Meet Dorijan Rajković, the newly appointed CEO of Baumit International, a leader with 15 years of dynamic experience in the industry. Having navigated challenges, mergers, and successes, Rajkovic is now poised to lead Baumit. In this exclusive interview, he shares insights into his vision, the key to Baumit's unprecedented success, and his strategic contributions.
You have 15 varied years behind you with Baumit International — what exactly was that like?
I joined the company in 2008 as Managing Director of ITV, a company in Croatia that belongs to Baumit Beteiligungen. At that time, we produced lime and dry mortar products. After several years of major crisis in the construction sector, we had to stop producing lime and restructure the company. In 2017, we merged with Baumit (Wietersdorfer Group) and in 2018 I took over responsibility as CEO for Baumit Croatia. The biggest challenge of the merger was to retain customers, market share and employees. We achieved this with great effort. So the last 15 years have been very dynamic and exciting.
In February, you will become the Managing Director of Baumit International. What fascinates you about this task?
Baumit is a great and strong brand. We have to recognise Baumit as a premium brand with the highest recognition value and the greatest reputation in our industry throughout Europe. To achieve this, we need to focus on the markets and our customers. We must never tire of thinking about how we can provide excellent service and an outstanding customer experience. Secondly, given the uncertainty about the future, the big challenge is to build a resilient organisation. Working with colleagues from different countries, sharing knowledge and experience will be very exciting. Together we can achieve great things. All of the things I mentioned are a driving force for me.
Baumit has had an unprecedented success story in recent years — what do you think has triggered and characterised this success?
People, people and people. Great leadership qualities at all levels, the commitment and contribution of all employees have made such outstanding results possible in recent years. These results are also a commitment to our future plans. By working together and understanding market and customer needs, we will successfully implement the Strategy 2030 that we have recently developed. Baumit wants to position itself as a refurbishment expert in 2024 and become a topic leader — what can you contribute to this and how will you drive this goal forward? In Croatia, I was the initiator of the ETICS (External Thermal Insulation Composite Systems) Association in 2010 and its president for many years. Through the association, we raised awareness of the benefits of thermal refurbishment among the public, authorities and experts. We established contacts with faculties and experts from abroad who helped us to spread the message. Fortunately, there are many benefits of thermal refurbishment that can be communicated. In addition, the EU regulation urges countries to take concrete measures in this direction. In Croatia, we currently have perhaps the highest ETICS consumption per capita in Europe. But we must realise that this is an ongoing process. It is important to build a subsidy system and an ecosystem that is realistic and sustainable in the long term. Otherwise, interruptions could have the opposite effect.
From the sea to landlocked nature — how do you feel about that?
I like nature, so I like the sea, the forests and the mountains. Austria is a stunning country with breathtaking and beautifully-preserved nature. I’m looking forward to exploring Austria from nature to gastronomy. I hope that I will get to know Austria in the same way that many Austrians know Croatia, especially our Adriatic coast.
Gerald Prinzhorn, successful with the Schmid Industrieholding since 2011 – serving as the CEO of the Baumit Group since 2020 – is responding to the call of his family and leaving the company to embark on a new journey within the Prinzhorn Holding.
"We thank Gerald Prinzhorn for his outstanding leadership and commitment, which has significantly contributed to the success and development of the Baumit Group," says Robert Schmid, managing partner of the family-owned Schmid Industrieholding.
Dorijan Rajkovic (49), formerly the Managing Director of Baumit Croatia, takes over as the new CEO of the Baumit Group with immediate effect. Rajkovic brings extensive industry expertise and boasts a successful career of over 15 years in leadership positions within the Schmid Industrieholding. Since 2008, he has served as the Managing Director at ITV-Murexin in Most Rasa, Croatia. In 2017, he assumed the role of Managing Director at Baumit Croatia. Under his leadership, Baumit, along with partners and customers, has achieved a highly successful position in the market.
Dorijan Rajković
CEO Baumit Group