Global Trade & Growth Forum 2026 — SwissCham North Macedonia

Connecting Swiss excellence with Macedonian opportunity.

SwissCham North Macedonia is launching the Global Trade & Growth Forum, a flagship regional platform connecting business leaders, policymakers, investors and exporters to drive trade, investment, innovation and regional connectivity, inspired by Swiss values of excellence, sustainability, reliability and long-term partnerships.

200+

Participants
3

Keynote Speakers
10+

High Level
Speakers
VIP

Networking
cocktails

09:00 – 09:30

Registration & Welcome Coffee
09:30 – 09:35

Official Opening

Moderator: Ana Zafirova

Experienced journalist and presenter
09:35 – 09:50

Opening Remarks

Speaker: Sanja Radovanovic

Vice President of SwissCham MK & Managing Director MSC

Speaker: Sonja Stefanovska

President of SwissCham MK & Plant Manager at Baumer DOOEL Skopje

Speaker: Christoph Sommer

Ambassador of Switzerland to North Macedonia
09:50 – 10:30

Keynote presentation: Connecting North Macedonia to the World: Trade, Logistics, and Economic Growth

Speaker: Fabrizio Farinelli

Regional Agencies Director at MSC Geneva
10:30 – 11:10

Fireside chat: „Infrastructure for Growth“

Moderator: Ana Zafirova

Experienced journalist and presenter

Speaker: Government representative
11:10 - 11:30

Coffee Break
11:30 - 12:20

Flagship Panel: „Strategic Trade Corridors & the Future of Logistics“

Moderator: Ana Zafirova

Experienced journalist and presenter

Panelist: Stevica Carapic

Regional Managing Director for Serbia, Montenegro and North Macedonia at MSC Mediterranean Shipping Company

Panelist: Marija Dukovska - Pavlovska

General Manager and Board Member at Makstil

Panelist: Biljana Deskoska

Country Manager at Alliance One Macedonia

Panelist: Misho Veselinski

Chairman of the Board of Directors at Fimar Balkan AD
12:20 – 12:40

Keynote presentation: Competing in European Food Markets: Practical Lessons on Connecting Food Suppliers with European Buyers

Speaker: Jonas Spahn

Managing Director at Global Food Affairs, Switzerland
12:40 - 14:00

Networking Lunch
14:00 - 14:50

Strategic Panel: „Export Competitiveness: From Local to Global“

Moderator: Goran Damovski

Team Leader of Swiss funded IME Program in North Macedonia

Panelist: Christophe Gaither

British entrepreneur and co-founder of Quendoo

Panelist: Ljupco Veleski

Director of International Sales at Vitaminka

Panelist: Nejat Kurt

General Manager at TAV Macedonia
14:50 – 15:30

Keynote presentation powered by PWorld: „How to Build a Brand in a Digital World“

Speaker: Lars Silberbauer

Global Brand & Transformation Leader (LEGO, Olympics, Paramount, Goldman Sachs)
15:30 - 15:35

Closing Remarks & Next Steps

Speaker: SwissCham
15:35 – 16:30

VIP Networking Cocktail