• MBA Program Director & Professor of Strategy @ RBS, Roma-Italy
• Strategy & Business Development Director @ SBS GROUP
• Senior Advisor of BDO Italy “China Desk”

Short professional biography

Antonio Scialletti has 25 years of strategic and international business consulting experience in the USA (6 years), Europe (10 years), and China (9 years). Antonio started his career at Deloitte Consulting, and then he was Managing Director of William George Europe & Asia Ltd., and CEO of GEA International Ltd. Based in Shanghai, China (Asian subsidiary of GEA Consulenti di Direzione SpA, the oldest Italian strategy consulting company headquartered in Milan, Italy), he focused on building “business-bridges” between international companies, developing the right strategic business models. Strategic thinking and committed implementation into global markets is what he excels in.

Expertise:

Wine: Founder of “SPS Scialletti Prestige Selection Co. Ltd.” in Shanghai, China: high-quality wine importer & distributor, and 1st President ONAV China (4 years)

Education:

• MBA, Boston University in Boston, USA
• Master of Science in Engineering, Rome, Italy

• PwC Academy Mini MBA SEE – Marketing, Lecturer
• Business School Lausanne (BSL) E/MBA, Associate Professor
• University of Ljubljana, Faculty of Economics E/MBA Programme, Lecturer
• Goldsmiths University London, MA in Promotional Communications, Associate Lecturer
• Faculty of Media and Communications (FMK), Belgrade, Lecturer

Short professional biography

With over three decades of strategic marketing experience, Lazar has established himself as a prominent figure in the field of brand and marketing strategy in Europe. He held the position of Head of Brand Planning NACE at the ZOO, Google’s innovative creative think tank in London, where he created the strategy team and introduced to the industry two of the world’s first Creative Data Scientists. Prior to Google, Lazar also served as Planning Director in several London creative agencies and was one of the first digital strategists in the United Kingdom. His impressive client portfolio includes PwC, Lexus, Nandos, Procter & Gamble, Virgin Holidays, Unilever, Glenfiddich, Waitrose, Gap, Diesel, British Gas, Tesco and John Lewis, Triglav, Atlantic Group, Mercator, Bambi, Delta Holding, L’Oreal, UNICEF, Telenor, Adidas, Erste Bank, and others. He was awarded three times as a ‘Top 10’ digital player on Marketing Direct’s Power 100 list. Currently, Lazar is an Associate Professor and Lecturer in digital and traditional marketing at several MBA programmes and universities in Europe. He is the author of several books and a frequent speaker in podcasts and webinars, focusing on marketing evolution in the digital age, new forms of brand storytelling, and the ethics of marketing and the digital space overall.

Books:

• The Definitive Guide to Strategic Content Marketing
• No-Copy Advertising
• Advertising (p)Age
• Public Relations: Tricks & Tips
• Marketing: Tricks & Tips
• Paths around the Signs
• Flowershop in the House of Flowers
• The Damson Tea

Expertise:

• Brand Strategy
• Communication Strategy
• Content Strategy
• Digital Marketing
• Integrated Marketing

Professional Experience:

• Light Into Heat Ltd, United Kingdom, Director
• Geeks Ltd, United Kingdom, Non-Executive Director
• Chimnie, United Kingdom, Seed Investor
• Google ZOO, London, Creative Strategist/Head of Brand Strategy
• Kitcatt Nohr Digitas, London, Planning Director

Short professional biography

Goran Golubović is a recognized IT, data, and banking expert with more than 25 years of professional experience. He started his career in Belgrade in 1997 as an IT developer and solution architect. Since moving to Slovenia in 2002, he has led several digital transformation and data & analytics projects. For the last 6 years, he served as General Manager in charge of Data & Analytics transformation and strategy implementation at NLB Group. In 2023, he began a new role as Chief Information Officer at Deželna Banka Slovenije (DBS). Goran is a firm believer in lifelong learning. Besides numerous certifications, he graduated as an engineer of informatics in Belgrade, earned a bachelor’s degree in management in Slovenia, and successfully completed Executive MBA studies. Goran has been a keynote speaker at various international conferences, including ConnectAI Boot Kamp and IDC Conferences, where he has lectured on AI, data science, and emerging data & analytics roles and technologies. He has also been involved in teaching and lecturing at several universities and forums, sharing his expertise on data management, AI, and digital transformation in the banking sector.

