I'm Sanda Soptija Šiljak, an executive leader with CEO/COO background in leading digital marketplaces and group-level operations. I build growth engines (GTM, pricing, lifecycle) and operating systems (OKRs, dashboards, clear ownership) that connect brand, product, sales, and finance to P&L. I'm a bridge between commercial, product, and tech across 70+ markets in CEE/SEE, focusing on governance, strategy, people leadership, and cross-functional delivery.

Sanda Soptija Šiljak

I'm Sanda Soptija Šiljak, an executive leader with CEO/COO background in leading digital marketplaces and group-level operations. I build growth engines (GTM, pricing, lifecycle) and operating systems (OKRs, dashboards, clear ownership) that connect brand, product, sales, and finance to P&L. I'm a bridge between commercial, product, and tech across 70+ markets in CEE/SEE, focusing on governance, strategy, people leadership, and cross-functional delivery.

Available to hire

I’m Sanda Soptija Šiljak, an executive leader with CEO/COO background in leading digital marketplaces and group-level operations. I build growth engines (GTM, pricing, lifecycle) and operating systems (OKRs, dashboards, clear ownership) that connect brand, product, sales, and finance to P&L.

I’m a bridge between commercial, product, and tech across 70+ markets in CEE/SEE, focusing on governance, strategy, people leadership, and cross-functional delivery.

See more

Language

Croatian
Fluent
English
Fluent
German
Beginner
Spanish; Castilian
Beginner

Work Experience

Founder & Business Consultant at Peak Life
January 1, 2024 - Present
Design growth and brand strategies for SMEs and corporate clients; create pragmatic playbooks teams can run locally. Build go-to-market plans (positioning, messaging, channel mix, pricing hypotheses) and align execution across marketing and sales. Set up CRM and lifecycle programmes with clear conversion/retention targets; establish reporting cadence and ownership.
Independent Business Consultant at Croatia
January 1, 2022 - January 1, 2024
Delivered growth strategy, GTM, and operating-model work across healthcare, FMCG, media, technology, automotive, and digital marketplaces. Led digital transformation initiatives: business requirements, vendor selection, implementation planning, and adoption support. Improved sales/product/marketing processes to support revenue targets (role clarity, handovers, KPI tracking, prioritisation).
Deputy Managing Director – Internal Operations at Convergent Media Group (CMG)
January 1, 2020 - January 1, 2022
Led brand governance and multi-market rollout across 70+ markets; introduced OKR and KPI frameworks linking brand health, demand generation, and ROI; built dashboards and ran pre-/post-testing and post-mortems. Owned end-to-end delivery: brief → creative → production → rollout → budget → performance reporting. Coordinated internal operations (finance, legal, HR, IT) and vendor collaboration for high-volume multi-market programmes.
CEO & COO at Njuškalo d.o.o. (Styria Media Group)
January 1, 2016 - January 1, 2020
Owned company strategy, P&L, and execution; set OKRs and planning cycle; translated strategy into annual/quarterly plans, budgets, and dashboards; delivered revenue/ EBITDA targets. Strengthened market leadership by growing users, listings, and traffic; improved brand consideration and equity. Directed product roadmap and CX across web/app; launched new categories and features; increased app adoption. Built GTM and sales engine; improved pipeline quality, ARPU, and CAC payback. Modernised tech and data stack; improved uptime and page speed.
Head of Development & Marketing Director at Njuškalo d.o.o. (Styria Media Group)
January 1, 2014 - January 1, 2016
Designed product marketing and brand strategy; managed product lifecycle and content operations. Led UX and digital development; aligned branding, usability, and functionality with commercial priorities.
Online Sales & Marketing Director at Njuškalo d.o.o. (Styria Media Group)
January 1, 2011 - January 1, 2013
Led teams across sales and marketing; improved digital performance (traffic, NPS) and revenue through analysis and experimentation.
Client Service Director at PHD d.o.o. (Omnicom Media Group)
January 1, 2009 - January 1, 2010
Directed strategy and delivery for major clients (Peugeot, Citroën, Unilever, Bayer, Krka, and others); led post-campaign analysis and optimization.
Group Account Manager at PHD d.o.o. (Omnicom Media Group)
January 1, 2007 - January 1, 2009
Led accounts and campaigns; early career roles focused on strategy and delivery.
Independent Business Consultant at Independent Business Consultant (Croatia)
January 1, 2022 - January 1, 2024
Delivered growth strategy, GTM, and operating-model work across healthcare, FMCG, media, technology, automotive, and digital marketplaces. Led digital transformation initiatives: business requirements, vendor selection, implementation planning, and adoption support. Improved sales/product/marketing processes to support revenue targets (role clarity, handovers, KPI tracking, prioritisation).
Deputy Managing Director – Internal Operations at Convergent Media Group (CMG), Zagreb
January 1, 2020 - January 1, 2022
Led brand governance and multi-market rollout across 70+ markets; introduced OKR and KPI frameworks linking brand health, demand generation, and ROI; built dashboards and ran pre-/post-testing and post-mortems. Owned end-to-end delivery: brief → creative → production → rollout → budget → performance reporting.
CEO & COO at Njuškalo d.o.o. (Styria Media Group), Zagreb
January 1, 2016 - January 1, 2020
Owned company strategy, P&L, and execution; set OKRs/planning cycle; translated strategy into annual/quarterly plans, budgets, and dashboards; delivered revenue/ EBITDA targets. Strengthened market leadership (50%+ national reach) by growing users, listings, and traffic; improved brand consideration and equity. Directed product roadmap and CX across web/app; improved conversion; launched new categories and features; increased app adoption. Built GTM and sales engine; improved pipeline quality, ARPU, and CAC payback.
Head of Development & Marketing Director at Njuškalo d.o.o. (Styria Media Group), Zagreb
January 1, 2014 - January 1, 2016
Designed product marketing and brand strategy; managed product lifecycle and content operations. Led UX and digital development; aligned branding, usability, and functionality with commercial priorities.
Online Sales & Marketing Director at Njuškalo d.o.o. (Styria Media Group), Zagreb
January 1, 2011 - January 1, 2013
Led teams across sales and marketing; improved digital performance (traffic, NPS) and revenue through analysis and experimentation.
Client Service Director at PHD d.o.o. (Omnicom Media Group), Zagreb
January 1, 2009 - January 1, 2010
Directed strategy and delivery for major clients (Peugeot, Citroën, Unilever, Bayer, Krka, and others); led post-campaign analysis and optimization.
Group Account Manager at PHD d.o.o. (Omnicom Media Group), Zagreb
January 1, 2007 - January 1, 2009
Account management; strategy and delivery for major clients; post-campaign analysis and optimization.

