Dunja Siuc Valković

About me…

My name is Dunja Siuc Valković. I am a medical doctor from Rijeka, with a master’s degree in Clinical Pharmacology and Toxicology and an EMBA from Cotrugli Business School in Zagreb. I came to JGL by accident for a temporary stint, but have stayed intentionally and voluntarily for 25 years without regretting a single moment. At the time, it was a small and fledgling company with an ambitious leader and young and knowledgeable team with Rijeka grit, whose energy and ambition was embraced by an entire generation of budding experts, including myself, so I decided to stay and play a part in that success story. Mr Usmiani was a visionary who assembled a medical marketing team, which jump-started my career as JGL’s first marketing expert associate for our region.

Hearing my colleagues extend greetings from doctors in the field years after I stopped working in that position fills me with joy and further proves that personal selling and good communication with clients is the ultimate driver of sales growth in our industry. Afterwards, I was Manager and then Director of the Marketing Department. In 2004, I initiated a new segment – Business Development at whose helm I have remained to this day as Director of Global Business Development Management, leading an incredible team.

About my workday…

Since my sons are all grown up, I have the freedom to read e-mails and scroll through websites (and even cook something once in a while) at home while having breakfast in peace and still be in my office by 9 am. Then I start preparing and have meetings, which take place on digital platforms today. And since we conduct business with various partners, we communicate exclusively in English all day long due to different time zones.

The meetings, which are quite diverse and demanding, mostly centre on negotiations and deal with a range of topics, from commerce and marketing to regulations and legal issues. That is why it is paramount to be sharply focused, utilise your know-how and negotiation skills, as well as to be well-prepared and synchronised as a team, to achieve maximum synergy. My job was very dynamic and required frequent business trips, so I have to admit that I experienced plenty of changes in 2020. After airports and endless flights to other continents, I had to adapt to a slower pace, especially during lockdown, when I was living in Vrbnik, alternating between office commutes and working from home. Of course, this has its advantages, such as spending more time with my family, outdoors and in the garden. Still, I am looking forward to returning to the way things were before when I spent my entire workday interacting with colleagues and teams in person, which provides additional value to our job.

About motivation…

I am happy to have experienced so much and gained knowledge in various fields over the course of my career. My current job, working in Business Development, has been the most challenging yet because it is multifaceted, demands creativity and encompasses various fields. If I hadn’t finished medical school, I would have probably majored in law or journalism and my present job provides me with that exact option to combine various interests. Travelling is my great passion and this job has given me the privilege to traverse a large portion of the globe and meet different cultures and people, which has shaped my view of society and the world. I have realised that people are the same everywhere, that they mostly share the same values, and that the differences in specific aspects of life are minor and insignificant when finding common ground.

Besides work, I am mostly motivated by people, particularly young people and those young at heart, creative individuals that think outside the box and tackle problems to find a solution instead of making things worse. I think that problematic and challenging situations require innovative and lateral solutions. When they lead to the successful completion of these projects brings great satisfaction and increases motivation. Early in my career, while attending a marketing training class, I remember the lecturer saying: “Passion has to drive your work, you have to enjoy your job, it has to be fun.” I still live and abide by those words, which I am trying to instil in my colleagues.

About being proud of the company…

I am proud of JGL, which is a success story in top-notch entrepreneurship from Rijeka that didn’t spring up overnight and is a credit to all present and past employees of the company. All the successes in which I take pride are the product and result of superb teamwork and audacity which has always been a part of the culture at JGL and is reflected in the leader of our company. The first lectures for doctors, establishing cooperation with the leading medical experts in Croatia, spreading the narrative in the region to Slovenia and Bosnia and Herzegovina, organising the marketing function, appointing the first product managers, forming the first legal service at JGL, the first licensed collaborations with the American corporation BMS, which allowed our brand to become a major player on the antibiotics market, the roll-out of Pigrel and collaboration with Krka, which made us a major name in the cardiology industry, the first DCP registrations and licensed sales, creating a management board portfolio… I am brimming with emotions and pride when it comes to these achievements.

