Founded in 1954 as a small pharmaceutical laboratory, Krka has since grown into one of the country's biggest companies, employing 10,000 people in Slovenia and abroad.

Pahor said in his speech that Krka is a champion and will continue to be a champion. One of the reasons for its success is that the management has resisted to the "temptation of wild privatisation", according to him.

Krka is changing the definition of a business success, the president said, adding that many companies are following Krka's path as they have a better understanding of the balance between ownership and responsibility.

The Krka group continues to grow despite the persistent economic crisis in Slovenia. Last year it increased its sales by 5% to EUR 1.2bn, while net profit amounted to EUR 172.8m, 8% more than in 2012.

Krka director general Jože Colarič noted that the company has always cherished the values such as agility and flexibility, partnership, trust, creativity and efficiency, which are the foundation of Krka's business culture and its vision.

Krka never stopped investing into research and development, building new plants home and abroad while at the same time establishing vertically integrated production and constantly expanding its commercial network, Colarič said.

The company is selling its products on more than 70 markets around the world, while its international presence also includes ownership of production and distributions centres in the Russian Federation, Poland, Croatia and Germany.