The interview with Ana Gligorijević, CEO and Solution Architect at Docentric, was conducted for the magazine PERSPEKTIVE ekonomije i poduzetništva u Europi (Perspectives of Economy and Entrepreneurship in Europe), in October 2024. See the original article in the online version (page 128) >>

The Role of Women in IT and Entrepreneurship

PERSPEKTIVE: Ms. Gligorijević, as the co-founder and CEO of DOCENTRIC, you personally received the “STVARATELJI ZA STOLJEĆA” (Creators for Centuries) award in recognition of your contribution to the development of women’s entrepreneurship in Central and Southeast Europe. How does it feel to have your work and efforts acknowledged—especially as a woman in a leadership position at such an innovative company?

I’m thrilled and honored. Thank you! In this interview, I will do my best to share my story and, in doing so, hopefully inspire other women to become IT experts, entrepreneurs, leaders, or anything else that will allow them to feel fulfilled, independent, and empowered to contribute to positive change in their environment.

PERSPEKTIVE: In addition to being the co-founder and CEO of the company, you are also a “solution architect.” Could you explain what that means and give us an insight into DOCENTRIC? What exactly does DOCENTRIC do, and what makes it stand out in the market?

As a “solution architect,” I work with my team on designing product functionalities based on user feedback and industry trends. Our goal is to create an outstanding user experience while ensuring our products remain extensible and maintainable. It’s like building a castle out of Lego bricks and constantly receiving new pieces, which need to seamlessly fit into the existing structure to enhance its functionality and appeal—without compromising its stability, of course.

Docentric’s products enable documents—such as invoices, purchase orders, quotes, and contracts—within Microsoft Dynamics 365 business applications (ERP and CRM) to be perfectly designed, tailored to the client’s needs, digitally signed, and securely archived.

PERSPEKTIVE: Who are the users of DOCENTRIC’s products, and which geographic markets do you serve?

Our products are primarily used by Microsoft Dynamics 365 application users (ERP and CRM). Docentric products are add-ons for Microsoft’s business applications (Dynamics BizApps), which are sold worldwide, with the largest market being the USA. As a result, most of our users are based there.

Our sales model is based on a partner network, and some of the clients using Docentric’s products include Coca-Cola, Chanel, Canon, Volvo, Costco, Schindler, Infobip, Dr. Martens, Gibson, Deloitte, KPMG, and thousands of others.

PERSPEKTIVE: What are DOCENTRIC’s core values today, nearly 15 years since its inception?

Our core values remain the same as they were at the beginning, but over time, we’ve refined and articulated them more clearly.

Imagine you have a problem and turn to an expert for help. The ideal scenario is for this expert to be fully dedicated to understanding your unique circumstances and efficiently resolving your issue. You actively participate in the process, feel great about the experience, and end up completely satisfied—not just with the outcome but with the journey itself. The problem begins to feel less significant as the process takes center stage. Moreover, the expert is truly exceptional at what they do—you’re impressed by their expertise as well as their humility, friendliness, and even their sense of humor.

This is how I would describe the values that guide DOCENTRIC—both externally in our relationships with clients and partners and internally in how we collaborate as colleagues. We uphold a high level of professionalism while being personable and approachable in all our communications. We also place great importance on our professional community and actively contribute to it. While everyone plays a role in nurturing our company culture, the ultimate responsibility rests with the leaders.

A vision rooted in these values has propelled us to the position of market leader in our field. One of our most impactful decisions was to make a large portion of our Dynamics ERP product available for free—a rare practice in the ERP world. This approach allowed us to gather user feedback more quickly and use it to develop an even better product over time.

In addition to delivering excellent products, we are deeply committed to providing exceptional support to our partners and clients—both during the sales process and through customer support. Their trust remains our most valuable asset.

We’ve also launched the DynamicsMinds conference, an annual global event held in Portorož, where Microsoft Dynamics experts from around the world come together to exchange knowledge and ideas. Additionally, we established a user group for MS Dynamics, where our community gathers in smaller events throughout the year across the region. Many of our employees actively contribute by speaking at these events, writing professional articles and books, and participating in forums—some have even achieved global recognition in their fields.

Recognition within the professional community and offering a free version of our product were instrumental in launching our business, while maintaining consistent product quality and providing dedicated support to our partners and clients have driven our continued growth.

PERSPEKTIVE: How did you navigate the persistent stereotypes that discourage women from entering the fields of engineering, IT, and high technology?

At first, I wasn’t even aware of them. I enrolled in a high school that offered a specialized Programming and Computer Science program because I loved writing small programs on my Commodore 128. Fortunately, at the time, high schools offered these specialized courses—so I had seven hours of programming per week in various forms. I loved algorithms and still vividly remember enjoying the challenge of solving permutation problems or mentally working through a “maze escape” while taking walks around the neighborhood.

