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Congress Agenda

Congress Agenda

CET Time Zone
Full Program
The complete congress program is available for download.
Day 1
Thursday
28 May 2026
18:00–21:00
Opening and Welcome Cocktail
📍 Palata Nauke
Day 2
Friday
29 May 2026
08:00–09:00
Participant Registration
09:00–10:15
📍 Nikola Tesla
Opening of the Congress
Keynote speaker
Efrosyni Konstantinou
Senior Lecturer, University College London
“Can you really be happy? The myth of ‘free’ happiness”
Keynote speaker
Dr. Waleed Al-Ali
Secretary-General of The Digital School and a Board Member; Executive Director in the Strategy and Innovation Sector at the Prime Minister's Office
“Project Management Skills for Sustainable Development and Contextual Impact”
10:15–11:00
📍 Nikola Tesla
Panel
Measuring Happiness in the Project Environment
Moderator:
Marija Todorović, IPMA Research Director; Executive Director of IPMA Serbia

Panelists:
Jovan Lukić, Director of the Global PMO for Digital Grid; Schneider Electric
Baabak Ashuri, Executive Director of the Professional Master's in Occupational Safety and Health (PMOSH)
Katarina Bajec, MD, Specialist in Ophthalmology, author and host of the TV program "Zdravo misli"
11:00–11:30
Coffee Break
11:30–12:15
📍 Nikola Tesla
Keynote speaker
Dejan Jakovljević
Head of EMEIA PMO; Schneider Electric
“Leadership Styles That Foster Team Wellbeing and Engagement”
Keynote speaker
Veljko Janjić
President of Bexel Consulting
“From Complexity to Clarity: Rethinking Success, Trust, and Wellbeing in Construction Projects”
12:15–13:00
📍 Nikola Tesla
Panel
Projects in the Spotlight: How Media Shapes What the World Sees and Believes
Moderator:
Tamara Vlastelica, Corporate Communications and Marketing Professor and Consultant

Panelists:
Ivan Radak, Editor Forbes Serbia
Tijana Skodrić, NewsMax
Mauro Mancini, Politecnico di Milano, Italy
Dragana Zarkovic Obradovic, Director of the Balkan Investigative Reporting Network (BIRN)
📍 Mihajlo Pupin
Projectification of society
Martina Huemann, Editor in Chief IJPM; WU Vienna University and University College London, "Project Society Index"

Dirk G. Bochar, Secretary General Engineers Europe "The 10 Commandments of Successful Project Managers"

Filip Jovanović, Faculty for Project and Innovation Management, "Great Pyramid of Giza - A Project Management perspective"

Waleed Mostafa, Giza Arabia & Director, Project Management, "The Role of Emotional Intelligence in Project Leadership"
📍 Aristotel
Paper presentations
Moderator:
Ivana Berić, Faculty for Project and Innovation Management
AI in Daily Meetings: Where Effectiveness Stops and Humanity Begins
Presenter: Kristina Reyzenbuk
Optimizing Team Performance and Wellbeing in Inexperienced Agile Teams: Integrating Leadership, Motivation and Recovery Practices
Presenter: Andrei Medvedev
Soft Climate, Hard Capabilities: Human-Centered Enablers of Value Creation in a Project Context
Presenter: Marijana Bugarčić
Measuring happiness in project environment
Presenter: Vladimir Obradović
13:00–14:00
Lunch Break
14:00–14:45
📍 Nikola Tesla
Keynote speaker
Bryce Fuemmeler
Senior Research Associate at Harvard Kennedy School
“The Art and Science of Meaningful Work”
Keynote speaker
Marisa Silva
PMO and PPM Specialist, International Consultant at Wellingtone
“The Happy PMO: Designing Governance People Want to Follow”
14:45–15:30
📍 Nikola Tesla
Round table
The PMO as a Powerhouse of Happiness in Project Environments
Moderator:
Wagner Reinhard, Founder & CEO of Projektivisten GmbH
Former IPMA President
Panelists:
Marisa Silva, PMO and PPM Specialist, International Consultant at Wellingtone
Vladimir Rašović, Global Operational Excellence Manager at Siemens Energy
Joop Schefferlie, IPMA Chairman; Former IPMA President
Oliver McGibbon, Head of the Portfolio Management Office at Samsung Electronics
📍 Mihajlo Pupin
People and projects
Krzysztof Działo, Lead Project Manager at Vestas, “The Most Ecologically Advanced Offshore Wind Project to Date”

Bogdan Novaković, Sales Manager, Nestlé, “Work-Life Harmony in the Matrix World”

Alexander Pattyn, “Managing the Unimaginable: Lessons from First Responders to Project Managers”
📍 Aristotel
Paper presentations
Moderator:
Kristijan R. Prebanić, Faculty of Civil Engineering, University of Zagreb
Artificial intelligence adoption in the project environment: effects on employee stress and work engagement
Presenter: Assel Jumasseitova
Artificial intelligence, decision autonomy, and wellbeing in project environments: evidence from a scenario-based study
Presenter: Meruyert Kussaiyn
Neuro Project Management: Results of 6 Years of Research and Directions for Further Development
Presenter: Ekaterina Khalimon
Measuring happiness in project environment
Presenter: Marija Todorović
Music as a catalyst for happiness and emotional balance in project environments
Presenter: Danijela Toljaga-Nikolić
15:30–16:00
Coffee Break
16:00–16:45
📍 Nikola Tesla
Panel
Happiness Under Pressure: Projects in a Changing Geopolitical and Technological Landscape
Moderator:
Peđa Mitrović, Western Balkans Reform & Governance Expert

