Following its victory in the Croatian competition, the KONČAR team qualified for the international finals, where it competed against winning teams from Slovenia, Serbia, Montenegro, and Romania.

The participants were challenged to analyse the position of Marriott International, the world’s largest hotel chain, and develop a strategy to ensure its resilience and continued growth in the face of numerous business uncertainties and future challenges. Within just 24 hours, the teams had to prepare and present their solutions to an expert jury consisting of Slovenian business professionals Brane Kalpič, Rok Prapotnik, and Anja Järnberg. The jury ultimately selected the KONČAR team’s presentation as the best.

During the award ceremony, special recognition was given to the team’s ability to clearly and concisely assess the hospitality market, identify key trends and uncertainties, and propose strategic actions to strengthen the company’s long-term competitiveness and growth.

We are particularly proud that our colleague Ivan Pašalić, Technical Lead at KONČAR – Digital, was a member of the winning team. Together with colleagues from across the KONČAR Group, he contributed to the development of the award-winning solution. His participation is another testament to the expertise and dedication of our employees, as well as the value of collaboration and knowledge-sharing across the Group.

In addition to Ivan Pašalić, the team included Barbara Tubić Bulat (Dalekovod), Marko Blažević (KONČAR d.d.), Loren Frančin (KONČAR – Institute of Electrical Engineering), Branimir Miličević (KONČAR d.d.), and Petar Novaković (KONČAR – Transformer Tanks).

Team members highlighted the excellent atmosphere, strong teamwork, and productive exchange of ideas throughout the preparation process. The combination of diverse expertise, collaboration, and the use of modern technologies played a key role in creating the winning presentation. Despite the complexity of the challenge, the KONČAR team delivered a high-quality business solution and secured victory in this prestigious international competition.

In the national competition, KONČAR – Digital was represented by our colleague Tin Novosel, R&D Expert, whose contribution helped the team secure its place in the international finals.