Ivan Čulo: The Euro is a Great Opportunity for Croatian Post’s Logistics Expansion

Although we are in the holiday season, preparations are in full swing for the most exciting economic day of this year, the traditional Lider event Day of Big Plans, which will take place on September 21 in Zagreb. Given all the economic and political circumstances that have befallen us after the pandemic, such as the Russian aggression against Ukraine, rampant inflation hinting at a recession, still present shortages of materials and raw materials, and (although to a lesser extent) unstable supply chains, it is certain that there will be no shortage of interesting topics and insights at the conference. And this will come directly from the leaders of the Croatian economy who will present their forecasts and predictions for the coming year.

Among them is Ivan Čulo, the CEO of Croatian Post, which is a partner to the largest e-commerce players in the European Union, as well as globally, and has successfully positioned itself in the logistics market. Entering the eurozone is a significant challenge for the Post, which, as Čulo says, will enable the company to strengthen its position as a market leader and provide even greater opportunities for regional logistics expansion directly linked to the growth of e-commerce.

“The introduction of the euro will have a positive effect on us, as Croatian citizens, and citizens of the European Union, in the long term. I believe we are ready for further growth and numerous challenges ahead of us. The euro is extremely important for Croatian Post and is one of our priority projects, as the 1,016 post offices in 800 settlements represent the largest available network for euro conversion; and this will be without fees in the first six months of next year. The preparation for the conversion is extensive and vertically and horizontally encompasses the entire post. From software preparation to complex security aspects, and of course, it includes the people who ultimately have to carry out this work in the post office to the satisfaction of our users. We are proud of the important role that the post has in the process of transitioning to the euro and we consider it a great opportunity – emphasized Čulo.

The business segments in which he expects further growth are logistics, the Paket24 express delivery service, and parcel machines as a modern delivery channel, fully focused on the user and user experience. The topics that Croatian Post will focus on in the upcoming period are human resources and “green projects,” i.e., sustainability.

“The challenge that lies ahead of each of us individually and of society as a whole is the transition from the paradigm of human resources to human potentials. A change in the awareness of employers is needed. Some have already made this change, and those are the companies that are and will be successful, while for others there is still time, although not much. Croatian Post has shown that it is aware of market movements by raising salaries by 20 percent for all employees in operational positions in 2022. We will continue to improve working conditions – says Čulo. He also added that, as a society, we must build a standard for including workers coming from outside our borders and believes that this is of crucial importance.

Reflecting on the macroeconomic position of the country, Čulo believes that Croatia has reached a stability that we have not had the opportunity to see before. “Economic growth today is developing, among other things, in sectors such as IT or energy. Not all expectations are on tourism anymore. We see positive indicators in economic trends and in the investment climate, confirmed by the ratings of agencies such as Fitch, Moody’s, and Standard & Poor’s. I deeply believe that we will strongly and quickly resolve all announcements and crises and risks that we can foresee and assume. From the perspective of our business, I have reasons for optimism – concludes Čulo.

In the last 13 years, the business event Day of Big Plans has become a hallmark of Lider’s conferences, gathering around 4,600 participants and 220 speakers, mostly leaders from various industries and prominent figures from political and public life. The conference has gained the status of an indispensable political-economic event, and this year it will cover key topics such as global trends, expectations for the next year in the region, monetary and credit policy in 2023, fiscal policy and its effects on consumption, attracting investments and promoting exports, and forecasts for 2023.

Do not miss the opportunity to network with the most successful entrepreneurs, register in time to participate in the 14th Day of Big Plans which will be held on September 21 in the Grand Congress Hall of the Zagreb Fair. More information can be found at the link.