KRISTIJAN BUK, Chairman of the Management Board of Allianz ZB d.o.o., a mandatory and voluntary pension fund management company He was born in 1972 in Rijeka. After graduating from the Faculty of Economics and Business, he started his professional career at Croatia Line d.d. Rijeka. After his transition to ADRIA osiguranje d.d. Pula to the position of chief financial officer, he gained adequate knowledge in various business areas of an insurance company. After Grawe Hrvatska d.d. took over ADRIA osiguranje d.d., he became head of the Sector for Finance and General Affairs in 2001, and in late 2004 he became head of the Controlling Department and the procurator of the company. In mid-2005 he transitioned to Allianz Zagreb d.d. to the position of director of the Controlling and Asset Management Sector, and in 2007 he became member of the Financial Management Board. In 2008 he became chairman of the Supervisory Board of Allianz ZB d.o.o., a manadatory and voluntary pension fund management company and he held the position until 2015. He is also licensed as a pension fund manager. In 2011 he was appointed head of the Working Group on solvency capital requirements Solvency II which is a part of the Croatian Insurance Bureau, and in 2012 he was invited by the Ministry of Finance to participate in the preparation of the proposal for the Insurance Act. Mr. Buk is a President of the Council of the Croatian Financial Services Supervisory Agency as a representative of pension funds.
MARIO STAROSELČIĆ, CFA Member of the Management Board of Allianz ZB d.o.o., a mandatory and voluntary pension fund management company He was born in 1978 in Zagreb, where he studied and graduated from The University of Zagreb's Faculty of Economics and Business, majoring in finance. In 2002, after finishing his studies, he started working as an analyst at the Allianz ZB d.o.o., a mandatory and voluntary pension fund management company. In the middle of 2004 he became a portfolio manager at Allianz Zagreb, and early in 2008 he took the position of Director of the Independent Financial Asset Management Department. In November 2008 he became Chairman of the Management Board of Allianz Invest. In April 2017 he was appointed to the Management Board of the mandatory and voluntary pension fund management company Allianz ZB d.o.o. He passed the broker, investment advisor, and pension fund manager exams and, after completing the CFA certification program, became a Chartered Financial Analyst.
ROBERT KNORR is the Managing Partner of MidEuropa and is responsible for the execution of the firm’s strategy and the day-to-day management of the firm. He also leads the Consumer sector and chairs the Management and Investment Committees. Robert joined MidEuropa at its inception in 1999 and has been instrumental in building the firm into a leading private equity player in Central Europe. Robert has been involved in numerous transactions over the past 25 years of his private equity career, including Optegra, Mlinar, Cargus, Hortex, Allegro, Profi, Imlek, Knjaz Milos, Bambi, Zabka, Energy 21, Calucem, SBB Telemach, Aster, Karneval, and Telemach / EON. Robert has Master’s in Finance from London Business School and Bachelor’s in Economics and Business from the University of Rome ”La Sapienza”.
ZVONKO KOSTANJČAR is a Full Professor at the Faculty of Electrical Engineering and Computing, University of Zagreb (FER), specializing in the development and application of artificial intelligence and machine learning in finance. He is the founder and head of the Laboratory for Finance and Risk Analytics (LAFRA), where he leads research, innovation, and education in advanced financial technologies. He established the postgraduate specialist programme Products, Digital Innovations and Technologies in Insurance (INSURTECH) and currently serves as Chair of its Expert Council. He contributed to the establishment of the Centre of Research Excellence for Data Science and Cooperative Systems, the first centre of excellence in the field of technical sciences in Croatia. He has led numerous nationally and internationally funded research and innovation projects and has collaborated with financial institutions and technology companies on the development of AI-powered solutions for finance and risk management. He has built an extensive record of scientific publications, including papers in leading journals and premier international conferences in artificial intelligence, machine learning, and quantitative finance.
DR. MARTINA DALIĆ serves as the President of the Management Board of Podravka, a position she has held since February 2021. She is responsible for the company's overall operations and strategic management. Holding a doctorate in economics and possessing extensive experience across the public, private, and international sectors, she has held numerous high-level positions throughout her career. She served as Deputy Prime Minister of the Republic of Croatia and Minister of Economy, Entrepreneurship and Crafts, Minister of Finance, State Secretary and Assistant Minister of Finance, and as a Member of the Croatian Parliament. She also gained significant experience in the private sector, having served as President of the Management Board of Partner Banka and Chief Economist at Privredna banka Zagreb, as well as working as a resident advisor on public financial management at the International Monetary Fund in Washington.
