Aleš Škerlak
CEO
Aleš Škerlak has more than two decades of experience in business, finance and capital markets. During his career, he successfully caried out the implementation of new business models in companies, several challenging and delicate M&A cases and consolidation processes in a wide range of industries.
Through the implementation of new business models, organic growth, acquisitions and exploitation of mutual synergies, he built leading players in their sectors, which were afterwards successfully divested.
Shortly after the start of his career, he joined investment company Publikum, where he quickly advanced, became Director of Finance and Accounting and assumed the position of a Procurator. At this time, he laid the foundation for latter establishment of the largest Slovene non-banking financial institution, as he quickly realized the company needed to build its private banking and asset management business and at the same time enhance its market share by acquiring complementary companies. This strategy ensured Publikum’s entry in the field of asset management. After the merger of 3 leading financial groups in ALTA Group, Škerlak became its CEO. Under his management the group secured the leading position in the field of brokerage, issuance of debt and equity, asset management and M&A. Afterwards, Škerlak successfully sold both group’s primary activities to strategic partners, and both divestments are still considered to be the largest transactions in the industry to date.
Simultaneously as the divestment of ALTA Group, Škerlak co-founded Adventura Investments, became its co-owner and CEO. As the companies CEO he led one of the most complex mergers in Slovenia. Through takeover and merger of 10+ independent tourism and transport companies Nomago was established and since 2022 the company is co-owned by Slovenian Railways.
Škerlak also led the acquisition of the largest Slovenian electronic goods retailer Big Bang and Croatian retail company Sancta Domenica. Big Bang Group is now the leading retailer of consumer electronics and one of the largest e-commerce retailers in the region and is actively expanding its operation to other countries. In Big Bang and Big Partner, to which the wholesale and distribution business was allocated, Aleš Škerlak is the chairman of the advisory board.
Škerlak is writing a similar story at Margis, that was established by the merger of two successful IT companies and is today the leading Slovenian company for business digitalization. Since 2018 Škerlak serves as the company’s president of the advisory board and in this time the company saw its revenue increase by more than 140 %.
Under Škerlak's management in just eight years Adventura Investments became one of the largest and most successful Slovenian business groups, with companies in Adventura Investments Group generating EUR 400m+ annual revenue and having almost 2000 employees.
