Distinguished Guests Gathered at the PEXIM-BSCC Networking Dinner for the 6th Time; the Event Partnership with Microsoft Enters its 5th Year

The PEXIM Foundation celebrated the 6th anniversary of its flagship event, the PEXIM-BSCC dinner. The event, organised by the PEXIM Foundation in cooperation with the British-Serbian Chamber of Commerce, was once again held at the prestigious Trinity College, Cambridge.

The main goal of the event was to provide an opportunity for students from Serbia and Macedonia, currently studying at the University of Cambridge, to meet with distinguished people from the corporate and social sphere, as well as academia, and thus acquire valuable connections. The event was attended by Sir Paul Judge, Chairman of the British-Serbian Chamber of Commerce, Mr Marko Čadež, President of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Serbia, Helen Pennant, Director of Cambridge Trust and Simon Stockley, Deputy Director at Accelerate Cambridge, Teaching Fellow at Judge Business School.

Representatives of Microsoft, members of the British-Serbian Chamber of Commerce and Cambridge alumni were also in attendance, sharing their experiences with the talented Cambridge students.

The event was opened by Mr Mihail Petreski, President of the PEXIM Foundation, who expressed his gratitude to Sir Paul Judge, the founder of Cambridge Judge Business School and the Chairman of the British-Serbian Chamber of Commerce, for the time he devoted to mentoring and supporting the students at the University of Cambridge. Mr Petreski also thanked the former Director of Cambridge Trust, Michael O’Sullivan, and current Director, Hellen Pennant.

The first honorary speaker and a host of the event, Sir Paul Judge, welcomed the guests at the PEXIM-BSCC Dinner. In his speech, Sir Paul noted the importance of the work of the PEXIM Foundation in connecting Great Britain with Macedonia and Serbia. He then proceeded to emphasise the importance of education, pursuing one’s goals and being attentive to the great changes transpiring across the globe. 

The second honorary speaker, the President of the Serbian Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Mr Marko Čadež stressed the importance of the dual education system in Serbia, based on the needs of the economy. Mr Čadež stated that “it is not the most important for students to come back to their own country, because building bridges to Serbia from abroad is a greater advantage”. Mr Čadež also presented the Chamber’s activities with regards to creating a more fertile business environment for young people and strengthening their competencies to enter the labour market. He noted that the Chamber of Commerce had initiated a range of activities to provide technical, educational, and advisory support to students to find a job, or to start their own businesses.

The third speaker, Professor Simon Stockley, highlighted in his speech the opportunities provided for the students at the University of Cambridge, adding that Cambridge is home to numerous companies and start-ups that work with cutting-edge technologies in the fields of IT, physics, mathematics, bioinformatics and many other. 

The fourth speaker at the event, Helen Pennant, noted in her speech the importance of the work of the PEXIM Foundation in connecting the University of Cambridge with talented students from Macedonia and Serbia. She stressed that the support provided jointly by the Cambridge Trust and the PEXIM Foundation provides an opportunity for talented young students to pursue their life goals and focus on their studies. 

The guests from Microsoft Development Center Serbia, who came to the PEXIM-BSCC Dinner for a fifth year in a row, also shared their experiences:

 “We at Microsoft Development Center Serbia believe in empowering people to achieve more, which is exactly what the PEXIM Foundation is doing with their scholarship program for students from Serbia and Macedonia. This program is enabling top talents to further develop their potential at the University of Cambridge. We also believe in giving back to society, and this is why we are proud that in the last couple of years, we managed to motivate a dozen of Serbian graduates and PhDs who studied around the world to return to Serbia and start their career in MDCS. Together we are learning, growing and thriving, and we are firmly committed to this.”

It was invigorating to witness how much inspiration and how many tangible results this annual gathering in Cambridge resulted in, for all participants: the representatives of companies that hire top talents and expand their business, the distinguished guests from government institutions and academia, as well as the students honing their knowledge at top universities in the UK. The bridges created at Cambridge grow into connections, partnerships and empowerment for entire communities of overachievers.