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Jovan Mladenovic, Director of Hotel Group 'ATD Putnik AD' - former AIESEC member
Friday, 11.11.2011.
13:59
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Marketing, promotions, brand management, and then sales and management in hotel industry. That could be a brief CV description of this 40 years old Belgrader.
During his studies, Jovan Mladenovic was a member of the student organization AIESEC. He likes to point that out. He was in their national committee, he had the opportunity to travel to various seminars where lecturers were mostly people from large global companies such as PWC, "Nokia", DHL, P & G ...
- I mention this because it all happened during the '90s, when these seminars were the only window to the world. AIESEC helped me and many of my colleagues to look at things from another perspective and to think about the future in other ways.
A lot of people from that period luckily had become "successful". He remembers one international conference of "SC Johnson Wax" where out of 50 participants, even 12 of them were from AIESEC.
Work for Foreign Companiea
When it comes to first-earned money, during his studies at the Faculty of Economics, Jovan had a lot part-time jobs. He organized promotions for "Netwest", which dealt with the distribution of consumer goods by Sarantis company (BU brands, STR8 ..), then he worked for "Axxon trading", which was at that time the distributer of Toshiba and Duracell batteries.
(Hotel "Tulip Inn Putnik" Belgrade)
- I did the first market research of commercial use of batteries - recalls Mladenovic for our portal.
The first permanent job he got, was immediately after graduation. He applied to an ad by "Netwest" where he had previously worked as a freelancer or as the "you know that child, he worked with us,", when he was selected to be the junior brand manager. He had learnt a good part of business culture and the way how the large companies function on this first job.
- "Sarantis" invested a lot in people. It sent us to various seminars, because as I remember, at that time you couldn’t find qualified staff in Serbia. That was also the first time I met with real budgets and realized the weight of responsibility for reaching decisions.
From 2002. Mladenovic worked for the representative office of the company "SC Johnson Wax." His duties were strictly concerned sector of sales and he was responsible for the markets of Serbia and Montenegro.
Asked whether after such experience he could work for a Serbian company, he says that he could because the origin of capital has little to do with that choice, the important part is "what is inside the company."
Be careful what you wish ...
It seems that turning point in his business career was when he got a call from a” Head Hunter" in 2004 when he was offered the post of Director of Sales at the "Hyatt". At first, the offer seemed totally uninteresting, because knew nothing of hotels, but he said he would consider.
Then he remembered one detail that may have prevailed...
While he was in high school, a company in which he worked his mother organized a cocktail - a presentation at the "Intercontinental". He helped with reception of guests there. It was his first encounter with the hotel business. Then he thought: "I'd like to do this, it seems dynamic and exciting ."
It looks like in his case, the fate intervened, and a childhood wish was fulfilled. He accepted a job at the "Hyatt" hotel, where he had worked until three years ago.
- Director of Sales position at Belgrade "Hyatt" was just what I anticipated, and very exciting and dynamic. I was lucky that I worked and studied hotel management with people who have had years of experience operating and managing the world-renowned hotel chains. "Hyatt" invests a lot in staff training, so I visited a number of seminars and trainings closely related to hotel management. I had the pleasure and happiness to meet many directors and owners of major international and domestic companies, celebrities from the world of show business, European and domestic politics. It is interesting that the bigger star the person is the less demanding they are .
The West or the Russians
Today Jovan Mladenovic is Director of Hotel Group "ATD Putnik AD", with two hotels on Kopaonik "CLUB A" and "Putnik Kopaonik", Hotel "Tulip Inn" in New Belgrade, as well as "Admiral" in Budva.
The owner of "Putnik" is "Metropol" - an international investment group with Russian capital.
When asked what is the difference between working for "the West" and working for "the Russians", Mladenovic says:
- Mentalities are different, the west is west, the east is east. Regardless, the main postulate of the business with both is profit. In the Russian firm decisions are made much faster, the path from the idea to its realization is much shorter.
The work in ” Putnik" brought him a valuable experience related to reconstruction and opening of a hotel ("Tulip Inn Putnik Belgrade") as well as new insights into the management of hotels in different market segments and at different geographical locations.
Personally, he prefers that the people he works with are hard-working, and the does not like superficial people. He likes people who embrace the job no matter how big it is. When they look at their responsibilities as part of a larger system. As cubes or pieces of a puzzle. Because, as he says, in the hotel business you depend on everyone, from the cup washer to the director.
He believes that the loyalty to the company and good human relations are the most important because the hotel is a place working for 24 hours, 365 days a year. The wheel, which must not stop.
- The hotel business is not "one man show". That is why the team spirit is what moves it.
Peace at home, peace in mind
And when the "wheel" on the job goes its way, even when it stops for a moment, Mladenovic sees his parallel world in the family, which is extremely important to him.
Since his wife (whom he met back in AIESEC) is also working in a multinational company, their understanding of the excessive hours of work, and that you never know exactly when the other one is coming home, is at high level. When they pass through the front door of the apartment, they try to leave all of their work behind them.
Then their home becomes "their little fortress”, he says.
He tries to spend as much time with his five year old daughter. Therefore, when he is not in the office in New Belgrade, he jumps to Ada, Avala, or S-Club in Jakovo. All those places that are green and not so far away from city noise, and where he can ride a bike along the way.
Fancy enough, relaxed enough
At the age of 17 he went with his best friend in their first adventure. They bought the interrail tickets, took the backpacks and went on a trip through Europe.
- For a month we visited Italy, Spain, France, we slept where we managed. Today, when I remember those scenes, there's no way I would allow my daughter to travel like that, and yet my parents allowed me without any problems.
He recalls with a smile that he got that first ticket in one Putnik’s branch offices. And later, for business and for pleasure he had had many opportunities to travel. Working for the "Hyatt", he was in their hotels in Dubai, Singapore, Indonesia, Spain, France, Germany, Turkey ...
However, the two destinations have left the strongest impression.
- Bali is my honest recommendation for someone who wants to be cut off from the Western world. The second destination is Madrid - just fancy enough and relaxed enough. A city with special vibration and excellent food.
When he enters the restaurant he prefers Mediterranean cuisine, but he doesn’t avoid home made sarmica.
And when it comes to drinking, Mladenovic jumps out of clichés.
- With all due respect to the French, but Spanish wines are definitely my choice.
J.Đ.
Putnik a.d. Beograd
Hotel Putnik Beograd
Sarantis d.o.o. Beograd
Axxon Trading d.o.o. Beograd
Hyatt Regency Belgrade Hotel a.d. Beograd
Metropol Group Moscow
Tulip inn Putnik Beograd