Biljana Braithwaite is the CEO and Founding Partner at Sustineri Partners, an ESG consultancy company that provides strategic advice to businesses and organizations on incorporating sustainability standards into their decisions, practices, and partnerships. Sustineri Partners is the founder and organizer of the ESG Adria Summit (formerly called Western Balkans ESG Summit), an annual regional event dedicated to sustainable development and dialogue on the greater responsibility of the business sector in relation to environmental, social, and governance standards (ESG) in practice. ESG Adria Summit, as one of Sustineri Partner’s key projects, aims to drive sustainable development in the Western Balkans and Adria region.
Through her initiatives and work at Sustineri Partners, Ms. Braithwaite promotes gender diversity in corporate leadership and empowers countries, institutions, companies, and organizations to prioritize sustainability in their operations.
Ms. Braithwaite is also a founder of Women on Boards Adria (WOBA), a regional umbrella association dedicated to promoting gender equality in the Adria region. WOBA operates as a non-profit organization and is inspired by the EU Directive that requires listed companies in the EU to have 40 percent of non-director positions filled by women by 2026. The WOBA initiative is a joint effort of Sustineri Partners and partners of the ESG Adria Summit, who believe that gender diversity on boards leads to better decision-making and improved business performance. Biljana Braithwaite is also the Western Balkans Programme Director at The AIRE Centre. She has over twenty years of experience advising governments, businesses and international organizations on social justice and human rights issues in the region. Her expertise includes human rights law, anti-corruption, good governance, and other key social policies. Biljana possesses deep knowledge of the region, extensive networks, and practical experience in implementing reforms. A lawyer by training with degrees from Belgrade University and Lund University’s Raoul Wallenberg Institute, Biljana began her career at the Belgrade Centre for Human Rights and has been associated with the AIRE Centre since 1998. She serves as a board member for the AIRE Centre USA and the International Bridges to Justice.