Micro Learning Entrepreneurship for Athletes - MLEA

After two years of consecutive and hard work on the analysis of (former) athletes behaviour in the context of developing of entrepreneurial spirit, knowledge and competencies as well as creating an online tool for promoting it in order to make dual careers of (former) athletes true Zagreb School of Economics and Management with its MLEA project partners are proud to invite you to the final Multiplier Sport Event of the project

Micro Learning Entrepreneurship for Athletes - MLEA

taking place on 14th March 2023 at 11 am in Aula Magna conference hall of Zagreb School of Economics and Management, Filip Vukasović 1, Zagreb.

Upon the conclusion of the conference, all the attendees are invited to a reception and networking in the area opposite the Aula Magna conference hall at the ZSEM campus.

Due to a limited number of attendees please be so kind to send a confirmation of your attendance by 8th March 2023 by registering to the LINK.

We are looking forward to your attendance.

Programme

10:30                            

Registration

11:00 – 11:30                  

Opening speech

Mato Njavro, PhD., project manager (Dean, ZSEM)

Nikolina Brnjac, PhD., Minister of Tourism and Sports

Kolinda Grabar-Kitarović, Independent Member of the International Olympic Committee

11:30 – 12:15                  

Project presentation

Introduction – Dubravka Kovačević, PhD., project coordinator (ZSEM)

Why taking up this road, our partners, goals, results

Intellectual output 1 – Martin Carlsson-Wall, PhD. (SSE)

Analysis, scientific papers

Intellectual output 2 – prof. dr. Sascha Schmidt (WHU)

Canvas model

Intellectual output 3 – Martin Carlsson-Wall, PhD. (SSE)

Micro-learning recording process

Intellectual output 4 – Mirna Koričan Lajtman, PhD. (ZSEM)

Presentation of the gamified platform

12:15 – 12:50                  

All Star - Panel I

• Zlatko Mateša, PhD.
• Damjan Rudež
• Snježana Pejčić
• Martina Zubčić
• prof. dr. Sascha Schmidt
• Martin Carlsson-Wall, PhD.

Moderator: Mato Njavro, PhD.

12:50 – 13:25                  

Young Hopeful - Panel II

• Anamaria Govorčinović
• Christina Zwicker
• Dorja Blažić
• Matija Mirković
• Nikola Miljenić

Moderator: Mirna Koričan Lajtman, PhD.

13:25 – 13:30                  

Conclusion

Mato Njavro, PhD.

13:30 – 14:30                  

Reception and networking event

Speakers' biographies

Mato Njavro

Mato Njavro is the Dean and a professor at the Zagreb School of Economics and Management. He is also a lecturer at the Luxembourg School of Business, the University of St. Gallen and the Singapore Management University. He obtained his PhD in the field of finance from the University of St. Gallen prior to which he worked for Lehman Brothers and Nomura investment banking divisions in London.

From 2016 to 2020 Dr. Njavro was based in Singapore as a Senior Research Fellow at the St. Gallen Institute of Management in Asia (SGI-HSG). He was also a visiting research fellow at Harvard University's Institute for Quantitative Social Sciences (IQSS).

Dr. Njavro’s research interests lie in the intersection of financial markets, public policy and economic development. He is a founder and an academic director of the New Europe Business Forum, an interdisciplinary event which gathers leaders from various fields once a year in Croatia, to discuss and debate on topics such as entrepreneurship, leadership, scientific innovation and economic policy.

Nikolina Brnjac

Nikolina Brnjac has a long-standing career in politics as well as academia. Ms. Brnjac holds the position of Minister for Tourism and Sport since 2020. Prior to this she was a State Secretary (ministre delegue) at the Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs, State Secretary at the Ministry of the Sea, Transport and Infrastructure, Vice President of the Intermodal Transport and Logistics Union at the Croatian Chamber of Commerce as well as the Brussels Evaluator for Horizon 2020 COV2 at the European Commission. 

Nikolina Brnjac, Ph. D., is a professor at a doctoral studies programme at her alma mater University of Zagreb, Faculty of Transport and Traffic Sciences Transport and Traffic Technology, with a research focus on logistics. Prior to her position as a minister, Ms Brnjac was a member of organisational board of Ports and Waterways (POWA) and the Science and Development of Transport (ZIRP) as well as scientific board of INTRANSLAW (International Transport & Insurance Law Conference). During that period, she held guest lectures at the Chalmers University, Technology Management and Economics Gothenburg, Faculty of Technical Sciences at the University of Novi Sad, Faculty of Law at the University of Zagreb and School of Economics and Business at the University of Ljubljana (Slovenia). She was also a leader of multiple international research projects.

