Reflecting on 35 years at the intersection of technology, institutions, and leadership, and what comes next.
We are proud to share that Sofche Jovanovska, General Manager of Scalefocus North Macedonia, has been honored with the Women in Tech® Lifetime Achievement Award, presented at the ceremony by President Gordana Siljanovska-Davkova.
The award recognizes decades of contribution to the ICT sector in North Macedonia, a career that has evolved alongside some of the most consequential phases of the country’s digital development.
A Career Built Across Every Layer of the Ecosystem
Sofche’s professional journey spans more than 35 years and touches nearly every dimension of the North Macedonian ICT sector. From co-authoring the first National Strategy for the Development of the Information Society in 2003, through leadership roles at the Economic Chamber, the Agency for Electronic Communications, and The Chamber of Commerce for Information and Communication Technologies – MASIT, to her current role leading Scalefocus North Macedonia, her work has shaped the institutional, regulatory, and business architecture on which the sector stands today.
“My contribution has not been in building a single product,” she reflects. “It has been in building parts of the architecture that allow an entire digital ecosystem to function.”
That architecture, from telecommunications liberalization to ICT education policy, created the conditions for today’s generation of North Macedonian engineers and companies to compete on the global market.
Leading Through Challеnges
In 2020, Sofche took on the leading role at Scalefocus North Macedonia just as the global pandemic began reshaping industries and ways of working. Leading through uncertainty reinforced a belief that has guided her career: technology is not only about innovation, but also about creating stability, resilience, and progress when circumstances are most unpredictable.
That mindset continues to shape her leadership approach focused on long-term growth, honest conversations, and building environments where people can thrive even in challenging times. Under her leadership, Scalefocus North Macedonia has expanded its teams and strengthened partnerships with global clients.
At the core of this growth is a culture centered on continuous learning, collaboration, and developing future leaders. Sofche has consistently emphasized building systems and teams that enable people not only to deliver results, but to grow professionally and create lasting impact.
She has also been a strong advocate for greater representation of women in technology, drawing from years of experience as one of the few women in leadership and industry circles. In her acceptance remarks, she highlighted the importance of mentoring, shaping systems, and driving long-term change as equally meaningful forms of impact.
The award arrives at a pivotal moment. As artificial intelligence reshapes industries and redefines how organizations create value, Sofche sees both urgency and genuine opportunity. She believes companies that invest in adaptability, talent, and responsible innovation will be best positioned for the future. For Scalefocus, AI is not simply a technological shift, it is a chance to help clients transform faster, empower teams with new capabilities, and build more sustainable competitive advantages in a rapidly evolving digital economy.
Recognition as Responsibility
For Sofche, receiving this award is not an occasion to look back, but a reminder of what the next chapter requires.
“I do not see this recognition as a conclusion. I see it as a reminder that every generation has its role. Ours was to help lay the foundations. The next task is to build structures, knowledge, and opportunities that will serve the generations to come.”
She is especially focused on knowledge transfer within the North Macedonian ICT ecosystem through stronger mentoring frameworks, leadership development, and organizational cultures that embed learning into the way teams work.
On the Threshold of the Next Transformation
The award arrives at a pivotal moment. As artificial intelligence reshapes industries and redefines how organizations create value, Sofche sees both urgency and genuine opportunity for the North Macedonian ICT sector.
“We stand at the threshold of another major transformation, led by artificial intelligence, and I believe the Macedonian ICT sector has a real opportunity to remain relevant and competitive in this new era.”
Her message to those just beginning their journey in technology is equally direct: stay curious, keep learning, and be prepared to become a beginner again many times. “In ICT, the greatest competitive advantage is not how fast you can learn something new. It is how many times you are willing to learn from the beginning again.”
We congratulate Sofche on this recognition and are proud to continue building the future together.
