Since April 2020 Ljubisa Vrencev took over the Country Director position at Arbeiter Samariter Bund – Country Office in Greece.
Expert with firm sustainability experience, with a wealth of experience in drafting and implementing humanitarian, inclusion, development, and social planning instruments in the Western Balkans and Europe, building lasting policy solutions, and emergency as well as integration outcomes.
Over 30 years of experience in developing, implementing humanitarian and emergencies response programs and managing sustainability units in corporate and other environments, advising on development policy, and best practices. Demonstrating strong communication skills, is an analytical and cause-oriented strategist, leading from the front to create shared vision and to build, empower and motivate multi-cultural, cross-functional teams to achieve goals and exceed expectations.
Determined, optimistic and engaging, this knowledgeable and energetic professional uses strong diplomatic and interpersonal skills to establish solid relationships ensuring cooperation and support from national and international development community partners, and buy-in from local, regional, and national stakeholders.
Since 1997 Vrencev worked with national and international NGOs on local development and projects related to refugees and IDPs in Serbia, North Macedonia, Kosovo, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Croatia. As a consultant he worked with UNOPS, UNDP, Cooperazione Italiana and the International Organization for Migration on forced displacement assessments and research and on development of policies for the sustainable return of IDPs. Vrencev holds a Master’s degree in Local Development for the Balkans. In the framework of the humanitarian response to the refugee crisis in Greece since 2016 he has been managing emergency projects funded by EU (DG ECHO, DG HOME), as well as the German Foreign Ministry. He has been a lecturer for a number of seminars and participated in numerous conferences on development and refugee issues. Vrencev is a founding member of the non-profit SYMBIOSIS, which is also the Council of Europe affiliated School for Political Studies in Greece. He speaks fluently South Slavic languages, English, Italian and Greek.