News
Slovenian Ministers of the Economy and Foreign Affairs attended the grand opening of the new HERMES Softlab office in Sarajevo
Sarajevo, 19th February, 2007 – Today, the Slovenian Minister of the Economy, Mr. Andrej Vizjak; Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr. Dimitrij Rupel; and Member of the Management Board at HERMES SoftLab, Mr. Gregor Smrekar, hosted the opening ceremony for HERMES SoftLab’s new office in Sarajevo.
The establishment of HERMES SoftLab Sarajevo was one of the first foreign investments in Bosnia and Herzegovina after the signing of the Dayton agreement. Today, the subsidiary employs over 100 experts providing software engineering and IT services. Over the past 4 years, the Sarajevo subsidiary has exported over 4 million euros worth of services and today it is one of the leading IT solution and software providers in Bosnia and Herzegovina, servicing telecoms, financial institutions and the public sector in the entire Adriatic region.
The new offices, which are designed and equipped in line with the highest European standards of quality and provide optimal working conditions, are the next logical step in the development of a successful and growing business.
Mr. Andrej Vizjak, Minister of the Economy of the Republic of Slovenia: “The company’s commitment to constant growth and the combination of excellence and a nose for business contributed to its outstanding business results. Among its other qualities, we admire the vision and mission of the company that recognizes the great potential of the expert knowledge that exists in Bosnia and Herzegovina. This opens many opportunities for young prospective individuals at the national and especially on the international level. This type of collaboration, together with the combination of investments and local potential, is key for the successful entry of a national economy into demanding international markets.”
Gregor Smrekar, Chief Operating Officer and Member of the Management Board at HERMES SoftLab: “HERMES SoftLab Sarajevo is a strategic part of the HERMES SoftLab group and represents the company’s largest development centre outside Slovenia. It is successful in delivering local projects as well as projects carried outside Bosnia and Herzegovina, which represent the majority of its business. This is why I am extremely happy and proud today to open these new modern offices for our employees in Sarajevo. They represent an important milestone in creating new work standards in the HERMES SoftLab group. We are aware of the correlation between customer and employee satisfaction. For this reason we are working to offer our employees the optimal conditions for creative work. Our goals in choosing the new office and equipment were to enable and promote creativity and inspiration among our employees. A modern work environment is an integral part of the company’s image, which is based on excellence and quality, and it is my firm belief that it will also have a positive effect on our customers in Bosnia and Herzegovina and in other countries. «
The opening ceremony was attended by numerous Bosnian and Slovene companies as well as other individuals from business and political spheres. In his opening speech, Gregor Smrekar, Member of the Management Board, thanked Steelcase, which provided the equipment; Quickborner Team, which provided consulting services; and Vitra.