He began his career at Spem d.o.o. as project and development director, where he was responsible for the development of know-how and business operations in Slovenia and in Spem’s foreign branch offices. During the work at Spam he was also responsible for setting up the Slovenian branch of the London School of Public Relations and became its first director. He then left for Petrol, where he was at the position of director of marketing (between years 1999-2006). He established a modern marketing function and strategy there and was responsible for the planning, implementation and measurement of success of marketing activities for all companies in the Petrol Group in Slovenia and SE Europe. After Petrol he moved to a global company for management consultancy AT Kearney, where he was an advisor dealing mostly with energy and consumer goods, and was also responsible for marketing in SE Europe. In 2007 he became CEO of Fructal, where he successfully rescued the company and took it from loss to profit, halted the continuous four-year decline in turnover and instigated a growth in turnover and has restored the reputation of Fructal in Slovenia and SE Europe, as confirmed by numerous awards and research studies.

In 2010 he then assumed the helm of the Žito Group and Žito d.d. as president of the management board and CEO. Within two years of leadership at Žito he successfully introduced unique business model that focuses the Company on key product groups and despite the unenviable market conditions, falling purchasing power and poor liquidity of the entire Slovenian economy, achieved the objectives of the first phase of implementation of the Žito’s strategy – rationalization of resources, cost effectiveness, internal market consolidation and growth.

As a CEO at Žito he also supported Slovenian agro-processing industry with his capacity as president of the section for milling and baking at Chamber of Agricultural and Food Enterprises Slovenia. He is also the chairman for the promotion of agricultural and food products at section for the promotion of Slovenia.

Anton Balažič was born in Maribor on 8 August 1973, and graduated from the Faculty of Economics and Business at his hometown university. He earned his MBA at the IEDC Bled School of Management in 2005.

Tomaz Berločnik (born 1968) earned a Bachelor’s degree in Engineering and a Master's degree in Economics. After graduating from the Faculty of Engineering, Tomaz and his colleagues founded the company SSR Ltd., a mechanical engineering and computing company. Tomaz also started working as a project manager for the rehabilitation of companies in the then Office for Development Fund after he completed his studies. Mr. Berlocnik also served as CEO of Donit Tesnit dd and Istrabenz dd. He was a member of the Supervisory Board of Petrol dd, Ljubljana and is a member of the Supervisory Board of Elan Group Ltd. On January 10, 2011, Tomaz was appointed Chairman of the Management Board of Petrol dd, Ljubljana.

Before Dr. Bishev began working for Stopanska Banka - Skopje in 2000, he served as Deputy Governor of the National Bank of Macedonia. He holds a PhD in Economics and has attended various seminars and training courses in Austria, Britain, and Switzerland.

Gligor is an Associate Professor at the Faculty of Economics in Ljubljana and a professor at the Prilep Postgraduate Faculty of Economics and Institute of Economics in Skopje. He has participated in national monetary reform projects and in many research projects on economic development and banking, monetary policy, and economic policy.

Franjo Bobinac is CEO of Gorenje Group, one of Europe's leading manufacturers of household appliances.

Mr. Bobinac studied International Economic Relations at the Faculty of Economics in Ljubljana and in 1997 completed his MBA studies at the Ecole Superieure de Commerce in Paris.

He joined Gorenje Commerce in 1986 as Assistant Director of Exports. Four years later he was appointed Director of Exports and, in 1991, Franjo was appointed Director of Marketing for Gorenje – Household Appliances. From 1993 to 1998, Franjo was the Managing Director of Gorenje's branch in Paris, France. In 1998 he became a member of the management board of Gorenje responsible for sales and marketing, and in July 2003 he was appointed CEO of Gorenje Group.

In addition to his extensive international experience in sales and marketing, Franjo has in-depth theoretical and practical knowledge. He participates in presentations to students of management at the IEDC - Bled School of Management, Faculty of Economics, International Graduate School of Jozef Stefan, and elsewhere.

Franjo is also a member of several boards, including the Management Committee CECED (European Association of Manufacturers of Domestic Appliances), the College of Economy - FELU, the Advisory Council of the Faculty of Economics in Ljubljana, the IEDC, the Jozef Stefan, and President of the Handball Federation of Slovenia. He also served as President of the Association of Slovenian Managers from 2004 to 2009.

