Key skills and expertise

Bringing over 17 years of experience in rural development, administration, and grants management, the expert excels in financial management and project evaluation. Key skills include critical and analytical thinking, organizational abilities, and proficiency in Microsoft Office and communication applications. Over the years, the expert has managed more than 300 EU-funded projects, ensuring financial compliance and accuracy. Previously held roles such as Head of Sector and Head of Financial Management Service involved overseeing significant budgets and project implementations. Career highlights include financial control of international grant projects and developing IT systems for enhanced reporting and monitoring.

Project experience and donor exposure

Worked across diverse projects involving international donors such as the EEA Grants (Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway) and the European Regional Development Fund. Responsibilities have included financial control and audit of grant projects and evaluation of project proposals for the Interreg programme. Thematic areas covered include circular economy, environment preservation, and sustainable tourism. These projects were regional, focusing on the Adriatic-Ionian region and Slovenia-Croatia collaboration, conducted primarily in Croatia, contributing to international development cooperation efforts in these areas.

Sectors and geographic focus

With a background in sectors such as rural development, public administration, tourism, and grants management, the expert has held leadership roles like Head of Sector for Reporting and Database and Head of Financial Management Service. Responsibilities have included overseeing financial management and project evaluation. Cross-cutting expertise includes digitalization in agriculture, coordinating IT system development for enhanced project monitoring. The geographic scope of work is primarily country-specific to Croatia, with involvement in regional initiatives like the Adriatic-Ionian and Slovenia-Croatia collaborations. Extensive professional experience in Croatia has provided a deep understanding of local governance and regional development issues.

Languages and education

The expert is a native Croatian speaker with proficiency in English at the C2 level, indicating advanced fluency. Working knowledge of Bosnian and Serbian, along with basic proficiency in Spanish, has been utilized in various professional contexts, including international projects and collaborations within multilingual teams. The expert holds a Bachelor of Economics degree from The Polytechnic of Šibenik in Croatia. This educational background provides a solid foundation in economics, supporting extensive professional experience across various sectors.