The Croatian operator’s COO for business customers and board member Marijana Bačić replaces Goran Car
Croatian information and communications technology (ICT) services company Combis will now be headed by Hrvatski Telekom (HT) COO for business customers and board member Marijana Bačić (above) from 1 May. She is replacing Goran Car who has been director at Combis for the past five years – which is an independent entity wholly owned by HT. Founded in 1990 in Dubrovnik, Combis became part of the HT Group in 2010 through HT’s acquisition of the entire share capital of Combis.
Since September 2022, Bačić has been in charge of sales, marketing, customer and technical services for business customers and ICT operations at the telco. HT signalled that the position of director of the management board of Combis will be held by a member of the management board of Hrvatski Telekom.
“HT Group, of which Combis is a part, has development plans, with a clear focus on growth, providing innovative solutions and a superior customer experience. Marijana Bačić, who has extensive experience and in-depth knowledge of the telecommunications and ICT industry, will contribute to the growth of the HT Group and the development of our customers’ businesses in her new dual role,” said Hrvatski Telekom and Combis board president Nataša Rapaić.
She added: “I would like to thank Goran Car for his leadership of Combis over the past five years, during which Combis has achieved significant growth and strengthened its position as one of the leading system integrators in the region.”
Regional play
Goran Car has been the director and board member of Combis since March 2020 and after more than 20 years of career in Combis and HT Group, he has decided to “look for new professional challenges outside the HT Group.” He successfully led Combis through various market and business challenges, and during his mandate, the company established itself as a VMware partner and has evolved from a small company to a regional leader in system integration with subsidiaries in Bosnia and Herzegovina and Serbia.
The company has won some big names as well. In 2023, in collaboration with Hrvatski Telekom and Samsung Electronics Adriatic, Combis completed a digital transformation of McDonald’s restaurants across Croatia. The project involved the installation and centralised management of information and promotional content, enabling simultaneous content updates from the cloud at all locations nationwide. Combis also developed and implemented a cloud-based contact centre for Croatia Osiguranje, the largest insurance company in Croatia.
HT’s move for closer control of Combis suggests the telco hasn’t given up on regional aspirations either. It owns a majority stake in Montenegro’s incumbent operator Cronogorski Telekom and a minority stake in Bosnia and Herzegovina’s HT Mostar. In February it posted an FY24 6% YoY revenue increase, driven by robust performance in mobile, fixed services and system solutions.
In January 2025, Hrvatski Telekom completed the merger of HT Servisi into HT Inc., further streamlining operations and boosting organisational efficiency. Another significant milestone for Hrvatski Telekom was the 3G network retirement, which was concluded in Q1 2025. At its most recent results in February, the telco confirmed its stance on regional expansion remains “unchanged as we diligently assess potential M&A opportunities”.
