Rimac named Entrepreneur of the Year

The founder and CEO of the Rimac Automobili electric car manufacturer was awarded the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award for 2017 in Zagreb on Tuesday night.

In 2009, Mate Rimac founded the Rimac Automobili Company in Sveta Nedjelja near Zagreb. The Croatian car manufacturer develops and produces electric sports cars, most notably the Concept One and Concept Two, the latter of which can achieve a top speed of 415 km/h. The company also produces drivetrains and battery systems for Aston Martin, Koenigsegg, Jaguar Cars and others. The company currently employs 350 people.

Rimac said that from the outset his goal was to prove that he could succeed. Another key goal was to create high-quality jobs in Croatia, and in this year alone his company plans on creating more than 100 new jobs, with 20 news employees hired just in the past week.

Rimac and the rest of those honoured by Ernst & Young Croatia will be competing in Monaco in June for the title of Ernst & Young's World Entrepreneur of the Year award.

Attending the event was Deputy Prime Minister and Economy Minister Martina Dalić, who said that Croatia does not deserve to be bringing up the rear among European economies and that the entrepreneurs gathered at the Ernst & Young event were strong proof of that.

Berislav Horvat of Ernst & Young Croatia said that entrepreneurs in Croatia still lack the status they deserve. He noted that when entrepreneurs have support, this leads to more investment, more jobs, higher spending, and higher tax revenues, which ultimately leads young people to stay in Croatia. He concluded that it is vital for Croatian society to create a positive entrepreneurial climate and to foster ambition, creativeness, excellence and desire for success.

Source: HRT