The Croatian Association of Managers and Entrepreneurs (HUM-CROMA) has awarded the prestigious Manager of the Year award for 2025. The awards were presented in several categories, and the winners include exceptional managers, entrepreneurs and leaders who, with their innovative approaches, responsible business practices and commitment to the development of their organizations and communities, achieved significant results in the past year.
The awards were presented in the categories of large, medium-sized, small enterprises, socially responsible enterprises and foreign managers. Recognition was also given to managers who distinguished themselves with their innovative projects, positive social impact and contribution to the economic development of Croatia.
“The winners of the Manager of the Year 2025 award are proof that vision, courage and dedicated leadership can drive changes that go beyond business results. With their energy and responsibility, they demonstrate how, day by day, an economy is being built that is innovative, more resilient and focused on a sustainable future for Croatia. Their commitment to excellence and ethical leadership inspires all of us to raise the bar and create values that leave a lasting mark. We are proud of their successes and their contribution to the development of society as a whole,” said CROMA President Ana Soldo.
The recipient of the Lifetime Achievement Award is Nada Šimić, co-founder and long-time CEO of Primaco Group. Nada currently works as an advisor to the Management Board, and on the occasion of winning the award, she said: “I will always single out three key things that every manager must have. The first is certainly a special character when someone starts their own business, and immediately after that, responsibility – that is what is most important. The whole story begins behind that, and here I am thinking of teamwork, passion in work and not giving up. For all of that, a person must have a clear idea, a clear vision, which then leads them towards the goal. Only we can predict the steps to complete it, but it is an ongoing process. Sometimes you can work alone, but mostly in a team – and that teamwork is the main thing in every company,” said Nada Šimić.
The winner of the award in the category Manager of a large company is Darko Horvat, President of the Board of BOSQAR, who successfully profiled the company as one of the leading investment platforms in the region.
“When we started building BOSQAR in 2016, we were a company with about three hundred employees. We didn’t have all the answers, we didn’t have established partnerships, or large investments. But we had the most important thing – a vision and a clear intention: to build systems that can grow, last, and withstand pressure. In other words, to create market leaders. Today, when I look at this hall, I see people I respect immensely. I also see those who believed in us when all this was not even a sketch on paper, but an idea,” said Horvat.
Source: The Croatian Association of Managers and Entrepreneurs (HUM-CROMA)