Expertise:

IT, Data Analytics, Data Science, Business Intelligence, Data Governance, Data Warehousing, Digitalization, Strategic Planning, Leadership

Education:

• Graduate Engineer of Informatics, University of Belgrade
• Bachelor’s degree in Management, Slovenia
• Master of Management
• Executive MBA

Professional Experience:

• Chief Information Officer at Deželna Banka Slovenije (DBS)
• General Manager in charge of Data & Analytics transformation and strategy implementation at NLB Group
• Leader of several digital transformation and data & analytics projects in Slovenia
• IT Developer and Solution Architect in Belgrade

Short professional biography

Marton Kadocsa is the Chief of Staff at Nova KBM, one of the largest banks in Slovenia, where he leads strategic projects. As a former consultant at Kearney, he developed strategies, business plans, and financial plans for banks and other companies in the SEE region and beyond. Following internships at Deloitte M&A CEE and the Controlling department of Henkel Belgium, Marton began his career as a consultant for KPMG. At KPMG, he engaged in Corporate Valuations and Restructuring projects across various industries, followed by the development of business plans, financial models, and feasibility studies for major players in the Sports Business. From 2015, he worked at Kearney as an Engagement Manager, developing strategies and financial plans for banks and other companies in the SEE region and beyond. Since 2018, Marton has worked at Nova KBM as Chief of Staff, leading strategic projects and engaging in various reporting and planning activities. In his free time, Marton is a passionate football fan and has been a licensed basketball player for 20 years, mostly in the Hungarian National Championship, League 2.

Expertise:

Strategic Management, Sports Management, Strategic Planning, Project Management, Engagement Management, Data Warehousing, Consultancy

Education:

• Master’s degree in Business Administration from the Corvinus University of Budapest, with a major in Leadership and Strategic Management (specializing in Controlling) and a minor in Sports Management

Professional Experience:

• Chief of Staff at Nova KBM
• Consultant at Kearney
• Consultant at KPMG
• Internship at Deloitte M&A CEE
• Internship in the Controlling department of Henkel Belgium

Short professional biography

Marko is a top line executive with proven focus on operations, leading operations of the fastest growing cable TV, telecom, and internet provider in SEE. He has also left a crucial track record of efficiency improvements by leading a large operational transformation and process redefinitions in the largest bank on the market. Marko has deep insight into the Western Balkan business and IT environment, with a great overview of the regional challenges of the business (administration, politics, procedures, deadlines, ecosystem of various correlated stakeholders). He was engaged with A.T. Kearney as a Senior Director for Europe and Western Balkans, Banca Intesa Beograd COO, and Serbian BroadBand COO. Currently, Marko is Partner at Egzakta Advisory with a focus on consulting specializing in Strategy, Operations, IT, Banking, telecommunications, and production. He manages stakeholders and client staff, including day-to-day communication with Board level management and Executives of companies.

Expertise:

Digital and IT transformations, Industry focus: Financial institutions, Telecommunications, IT

Education:

• Cotrugli Business School, EMBA
• Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, Industrial Engineering, University of Belgrade

Publications & Research:

Zašto Srbija uvozi proizvode koje može sama da pravi
Moderno doba neumoljivo menja tradicionalno bankarstvo

Short professional biography

Tim has over forty years’ experience as a professional Facilitator and Coach, specializing in leadership and team development. Currently, Tim is a Programme Director with Corporate Learning Solutions, heading up the UNICEF global Management Masterclass Programme. Tim enjoys de-mystifying things. As a writer and speaker, this involves taking theories and models and making them accessible to people wrestling with the day-to-day challenges of leading, inspiring, and enabling others. He has brought this passion to his work in leadership development, where jargon, impenetrable nonsense, and hyperbole have long been entrenched. In addition to his recent 6 years with UNICEF, Tim has worked with a diverse range of global clients including The Economist, Salesforce, Leading Women, The Royal Navy and the Admiralty, the UN, Korn Ferry, AT Kearney, PwC Academies in Central Europe and the Balkans, the European Court of Human Rights, TripAdvisor, Takeda, Banque Saudi Franci, Deloittes, Citibank, Allianz Global Investments, GSK, Vanguard, The Indian Civil Service, and the Council of Europe. As a learning designer and facilitator, Tim is committed to a style of working that has engagement and relevance at its heart. He has worked in multi-cultural environments around the world and has been active in working with company leaders in Europe and the US to tackle the mindsets and barriers that women experience as they seek leadership roles.

