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The “Invest Smart – Invest in Croatia” conference, held on March 15 in Rovinj, brought together entrepreneurs from leading domestic companies and people who run some of the largest subsidiaries of global companies to share experiences on investment potential in Croatia. This event was held as part of the project “Advisory and other services for the implementation of cluster initiatives” implemented by the Ministry of Economy and Sustainable Development in cooperation with the Croatian Chamber of Commerce.

During the conference, it was pointed out that Croatia has great potential for attracting investments, but that the precondition for this is digital transformation and better cooperation between the private and public sectors.

“Investments in digitalization” panel discussion

Igor Grdić, Member of the Management Board of Vertiv Croatia, Denis Jašarević, President of the Management Board of IN2, Damir Begović, ABB Croatia, Tomislav Balun, Director of IBM Croatia, Božidar Poldrugač, Member of the Management Board of Končar and Mirjana Samardžić Novoselec, Member of the Management Board, participated in the “Investments in Digitalization” Apsolona panel. Participants discussed what digitalization is, what stage Croatia is in and whether the process of digital transformation can solve current issues in the Croatian economy. Together they concluded that investments in digital transformation are necessary for growth, development and market competitiveness.

“Being an entrepreneur in Croatia” panel discussion

Participants in the last panel of the conference entitled “Being an Entrepreneur in Croatia,” included: Marinko Došen, President of the Management Board of AD Plastik, Saša Cvetojević, Entrepreneur and Investor, John Gašparac, CCBN and Country Managing Partner, Pricewaterhousecoopers, Andrea Doko Jelušić, Executive Director of AmCham, Nataša Ćurić Martinčević, President of the Management Board of Apsolon and Petar Šimić, CCBN and Director of Primacošped.

Although 2020 dealt a strong blow to Croatian entrepreneurs, there was no lack of optimism among the participants. “This is an opportunity to encourage local investment. I believe that we should always look to the future and look for new business development so that we can follow the requirements of our clients,” said Došen, while Gašparac continued and emphasized that the crisis has positively affected the transformation of companies and the future of the Croatian economy.