Selma Prodanović
Selma Prodanović is an Austrian entrepreneur and philanthropist of Bosnian origin, known as the discoverer and connector of business potential or the Business-Angelina. She founded Brainswork,[1] an influential business development agency in South East Europe, initiated IncrediblEurope[2] – the first bottom up value-changer in and for Europe, and established the „Brainswork – Make a difference“ Award. Prodanović has pioneered various concepts: Chief Networking Officer (CNO), the business development strategy brainsworking, and most recently the Business-Angelina investment approach.
Born in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Prodanović was educated in Tunisia and Madrid, and has been based in Vienna since 1991. In 2005 she founded Brainswork, the boutique business developer with an independent office in the USA and 132 partners worldwide. Prodanović has authored texts and lectured on networking, creativity, innovation and entrepreneurship at numerous universities and conferences around Europe. She initiated, edited and published the „Brainsbook on Networking“[3] written by 40 authors from fifteen countries in 2009. Prodanović has initiated, coordinated and consulted national projects for the creative industries in Austria, Bosnia-Herzegovina and Croatia.
For her innovative approach to business and commitment to entrepreneurship and social change, Prodanović was awarded the “WOMAN Award” in 2006, the “MiA 2010” in the category Business,[4] the “Recognition Award of the jury for Entrepreneurial Migrants 2010” and nominated “Networker of the Year” by the Austrian Leading Ladies in 2007 and 2010. Her success story was featured in a chapter of the book “Going Your Own Way” (‘Den eigenen Weg gehen’)[5] alongside 18 selected Austrian businesswomen. Prodanović is the founder of the Brainswork Institute, the first development network for highly talented teenagers in disadvantaged communities, and a board member in various organizations and companies.