Affiliations:

• Fellow, Society of Leadership Fellows, St. George’s College, Windsor Castle
• Co-Chair, Centre for Diversity and Inclusion, Leading Now
• Past affiliations: University of Bristol Business School; PwC Academies in Central Europe and the Balkans

Expertise:

Leadership Development, Inclusive Leadership, Leading Teams in a volatile world, Gender dynamics in teams

Publications & Research:

• Tim has written several dozen books, blogs, and articles on leadership and management. His latest book, ‘My Journeys Around Management’ is available on Kindle and as a paperback.
• Screenwriter for ‘Hell’s Pavement’ a feature film that addresses the failings of leadership in UK social care system (despite the very best of intentions). He wrote the filmscript in 2009. It won ‘Best Film’ at the Beloit International Film Festival in 2010.

Short professional biography

Jeannette Hemmecke works as an organizational psychologist with individuals and groups in change processes, team and organizational development, conflict and knowledge management. She teaches at several universities in undergraduate, graduate, and postgraduate programs. She holds a diploma in psychology (equivalent to a master’s degree) from the University of Leipzig (Germany) and a PhD in organizational psychology from the University of Vienna. Besides her academic education, she qualified as a certified organization developer, a conflict mediator in organizations, and a solution-focused counselor and consultant. Before founding her own business in organizational psychology, she led and worked in international and interdisciplinary research projects on organizational learning, knowledge creation, and social competence. For more than five years, she gained experience as a full-time professor for knowledge communications at the School of Informatics, Communications and Media at the University of Applied Sciences Upper.

Expertise:

Conflict management, mediation & negotiation, Motivation, work-life-balance, self-management, Change & knowledge management, Group dynamics & social psychology, Personal & organizational development

Affiliations:

• University of Linz, Austria
• Upper Austrian University of Applied Sciences
• University of Salzburg Business School

Publications & Research:

• Social competence & social psychology (negotiation, trust, social dilemmas) e.g., Book: «Verhandlungskompetenzen trainieren» (engl.: Negotiation training; with N. Kronberger). Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht. Available at: Link
• Knowledge management & organizational learning (tacit knowledge elicitation) e.g., Journal Article: «The Tacit Dimension of User-Tasks» (with Chr. Stary). In Proceedings TAMODIA’06, Lecture Notes in Computer Science, LNCS 4385 (S. 308-323). Springer, 2007. Available at: Link

Short professional biography

Emilio has 22 years of experience teaching at the university level, postgraduate, bachelor’s degreedoctorate, and also a final master project. University professor at Business Schools and Universities in the areas of Innovation, Human Resources, and Mathematical Models for competency assessment. From 2009 to 2017 he was the CEO of Anexa Consultoría, a company dedicated to strategy and innovation consulting. Currently, he is developing a career as an advisor to Boards of Directors in innovative multinational companies. Emilio has Ph.D. in Philosophy, Excellence Award. He is publishing in the areas of Philosophy, Literature, Mathematics, and Business. He has also translated philosophy into Spanish, Jacques Derrida and Maurice Blanchot.

Expertise:

Human Resorces, Innovation, Mathematics, Consulting, Strategy Management, Competency assessment, Philosophy, Literature, Business

Education:

• Ph. D in Philosophy. Excellence Award – UCM
• Master in Knowledge and information management in Organizations – UOC

Professional Experience:

• (2006-2008) Researcher. Writing and communication. Universidad Camilo José Cela
• (2006-2008). Research manager. Communication and social science School. Universidad Camilo José Cela
• (2006) Visitant research professor. TEC Monterrey. (México)
• (2006) Coordinator. Research Group in Communication and Humanities. Universidad Camilo José Cela.
• (2007-2008) Researcher. Dir. Ana María Leyra. Europe’s Writing. Funded Project. UCM.
• (2007-2008) Main researcher. Use of communication and information technologies in top restaurants, Comunidad de Madrid y Cátedra Ferrán Adriá.
• (2009) Mobile Adserver: Technology Platform development for remote management of mobile content for advertising. Ministerio de Industria, Turismo y Comercio, Convocatoria PROFIT

Short professional biography

Francesco Landolfi mattured all his professional career developing innovative and high tech projects in different industries – Information Technology, Healthcare, Private equity/ venture capital. He developed innovative entrepreneurial projects running as director and shareholder several start ups in the digital eHealth sector. Francesco holds several sales and marketing international managerial positions in big corporations such as Microsoft, Baxter, IBM. He runs as Senior Partner a private equity/venture capital firm. Also, Francesco is professor and lecturer on topics of Entrepreneurship and International Business.

