Franjo Bobinac, former CEO of home appliances and consumer electronics maker Gorenje, has been honoured by the Manager Association with the lifetime achievement award for 2024.

"In a global industry where it is impossible to survive without economies of scale and capital to develop new products ... Bobinac and his team managed to keep Gorenje going," the association said in presenting the award at a ceremony on 22 January.

Bobinac, 66, started working for Gorenje three years after graduating and helped the company through the collapse of the Yugoslav market while he served as director of a subsidiary in France.

As marketing director later on, he spearheaded rapid growth, and the group's sales nearly doubled in 1998-2003.

The company then attracted top designers such as Swarovski, Karim, Ora-ito and Pininfarina to become a trendsetter in home appliances.

At the same time, Gorenje developed own brands while engaging in takeovers around Europe (Atag, Mora Moravia, Asko), while never resorting to painful lay-offs, the association said.

When it became clear Gorenje would soon no longer be competitive, Bobinac found a strategic partner in Chinese multinational Hisense.

He was appointed vice-president of Hisense International as the first non-Chinese to help manage the Chinese company.

The company's net revenue increased from €900 million in 2019 to €2.5 billion in 2024, with profitability and added value growing. The number of employees rose by more than 1,500.

Bobinac has received several awards, including from the Chamber of Commerce and Industry for outstanding achievements in 2008, and a French national decoration.

He has served on multiple supervisory boards and led the Manager Association from 2005 to 2009.

He is currently the president of the Slovenian Olympic Committee and has recently become the first Slovenian to serve on the International Olympic Committee's marketing commission.

Accepting the award, Bobinac said he was honoured in particular because it is a guild award. He described the industry he and his team worked in as incredibly attractive and interesting, but also challenging.