ŽELJKO KUKURIN graduated from the Faculty of Economics and Business in Zagreb and began his career as an intern at Riviera Poreč in 2000 while pursuing his Master of Science in Marketing. From 2003 to 2009, he held various managerial positions in sales and marketing, developing strategic projects such as direct online sales and CRM. In 2010, he earned an Executive MBA from Bocconi University and became CEO of Istraturist d.d., collaborating with Meliá Hotels International and participating in the company's sale in 2014, after a successful restructuring. In June 2015, he was appointed president of the Valamar management board, where he led significant growth and investment, overseeing projects worth over 1 billion euros and earning a Doctor of Economics degree in 2020. Under his leadership from 2015 to 2019, Valamar repositioned its portfolio and doubled its enterprise value, becoming the best employer in tourism. Mr. Kukurin was named Businessperson of the Year in 2017 and has been an advocate for corporate responsibility and sustainable tourism. He holds key positions in the Croatian tourism sector, including deputy chairman of the supervisory board at Imperial Riviera d.d., and is actively involved in various professional and academic associations.
ANA ZORIĆ is an experienced legal professional with over 18 years in public administration, specializing in financial and economic regulation. Since February 2021, she has been serving as Head of the Directorate for Economic Affairs and Financial System at the Ministry of Finance of the Republic of Croatia. In this capacity, she oversees the development of legislative and regulatory frameworks governing the banking sector, financial markets, including capital markets as well as accounting and auditing. Ana has been a leading force behind the development of Croatia's Strategic Framework for Capital Market Development 2025 - 2030, which aims to mobilize domestic savings and strengthen the role of capital markets in financing the Croatian economy. She leads the team that works closely with key institutional partners and financial industry in order to advance the broader agenda of deepening and modernizing Croatia's capital markets. Ana is exceptionally active in promoting financial literacy and consumer protection, processes in which she has been actively involved for the past seven years. She strongly advocates the position that adequate financial education benefits citizens at all stages of life, as well as society as a whole, serving as a necessary complement to the consumer protection system and the responsible behaviour of financial service providers. As the head of the Croatian delegation in October 2023, Ana successfully presented the legislative and institutional framework of the Republic of Croatia regarding financial consumer protection and financial literacy before the OECD technical committees (Task Force on Financial Consumer Protection and INFE).
GORAN ĐORESKI is Managing Director for Croatia at Digital Realty, a global provider of carrier-neutral data center, colocation and interconnection solutions. With almost 30 years of experience in technology and operations, Goran built the first part of his career in the financial sector, working in payment systems and card processing, including leadership roles at Erste Bank and MBU (now EGCP). He later transitioned into the data center industry, where he has spent the last 16 years leading mission-critical infrastructure operations, business development and digital infrastructure initiatives. Based in Zagreb, he is actively involved in the development of Croatia's digital infrastructure ecosystem. In addition to his role at Digital Realty, he serves as President of the Croatian Data Center Association (HRDCA), where he works with industry stakeholders, technology providers, telecommunications operators and public institutions to promote the growth of digital infrastructure, connectivity and data center investments in Croatia. He regularly contributes to discussions on digital infrastructure, interconnection, AI readiness, data sovereignty, energy efficiency and the role of data centers in supporting economic growth and digital transformation
LUKA PODLOGAR, CEO, NLB Funds, is a graduate of the Faculty of Economics and Business of the University of Ljubljana, and holds an MBA from the IESE Business School in Barcelona. He has accumulated 20 years of management experience at home and abroad, including as an investment banker at Citigroup in London. In 2010, he joined the KD Group as Assistant Executive Director, primarily responsible for corporate development. Until 2022, he was a member and chairman of the Management Board of Generali Investments. He took over the management of NLB Skladi in 2023.
JURICA JEDNAČAK graduated from the Faculty of Economics and Business, University of Zagreb. From 1997 to 2000, he was an associate of the Institute for International Relations, and since 2001 he worked as the Head of the Securities Listing Department at the Zagreb Stock Exchange. From 2003 to 2006, he was Assistant Head of the Corporate Treasury Division, after which he got employed with Zagrebačka banka where he performed the function of the Head of Brokerage Service for Corporate Clients, while in 2007, he became the Head of Brokerage. From 2013 until February 2018, when he was appointed member of the Board of Hanfa, he served as president of the Business Activities and Financial Markets Intermediation Association with the Croatian Chamber of Economy. On 7 February 2024, by decision of the Parliament of the Republic of Croatia, he was appointed for a second six-year term.
MARTINA VERIĆ joined Hanfa in 2021, serving as Head of the Funds and Investment Firms Supervision Division from 2022, before her appointment to the Management Board in 2025. At Hanfa, she has been responsible for a broad range of supervisory and regulatory areas, including pension and investment funds, investment services and activities, and crypto-asset service provision, and has led or contributed to numerous legislative and regulatory projects. She chairs Hanfa's internal Risk Committee and coordinates its business intelligence activities, and represents the Agency in committees and working bodies of the European Securities and Markets Authority (ESMA) and the European Insurance and Occupational Pensions Authority (EIOPA), as well as in the OECD Working Party on Insurance and Pensions and the Croatian Financial Stability Council. Prior to joining Hanfa, she spent more than 13 years in the asset management industry in risk management and compliance roles. She holds a degree in Financial and Business Mathematics from the Faculty of Science, University of Zagreb, and a Certificate in Quantitative Finance (CQF). graduated from the Faculty of Economics and Business, University of Zagreb. From 1997 to 2000, he was an associate of the Institute for International Relations, and since 2001 he worked as the Head of the Securities Listing Department at the Zagreb Stock Exchange. From 2003 to 2006, he was Assistant Head of the Corporate Treasury Division, after which he got employed with Zagrebačka banka where he performed the function of the Head of Brokerage Service for Corporate Clients, while in 2007, he became the Head of Brokerage. From 2013 until February 2018, when he was appointed member of the Board of Hanfa, he served as president of the Business Activities and Financial Markets Intermediation Association with the Croatian Chamber of Economy. On 7 February 2024, by decision of the Parliament of the Republic of Croatia, he was appointed for a second six-year term.
