As part of the EMBA 21 Graduation Ceremony, Ognjen Vukoslavović, CTIO and Management Board Member at Hrvatski Telekom and valedictorian of the class, delivered a speech during the diploma award ceremony. The speech is presented in full below.

Dear professors, colleagues, friends, and above all, our families,

As a CTIO, my job constantly revolves around measuring, optimizing systems, and seeking efficiency. But today, I must be completely honest: this EMBA was a project with “hidden costs.” And that bill wasn’t paid by us in this room – it was paid by our families.
Thank you for enduring our absent weekends, late calls, and minds often preoccupied with modules and case studies, even while sitting at the family table. This diploma belongs to you as much as it does to us.

Dear colleagues,
We entered COTRUGLI as experts, each in our own field, perhaps with a bit too much confidence that we had all the answers. But we leave with something far more valuable: we’ve learned to ask better questions. We’ve realized that a true leader isn’t the smartest person in the room but the one who creates a space where the best ideas dare to emerge.

Coming from the world of technology, I know – algorithms can solve processes, but they cannot inspire people. COTRUGLI gave us tools, but more importantly, it held up a mirror for us to see what kind of leaders we truly are.

Now we have these titles, but honestly, they’re just pieces of paper if they’re not accompanied by responsibility. The world is changing at a dizzying pace, and our task isn’t just to chase profit. Our duty is to build systems that are sustainable and, above all, human. Let’s not use this knowledge just to be “more successful” on LinkedIn. Let’s be more valuable to our teams, our companies, and our communities.

Do you remember the first module? We sat as strangers, sizing each other up by titles, industries, and CVs. We were a group of individuals fighting for our place under the sun.
Look at us now. I don’t see industry colleagues in front of me. I see friends – in some, I even see family. We’ve been through pressures, deadlines, and heated debates. There were tense moments, like whether Uber is a service or a platform, and who pays the drivers… Adi, brother, you know we all had your back… now, whether you were right, that’s another story… But all of this has bonded us in ways that can’t be learned from books.

We’re not leaving here with just a business network. We’re leaving as people who can call each other at 2 a.m. when things get tough, when advice is needed, or simply for human support. That is our greatest value.

Thank you to COTRUGLI for the platform and program that brought us together, thank you to the professors for the challenges, and to you, my generation, thank you for the friendship and unforgettable moments.

And finally, congratulations to all of you!