At the 21st Regular Annual General Assembly members of AmCham Slovenia elected a new president of AmCham Slovenia. Sašo Berger, Chairman of the Board at S&T Slovenia, was elected for a two-year term. Three new members were elected into the Board of Governors of AmCham Slovenia: Blaž Brodnjak (Chairman of the Board, NLB d.d.), Michele Leonardi (Executive Director, IBM Slovenia) and Vanja Lombar (Managing Director, OMV Slovenia). Three members were re-elected for the second two-year term at the Board of Governors: Iztok Klančnik (Managing Director, Hewlett Packard Enterprise Slovenia), Milan Dragić (Managing Director, Bisnode South-East Europe) and Vanja Hrovat (Chairman of the Board, Generali Insurance Ljubljana).
In his opening address, Sašo Berger said he was looking forward to taking over the management of AmCham Slovenia, which is an exceptional organization with an excellent team and numerous membership, living its values, spreading optimism and improving the business and living environment in Slovenia, and which is an organization for the future. “AmCham’s values are in line with both my personal values and the values we try to live by at S&T. I will be pleased to contribute to this successful mosaic myself,” said the new President, adding that he is looking forward to the dialogue with the economy, the state and civil society, as this is the only way to improve the Slovenian business environment. He emphasized an important aspect of security in the broader sense of the word, which is already incorporated in all AmCham Slovenia campaigns, and expressed a wish for that trend to continue in the future.
All candidates for the Board of Governors have highlighted the tremendous value of the AmCham Young platform, which encourages the development of future business leaders. They agreed that there was a need to focus on a sustainable future and adapt to the changes that have become a constant. They also stressed the need for cooperation both within the economy, as well as with the state and civil society, as this is the only way we can do something good for the country and create the best conditions for business. “We are small, but we can do so much, and breakthrough is what defines us,” it was heard.
The 21st Regular Annual General Assembly also hosted a special guest – the new US Ambassador to Slovenia, HE. Lynda C. Blanchard, who stated that she is very happy to be in Slovenia, which is a wonderful country where she and her family are having a great time. She said that Slovenia has a lot of potential that it can still use, and that the United States and Slovenia can learn a lot from each other. “I look forward to learning new things, and I look forward to connecting our countries,” she said. Being an entrepreneur herself, she advised Slovene entrepreneurs to step out of the box, as they will be even more successful that way, and she also heartily advised them to be socially responsible, to connect with their surroundings and to help others.