Ljubljana, September 15, 2015
The 17th consecutive regular General Assembly of the American Chamber of Commerce in Slovenia – AmCham Slovenia, was held yesterday. Members elected Nevenka Kržan, senior partner of KPMG, as the new president of AmCham Slovenia. New members of the Board of Governors, namely Julij Božič, Country Leader, IBM Slovenia, Agata Jakončič, IIMS lead for EUCAN, Merck Sharp & Dohme, and Robert Trnovec, General Manager of Microsoft Slovenia were also elected.
The former president Matej Potokar, who presided over AmCham Slovenia for the past four years and had been a member of the Board of Governors for four years prior to the presidency, upon evaluating last year’s work, emphasized how proud he was of the achievements of AmCham Slovenia. He particularly highlighted the Partnership for Change project: “About a year ago, when we talked to the ministry about connecting businesses with the private sector, we decided to do it through connecting people, as they are the ones who do business. Despite bureaucratic obstacles, we managed to carry out the employee exchange with the Ministry of Public Administration. Anything is possible when you have the right energy, the right attitude and the right approach. “
Upon concluding his presidency, Matej Potokar was also rewarded AmCham Slovenia honorary membership by the Council of Governors, with an explanation: “We award Matej Potokar with the Honorary Membership of the American Chamber of Commerce in Slovenia – AmCham Slovenia, for exceptional contribution in the development of the Chamber during his Presidency. He was actively, personally and substantially involved in a number of projects. In particular in the development of the AmCham Young ProfessionalsTM program, in which he is a role model and a motivator.
During her presentation, the newly elected president of AmCham Slovenia Nevenka Kržan emphasized how honored she was to have had the opportunity to run for president, as AmCham Slovenia is the voice of the international business community in Slovenia, and as such aims to improve the working and living environments in Slovenia. She further added: “Positive energy will be my guiding principle.”
Nevenka Kržan received an overwhelming support from the members, namely 98%, and thus became the new president of AmCham Slovenia. The newly elected members of the Board of Governors received the following support: Julij Božič 75%, Agata Jakončič 89%, and Robert Trnovec 78%. The newly elected members of the Board of Governors stressed, among others, that Slovenia has a lot of potential and skills, but that we must decide on what we want Slovenia to be like in 2030 and work together to achieve these goals and breakthroughs.
Mag. Ajša Vodnik presented last year’s work of AmCham Slovenia. Among more than 50 events organized between September 2014 and September 2015, AmCham Business Breakfasts (events with an excellent attendance record and a 13 year tradition, that discuss the most important topics for the international business community), Partnership for Change program, Giving back to the Community (a week of corporate volunteering) and of course the AmCham young ProfessionalsTM program, particularly stand out.
Vida Dolenc Pogačnik, the deputy director, thanked more than 200 experts who volunteer in 10 committees and 3 working groups. Ms. Dolenc Pogačnik also outlined the committees’ achievements in the past year and presented the brochure entitled “For a More Competitive Business Environment in Slovenia”, prepared by AmCham committees with concrete policy proposals for the government of the Republic of Slovenia.
The participants were also addressed by the winner Top Potential of the Year 2015 Tomaž švajger, who also became a member of the Board of Governors, without the right to vote: “When I look back at the past year, I can only say that it was excellent, networking, full of new knowledge and experience. At the same time, the program gave us a confirmation that we, as individuals and as companies, are on the right track. I would highly recommend all businesses to enroll their young colleagues in the program and thus enable their personal and career growth. “
The General Assembly also awarded the prize to the Best of the Best 2015 winner. Best of the Best is a program in which innovative, motivational, networking projects and best practices of AmCham Slovenia members present themselves. After a vote through the social media, the winner among three finalists was Halcom with its “Money Talks 2014 – Advanced Skills Workshop” program. The winner received a weekend package in New York and a free membership in AmCham Slovenia in 2016. The other two finalists in the Best of the Best program were “Halcom’s Year of Values” (Halcom) and “International Certtificate Programme in Business Management For the Women Executives of Central Public Sector Enterprises of India” (Faculty of Economics Ljubljana).
You can find the photo gallery HERE.
More information
Petra Kocjan, Advocacy and Communication Manager, petra.kocjan@amcham.si, 082051351