In last 35 years, IEDC – Bled School of Management became an international center of excellence and an important business meeting place and a creative environment that encourages managers and leaders to develop and think creatively. In the period between its founding in 1986 until 2021, more than 94,000 participants from 100 countries have attended its programs.
On the occasion of the 35th Anniversary of the IEDC-Bled School of Management, the President of the Republic of Slovenia, Mr. Borut Pahor and the President of the Slovak Republic, Mrs. Zuzana Čaputová, planted a tree Green Globe that is a symbol of Slovenia and also of the Slovak Republic. It is an autochthonous Slovenian species and a symbol of our landscape. The tree was donated to the school on this occasion by the Naklo Biotechnical Center.
The main ceremony, the Annual International Presidents' Forum was organized under the patronage of the President of the Republic of Slovenia, Mr. Borut Pahor.
In the first part of celebration entitled “New Leadership for Sustainable Future” two Doctor Honoris Causa titles were conferred to two professors who have contributed to the innovative leadership development of the school: Prof. Pierre Casse, the Leadership Chair at IEDC and Mr. Haris Pašović, professor of Arts and Leadership and Theatre director.
The program continued with a roundtable of IEDC Alumni on top leadership positions featuring: Ms. Melanie Seier Larsen, Partner and Managing Director, The Boston Consulting Group, Dr. Mark Pleško, CEO and co-founder, Cosylab, Inc., Ms. Iskra Reić, Executive Vice President, Europe & Canada at AstraZeneca, (on-line), Mr. Blaž Brodnjak, CEO, NLB d.d., Dr. Iztok Seljak, President, Management Board at Hidria, Ms. Saviola Shahollari, Founder-Manager, Baits, Albania (on-line); Mr. Ivan Barać, Director Sales and Marketing for HT Group and CIS, Ericsson Nikola Tesla and Ms. Nuša Pavlinjek Slavinec, Managing Director of Roto. They presented their actual achievements and future challenges, and gave us their vision on leadership and leadership development.
The afternoon part entitled »Leadership and Capitalism: New Perspectives For a Sustainable Future«, starting at 16.00 was organized in cooperation with the prestigious International Academy of Management (IAM), the oldest management association in the world, whose members are distinguished management professors and business leaders, including Nobel laureates. We listened to a stellar group of keynote speakers, among them: Mr. Paul Polman, Influencer, business leader, former President of Unilever and author of “Net Positive: how courageous companies thrive by giving more than they take” and Ms. Sandra Boss, Global Head of Investment Stewardship, BlackRock, USA.