Jože Mermal, university graduate in economics, started his professional career at BTC in 1978. He worked at different management positions until 1993, when he became Chairman of the Management Board of BTC. He served as the Director of the development and planning service, assistant to the General Director and Procurator for the commercial sector, Member of the Management Board of the joint stock company and responsible head of the Interspar shopping centre which was a key step in the creation of the modern BTC City. In 1997 Mr. Mermal led the demanding project of placing BTC stock on the London Stock Exchange. In 2019 BTC company transformed it’s business structure to one-tier management system in which Mr. Jože Mermal serves as a Chairman of the Board.
Jože Mermal is the author of the versatile project BTC City, which represents a one-stop-shop that combines business, shopping, entertainment, recreational and cultural programs. In fact, it is a business unique on an international scale, since in the 20 years the company has evolved from the organizer of the first Slovenian shopping center in Slovenia into the manager of one of the largest business, shopping and recreational centers in Europe with 21 million visits per year.
The development of BTC City has been most influenced by the excellent implementation of business plans and the intense investment of the last two decades. From 1993 to 2019, the company renovated 200,000 m2 of business premises and invested 269 million EUR, and its business partners an additional 184 million EUR. With its openness, the company has achieved partnerships with the most excellent domestic and foreign partners, which have influenced the strengthening of market contents, the top offer of BTC City, the implementation of the latest technology for individual programs. New synergies have established a new culture of social contact, and BTC City has become an important, indispensable part of the map of Ljubljana, which can no longer be ignored from either a domestic or an international perspective.
As the BTC company is involved in many projects that include the wider social environment – in the fields of culture, science, education, humanitarianism and sports – which Jože Mermal actively supports, the BTC company and Mr. Mermal personally have received many important awards over the years.