SPEAKERS

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  Ray Gaul

  Ray Gaul, co-founder & CEO at Retail Cities

  Ray Gaul, co-founder & CEO at Retail Cities, started his career as a US Peace Corps volunteer teaching marketing and economics in Western Ukraine at the end of the Soviet era. While in Ukraine, he witnessed a retail revolution in real time. Procter & Gamble and Coca-Cola took over the point of sale in Ukraine, almost overnight, and hired most of his students and friends as employees. Soon after, McDonalds and Metro Cash & Carry followed a similar journey. Ray became hooked, developing an obsession for understanding the relationship between governments, consumers, retailers and brands. He enrolled in graduate school at Boston University to learn more about the rapid economic transformation of economies across the globe, specializing in Eurasia and the former CIS. Over the last 20 years, Ray has focused on understanding the retailer-on-retailer competition and how that changes brand strategies and investments, and through the years has become a world-renowned expert on the dynamics of retail competition and the future of the commerce. At Retail Cities, he continues to expand his skills in understanding the current wave of retail reinvention that is disrupting blue-chip companies around the world.

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  Aleksandra Martinovska Stojcheska

  Professor and Head of the Department of Agricultural Policy at the Institute of Agricultural Economics, Faculty of Agricultural Sciences and Food - Skopje (UKIM)

  Dr. Aleksandra Martinovska Stojcheska is Professor and Head of the Department of Agricultural Policy at the Institute of Agricultural Economics, Faculty of Agricultural Sciences and Food, Ss. Cyril and Methodius University in Skopje. She teaches farm cost management and budgeting, business analysis, farm accounting and valuations in agriculture. Her research interests are in the area of economic and technical performance in agriculture, efficiency and productivity analysis, cost of production, cost-benefit analysis, and lately also farmer behavior in decision-making and strategic choices, stakeholder and value-chain analysis, economic aspects of climate change, as well as agricultural and rural development policy. She participated in various national and international projects. Her national and international scientific collaboration includes participation in expert discussion groups, organisation of multi-actor events, peer-reviewing of scientific publications, communication and dissemination of research results in publications. She is member of the National IPARD Monitoring Committee, National Liaison to the European Association of Agricultural Economics, and Key Expert in the National Convention for the EU - MK.

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  Selma Kadić-Maglajlić

  PhD in Marketing from the University of Ljubljana, Slovenia.

  Selma Kadić-Maglajlić holds a PhD in Marketing from the University of Ljubljana, Slovenia. Currently she is an Associate Professor of Marketing in the Department of Marketing at Copenhagen Business School. She is an experienced marketing academic, with previous experience from the automotive, entertainment and media industries, and is passionate about helping sales organizations to optimize their strategic decisions using strong and rigorous analytics. She contributes to organizations through writing and implementing sales strategies; designing and managing market research; and consulting on the organization of the large sales events. Selma's research has been published in various international journals. She is an accomplished educator, coach and team development specialist.

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  Dushan Rangelov

  Business Development Director, Founder at Sales & Business Consulting in Serbia

  Dushan Rangelov is a Business Development Director, Founder at Sales & Business Consulting in Serbia, professional agency for Business Development Consulting specialized in Sales Go To Market Processes, Sales Capability Management, Sales Controlling & Revenue Management. He is responsible for research, development, customization and implementation of enhancements within business strategies. He helps distribution companies achieve their full potential! With his consulting services, he evaluates the current business processes, fine-tune the organization, put available resources to their best use, and set metrics for the future. He is all about saving you money and making your company an efficient goal-breaking machine. He spends his days with the passion ensuring clients that they have the support, skills and sparkle they need to lead their industry.

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  Ilina Bakev

  Managing Director of "Mama’s" company in Austria.

  Ilina Bakev is a Managing Director of "Mama’s" company in Austria. She came to this position from the office in Skopje, where she worked for many years as an international sales and marketing manager. Many years of work for "Mama’s" in Macedonia enabled her to position the brand as a premium, not only on the local market but also internationally, working on its overall development in terms of sales and marketing strategies. Driven, results-producing international sales professional with comprehensive experience in international business development and management. Grew through different professions, always on the side of international business, worked both for Sales and Marketing/PR so have a broad perspective on sales, marketing, public relations, and branding. She will share her personal experience on the challenges of starting a company in an EU country, positioning a new brand on a local market, as well as the learned lessons on adapting the strategy to the new conditions.

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  Petar Boshkovski

  Comerciak operations manager at Philip Morris TKP DOO Skopje

  An accomplished commercial manager who has extensive experience of managing, mentoring, and fostering an incredible consumer-led culture in a busy and fast-paced environment. With a proven result-oriented background and deep understanding of marketplace trends and competition activities. Very strong in Sales, Marketing and Logistics with pronounced consumer obsession, working in various FMCG (Tobacco, Beer, Soft beverages, Energy and Diary) industries, for brands like: IQOS, Marlboro, Coca-Cola, Heineken, Skopsko, Monster Energy, Bitolsko and many other. Skilled negotiator in complex sales projects and initiatives. He delivered results throughout his career through highly developed: Leadership, Negotiation, Business Planning, RTM (route to market), GTM (go to market) and Trade/Shopper Marketing.

