No Business Without The Know-How

Our team is a real partner when it is necessary to create an organisational structure that’s ready for all challenges, which communicates with key target sections of the public and decision makers at the strategic level, and which has a plan and knows how to implement it, reveals Jelena Krstović for CorD.

You are a doctor of science and college lecturer, and you also served as vice president of a company that then had an annual turnover of three billion euros and 24,000 employees. Which of those experiences do you rely on the most today?

Considering my rich and diverse experience, I must emphasise that I’ve always relied on the mutual integration of my academic and business knowledge and experience. I believe that the results of the company only achieve their full potential when this synergy exists, when academic knowledge is used in the service of business, and, of course, the reverse also applies.

What is most important to our clients is extensive experience in a large business system, but also experience gained through managing small businesses and systems and start-up companies. The essence is indeed to adapt yourself and create a unique model of corporate governance, organisation and strategic communications for a particular company, in the context of its size, plans and business culture. Not every company needs the same organisational culture or development strategy.

Are there any restrictions in your work that relate to a company’s size, area of business, volume of operations etc.?

Regardless of size, number of employees or annual turnover, every company needs a specific operational system. It must be introduced in a planned and systematic way, and the aim is primarily to increase company performance, the better organisation of work, financial monitoring and analysis of the operations and readiness to take on further challenges (growth, development, M&A or that which is already in the plans and focus of a particular company).

We have an excellent team that’s able to create the best business organisation for any company, to placing it on a “healthy footing”

Of course, a cost control plan is also important, as are building and strengthening a brand, which has added value. All businesses have their own channels of communication that already exist and live, the only issue is how successfully and systematically they are utilised. Experience shows that it is always better when strategic communications are managed than when they happen spontaneously, which is inevitable.

You are an expert in strategic corporate communications and corporate governance, relations with government, while the majority of your company’s business is related to lobbying. To what extent do all these jobs differ, and how much do they intertwine?

What is specific and unique about Public Affairs is precisely that it integrates all of these activities and areas, the synergies of which produce enduring results. It is not enough just to have good PR, marketing or online campaigns when the company behind them can’t take the next step, lacks accurate financial reporting and planning, and doesn’t know what to expect next year or in five years.

Since the introduction of the Law on Lobbying last summer, space has been created for constant communication between companies and decision makers. Implementation and effects are yet to be expected, and I believe deeply that the dialogue between institutions and private companies must be constant, and at the highest possible level, in order for us to create a freer, more transparent and better business environment.