GERHARD SCHWARZ is Head of Equity Strategy at Baader Bank since 2011. Prior to that role, he was in charge of the Equity Strategy team at HVB/UniCredit for 13 years. His focus is on top-down drivers for European equity markets, valuation & market timing / style rotation models, cross asset class interconnections and Alpha strategies. As a key responsibility, he is in charge of selecting the Top Stock Picks from Germany, Austria and Switzerland. Covering the regional core focus of the Baader Helvea Equity Research team, this product managed to deliver a very strong track record over the last 10 years. Gerhard already had specialized on financial markets, portfolio theory and quant techniques when graduating in business administration at Augsburg University in 1993. He passed the CEFA exam in 1995. His total experience in sell-side financial markets research amounts to 30 years.
LUKA OREŠKOVIĆ, Chairman of the Investment Advisory Committee, BOSQAR, is a business leader, investor, and academic with extensive experience in investment, corporate development, and strategy across Southeast Europe. At BOSQAR, he serves as Chairman of the Investment Committee and Chairman of the Advisory Boards of Mplus, Mlinar and Panvita. Since its founding in 2016, BOSQAR has grown from approximately EUR 3 million in revenue into one of Southeast Europe's leading business groups, with more than 19,300 employees and, following the pending acquisition of PIK Vrbovec, more than EUR 1 billion in pro forma revenue and over EUR 100 million in pro forma EBITDA and over EUR 1 billion in assets. Its market capitalization has grown more than 1500% to EUR 500 million, raising more than EUR 400 million in equity and bond issuances since its IPO in 2019. Mr. Orešković is also a Partner and member of the Investment Committee at Prosperus Invest, a private equity and fund management firm focused on building and growing companies across the Adria region. At Prosperus, he is involved in setting the firm's overall strategy and direction and co-leads investment sourcing and management. He serves as the Honorary Consul of the Republic of Austria, and is a board trustee of the Otis College in LA, California. He began his academic career early, lecturing at Harvard University's Center for European Studies on political economy immediately after graduating Harvard College. He has advised governments including those of Poland, Slovenia and Croatia, and has regularly written for the Financial Times, The Economist, the WSJ and CNBC.
IGOR ČIČAK, Managing Partner & CEO, started his professional career in 1998 at Bank Austria Creditanstalt, and subsequently continued at the HVB Group, where he was the Director for Corporate Finance and Syndicated Loans. From 2006 to 2011, he was CEO of VABA Bank (today J&T Bank), after which he founded Provectus Capital, a firm specializing in M&A advisory with a focus on Southeast Europe. He was also a co-founder and Chairman of the Supervisory Board of Optimapharma from 2011 to 2020, today one of Europe’s leading clinical research companies, which he sold to a global private equity fund in 2020. In 2018, Igor founded Provectus Capital Partners (PCP), and in 2020 PCP launched its first private equity fund – ASEF, a buyout fund with €95 million in committed capital. To date, ASEF has invested in few platform companies, which together have completed 45 acquisitions in the region, creating leading regional groups in private healthcare (Arsano Medical Group), dentalcare (Adria Dental Group), veterinary services (Vetti Group), and the distribution and retail of electric bicycles (Keindl Sport). PCP is currently in the process of establishing a new buyout fund – PCP SEE Fund II – focused on Southeast European markets, targeting over €200 million in capital. Igor is the President of the PCP Investment Committee, and he oversees the firm’s overall strategy and management. He holds a degree from the Faculty of Economics at the University of Zagreb, completed the GMP program in Vienna, and the Senior Executive Program at London Business School.
ANDREJ ERJAVEC is a Management Board member of InterCapital Real Estate, which manages InterCapital Real Estate Fund Alfa – a HANFA-regulated open-ended alternative investment fund investing in commercial real estate across Croatia and Slovenia, with a portfolio valued at nearly EUR 200 million. The fund pursues a Core and Core+ strategy spanning shopping centres, office buildings, hotels and industrial and logistics assets. Its investments include City Center One Split, Avenue Mall and Center and Matrix D in Zagreb, and Grand Hotel Bonavia in Rijeka. Andrej previously led InterCapital Investment Banking, the firm's M&A and ECM advisory division, where he began his finance career in 2008, advising domestic and international clients on transactions and capital markets financings. He holds a bachelor's degree in accounting from the University of Zagreb, Faculty of Economics, and a master's in finance and accounting from the University of Southampton (UK).