Affiliations:

Rome Business School

Expertise:

International Business Management, Entrepreneurial Management, Business Planning and Venture Capita

Short professional biography

Domen Zadravec is Partner at EY Parthenon and Central Europe Strategy and Transformation Leader. Domen completed Digital Strategy at MIT in the US and holds an MBA from IE Business School in Spain. He has previously studied in the UK, US and Switzerland. Before joining EY Parthenon, Domen worked as Partner in Kearney out of Vienna, Sydney, Dubai and Ljubljana offices, and was responsible for Strategic Transformation across markets​. He was a core team member in the Financial Institutions practice as well as in the Organization & Transformation practice globally​. Domen advised Board level Executives from PEs, large global players as well as regional players on their Corporate/Business Unit Strategy, Large Scale Transformations, CDDs, Carve Outs, top line as well as efficiency improvement projects. Domen is married with 3 children and speaks 7 languages. He is a big basketball and salsa fan.

Short professional biography

Steffen Baermann has been on sales and sales management for more than 30 years. During his career Steffen has worked 2 years at EGYM (VP Sales), 17 years at Cisco (various int. mgt. Roles up to member of German management board), 3 years at Dell (Head of Sales), 2 years at Hakle (Key Acct Mgt), 5 years at Jacobs/Milka (Key Acct Mgt), and 3 years at Henkel consumer goods (Acct Mrg). From 2019, he decided to step out of a classical sales executive role and to focus on giving back – helping other sales leaders improving their knowledge. Steffen holds Executive MBA double degree (Augsburg Germany/ Pittsburgh USA).

Affiliations:

• • Teaching at several universities in Berlin
  • Member Senior Advisory Circle SMD Ruhr Universität Bochum
  • Advisor and Mentor for several start ups in Berlin and Munich

Expertise:

Sales & Sales Management, Sales Process Management & CRM, Scrum Master, Scrum Product Owner, NLP Practitioner

Publications & Research:

Maturity analysis in CRM usage together with University of applied science TH Wildau.

Short professional biography

Aleksandar is now General Manager, but by education, he is a Doctor of Medicine with a 15-year career in the pharmaceutical industry. Throughout his career, he has worked in the company Novo Nordisk, in several countries, where he gained a lot of experience. Aleksandar completed high school in Canada and got his faculty degree at University in Serbia, while he obtained his MBA degree a little later. Aleksandar is a former American football player and coach of the Serbian national team.

Expertise:

Selling, Marketing, Stakeholder Management, Strategic Planning, Medicine, HR, Coaching

Education:

• Executive MBA – COTRUGLI Business School
• Doctor of Medicine (MD) – Medical Faculty of University in Belgrade

Professional Experience:

• Doctor of medicine in the pharmaceutical industry
• Business unit manager in several global pharmaceutical companies

Short professional biography

Fabrizio Salvador is currently Professor of Operations at IE Business School, IE University, where he also serves as vice-rector for Applied Research. His award-winning research focuses on the mechanisms through which organizations recombine or reuse their resources to respond to uncertainty in their operational environments. His work scores more than 5000 citations in Google Scholar and has been published in top academic and business outlets such as the Journal of Operations Management, Production and Operations Management, Decision Sciences, Organization Science, and MIT Sloan Management Review. Dr. Salvador is also Founding Department Editor for the Journal of Operations Management and Senior Editor for Production and Operations Management, as well as Associate Editor for the Decision Sciences Journal. Dr. Salvador is a firm believer in industry-academia collaboration, which he has pursued with education and research projects involving prestigious companies such as AstraZeneca, CAP Gemini, DHL, Ernst&Young, IBM, John Deere, Nokia, Permasteelisa, PriceWaterhouseCoopers, Xerox, Telefonica, Tetra Pak, and Unilever. He has lectured PhD, MBA, and Executive groups in Canada, the US, the UK, Ireland, Germany, Austria, Italy, Spain, the Netherlands, Finland, Guatemala, and China.

