Marjan Batagelj

After graduating, Batagelj began teaching at the Secondary School of Forestry, but quickly found that the teaching environment was too rigid for his entrepreneurial spirit. In 2010, Batagel & Co. also became the majority owner of Postojnska jama and took the management of Postojna Cave and Predjama Castle under its wing. Under Batagel's leadership, Postojnska jama d.d. has achieved exceptional business growth and has become the most successful Slovenian tourism company. In 2018, Batagelj gained control of an important part of the Slovenian economy by taking over Certa Holding, which includes TIK, Hotel Cerkno with ski resort and ETA Cerkno. Today, he is known as a serial entrepreneur whose business policy is based on a unique combination of a conservative and visionary approach. In this way, he rose from the garage to become one of Slovenia's most respected entrepreneurs. His business excellence is also recognised by his peers, who elected him president of the most elite Slovenian business club, the Slovenian Business Club - SBC. He says that he has always done things differently than people expected, but he adds that satisfied employees are the key to a company's success.

Marjan Batagelj has received countless awards for his work in Slovenia and abroad, including the only prize awarded twice by the Slovenian Chamber of Commerce and Industry for outstanding economic and entrepreneurial achievements.