Dejan Turk, CEO of Vip Mobile and A1 Slovenia

This dynamic company, which has more than 1,000 employees, is known primarily on the market for innovation. A business policy that’s focused on innovation and listening to the needs of user has resulted in unique offers that were introduced first by Vip, and thus it stood out among the competition.

You’ve been at the helm of Vip mobile for five years already, while for four years you’ve been the CEO/CMO of the new “Serbia and Slovenia” organisational unit within the framework of the A1 Telekom Austria Group, and you’ve spent three years as the CEO of both Vip mobile and Si.mobil. How would you summarise this period?

– The telecommunications industry is evolving and growing constantly, and it isn’t easy to summarise this period. Changes are the only constant, and that’s why it’s important to be innovative, courageous and unique in order to respond to market demands and operate successfully. We achieve that year after year, which I would single out as our greatest achievement.

If we summarise the values that we nurture, they can be covered by our slogan “different story”, which for us means creating unique offers for users, implementing significant CSR projects and providing numerous benefits for employees. I can say that I’m proud to be at the helm of a company that is increasingly recognised, year on year, as being a driver of positive changes – both in telecommunications and in society as a whole. We are the first company in Serbia to hold the Family Friendly Enterprise Certificate, and we’ve spent many years improving the benefits with which we support employees in harmonising their careers with their family life. Nurturing all of these values internally led to the birth of our campaign “Mum, Welcome to the World”, which really brought something new to our market.

With investments to date exceeding a billion euros, Vip represents the largest greenfield investment in Serbia

Vip is a relatively young brand that has risen to the very top in a short period. You started from zero, from one base station, and now your 4G network covers almost 97 per cent of the population. How important is that for the development of the economy, business operations and improving citizens’ quality of life?

– We are led in our operations first and foremost by the interests of users, of which we now have more than 2.2 million, and we see an opportunity for further growth primarily in the development of digital services intended for private users and businesses. That’s why we already offer solutions like the smart home system Vip Čuvarkuća [House Guardian] and the application “Children’s zone for security on the internet”, while we are also working on the development of Narrowband Internet of Things technologies.

I consider that we contribute to the development of the economy through our successful operations, as well as by supporting the digital transformation of the society by investing in high quality networks and new technology.

If we view the market from the business side, as opposed to the customer side, there is a trend of companies consolidating around the world. Do we also need reorganisation in all segments, including the field of telecommunications?

– The consolidation trend is definitely present, and in conditions of increasing competition and ever-faster changes to operations, this is one of the ways for many to additionally strengthen their position on the market. Moreover, merging companies can be useful in many ways, in the sense of sharing experiences and ideas, additional support and creating conditions for greater security and a better offer for users.

The fact that Vip is part of the international A1 Telekom Austria Group, the leading telecommunications provider in the CEE region, was of great importance to us taking over the leadership position in different segments, despite us being the youngest operator on the market.