Edvard is a person who has always felt the need to create and build, with people for people. He feels that you don’t build a company. You build people and then the people build the company. Although he spent a large part of his professional life building Hidria, he always made sure that he spent enough quality time with his family. Exiting Hidria and establishing the Svetlik Family Office was one of the most important decisions he had to make, but he knew it was the best thing for Hidria, its development, its people and, most importantly, the Svetlik family. To allow the second generation to continue building on the foundations he laid and to give back to society through the charitable foundation.
Edvard graduated from the University of Ljubljana, Faculty of Economics. Edvard’s professional path started at Eta Cerkno, now part of the EGO Group. At a very young age, he was given the opportunity to become a member of the management board and worked closely with the CEO, his mentor. After the change in management, he soon realised that he could not fully develop his potential in the company. In 1980, he moved to the management of Iskra Idrija, a small subsidiary of a larger industrial group in Slovenia. He developed it from a small regional player into the Hidria Corporation, a globally present pre-development supplier to automotive and industrial component customers. Hidria has a global presence in the development and the manufacturing of components for electric mobility. It has grown from a small local manufacturer to a market leader in specific segments.
In addition to his role at Hidria, Edvard was a member of the Supervisory Board at the Slovenian Steel Corporation and a member of various other foundations and organisations. He was a founding member of the first Rotary Club in Slovenia. He currently serves as Chairman of the Svetlik Family Office and the Svetlik Charitable Foundation and is the founder and co-owner of the Svetlik Wine Estate in Kamnje, Vipava Valley, which produces one of the finest Amber Rebula wine in the region.
