The Sofascore co-founder continues to lead Croatia’s most influential IT association, joined by a strengthened Board of Directors

Ivan Bešlić, co-founder and CSO of Sofascore, has been confirmed for a second term as president of Unit Croatia. The decision was made at the association’s Board of Directors session, which also welcomed several new members bringing fresh expertise to the body that leads Croatia’s largest and most influential IT association.

Unit Croatia: the voice of an entire sector

Unit Croatia, the successor to the CISEx association founded in 2011, is today one of the most important gathering points for Croatia’s IT sector. Its mission is to unite, connect, strengthen and advance the entire IT industry, making it recognisable and competitive on a global scale. The association brings together companies of all sizes and profiles – from development agencies to product companies – and actively cooperates with institutions to shape public policies relevant to the sector.

Through events, meetups and knowledge sharing, Unit Croatia serves as a platform where IT companies can respond faster to market changes, both the opportunities and the challenges.

Bešlić: “Instead of being carried by the waves, we want our members to ride them”

During his first term, Ivan Bešlić led the association through one of the most turbulent periods in global IT history, from the post-pandemic boom and mass layoffs to the explosive rise of artificial intelligence. That same context now defines the agenda for his second term.

“The Croatian IT sector is navigating rougher waters than ever, from the explosive development of artificial intelligence to global economic and geopolitical challenges. Instead of being carried by the waves, we want our members to ride them,” Bešlić said, adding that Unit’s role is to help Croatian IT companies turn the stormy AI moment into a genuine opportunity for growth.

The focus of the new term will rest on three pillars: sharing first-hand experience from Western markets where Croatian IT companies already operate successfully, reducing the time it takes for companies to adapt to rapidly changing conditions, and actively influencing the creation of public policy. “By transferring practical knowledge, strengthening cooperation with institutions, and actively shaping public policies, we want to create an environment where Croatian IT does not just survive – it leads,” Bešlić stated.

Read more: Ivan Bešlić’s TEDxZagreb 2025 Talk Now Available Online

He also highlighted a broader ambition: accelerating the transformation of service agencies into product companies while strengthening the global competitiveness of the sector as a whole.

The new Board of Directors

Alongside the confirmed president, the session elected a new Board of Directors that brings greater depth of knowledge and a wider range of perspectives.

Frane Borozan, co-founder and CEO of SysKit, takes on the role of vice president, emphasising the importance of community building and rapid adaptation to artificial intelligence. The remaining board members are:

• Anamarija Medić (True North) — CEO and co-founder with over 15 years of experience in digital modernisation, data and cloud-native development
• Ivan Krnić (CROZ) — engineering director, author of BizTech Evolution and host of the 0800-DEVOPS podcast
• Tihana Ana Reljić (REZIME) — partner attorney specialising in the legal aspects of IT business, active in the IT community since 2010
• Antonio Perić-Mažar (Locastic)
• Vlatko Vlahek (PROTOTYP)

Together, the new board covers a wide range of key industry segments — from product development and DevOps, through cloud and AI technologies, to legal and regulatory affairs.

Sofascore at the heart of Croatia’s IT ecosystem

Bešlić’s leadership of Unit Croatia does not exist in isolation from the role Sofascore plays in the Croatian tech ecosystem. The platform, with 40 million monthly active users and coverage across more than 25 sports, is one of Croatia’s most recognised global tech success stories — and its CSO is one of the sector’s most credible voices, both publicly and in dialogue with institutions.

The new term begins at a moment when the IT industry globally is undergoing one of the most significant transformations in its history. Whether Unit Croatia turns that into a wave worth riding is a question Bešlić and the new board appear ready to answer.