Mr. Boscarol, a pilot and entrepreneur, has laid groundwork for the development of alternative aviation, and has set new standards for light aircraft. He is a designer and manufacturer of some of the top motor-powered ultralight aircraft in the world such as Sine (World Champion 2001), Virus (two-time winner of the NASA GAT challenge), and Taurus Electro, the first two-seat electric airplane in the world.

Recognizing the importance of environmental protection, Pipistrel has designed its business structure around completely self-sufficient energy from renewable sources. In the future, aircraft designs will incorporate more environmentally friendly alternative sources of propulsion.

Ales Bratož graduated from the Faculty of Organizational Sciences and now performs postgraduate specialist study management at the Faculty of Economics in Ljubljana.

His professional career with Revoz began on the axle assembly line for the R-4. Ales later became Head of Input Control, Quality Suppliers, and the Body Shop. In 2005 he took over the Renault Avtoframos factory in Moscow. Ales was later appointed CEO of Revoz dd and Director and General Manager of the Renault factory in Slovenia.

Joze Colaric (born in 1955 in Brežice) graduated from the Faculty of Economics in Ljubljana in 1979. He began working for Krka in 1982 in the Finance Department, and then moved to the Sales and Marketing Department.

In 1997 he was appointed to the Supervisory Board of Krka, and in the following year was appointed Deputy CEO.

In 2004, the Supervisory Board appointed Joze as CEO of Krka for a five-year tem beginning in 2005, and was subsequently appointed for a six-year term beginning in 2010.

Sandi Češko co-founded ORIA, one of the first private companies in Slovenia, and is co-owner of Studio Moderna, a leading company in the field of direct marketing. Sandi has served as a Supervisory Board member in several Slovenian companies (Telecom, etc.) He was the first member directly elected to the National Council of the Republic of Slovenia. Sandi is a member of several business associations in the field of direct marketing (DMA, ERA), including the International Advisory Board of the DMA, the Clinton Global Initiative, and the Balkan Children and Youth Foundation. He is also a member of the Council of the Faculty of Economics in Ljubljana and a member of the Supervisory Board of IEDC - Bled School of Management.

Christof Johannes Droste was born in 1961 in Germany and earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Engineering Technology.

Christof has been employed with Hella KGaA Hueck & Co. for 22 years. When he began his career with Hella, Christof was involved with strategic planning and the building of a business network for spare components. He also coordinated Hella factories and organized production lines. He became the Managing Director of Hella Original Equipment, Technical Director of Hella Saturnus Slovenia, Crisis Manager of Hella Lighting in China, Vice President of Hella Saturnus Slovenia, and then General Director of Hella Saturnus Slovenia.

During his time at Hella Saturnus Slovenia, the company won the “Ford Q1" award, “Golden Award” from the Chamber of Commerce, Ljubljana Charter for innovation "LED heat dissipation module”, “Silver Award” from the Slovenian Chamber of Commerce for the best innovation in 2007 for innovation "LED module heat dissipation, the "Volkswagen Group Award” in 2009 for the project Golf 6 GTI headlights, and the FDI Award Slovenia in 2010.

Christof is a board member of the German-Slovenian Chamber of Commerce, the Club of Slovenian Manufacturers of Parts for Motor Vehicles, a member of the ACS, the Slovenian Automotive Group, and a member of the Association of Managers.

Tatjana Fink is one of the most influential Slovenian female managers. In addition to leading the company Trimo, Tatjana also participates in several professional organizations.

In addition to working for Trimo, Tatjana is actively involved in many organizations, including the Association of the Metal Industry, Regional Chamber of Commerce – Dolenjska and Bela Krajina, and a board member of various organizations including the Association AB, the SRC - Arts, IEDC Bled, State College of the University of Ljubljana, the Strategic Economic Council appointed by the Prime Minister of the Republic of Slovenia, the Strategic Council for the Internationalization of the Chamber of Commerce, the Museum of Architecture and Design, and the Slovenian-Dutch Business Association.

