The decisions regarding the changes in the company's management structure were confirmed at the ordinary General Meeting of Vindija d.d. held on 22 May 2025. Biljana Đilas will thus be participating in future activities of the Management Board with Nenad Klepač as Chairman and Branimir Bricelj as Member of the Management Board and the company's CFO. At Koka d.o.o., the role of the Chairman of the Management Board will continue to be performed by Stjepan Sabljak, while Nenad Klepač, the current Member of the Management Board, will be joined by Roman Merkaš. These changes are the result of the appointment of the former members of the Management Board of Vindija d.d., namely Dubravka Drk-Mravlinčić, Tamara Drk-Vojnović, Alan Mravlinčić and Saša Vojnović, to the company’s Supervisory Board, where they will continue to contribute to the company’s strategic development in their new roles.
This step represents the natural course of the company’s development where the professional Management Board will continue to work actively on further strengthening the largest domestic food company, while the company owners, acting as Members of the Supervisory Board, will continue to play a key strategic role to the benefit of all stakeholders.
Branimir Bricelj has been a member of the Management Board of Vindija d.d. since September 2024. He has more than 25 years of experience which he gained by holding various managerial positions at international companies in Europe and the US, such as Pliva and DAVA Pharmaceuticals. He has also built his career through positions in the financial industry in Croatia and the UK, as Partner at Altera Corporate Finance, Fund Principal at Lamda Partners, and through his role at the Lazard Global Investment Bank in London.
Biljana Đilas, as the new Member of the Management Board of Vindija d.d. appointed in April 2025, brings more than 19 years of experience in management and business development in the consumer goods and retail sectors, which includes her former position as Managing Director responsible for Vindija’s operations in Serbia. Before joining Vindija's team in 2019, she spent years gaining experience in corporate management performing high-ranking roles in an international corporation, where she was responsible for drafting and implementing business strategies and transformation projects in various business areas, and for managing operating activities as Member of the Management Board.
Roman Merkaš, a professional with more than 25 years of experience in management, capital investments and production modernisation, joined the Management Board of Koka d.o.o. in February 2025. Before taking on the new role, he held the position of Capital Investments Director in the poultry industry after having spent almost two decades at none other than Koka d.o.o. working as Head of Technical Department. His appointment coincides with further positioning of the domestic food industry as a driver of economic growth and export market orientation, and a key guarantor of a stable and reliable supply of raw materials and finished products.
The aforementioned changes will strengthen Vindija and Koka’s management capacities, and they represent an important step towards sustainable growth, increased competitiveness and new development opportunities in domestic and international markets for these companies. Through these changes, the companies are also sending a signal that they are serious and have long-term plans, which will contribute to the quality of cooperation with financial institutions and strategic partners.