SLAVEN KORDIĆ is a Managing Partner and Founder of Invera Equity Partneri, bringing more than 20 years of experience in venture capital, private equity, mergers and acquisitions, and project finance across Southeast Europe. He began his career as an analyst and investment manager in Austria based private equity and venture capital management company. In 2008, he became a Partner at Ascendant (IMAP SEE), the leading M&A advisory firm in Southeast Europe, where he played a key role in numerous transactions across the region. Slaven holds a Postgraduate Diploma in Organizational Leadership from Saïd Business School, University of Oxford, and a Bachelor’s degree in Economics from the University of Zagreb. Beyond his professional achievements, he was a member of the Croatian Youth Olympic Swimming Team. He is married and the proud father of two girls.
KREŠO VUGRINČIĆ is Senior investment professional with 14+ years of experience across equity research, portfolio management, and leadership roles in Southeast Europe. He began his career as a sell-side analyst at InterCapital Securities, then joined InterCapital Asset Management to build the buy-side equity research function and later took over management of all equity strategies. In 2024 he joined the Management Board as Chief Investment Officer. Since May 2025, he has been serving as CEO of InterCapital ETF, a dedicated ETF management company focused on expanding UCITS ETF access across Southeast Europe. In addition, he is a Member of the Board of Directors at CFA Society Croatia, supporting the Institute’s mission to promote ethics, education, and professional excellence in the financial industry.
TIBOR TÓTH is the CEO of the Budapest Stock Exchange as of May 1, 2025. From March to May 2025, he served as Chief Advisor to the Governor of the Central Bank of Hungary. Between 2022 and 2024, he held the position of State Secretary at the Ministry of Finance, responsible for Macroeconomic and International Affairs. During this time, he also acted as Chairman of the National Council of the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), Alternate Governor of the World Bank Group, and as member of the Economic and Financial Committee (EFC). He graduated from the University of Miskolc in 1996, where he obtained his degrees from the Faculty of Economics and from the College for Foreign Trade. After graduation, he began his career as a tax advisor and consecutively worked as a senior advisor at Arthur Andersen. Mr. Tóth held senior positions for eight years at ABN Amro Bank and Citibank. Then moved to KDB Bank (Europe) Ltd. in 2005, where after serving in senior positions, he became Deputy CEO between 2013 and 2021. Mr. Tóth is fluent in English.
NESTANLIN GARCIA is a Managing Director within Blackstone’s Private Equity Institutional Client Solutions team based in Frankfurt. Nesta focuses on Blackstone’s Private Equity capital raising and investor relations initiatives in Germany, Austria, and Central Eastern Europe. Before joining Blackstone, Nesta worked at DWS where he had several roles in the institutional business – most recently Nesta was the Head of Alternatives Coverage and Financial Institutions Group. Prior to joining DWS, Nesta was a Director and Head of Occupational Pensions & Non-Profit Organizations at BlackRock in Germany. Nesta completed a Diploma in Economics at the University of Bonn
RAJKA BERTALANIĆ has been Head of Legal and Compliance at Raiffeisen Mandatory and Voluntary Pension Funds Management Company (RMF) since 2016. After working at a law firm, she joined the team that successfully developed the Croatian central securities depository and clearing and settlement services. Prior to joining RMF, Ms. Bertalanić held various banking roles, focusing on investment banking, corporate finance, investment funds, and capital markets compliance. She holds a law degree from the University of Zagreb Faculty of Law and passed the Croatian Bar exam in 1995. Ms. Bertalanić participated in working groups responsible for drafting the Croatian Capital Markets Act, the local ISDA Master Agreement, the Financial Collateral Act, and legislation regulating the local pension industry
ANTE ŽIGMAN, PhD, was born on 8 May 1972 in Zagreb. He graduated from the University of Zagreb, Faculty of Economics and Business, where he continued his academic education and obtained a master’s degree and a PhD in economics. He started his career at the Croatian National Bank and has since held numerous functions both in the private and the public sector. From 1996 to 2000 he worked as a trainee, then as an associate and finally a division head at the Croatian National Bank. From 2000 to 2004 he was the chief economist of a commercial bank, and from 2004 to 2008 he worked at the Ministry of Finance, first as Assistant Minister for macroeconomic analyses and forecasts and later as a State Secretary. From 2008 to 2011 he served on the management board of a commercial bank, and from 2011 to 2018 he was an Advisor to the Governor of the CNB in the segment of fiscal policy. During that period, he held the office of the Vice President of the Fiscal Policy Commission of the Croatian Parliament and of the member of the Economic and Financial Committee's Sub-Committee on EU Sovereign Debt Markets In 2018, Ante Žigman was appointed President of the Board of the Croatian Financial Services Supervisory Agency (HANFA) by the Croatian Parliament, with his responsibilities including the regulation and supervision of the non-banking financial sector, including the capital market, insurance, investment and pension funds, and virtual asset service providers. In February 2024, he was appointed for a second six-year term at the same function. He held numerous European positions, was a member of the Board of Supervisors, of the Management Board and ohe Quality Control Committee of the European Insurance and Occupational Pensions Authority (EIOPA), where he also served as Chair of the Risks and Financial Stability Steering Committee. He was also a member of the Board of Supervisors of European Securities and Markets Authority (ESMA) and a member of its Management Board. He has authored a series of scientific and professional papers in the field of fiscal policy and finance and he participates in teaching at higher education institutions and colleges as a lecturer in the field of economics and finance. Ante Žigman was appointed Governor of the Croatian National Bank by the Decision of the Croatian Parliament on 19 f tJune 2026