Education

Executive MBA at IEDC – Bled School of Management, Bled, Slovenia
January 11, 2030 - January 16, 2026
Master of Arts in Sociology at University of Zagreb, Zagreb, Croatia
January 11, 2030 - January 16, 2026
Bachelor of Arts in Sociology at University of Zagreb, Zagreb, Croatia
January 11, 2030 - January 16, 2026
Executive MBA at IEDC – Bled School of Management, Bled, Slovenia
January 11, 2030 - January 16, 2026
Master of Arts in Sociology at University of Zagreb, Zagreb, Croatia
January 11, 2030 - January 16, 2026
Bachelor of Arts in Sociology at University of Zagreb, Zagreb, Croatia
January 11, 2030 - January 16, 2026

Qualifications

Diploma in Organization Development & Mentoring
January 11, 2030 - January 1, 2015
Advanced Sales & Marketing
January 11, 2030 - January 16, 2026
CEE Marketing Programme & Profitability Workshop
January 11, 2030 - January 16, 2026
Negotiation & Presentation
January 11, 2030 - January 16, 2026
Diploma in Organization Development & Mentoring
January 1, 2015 - January 16, 2026
Advanced Sales & Marketing
January 11, 2030 - January 16, 2026
CEE Marketing Programme & Profitability Workshop
January 11, 2030 - January 16, 2026
Negotiation & Presentation
January 11, 2030 - January 16, 2026

Industry Experience

Media & Entertainment, Software & Internet, Retail, Professional Services, Healthcare, Other