One of Albania’s brightest entrepreneurs, Jori Vila, Founder & CEO at Oz Marketing Albania, was named Social Star Woman Entrepreneur 2026 at the Regional Cooperation Council (RCC)’s Western Balkans Women Entrepreneurs Awards.
In one of the proudest moments for Albanian entrepreneurship ecosystem, Jori Vila has won one of the most prestigious awards for women in business in the Western Balkans region. The award was presented at the Western Balkans Women Entrepreneurs Awards ceremony of 2026 organized by the Regional Cooperation Council (RCC).
The awards celebrate innovative and inspirational women entrepreneurs who transform industries with innovation, sustainability, creativity, technology and leadership, and make a difference for their local communities.
A Recognition Among 180 Outstanding Nominations
This year’s edition of the initiative saw around 180 nominations coming from across the Western Balkans. After thorough evaluation of the nominations, an independent jury has selected six entrepreneurs whose businesses and leadership bring measurable economic and social value.
From among those nominees, Jori Vila has been awarded the Social Star Woman Entrepreneur 2026 award due to her influence on digital marketing and brand communication.
Not only does the award highlight Jori Vila’s entrepreneurial success story, but it is also another great accomplishment of Albanian women who will shape the future of business across Southeast Europe.
Building Brands Through Oz Marketing Albania
Being the Founder and CEO of Oz Marketing Albania, Jori Vila has established a business focused on assisting other businesses with improving their brand, digital marketing and communication.
Today, when the market is getting more and more digitalized, companies are in need of not only effective advertisement but also strategic communication, storytelling and results-oriented marketing performance. Under Vila’s leadership, Oz Marketing helps businesses to achieve these goals and adapt to changing consumer behaviour and digital marketing trends.
Her win shows the importance of creativity combined with strategy and usage of marketing as a powerful tool for business development and community engagement.
Celebrating Women Driving Regional Growth
The RCC awards recognize and celebrate those entrepreneurs who make a difference across the Western Balkans. Instead of focusing only on financial success, the awards pay tribute to the founders whose businesses are sustainable, innovative and serve as motivation for upcoming entrepreneurs.
This year’s winners represent a variety of industries:
- Jori Vila (Albania): Social Star Woman Entrepreneur
- Tamara Đurić (Magbago d.o.o.): Artistic Woman Entrepreneur
- Flandra Marmullaku (Data4X): ICT Woman Entrepreneur
- Aleksandra Simoni (Green Lining): Young Woman Entrepreneur
- Marija Kukunoska (Premium Safety Solution): Green Woman Entrepreneur
- Željana Vulović (Sysqbit): Tourism Woman Entrepreneur
These are examples of entrepreneurs who highlight the diversity, resilience and innovation in the region’s business scene.
Why This Recognition Matters
Nowadays, in the Western Balkans, there are a lot of businesses that are run by women, and which become increasingly influential players in the economic growth and development of the region.
Initiatives like the RCC Women Entrepreneurs help to increase the recognition of women founders and foster collaboration and investment between them across the region.
For Albania, Jori Vila’s victory is another step on the road towards greater influence of the country in the sphere of digital entrepreneurship and marketing.
Inspiring the Next Generation
Entrepreneurship means creating opportunities, addressing the problems of the world and motivating others to achieve their ambitions.
Jori Vila’s win is the success story that shows how vision, hard work and innovation can be used to create value locally and regionally.
Helping businesses embrace the innovations and changes in the world, Jori Vila contributes to the development of the entrepreneurship ecosystem in the Western Balkans region.
Looking Ahead
The Western Balkans continue demonstrating strong entrepreneurial capabilities, and one of the activities which recognizes such capabilities is the RCC Women Entrepreneurs Awards.
Jori Vila and her company, Oz Marketing Albania, have achieved another success point in their innovative entrepreneurial path.
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