Panelists:
Khalid Al Marri, Chairman of the IPMA UAE Board
Elmas Cetin, Gazi University, Teknoloji Fakültesi, Elektrik - Elektronik Mühendisliği
Teri Okoro, Director of TOCA
Brigitte Schaden, Former President of IPMA
16:45–17:30
📍 Nikola Tesla
Panel
Public Projects & Public Happiness: Delivering Value Where It Matters Most
Moderator:
Laura Lasaite, Chief Operating Officer IPMA

Panelists:
Bojana Laković, Acting Director General of the Directorate for Capital Projects and International Cooperation in Montenegro
José Reyes Gonzalez, Advisor to the Government of Panama
Elsa Paasilinna, President of IPMA Young Crew Management Board
Aleksandar Bućić, KPMG CEE Public Sector Lead
Dr. Waleed Al-Ali, Secretary-General of The Digital School and a Board Member; Executive Director in the Strategy and Innovation Sector at the Prime Minister's Office
Mark Patch, IPMA Global Awards Director
17:30–20:00
Free Time
20:00–00:00
Congress Dinner
📍 Barrel House
Day 3
Saturday
30 May 2026
08:00–09:00
Participant Registration
09:00–10:00
📍 Mihajlo Pupin
Workshop
Young Crew Serbia
Moderator:
Marija Vesić, Financial Controller, Hilton Belgrade
“Beyond Success: Designing Human-Sustainable Projects”

📍 Aristotel
Paper presentations
Moderator:
Danijela Nikolić, Faculty of Organizational Sciences
Exploring the Linkages Between Project Managers' Cultural Capabilities and the Success of International Development Projects
Presenter: Milica Radović
How New Regulations, AI and Electric Cars are Changing the Quality of Life in Germany and Serbia
Presenter: Mirjana Dejanović
Well-Being in Project Management: Overview and Possibilities of Application
Presenter: Jelena Ružić
Integrated Methodologies for Sustainable Project Portfolio Selection and Optimization: A Literature Review and a Conceptual Framework for the Western Balkans
Presenter: Nikola Jovanović
📍 Nikola Tesla
Panel
Future-Proof Your Career: Professional Development and Certification
Moderator:
Alexander Bull, DGUV University of Applied Sciences, Germany

Panelists:
Giovanni Pisano, Director of IPMA Italy Certification Body
Silvia Drahosova, IPMA Vice President Professional Development
Volker Hild, Vice President Project Excellence at Siemens Energy for the GCC
Tim Jaques, IPMA USA President
Maurits van der Plas, Director of Van Haren Learning Solutions
📍 Plato
Paper presentations
Moderator:
Ivana Berić, Faculty for Project and Innovation Management
Play as a Component of Learning and Social Context
Presenter: Vesna Buha
Wellbeing in Project Environments: Influences on Psychological, Emotional, and Professional States in Modern Project-Oriented Organizations
Presenter: Sara Perić
Happiness, Behavior, and Performance: Rethinking Managerial Accounting Metrics
Presenter: Tijana Obradović
Wellbeing as a Critical Factor in The Success of Green Energy Projects in the Industry
Presenter: Radmila Miković
The Importance of Psychological Safety for the Sharing of Tacit Knowledge in the Project Environment
Presenter: Tara Šećkovic
The Role Oof Gesi Approach in Fostering the Human-Centered Social Project Designs
Presenter: Marina Jovanović Milenković
10:00–10:30
Coffee Break
10:30–12:00
📍 Nikola Tesla
Workshop
Young Crew Global
Moderators:
Elsa Paasilinna, President of IPMA Young Crew Management Board
Kristijan Robert Prebanić, Member of Young Crew Management Board
📍 Aristotel
Paper presentations
Construction Project Management: Challenges and Opportunities
Moderator:
Nenad Ivanišević, Faculty of Civil Engineering
Quality Metrics for Construction Schedules
Presenter: Nikola Knežević
Integrating Project Control and Change Management in Construction Projects Using the Adkar Model
Presenter: Milica Nikolić
Information Overload in Construction Projects in the Age Of Generative AI: Mental Health Risks and Knowledge Management Strategies
Presenter: Đorđe Nedeljković
From Project Delivery Method Labels to Delivery Characteristics: A Unified Framework for Analysing Construction Project Delivery
Presenter: Zorana Petojević
📍 Mihajlo Pupin
Round table
Project Management Education: Preparing Project Leaders for a Complex, Human-Centered Future
Moderator:
Peter Thuy, Vice President for Membership Germany; IU International University, former Germany Rector and Management Director

Speakers:
Martina Huemann, Editor in Chief IJPM; WU Vienna University and University College London
Ding Ronggui, IPMA Vice President Research & Publications
Khalid Al Marri, Chairman of the IPMA UAE Board
Mladen Radujković, Head of International Doctoral Program in Project Management at Alma Mater Europaea
Ekaterina Khalimon, State University of Management
Aca Jovanović, Dean of Faculty for Project and Innovation Management
Ines Perec, VP of Quality and Academic Affairs, Swiss School of Business and Management, Switzerland
Nathalie Drouin, Editor-in-Chief of the International Journal of Managing Projects in Business
12:00–13:00
📍 Nikola Tesla
Panel
Six-Seven Leadership Legacy: Shaping Happy Future with Projects
Moderator:
Vladimir Obradović, President of IPMA Serbia

Panelists:
Mladen Vukomanović, IPMA president
Joop Schefferlie, Former President of IPMA
Jesus Martinez Almela, Former President of IPMA
Reinhard Wagner, Former President of IPMA
Mladen Radujković, Former President of IPMA
Roberto Mori, Former President of IPMA
Brigitte Schaden, Former President of IPMA
13:00–13:15
Closing of the Congress