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Executive Member and Vice President of Management Board,
Banja Luka Brewery
When she was 16, Mirjana Jovanovich moved from Slovenia to Bosnia–just in time to live through that country's civil war, occupation by peacekeepers and reconstruction. The challenges facing her small nation remain enormous.
"Still," Mirjana says, "with challenges come opportunities." She and a group of friends, hoping to apply their various academic backgrounds toward addressing Bosnia's obstacles to progress, formed what she describes as the country's first "true, apolitical think tank." She also took on a professional challenge: helping lead the turnaround of a once successful brewing company.
Owen gave her the tools. Mirjana won one of five scholarships awarded to Bosnian students by the U.S. State Department. After researching her options and consulting with previous fellowship recipients, Owen emerged as "an easy choice." The school offered "one of the best business programs," she says, "and an amazing environment for international students.
"I came out with much more than I ever expected. For example, with financial modeling and valuation, I learned not just to read numbers but to understand their implications–which has helped me conquer some of the biggest challenges I've faced since Owen. It was like this with every class. Owen helped me pass from doing something to managing it."
Mirjana Jovanovic
Vanderbilt MBA 2004Executive Member and Vice President of Management Board,
Banja Luka Brewery
The Mirjana Plan
Bosnian Brewing Exec Gained Tools for RebuildingWhen she was 16, Mirjana Jovanovich moved from Slovenia to Bosnia–just in time to live through that country's civil war, occupation by peacekeepers and reconstruction. The challenges facing her small nation remain enormous.
"Still," Mirjana says, "with challenges come opportunities." She and a group of friends, hoping to apply their various academic backgrounds toward addressing Bosnia's obstacles to progress, formed what she describes as the country's first "true, apolitical think tank." She also took on a professional challenge: helping lead the turnaround of a once successful brewing company.
Owen gave her the tools. Mirjana won one of five scholarships awarded to Bosnian students by the U.S. State Department. After researching her options and consulting with previous fellowship recipients, Owen emerged as "an easy choice." The school offered "one of the best business programs," she says, "and an amazing environment for international students.
"I came out with much more than I ever expected. For example, with financial modeling and valuation, I learned not just to read numbers but to understand their implications–which has helped me conquer some of the biggest challenges I've faced since Owen. It was like this with every class. Owen helped me pass from doing something to managing it."
