*Featured Speakers
Ante Orbanić
CEO
Ante Orbanić is the founder of PHV Solutions and Editor-in-Chief of zdravlje24.info. Working at the intersection of healthcare and technology, he leads the development of business-enabling apps, including NexusPro for internal corporate training and Lumina Events for event management. He holds an MSc in Pharmacy, is a Specialist in Clinical Pharmacy, and earned a PhD in Biomedicine and Health Sciences (Public Health). He delivers professional education for pharmacists, physicians, and other healthcare professionals. He serves on the Executive Board of the Clinical Pharmacy Section of the Croatian Pharmaceutical Society, is a member of the Public Pharmacy Committee of the Croatian Chamber of Pharmacists, and a member of the Chamber’s General Assembly. Previously, he served on multiple committees within the City Pharmacy Zagreb, including as Chair of its Medicines Committee.
Barbara Slade
CEO
Barbara Slade Jagodić is an SEO and branding consultant with 25 years of experience in digital marketing. She specializes in Search Everywhere Optimization (Google, social networks, AI platforms), SEO audits, technical SEO, content optimization, and branding for sectors like healthcare, e-commerce, tourism, and IT. She is one of the top 20 most influential LinkedIn business creators in Croatia and a regular speaker at conferences on SEO, content marketing, LinkedIn branding, and AI optimization. Her projects have won awards, and her trainings are tailored for business events and corporations. At the conference, she will share practical strategies for increasing visibility and conversions in the digital environment, with a focus on the healthcare sector and international expansion.
Dace Dimza-Jones
National Life Sciences Specialist in Global Entrepreneur Programmeu (GEP)
Dace is a National Life Sciences Specialist within the UK’s Global Entrepreneur Programme at the Department for Business and Trade. She works closely with internationally minded life sciences and health‑tech founders, supporting them to establish and scale IP‑rich businesses from a UK base. Her focus is on helping ambitious companies navigate the UK ecosystem from market entry and expansion, to access to capital, research partnerships, and regional opportunities. Dace connects entrepreneurs and investors with the right people, programmes, and places across the UK, ensuring ideas with real impact are matched to environments where they can thrive. Working across global networks, regional partners, and industry leaders, Dace supports inward investment into the life sciences sector and helps shape UK’s offer to international founders. Her work is driven by building meaningful relationships, enabling collaboration, and contributing to sustainable growth across the life sciences landscape.
Dr. David Pearce
Chair
Dr. David Pearce serves as Chair of the IRDiRC Consortium Assembly, leading the International Rare Diseases Research Consortium across 80+ countries. He coordinates global research initiatives, sets strategic priorities, and represents IRDiRC at major conferences like World Orphan Drug Congress and ERDERA CRN events. As President of Innovation & Research at Sanford Health, he oversees clinical trials, patient registries, and therapy development for rare disorders, particularly Batten disease. A professor of pediatrics at Sanford School of Medicine, Pearce bridges research, policy, and patient advocacy in rare disease innovation. Through IRDiRC's global network, Dr. Pearce will outline access to funded patient registries, validated clinical research networks, and accelerated partnership pipelines, enabling CROs and pharma leaders to secure grants, co-develop trials, and scale rare disease solutions efficiently.
Davor Katavić
CEO & Consultant
Davor Katavić is a healthcare finance executive, policy expert, and management consultant with over 20 years of leadership experience across public institutions and the private sector. He is CEO of Desiderius Consulting, where he advises healthcare organisations, investors, and policymakers on system performance, financial sustainability, and market development across Croatia and the wider CEE region. He previously served in senior national leadership roles, including Deputy Minister of Health and Vice-Director of the Croatian Health Insurance Fund, contributing to healthcare financing reform and strategic system development. His work focuses on positioning healthcare systems as platforms for innovation, investment, and international partnership. Davor Katavić is a business consultant specialised in healthcare finance and management with over 20 years of experience across public institutions and the private sector. As CEO of Desiderius Consulting and former Deputy Minister of Health and Vice-Director of the Croatian Health Insurance Fund, he advises organisations and investors on healthcare system transformation and market development across the CEE region.
