An interview with Barbara Bujacic, Country Manager at Gebrüder Weiss Croatia.

How would you characterize the logistics industry in Croatia?
We live in a small but – seen from a logistics perspective – demanding country. Croatia has over 16,000 miles of roads and almost 4,000 miles of coastline, including numerous islands. In my view we have managed to cope with these conditions very well.

Rimac Automobili is a successful international start-up from Croatia. Have you heard of it?
Sure I know Rimac. We partner with its sister company Greyp Bikes. They design, develop and manufacture great electric bikes. The technology they have is really impressive! In 2014 we started handling international transport services for this up-and-coming firm, and since then our partnership has grown closer and closer. You could say that we supply the whole world with Greyp bikes: they are sold in 26 countries on five continents. For me the key to the company‘s success is a concentration on what it does best: technology and mobility. The bikes make people‘s everyday lives easier.

Do you have any other customers from the start-up scene?
The majority of start-ups are in the IT sector and they, obviously, don‘t have any goods that require dispatching. But emerging companies that need logistics and transport support come to us because they value our advice and network. We really like working with these customers, and growing together.

Where do you see the economic future of your country?
We generate a lot of income from tourism. But there are plenty of other areas that Croatia should also be focusing on in the future, areas that can impact our economy. These include projects like the development of the container port in Rijeka and the floating gas terminal of the island of Krk which will be supplying liquefied gas to central and southeast Europe.

You are a female country manager. Is that unusual in Croatia?
In Croatia there are still far fewer women than men in executive positions. But we aren‘t quite as rare as we used to be. In my career things have happened to me that likely wouldn‘t have, had I been a man. But I emerged stronger and more self confident from these situations. Typically female qualities like communication skills, empathy and creativity diferentiate me from my male colleagues – and they are a real help in our fast-moving world. I‘ve never used my gender to justify or excuse anything but have always done things my way, come what may. That has proved to be a good call, which makes me very happy.