Contributor

Zvonimir Mršić

President of the Management Board of Podravka, a leading Croatian food and pharmaceutical company

Zvonimir Mršić serves as the president of the management board of Podravka d.d. since February of 2012. Podravka, one of the leading food and pharmaceuticals companies in southeast, central and eastern Europe, has emerged in 1947 on the foundations of a former jams factory. Headquartered in Koprivnica, a city in Northern Croatia with a population of 30,000, consumers have recognized the value of Podravka's products in more than forty countries around the world.

Zvonimir joined Podravka in 1990, building his professional career for eight years as head of and manager of PR department. Apart from being a businessman, he was also building a very successful political career, carrying the duty of Deputy Mayor of the City of Koprivnica, and then the Mayor of Koprivnica in three terms.

Under his term, Podravka has emerged from an ambitious restructuring process with a rise of 39% in net profits in 2014, as well as acquiring neighboring Slovenia's largest food company, Žito, and the opening of Podravka hubs in Africa, Middle East and China. His role in the turn-around of Podravka, which has for the first time in 20 years exceeded the 500 million Euro revenue mark, has been recognized by international media such as Bloomberg Business, Forbes USA, Reuters UK and Huffington Post among others.

He graduated from the Faculty of Political Sciences in Zagreb, completed the FBA (Fundamentals of Business Administration) at the Faculty of Economy and Business, University of Zagreb and a Certified Program for Supervisory Board Members. He is a member of the Croatian Association of Employers Council, and in October 2014 he was elected deputy president of Croatian Exporters Association (CEA).