Under her leadership, Trimo has made great strides in development. In 2007, Trimo was the first Slovenian company to receive the European Award for Leadership.

Tatjana lectures at professional conferences and seminars in other countries on the topic of leadership. She is active in many charitable events and is an avid lover of culture.

Janko Medja has been the Chairman of the Supervisory Board of the NLB since July 2012. Before that, he was a member of the Management Board of Unicredit bank for almost 4 years, and before that, he was Director of Corporate Banking in Unicredit bank. He finished the MBA studies cum laude in 2005 at the EDC - Bled School of Management, and prior to that graduated from the Faculity of Economics of the University in Ljubljana. He received the award of the Bank of Slovenia for his Bachelor's thesis entitled "Quality in Banking". In his 15 years of professional career, he gained in-depth experience in various areas of banking and management. His achievements were recognised also by the professional and expert publics. Janko Medja actively co-operates with the US Chamber of Commerce in the project of providing mentorship for young talents. In 2011, he received the prestigious award "Young Manager of the Year" conferred by the Managers' Association of Slovenia.

Jože Mermal, born in 1954 in Ljubljana, earned his Bachelor’s Degree in Economics. He first started working for BTC in 1978 became CEO of BTC dd in 1993. Jože had many positions during his career with BTC including Director responsible for planning and development department, Assistant General Procurator, Director of the commercial area. He has served as a member of the boards of joint-stock companies, and as a responsible manager of emerging Interspar shopping center project, which was one of the key projects for the emergence of the modern BTC City.

Mr. Mermal is now in his 17th year as CEO of BTC.

In 1997 he was head of the BTC project listing on the London Stock Exchange, the same year he received the Manager of the Year award in Slovenia. In 2001 he received the Primus Prize-Professional Slovenian Advertising Chamber of Commerce award for communication excellence, and in 2005 he was recognized by the Slovenian Science Foundation.

Jože has served as a member of the Slovenian Science Foundation since 1994, the Association of Managers since 1996, and the Advisory Council of the Faculty of Economics in Ljubljana since 2002. He is Vice President of the Academic Board Sports Association and an honorary member of the Olympic Gymnastic Association of Slovenia. He is a member of two supervisory boards and is also actively involved in the public housing project "Partnership Šmartinka” operated by MOL.

He started his professional career in 1991 as a trainee and continued as an assistant professor at the Faculty of Economics in Ljubljana. After three years he joined Factor Banka d.d. in Ljubljana and headed the treasury.

In 1998, he took over managing the renowned marketing agency Studio Marketing J.W.T., d.o.o. From 1999 until July 2002 he was the executive director of the commercial sector at SKB Banka d.d. Ljubljana.

In July 2002, he assumed the position of a member of the Management Board in Nova Ljubljanska Banka d.d., Ljubljana. In his first term of office he was in charge of operations with large companies. In 2007, he started his second term of office and was responsible for financial markets sector, international operations and investment banking.

1. decembra 2009 je prevzel mesto direktorja področja finančnih trgov, mednarodnega poslovanja in investicijskega bančništva.

Na mesto predsednika uprave Save, d.d., je bil imenovan 16. decembra 2010, funkcijo pa je začel opravljati 31. marca 2011. Mandat predsednika uprave Save, d.d, se mu izteče 31. marca 2016. Kot predsednik uprave Save, d.d., je odgovoren za upravljanje in nadzor skupine, organizacijo, kadre in korporativno komuniciranje.

Je predsednik nadzornega sveta družbe Sava Turizem, d. d., Bled, in namestnik predsednika nadzornega sveta družbe Hoteli Bernardin, d. d., Portorož.

Stojan Petrič graduated in 1974 from the Faculty of Economics in Ljubljana and immediately began his career with Collector. Stojan was promoted quickly through the ranks of Kolektor, and in March 1994 became CEO of Collector.

Kolektor has a presence in all global markets with manufacturing facilities in the U.S., Germany, South Korea, and China and trading companies in the EU countries and beyond.

Matej Potokar graduated from the Faculty of Computer and Information Science in Ljubljana and later earned his MBA at the University of Kansas, USA.

