In the organization Business newspapera conference was held today in the Youth Center, Skenderija Center in Sarajevo “How to accelerate growth?”. The conference is part of a regional project Fast growing companies – Adria 1000 Fastest Growing Companieswhich recognizes and promotes companies with above-average rates of revenue growth and development in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Serbia, Montenegro and Slovenia.
This year Poslovne novine is in partnership with Association of e-transformation realized the complete organization and digitization of the project.
The sponsor of the project is The Government of Sarajevo Canton and the Ministry of Economy of Sarajevo Cantonwho, through institutional support, recognize the importance of developing the domestic economy, strengthening competitiveness and promoting companies that record continuous growth. The project partner is Center Skenderija Sarajevowhile the official vehicle of the project Porsche.
The conference gathered more than 300 directors, company owners, managers, representatives of institutions, business organizations and expertswith the aim of exchanging knowledge, experiences and specific business models to accelerate growth and strengthen the competitiveness of companies in the region.
Business delegations from the region gave the event an additional international dimension. Representatives also participated in the conference Sandžak Business Forum with several companies, as well as a delegation Indo-Croatian Chamber of Commerce with partner companies.
The conference focused on the topics that most determine the success of companies today – business agility, leadership, networking, innovation, internationalization, smart use of data and strategic adaptation to market changes.
On behalf of the organizers, Emil Kuckovicdirector of Poslovni novini, pointed out that the project Fast-growing companies aims to give visibility to precisely those companies whose results confirm that both the domestic and regional economy have a strong development potential.
“Fast-growing companies are not just statistics. They are concrete people, concrete ideas and concrete results that prove that growth is possible. Our goal is to give them visibility, credibility and space for new connections, because these companies show the direction in which the modern economy is developing.”
Alena Ahmetspahić-Fočoproject director, emphasized that the conference was not intended only as a meeting of successful companies, but as a platform for the exchange of knowledge and experiences of those who understand how demanding the growth process is.
“This year, we presented the results of around 4,864 fast-growing companies whose average annual growth rate is greater than 10%. That is about 12% of the total number of companies – 41,010 that submitted final accounts in 2024. Or, we can say that every 9 companies are fast growing. The ranking of 1000 fast-growing companies in Bosnia and Herzegovina includes companies that generated almost 5.6 billion KM, which speaks volumes about their importance for Bosnia and Herzegovina. the economy.”
Ahmet Egrlic, the president of the Foreign Trade/Foreign Trade Chamber of BiH, said that such events have an important role, because they connect the economy, institutions and business leaders around a common goal – a stronger and more competitive economy.
“The presence of 109 BiH companies from Bosnia and Herzegovina on the ADRIA 1000 ranking of fast-growing companies is an important indicator of the vitality of our economy and its ability to respond to international challenges. The Chamber will continue, through its activities, to support all companies that have the capacity to grow, export, create new jobs and be drivers of economic development,” said Egrlić.
Nihad UKPrime Minister of the Canton of Sarajevo, said that the Government of the Canton of Sarajevo strongly supports initiatives that strengthen the economy, entrepreneurship and innovation, and pointed out:
“Our goal is to create a business environment in which companies will have stable conditions for growth, investment and development of new projects. It is especially important to support fast-growing companies, because they bring innovation, conquer new markets and employ new generations of experts. At the same time, we invest in the development of business zones and encourage a dual model of education, so that our young people acquire concrete skills in companies and prepare for the labor market, which directly strengthens the competitiveness of the Sarajevo Canton economy.”
Of the total 4,864 fast-growing companies in Bosnia and Herzegovinathe largest number comes from the Federation of BiH, a Canton of Sarajevo leads in terms of development dynamics, number of employees and growth rates.
Zlatko MijatovićMinister of Economy of Sarajevo Canton, emphasized the importance of these indicators for the overall development of the cantonal and state economy.
“With 977 companies, Sarajevo Canton participates with 20.1% in the total number of fast-growing companies in Bosnia and Herzegovina. This data confirms that today Sarajevo represents the most developed business ecosystem in the country, with a high concentration of knowledge, capital and innovation. The Ministry of Economy of Sarajevo Canton will continue to work on strengthening support for the economy, developing entrepreneurship and improving the business environment, because a strong and competitive economy is not only a goal, but the basis of long-term development of society.”
Jernej Pircowner and director BNI – Business Network International Adriaspoke about the importance of business networking as one of the key factors of growth.
“Behind every serious growth are people, relationships and referrals. Companies that invest in a quality business network build more stable and faster development in the long term. In times of great change, it is trust and connection that become one of the most important business currencies.”
A special segment of the conference was i awarding certificates and awards to fast-growing companieswhich highlighted companies that achieved above-average growth and development results in the previous period.
These recognitions have multiple significance – they represent a confirmation of the success of achieved business results, additionally strengthen the credibility of companies on the market, and bring them greater visibility among partners, investors and the business community. At the same time, the awarding of the certificate sends a clear message that fast-growing companies are the bearers of new values, changes and development in Bosnia and Herzegovina and the region.
The lecturers of the conference were Jernej Pirc, from Slovenia, owner and director BNI – Business Network International Adria with a theme “Networking towards accelerated growth – from contact to recommendation”, Andrija Čolak, from Croatia, founder and owner of Colak Franchise Consulting Group with a theme “Buying and selling companies: Between emotion and market reality”, Alma Aljicevic, Key Account Manager Dun & Bradstreet from Sarajevo, with a subject “AI in the service of business decisions – Chat D&B”, Edin Halilović, Co-Founder of Lilium doo Sarajevo with a theme “How to Accelerate Growth by Connecting Marketing and Sales”.
“Information and communication technologies and digitization”represent one of the key foundations for growth, competitiveness and business modernization, which he spoke about Dragan Duvnjak, assistant to the Executive Director of the Executive Directorate for Business Development of BH Telecom dd
They spoke in front of the Zen2Fit well-being platform Naida Pervan and Lejla Sebic about the topic “Focus on psychophysical health: the missing link in the growth strategy”a Edin Mehic, co-founder and director of the strategy department of Bloomteq from Sarajevo he talked about the topic “How to Accelerate Growth with AI Tools”.
The common message of all lecturers was that the rapid and sustainable growth of companies today cannot be built without quality networking, strategic thinking, smart use of technology, strong sales and marketing, but also without investing in people and their psychophysical health as an important part of long-term business success.
One of the key conclusions of the conference is that fast-growing companies represent the most vital and propulsive part of the economyand that they deserve stronger support from institutions, business associations and the investment community.
It was also concluded that Bosnia and Herzegovina, and especially Sarajevo Canton, have significant potential for the development of companies that can be competitive both on the regional and international markets, but that for their further growth it is necessary to work on a more stable business environment, a greater degree of connectivity, the availability of knowledge and the opening of new market opportunities.
Conference “How to accelerate growth?” once again confirmed that the local and regional business scene has energy, knowledge and people who can build strong and sustainable business stories – with a clear message that fast-growing companies are one of the most important drivers of future economic development.
