Ivica Vrančić has over 30 years of experience in Human Resources and Management Development, built across some of the most demanding business environments in Croatia and the region. He has led HR functions at Coca-Cola Beverages Croatia, British American Tobacco, and DHL, and began his professional career at Zagrebačka banka.
Since 2005, he has been working as a consultant, lecturer, and coach, collaborating with managers, board members, and senior leaders from leading companies in Croatia, as well as across the region and Europe. Today, the majority of his work is dedicated to individual coaching for executives and top management, focusing on leadership, teamwork, and people management, while also consulting on projects for implementing and improving HR processes and tools.
For many years, Ivica has been a lecturer at Cotrugli Business School on Executive MBA and MBA programs in Leadership and Human Resources, and since 2024, he has been teaching on MBA programs at Algebra University.
He completed a postgraduate program in Human Resources Management at the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) in London, Europe’s most prestigious HR institution, and holds the distinguished title of Chartered FCIPD. He also holds the Certificate in Management Consulting Essentials (Chartered Management Institute, London) and the Emotional Intelligence Coaching Certificate, a program created and mentored by Daniel Goleman.
In addition to his formal education, he has continuously advanced his expertise at leading European institutions (Copenhagen Business School, Management Centre Europe Brussels, and others) in areas such as leadership, executive coaching, organizational culture, change management, and talent selection and development.
He holds a degree in Psychology from the University of Zagreb, Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences.
Ivica is the author of the book And People? (Technics Publication, New Jersey, 2015), with a foreword by one of the world’s most influential HR thinkers, Dave Ulrich.
What you can expect from "Leadership is an emotional process — that’s why AI can’t help you here (and won’t for a long time)"
While everyone is talking about how artificial intelligence will change the world, one thing remains brutally clear: AI can manage processes, but it cannot lead people. And that’s where the real difference between management and leadership begins - between control and influence.
In this talk, Ivica Vrančić will dive into what many leaders overlook today: leadership as an emotional discipline. If you think making decisions and delegating tasks is enough, prepare for a cold shower. True leaders create relationships, build trust, and develop people.
We will unlock the emotional intelligence (EI) model and show why it is the most powerful tool of the modern leader. (Spoiler: AI doesn’t have it.) You’ll see how EI changes the way you resolve conflicts and motivate your team.
And to make sure this doesn’t remain just a “feel-good” story, Ivica will share data, insights, and concrete recommendations that clearly show one thing: leaders who develop emotional intelligence - win.
If you want to be a leader people choose to follow, this is where the real lesson begins.