Advisory Board

Dragan Penezić has been with British American Tobacco (BAT) since 2016. Prior to joining BAT, he spent seven years at the Commission for the Protection of Competition of the Republic of Serbia, where he served as Secretary General. Dragan Penezić has extensive experience in public administration. He began his career in government as Assistant Minister in charge of concessions and public-private partnerships at the Ministry of International Economic Relations, and later served as Assistant Minister in charge of trade, prices, and consumer protection at the Ministry of Trade and Services. In terms of his involvement in professional and industry bodies, Mr. Penezić has served as President of the Assembly of NALED (National Alliance for Local Economic Development) since 2017. He is also President of the Committee for Combating Illicit Trade at the Foreign Investors Council.

Dragana Čukić was born in 1968. She graduated and obtained a master’s degree from the Faculty of Civil Engineering at the University of Belgrade, specializing in Structural Engineering. She continued her professional career at the Faculty as a teaching assistant at the Department of Steel Structures, where she worked until 2006. She is the author of numerous scientific and professional papers. Since 2000, she has built an extensive career in project management and real estate development, progressing from Project Manager to General Manager and working on the implementation of one of the largest portfolios in the region, with a total value of approximately EUR 600 million, within Delta Holding. In August 2012, she co-founded the consulting company JAI Development & Consulting. She served as President of the Supervisory Board and a member of the Presidency of JDGK (Yugoslav Society of Structural Engineers). Since 2010, she has been a member of the Board of Directors of ACES – Association of Consulting Engineers of Serbia. She was one of the initiators and active contributors to the introduction of the Eurocodes into Serbian construction practice. Since 2014, as an expert for USAID and NALED, she has participated in the reform of the construction permitting system. From 2016 to 2021, she served as a member of the NALED Board of Directors.

Goran Kovačević, Founder and Director of Gomex, was born in 1962 in Osijek, Republic of Croatia. He completed his primary and secondary education in Beli Manastir, followed by a degree in Law from the University of Osijek. He began his professional career at Osijek Brewery and, in 1994, founded the trading company Gomex in Beli Manastir, Croatia, where he served as CEO until 2022. In 1997, he relocated the company to Zrenjanin, Serbia, and in 2007, Gomex completed its first minority recapitalization in Serbia with the U.S. private equity fund SEAF. Following a 15-fold increase in SEAF’s initial investment, SEAF exited the company in 2022, with private equity fund CEECAT Capital taking its place as the majority owner. Goran Kovačević became a minority shareholder in Gomex and stepped away from the company’s operational management. Throughout his career, he has demonstrated a strong commitment to social responsibility through his involvement in cultural activities and support for vulnerable minority groups. He is married, has three children, and is a grandfather of four.

Neven Marinović, Director of Smart Kolektiv, is a social entrepreneur, co-founder, and Executive Director of Smart Kolektiv, a leading Serbian organization in the fields of corporate social responsibility (CSR) and social entrepreneurship. He is President of the Euclid Network, a European network for social entrepreneurship based in the Netherlands. He also serves as Director of the Forum for Responsible Business, a network of socially responsible companies in Serbia. He holds a Master of Business Administration (MBA) degree from the European School of Management and Technology (ESMT) in Berlin and previously graduated from the Department of Production and Management at the Faculty of Dramatic Arts in Belgrade. He also attended the School for Management and Leadership in the Nonprofit Sector at Harvard University. He is the co-founder of several social enterprises in Serbia and one of the initiators of various support programmes for social and young entrepreneurs, including incubators, financial support programmes, and advocacy coalitions. He also works as a consultant for various companies and international organizations, primarily as part of the expert team of Frankfurt School of Finance & Management.

Nikola Vučen, Mayor of the Municipality of Smederevska Palanka, was born on 25 February 1981 in Smederevska Palanka. After completing primary school in his hometown, he completed his secondary education at the Polytechnic School in New Belgrade. He holds a degree in Economics. He has built his career in local government through a series of positions of responsibility, consistently working to support the revitalization of Smederevska Palanka. From May 2016 to December 2016, he served as Deputy President of the Municipal Assembly of Smederevska Palanka, and from December 2016 to November 2017 as President of the Municipal Assembly of Smederevska Palanka. From November 2017 to May 2018, he served as President of the Temporary Authority of the Municipality of Smederevska Palanka. Since May 2018, he has served as President of the Municipality of Smederevska Palanka. He was elected to this position for a third term on 2 June 2026, following the regular local elections, reaffirming continuity in the management of the municipality’s development. From June 2021 to June 2026, he served as a member of the NALED Board of Directors. He received NALED’s “Member of the Year” award for 2023, presented for outstanding contribution to reforms and the improvement of the business environment. At the Fifth Assembly of the Serbian Progressive Party in November 2021, he was elected to the party’s Presidency at the proposal of Aleksandar Vučić. Since May 2023, he has served as President of the Municipal Board of the Serbian Progressive Party in Smederevska Palanka.

Stanka Pejanović is a senior executive and board member with more than 25 years of international experience leading large multicultural organizations across the retail, fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG), home appliances, and automotive industries. Throughout her career, she has held senior leadership positions in companies with between 11,000 and 24,000 employees, successfully managing complex teams across Europe, Japan, and North America. She specializes in strategic modeling and analysis, solving complex business challenges, and implementing transformation strategies. Her work has included business restructuring, revenue growth initiatives, and cost-saving projects, with a direct impact on EBITDA ranging from EUR 1 million to EUR 150 million. With a strong focus on results and the creation of sustainable business models, she has built a reputation throughout her career as a change-driven leader who improves organizational efficiency and delivers long-term value to companies on a global scale.

Vladan Vasić was born in Pirot in 1971, where he finished elementary school and high school. He graduated from the Faculty of Electronics in Niš in 1996 and then earned a Magister degree at the Faculty of Economy in Niš in 2003. He is married and father of three children. Upon finishing his studies, he worked in Industry of Clothes "1 Maj" for six years. He became engaged in politics in 2000, as a Chancellor in the Municipal Assembly of Pirot, and in 2003 he won at the first direct Mayor elections, becoming one of the youngest Mayors in the history of Pirot. Since 2013 he has been a member of NALED Managing Board and a member of Presidency of the Standing Conference of Towns and Municipalities, and with him as a leader, Pirot became a certified business friendly municipality in South East Europe. The municipality is distinguished by its many realized investments, projects with the European Union and through cross-border cooperation.