Supervisory board

Željko Kukurin, Ph.D.,

Deputy Chairman of the Supervisory Bord

He was born in 1974 in Zagreb. He earned his Master of Science degree in Marketing, focusing on digital marketing, from the Faculty of Economics and Business in Zagreb. In 2010, he obtained an Executive Master of Business Administration (EMBA) degree from Bocconi University in Milan. In 2020, he received his PhD from the Faculty of Economics and Business in Pula, focusing on investments in the hotel industry.

He began his professional career in 2000 as a trainee at Riviera Poreč, a member of the Valamar Group. From 2003 to 2009, he held various managerial positions in sales and marketing and was responsible for developing strategic projects within the group. From 2010 to 2014, he served as the President of the Management Board of Istraturist Umag d.d., owned by the Zaba UniCredit Group, where he cooperated with Meliá Hotels International in managing the tourism portfolio in Umag.

Following a business restructuring and an increase in the company’s value, he participated in the successful sale of the company for €120 million in 2014.

In June 2015, Željko Kukurin was appointed to the role of Chairman of the Management Board of Valamar Riviera. There, he led a powerful development and investment cycle for Valamar totaling €661 million, which more than doubled the company’s business value. The portfolio was repositioned toward higher-quality products, five resort brands and a series of service concepts were developed, several acquisitions of tourism companies in Croatia were completed, a step forward was made in internationalizing the business, and strategic partnerships with pension funds were established for joint venture tourism projects. For four consecutive years, Valamar was declared the best employer in tourism, and Mr. Kukurin was named Businessperson of the Year in 2017.

Throughout his career, he has managed tourism investment projects with a total value exceeding one billion euros. Mr. Kukurin holds numerous important positions in Croatian tourism. He is the President of the Croatian Employers’ Association (HUP) Hospitality and Tourism Association, Deputy President of the Croatian Tourism Association, and a council member of both the Croatian National Tourist Board and the Istria County Tourist Board, while also participating in the work of several national professional associations. In addition to his role as Deputy Chairman of the Supervisory Board of Imperial Riviera d.d., Mr. Kukurin serves as a member of Remuneration Committee and as member of Investment Committee of Imperial Riviera d.d..