Manja Penavić Dika

Manja Penavić Dika inherited a stake in Gumiservis in 2014 from her parents, who had purchased the company in 1998 following the privatization of the former state-owned enterprise Gumiservis into a joint-stock company. She has been employed at this manufacturing and service company since 2001, and following her mother’s passing, she took over its management independently in 2014.

Gumiservis is a company with ten employees, specializing in the production of rubber-technical products for industry, the import and sale of car tires, and providing tire-fitting services in Rijeka, at Kantrida. The company is approaching its 75th anniversary, making it one of the oldest in Rijeka, and Manja particularly highlights the continuity of its manufacturing operations since its founding.

Alongside her professional responsibilities, Manja actively balances her time and energy between running the business and family life. She is married and a mother of two sons, aged 18 and 7, whom she involves in business operations to give them practical experience and a sense of responsibility. Together with her husband, she also founded a nautical service and trade company, which after the 2010 crisis was relocated from Rijeka to ACI Marina Cres and Marina Lošinj, where it continues to operate today.

Manja has been a long-standing member of the KRUG Business Women’s Association and the Croatian Employers’ Association, and she recently assumed the role of President of KRUG – Rijeka branch. She describes her involvement in the association with the motto: “Give in order to receive,” emphasizing the importance of sharing experience and supporting young female entrepreneurs.