A VISIONARY IN BUSINESS
The company, which today is among the most successful groups in agriculture, tourism and energy, was founded by Miodrag Kostić in 1983, as a graduate in economics, which ranks him among the pioneers of private business in Serbia. After the beginnings in trade and the establishment of the brokerage house M&V Investments, with the purchase of sugar mills in 2002, the development in the agricultural and food sector began, but also the recovery of the sugar industry in Serbia, for which he is responsible, and which resulted in the position of Sunoko as the largest sugar producer in the wider region . In the following period, the acquisitions of several domestic agricultural companies followed, ending with the takeover of PIK Bečej in 2016. Thanks to the digitization of primary production and the improvement of productivity, the MK Agriculture division currently cultivates around 13,000 hectares in Vojvodina. He bought the Carnex company in 2011, and as a member of the MK Group, secured further investments for it to be at the top of the regional meat industry and the revitalization of Serbian animal husbandry, which made Carnex the largest producer of pigs in Serbia.
As a pioneer in renewable energy sources, together with the company Fintel, he built the first wind farm in Serbia in 2015, and then, until his retirement in 2019, he opened two more wind farms, which ranked the MK Energy division among the largest independent producers of green energy in our country.
Miodrag Kostić, as one of the first entrepreneurs in Serbia, during four decades of active career, built a business empire that exceeded the borders of our country. He expanded his companies based on the principles of constant growth and sustainable development, making them profitable systems and stable pillars of the Serbian economy. This brought him recognition in international business circles and a reputation as a visionary in business.
MODERN ENDOWMENT HOLDER
Miodrag Kostić, apart from being one of the most successful businessmen, is also recognized by the public for his continuous engagement and donations for socially responsible purposes. Supporting children and youth, as well as education and healthcare, have always been the backbone of his philanthropic activities. He personally initiated a large number of actions and monitored their implementation year after year. He launched the regional CSR program “Family Support”, as well as numerous aid projects that are implemented every year with a tradition of more than a decade, among which are various forms of support for SOS Children’s Villages and the association NURDOR, the organization of winter holidays for schoolchildren from Kosovo and Metohija, donations food to the vulnerable population and donating equipment to health and educational institutions. The humanitarian actions he financed were primarily focused on the local communities where MK Group operates.
During his lifetime, he set aside over 50 million euros for socially responsible activities, and he will continue to help Serbian society and its development through the operation of the endowment that bears his name. He founded the Miodrag Kostić Endowment in the desire to give our people the Palace of Science, the first center for research and popularization of science in Serbia. This humane endeavor reflects his life and business philosophy, at the center of which is knowledge as the greatest value. The allocation of 25 million euros for the realization of this project is among the largest single donations for philanthropy in this region. It represents a kind of return to endowment and a legacy for the future of Serbia, through continuous support for education, scientific and technological development and innovation.
This is the second endowment he has started. Previously, in 2013, he handed over his family home in Novi Sad, as the “Kostić Family Endowment”, to the “Institute for Health Care of Children and Youth of Vojvodina” for the needs of more humane treatment, in cooperation with the NURDOR association. We should also mention the house he built in Kraljevo in 2012 for the needs of the SOS Children’s Village organization.
The community recognized his efforts to provide generations with better opportunities for life and a chance to progress, and Miodrag Kostić was the recipient of numerous awards for humanity. He is the only person in Serbia who was awarded the Badge of Honor by the international organization SOS Children’s Villages as a sign of gratitude for his long-term support and contribution. He is the holder of the Golden Badge of the Red Cross of Serbia, the prestigious title “Friend of the Family” awarded by the Chamber of Commerce of Serbia, as well as numerous awards for donating food to vulnerable populations. The VIRTUS award for philanthropy for contribution at the national level for MK Group in 2020 followed after Miodrag Kostić was one of the first to respond to the call of the state and indicated various forms of assistance during the corona virus pandemic, both in Serbia and in the region. He received the special VIRTUS award for contribution to endowment in 2024, as well as a special recognition from the Serbian Association of Managers (SAM) for an exceptional personal act for the establishment of the Endowment that bears his name and the launch of the Palace of Science.
