Kopaonik, 5 March 2020 – MK Group has traditionally supported the organization of the Kopanik Business Forum 2020, which was held during the first Sunday in March at the Kopaonik Convention Center this year. The central theme of this year’s Forum was “Industry 4.0 and related topics: the challenges of the future“.
On behalf of MK Group, Jelena Galić, President of the Executive Board of AIK Bank addressed the participants at the cocktail and thanked the Union of Economists of Serbia for entrusted MK Group to host this year’s largest and most important economic gathering in the country.
“The Kopaonik Business Forum gathers over 1000 participants every year. This year, if we speak about the technical aspect, everything is ready for the beginning of Serbian Davos. As your hosts, we are confident that your stay at Grand Hotel during the Forum will be more than enjoyable. Along with the organizers, we will strive to initiate interesting discussions, encourage dialogue between the economy and state institutions and provide answers to some of the challenges of the 4th Industrial Revolution,” said Jelena Galić on the first day of the Forum.
The panel “Digital Transformation – Industry Perspectives 4.0” was held on the following day. MK Group’s Director of the Sector for Digitization and Business Development, Aleksandar Bijelić has been one of its panelists.
“Industry 4.0 can have an enormous impact on economic development, because collecting data relevant to business forecast has become the oxygen of the economy,” concluded Aleksandar Bijelić at the panel. Using the relevant data and industry 4.0, MK Group managed to reduce the number of trucks in operating business, increase business efficiency, accelerate operations and reduce costs.
On the same day, the panel “National strategy for inclusive growth – the view of domestic and foreign investors” was held. The Deputy Chief Financial Officer at MK Group, Andrija Vuković, stated that direct foreign investments are desirable, but with appropriate selection, in order to avoid investing in sectors with low added value. He emphasized that MK Group will be commited to investing in sectors providing a satisfactory return on invested capital, i.e. security of capital and added that significant funds were invested in the growth of the banking business as well as in tourism, without neglecting agriculture.
The panelists at the panel discussion on sustainable agriculture held on the third day of the Forum assessed that agriculture represents a stabilizing factor and represent one of the pillars of the economy. When it comes to agriculture, last year was average, said Strahinja Marjanović, Director of MK Agriculture which is operating within MK Group, adding that the results achieved in 2019 were better than in the previous years, still they are far from what can be achieved.
For over 25 years, the Forum has brought together renowned experts and eminent names from the local and regional economic and political scene. Due to its tradition and proven quality, the Kopaonik Business Forum has positioned itself as the most significant event of its kind both in Serbia and the region. In terms of its importance and influence, the Kopaonik Business Forum is recognized as “Serbian Davos” and contributes to the positive branding of Serbia in the world. Every year the Forum attracts considerable media attention.
