The first thing you will notice when you enter the office of Dushan Pecovski, Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of the Management Board of Replek AD Skopje, is the timeless leather suite.
Not only is it a beautiful piece of furniture, but it is also very dear to him, as it was inherited from his late father.
“When I became Chief Executive Officer two and a half years ago and was given this office, I wanted the space where I spend a large part of my day to contain things that are meaningful to me – or, rather, things that are an important part of who I am. I brought the suite from home. It belonged to my father. The desk I use today was also his.
They are especially dear to me, and I feel as though he is always with me,” says Pecovski.
Next to one of the armchairs, alongside the Macedonian flag, is the Austrian flag.
“I spent half of my life in Austria. I am connected to this country both personally and professionally. Among other things, besides learning the German language there, I also learned what it means to love a country, and what discipline and order mean,” he says.
He says he did not renovate the office because other things are more important to him – investing in new machinery, new products and, above all, in people.
He is among the first employees to arrive at work, but his day begins much earlier, at 6 a.m. That is when he goes to the gym, and once his workout is finished, his working day begins.
He sometimes comes to work at weekends, when no one else is there, because that is when his most creative ideas come to him.
“On average, I spend around 12 hours a day at work, but I try not to take work home with me and to have a genuine private life as well. Sunday is, of course, a day for rest,” he says.
He tries to maintain a healthy lifestyle, and there is always fresh fruit and water in his office.
Replek has a canteen that operates in three shifts, and he uses it too.
“I often have lunch with the employees. I have been with Replek for thirteen years, so the employees are not strangers to me. At the company, I try to promote an ‘open-door’ policy,” he says.
Pecovski and the entire management team are strongly committed to continuously improving working conditions. He points out that, in the long term, Replek also plans to have a nursery, a gym and a recreational area for employees.
“We are trying to make our people feel good at work and want to come to work. If you dread going back to work on Sunday evening, then you have a problem,” he says.
Neither he nor any other member of management uses a company car. He comes to work by motorbike and, for several years in a row, has taken part in The Distinguished Gentleman’s Ride, a charity motorcycle event aimed at raising awareness of men’s health.
“I am a passionate motorcyclist,” he says.
He is also a lover of icons, and one of his favourites is the icon of the Seven Saints. Some of the icons and sacred objects in his office were brought from Israel.
On the wall behind his desk, alongside examples of various company products, are numerous awards and recognitions that Replek has received over the years.
The interview was published on emagazin.mk.