Matej first joined Microsoft in 2003 and became Director of Microsoft Business Solutions (Microsoft Business Solutions MBS) for the region of Central and Eastern Europe in July 2010. Before this he was the General Director of the Slovenia branch of Microsoft for three years, leading services in the region of Central and Eastern Europe, and before this services in the Adriatic region and Southeast Europe. During his tenure as General Director, the business results of the Slovenia Branch of Microsoft ranked among the most successful of all branches.

Before joining Microsoft, Matej worked for the company Intertrade ITS. He first worked as a consultant and project manager, later served as head of the group and then as Assistant Director, and most recently as General Director of the company. He is a member of CEEMAN organization, the Association for Management Development in Southeast Europe, which combines reputable educational institutions and successful companies from 42 countries in Europe, America, and Asia. He is Council Vice President of the American Chamber of Commerce in Slovenia and a member of the Advisory Council of the Faculty of Economics in Ljubljana, which supervises the curriculum of the faculty.

Matjaž Rakovec graduated from the Faculty of Economics in Ljubljana and has fifteen years of experience in the insurance industry. He began his career as a craftsman in Radovljica and continued as an independent salesman in the company Intertrade, the then company Anga. Matjaž began working for the insurance company Triglav, dd, Ljubljana in 1994, where he started in the sales department and a year later became Assistant Director responsible for directing the marketing collateral legal persons and the IT field. In 2005 he joined the company Studio Moderna, Ltd. as Director, and then served as an advisor to the board of Mercator. He returned to Triglav in 2006 and led the Ljubljana regional unit. Matjaž was appointed CEO of Triglav in August 2009.

Rigelnik has served as General Director of ACH, dd, Ljubljana since 1994.

Born in 1942 in Mežica in Carinthia, Rigelnik earned his Master’s Degree in Economic Sciences and completed his undergraduate studies in metallurgy.

Rigelnik first gained industrial experience with the company Slovenj Fecru. He served as a member of the management board of Maribor METAL, and later served as General Director of Celje Kovinotehna. In 1982 and 1983 he was the Minister for Industry, Construction, and Energy of the Republic of Slovenia. From 1983 to 1991 Rigelnik served as CEO of Gorenje Group, and successfully managed its restructuring as one of the largest companies in the former Yugoslavia. In 1991 he became Director of the Nova Ljubljanska Bank subsidiary in Munich and an adviser to the Minister of Foreign Affairs to the German states of Bavaria and Baden Württenberg.

In 1992 he was appointed Deputy Minister of the Republic of Slovenia for the economy. In December 1992, after the formation of the first Parliament of independent Slovenia, Rigelnik became the first president of the National Assembly of the Republic of Slovenia.

For outstanding business and entrepreneurial achievements, Rigelnik received awards from the Slovenian Chamber of Commerce and Anti-Fascist Council (1989), and in 2000 he received the Manager of the Year award. To commemorate the 15th anniversary of the National Assembly of the Republic of Slovenia, Rigelnik received special recognition, a commemorative badge, and a gold medal from the National Assembly of the Republic of Slovenia in 2007.

Za izjemne gospodarske in podjetniške dosežke je mag. Herman Rigelnik prejel nagradi Gospodarske zbornice Slovenije in AVNOJ (1989), v letu 2000 pa priznanje Manager leta. Ob počastitvi 15. obletnice Državnega zbora Republike Slovenije je leta 2007 prejel posebno priznanje, spominsko značko in zlato plaketo Državnega zbora Republike Slovenije.

Cvetka graduated from the Economics Faculty in Zagreb. She began her career with SKB in 1991 as Assistant Director, responsible for international business, and was promoted to Executive Director for international business a few years later. Cvetka is a board member of SKB responsible for international business, investment banking, and equity investments and has served as President of the Management Board since 2010.

Cvetka has been a member of the World Economic Forum since 1989, a member of BIAC (Business and Industry Advisory Committee to the OECD) since 1994, a member of the Steering Committee for Central and Eastern Europe since 1995, and President of the National Sub-Committee BIAC for Slovenia.

