become a platform that belongs to the entire region. That brings responsibility, but also proves there is room for serious, constructive, and inclusive dialogue.
This year’s guests are not coming just to speak, but to listen, exchange experiences, and provoke new thinking. Katrín Jakobsdóttir, former Prime Minister of Iceland, will talk about leadership challenges in times of crisis. The Governor of the Central Bank of Turkey, Fatih Karahan, will share insights on balancing fiscal stability with green transition. Ian Goldin, professor at Oxford, will connect global threats with local policies. Other notable guests include Atifete Jahjaga, Benedikt Franke from the Munich Security Conference, and Cherie Blair, who will speak about investment and legal certainty. All of them bring deep knowledge and an openness to learn from the region as well.
This year also marks the launch of a new initiative aimed at developing the regional startup ecosystem, in partnership with Plug and Play Tech Center, Western Balkans Startup Alliance, and Cambridge Enterprise. The initiative aims to support existing companies looking to grow, connect innovators with investors, and enable the movement of knowledge and capital across the region. There are plenty of ideas, but no strong system to support and retain them. Young people often leave not because they want to, but because they don’t see a path forward. This initiative seeks to make that path more visible, tangible, and accessible.
The Summit’s success will not be measured in numbers, but in impact. If one conversation leads to a real project, or one good idea finds support, that’s success. The goal is to create a space where ideas connect and partnerships form. This year, discussions will go beyond sustainability to include health, digital transition, education, the role of cities, security, and the future of work. It’s about transforming the development model, not just adapting the existing one.
Crucially, Braithwaite says it matters that these conversations are happening in Montenegro. The country may not always be on the map in global economic or political trends, but that doesn’t mean it can’t shape them. The region understands challenges—now is the time to show it also understands responsibility, resilience, and shared vision. What truly matters today is the courage to open conversations that have too long been left to others. That is exactly what they’re trying to do in Tivat.