IVANA GAŽIĆ, President of the Management Board, Zagreb Stock Exchange, graduated in Finance from the Faculty of Economics in Zagreb in and completed an Executive MBA at the International Executive Development Center in Bled, Slovenia. She is a licensed investment advisor and permanent court expert in finance and capital markets, and the author of several papers on investor relations. Throughout her career, she has held senior positions at leading Croatian financial and business institutions, including Pliva, Lura, Société Générale – Splitska banka and Hypo Alpe-Adria-Bank. Since May 2010, she has served as President of the Management Board of the Zagreb Stock Exchange. She is also Chair of the Supervisory Board of the Ljubljana Stock Exchange, a member of the Board of Directors of the Macedonian Stock Exchange, and a member of the Board of Federation of European Securities Exchanges. She is a frequent speaker and lecturer on investor relations, finance and capital markets and regularly participates in national and international professional conferences.
DANIEL LENARDIĆ, Partner, KPMG is Partner responsible for Advisory services at KPMG Adria region. He holds a B.Sc., a M.Sc. and a Ph.D. degree in Computer Engineering, University of Zagreb, where he also completed a postgraduate study in Business Management. In addition, he completed an Executive MBA program in International Business at the University of Edinburgh and the École Nationale des Ponts et Chaussées in Paris. Projects that Daniel has worked on have spanned areas of business strategy and planning, financial modelling, market research and feasibility studies, corporate restructuring, organizational development, business process improvement, performance management, operations management, as well as commercial due diligence.
IGOR ŠTEMBERGER, Founder and Chairman of the Management Board of ILIRIKA, graduated from secondary school in Postojna and from the Faculty of Law in Ljubljana. He is the founder and Chairman of the Management Board of ILIRIKA d.d. Ljubljana, a leading brokerage firm in Slovenia.
KRISTIJAN CINOTTI, PhD, is the Managing Partner of Forvis Mazars for the Adriatic region. He founded the firm in 1995, providing audit, accounting, tax, and financial advisory services. Together with his team, he has built the firm over the years, and it now employs 250 people across Croatia, Slovenia, Serbia, and Bosnia and Herzegovina. He is a licensed auditor, tax advisor, and business valuation expert. He holds a PhD in business performance measurement, in which he developed the EVAFS model, linking value creation and financial stability. He is the author or co-author of several books and professional papers. In 2023, the Croatian Managers' Association CROMA awarded him the Manager of the Year Award for positive social impact. He is married and the father of three children.
LENA HABUŠ, Partner at Deloitte Central Europe, is a Partner at Deloitte Central Europe, leading the Strategy and Transactions team in the Zagreb office, with a focus on M&A advisory, corporate finance, due diligence, and valuation and modelling. She has over 20 years of professional experience in investment banking, corporate finance, controlling, and reporting. She has significant expertise in all aspects of M&A transactions, including M&A Transaction Services, valuations, and business modelling across Central Europe. Her sector focus includes retail and FMCG, as well as the hospitality industry. She also serves as Deloitte Central Europe People and Purpose Leader and, as part of the Deloitte Central Europe Executive, leads an initiative focused on the continuous development and career management of top talent and partners. Lena holds a Master’s degree from the Faculty of Economics, University of Zagreb, and an MBA degree from Columbia Business School, New York, USA.
PETAR MILADIN completed his secondary education and law studies in Zagreb. After graduating, he worked as a trainee at the Municipal Court and the Commercial Court in Zagreb. He passed the bar exam in 1999. He is a full professor at the Faculty of Law, University of Zagreb, teaching commercial law, company law, and banking law. From October 2013 to October 1, 2015, he served as Vice-Dean of the Faculty of Law, University of Zagreb. He led a University of Zagreb research project titled "Legal and Economic Framework of Capital Market Law." He has published approximately one hundred scholarly papers. He is listed as an arbitrator for proceedings both with and without an international element at the Permanent Arbitration Court of the Croatian Chamber of Economy. He represented the Republic of Croatia in UNCITRAL Working Group IV (Electronic Commerce) and the Croatian Chamber of Economy in the ICC working group on commercial law. He served on the drafting committees for the Investment Funds Act, the Companies Act, and the Obligations Act. He served two terms on the Supervisory Board of the Zagreb Stock Exchange and one term as Chairman of the Supervisory Board of the Central Depository and Clearing Company.