Publications & Research:

• • GLOBAL PROJECT NETWORKS: “Enabling Distributed Projects: Effects of Product Interface Match and Related Technical Experience” (2020). Production and Operations Management
  • PROJECT LEADERSHIP & PROJECT OUTCOMES: “Project Managers’ Breadth of Experience, Project Complexity, and Project Performance” (2021) Journal of Operations Management.
  • Full research profile: Google Scholar

Affiliations:

• Vice-rector, Applied Research & Professor of Operations, IE Business School-IE University
• Past affiliations: Arizona State University, MIT Logistics Program & Media Lab, University of Padova

Expertise:

Operational Excellence & Learning, Flexibility and Project Management

Short professional biography

Sabina Eminente is a “fractional” Chief Marketing Officer, Partner of yourCMO | YOURgroup, providing C-level Marketing and Business Development Operational Advisory services to SMEs, startups and scaleups on a temporary part-time basis. Previously, she has been Head of Marketing and Business Development Director at Mastercard, European Head of Marketing at Nestlé and Head of Marketing and Advertising Sales at lastminute.com, working both at Italian and at European level. Professor Eminente is also passionate about the Longevity Economy, Diversity Equity & Inclusion, Generational Diversity and Women Empowerment. She has lived, studied and worked in Italy, the US, Belgium, France and the UK, speaks several European languages and is proud mother of two GenZ’ers. She is the Program Director of the Master in Digital Marketing and Business Transformation at Rome Business School, and an Adjunct Professor of various Marketing, Digital Marketing, Business Ethics and CSR courses, including in the MBA.

Affiliations:

Rome Business School, Program Director of the International Master in Digital Marketing and Business Transformation, and Professor of Marketing, Digital Marketing & E-commerce, Business Ethics and Sustainability.

Expertise:

• Strategy
• Marketing Management
• Business Development
• Innovation
• Leadership

Education:

Master of Science in Economics and Management, Bocconi University, Milan

Jovana Dadić Babović brings over 10 years of experience in project management and business processes, with a specialization in software for financial institutions and financial transaction systems. She is currently employed as the Director of Business Development at the American company Payall Payment Systems, which is innovating the way cross-border payments are executed. Previously, she spent 9 years at Banca Intesa ad Beograd, where she held positions as Director of Project Management, Director of Organization and Business Process Management, and Director of Payment Solutions.

Jovana has been part of the management team for some of the largest financial projects in the country, including the replacement of Banca Intesa’s core banking system. Additionally, she has significant experience as a project management consultant, working with numerous companies across various industries to establish processes and practices for project management.

Jovana completed her undergraduate and master’s studies at the Faculty of Organizational Sciences (FON), followed by an Executive MBA program. For the past 6 years, she has held the Project Management Professional (PMP) certification, issued by the world’s leading professional organization for project management, PMI, as well as the PMO Certified Professional license.

Ratko Kuprešak is a leader focused on developing companies and brands through profitable growth, the creation of innovative solutions, and the generation of lasting value. Throughout his career, he has achieved key successes in the fields of company operations management, strategic planning, and the practical implementation of market development strategic plans (RTM). Over his more than 25-year-long career, Ratko has built successful FMCG brands across Europe and the Middle East.

He has held executive positions at companies such as Bambi, Jaffa, Knjaz Miloš, Aujan Coca Cola (UAE), Alsafi Danone (KSA), and is currently serving as Group Chief Commercial Officer at Solico Group (IRN). Ratko is committed to sharing his extensive leadership experience with individuals and organizations, serving as both a lecturer and a member of the MBA advisory board at The American University in the Emirates (AUE) in Dubai (UAE).

Nemanja Knežević has impressive experience in HR processes. He has led major transformations and projects involving changes in organizational culture and digital transformation, all aimed at positioning organizations for future success.

With over 15 years of extensive professional experience, he has built his career in international corporations such as STADA AG, Nelt Group, Coca-Cola Hellenic, NIS Gazprom, and Japan Tobacco International, covering markets in the Western Balkans, Eastern Europe, and Eurasia. Nemanja is currently serving as the HR Director at Carlsberg, overseeing four markets in the Western Balkans.

His areas of expertise include Organizational Culture, Organizational Design in the broadest sense (strategy, processes, structure, people, and compensation), HR Digitalization, HR Analytics, and Employee Performance Management.

In addition to holding a master's degree in Psychology, he has also earned a double international Executive MBA degree from Rome Business School Belgrade.