Then I started to notice something strange—I was often the only girl at programming competitions and camps. I remember that my male colleagues initially viewed me with suspicion and sometimes outright condescension. Over time, I realized this was their standard “modus operandi”—first, they would underestimate you and not take you seriously, sometimes even making offhanded remarks like, “Did you really do this yourself?” Then, when they saw the results, they would be pleasantly surprised. But proving yourself over and over again was necessary to be fully accepted as an equal. I didn’t take it personally; looking back, I think I subconsciously blocked out the issue to make it easier to deal with.

That said, throughout my IT career, most of my male colleagues quickly recognized the quality of my work and my passion for technology and good solutions. My managers helped me develop as a professional, entrusting me with challenging and responsible tasks. But whenever I switched teams or jobs, the same ‘modus operandi’ would play out—until I had once again earned the trust of my male colleagues. I came to accept it as something normal.

I believe that my early love for programming and the opportunity to practice it successfully from a young age helped me stay motivated and not get discouraged 😊.

PERSPEKTIVE: DOCENTRIC is known for investing heavily in people and promoting equality among employees. What is the average age of your employees, and how satisfied are you with their productivity, innovation, and expertise? Could it be improved?

Our team is highly diverse, and we primarily employ people from the region. We are proud that women make up half of our workforce, with the same balance reflected in our leadership team. We also take pride in maintaining an average employee age of 42.

One of today’s common stereotypes is that older people are no longer employable, especially in the IT industry. We believe the opposite and often give opportunities to experienced professionals who are frequently stigmatized in the job market. This creates a winning combination of diversity, bringing together both experienced professionals and young talent.

Productivity, innovation, and expertise among employees directly result from company culture: how actively employees engage in the overall business, whether they understand the company’s vision and their role within it, whether they feel they add value and that their contribution is recognized and appreciated, and whether they continuously develop both technical and soft skills. In the IT industry, new challenges arise almost daily, making continuous knowledge development essential!

Personally, I am extremely satisfied with every aspect of our team, and I cannot express how grateful I am that they have joined Docentric, believing in the company’s vision.

PERSPEKTIVE: What will be DOCENTRIC’s priorities in the upcoming period?

Our goals for the upcoming period include expanding our team, fostering both professional and personal growth, developing outstanding products and business, breaking stereotypes, and promoting social responsibility. Additionally, we remain committed to strengthening our connection with the professional community through the DynamicsMinds conference and other networking opportunities.

PERSPEKTIVE: Based on your entrepreneurial and managerial experience as a woman, what do you believe is key to increasing women’s participation in entrepreneurship? What is crucial for the success of women-led businesses, and what should female entrepreneurs avoid if they want sustainable growth and long-term success?

Entrepreneurship allows individuals to develop their potential in many areas, as it often requires creating something from nothing. It demands persistence, courage, an open mind, a willingness to make sacrifices, resilience to setbacks, networking, learning from mistakes and feedback, stepping out of one’s comfort zone—while remaining positive!

Women, who typically carry the primary responsibility for their families and face societal stereotypes, encounter even greater challenges than men. However, neglecting one’s career—whether entrepreneurial or not—is actually very risky, not just in terms of independence or personal fulfillment, but also from an existential standpoint.

I believe that all individuals, including women, should strive to lead their lives responsibly and consciously, understanding what fulfills them, and identifying what gives them a sense of purpose beyond family and a life partner. They should then turn their vision into concrete actions, even if only through small steps, to ensure it doesn’t remain just a wish list or a dream.

PERSPEKTIVE: What is your message to fellow women entrepreneurs and business leaders?

Congratulations—you did it! But with every success comes responsibility, not just for our business, clients, and employees, but for society as well. From this position of greater influence, we have the opportunity to support important initiatives, such as Creators for Centuries. Let’s make the most of it!

Together with Docentric’s co-founder and co-CEO, Jure Leskovec, we nurture our company culture and invest in the development and well-being of our employees—people always come first!

We also have a dedicated program for hiring women, offer flexible working conditions for young and single mothers, support gender equality initiatives such as Engineer of the Year, promote entrepreneurship and IT education in schools, sponsor and participate in panels on gender equality in IT, AI regulation, and the need for integrating human values into technology, and donate to independent media… and much more.

My message to successful entrepreneurs—both men and women—is that we must all take the time and allocate resources to invest in our employees beyond the strict framework of business and contribute to broader social well-being.

Ana Gligorijević Bio

Ana Gligorijević is the co-founder and CEO of Docentric. She is the co-author of the company’s products, bringing her expertise as Product Owner and Solution Architect. She truly believes that a business can’t excel without a strong company culture and values, making employees feel connected, fulfilled and continuously growing. This is why Docentric invests in tailor-made HR initiatives, an awesome employee journey, but primarily in developing people, spotting their potential and giving them a chance to shine in what they do best.

In addition to her role in the company, Ana is heavily involved in the Dynamics community. She is a prominent figure in the Microsoft Dynamics ecosystem and the visionary behind the DynamicsMinds conference. Ana has a passion for technology, disruptive brands, servant leadership and building awesome products. She is also a dedicated advocate for Women in Tech and actively participates in community events and conferences.