Strong tenderness - a combination that creates the future of business

Although throughout history women were the ones who knew all the secrets of good beer, to this day it is largely associated with the epithet of a man's drink. However, knowledge and experience do not have gender determinants, so women in "Trebjesa" Brewery, as well as in other businesses, build their career path and successfully advance to management positions.

Few industries are described as "traditionally male" like brewing. Although throughout history women were the ones who knew all the secrets of good beer, to this day it is largely associated with the epithet of a man's drink. However, knowledge and experience do not have gender determinants, so women in brewing, as well as in other businesses, build their career path and successfully advance to management positions.

What is the position of women in this industry, what are the current trends towards achieving gender equality and where is the future of women in brewing, and business in general, explains Sanja Ćalasan, executive director of the "Trebjesa" Brewery.

Throughout the long history of beer and even today, it was often heard that it was a "man's" drink. What is it like to be a woman in this industry?

In order to answer this question, I have to start from 1998, when I stepped into the world of brewing. It was a very challenging time, which was preceded by the privatization of the "Trebjes" Brewery. During all those years, I was guided by the belief and attitude that by working on myself, with my abilities and competencies, I can achieve personal and professional progress. I believe that this largely contributed to my being elected to this important position in 2010.

Being a woman in brewing, but also in any other business, is as challenging as we are ready to improve and develop professionally, of course with the important aspect of work culture, respect for diversity and the degree of inclusion in the work environment we have along the way.

What is the current representation of women and what are the "Trebjesa" Brewery and the Molson Coors Group (MC) to which it belongs specifically doing to encourage female leadership, but also the professional development of women in brewing in general?

At the MC level, 16 percent of the highest positions are held by women, and 42 percent are directors. Molson Coors takes special care of respecting diversity, creating an inclusive work environment for both men and women, as well as other values ​​that essentially guarantee each individual equality and respect for business ethics. Precisely from the point of view of respecting and nurturing diversity, it is a great advantage to be part of a multinational company. Values ​​and expectations are the same for men and women - everywhere. We share these values ​​and that gives us strength.

People have always come first, and equality and evaluation based on professional qualities have always been and remain an important postulate. Although the first, the fact that the head of "Trebjesa" is a woman is not surprising when we bear in mind that the percentage of women in managerial positions is 44 percent.

We continuously work to build an inclusive work culture that promotes diversity and provides equal opportunities for everyone.

The figures speak volumes about how important women are in fact a factor in the success of "Trebjesa" Brewery. In addition to managerial positions, in which other positions do women contribute to the development of the company?

Women make an immeasurable contribution to the success of Brewery "Trebjesa" in all sectors. When I say all, then I mean, for example, production operations, or commercial positions in the field, which are often perceived as "man's work", and which are successfully covered by women. Basically, the principle of gender equality and respect for diversity can be seen in every sector of the "Trebjesa" Brewery, which really makes us all very proud.

It is also important to emphasize that each of the women in our team approaches work thoroughly, professionally, with a touch of the most beautiful emotion. With their commitment, expertise and experience, they shaped our organizational culture and set high standards. Their "strong tenderness", persistence, innovation and leadership inspire all employees and create the foundations for further growth and progress.

What is the strength of women in the beer industry, but also in business in general?

For 25 years, I have had the privilege of working in a truly diverse collective, and what I could extract from the experience is that women are more skilled in relation to diversity and more inclusive.

The only point of differentiation for success in any business is, or should be, professionalism and degree of personal development. Improving skills, constantly working on yourself, acquiring new knowledge and gaining experience, daring and courage are the parameters that determine success in your career.

Regardless of what their professional goals are, whether they want to engage in entrepreneurship or advance to management positions within an organization, women should know that there are no limits if they have the knowledge, abilities and skills.

How do you see the future of women in business and what steps are needed to achieve greater gender equality in Montenegro?

In general, I am optimistic and see a bright future for women in business. In a small, still quite traditional environment, we already see an increasing number of women in Montenegro taking on key roles and achieving outstanding results.

However, nurturing gender equality and further improvement require continuous work. It is necessary to constantly and consistently work on raising awareness, removing prejudices and creating inclusive work environments.

It is important that we all, as a society, work together to enable women to have equal opportunities, support and inspiration to realize their potential.

At the level of the Molson Coors group, 16 percent of the highest positions are held by women, and 42 percent are directors. We pay particular attention to respecting diversity, creating an inclusive work environment for both men and women

In a small, still quite traditional environment, we already see an increasing number of women in Montenegro taking on key roles and achieving outstanding results.