Zlatna kuna awarded to most successful companies as a symbol of business excellence

The Croatian National Theatre hosted the 29th Zlatna kuna ceremony, where the Croatian Chamber of Economy (HGK) presented awards to the most successful companies in 2024 for business excellence and their contribution to the Croatian economy as a whole. The Zlatna kuna award for the most successful bank was presented by Deputy Prime Minister and Minister Branko Bačić.

Among the award winners are companies whose excellence and innovation have long been recognised globally, but also companies which are only now emerging as recognisable brands on the international economy scene.

In the category of medium-sized companies, the award was presented to the Zagreb-based company Ingemark, specialised for software engineering and cloud and infrastructural consultation, while the best small-sized company is the Rijeka-based company Think First, operating under the brand Thoughtcap and offering solutions in the field of artificial intelligence.

Zlatna kuna for the most successful bank was awarded to Privredna banka Zagreb (PBZ), while the award for the best insurance company in 2024 was presented to Alianza Hrvatska.

The winner of Zlatna kuna for lifetime achievement was Gordana Kovačević, the longtime leader of the company Ericsson Nikola Tesla.

A special award for an outstanding contribution to the development of arbitration law and practice was presented to Mihajlo Dika for his work at the Permanent Court of Arbitration at the Croatian Chamber of Economy and for strengthening the Court’s reputation, both nationally and internationally, as a modern arbitration institution.

The Prime Minister highlighted the importance of strengthening the resilience of the Croatian economy

At the award ceremony in the Croatian National Theatre (HNK) in Zagreb, Prime Minister Andrej Plenković delivered a speech, reminding the audience that in a few days his Government will enter its 10^th year in office, during which time progress has been made that will leave a lasting mark.

He emphasised responsible management of public finances, as well as strong determination to access the EU core - the Schengen area and the eurozone - which has enhanced the credibility with all international and financial institutions and credit rating agencies. Together with next year’s accession to the OECD, Croatia will achieve everything it has aspired to over the past 35 years, he stated.

“Such progress, together with strengthening the legal system, creating a reliable tax system and a more favourable business and economy environment, has enabled Croatia to reach the highest employment rates ever, an increase by 85% to 110% of average salaries, median salaries and average pensions in recent years in comparison to 2016,” Plenković said, recalling that last year Croatia also recorded the second highest economy growth in the Union.

“We have managed to build a foundation to strengthen resilience in today’s global circumstances, very challenging both in terms of safety and the economy, finance, energy,” he pointed out.

He also said that further efforts need to be made to ensure economic and energy safety, and that global and safety challenges also require focusing on investments in defence and strengthening the Croatian army and police forces.

He noted that by 2035, 3.5% of GDP will be invested in defence, with additional 1.5% for defence-related activities.

Moreover, he put a special emphasis on investing in education.

He also said that the next three years will be free of electoral challenges, which is good for the economy. “We will preserve stability and enable you to use your entrepreneurial spirit, innovation, energy and knowledge to make the Croatian economy, and in turn the standard of our people, better, he said.

Burilović: We continue our joint efforts to develop competitiveness and entrepreneurial climate

President of HGK Luka Burilović congratulated the nominees and award winners, emphasising that their results are an award to everyone, both the economy and the society.

It is a fact, as he said, that the Croatian economy, despite all challenges and uncertainties, records good macroeconomic indicators which boost it. “This is why we need to continue to work on our resilience. The most important decisions economy-wise need to be timely, consistent and concrete,” he pointed out.

He stated that HGK continuously follows contemporary trends in order to facilitate business operations and alignment with new standards to its members, and that it is a reliable partner in the process of digital transformation and adaptation to sustainable practices.
Over 35,000 services provided by HGK each year indicate that we are on the right track, Burilović assessed, highlighting that the Chamber will continue to support businesspeople.

“We will continue our joint efforts to develop competitiveness, entrepreneurial climate and welfare of the Croatian economy,” he stated.

It is worth mentioning that the Zlatna kuna award has been presented since 1993 for business excellence and contributions to the Croatian economy as a whole. The nominee list is based on a calculation of defined indicators, while the overall business image of companies and their impact on the development of their respective industries are also appropriately evaluated. In addition to business results, another criterium for evaluation includes ESG ratings and related questionnaires, a national model for evaluating sustainable practices of companies developed by HGK.
 
Source: HINA/HGK

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