14.2.2024
Damir Sabol is visionary of the year
Tportal, one of the leading Croatian news portals, in Zagreb's Lauba awarded the Visionary of the Year awards for the second time in five categories - economy, technology, society, culture, and sport - with the umbrella award of Visionary of the Year
The jury gave the creator of the Photomath app, Damir Sabol, the Visionary of the Year umbrella award. He received the award from the representative of the Prime Minister, the Minister of Justice and Administration, Ivan Malenica, and the member of the Management Board, who, in a few months, will take over the position of President of the Management Board of Hrvatski Telekom, Nataša Rapaić.
"I'm truly honored by the award, especially when I see the group of people I was nominated alongside with. Many of them I greatly appreciate. When I come to big cities, I wonder how I managed to do something. It is where digital channels and technology help me. It's easy to be a visionary when you have the support of a strong team, not only at work but also at home," said Sabol.
Sabol is a veteran of the Croatian IT scene and one of the most successful entrepreneurs in the technology sector. He has world successes and acquisitions behind him - from Iskon, which he established when he was only 26 years old and sold to HT for HRK 100 million, to the Photomath application, which was acquired by Google last year.
These are the winners of tportal's Visionary of the Year award by category.
Economy category
The winner in the economy category is Tomislav Knezović, founder and director of the furniture design and production company Prostoria. The award was given to him by the Director General of the Croatian Employers' Association, Irena Weber, a member of the Management Board at Hrvatski Telekom, and the Chief Operational Officer of Business, Marijana Bačić.
The competition was intense. Congratulations to all the nominees. We visionaries are mostly also workers. Often, we cannot evaluate what we do. So thank you to Hrvatski Telekom and tportal,' said Knezović.
The other nominees in the economy category were the founder and President of the JGL Management Board, Ivo Usmiani, managing partner in the investment company Invera EP (Museum of Illusion), Slaven Kordić, owner of the winery and restaurant Korak Velimir Korak, and owner and director of Solvis Stjepan Talan.
Technology category
Damir Sabol, creator of the Photomath application, is the winner in the technology category. The award was given to him by State Secretary Bernard Gršić and a member of Hrvatski Telekom's Management Board and Chief Technical and Chief Information Technology Officer Boris Drilo.
Other nominees in the technology category were the founders of the Applied Cognitive Science studio Dario Bojanjac and Renata Geld, the founders of the airt startup Davor Runje and Hajdi Ćenan, the head of Nuqleus Matija Srbić and the founders of Ascalija Marin Bek and Dejan Strbad.
Society category
The winner in the society category is the Croatian Mountain Rescue Service (HGSS). The award was given by the Minister of Regional Development and EU Funds, Šime Erlić, and the member of Hrvatski Telekom's Management Board and Chief Financial Officer, Matija Kovačević.
'We were surprised by the nomination. On behalf of all 1100 members, thank you for selecting us. We guarantee that we will be even better and even stronger in the future. Everyone can feel safe with us. Rescue and protection of civilians are unthinkable without HGSS. Your support means a lot to us. This gives us an additional impetus,' said Josip Brozičević, head of HGSS.
Other nominees in the society category were Zadar gynecologist Luka Matak, President of the Feniks Split Association Marina Vidović, head of the Lung Diseases Clinic of KBC Zagreb Miroslav Samaržija and women's rights activists Sanja Sarnavka, Neva Tölle, Ana Pecotić and Jelena Veljača.
Culture category
Sculptor Nikola Vudrag is the winner in the culture category. The award was given to him by State Secretary Alen Gospočić and a member of Hrvatski Telekom's Management Board and Chief Corporate Affairs Officer Siniša Đuranović.
I always remember a lecture by astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson, who said that art and science are very opposite disciplines but necessary to each other in answering essential questions. Thanks to everyone who supported me all these years,' said Vudrag.
The other nominees were the novelist Kristian Novak, the owner of Fibra Marko Šunjić, the director of Šibenik Culture Fortress Gorana Barišić Bačelić, and the multidisciplinary artists Aleksandar Battista Ilić and Ivana Nikolić.
Sports category
The winner in the sports category is swimmer Dina Levačić, on whose behalf her sister Damjana accepted the award. The award was given by the representative of the President of the Croatian Parliament, Marko Pavić, and member of the Management Board of Hrvatski Telekom and Chief Human Resources Director, Ivan Bartulović.
'I am immensely honored to have been nominated among top athletes. Thanks to the jury for choosing me and recognizing my work. Visionaries never give up; they know no boundaries or obstacles,' said Levačić.
Other nominees in the sports category were former skier and sailing champion of the Mediterranean in class 40 Ivica Kostelić, European and world champion in taekwondo Lena Stojković, trainer and head of Profectus judo club Matija Frlić and Hajduk - junior team / Academy HNK Hajduk 'Luka Kaliterna'.
Before the awards ceremony, the editor-in-chief of tportal, Dijana Suton, addressed the gathering in Lauba.
'The main question we faced in the preparation of the election that exceeded all our expectations last year and set the bar really high was: can we detect people and ideas that fit into the visionary framework in just one year in a realistically small country like ours. Namely, our selection is not a classic media selection of persons of the year or the most successful according to some exact criteria. It also implies a higher dimension: a vision that opens up opportunities for many, for all of us. And if we had to use one word to link all 25 fantastic stories and individuals that brought us here today, I would say that it is courage, literal and metaphorical courage.
Business, artistic, civil, sports, entrepreneurial courage. That courage always implies a dimension of inclusiveness, which is very, very important to us as a business and technology-oriented media outlet, an outlet that works in a time that is not the most favorable to positive news,' said Suton.