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WE HOPE FOR EVEN GREATER SUCCESS
Our consistently implemented high standards have also helped us achieve success and growth in the CEE and SEE
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JELENA KNEŽEVIĆ
Partner, LeitnerLeitner Serbia
Ithink that in 2021 we will see the full extent of the damage done by the pandemic. I am especially proud that the LeitnerLeitner team has successfully overcome all challenges that have been put in front of us – from a legislative perspective and frequent changes of regulation to challenges related to the pandemic and normal course of doing business.
How did the crisis affect the Serbian economy and LeitnerLeitner Serbia?
— Serbia has an excellent geostrategic position and bilateral relationships with numerous countries. These benefits must be utilized in the recovery of our economy in the upcoming period. One of LeitnerLeitner's main corporate strengths is caring for our employees, clients and the community. Faced with the challenges imposed by the coronavirus, my team has demonstrated strength and flexibility in action during this difficult time. Our approach rests on our commitment to the safety of our employees and ensuring that the company continues to respond, operate and support our clients daily. As a result, we have adapted to all the changes in a very short period, serviced clients without any delays and even acquired new ones.
This year you are celebrating 10 years of business in Serbia. What has contributed to this continuity and what are you especially proud of?
— A decade of doing business is certainly a great success for us and the positive outcome of this is the fact that our clients see us as a reliable partner. The keys to having a competitive edge in business are competence, reliability and speed – principles that LeitnerLeitner has been practising for over 60 years. Our team’s outstanding technical skills and top quality of LeitnerLeitner services are the company’s key success factors in Serbia.
We also have an interdisciplinary and dynamic approach so that we can explore all possibilities and find the best course of action for each client. Our staff’s expertise and integrity play a decisive role in the process. Also, we cultivate close personal and tried-and-tested professional relations with several renowned consultancies. In this way, we can eliminate country-specific risks and find the best possible solution, even in complex situations.
ENVIRONMENT
Companies that care about their talent create an environment in which every employee is given the opportunity to learn, develop and unleash their full potential
In which direction are you going to develop your business in the next period?
— Our plans for the next period are very optimistic as we hope for even greater success and for the company to continue growing in Serbia, as well as possible expansion to a region where LeitnerLeitner is not represented yet. We are constantly investing in training our employees and we hire young talented people who are willing to learn and grow together with us. We nurture the professionals in our firm and give employees the space they need to grow into superb advisors. LeitnerLeitner Academy’s comprehensive training system gives every staff member a broad general training from their first day with the company.
You have recently been made a partner at LeitnerLeitner. What did LeitnerLeitner bring to you, and how did you contribute to the company?
— It has been a great pleasure for me to be at the helm of LeitnerLeitner in Serbia for the past six years and to have a very successful period behind us, both in terms of the company’s development and the market brand, as well as in term of developing our employees. LeitnerLeitner has contributed to both my professional and personal development, since I, as a manager, had to overcome constant challenges while following professional standards and position the company as a reliable partner in the market. Indepth analysis and a proactive approach are the values I instilled in my team and that’s something I am proud of. If you are asking me what do I love the most about my job, I would say the possibility to create added value, work with talented and created people who share the same vision and are dedicated to the company’s mission and professional growth as each project presents unique challenges.
WE HAVE MANAGED TO OVERCOME ALL THE CHALLENGES
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GORDANA BRAŠIĆ
According to all parameters, the year 2020 was very challenging for the entire society, and especially for the economy. We asked Gordana Brašić, President of Henkel Serbia and Head of HR Sub-cluster South, how Henkel coped with these conditions, whether the company had achieved satisfactory results and what the plans for the next period.
How did the coronavirus pandemic affect your business in 2020? What were the biggest challenges and how did you overcome them?
— Henkel Serbia is a large system consisting of various types of business, separate locations and numerous brands, some of which were categorized as strategically important during the pandemic. The biggest challenge was to quickly and safely reorganize our operations, to protect our factory workers and organize remote work for those employees whose nature of the job allows remote work, and then to ensure business continuity and supply both on the Serbian market and 40 markets worldwide. We succeeded in all this thanks to the good cooperation of our crisis team and the understanding and support of the employees.
What results did Henkel achieve in the very challenging year that was 2020 in Serbia?
— All parameters show that we can be satisfied with the achieved results. We are grateful to our teams for their commitment and willingness to do more together to achieve good results. We have managed to overcome all challenges, and export over 90 percent of our production output. Thanks to increased production and accomplished results, we ranked 7th among the largest exporters in Serbia in 2020.
You managed to give your support to the health care system in Serbia. Could you tell us a bit more about your donations and CSR projects?
— Helping the community in emergencies is part of our commitment to social responsibility. During the pandemic, thanks to our solidarity programme, we were able to help the frontline medical staff in solving a global problem. In cooperation with the Novak Djoković Foundation, we gave five ventilators and five clinical monitors to the General Hospital in Kruševac. We also donated hygiene products and protective equipment. In addition to this hospital, we donated products to the Gerontology Centre in Belgrade, the Pulmonology Clinic in Belgrade and the Health Centre in Indjija. We also helped our senior citizens with the lowest incomes by donating goods to the Red Cross in Belgrade and Kruševac. The total value of these donations exceeds 480,000 euro. We are especially proud that, in 2020, we continued to implement our corporate volunteering programme - the Make an Impact on Tomorrow Initiative, in which employees independently apply for a project to help the local community and volunteer to take part in it, while the company gives them necessary resources to do so. In 2020, a total of 16 projects, worth more than 57,000 euro, were submitted. Although we had to change our plans due to the pandemic and give up on realizing some of our ideas, all our business sectors found a way to continue to help the community. Thus, the business unit Laundry & Home Care implemented the project called "I love the river, do you?", Thanks to which 650kg of waste was removed from Lake Ćelije, Gradsko Jezero (Town Lake) in Bela Crkva, Zavojsko Jezero (Zavojsko Lake) and Ada Ciganlija. The Adhesive Technologies business unit continued to assist the Novak Djokovic Foundation in building and adapting kindergartens throughout Serbia, and the Beauty Care business unit also got involved in resolving the problem of waste in our rivers and lakes and in cooperation with Delhaize Serbia, cleaned Zaovinsko Lake on the Tara Mountain.
What are Henkel's plans for the Serbian market in 2021?
— Last year, despite all the challenges, we managed to build and put into operation a new factory in Kruševac, which is a valuable investment thanks to which we expect that our company's contribution to the GDP of Serbia in 2021 will amount to 0.35 percent. Given our expert team, efficiency in implementing plans and the ability to implement state-of-the-art technologies under the auspices of Industry 4.0, our Kruševac production plant has been recognized as one of the best in the entire system and we expect Henkel Group to invest further in developing produciton locations in Serbia.
