BIZLife list „30 under 30“: Nikola Surlan, Customer Service Manager, Philip Morris International (PMI)

Professor Vesna Damnjanovic involved Nikola in the story of solving business case studies at the Faculty of Organizational Sciences. Under her mentorship, he participated in many competitions, met many people from various business spheres and, most importantly, „honed“ some business instinct. Thanks to the professor, he got his first job in Tehnomanija and his first task, in cooperation with the management, was to find new ways of entering the market, advertising and communicating with customers. It was during this period that he began to discover the world of customer care. After transferring to Philip Morris International (PMI), he was given the opportunity to participate in the launch of the IQOS device in Serbia. As a Customer Service Manager, his job is to ensure that users of IQOS devices have the best experience in obtaining information, usage advice, and troubleshooting.

Why have you decided to stay in Serbia?

Probably mostly because I have the privilege of working for a large international company in Serbia, such as Philip Morris, and I thus have the best of both worlds – I live in the country I love, and I have the opportunity to travel and collaborate with people from all over the world. Additionally, it is worth staying because I believe that our young people are extremely capable and that great things are being prepared, especially when we see how many people of our generation are now occupying important positions in large systems.

What did you want to be when you were a child?

A writer, because everyone likes to read a good story!

Favourite subject at school?

History. Why learn from your mistakes when there are so many books full of other people’s mistakes?!

Business role model?

I could not single out anyone individually, I am more inspired by certain business moves and ideas that turn an industry in a completely new direction.

Izvor: BIZLife magazin

Foto: BIZLife magazin