Dejan Eric, Director of Institute of Economics and Management - Knowledge collector

(Dejan Eric)

If somebody told a boy from a blue-collar family, who was born on an August day in 1962 in Belgrade, that he would enter the building of the New York Stock Exchange, study at Berkley, Columbia or London School of Economics, that boy would not believe a word. If somebody told a guy who got used to winning everything by himself while still a secondary school student that he would be able to choose any job he liked after the graduation, that guy would not believe a word. Today, however, Dejan Eric believes that nothing is impossible.

This professor of economy, the Director of the Institute of Economics, researcher, adviser, manager of several projects, member of managing boards of few companies, is definitely not the only one who manage to achieve all this in our country. However, he is one of rare people who, in spite of all that, has never forgotten to keep his spirit simple, be polite, walk with both feet on the ground, and respect whoever sits on the other side of the table.

Economist instead of librarian

Although he was the best student of the Sixth Belgrade Grammar School, he decided to enroll in the First School of Economics after the second year. It was a rational decision since he thought the economy would enable him to earn for his living.

- My father was a disabled person, my mother was a cook, which is why I started thinking about how to earn some money to buy certain things, go out, travel... My parents provided me with the education and gave me love and energy, while I had to fight for everything else by myself. I have always wanted to be independent and that is who I chose the school and the profession - Dejan Eric says for eKapija.

After graduating from the secondary school, he decided to become a student of the Faculty of Economics.

- I was very pragmatic and I thought I should complete the studies as soon as possible in order to start earning for my living.

(professors Dejan Eric and Jean Paul Guissar)

He graduated from the Faculty of Economics in four years and, thanks to his average mark of 9.74, he was offered a job at three companies - Energoprojekt, Beogradske Toplane, and Jugobanka. Although he loved banking and salaries at Toplane were the highest at the time, he decided to start working for Energoprojekt. He believed that that job would make it possible for him to go abroad and earn more money so he could build a house at the seaside, which was his dream at the time.

Two years of work in the financial sector in the internal bank of Energoprojekt were a significant experience for him. As he says, the work in the economy sector helped him much because he experienced numerous practical problems, which turned out to be useful.

To be a professor is what he knows the best

The campaign organized by professor Slobodan Unkovic - 400 Assistants for the University of Belgrade, changed his life. He applied for the job and was appointed as an assistant professor in the subject of Planning and Policy of Development of Enterprises - the fields of management, strategic management, investments. In the period from 1989 to 2005, he worked at the Faculty of Economics. The interlocutor of eKapija is one of rare people who always got a promotion. In the meantime, he received MA and PhD degrees and was appointed as an associate professor.

By a personal decision, which he has never regretted, he started teaching at the Belgrade Academy of Banking. Namely, he realized there had been many things he would like to do and was unable to do at the Faculty of Economics since nobody there understood and supported his ambitions.

One year later he became the Director of the Institute of Economics.

- The difference lies in the fact that I've finally found myself in the position of the head of an organization and the "decision maker". That gives you a great satisfaction because you are the one who create the atmosphere, principles and development strategy. During these four or five years, we have significantly changed the Institute, hired younger staff, modernized equipment... I trust these young people a lot. At the time of the crisis, we hired additional 7 or 8 young researchers - says Mr. Eric and adds that he would hire even more young people if there was not for a problem with budget limitations.

- If you are surrounded by good people, not even a crisis can brake you because these people will always find a way out.

All miracles of the world

Mr. Eric is one of rare people who do not believe in material things.

- I would give away all material things, but I would never give away what I carry inside of me, my energy and knowledge. Because if you have energy and knowledge, you can lose all material things and acquire them again.

Travels have always been his passion.

- When I was a child I got the book "All Miracles of The World". I remember how I was dreaming about seeing some of the places painted in the book – says Mr. Eric and adds that he has visited almost all destinations described in the book.

He lived in four beautiful countries. In the early 1990s, he lived for a year in Great Britain, in London where he studied at the London School of Economics. According to his words, that experience laid the foundation for everything he is today and shaped the direction of his development.

(with associates in Nice)

Then he moved to the USA in 2002. He visited 27 states of America (maybe even more than people who live their whole life there), 25 universities, and learned all aspects of functioning of the university as an educational and scientific-research institution. That year, as a Fulbright scholar, he met authors of books he had been studying from. Warren Bennis, a great person from the sphere of leadership and management, gave him about ten books as a gift; he enjoyed talking with Henry Minsberg, a student of Nobel Prize winner Herbert Simon...

Dejan Eric respects professionals, but he has always had problems with formal authorities. Somebody can be the boss and a "fool" at the same time. That is why he has always appreciated another kind of authority - knowledge, competence, goodness and good results.

- I was lucky to participate in a Tempus programme organized in association with the Faculty of Management, the University of Torin, and I lived for some time in "bella Italia".

This year he will attend specialist studies in France.

He still "steals" knowledge

He constantly acquires knowledge, which he finds his greatest capital. He is of the opinion that the main characteristic of youth is curiosity.

He teaches his students to study and work diligently in order not to be afraid of anything in life.

- A problem is that a result is not always seen immediately. There are also people who are more concerned with what you do than with you as a person. If somebody told me 20 years ago that I would study at Berkley, MIT, Columbia, London Business School, I would say: "No way!". Now I tell my students: "If you are committed, results will definitely come".

People say he is also a "stock broker magician". He was the Director of the broker company Stockbroker. When he was appointed to the Securities Commission, due to a conflict of interest, he sold all shares and left that business completely. However, he still believes in Serbia's capital market although it has been in a crisis over the last few years.

- I exceptionally believe in the concept of capital market and I think that one of the government's biggest faults lies in neglecting it. There have been several moves aimed at developing government bonds, which I compliment. You cannot develop the economy sector exclusively on the basis of a bank loan, especially if you conduct a restrictive credit-monetary policy and experience problems with inflationary pressures and structural problems in the economy. You must develop the capital market as the basic factor market. And the factor market is the core of the market economy. That is why to endanger the capital market means to endanger the market economy as well.