Cvetka has served as a member of the Supervisory Board of the Ljubljana Stock Exchange since 1997, and was the President from 1998 to 2001. She served as a member of the Supervisory Board of Merkur from 1994 to 2002, a member of the Supervisory Board of Generali insurance from 2001 and President from 1999-2001, from 2001 to 2003 President of the Pension Supervisory Board of SKB, and from 2003 a board member of the State Pension Fund. She is a member of the City Council in Ljubljana and is involved in economic and political life in the Slovenian capital.

Dr. Yuri Sidorovich completed his Master's Degree in Banking and Finance and his Doctorate in Economics.

Yuri gained the title of certified auditor at the Slovenian Institute of Auditors, certified public accountant (CPA) in the U.S., certified internal auditor (CIA), and certified forensic investigator (CFE). He is Vice-Chairman of the Audit Board of the Slovenian Institute of Auditors, a member of the International Association of Fraud Investigators, the International Institute of Internal Auditors, and the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants. He has more than two decades of professional experience from the US, Slovenia, and several other European countries. Among his experience includes the management of audit projects, forensic investigations, internal audits, and consultancy in the fields of IFRS and financial instruments. ACCA has a degree of international financial reporting and among his tasks is also the role of leader of IFRS in the Adriatic region.

Uroš Slavinec was born in Maribor in 1951 and graduated from the Faculty of Economics in Ljubljana.

Uroš started his professional career with Helios. In 1979 he was appointed to the board and was responsible for economics and finance. In 1981 he took over the role of the CEO. His career with Helios was briefly interrupted in 1986-1990 when he was chairman of the Republican Committee for Industry and Construction and a member of the Executive Council of the Republic of Slovenia. After completion of his mandate, Uroš continued his career with Helios, which was, in 1996, in the process of privatization.

Uroš was a recipient of the Slovenian Chamber of Commerce award for outstanding achievements in the interest of the economy (1997) and recognition of managerial personality in 2006.

During his leadership at Helios, the company achieved significant developmental shifts, allowing it to become the largest producer of paints and varnishes in Central and Eastern Europe. Helios products successfully follow strict requirements of European directives on solvent content and meet the most important environmental trends in terms of the transition to environmentally friendly substances. Helios consists of 34 subsidiaries in 13 countries, placing it 13th among manufacturers of paints and varnishes in Europe in terms of sales revenue.

Uroš also serves as Chairman of the Supervisory Board of Gorenje, dd and a supervisory board member of Triglav Insurance Company.

Aleš was born in 1962 in Postojna and completed his undergraduate degree in 1987 and his Mater’s Degree in 1992 at the University of Ljubljana. He is actively engaged in the development and management of chemical and biotechnological sciences. Most of the experimental work for his doctorate was carried out at the biopharmaceutical company OCTAPHARMA in Vienna. In 2002 he became an Assistant Professor in the final processes in biotechnology at the University of Ljubljana.

From 1987-1990 he worked at the University of Ljubljana as a researcher. He then served as Director of BIA Ltd. and Director of BIA Separations, since its formation in September 1998. Aleš is also a member of the Governing Board of the Institute of Chemistry and a member of the council "Centre of Excellence for Bio sensory, Instrumentation, and Process Control (COBIK)."

He is coauthor of CIM ® monolithic technology chromatographic media - "intelligent filters", which represents a pioneering technology (more on the technology found at www.monoliths.com), 4 patents awarded to the company BIA Separations in the U.S., and over 50 of their equivalents in other countries. Technology, who together with colleagues to develop, are used in BIA Separations, OCTAPHARMA, Krka, Boehringer Ingelheim, Novartis, and others. In 2004, CIM ® monoliths were successfully employed in the multinational company Boehringer Ingelheim for the industry's first plasmid DNA purification process for gene therapy purposes and to allow a 15-fold increase in productivity compared to conventional technologies. The process has received the "Technology Leadership Award" from Frost & Sullivan for 2004. The company, in consortium with partners from Austria, Germany, the Czech Republic, and Russia, is also developing vaccines for SARS and the bird flu. Aleš has co-authored over 60 scientific articles published in the most-cited journals in the separation and purification of biomolecules.

According to Entrepreneur magazine, he was recognized as "Entrepreneur of the Year 2005." Together with colleagues in the company in 2005, the RS received the Zois Award for invention and technological achievements in the field of monolithic chromatographic media.

