Christoph Leitner, CEO of VB Leasing Serbia - I had to choose between Partizan and Zvezda

(Christoph Leitner)

Two years ago he replaced Vienna with Belgrade and a walk along Maria Hilferstrasse Street with walks along the streets of Vracar. He already understands Serbian language perfectly, but he still speaks it shyly. Although he came to Serbia at an economically unenviable moment, Christoph Leitner, CEO of VB Leasing, believed in the potential of our leasing market and that feeling in the stomach that he was taking the right step.

Traveling economist

Leitner grew up in a small town near Vienna, where he graduated from the secondary school of economics, and then he enrolled in the Faculty of Trade and Business Administration in the capital of Austria.

He had his first contact with the eastern business philosophy and way of life while he was a student, since he studied for half a year at the famous University of Plekhanov in Moscow.

That is why he speaks Russian very well, and he still finds Moscow a fascinant metropolis whose beauty cannot be described in words.

First money earned

As he says, he grew up in a good family that has always appreciated work. His father worked at a company operating in Eastern Europe, which also had much influence on him and enabled him to see the things from a different point of view and get interested in this part of the Old Continent.

He earned his first money as a schoolboy during a summer break, working at a market of the largest market chain in Austria.

- It may not be a cool job, especially if you know that your friends are outside enjoying the sun, but it is cool to acquire work habits as early as possible.

He got his first job in the profession at an Austrian construction company, where he worked for a year and half as the Key Client Manager for eight countries.

- Then I got an offer from VB Leasing to work as a key account manager for construction machines in several countries, so that I traveled every week to Central and Eastern Europe.

Then he thought that he should get an office job in Austria, which would not involve frequent travels abroad, when he got older.

He had held several positions within the mother company until the management offered him to come to Belgrade and become CEO of VB Leasing in Serbia in August 2009.

Here and there

Although a crisis already hit the market, he did not hesitate much because he had already been staying in the capital of Serbia earlier. He says he trusted the feeling in his stomach and believed that our leasing market was going to grow.

And he did not regret making that decision. He says he loves Belgrade, especially Vracar where he lives.

He has no complaints about our business habits, saying that the things "here and there" do not differ much from each other, except for the fact that relations in Austria are a bit more formal than in Serbia.

In his opinion, the arrival in Serbia is the biggest step in his career.

Operations

In spite of pessimistic economic forecasts for 2012, Leitner believes that the leasing market will grow.

- I am optimistic when it comes to expectations for 2012. What VB Leasing is going to do is work on the improvement of services for clients. One of them will be a web platform for trade in used equipment. The platform will be available in several countries, including Serbia.

In order for leasing companies to register a growth they had before 2009, when the crisis occurred, it is necessary to remove many barriers.

First decision

However, the first decision he had to make was not about deposits or interest rates, but about football. His friends told him to decide: Partizan or Zvezda. He says in fluent Serbia that he chose: "Zvezda, of course."

Since he is a big football fan, he can often be seen with his friends at a stadium.

As he says, it is not difficult to find honest and heartful friends in Serbia.

Christoph Leitner reveals to us the two goals he would like to achieve in the New Year:

- I would like to travel all around Serbia and to master my Serbian.

And he will definitely need the language because the return to Austria is not among his plans.

Jelena Djelic