The Lifetime Achievement Award, presented by Udruženje za tržišne komunikacije Srbije (UEPS), has been awarded this year to Vanda Kučera, one of the most experienced and influential professionals in the regional communications industry. By joining the circle of laureates, following Nadežda Milenković, the recognition goes to another name that has systematically shaped the development of the profession.
Kučera brings more than four decades of experience in marketing, advertising and communications. Her career cannot be reduced to a single role or market, but has developed across different functions, disciplines and geographic contexts.
In the nomination statement by Srđan Šaper, the continuity and scale of her contribution are emphasized:“Vanda’s biography is a list of numerous things she has done throughout her career for the development, promotion and advancement of our profession. I believe that even this list is short compared to all her achievements, which I am sure we all know very well. That is why I have long believed that Vanda has deserved this award for a long time. I think now is the moment for her to receive it.”
She began her professional career in the 1980s in agencies Borba, SM Delo Beograd and Saatchi & Saatchi, at a time when the industry in the region was still taking shape in its modern form. During the 1990s, her work expanded through a partnership role in a direct marketing agency, further education and work in public relations in Spain, as well as roles at Global and in the marketing department of the weekly Vreme.
From 1997, she continued her career at McCann (today part of AMA Group), where she held a range of responsible positions and worked on the development of key clients and projects.
Her experience is not limited to a single market. She worked in agencies in Athens, Skopje and Podgorica, alongside long-term collaboration with agencies, organisations and companies across the region, Europe and globally. This combination of local and international experience defines her approach to strategic planning and brand development.
Throughout her career, she has been primarily focused on market research and strategic planning, as well as on the development and positioning of new products and brands, and the repositioning of existing ones across various industries – from telecommunications and FMCG to media.
At the same time, she developed a strong leadership profile. She was part of the strategic planning team at McCann in Athens, later led the agency in Skopje, and upon returning to Belgrade managed key projects and clients in the Montenegrin market, laying the foundations for the establishment of a McCann agency in Podgorica. Within I&F Group, she led the development of digital services and launched one of the first digital agencies in the local market, MRM Worldwide (today DRV).
Today, within AMA Group, she leads the area of corporate social responsibility, developing and implementing CSR and ESG strategies for the agency system, clients and the NGO sector. Her role goes beyond operations and includes actively strengthening the industry’s position through collaboration with key professional and business organisations such as IAA, UEPS, SAM, AmCham, PKS, EASA, WFA and ICC.
At the institutional level, she also contributed to the development of the Advertising Law through a working group within PKS. Through IAA, she played a key role in developing the self-regulation system in advertising, including drafting the Code and preparing for the establishment of the national self-regulatory body NAESO. She served on the boards of UEPS, IAA and SAM.
Alongside her industry work, she has been actively involved in education. She lectured at the Faculty of Dramatic Arts, FEFA Faculty and the Faculty of Organisational Sciences, covering topics such as strategic planning, product promotion and advertising ethics. She was also a selector at the CMO/CCO Forum of the Mokrogora School of Management, a lecturer at MNG Centre, and conducted professional seminars organised by ASMEDI aimed at improving the work of small, local and minority media.
The Lifetime Achievement Award in this case functions not only as recognition of a long career, but as confirmation of sustained impact – from building agency capabilities and digital services, to shaping institutional frameworks and educating new generations.
In an industry that continues to redefine itself, careers like this remain a reference point for what it means to build the profession over time, not just individual projects.