Another personal accomplishment is the invaluable experience of actively participating in various medicine-related groups during Croatia’s accession to the EU. Also, by establishing cooperation with the Swiss company Siegfried, after a chance encounter at the CPhl trade show in Milan, we have opened up a completely new business avenue by commencing production of the first generic Latanoprost for major companies across Europe, in line with the European good manufacturing practices (GMP). This step has defined JGL’s strategy as a sterile eye drop manufacturer and has put it on the map of major global companies. Babushka was another exceptionally challenging, complex and successful project that pertained to the selling of a portion of the Russian portfolio to Egis Pharmaceuticals, the largest company in Hungary. A large multidisciplinary and multinational team was involved and we were supposed to negotiate eight different contracts in a very small window of time. Despite all the risks, we closed the deal beyond expectations within the deadline, marking the biggest sale in JGL’s history.

I am also proud of the fact that during the COVID-19 crisis we have displayed excellent organisational management and communicated well via TimZaMjere (“Measure Team”) and that, in cooperation with the Croatian Institute of Public Health, we were able to provide a considerable benefit to our employees by administering Pfizer vaccines in the comfort of our company. I trust that our high vaccination rate will continue to increase and that everyone who hasn’t done so will eventually get vaccinated because it is the only way to actively protect ourselves and our co-workers. Together we are stronger and more resilient…

About new challenges…

This would definitely be the development of new models of cooperation with global partners, market and portfolio growth and the opening of new innovative therapy segments… We consider the EU our domestic market, so we have moved our focus to projects in new markets, such as Asia and the MENA region, where the regulations are very complex, intellectual property protection is risky and the competition is strong. The culture of connecting and cooperating with partners, such as the strategic partnership with Polpharma, and learning through projects are the only present options for growth and we have been advocating this culture at BD for years. I have also always strongly focused on the idea of realising the full potential of Rijeka, a prominent university city with biomedical centres of excellence, which is an opportunity to strengthen the company’s strategic direction and new development areas. Creating a strong ecosystem of JGL, the university, and the local health cluster is a personal challenge and goal in my further work.

About personal satisfaction…

Family and friends are my greatest source of satisfaction. My husband Toni is a professor of internal medicine, while my sons Frane and Karlo are university students, so we usually get together on the weekends due to our commitments. We mostly spend time on the island of Krk, outdoors and in the garden, while before COVID-19, we often travelled across Europe. Since I am very interested in social engagement, I volunteer in several associations. I am President of the Riječki Val (Rijeka Wave) association, which is a think tank of sorts that brings together intellectuals from Rijeka and strives to improve the quality of life in our city. That is why I have organised several panel discussions about topics of special interest. I take special pride in the fact that I actively volunteer at the PartneRi, the only local philanthropic business club, which funds art projects in our region from membership fees. The installation at Molo Longo, MemoRi cards, Velid Đekić’s book “They Called Me Industrial” (Zvali su me industrijska), Putokazi with the film MeandRi, etc. are just a few projects that we have funded over the past three years. I am especially proud that JGL is PartneRi’s biggest member. My latest social involvement is at the GPS (Građani prije svega – Citizens Above All) association, which will take part in the county elections for the first time, with me as a candidate on their list. This is a new experience and challenge, even an honour, for me. I consider the opportunity to vote once every four years and show what we expect from the authorities the height of democracy and something that everyone should practise.

About recent success…

I was recently invited to take part in the Towards a Knowledge Society through Mentorship project organised by the MBA Croatia association. The project involves mentoring young managers of various profiles and industries, while actively guiding and sharing your experience and know-how with the person that has chosen you as a mentor over a period of nine months. It is a great honour and responsibility. I generally consider this to be a crucial role for each professional and manager – only by creating new leaders and encouraging young, fearless and ambitious people can we create a better society!