In HTEC Group, leadership is about people, a strong sense of quality and integrity in everything we do, and the vision to deliver deep technology solutions that will impact people’s lives positively. The ability to think from the head and the heart, put the mission first, and take the long view is what builds HTEC’s DNA. With their unique approach, clear innovative mindset and truthful intentions for the people they work with and the community they are part of, they have shone through even in these challenging times keeping us all together and helping us grow and reach new heights. This journey doesn’t stop here. It has only just begun.
But, let’s tell you a story about how it started.
HTEC and Petnica Science Center: Twenty Years of Developing Top Engineering Talent
About twenty years ago, a student from the Electronics faculty in Nis was running the Petnica Research Center electronics seminar for high school kids. There, he first met a high school freshman from Pancevo, a kid with amazing spark and energy. Today, this high school freshman is Aleksandar Cabrilo, the CEO of HTEC Group and the student is the company’s Director of People Operations, Srdjan Jovanovic.
Petnica has a special place in the hearts of our leaders. A significant part of our them attended Petnica when they were high school kids and student mentors. This made a huge impact on their lives, inspiring them to become curious and look for solutions to complex problems they have come across on their path of development and growth.
Sparkling Curiosity for Future Victories
Looking back on the success we have made so far and focusing on our vision of what is yet to come, we, as a company, wanted to evoke the memories and recreate that energy that will inspire many new groundbreaking ideas and help us reimagine everything — an entire universe of possibilities. With this in mind, HTEC’s leadership team, which includes a number of Petnica alumni, gathered in Petnica, an inspirational setting, to discuss the future of HTEC.
They spent two days discussing the HTEC strategy and had a chance to meet and share their insights and experiences with high-school young super-minds who are about to dive into the world of tech and engineering. They shared their tips on how to leverage opportunities of studying abroad and become courageous boundary breakers ready to make a change.
HTEC Group is focused on supporting Petnica by motivating these young talents to discover their strengths and reach their maximum potential by offering them plenty of career development opportunities later in life.
Petnica MasterSync from a Leadership Point of View
We talked with a few of the leadership members to hear their impressions of the event. We bring you the highlights:
Katarina Urosevic, Chief Of Staff
“Many companies organise strategic offsite sessions in remote locations, typically in great hotels in beautiful nature. But Petnica provided much more to HTEC’s team than any hotel could. It provided a flashback to how they started, where they drew their motivation in life from, and a reminder about their responsibility to give back.”
Stefan Mrsic, Senior Engineering Lead
“I personally found the event very well-organized, with the moderators doing their best to keep us all on track and on time. The topics that we discussed were very relevant and addressed what most believed were the most pressing issues. It’s important to note that all the discussions had clear and measurable action items as a result, and everyone agreed to play their part in making sure HTEC continues to grow and expand. Last but not least, everyone got a chance to wind down and we even discovered some singing talents along the way. :)”
Nemanja Veselinovic, Design Manager
“Team energy and dedication are something that is out of this world. Having so many industry people of this caliber in one place is something that I would rarely experience in my whole career. It is a great format to understand what other business units are facing and how we can help each other to achieve any objective and goal. It’s all about inspiring people to become leaders. I must say that I was most inspired by the people’s determination to grow bigger and maximize each opportunity. The bottom line is that the leadership needs to have syncs of this kind regularly so that initiatives are aligned for all business units. The main contribution is to empower and fuel the engines for further growth. Without us, it would not be possible.”
Sofija Drecun, Head of Business Development Operations
“Over these three days I have felt all of the emotions. Last time I felt “overwhelmed” by peers was 17 years ago when I first arrived at the Petnica Science Center. I was a bit intimidated by the group, but by the end of day 5 I felt I was where I belonged — and I was not there by accident or mistake, but a proud member of the group. I had similar feelings this time as well. Most of us did not meet in person until MasterSync, and even though we exchanged thoughts prior to the in-person meeting, the full charisma of each of us was hidden in between zoom calls, and meeting agendas.”
“When my colleagues and I discussed strategic goals, I felt aligned and supported. When A. Cabrilo (the CEO) spoke, I felt inspired. When D. Kosic (the President) was closing, I was feeling reassured and well-grounded for the take-off. D. Schoch (the COO) jump-started us, and now I can’t wait for tomorrow!”
Dejan Pokrajac, Engineering Lead
“Being in the same room with people so passionate about engineering a better future, for me, is of enormous value. It is a unique feeling when you realize that you are in a unique moment, with unique people and with a unique plan to build unicorns.”
Heading for the Future
We’ll continue to organize these kinds of events to nurture the innovative mindset and open doors to many invaluable ideas that can disrupt the industry from the inside out and bring positive changes to the world around us.
Be a part of the change. Talk to us.