Kolinda Grabar-Kitarović

Kolinda Grabar-Kitarović is the 4th and 1st female President of Croatia (2015-2020) with broad national and international experience in politics, diplomacy and security studies. During her career as an elected official and in national and international civil service, among other, she was elected a Member of the Croatian Parliament (2003), and served as Croatia’s first female Minister of Foreign Affairs (2003-2008) and Ambassador to the United States, co-accredited to Mexico, Panama and the Organisation of American States (2008-2011), as well as the first female Assistant Secretary General and member of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) Senior Leadership (2011-2014).

She was elected an independent member of the International Olympic Committee in 2020 and has been appointed Chair of the Future Hosts Commission for the Games of the Olympiad. Currently she is a Practitioner in Residence at the Zagreb School of Economics and Management. She is member of the GLOBSEC International Advisory Council, the Future Security and Defense Council and Ukraine Support Group and serves on the boards of a number of non-profit institutions, such as Friends of Europe, the US Atlantic Council, Halifax International Security Forum, Concordia Leadership Council. She is a Member of the High-Level Advisory Council for the High Representative for the UN Alliance of Civilizations (UNAOC), the Global Ambassador for Immunization for Women Political Leaders (WPL), and chair emerita of the Council of Women World Leaders.

Parallel to her diplomatic and political careers, she has pursued an academic career in government, international relations and security studies at the Vienna Diplomatic Academy (1994-1995), the George Washington University (2002-2003), Harvard University (2009), the Johns Hopkins University (2011), and the University of Zagreb. She holds a master’s degree, and is currently writing a PhD thesis in the field of International Relations and Security Studies on the Responsibility to Protect. She is a recipient of the 2019 Fulbright Lifetime Achievement award for her "remarkable contributions as a leader, diplomat, and public servant", the George Washington University President’s medal, and a number of other national and international awards, decorations, recognitions, honorary doctorates and honorary citizenships.

Zlatko Mateša

Zlatko Mateša holds a PhD. from the Beijing Sport University since 2009. Over the years, Dr. Mateša has held many distinguished positions in both private and public sectors including the Croatian government. He was the Director of Legal Affairs and then Assistant General Director for managing companies in non-oil business within the Croatian oil giant portfolio, INA. He was the Head of Croatia’s Agency for Restructuring and Development, a Minister in the Croatian government, minister of economy as well as the Prime Minister of Croatia, a position he had held until 2000. From 2000 to 2004, he was a member of the Croatian Parliament. He has also taken part in many projects which require a superior level of managerial skills, such as the founding Croatia Airlines, where he was also a board member.

Dr. Mateša has completed additional education at Harvard University through the Executive Education for Leaders in Development Program and at Henley Management College, where he completed specialized seminars. He is a member of several organizations: the Institute of Directors in London, the Strategic Management Society in the US, and the Turnaround Management Association. Within Olympic Movement and Sports, he holds positions at the European Olympic Committee (EOC), Executive Committee, as well as a member of: ANOC Association of National Olympic Committees, member of the Medical Committee. Since 2002, Dr. Mateša has held the position of the President of the Croatian Olympic Committee.

Dr. Mateša is one of the founders of the Zagreb School of Economics and Management and one of its Vice-Deans. He actively gives lectures in Strategic Management course at the undergraduate and Strategy course at the graduate level. He is also an author of many books and articles. Some of his titles include Strategic Management, Sport Management, and An Introduction to Sport Law. Dr. Zlatko Mateša has been awarded several Croatian decorations and is Honorary Consul of Mongolia in the Republic of Croatia.

Anamaria Govorčinović

Anamaria Govorčinović is a Croatian canoeist. She competed in the women’s K-1 200 metres and the K- 500 meters events at the 2020 Summer Olympic Games in Tokyo. Her greatest achievement is a silver medal at the World Championship in Halifax (Canada) putting Anamaria on the canoe world map.

Nikola Miljenić

Nikola Miljenić is a Croatian swimming representative who was particularly noticable during the Olympic Games in Tokyo in 2020 where he was placed 19th. He started swimming at the age of 7 when achieveing first memorable results developed in his undying love for this sport. Last couple of years he lived in the US where he went to college. First the studies took him to Indiana, later on to Los Angeles. He achieved his degree in international relations and economics afterwhich he enrolled in the Master's degree in entrepreneurship and innovations. The year 2021 was one of the most successful ones in his career as he managed to set a new Croatian record in 100m butterfly, previously held by Duje Draganja. In the autumn of 2022 he has enrolled the Faculty of Law and starts his professional swimming career in the Swimming Club Medveščak.

Damjan Rudež

Damjan Rudež started his professional basketball career at 18 years with the Belgian Telindus Oostende which lasted for 16 years. It included 13 different clubs in 7 different countries from Croatia and Slovenia to Spain and the US with NBA clubs such as Indiana Pacers, Minesotta Timber-Wolves and Orlando Magic. As a Croatian representative Rudež played at the Mediterranean Games, three European Championships and Olympic Games in Beijing. Currently he is dedicated to his academic development at the Faculty of Kinesiology (University of Zagreb) and SDA Bocconi School of Management in Milan. Rudež is also a programme director at the Sunset Sports Media Festival in Zadar, Croatia.

