ŽIGA DEBELJAK, MBA

Member of the Management Board, Chief Financial Officer, Chief Digital Officer, Gorenje Group

Žiga Debeljak, born in 1971 in Kranj, Slovenia, graduated from the Faculty of Electrical Engineering and Computer Sciences at the University of Ljubljana in the year 1995, and then he proceeded with his study at postgraduate level at the Faculty of Economics in Ljubljana, where he obtained his master's degree in the Science of Business Administration and Organization in the year 1998. 

From May 2017 he is a member of the Management Board and Chief Financial Officer of Gorenje Group, an international producer of household appliances, and from September 2015 he is already performing the duties of the Chief Digital Officer of the group. Prior to this, he was performing the duties of the Senior Vice President for International Business Development from September 2012 on. From 2006 to 2012 he was performing the duties of the Chief Executive Officer of Mercator Group, the leading food-retailer in the Western Balkan region. Before that, from 2003 on, he was employed in Gorenje Group as Chief Financial Officer, and prior to his employment with the company Gorenje, he performed the duties of the Director of Controlling and Accounting at the Mercator Group from 1999 on.

Within other professional responsibilities, he was performing the following duties: Member of the Executive Board of the Slovene Managers’ Association (from 2007 to 2012), Member of the Business Advisory Board of the Faculty of Economics of the University of Ljubljana (from 2007 to 2012), Member of the Council of The Slovene National Gallery (from 2009), Member of the Business Council of the University of Ljubljana (from 2006 to 2009), President of The Slovene Handball Association (from 2006 to 2008), President of the Council of the Ljubljana Opera and Ballet (from 2006 to 2008), Member of the Expert Committee of the Slovene Auditing Institute (from 2004 to 2008), Member of the Executive Board of the Slovene Association of Economists (from 2001 to 2009). He was also a member of the Council for Economic Affairs of the President of the Republic of Slovenia from 2008 to 2012 and a member of the Strategic Economic Council of the Prime Minister of Slovenia from 2008 to 2011.

Together with Mr Janez Prašnikar, professor at the Faculty of Economics, University of Ljubljana, he is the co-author of the book “Economic Models for Business Decision Making” (1998, in Slovene language). Moreover, as an author or co-author, he also published several articles from the field of corporate finance and managerial economics. In 2003 he obtained the professional titles »Certified Financial Expert« and «Certified Accountant« granted by the Slovene Auditing Institute, and in 2009 he also obtained the title “Certified Company Valuation Professional”.

He speaks fluently English, German, Croatian/Serbian, and has a passive knowledge of French.