LUKA RIMAC is a Partner at Mamić Perić Reberski Rimac (MPRR), where he leads the Banking, Finance and Capital Markets practice. He has more than 25 years of professional experience, primarily advising clients on finance and capital markets matters in Croatia and the wider South-Eastern European region. Throughout his career, Luka has been involved in a wide range of significant domestic and cross-border transactions involving international financial institutions, companies and other market participants. His work combines extensive knowledge of the Croatian legal and regulatory framework with experience in multi-jurisdictional transactions and international financing structures. Alongside his transactional practice, Luka advises companies and market infrastructure operators on regulatory and other legal matters. His broader areas of professional interest include private equity, corporate governance, mergers and acquisitions, competition law, resolution of financial institutions, insolvency and restructuring. Over the course of his career, Luka has participated in a number of landmark transactions and is recognized as one of the leading lawyers in the country for finance and capital markets. Luka speaks Croatian, English and German.
PETER TSCHUTSCHER Senior Director, Institutional Clients at KGAL Investment Management www.kgal.de and Member of the Board of Panitek Green Ventures (www.panitek.com). An expert in renewable energy infrastructure and cleantech venture capital investment. Peter works at KGAL Investment Management and sits on the advisory board of Panitek Green Ventures. Before joining KGAL, Peter started his career at LGT Bank in Liechtenstein, Bank Julius Bär in London and spent 20 years in senior positions at Barclays Investment Bank in London within the European Institutional Distribution Business. KGAL Investment Management is a Munich based Pan-European boutique Renewable Infrastructure investment manager with EUR 16bn AUM. Peter’s focus is on Business Development, Client Relationships, to develop new opportunities, strategies and markets. Core interests and expertise are in Energy Transition as well as Venture Capital (CleanTeach and 3D Print/Additive & Advanced Manufacturing). Panitek Green Ventures, Advisory board – Panitek is a Liechtenstein-Swiss-India based investment, project development and advisory company dedicated to bringing proven European innovative cleantech companies to India, as well as helping Indian companies setting up in Europe.
DAJANA BARBIĆ is a Full Professor at the Department of Finance, Faculty of Economics and Business, University of Zagreb, with over fifteen years of experience in teaching, research and financial literacy development. Her work focuses on public finance, personal finance and financial literacy, particularly on strengthening citizens’ financial resilience. She earned her PhD in 2014 with a dissertation examining the relationship between financial literacy and successful personal financial management. Her work is dedicated to advancing financial education and empowering young people and women to make informed financial decisions. She serves as Croatia’s National Financial Literacy Ambassador, supporting an EU initiative to strengthen citizens’ financial knowledge and resilience. Her distinctions include the Dr. Pero Jurković Award for research on responsible financial behaviour, the Zagreb Stock Exchange Academy Award for her contribution to capital market education, and the Faculty of Economics and Business Award for the Best Scientific Paper in 2025. She has published numerous papers, textbooks and books on financial and tax literacy. She organises Financial Literacy Week and chairs its Programme Committee. She also contributes to expert working groups of the Croatian ministries responsible for finance and labour, focusing on financial literacy and pension system development.
IVANA DRLJE Over the course of 15 years in capital markets and the banking sector, primarily in risk management, she has led various market, liquidity, and credit risk teams. She began her career at InterCapital, Croatia’s leading asset management company and investment firm for brokerage and custody services, where she rapidly advanced to the role of Group Risk Manager. In 2016, she joined the UniCredit Group, taking on the role of Head of Market Risk at Zagrebačka banka. In early 2019, she progressed to a group strategic role at UniCredit Holding in Milan, where she was responsible for key regulatory and strategic priorities for Central and Eastern European countries, with a focus on financial risk management and credit risk underwriting. In 2022, she advanced to Executive Director of the Strategic, Credit and Integrated Risks Division at Zagrebačka banka. In 2024, she returned to the InterCapital Group, where she had originally started her career. Today, as CEO of InterCapital Digital Wealth Management, she focuses on managing the assets of private clients and on the development of Genius by InterCapital, the first Croatian robo advisory application that modernizes and democratizes access to professional asset management.
MARKO PIPUNIĆ is the President of the Management Board and founder of Žito Group, a position he has held for 35 years. He holds a university degree in Agricultural Engineering, specializing in Animal Husbandry, from the Faculty of Agriculture at the University of Osijek. Throughout his professional career, he has been dedicated almost entirely to entrepreneurship, with a strong focus on agriculture, animal husbandry, and crop production. His business achievements have been widely recognized, most notably with the prestigious EY Entrepreneur of the Year award in 2016. In addition to his role within the Group, Marko Pipunić owns the International Medical Center "Priora," diversifying into healthcare services; the sports center "Centar Sokol" in Osijek, featuring a renovated and modernized gymnastics hall; and the restaurant "Crna Svinja." Through these initiatives, he actively supports the local community and contributes to continuously improving the region's social infrastructure.
