| Stanko Subotić | |
|---|---|
| Born | September 9, 1959 Kalinovac, Serbia |
| Alma mater | High School of Economics, Ub |
| Occupation | Entrepreneur Owner of D Trade, Futura Plus, Famis LLC |
| Net worth | €650 million[1] |
| Spouse | Jagoda |
Stanko "Cane" Subotić (born September 9, 1959 in Kalinovac village, Ub municipality, Serbia, FPR Yugoslavia) is a Geneva-based Serbian businessman.
Ranked 86th on the Polish Wprost magazine's 2006 list of richest individuals in Eastern Europe, this weekly publication estimates Subotić's net worth at €650 million.[2]
His current business endeavours are a diverse mix. Subotić is the founder and owner of the Denmark-based company EMI (Emerging Marketing Investment) and D Trade (based in Belgrade, Serbia), dealing in sales and distribution of wine, paper and real estate. Additionally, he is the co-owner of Serbia-based Futura plus, the leading commercial distribution network in Southeastern Europe. In Serbia, his companies employ over 4,000 people.
Additionally, Subotić is the co-owner of the meat processing factory Famis LLC (founded in 2002 in Serbia), as well as distribution companies in Greece and Russia dealing in non-alcoholic beverages and sporting equipment. Moreover, he bought hundreds of acres of vineyards in France, which he uses for production of the high-quality wine Louis Max, served even at the White House.[3] He began investing in this company in 1989, and since January 2007 he is the sole owner of Max Holding.
Subotić also owns a wine cellar in downtown Belgrade and a luxury hotel named Villa Montenegro on the Sveti Stefan island. In March 2007, this hotel was awarded the "Five Stars Diamond" award for the quality of service by the American Academy of Hospitality Sciences.
Subotić comes from a working class family, to which he was born as the sixth and youngest child. During early childhood, he started working in his father's carpentry shop. A Serbian national by birth, since 1999 Subotić also has a permanent resident status in Switzerland.
He completed the streamlined High School of Economics in Ub where he met his future wife Jagoda. He started earning an independent living in his early twenties when he left for France and got a job as a tailor. Very soon he opened a chain of clothing boutiques, and developed his own wholesale and retail.
During mid-1980s he invested into Serbian economy, by supplying civil engineering equipment which he judged to be in short supply.
Subotić started his private business career in 1991 following the collapse of communism in SFR Yugoslavia by founding a company named MIA and opening a sewing shop that cooperated with state owned retailer Robne kuće Beograd.
From that time until the year 1993, his primary business activities were textile production and confection.
By 1995, he entered cigarette trade in Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, a country under UN imposed trade embargo. Subotić owned two duty free shops at Đeneral Janković border crossing and in 1996 became exclusive distributor of foreign cigarette producers such as Philip Morris and British American Tobacco, which is how he made his fortune over the coming years. His cigarette trading business was initially based in Serbia, but in spring 1997 after Vlada "Tref" Kovačević (another prominent Serbian cigarette exporter-importer, and also accused smuggler) and Radovan "Badža" Stojičić (Serbian police deputy chief) got murdered, Subotić relocated his entire business to Montenegro and moved there. Once in Montenegro, he established high political and business connections with the republic's Prime Minister Milo Đukanović and ruling DPS party president Svetozar Marović, as well as with Podgorica businessman Duško Ban and national security adviser Goran Žugić.[4]
In 2003, Subotić opened a subsidiary in Montenegro, which is in operation to this day.
The same year, Subotić acquired the Serbian company Duvan, owner of a large distribution network which included retail booths and kiosks selling printed media and other consumer goods, and founded the company Futura plus. After acquiring Duvan, in 2004. Subotić began his collaboration with the large German media holding WAZ, which brought him new points of sale as it acquired a majority stake at Politika distribution, so that Futura Plus now owns the largest media distribution network in Serbia with a large number of kiosks and newspaper stands, previously owned by Duvan, Politika distribution, Borba distribution and Duvanpromet from Kragujevac. After Serbian Prosecution raised accusations against Subotic in 2008, WAZ Media Group left Futura plus.[5] In Montenegro he founded a company named Montenegro Futura that owns a similar distribution network throughout the country.
In 2005, Subotić moved his business headquarters to Cyprus. During the Spring 2007, Subotić additionally expanded his activities with two large investments in Montenegro: purchasing a piece of St. Nikola island near the port of Budva from the Serbian businessman Nenad Đorđević for approximately €24 million and announcing his plans to build a luxury hotel worth €20 million on the St. Stefan island.[6]