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Ariona Jupi, an Albanian expert in management consulting and market strategies, who originates from Rusani in Delvina, intertwines in her biography the cultures of her homeland with those of the three other countries where she has lived and worked: Greece (where she gained her first work experience in Athens), Germany, and Ireland. Starting as a passion for engagement in the social sphere, her work with the Albanian diaspora has expanded to collaborations with international projects and coordination of activities within the IllyrianBrains professional network. "By supporting each other, we solve short-term and long-term functional problems," she declares in an interview with the Albanian Diaspora Gazette, Diaspora Shqiptare reports.
Ms. Jupi, could you describe your life and professional journey in the diaspora?
I am a professional in the field of management consulting and market strategies. I have studied and worked in three different European countries: Greece, Ireland, and Germany. My academic background is in Management, Economics, Finance, Entrepreneurship, and Innovation Management. In my over 10-year career, I have been part of multicultural teams in the consultancy industry, minority and majority sales, information technology, chemical production, banking, and information services.
Currently, I am working at Dr. Wieselhuber & Partner, a consultancy company in Munich. Most of my daily work involves projects aimed at increasing the competitive advantage, profit, and value of German companies operating globally.
In my free time, I have had the opportunity to pursue my passion, which is social entrepreneurship and engagement with the diaspora. Since 2020, I have been training and practicing as a mentor for students who want to study, pursue a career, or start a business in Germany. In addition, I am contributing as an expert to sustainability projects for the United Nations, as a mentor for female entrepreneurs from Kosovo in a project led by German organization, as a developer of the diaspora community for Illyrian Brains Network, and as a mentor and teacher for the integration of migrant women in Germany at the ReDi School of Digital Integration.
My current voluntary engagement is as a Diaspora expert in the Albanian Association of Electronic Commerce (AECA) in the "Diaspora2030 - Engagement for Sustainable Development" program supported by the German GIZ agency. This program aims to exchange knowledge between diaspora experts and local organizations.
What does Illyrian Brains represent and how does it work?
We are present on social networks such as LinkedIn, Instagram, and Facebook, and we have our own website: illyrianbrains.com. The social network where we are most present is LinkedIn, where we have over 5,000 followers, followed by Instagram (1,150 followers) and Facebook (around 600 followers).
To achieve IllyrianBrains' goal, our initiatives have been numerous, starting with online meetings, webinars with successful Albanian individuals, and discussing social, cultural, and economic topics. Once a week on social networks, we post profiles of people who are looking for jobs, profiles of successful Albanian individuals whom we have in our IllyrianBrains network to inspire them with their success stories, and we post successful start-ups founded by Albanians. The initiatives that have been most successful so far have been physical meetings (Happy Hour), from which many friendships and professional connections have been created. The first Happy Hour we organized was in November 2021 in three cities: Milan, London, and Tirana. Then the cities were added, and currently, IllyrianBrains has a presence in Tel Aviv, Cologne, Hamburg, Dubai, Munich, Rome, London, Paris, New York, Milan, Pristina, Tirana, Berlin, and Trento. These meetings are held on the same day in all cities.
We are very proud that thanks to these initiatives that we are doing with the IllyrianBrains team, many people who are part of our network have been able to find new jobs in different cities such as Milan, Berlin, Munich, London, and Tirana.
What do you think of the professional Diaspora's approach to Albania, and where can we act more strongly to narrow the gap?
I have noticed two groups of the Albanian Diaspora: one has a sweet nostalgia for the country, and the other enriches their nostalgia by actively contributing to the country's development.
For me, the Diaspora is not just summer vacations and remittances. Qualified Albanian Diaspora must transfer the skills and knowledge gained in their country of residence, provide financial contributions through strong trade flows, and organize philanthropic events to respond to crises. Therefore, I would like to provide some recommendations for institutions and professionals.
On the one hand, there are some projects and institutions that aim to engage professionals and businesses from the Diaspora. Unfortunately, this information is not available to everyone. In the various networking events that I have organized for Albanian students and professionals in Germany, I have noticed that less than 10% were aware of the available Diaspora institutions and projects, while the rest asked for more information and expressed their willingness to volunteer in projects that could help their country of origin. Institutions should use more effective communication strategies to increase access and transparency.
On the other hand, I agree with what former US President John Fitzgerald Kennedy declared: "We should not ask what our country can do for us, we should ask what we can do for our country." Each of us can contribute in different ways to support the development of Albanians inside and outside the country. I want to share more of my activities that can give readers an idea of how they can contribute. As the youth is our future, for the past two years, I have been training and mentoring students who undertake internships under the supervision of different programs from Germin, AlbanianSkills, and Kosovo Generation Unlimited - Mentoring for Future. Furthermore, as a business and market analyst, for the program "Private Sector Workforce Development in Kosovo (PSWD)", funded by USAID, I am analyzing the wood processing industry and its potential to give Kosovo a competitive advantage in the European market.
As I mentioned above, my most current action is as a Diaspora expert in a program from GIZ Diaspora2030. Here I would like to call everyone who lives in Germany, has obtained a professional or academic qualification in Germany or is recognized there, and has at least two years of relevant professional experience in that country or in an Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) country ) to give their contribution as Diaspora experts in Albania and Kosovo.
By supporting each other, we solve short-term and long-term functional problems. But most importantly we give the message of care, active commitment, optimism and trust in each other.
Interviewed by: Gjergji Kajana