The Western Balkans Cyber Capacity Center (WB3C) is proud to announce its collaboration with the World Economic Forum (WEF) to host the region’s first Cyber Capacity Building Workshop on 19-20 May 2025 in Podgorica. This high-level gathering will convene global experts and regional stakeholders to strengthen the Western Balkans’ cybersecurity resilience through two critical streams: addressing the cyber talent shortage and enhancing collaborative strategies against cybercrime.  

A Convergence of Global and Regional Expertise 

The workshop will feature contributions from an exceptional roster of international and regional leaders, including:  

Opening remarks: Mr Gilles Schwoerer, WB3C Programme Director

Keynote Speaker: Mr Marash Dukaj, Minister of Public Administration of Montenegro  

Opening panel: Cybersecurity in the Western Balkans: Bridging global practices with local needs

Dušan Polović, General Director at the Directorate for Infrastructure, Information Security, Digitalization and E-services at the Ministry of Public Administration (Montenegro)

Rob Rashotte, Vice-President, Global Training and Technical Field Enablement, Fortinet (Canada)

Jelena Zelenovic Matone, Chief Information Security Officer, European Investment Bank (Luxembourg)

Samuel Hassine, Chief Executive Officer, Filigran (France)

Ivan Bošković, President of e-Commerce Association of Montenegro

Moderator: Nataša Perućica, Lead for Capacity Building, Centre for Cybersecurity, World Economic Forum         

Stream 1: Addressing the Cyber Talent Shortage

- Nataša Perućica, Lead for Capacity Building, Centre for Cybersecurity, World Economic Forum         

- Dana Berman, Manager, Strategic Business Development & Marketing - Cybersecurity Services, Check Point Software Technologies (Israel)  

- Denise Cassidy, EMEA Security HR Lead, Accenture (Ireland)  

- Giuseppe Cinque, Principal Architect, Cisco Digital Impact Office, Cisco Systems (Italy)  

- Reza Elgalai, Université Technologique de Troyes (France)  

- Rob Rashotte, Vice-President, Global Training and Technical Field Enablement, Fortinet (Canada)  

- Abdullah Albaiz, General Manager for Human Capital Development, National Cybersecurity Authority of Saudi Arabia  

- Grace Boyling, Senior Policy Advisor on International Cyber Skills, UK Department for Science, Innovation and Technology  

- Mark Mannheim, Programme Manager, Cybersecurity and Digital Identity Directorate, UK Department for Science, Innovation and Technology  

- Jakub Olszewski, Head of Skills Academies, Standard Chartered Bank (United Kingdom)  

Stream 2: Collaborative Strategies Against Cybercrime

- Sean Doyle, Cybercrime Atlas Initiative, World Economic Forum Centre for Cybersecurity 

- Alex Wloch, Senior Analyst, Active Threat Monitoring, Standard Chartered Bank (United Kingdom)  

- Céline Louyat, Inspector, Public Finance, AGRASC (France)  

- Livia Tirbina, Cyber Threat Intelligence Analyst, Sekoia.io (France)

- James Gill, Global Head, Cyber Threat Response, Banco Santander (Spain)  

- Jakub Olszewski, Head of Skills Academies, Standard Chartered Bank (United Kingdom)  

- Jelena Zelenovic Matone, Chief Information Security Officer, European Investment Bank (Luxembourg)  

- Paul-Alexandre Gillot, J-CAT Coordinator, Europol EC3 (France)  

- Samuel Hassine, CEO, Filigran (France)  

Why This Workshop Matters

Recent data reveals alarming trends in the Western Balkans:  

- A 40% increase in cyber incidents since 2023  

- A 200% surge in ransomware attacks between 2022-2024  

- A critical shortage of skilled cybersecurity professionals  

This workshop will tackle these challenges head-on by:  

- Developing actionable strategies to attract, train, and retain cybersecurity talent in the region  

- Strengthening operational collaboration between law enforcement, governments, and private sector leaders  

- Aligning regional efforts with global frameworks like WEF’s Strategic Cybersecurity Talent Framework and Cybercrime Disruption Framework

Join the Conversation  

While attendance is by invitation only, organizations interested in contributing to the Western Balkans’ cybersecurity resilience efforts are encouraged to contact us for more information on info@wb3c.org.  

Over the past two weeks, law enforcement professionals from across the Western Balkans have continued their journey in mastering digital forensic techniques as part of the one-year university-level course delivered by the University of Technology of Troyes (UTT).

This programme, acredited by the French Ministry of Higher Education, tailored for criminal investigators, focuses on equipping participants with practical and theoretical tools for conducting effective digital investigations. Final exams are scheduled for November, and we are pleased to see strong progress and engagement from all students.

We thank our partners from XRATOR – a trusted French cybersecurity firm specializing in advanced security audits and continuous threat exposure management – for their support in delivering critical expertise to the programme.

The next 2-week session scheduled in June will continue building capabilities that directly strengthen the region’s fight against cybercrime.
 

 Our Senior Project Manager, Vanja Madzgalj MBE, had the honour of speaking at a distinguished panel organised by Europe House, WeBalkans, and Women4Cyber Montenegro, in celebration of International hashtag#GirlsinICTDay 2025.  The panel brought together some of Montenegro’s most prominent women leaders in tech: 
· Valentina Radulović, Director of the Science and Technology Park
· Jasna Pejovic Pejović, Founder of hashtag#Flourish, recognized as one of top 15 EdTech solutions in US.
· Ana Nives Radovic, leading figure in fintech and blockchain, and a game developer with a remarkable academic and artistic background
· Andreja Mihailovic, PhD, Doctor of Law and President of Women4Cyber Montenegro, a tireless advocate of gender equality and promoter of women in ICT.

As someone who transitioned into the tech and cybersecurity field after a long-standing career in education, creative industries and international cooperation, Vanja Madzgalj MBE spoke about how strategic leadership, community building experience and lifelong micro-learning supported her shift into a new sector.

At the Western Balkans Cyber Capacity Centre (WB3C), she now leads on strategic communications and brand development, helping to position the Centre as a regional driver of cyber resilience and EU integration efforts in the Western Balkans. 

In her message to young women she highlighted that:

·        The tech sector thrives on diverse talents — not only engineers, but also educators, policy experts, creatives and communicators.
·        Adaptability, creativity and life-long learning are essential to sustainable career growth.
·        Having a clear goal and professional direction empowers us to shape our paths with purpose, rather than leaving it to chance. 

At WB3C, we believe that diversity in the tech sector is not just an organisational imperative — it is a societal one. And yet, real change often begins with small, strategic steps: a decision to learn, to connect and to speak up. Because tech is not only about code. It is about people — people with vision, creativity and resilience.

WB3C proudly supports gender equality in cybersecurity — and we remain committed to creating space for more women to shape our digital future.