dr. Irena Peršić Živadinov, PhD

Irena Peršić Živadinov, PhD, has been the managing director of the Kvarner County Tourist Board since 2011. Irena’s work experience prior to assuming her current position is as varied and extensive as her education.

Irena was educated in Croatia, Italy and the USA. She began her high school studies in Italy but graduated in the USA, where she later studied business management. She then studied economics at the Faculty of Political Sciences at the University of Padova in Italy. Upon returning to Croatia, she obtained a master’s degree at the Faculty of Tourism and Hospitality Management in Opatija with her thesis on the economic effects of building eco-buildings for tourism. Later, she defended her doctoral dissertation, titled: “Sustainable energy management in the hotel life cycle”. During her studies, she held various jobs in tourism. After completing her studies, she was employed in the Milenij hoteli group, where she actively participated in the group’s development and operation from the very beginning. Later, she became the director of finance at SKG d.o.o., and was a regional manager of EU projects for strategic infrastructure and development. Irena applies the skills acquired through her extensive work experience on a daily basis in her current position as managing director of the Kvarner County Tourist Board. Her main task is the management of the tourist destination and its promotion on the international market.

To ensure the competitiveness and innovation of the destination, she continuously follows the latest industry trends. In late October 2024, she successfully completes a training program on “Artificial Intelligence” at the University of Oxford.

In addition to her excellent command of Italian and English, she also speaks several other foreign languages.