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Motivation: „I believe in the ICV“
Dragica Erčulj, work group leader of Slo-
venia and ICV Delegate for South-East-
Europe, about her highly committed work
for the ICV:
Please give us a quick view behind the
scenes of when your work group (WG)
was founded?
In Slovenia, controlling spreads with the
substantial support of the Controlling School,
which was established in 1995, and I was a
trainer there at that time. Students of the
Controlling School wanted to be in touch with
trends in controlling and we tried to establish
an alumni club or a similar setup. I was
already a member of the ICV at that time and
I suggested the establishment of an ICV WG
in Slovenia. Seeds were sown and everything
else was just a matter of organization.
I called Dr. Alfred Blazek, the co-founder of
the Controller Akademie (we knew each other
through our attendance of CA seminars and
the organization of the Controlling School in
Slovenia). He suggested a visit to Slovenia
together with Dr. Herwig Friedag, who was
responsible for International work groups at
that time, to help us with our first meeting.
WG Slovenia was founded in March 2008.
It was a really nice meeting, full of good
energy: 24 attendees, thirsty for knowledge
and practical experience. Almost all of them
became members within a year after the
initial meeting.
If you have a look at your work group
today and compare it to previously held
goals – were they reached? Or were they
changed? If yes, how and why?
I could say WG ICV Slovenia has reached the
goals, as planned, within the few first years.
We experienced fast growth, our meetings
took place as scheduled and we enjoyed a
solid number of enthusiastic participants at
every meeting. In the past two years, things
have been changing in line with the present
economic situation in Slovenia. We are
struggling to reach the WG’s goals or hold
meetings, and the membership fluctuates a
lot. We are constantly looking for a new
working model and more members.
What were the most impressing, the
most exciting and the most disappointing
experiences in your career as the leader
of a work group?
The most impressing – „great“ people are
great as professionals and as human beings.
The most exciting – sharing experiences,
getting to know new trends, different people
and cultures. The most disappointing – some
people give up very quickly in times of trouble.
Your work group in numbers
ICV Slovenia has 45 members, 65% women
and they come from all over Slovenia
(Slovenia is a small country). We organize 4
meetings a year: 2 for the mind (2 prepared
workshops, each of 1.5 days duration) and
2 for the soul (2 meetings, each of approx.
4 hours duration, to exchange experiences,
give presentations, small-talk etc.).
In Slovenia, we organize an annual controlling
conference, the ACC – Adriatic Controlling
Conference, which has now took place for
14 years and is one of the longest established
conferences within the ICV. ACC is organized
by the Controlling School, ICV WG Slovenia
and CRMT d.o.o, the main sponsor for the
past 7 years. About 200 participants attend
this high-profile event every year, from
Slovenia and neighboring countries. Many
ICV professionals from abroad are invited to
give presentations at ACC.
You are not only the leader of the work
group Slovenia, but also the ICV Delegate
for South-East-Europe. What work
groups do you take care of and what are
the tasks involved in this position in
detail?
In the SECE region, there are 10 WGs at
present: Hungary (2WGs), Bulgaria, Slovenia,
Romania, Croatia, Serbia, Bosnia and
Hercegovina, Spain and Italy. Most of them
were established within the last 5 years, so
the ICV idea is very alive in this area.
I see myself as a support in the establishment
of a WG, whenever there is even a small indi-
cation of initiative (a motivated individual) in a
particular country. I present the ICV organiza-
tion and ICV mission, who we are and how
WG’s work, the mission of the controller and
controlling. There is always a lot of questions.
I help WG leaders in organizing their first
meeting, and, if needed, some additional
meetings. At the inaugural meeting, we pre-
pare a controlling seminar / workshop (the
topic is suggested by the WG leader). Insofar
as possible, this will be in the language of that
particular country, otherwise in English.
Last September, I organized the first SECE
meeting in Ljubljana, Slovenia. As the number
of WG’s in southeast Europe increased, a
regional meeting for the WG leaders was
found very useful and we seized the
opportunity to get to know each other better
and to exchange experiences. Not all of the
WG leaders took part, but it was a good
experience for those who were present. We
realized that we were experiencing similar
difficulties, opportunities and challenges.
A little workshop and brainstorming session
at the meeting showed us ways to improve
the work in our groups.
How hard/easy is it to work together with
people over a long distance (even in
several languages)?
I prefer to look at the beautiful side of this
work: meeting different people, learning
about new countries, sharing experiences.
It is true, on the other hand, that this also
Dragica Erčulj
Internationaler Controller Verein eV
