She was born in ex-Yugoslavia and survived a mortar shell attack as a young girl while her father was imprisoned in a concentration camp. Hoping for a better life, 14-year-old Maja Vujinovic (2007, Law) and her family relocated to America and began anew. Now, this tenacious alumna advises United States companies on holistic and sustainable economic investments in emerging and frontier markets.
Whether she is supervising construction of a power plant in Mali or participating in the World Energy Forum in Dubai, Vujinovic is always focused on the big picture. "My goal is to develop infrastructure projects such as energy, agriculture, technology, and mining while simultaneously focusing on profit, sustainable development, and local economic growth," she explains. "My work is all about initiating economic empowerment.
There are many books written and many studies done on how, in general (excluding extreme cases of natural disasters and wars), aid simply does not create greater local economic development nor does it benefit western societies. I have seen, first hand, that leveraging private capital, helping countries better manage their natural resources, and encouraging governments to educate its people and make their regulatory frameworks more fit for international competition, is a way forward for both the investors and local communities."