Janez Škrabec (1963) studied economics at the Faculty of Economics in Ljubljana and pursued additional studies at the IEDC - Bled School of Management (Slovenia), Cleveland State University (USA), and INSEAD Fontainebleau (France).

Janez founded the company Riko doo in 1991, L. Riko houses in 1997, and Riko Invest Ltd in 2002. These globally successful companies are now a part of Rikogroup.

Janez is Honorary Consul of the Kingdom of Morocco, President of the Slovenian-Kuwaiti Business Forum, Chairman of the Supervisory Board of the Slovenian-German Chamber of Commerce, member of Am Cham Slovenia, and a member of the Advisory Council of the Faculty of Economics. For his work he has won several awards, including awards from the newspaper Finance and the Slovenian Chamber of Commerce, as well as recognition from the prestigious Russian Order of Friendship.

Emil is the founder and majority owner of Atlantic Group, one of the largest food companies in Southeast Europe. In 2010 he received state decoration from the President of the Republic of Croatia for special achievements in the field of economics. He is a member of the parliamentary committee for monitoring Croatia's negotiations with the European Union and the Croatian Social and Economic Council. Between 2005 and 2007 he was president of the Croatian Employers' Association. Emil is also a member of Young Global Forum leaders, INSEAD Alumni Association of the programming world, and the Zagreb School of Economics and Management. He is Vice Chairman of the Supervisory Board RTL Croatia and Honorary Consul of the Republic of Ireland in Croatia. Since 2010 he has been a member of the Economic Advisory Council to the President of Croatia.

Rok is founder and CEO of Instrumentation Technologies, a world leader in the design, development, and delivery of system solutions for instrumentation and diagnostics in particle accelerators. He combines a unique combination of skills and experience in high tech, innovative management, building world-class development teams and establishing and growing world-class companies. Rok has authored numerous professional articles and international patents, and is an invited lecturer at various international conferences. Rok has an intimate motivation to integrate the local environment into the global picture and show that stories can be written even from Solkan.

Biljana Weber has served as General Director of Strategic Development of Microsoft-Slovenia since January 2011. She graduated from the Faculty of Economics, University of Sarajevo and then continued her studies at the Open University Business School in the UK where she earned her MBA and received a professional degree in Management.

Biljana has extensive experience in developing sales channels and marketing operations and management. Before joining Microsoft, Biljana was employed at IBM as Director of the Public Sector for Central and Eastern Europe. From 2006 to 2009, she served as head of the Slovenian branch IBM.

With nearly two decades of experience in the industry, Biljana has proven her strengths in the most demanding projects and has received several awards for outstanding achievements, such as the IBM EMEA Leadership Award, the Business Leadership Award, and the Special Order of Merit Award for Business Results.

Biljana serves on the Advisory Council of the Faculty of Economics, which supervises the curriculum of the Faculty, and is a member of the Association of Managers and Lions Club Illyria.

Alexander Zalaznik graduated from the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering and then continued his studies in the MBA programme, IEDC Bled.

Alexander began his career with Danfoss Trata as a project technician and was later promoted to Head of Development, Head of Business Area Technical Director, and in 1993 he became Director of Trata. He then began with Danfoss as Vice President of Operations Danfoss District Heating, Managing Director of Danfoss LPM Finland, and Vice President of the business division of COE Components, Danfoss District Heating.

Alexander is a member of the Association for the Electrical Industry in Slovenia and the Chamber of Commerce, and was a member of Ambassadors of Danfoss Values in 2004.

Danfoss Trata, under his leadership, received numerous awards including the award for best employer in Slovenia and 33 in Europe in 2003, the best employer among manufacturing firms in 2006, the award for the third among the Slovenian most successful companies in Slovenia in 2006, and was declared a foreign investor in 2006 in the category of medium-sized enterprises. It also falls between 50 Slovenian companies with the highest rating. Danfoss was one of the three winners who received the best credit rating in the previous year.

In 2003 Danfoss Trata established the Slovenian non-governmental and non-profit organization Junior Achievement-Young Enterprise (JA-YE). The organization provides young people with free enterprise and economic education and in Slovenia more than 1800 students have attended the programme.