TIHANA NAĐ is a Portfolio Manager at Allianz ZB d.o.o., a mandatory and voluntary pension fund management company. She has been with the company since 2020 and has held the position of Portfolio Manager since 2023. Her professional interests include investment analysis, portfolio management and sustainable investing, with a particular focus on sustainability considerations in investment decision-making. She holds the CFA Institute Certificate in ESG Investing and has co-authored two scientific papers in the field of sustainability. Tihana holds a degree in Business Economics from the Faculty of Economics and Business, University of Zagreb, where she specialised in Analysis and Business Planning.
OZREN KOBSA is an attorney-at-law at Buterin & Partners Law Firm in Zagreb, with more than 15 years of experience in banking, finance and capital markets. He previously headed the banking, finance and capital markets practice at the local branch of a top-tier regional law firm, was a partner at the legal arm of a Big Four firm, and spent a year with an international financial institution (IFI) as legal counsel for capital markets development. His practice covers cross-border acquisition and project finance, restructurings, bond issuances and bank resolution. He pairs that legal career with a strong STEM background as an unusual combination in the profession. As co-founder of Ulpian, he has been building the first Croatian AI tool for researching legislation: the system answers questions in natural language and cites the exact provision each answer rests on, so the user can verify it. He treats that verifiability as the precondition for using AI in regulated decision-making. Working as both counsel and builder gives him a concrete view of where the technology shifts professional judgement and where it does not.
MELITA ČIČAK has been Director of the Pension System Directorate at the Ministry of Labor, Pension System, Family and Social Policy since 2017. She graduated from the Faculty of Law, University of Zagreb, and began her career in 1992 at the Croatian Institute for Pension Insurance. Since 2006, she has held managerial positions in the ministry responsible for the pension system. She is also Chair of the Management Board of the Croatian Institute for Pension Insurance and a representative of pension fund members on the Supervisory and Audit Committee of Allianz ZB d.o.o., a mandatory and voluntary pension fund management company. Throughout her career, she has been involved in drafting legislation, implementing pension reforms and policies, and representing the Republic of Croatia in various expert bodies and working groups in the field of pension insurance and social security.
IVAN KURTOVIĆ is Managing Partner at InterCapital, a leading independent financial services group based in Croatia, where he oversees sales, business development and digital transformation initiatives. He has more than 20 years of leadership experience in capital markets and asset management. From 2016 to 2025, he led InterCapital Asset Management, delivering sevenfold growth in assets under management and launching innovative products including regional ETFs and Genius, a digital investment and savings platform. Ivan holds an Executive MBA from IMD and certificates in Global Management, Coaching and Corporate Governance from INSEAD. He also serves as the INSEAD Directors Network Ambassador for Croatia and holds EMCC Global accreditation at Senior Practitioner level.
ZVONIMIR GALIĆ, PhD, full professor and "head" of the Chair of Work Psychology at the Department of Psychology of the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences in Zagreb. He was visiting researcher at Purdue University, Psychological Sciences in the USA (Fulbright fellowship) and the Australian National University, Research School of Management in Australia (Endeavour fellowship). He is the principal investigator of a number of scientific and professional projects focused on the application of the latest research on motivation and decision-making in contemporary organizations. His scientific research has been published in respected international publications of organizational psychology, and he is a long-term member of the editorial board of leading scientific journals – in psychology and management. He is the co-director of the postgraduate study in Human Resources Management at the University of Zagreb. As a consultant in leadership and human resource management, he has collaborated with a large number of private- and public-sector organizations in Croatia.
NIKOLA ERCEG, PhD, senior research and teaching assistant at the Department of Psychology, Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, University of Zagreb. His research focuses on judgment and decision-making, rationality, cognitive biases, and consumer behavior, as well as the role of artificial intelligence in work and organizational settings, persuasion, and the propagation and countering of misinformation. He has participated in a number of research projects funded by the Croatian Science Foundation, EU funds, and the University of Zagreb. He is the author of numerous scientific papers published in established international journals and the co-author of two books on the psychology of money. He is a member of the editorial board of the journal Psihologija and a reviewer for more than twenty international scientific journals. He is also a member of the European Association of Work and Organizational Psychology, the Society for Judgment and Decision Making, and the European Association for Decision Making.
DOMINIK GLUHINIĆ, President of the Management Board, holds a Master's degree in Public Sector Management with 20 years of experience within financial and pension sector, while focusing on sales, strategic business development and gaining profound knowledge in financial institutions business scope and public policies. He graduated from the Baltazar Polytechnic and the University of Split. He started his career at Privredna banka Zagreb, where he gained extensive experience within banking sector while obtaining various positions. In September 2020, he continued as head of marketing and sales at Croatian Pension Insurance Company, Jsc. He was appointed a Member of the Governing Council of Croatian Pension Insurance Institute, while since July 2025 he has been appointed a President of the Management Board of the Croatian Pension Insurance Company, Jsc.
