Could you describe your tasks at the company?
As a director of Application Integration department within IT Sector I am in charge of coordinating and advancing the work of my department in order to make all the mobile systems, eProcesses (business processes automation systems, for example travel management system, attendance management, Intranet, etc.) and other program solutions at our company to work impeccably and efficiently. The results are directly visible in practically dozens of countries where Podravka sales operatives daily perform their tasks and use mobile systems as a support in their work, the same as other workers of Podravka Group in Croatia who use eProcess solutions.
SAP system is the main IT system at the company, but due to its high price or some technical limitations, the automation of certain business processes is done through implementing eProcess systems, using mostly own knowledge and existing Microsoft and other compatible technologies. Sometimes due to the complexity and volume of work we ask for help from our partners.
My job is to meet with the colleagues on the "business part", to create projects and then to coordinate the workers and partners in its realization, but "rolling up my sleeves" is also not foreign to me, so I often do specific technical parts of this team work.
What were the jobs that you worked on so far at the company?
I started working in Podravka in 1998 as an apprentice at the IT Sector on implementing SAP system, implementing the first intranet system, e-mail system, Internet and other internal network services access. I also volunteered in the team that worked on Podravka's first web site.
Later I changed jobs, from independent IT informatician, project manager, department manager, to my position today. My superiors provided me with an opportunity for additional professional education owing to ambition, desire to implement new technologies and persistence.
Working in a team with colleagues at Podravka, we have implemented various solutions that are a part of standard technologies one can no longer do without. In our daily work we use the "smart phone" or "mobile computer". Using them from any place at any time we can read our e-mail, work in SAP, eProcesses, arrange meetings, request and approve vacation days and official trips, we make free telephone calls and write to colleagues from other Podravka international locations. Behind all this is work on implementing necessary technologies that in the background provide all those services.
What do you consider the challenges of your work?
I am daily surrounded by challenges and it is actually a challenge how to balance them.
One of the mayor challenges is how to realize all the demands for development of new solutions with limited number of team members in the shortest possible period.
A challenge is definitely also how to leave all the work obligations at work after I come home.
I must admit that is the hardest challenge, but I am trying to resolve that so that I do all the "handy man" work at home in order to get away from active thinking about work obligations. Owing to that, I probably get ideas at home how to solve a challenge at work, and thanks to available technologies I do a lot of work from home.
How did POMAK affect you and your career?
Owing to POdravka Management Academy, I gained new knowledges, particularly those on how various other sectors at the company function, I got to know people who work there and that helps me when talking to them about implementing IT business solutions and to better understand their demands. That way we make our work done faster. Soft skills that I have acquired daily help me in communication with my team, as well as in contacts with business users and partners. I definitely support this and similar forms of education of Podravka employees. I have to thank my superiors and Podravka for enabling me to attend various educations and with my development and knowledge I return this to the company many times over, and at the same time I get more challenging tasks and positions. I am trying to offer this model to all of my employees within the department.
In your opinion, what are the advantages of working at Podravka?
An advantage is definitely readiness of Podravka to invest in knowledge of its employees and to provide support in further development. But I also believe in my company and I am trying to return this many times over.
I also like having access to new technologies that are sometimes available to Podravka earlier than they are available in the official market. It is not rare that we can commend ourselves for many things we are better at than big world companies. One of the examples is the implementation of MS Unified Communications systems in Podravka that enabled us to reduce costs of international communication, and at that time we were among several other companies that implemented it.
