27th Portorož Business Conference: Using High Technology to Enter Complex Global Markets
The 27th Portorož Business Conference (PKP), Slovenia’s leading annual business event, opened today in Portorož. For nearly three decades, the conference has brought together experts from industry, academia and economic policymaking to address key global and regional challenges. This year’s conference is held under the theme “Seize the Opportunity: Using High Technology to Enter Complex Global Markets,” reflecting the central focus of this year’s discussions.
The conference began with an address by the Dean of the UL SEB, Prof. Dr. Tomaž Turk, who emphasized the School’s role as a top-tier business institution and a key partner to the business community, both in Slovenia and internationally. As a long-standing partner, the School of Economics and Business has helped shape the conference’s development and professional scope.
“This conference lives in step with the times and each year it reminds us how essential it is to understand not only the data and analytics, but also the broader context behind global technological and economic shifts. I believe we will learn many valuable things here—insights we can carry into our thinking and our actions in the year ahead.”
The opening remarks were followed by a series of presentations from distinguished international speakers, who highlighted geopolitical shifts, development challenges and opportunities within technological ecosystems.
Duncan Clark, a leading adviser to investors in technology and innovation in Asia and Chairman of BDA, presented the strategic relations between Europe and China, emphasizing that “high technology is a way to navigate global markets effectively.” Fred Schneider, Executive Director of the wiiw Executive Network at the Vienna Institute for International Economic Studies, addressed the implications of political developments in the United States. Practical industry insights were provided by Dr. Mark Pleško,Co-Founder and CEO of Cosylab, and Jernej Česen, COO of Outfit7.
The programme continued with Blaž Štefe, Founder and Director of the Euro-Sino Automotive Association (ESAA), who presented the rise of China’s provincial automotive champions; Dr. Tomaž Bregar, Director of Pre-Development at Hisense Europe, with insights into the company’s innovation breakthroughs; Tilen Hojč, Director of Vinfast Adriatic & Greece, who explained the differences between European and Chinese automotive technologies; Jochen Goeser, Co-Founder of Bold2Move, who showcased the transformation of manufacturing at Bosch Power Tools; and Simranjit Singh Ratra, Head of Business Development at Efkon, who outlined India’s role in the global technology ecosystem.
The analytical part of the first day concluded with a macroeconomic outlook by Prof. Dr. Tjaša Redek from the School of Economics and Business, who discussed future economic developments in light of technological transformation. Her lecture was followed by a closing discussion on the future of the financial sector featuring Luigi Fuzio, Chairman of the Board of Intesa Sanpaolo Bank, and Gregor Pilgram, CEO of Generali Austria.
The second day will mark an important milestone for the 32nd generation of IMB students at the School of Economics and Business, as Adam Čeru, Tatiana Fedynskaia, Jethro Muwanguzi and Nadina Salemović will present their capstone project at 9:00. Their research, “Exploring the Growth Potential of Deep Tech and Other Emerging Technologies in Slovenia,” was carried out under the guidance of mentors and is also published as a monograph edited by Prof. Dr. Polona Domadenik Muren, Prof. Dr. Matjaž Koman and Prof. Dr. Tjaša Redek.
The second day will also feature Federico Menna, CEO of 28DIGITAL; a roundtable discussion on technological differentiation; and contributions from experts from Cisco EMEA, Kearney, SAP and the University of Vienna, who will examine the impact of artificial intelligence on business models, the sports industry and marketing communication. The conference will conclude with a discussion on capital strategies for expanding into international markets, featuring Aleš Škerlak, CEO of Advance Capital Partners.