Twenty Bold Individuals from Whom Much is Expected

Lider has assembled its team of 20 individuals who could mark this year. Regardless of the sector in which they operate, they all share the commonality that during the past year, their actions indicated that they have the potential to seriously threaten the market positions of leaders this year or in the long term, or to be noted for their strategy of operating ‘against the current’ which will result in the introduction of changes in their area of activity.

In the new 226th issue of the business weekly Lider, we have prepared many ‘hot’ economic stories:

Pension savers, despite legal restrictions, are using their savings even before they acquire the right to retire. They most often take out loans, and with their close ones (guarantors) they agree that in the event of death before the loan is repaid, they will leave their capitalized pension savings in the second and third pillars. More in the story by Ivica Grčar ‘Savings in the 2nd and 3rd Pillars Have Started to Be Used as Loan Guarantees’.

Matilda Bačelić writes about the takeover of Podravka by Atlantic Group. To close the financial structure, Atlantic’s recapitalization is also in play, certainly taking into account the capital of the German development bank DEG, which has so far followed Tedeschi and holds 7.1 percent of the shares. Emil Tedeschi has decided to take a step that could launch him into orbit or push him into a chasm. Just as he carefully builds the image of a serious and successful entrepreneur, he has seriously engaged in the takeover of Podravka. He is not at all bothered that this is a huge financial, organizational, and every other way challenge for his Atlantic Group.

Gordana Gelenčer and Miodrag Šajatović spoke with Gordan Maras, the business director of the SDP, who claims that the SDP would immediately abolish 30 percent of parafiscal levies amounting to four billion kuna. Maras believes that early elections are the only solution. The Prime Minister says that with elections in Croatia, everything would come to a standstill for six months, while he claims that everything has been stagnant in Croatia for six years, and therefore it is better for elections to be held as soon as possible.

There are brave individuals in Croatia, but they are lacking in the segment of state institutions. A true revolution, entrepreneurial surge, or return of optimism can only be expected when individuals brave enough to engage in the restructuring of the state apparatus emerge. Lider has assembled its team of 20 individuals who could mark this year. Regardless of the sector in which they operate, they all share the commonality that during the past year, their actions indicated that they have the potential to seriously threaten the market positions of leaders this year or in the long term, or to be noted for their strategy of operating ‘against the current’ which will result in the introduction of changes in their area of activity. Regardless of whether they act out of pure altruism or solely for business benefit, the twenty challengers, along with those who entered the broader selection, will serve as an accelerator for the changes that the slumbering nation is crying out for. More in the theme of the week from the pen of Sandra Babić.

First, the family silver is sold. Then the beautiful furniture from the showroom. And then the paintings – said Harold Macmillan, the former British Prime Minister, in the mid-80s in a famous speech attacking Margaret Thatcher’s privatization policy. The sale of family silver has come to Croatia as well. The properties of HG Spot, Varteks, Slobodna Dalmacija, Medika, and a number of other companies have been put up for sale. Although it does not seem at all opportune, the sale of real estate along with the reduction of operational costs is almost a textbook example of restructuring a troubled company. More in the story by Antonija Knežević.

A report on Vukovar, a city for wildly persistent economic optimists, is written by Tatjana Brebrić. According to the latest data available from the Vukovar County Chamber of Commerce, around 320 companies operate in the city, employing approximately 5,700 people. The largest number of companies are engaged in trade, followed by manufacturing and construction, which is not ideal. With approximately 30,000 inhabitants and three thousand unemployed, the city has potential for activities that require more labor. A huge amount of emotion and will to help the hero city has never been translated into action. Read why.

In the Advisor, Prof. Dr. Hrvoje Kačer writes about attorney fees. The new price list for legal services, which came into effect at the end of last year, introduced the payment of some procedures at a flat rate of two thousand kuna. This has made the process cheaper for clients but has also opened the door to frivolous litigation.

Do you know what the think-tank method is? Initially, these were rooms for developing war strategies, and today a think-tank is a type of non-profit organization that engages in research and education regarding a specific policy or problem to influence public debate and the decision-making process. Obama uses the think-tank method, and Mirando Mršić announced its introduction in our Presidential Office. A network of experts will seek solutions to problems for President Josipović.

From global topics, we highlight the story about Argentina ‘The President Dismisses the Governor When He Does Not Want to Dip into the Treasury’. Argentine President Christina Fernández de Kirchner ordered Central Bank Governor Martín Redrado to set aside part of the foreign exchange reserves for a one-time repayment of foreign debt. The governor refused, which is why he was briefly dismissed from his position. He was only reinstated by court order.

In the feuilleton, we present Sebastián Piñera, the new Chilean president who loves millions, dangerous sports, and politics. The billions he has as a shareholder of the domestic airline, owner of the leading TV company, the most popular football team in Chile, and more, were not enough for Sebastián Piñera’s ambition; he wanted to sit in the chair of the head of state and succeeded on his second attempt. The controversial billionaire, a right-winger, claims to be primarily a businessman who will revive the somewhat dormant Chilean economy. (G. J.)

The new Lider gifts its readers two special supplements ‘Personal Investments’ and ‘Real Estate Market’