Professor Stjepan Orešković, PhD

Scientist | Entrepreneur | Global Health Leader

Professor Stjepan Orešković is a scholar and entrepreneur renowned for his ability to bridge scientific innovation with strategic business leadership.

A Full Professor at the University of Zagreb School of Medicine, he has also served as Director of the Andrija Štampar School of Public Health—one of Europe’s premier institutions in public health, epidemiology, and social medicine. He is a member of the European Academy of Sciences and Arts and the founding director of the WHO Collaborating Centre for HIV Strategic Information. Under his leadership, the Centre has trained over 2,600 professionals from more than 110 countries, advancing global capacity in evidence-based public health and HIV prevention.

Professor Orešković has authored over 156 peer-reviewed publications, books, and chapters, with his research cited widely in international literature (h-index 23, i10-index 45). His work has appeared in  journals such as The Lancet, BMJ, The International Journal of Public Health, Nicotine & Tobacco Research, Addiction, and others, contributing to global discourse on health equity, aging, addiction policy, and digital transformation in healthcare.

Academic and Research Affiliations

Professor Orešković has held academic and collaborative roles at prestigious institutions, including:

Harvard Medical School – Blavatnik Institute of Global Health and Social Medicine; Harvard Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study; McLean Hospital – Institute of Coaching; Indiana University – Richard M. Fairbanks School of Public Health; London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE); London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine; Université Sorbonne Paris Cité & L’École Nationale de Santé Publique (France); Università Bocconi; Università di Trieste; Goethe University Frankfurt – Institute for Medical Sociology (Germany); University of Ljubljana Faculty of Medicine (Slovenia)

Research and publications

He has led 14 international research projects, including the landmark GLOBAL GRAND project funded by Pfizer, a transdisciplinary initiative on nicotine dependence and behavioral health. This collaboration brought together teams from Harvard, Ljubljana, and Zagreb, yielding new clinical insights into addiction and behavioral interventions.

His editorial contributions feature in seminal global health volumes such as Global Health Leadership and Management, Global Health Disparities, and Urban Health, with forewords by global leaders including David Rockefeller and Michael R. Bloomberg.

In June 2025, Professor Oreskovic co-authored (with Ivana Božičević, Rieke van der Graaf, and Martin McKee) “Open letter in support of WHO” that was published in The Lancet. It has been endorsed by 479 leading global health experts, including directors of WHO Collaborating Centres from every continent. The following articles illustrate how The Lancet responded to and recognized various public health initiatives led or coordinated by Professor Orešković: The Lancet 2000: Croatia Starts to involve patients in medical decision making The Lancet, 2002: Health and Democracy in Croatia; The Lancet, 2004: Health System Reform in Southeast Europe; The Lancet, 2000: HIV Surveillance and Policy Challenges. These publications reflect The Lancet’s engagement with critical regional developments and highlight Professor Orešković’s leadership in advancing evidence-based health policy.

Entrepreneurship and Strategic Leadership

Beyond academia, Professor Orešković is an entrepreneur and investor. He is the founder and majority shareholder of Bosqar Invest, a multinational investment group headquartered in Croatia. Under his leadership, the group has expanded across 20+ countries, investing in sectors including AI, agri-food, human resources, and e-commerce.

As an early investor and executive leader of M⁺ Group, he played a pivotal role in transforming it into one of Europe’s leading business process and customer experience (BPTO/CX) providers. Today, M⁺ Group operates in 21 countries, serving 220+ global clients in 32 languages with a workforce exceeding 17,700.

Previously, he served as CEO of Europapress Holding (EPH), part of the WAZ/Funke Group, where he led the regional media powerhouse behind Metro, Forbes, and Cosmopolitan, significantly expanding its influence across Southeast Europe.

He currently chairs the Supervisory Board of the IEDC – Bled School of Management, where he champions the integration of entrepreneurial ambition with responsible leadership.

Global Engagement and Institutional Partnerships

Professor Orešković has advised leading global institutions, including the World Health Organization (WHO), the World Bank, and the European Commission.  The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) is an important investor in M+ Group.  He is a vocal advocate for aligning scientific research, public policy, and private investment, particularly in emerging markets.

Honors and Recognition

Professor Orešković’s contributions have been recognized with numerous awards, including:

Nikola Tesla Genius for the Future Award (2023) – for ethical business leadership, awarded by Transparency International and the European Union

MBA Croatia Award (2020) – for advancing the integration of science and entrepreneurship

Global Research Award for Nicotine Dependence (2017)

Order of the Croatian Star with the Effigy of Katarina Zrinska (1996) – a national honor for contributions to public health

In the Words of Others

“Under the leadership of Stjepan Orešković, this program has contributed greatly to modern public health in other parts of former Yugoslavia. His strategic initiatives in areas such as tobacco control have yielded significant policy impacts in countries like Poland and Croatia.”
— Prof. Martin McKee CBE MD DSc FMedSci, Past President, British Medical Association & European Public Health Association

“His audacity would get him into all sorts of trouble, but he always managed to get out of it—only to soar even higher—because, frankly, he’s smart, in that elemental way we’d call ‘resourceful.’ In that resourcefulness, he’s reached the capacity of a genius. Like Doctor Strange, Doctor Stjepan Orešković can reshape reality itself!”
— Denis Kuljiš, Journalist

“He brings European entrepreneurial ambition to the global stage, making a case that Europe needs to think and act like a continent of founders and investors if it wants to remain competitive.”
— Tomislav Krasnec, senior editor at Večernji list

“Professor Orešković represents a rare synthesis of the scientist, policymaker, and entrepreneur. His ability to translate research into global impact is exemplary.”
— Enku Kebede Francis, Global Health Disparities