Business Leader of the Year

An award presented by the AmCham Business Leaders Club at the initiative of the YOUng Platform

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Business Leader of the Year

Business award of the future

An award for the Female and Male Business Leader of the Year is given to exceptional female and male leaders in the Slovene business world and was developed within the AmCham Business Leaders Club at the proposal of the AmCham Young Platform. Envisioned by the YOUng Council and approved by the Young Leaders Club, the Female and Male Business Leader of the Year is their answer to the issues of role modelling, the culture of dialogue, and urgently needed changes in business leadership.

Our young members selected two outstanding business leaders for 2026: Medeja Lončar and Robert Lešnik, whose vision and dedication inspire us to think broader, act boldly, and co-create positive change:

Robert Lešnik

The Dream Maker

For more than fifteen years now, he has been the head of exterior design at what is perhaps the most iconic car brand in the world: Mercedes-Benz. “Yes, I create dreams,” he says. He first drew dreams just for himself. The moment he could walk, he picked up a crayon and began moving it across paper, short strokes, then long ones, sometimes erasing, then drawing again, until his imagination finally brought his first car to life on a sheet of paper. He drew even more, and drew even better. And with every new stroke, those dreams became so real that today, others dream about his Mercedes designs.

He emphasized at the event:

“Anything new will not be liked by everyone at first.”

You can read his story HERE.

Medeja Lončar

A woman who spent her life weaving together technical mastery and human empathy.

Medeja admits she never plotted a route to executive roles, yet each time a challenge appeared, she stepped toward it. She joined Siemens in 2002, where her remarkable journey truly took flight. Today, she leads Siemens in Slovenia, Croatia, and Serbia. She takes great pride in her “Engineer of the Year” initiative, which has opened new visibility for women in technology and left a lasting imprint on society. She often draws inspiration from George Bernard Shaw, whose call to ask “why not?” instead of “why?”, emboldens her to challenge worn-out norms. She knows that technological progress demands the presence of all, regardless of gender, and she works tirelessly to widen the space for equality.

She highlighted at the event:

“Diversity drives innovation. If we want to progress, we need more people with the right competencies – and the more diverse we are, the more innovative our society becomes. It is essential that we build our leadership style on our strongest qualities.”

You can read her story HERE.

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Business Leader of the Year

Business award of the future

Robert Lešnik

Medeja Lončar