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  Boris Vukic

  Partner and co-founder of Adizes Southeast Europe (ASEE)

  Partner and co-founder of Adizes Southeast Europe (ASEE) and Senior Fellow at the Adizes Institute USA, where he was certified in 1995 for Leading Organizational Change. He first worked with the family company in 1996 as an organizational transformation consultant. At that time, the problems of transition in family companies did not exist, so he did not notice them. He speaks at conferences on a topic for family companies in: Zagreb, Belgrade, Sarajevo, Banja Luka, Skopje, Podgorica, Pristina, St. Petersburg, Vilnius. He is a moderator of panel discussions, co-organizer of events ... He is the author of the book "Founders, Successors, Managers", which was created as a result of ten years experience working with companies that go through the process of changing leadership and management from the first to the second generation. In 2015 he formed "Club 2040", which consists of members of the second generation of companies from Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Macedonia, Montenegro and has more than 120 members. In many companies, he initiates and leads family forums and family policy development. With an address in Novi Sad, he lives and works in the area that was once called Yugoslavia.

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  Dragan Stajkovic

  General Manager of the company "Bambi"

  Dragan Stajkovic has been the General Manager of the company "Bambi" since December 2017. He has more than 20 years of experience in the FMCG industry. As a business leader, he is in the sector since the contours of modern business are gained as we know them today. Dragan started his career at Coca-Cola in 1998. He developed his competencies and expertise working at manage positions, as well as a consultant in other companies in the FMCG industry ("Dukat", "Marbo" / "PepsiCo", "Nectar"). Since 2015 he is part of the management team of "My Brands" ("Knjaz Milos", "Bambi", "Imlek"). In December he was appointed as a CEO of "Bambi". Since then, he successfully manages the company and its 800 employees. He and his team are credited for ensuring the strong growth of the company and brands in Serbia, as well as in foreign markets. Under his leadership, Bambi has strengthened its position in the region, leading to a successful acquisition in 2019, when the company became part of Coca-Cola HBC.

Live Discussion

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  Perica Viciski

  General Manager of „Atlantic Trade“

  Perica Viciski, General Manager of „Atlantic Trade “an unfinished mechanical engineer (as he says), has been successful on the domestic trade scene for three decades. He started trading in 1990/1991, when he founded the cosmetics trading company "Viciski komerc", initially with two employees - he and his wife. Previously, he worked for 10 years in a state-owned company, as a manager of mechanical facilities throughout the former Yugoslavia. Entering the trade may have been a coincidence or a combination of circumstances, but today's success of Atlantic Trade is the result of hard work, commitment and making the right decisions at the right time. And the story goes like this: in 2002, „Viciski komerc", started cooperation with "Neva", the cosmetics department under the umbrella of "Pliva", the largest Croatian pharmaceutical company. Then the Croatian "Atlantic Group" of Emil Tedeski bought „Neva" from „Pliva", and the first contact was made between Viciski and "Atlantic Group". In the meantime, "Atlantic Group" bought Cedevita brand from „Pliva" and gives it to the Macedonian partner to distribute. It was the first serious growth in the market of Viciski company. But in the circumstances of that time another challenge arose - the company delivered products and the markets did not pay. Having a dilemma how to proceed, the solution was to establish a joint venture with the Croatian partner. That way, in 2007 "Atlantic Trade" - Skopje was founded, and started operating on July 1st the same year. Now, after 14 years of existence, „Atlantic Trade" has 201 employees, plus another 50 in „Atlantic Grand" in the field of coffee production. There are 10 strong brands (including Argeta, Cedevita, Stark, Cockta, the company distributes Ferrero, Hipp, Nivea…) with more than 2,000 SKU per year, in about 4,800 points of sale throughout Macedonia. In every family business, there is a moment, which will appear sooner or later, and which is the most dangerous - will we continue to drive in a comfortable position on the highway we are moving on, or will we turn on the side path, which may lead us to another, even bigger highway. That moment needs to be recognized, says Viciski about what is the key to growing family businesses.

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  Janinka Cuparkoska

  General Manager of „Kozuvcanka“

  Janinka Cuparkoska is the woman, who took the leadership position of "Kozuvchanka" four years ago. She has continued the operation of the company and leading investments and innovations. She was born on April 30, 1983 in Kavadarci as Janceva and ever since she was little she has been involved in the family business and in the structure of "Kozuvchanka". She grew up in her hometown, where she was also educated. She completed her higher education at the University "Goce Delchev" in Stip, as an engineer in industrial logistics. Employed in "Kozuvchanka", at the beginning she worked in the department of finance and commerce, and in 2017 she took over the position of General Manager of the company. She is the president of the Nikola Jancev Foundation, founded in honor of her late father, through which she helps many people in various fields. She is a member of the Management Board of the Regional Chamber of Commerce of R. Macedonia. Nowdays, Cuparkoska engages responsibly and actively. Wherever involved, she is proudly representing the family business. She is a wife and mother of two underaged children.

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  Dejan Vanevski

  Strategic Business Development Manager

  “I believe in “magic circle” of human development. People are at the center, and the role of management is to use the right inspirational tools and to motived people for giving their best.” His 18 years of work experience come from working in foreign and local companies, most of which in Wrigley and Mars. Focused on talent development, he strongly believes that the successful business results could be achieved only with the right people on the right place. The last decade he has been actively working on projects and building development programs on the topics: business planning, portfolio management, market performance strategies, sales team development, coaching, leadership, building management development programs, negotiation… In the last 3 years, the opportunity to be part of the THRIVITY team opens him new professional and life horizons. It gives him a challenge to put the competencies acquired so far in the function of directing and building people as the most important link in business.