STEFAN CELIĆ is an Institutional Trader at Flow Traders, where he has spent the past three years managing relationships with trading counterparties across Central and Eastern Europe. Stefan holds a Master degree of Finance from the Frankfurt School of Finance & Management and brings with him a wealth of experience gained at leading financial institutions, including Deutsche Börse, Amundi, Deutsche Bank, BNP Paribas, RBC, and SEB.
HRVOJE STOJIĆ is a Chief economist at Croatian employers’ association since December 2022, with interest in economic analysis, business sentiment competion policies, doing business reforms, strategic consulting, CEE/Croatia market intelligence. His sectoral focus is on energy and ICT policies. Previously, he spent more than 20 years in finance industry in macroeconomic research, policy analysis, sector research, portfolio management and corporate finance. During his career, he was responsible for macro strategy at mandatory pension fund PBZ Croatia Osiguranje and headed group economic research operations at Addiko Bank (formerly Hypo Alpe-Adria-Bank). In his assignment with Addiko Bank, he has established one of the SEE region's renown research analyst team. Throughout his career, he has provided actionable ad-hoc economic analysis with timely market perspective for Balance Sheet Management & Treasury, Corporate, Investment Banking, Financial Controlling and Risk Management Departments. Mr Stojić has in-depth experience and knowledge off SEE economic policies, banking sector regulation and the EU accession issues. He used to be the President of the Chief Economists' Club within the Croatian Banking Association – a member of the European Banking Federation. In 2016 and 2017, he was the editor in chief of the White Book for the Foreign Investors’ Council in Croatia. He is a regular speaker at many domestic and regional conferences.
LUKAS FASCHING, Director, Private Infrastructure Lead Raiffeisen Capital Management (Raiffeisen Immobilien Kapitalanlage-Gesellschaft m.b.H.) Lukas Fasching is a Senior Portfolio Manager at Raiffeisen Capital Management, where he oversees the Raiffeisen Capital Private Infrastructure Fund I and manages the Private Infrastructure segment. He joined the firm in early 2024 and initially led the establishment of its Private Markets platform. Before joining Raiffeisen Capital Management, Lukas worked at Aareal Bank AG in Germany as an M&A Manager, focusing on corporate M&A activities and the evaluation of real asset private debt fund solutions. Previously, he served as a Senior Strategy Consultant at Raiffeisen Bank International AG in Austria, working on multiple acquisitions & divestments.
FATON BEHADINI is a member of the Amundi Alpha Associates Private Equity investment team, with a current focus on secondaries and co-investments. He is responsible for the screening, analysis and assessment of private equity strategies and the due diligence, evaluation, execution and management of private equity fund, co-investment and secondary transactions in Europe and the US. Faton has been active in private markets since 2015 when he joined Alpha Associates, acquired by Amundi in 2024. Faton holds an MA in Business and Economics from the University of Zurich and a BSc in International Economics, Management and Finance from Bocconi University. He is also a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) charterholder.
ANAMARIJA STANIČIĆ, Deputy President of the Board, Croatian Financial Services Supervisory Agency (Hanfa) Anamarija Staničić is Deputy President of the Board of Hanfa, was the Head of Regulatory Harmonisation and International Cooperation Division at Hanfa from 2018 until being appointed member of Hanfa Board. After graduating from the Faculty of Economics and Business in Zagreb, she joined Hanfa as a trainee in November 2006. After that, she progressed from the position of expert associate, via positions of senior and chief advisor to the position of head of division. As part of this function, she has so far been responsible for national and EU regulations and Hanfa's international cooperation. Among other things, she is Hanfa's representative in several committees of the European Securities and Markets Authority (ESMA) and working groups of the Council of the EU.
EVA HORVAT, PhD Member of the Management Board, Raiffeisen Mandatory and Voluntary Pension Funds Management Company Plc. With over 20 years of experience in the financial industry, Eva Horvat specializes in capital markets and the pension sector. As a Member of the Management Board at Raiffeisen Pension Fund Company since 2015, she is responsible for business strategy, the development of voluntary pension savings, sales, marketing, and financial literacy initiatives, while also overseeing finance and accounting operations. She holds a degree in Finance from the Faculty of Economics & Business, University of Zagreb, an MBA from Kelley School of Business, and a PhD from the Faculty of Economics & Business, University of Zagreb, awarded in 2025. Her doctoral research focused on pension fund performance, risk-return characteristics, and the contribution of pension funds to capital market development. She has published three scientific papers in the field of pension funds and actively contributes to industry discussions, professional forums and initiatives related to pension systems and capital market development. Eva combines strong organizational and managerial capabilities with a strategic approach and a proven track record in developing the voluntary pension savings business. She has a particular interest in digital solutions, financial literacy and the further development of pension products and services. She is committed to continuous professional development and to contributing to the advancement of the pension industry. Outside her professional activities, she enjoys spending time with her family and participating in sports.
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