Professional development
He likes to say that he is Slovenian by birth, Swiss by business, French by way of life, and Bosnian by heart.
At the end of the 1980s, socializing and observing the activities of the late Adil Zulfikarpašić and his wife, the respected Mrs. Tatjana, became part of the story of the "Bosniaken Institute" in Zurich. Working in the Bosniak Institute is very important for him because, he claims, in that period he learned about the values of Bosnia and Herzegovina, met many Bosnians, Herzegovinians, Posavina and Krajina people who will eventually become close friends and partners. He considered volunteer work at the Institute in Zurich a kind of gift to all Bosnians and Herzegovinians, because in this way he himself reminded our people of the essential and civilizational values of Bosnian society. He was part of this inspiring story until the Institute moved to Sarajevo in 1998.
"I have been living in France since 1998, and I spent a short period of my business life in banking, more precisely in the organization Citibank Paris. However, working at the mentioned place was not challenging enough, so I found my business passion in the luxury industry, first as the founder and co-owner of a company for the distribution of French and Swiss cosmetics in the Slovenian, Croatian and Serbian markets. After some time, I decide to sell the company in Slovenia, but also its two branches in Croatia and Serbia. However, the sale of the company did not extinguish my love for cosmetics, so over time I focused on the international development of the Swiss cosmetics brand, and at the same time, from Paris, I acted as a Business Development Consultant for the French luxury industry for the Eastern Europe ", explains Mr. Šabanagić, who, among other things, is actively engaged in the i-platform as an ambassador of global networking.
Promoting values of Bosnia and Herzegovina through La Terra Nostra Foundation
Like most entrepreneurs, Mr. Šabanagić business was negatively affected by the coronavirus pandemic, so he decided to use that moment for more active volunteer engagement, this time at the La Terra Nostra Foundation. The general well-being of the society of Bosnia and Herzegovina, as well as the connection of the people from its surroundings, who speak the same or very similar languages, are the primary goal of its activities in the mentioned Foundation.
"A special focus is directed on the education of the younger generations, during that time of school we follow the deveploment and until the beginning of the college days, but we certainly parallely engage in urgent cases such as natural disasters. Also, regularly, if the need arises, we provide assistance to various health care institutions, "adds Mr. Šabanagić.
Although many organizations operate in these fields, in his opinion, the La Terra Nostra Foundation is specific in its structure. Namely, it is an organization with the Board as the only body, in which enthusiasts operate without any compensation. Board members selflessly advocate for the Foundation and its goals, investing their own time and money. All funds raised flow directly into the programs and reach the goal, without intermediaries.
Project "5 Million Friends of BiH"
The successfully networked and partner-strengthened BiH diaspora, which represents an important milestone in the development of Bosnia and Herzegovina at the global level, and which nurtures Bosnia and Herzegovina values, and thus strengthens the role of each individual included in this network, is the original vision of this project, that currently is represented through activities of the i-platform and strategic partnership with the La Terra Nostra Foundation. According to Mr. Šabanagić, the i-platform registered in Switzerland, and this country itself, thanks to its geostrategic position, are ideal places to form a base for creating an umbrella institution of all world organizations with the sign of Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Through this project, the diaspora will be strengthened and networked, in the absence of any political, national or religious connotations. Also, the identity of Bosnia and Herzegovina will be strengthened as a turning point in mutual cooperation and development of Bosnia and Herzegovina, nurturing of the primary values of society in Bosnia and Herzegovina, also selfless advocacy for the community and the individual will be strengthened.
Although only the i-platform and the friendly La Terra Nostra Foundation are behind the project, their representatives are inviting other BiH organizations to become part of the "5 Million Friends of BiH" project. The goal is to bring together eight BiH organizations that will actively act as strategic partners of this project, namely those operating in the United States, Canada, Germany, Austria, Sweden, Norway, Australia and Turkey. The demographic picture of these countries is certainly completed by numerous emigrants from Bosnia and Herzegovina, and therefore, the listed countries and organizations stationed in them are the ideal partner of this project. According to Mr. Šabanagić, these BiH organizations will function in different fields of activity, gather strong BiH representatives and friends of this country, present positive examples of integration and improvement of different areas by BiH people, animate activities to improve cooperation between related BiH organizations spread around the world, to offer cooperation to BiH embassies and consular offices around the world, and to offer cooperation to domestic and foreign institutions in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
"Five million friends of Bosnia and Herzegovina is actually the minimum number we need to gather. We need and can do more. We want as many members of the Orthodox, Catholic or Islamic faith as possible, we want Jews to join us and in general people who are called 'Others' in the Constitution of Bosnia and Herzegovina, we look forward to our friends from Serbia, Croatia, Montenegro, Northern Macedonia and Slovenia, and to all people of good will. We are aware of the hard work ahead of us, but at the same time we are ready for this necessary endeavor. It is up to all of us to work on recognizing the significance of this project ", adds Šabanagić.
One of the primary intentions is to gather a thousand of experts, i.e. sympathizers of Bosnia and Herzegovina and this project, from the business, cultural, sports, scientific and diplomatic world, all with the aim of more efficient lobbying for the interests of BiH society.
Efforts will be made to bring together organizations and individuals who should operate in ten sections, as follows:
- Informatics and information sciences;
- Philosophy, psychology;
- Religion, theology;
- Social sciences, statistics, politics, government, economics, law, military;
- Mathematics, natural sciences;
- Medicine;
- Arts, recreation, entertainment, music, sports;
- Language, linguistics, literature;
- Geography, history, bibliography:
- Positive examples of mutual cooperation of nations from the BiH surroundings.
"By acting together, setting aside differences and egos and prioritizing the general interest of BiH. society, a gathering of 10 million friends of Bosnia and Herzegovina can be expected in ten years ", says Šabanagić, and adds that the development of this project, at least at its beginning, will be taken care of by volunteers, members of the i-platform and La Terra Nostra, but he also emphasizes that the representatives of bh. authorities are also very welcome.
"I am sure that they are aware of the importance of the diaspora, but I am also of the opinion that it is the easiest to criticize. We need to roll up our sleeves and work together. A large number of staff of the former and present BiH diplomacy, foreigners who worked in BiH, as well as a large number of our people from all over the world recognized the values of this project and offered help. Everyone who connects is welcome to our project. However, I would like to mention that we will work for the others as well, to convince them of the meaning of connecting", concludes Mr. Šabanagić.
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