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Adrijana Tomić
Episode · #86

PSIHOLOGIJA USPJEHA Adriana Tomić

Guest Adrijana TomićHosted by Tanja PuretaMay 3, 2026
About this episode
What you'll hear in this conversation

The scarcity of IT talent is a common refrain, but for companies where technology isn't the core product, the challenge intensifies. Adrijana Tomić, a board member at Grawe Hrvatska, an insurance firm, oversees a wide portfolio including finance, legal, HR, and IT. She describes how their position as a non-tech company makes them "a little tougher" to attract the developers they desperately need. Yet, without robust in-house IT, Grawe can't meet the demands of an increasingly digital customer base or streamline its internal operations. Adrijana shares how Grawe approaches this talent gap, not by competing on scale with tech giants, but by offering a different kind of experience. She details how their IT teams get to see the full arc of a project, from initial concept to user feedback, fostering a unique environment for creativity. This conversation explores the often-unseen struggles of traditional industries to staff their digital future, and the surprising advantages they can offer when they rethink what "development" truly means.

Insights from the conversation
What to take from this episode
01
For companies whose core business isn't technology, the IT talent shortage is particularly acute, as they struggle to compete for candidates who often gravitate towards pure-play tech firms.
02
Customer expectations for instant, intuitive digital services — like scanning a code instead of visiting a bank branch — now apply across all industries, making robust IT critical even for non-tech businesses.
03
While larger tech companies might segment roles, a non-tech firm like Grawe offers IT professionals the chance to "co-create solutions" and see a project through from idea to user feedback, providing a full-picture development experience.
04
Rather than being solely a hindrance, the scarcity of IT resources can compel teams to find more creative and efficient solutions, turning a constraint into a catalyst for innovation.
05
When IT talent is scarce, leaders from other departments, like finance, are often compelled to "go deeper into IT issues," fostering a more integrated understanding of the business's digital backbone across the leadership team.
06
Relying on traditional job advertisements is "absolutely not enough" to fill critical IT roles; effective recruitment requires a multi-pronged approach that includes university partnerships, technical schools, and extensive reliance on personal networks.
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