Mr. sc. Gordana Kovačević has been the president of Ericsson Nikola Tesla since January 1, 2005. In addition to the responsibility of the president of Ericsson Nikola Tesla, she also holds the position of president of the Supervisory Board of the subsidiary company in Bosnia and Herzegovina and the subsidiary company Ericsson Nikola Tesla Servisi in Croatia. She graduated from the Faculty of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science at the University of Zagreb. She started her professional career at the then company «Nikola Tesla», where as a respected expert, and later as a manager, she led a number of the most complex telecommunications projects on domestic and foreign markets and the largest line organizations in the company.
With the arrival of Ericsson in Croatia in 1995, when the company became an associate member of Ericsson Corporation, she became vice president of Ericsson Nikola Tesla and vice president of Ericsson’s market unit for Central Europe. At the same time, she was the director of the Center for Communication Solutions and Sales Support. During her career, she dealt with strategic management, company restructuring and business development. Along the way, her innovation and original approach were part of her personal contribution to the local and global organization, which was recognized through Ericsson’s centers of excellence, which were first implemented in Croatia, and then in the entire corporation. She completed numerous professional and leadership programs, including the Graduate School of Business at Columbia University, a program that trains the highest-ranking managers in the Ericsson corporation.
In addition to working in the company, Gordana Kovačević is also involved in the work of reputable institutions in Croatia. Thanks to excellent results in cooperation with leading representatives of the academic community, she was appointed to the councils of several universities and faculties, and is currently the president of the Economic Council of the University of Zagreb. She received numerous recognitions and awards for her work. For four years in a row, she was declared the most powerful woman in Croatian business, and she also received a special recognition for her overall contribution to the Croatian economy. She received the Manager of the Year award from the Croatian Association of Managers and Entrepreneurs CROMA, and this year also the Lifetime Achievement Award. She is the winner of the European LeaderSHE award and has been declared the best manager in Southeast and Central Europe. For her contribution to the development of cooperation between Croatia and Sweden, the Swedish King Carl XVI Gustaf awarded Gordana Kovačević with the Royal Polar Star of Commander level. She was also awarded the Order of the Croatian Danica with the figure of Nikola Tesla for special merits in invention, as well as the Order of the Croatian Danica with the figure of Blaž Lorković for exceptional contribution and special merits in the economy.