Christina Zwicker

Christina Zwicker is a second-year student at the Zagreb School of Economics and Management as well as a current Croatian representative in artistic gymnastics. Her sporting career started when she was 4 and joined Croatian representation when 13. The most important results that Christina is also most proud of are: winning the World Cup in Szombathely (Hungary) and finals at the European Championship both in 2020 as well as participation at the World Championship in Japan in 2021. Whilst doing her best on tarmac, Christina does the same in the academics as well. After finishing her high school with honors Christina enrolled at the Zagreb School of Economics and Management with strong belief that she will gain a wide range of skills and knowledge as well as opportunities greatly needed in the future. She was awarded the Dean's List for the first academic year and is striving to achieve the same in the future. Alongside studying, Christina is actively training and preparing for the upcoming European and World Championships whilst hoping to enter the prerequisites for the Olympic Games in Paris in 2024.

Dorja Blažić 

Dorja Blažić started fencing at the age of 7. Her talent is spotted early on and at the age of 14 she achieves historical success for Croatian fencing by becoming a silver medallist in the Mediterranean Championship in Marseilles in 2017. However, this was abruptly stopped for a full year due to a heavy car accident where Dorja was seriously wounded. Her comeback is marked by becoming the best in the state championship. Successes followed during her attendance at the European cadet and junior championship in Sochi. 2020 marks the year when Dorja enrolled to a series of successes proving her abilities from previous years. She became cadet, junior and senior champion of Croatia in the floret discipline. In 2021 at the World Championship in Cairo, Dorja became 14th best foil fencer in the world whilst at the European Championship in Novi Sad she achieved 8th place making her the 11th best foil fencer in the world ranking. Until now Dorja achieved 18 titles of state championship, category of top athlete in Croatia and is historically the most successful foil fencer so far. With the state senior champion title, Dorja is a potential candidate for 2024 Paris Olympic Games qualifications. Dorja is also a first-year student at the Zagreb School of Economics and Management.

Matija Mirković

Matija Mirković has a bachelor’s degree in economics and a master’s degree in agribusiness. He started his career in recruitment at Manning Global, an agency specialized in technical recruiting. After that he started working at Adecco Croatia as a Recruitment Consultant and found his passion for IT. He gained experience in internal HR as an IT Recruiter at GlobalLogic, an outsourcing IT company. He currently works at Adecco as a Senior Sales and IT Recruitment Consultant. Matija has extensive experience in IT and executive recruitment. He is focused on sales of Adecco services and building relationships with clients. Also, he has a longstanding cooperation with the Croatian Olympic Committee and works on projects that empower athletes and helps them into a dual or post-sports career.

Sascha L. Schmidt

Sascha L. Schmidt holds the chair of Sports and Management at the WHU – Otto Beisheim School of Management and is the academic director of the WHU Center for Sports and Management. He is also an affiliate of the Lab of Innovation Science at Harvard, a member of the Digital Initiative at the Harvard Business School (HBS). Prof. Schmidt is co-host and lecturer of the MIT/WHU course “transformational Technologies: Applied Lessons from Sports”. His research focuses on corporate foresight and diversification strategies preparing professional sports for future technological and societal challenges.

Martin Carlsson-Wall

Martin Carlsson-Wall, Director and founder of the Center for Sports and Business at the Stockholm School of Economics. Dr. Carlsson-Wall's research is about the control of "emotional assets" and how organizations characterized by passionate interests need to be managed in a different way compared to private, public and non-for profit organizations. In addition to his research, Dr. Carlsson-Wall has developed several Executive Education programmes for top athletes and sport executives in Sweden.

Mirna Koričan Lajtman

Dr. Koričan Lajtman is an associate professor at ZSEM and Luxembourg School of Business and academic co-director of MBA in Human Resource Management concentration at ZSEM. She is also the Academic Director at ZSEM Business Academy, building corporative programmes and executive education for regional companies. In her teaching, professor Koričan Lajtman uses the novel methods of teaching, such as computer simulations, and applies principles of gamification in programme creation and programme delivery. Her field of research and interest lies in the application of psychology in the work context via excellent human resource practices. She is the author of several papers, researches and consults in the field of human resources.

Dubravka Kovačević

Dubravka Kovačević joined the ZSEM International Office a year ago. She holds a PhD. in the field of world economy – international business acquired at the University of Economics in Bratislava. She has a long-term experience in teaching as well as business administration in the context of international relations. Dr. Kovačević has also worked in banking sector for 10 years. Her research focus lies within the European Union in an interdisciplinary approach, is fluent in English and Slovak, also uses Czeck and German language. Her work area comprises of further development of international cooperation and projects as well as teaching Business Communication.