She’s Next Talks with Katarina Tasevski

At twenty years old, Katarina Tasevski did not have her life figured out. Before settling on a career, she changed university faculties four times, exploring everything from archaeology to biochemistry. Today, as the Operating Director at DEKRA Arbeit Macedonia, she views that winding path not as a delay, but as an essential exercise in curiosity.

Tasevski strongly advises young professionals to avoid rushing into master’s degrees just to tick an educational box, recommending instead that they wait until they have truly discovered their calling in the workforce. This philosophy of continuous, intentional learning underpins her entire career in North Macedonia’s rapidly growing labour market. “I strongly believe that if you are the smartest person in a room, that you’re probably in the wrong room,” she observes, noting that genuine growth only comes from being challenged.

At the helm of a full-service HR company, Tasevski navigates a workforce in flux, balancing the influx of international companies and the shifting priorities of younger, self-focused generations. Yet, amidst the global rush to adopt artificial intelligence and remote work, she remains a staunch defender of in-person collaboration and human intuition. While AI might efficiently draft an email or filter a CV, she argues it cannot replicate empathy, assess a candidate’s behavioural nuances, or measure true motivation. “Human interaction is… something that actually puts the human in human resources,” she asserts, stating that she would never trust software to do a recruiter’s job. For female entrepreneurs building their teams, she advises looking past rigid skill checklists and hiring for motivation, as technical skills can always be taught to a willing learner.

As a female executive in a society where the title of “director” still traditionally conjures the image of a man, Tasevski is redefining the role. She believes that modern leadership is not about wielding sheer authority, but about cultivating an environment where employees feel valued, heard, and motivated to grow. For her, a woman’s true leadership strength lies in combining “resilience with empathy”.

Despite the pressures of running a broad HR operation that she fondly compares to being in a “popcorn machine”, Tasevski’s enthusiasm is boundless. When asked what she wishes for the most, her answer is wonderfully unconventional: an eighth day of the week—specifically, an extra working day—just so she can dive into even more projects.