Diana Takač
President
Diana Takač is President of the Croatian Niemann-Pick Disease Association (NPHR), founded to support families affected by this rare lysosomal storage disorder. Mother to Dado (diagnosed at 6 months with Niemann-Pick Type A/B), she advocates for enzyme replacement therapy access, patient registries, and international collaboration. Diana transformed personal tragedy into action after Dado's 2019 diagnosis. Despite no cure and progressive symptoms (organ enlargement, developmental delays), she secured compassionate use of enzyme therapy, connected with German support groups, and attended global family/clinician meetings. Diana shares lived experience on patient advocacy, trial enrollment, and NGO funding. At the conference, she highlights registry enrollment, compassionate access pathways, and CRO partnerships to accelerate therapies for Niemann-Pick and similar ultra-rare diseases.
Ivana Tomljanovic Rudar
Medical Governance and Projects Lead
Ivana Tomljanović Rudar is an expert in medical governance and different medical and pharmaceutical project with experience in a different roles within medical affairs, regulatory affairs, pharmacovigilance and clinical administration. She currently serves as Medical Governance and Projects Lead at Novartis with previous regional experience as Balkan Therapeutic Area Lead for Hospital Acute Care and Vaccines and Regional Clinical Administration Manager at MSD.
Josipa Ljubičić
CEO and founder
Josipa Ljubičić is the Director and owner of Proqlea Ltd., a company specialized in CRO services across all phases of clinical trials, advanced GxP quality system implementation, and strategic QA and regulatory consulting. With more than two decades of experience in the pharmaceutical industry, including clinical research, regulatory authorities, and international pharma companies, she is recognized as a leading GCP/GVP/GMP/GcLP auditor with extensive global experience conducting complex audits and mock inspections in line with EMA and FDA requirements. Under her leadership, Proqlea is known for excellence, transparency, and transformative QA approaches that ensure safe, efficient, and fully compliant execution of clinical and pharmaceutical projects. Proqlea won Family-friendly employer awards (2022-2024).
Lejla Pock
CEO
Lejla Pock is CEO of Human.technology Styria GmbH (since Oct 2022), Austria's leading cluster organization connecting 100+ companies, research institutions, and stakeholders in the life sciences sector; MedTech, Pharma/Biotech, HealthTech. Previously CFO (2019-2022), she succeeded Johann Harer after 20 years association with the Styrian innovation ecosystem. With 20+ years in business development, innovation, and technology, Mrs. Pock manages strategy, community building, startups, funding access, and international partnerships. She drives Strategy 2025+ focusing on sustainability, digitalization, and healthcare innovation, supporting SMEs, research commercialization, and cross-border collaborations (e.g., JGL pharma partnership). Recognized biotech summit speaker (Biotech Summit Austria, Croatian events), she facilitates EU cluster networks, rare disease innovation, and investor matchmaking. At the conference, Mrs. Pock shares strategies for CROs/pharma to access Austrian funding, scale via clusters, and build sustainable rare disease partnerships.
Mr. Marko Mimica
CEO
Marko Mimica is the Executive Director and Co-Founder of NetHub, a health innovation hub and entrepreneurial accelerator supporting healthtech startups and innovators. His work focuses on connecting regional health innovation ecosystems and enhancing access to investments, strategic partnerships, and key stakeholders in healthcare R&D.
Natalia Zielinska
CEO
EU Funds & Business Consultant specializing in project development, deep tech innovations, and Polish-Croatian market expansion. Leads the first Polish consulting firm in Croatia and serves as President of HUP - Association of Professionals for EU Funds and Ambassador for Innovative Poland Foundation. With 10+ years of experience securing €150M+ in EU funding, she excels in business development, green tech implementation, project management, and bridging Polish tech firms with Croatian opportunities. Co-Founder of Gromar Systems d.o.o., launching PetNula – Croatia's first e-learning platform for elementary education in partnership with Polish edtech leader GroMar. Efficient communicator, professional problem-solver, and multitasking expert driving international collaborations, startup growth, and EU-funded innovation.
