Dragonja has so far served as advisor to 2TDK's acting director Žarko Sajič, whom the company's supervisory board named director on Tuesday.

Sajič was originally appointed acting director by the government in June 2016.

A press release from 2TDK said the management had been picked based on criteria of personal integrity and ethics, expertise, track record and experience in managing complex projects and businesses.

The management's priority would be "acquiring financing sources, staffing and establishing organisation and internal processes enabling efficient implementation and transparency in all phases of the project."

The supervisory board will also appoint an additional management member, an expert who will be responsible for construction and project management.

With this, the company will have established organisational and staffing conditions for the Koper-Divača rail project to move to the phase of implementation.

2TDK will get a 45-year concession to manage the new rail line under a law that was upheld in a referendum in September.

Dragonja had served as state secretary at the Finance Ministry until July 2016. Before that he was economy minister in the Alenka Bratušek government. He held the same post in the late 1990s.

He is best known as long-serving chairman of pharmaceutical company Lek. He was at the helm of the Ljubljana-based company when it was sold to Swiss pharmaceutical giant Novartis in 2002.

Between 2008 and 2014 Dragonja served as director of bank NLB's Russian subsidiary in Moscow.