At the Lider Invest Awards Ceremony, held on 13 June 2025 at the Westin Hotel in Zagreb as part of the Investment Conference hosted by the business weekly Lider, JGL was honoured with a special recognition for continuous investment for its Education Centre project. This recognition is awarded to companies that make a long-term contribution to the development of both industry and community.
The award was accepted by Mate Poropat, Director of Pharmaceutical Technology Operations at JGL, who remarked: "Our internal JGL Education Centre was created out of the desire to ensure quality and safe training for employees, through a combination of modern educational methods and realistic simulations of the production process. In a time when finding and retaining a qualified workforce is a challenge, we believe that it is precisely with this approach that we build sustainable competitiveness and long-term value – for our employees, for the company, and for the community." He added that the project reflects JGL’s mission to invest in excellence, people, knowledge, and innovation in the pharmaceutical industry.
As part of the event, Mate Poropat also took part in a panel discussion titled "People, Machines and Capital: What Are the Key Factors for Successful Investments in Production?". The discussion explored the role of labour, infrastructure, local support, and the availability of capital in launching and expanding production in Croatia, with a focus on building a sustainable industrial model that integrates human resources, technology and financing.
The expert jury that selected the award recipients included: Zdenko Lucić (Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs of the Republic of Croatia), Mladen Vedriš (Effectus University of Applied Sciences), Marijana Ivanov (Faculty of Economics, University of Zagreb), Bojan Jerbić (Faculty of Mechanical Engineering and Naval Architecture, University of Zagreb), Boris Teški (Instar), and Miodrag Šajatović (Lider Media).
The Lider Invest Awards honour the most successful production investments in the categories of large, medium, and small projects, as well as in special segments that highlight contributions to exports, employment, sustainable development, quality of life, and environmental protection. In addition to the main awards, the expert committee also presents special recognitions, including one for continuous investment.
The evaluation process, as in previous years, was based on a range of criteria, including the share of exports, number of newly created jobs, and technological modernity. The committee also assessed income per employee, the share of domestic materials, level of added value, degree of product finalisation, and environmental impact.
Photo: Boris Ščitar, Lider