Nikola Nikšić
Nikola Nikšić is CMC management consultant licensed by ICMCI (International Council of Management Consulting Institutes), EFQM-authorized Business Excellence Assessor (European Foundation for Quality Management), and Certified Accountant. With over 40 years of professional experience domestically and internationally, he spent 25 years in operational, strategy, finance, accounting, and controlling management roles. This includes 10 years on international investment projects and 12 years as manager in subsidiaries of global groups (WLW, Bisnode). Since 2014, he has worked as an independent consultant in a family business, primarily on transformation and restructuring projects for entrepreneurial organizations. Registered as an EBRD-approved consultant for Croatian entrepreneurship capacity-building initiatives. He has delivered over 400 open and in-house seminars on financial and strategic management, and serves as a volunteer mentor in the Sentor program, supporting startup entrepreneurs and businesses resolving operational challenges. Member of the Croatian Accountants Association, Croatian Controllers Association, Board Member of the Croatian Management Consultants Association, and Board Member of HUP Small Business Association.
Nikola Pauković
Sales trainer
Nikola Pauković has more than 17 years of experience in B2B sales, which he has built through both operational and managerial sales roles. He began his professional journey in international companies such as Nike, and achieved key development at Keune Adriatic, where he went through the entire sales path – from sales representative, through supervisor, to head of sales for the professional market in Croatia and Bosnia and Herzegovina. This growth “from within” has given him a deep understanding of the everyday challenges of sales teams, as well as the responsibilities that come with managing sales results. Over the years, he has continuously worked on developing salespeople, which has provided him with a strong practical foundation in internal sales training. In parallel, he has participated in numerous sales trainings and seminars, which over time directed his professional focus toward education and the development of people in sales. In 2019, he entered the professional world of a training career as a member of the Bićanić Consulting team, after several years of trainer education (Train the Trainer programs, NLP trainings, training assistance, Coaching, Mediation), with a clear guiding idea: to connect the real world of B2B sales with practical, applicable training that delivers measurable results. Today, he works as a sales trainer, known for his direct, realistic approach, without sugar‑coating the realities of sales. He has worked with companies such as SD Worx, Hörmann vrata, Badel 1862, GLS, Opereta nekretnine, Monte, Binvest, EOS Matrix.
Tomislav Radović
Founder & Principal Consultant
With over a decade of leadership experience in the pharmaceutical sector, Mr. Radović serves as the Founder and Owner of FarmaLink Pharma Solutions. His work is dedicated to providing tailored business consulting, marketing strategies, public relations, digital solutions, and event management to organizations in the healthcare and pharmaceutical industries. At FarmaLink Pharma Solutions, his team empowers clients by leveraging expertise in pharmaceutical distribution, strategic sales, and client relationship management. Focused on delivering innovative solutions, Mr. Radović is driven by a commitment to redefine industry standards and create value for stakeholders, pharmacy teams, and patients through forward-thinking approaches.
All Speakers
Doris Pinčić
Doris Pinčić Guberović is an acclaimed Croatian TV presenter, actress, and communications expert. A familiar face on HRT's Dobro jutro Hrvatska, she brings charisma and professionalism to the Health & Business Growth Summit Zagreb 2026 as your host. With a degree in acting from the Academy of Drama and Puppetry in Osijek and a master's in communications management (specializing in public relations), Doris combines engaging storytelling with business savvy. Known for hosting major events, festivals, and awards, she excels at connecting audiences with high-level content. Join Doris as she guides you through three days of healthcare innovation, networking, and business growth!
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Featured Speakers
Total Sessions