“Behind every strong woman stands the support of a strong man”, shared her conviction the CEO of Siemens Slovenia Ms. Medea Loncar, during on special discussion on “Work – Life Balance”.

The meeting, dedicated to one of the most important topics on the agenda of the contemporary business society, took place on the 10^th August in Grand Hotel Sofia, initiated by the Council of Women in Business. Guests of the event were members of the organization and ladies from the special educational program of the Council – the Leadership Academy.

They all had the opportunity to listen to interesting stories from the incredible professional experience of Ms. Medea Loncar. As a top manager she contributes significantly to the repositioning of Siemens in Slovenia from a manufacturer of consumer goods and telecommunication products to provider of innovative technologies for industry, energetic, mobility and building technologies. She actively participates in regional strategic projects in the Adriatic region, she occupies a number of senior public positions among which is President of the Management board of UNICEF Slovenia. Before her nomination for CEO of Siemens Slovenia, 9 years ago, she has worked in areas such as export, retail, industry and telecommunications.

The meeting, organized by the Council of Women in Business in Bulgaria, also attended her husband, Gregor Loncar, who occupies a leading position in SAP in Central and Eastern Europe.

According to Ms. Loncar one of the most important preconditions, for the success of the ladies and in order to achieve work – life balance, is to have a partner who understands them and supports them. “The good partner can also be your coach” is convinced Ms. Loncar. “What I always told her was to believe in herself, to develop her “female” qualities and not to copy the behavior of men”, says Gregor Loncar.

To have faith in your own forces and capabilities is essential, confirmed Ms. Loncar. She said that in the beginning when a contest for her current position was announced (CEO of Siemens Slovenia) she had no intention to take part in it. Back then, all the candidates for the position were men and she even helped one of them for his presentation. Subsequently she has changed her mind, encouraged by another lady on top position at the headquarters of Siemens. In connection with the occupying of leading positions from ladies Ms. Loncar expressed her support for quotas in order to achieve gender equality.

One of the recommendations of Medea Loncar to the ladies for achieving balance between their professional and personal life is not to try to focus simultaneously on many things but to prioritize. One of the situations from her personal experience, supporting her conviction, which she shared was her decision to change her high position to have more time for her child until it reached certain age.

To achieve work – life balance the respite is really important, says. Ms. Loncar. “Listen to yourself and take a rest when it is necessary”, she advised. In response to a question about how she can avoid working during vacation, she recommended the delegation of tasks in the team. “If you have a good team, you can always trust it”, says Medea Loncar.