“AmChamps – Young Leaders in Change” Class of 2019 Launched

Participants in the program and guests gathered, at the Hilton hotel, for the ceremonial opening of the sixth cycle of the AmChamps – Young leaders in change. Program participants are 25 students at the state university and 25 managers from AmCham member companies.

Vera Nikolić Dimić, AmCham Executive Director, stated that AmChamps is the program that involves only the best students and managers and opens the doors of every participant’s further business career.

Ivona Simić, Serbian Prime Minister’s Advisor, emphasized the importance of working with young people and said that AmChamps develops a special set of skills, such as empathy, emotional intelligence and the ability of reflexion, and that the aim of this program is improving the whole personality of participants. She added that participants should absorb everything that is offered and should be responsible, curious, and open-minded.

Nikolaos Dimitriadis, the regional director of the Sheffield University office, stated that this is the fourth year in a row that Sheffield University is the partner of the AmChamps program, emphasizing that AmChamps is one of the most demanding leadership programs he has ever seen. “The game of modern leadership is expecting the unexpected,” concluded Dimitriadis, while saying to the participants that the program will help them to get out of their comfort zone and to reach their maximum.

Also part of the ceremonial opening, there was a 'speed dating' session, in which all participant met each other and talked for 4 minutes, and then chose their ideal partner. At the end, mentoring pairs were chosen – student and the manager, where the manager has the role of the mentor, and student is the mentee. During the entire program, the mentoring pair will cooperate, and their work will be followed and rated. At the end of the program, the best mentoring pair will receive Master and MBA scholarships at Sheffield University, and the second and the third rated mentoring pair will split the costs of the scholarship at the University.