VRIJEME JE ZA GOSPODARSTVO Stjepan Orešković

Guest Stjepan OreškovićHosted by Darko BukovićMay 3, 2026

Stjepan Orešković

About this episode

What you'll hear in this conversation

Stjepan Orešković occupies a unique space in Croatian business: a university professor, scientist, former athlete, and politician who is also a successful investor and manager. He now co-owns M+, a private Croatian company that employs 11,000 people globally, a scale that often surprises the public. His experience spans diverse sectors, from media to healthcare, culminating in an enterprise that is the second-largest in the country by employee count. Orešković offers a perspective on building large-scale private businesses, the pitfalls of transition-era acquisitions, and the ethical foundations necessary for enduring success. This conversation explores how a family business can grow into an international powerhouse by prioritizing meritocracy, intellectual curiosity, and a profound respect for the company as a living entity.

Insights from the conversation

What to take from this episode

M+ is the second-largest company in Croatia by employee count, with 11,000 people globally, a fact that Orešković notes often surprises people. This surprise highlights a general lack of curiosity in society about the true scale and success of private enterprises, suggesting that many remain uninterested in looking beyond surface-level perceptions.

Orešković describes his own practice of thoroughly researching every detail about a new person he is about to meet, whether in business or academia. This deep dive, born from a sense of respect, prevents starting conversations "from zero in a communication desert" and ensures time is not wasted, directly contrasting with the general lack of curiosity he observes in others.

M+ operates with three distinct divisions—HR, IT, and business process outsourcing—each of which must be independently sustainable and capable of selling its products to external clients. A diversified group should prioritize the independent market viability of each segment, ensuring that synergy within the group is a beneficial addition rather than a necessity for survival.

Orešković and his wife founded the company, and their eldest son, Luka, is now deeply involved, representing a successful generational transfer. Effective generational transfer in a family business relies on significant investment in the education and knowledge of successors, ensuring they contribute based on skill rather than just inheritance.

Orešković states that within M+, there is no "family employment" or "family discounts"; only the best people are hired, regardless of familial ties. To avoid the common pitfalls of family businesses, a strict meritocracy must govern hiring and internal operations, ensuring that competence always takes precedence over kinship.

Orešković views a company not as a "piggy bank to be immediately broken" but as "a living being with a right to life," requiring "almost religious reverence." A founder's ethical stance on the company's existence, treating it as an entity with inherent value and a right to thrive, fundamentally shapes its longevity and its impact on the lives of its employees.

He observes that many highly successful entrepreneurs "fail to develop as people, either intellectually or spiritually," becoming "infinitely successful entrepreneurs who are simultaneously miserable human beings." True fulfillment extends beyond business achievements; it requires holistic personal growth, underscoring that external triumphs can mask internal emptiness if not balanced with intellectual and spiritual development.

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