The Managers’ Association of Slovenia has awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award in Management for 2025 to Tone Strnad, founder and long-time Managing Director of Medis, current CEO of Medis Group and President of the Supervisory Board of Medis.
The Association presents the Lifetime Achievement Award in Management to managers whose achievements and influence have become part of the history of Slovenian management. The selection committee that nominated this year’s recipient consisted of Aleksander Zalaznik (President), Tomaž Beličnik, Boštjan Gorjup, Petra Juvančič, Tjaša Kolenc Filipčič, Medeja Lončar, Marko Lukić, Aleša Mižigoj and Sabina Sobočan.
I am pleased that the Managers’ Association of Slovenia has recognized my work at Medis, which is also the achievement of my colleagues. Even today, it still feels almost unbelievable that we built Medis from our very first entrepreneurial steps into a respected company operating in 19 European countries. It’s like creating an exceptional work of art—built by ourselves, with our own knowledge and perseverance, with a thousand faces and a clear message: we care for people’s health. I am genuinely proud of that,
said Tone Strnad upon receiving the award.
The Jury’s Explanation
The jury stated that Tone Strnad is a leader with a rare combination of vision, empathy and determination. His life’s work goes beyond business success and is rooted in the understanding that responsibility toward people, culture and nature lies at the heart of leadership. As the founder of Medis, he built an international company from the ground up and set a clear standard for success: growth is sustainable only if it benefits patients, employees and the wider community. Today, as President of the Management Board, he remains focused on responsible, sustainable and socially engaged leadership.
Professional Path
Tone Strnad, MSc Pharmacy, began his career in 1980 at Lekarna Ljubljana. A year later, he joined Lek, where he initially worked on drug registrations and the preparation of materials for Africa and the Middle East, later taking over the sales for Yugoslavia and marketing for major product groups. He subsequently became Head of Sales for Lek in the Soviet Union and Assistant Director of Foreign Trade.
While working, he enrolled in a master’s program and in 1989 left Lek to open a herbal pharmacy. That same year, he founded Medis, which quickly established a network for drug registration, import, export and marketing. Medis became the first modern Slovenian company to act as a licensing partner for the registration and marketing of medicines in Central and Eastern Europe. Today, Medis operates in 19 countries—from Albania through Austria, the Czech Republic and Hungary to the Baltics—and employs more than 400 experts. Under Strnad’s leadership, patients in the region gained access to more than 200 innovative medicines that often do not reach smaller markets.
Responsibility Beyond Business
Tone Strnad has always viewed business success as an obligation to the community. His work bridges business, culture, humanitarian engagement and environmental responsibility. He established a standard where responsibility toward patients, employees and society is an inseparable part of successful leadership. Through his work, he has had a decisive impact on the development of Slovenian and regional pharmacy, improved access to innovative medicines, strengthened culture, humanitarian engagement and sustainability in business. He has shown that global success can be achieved while remaining committed to the well-being of people, communities and nature. His life’s work represents an exceptional contribution to Slovenian society and sustainable development.
Succession in a Family Business
Medis is an example of a successful leadership transition to the next generation in a family-owned company. According to a recent study, 67% of company owners over the age of 65 do not have a succession plan, while family-owned businesses represent approximately 76% of all companies in Slovenia. At Medis, this leadership transition is the result of a carefully planned succession process. For the past two years, the company has been led by Managing Director Maja Strnad Cestar, Tone Strnad’s eldest daughter.
Science, Healthcare and the Development of Pharmacy
The International Medis Awards for Medical Research (IMA) is one of Medis’ largest non-commercial projects and a personal vision of Tone Strnad. For eleven years, the award has supported clinical research and connected doctors and pharmacists from several Central and Eastern European countries. An international jury evaluates scientific quality, clinical relevance and proven impact. IMA is one of the few regional platforms that systematically supports professional development and strengthens the reputation of clinicians and researchers in practice.
Tone Strnad initiated the establishment of the Association of Pharmaceutical Industry Representatives (serving as its president from 1994), led the Wholesale Pharmaceutical Traders Section at the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Slovenia, and is an active member of the Slovenian Pharmaceutical Society. He contributed to the preparation of the Medicinal Products Act and advocated for quality, traceability and safety throughout the supply chain. He has been active in the German-Slovene Chamber of Commerce since 2012 and has served as Chair of its Supervisory Board since 2020.
Environment and Sustainability
Tone Strnad is among the pioneers of sustainable thinking in Slovenian business. Under his leadership, Medis developed a comprehensive environmental approach, including recycling, reduced energy consumption, elimination of plastics, a green roof and a solar power plant at the company’s headquarters. The company created habitats for birds and bees, planted nectar-rich plants and installed nesting sites on the warehouse roof—a project bearing his personal signature. The production of Medis’ own medicines is based on sustainably grown plants, without pesticides. In 2023, Medis received a bronze EcoVadis rating.
Cultural Patronage and the Arts
Culture holds a special place in Strnad’s life—from his early involvement in the Academic Folklore Group France Marolt to later serving as its president and honorary member. For his lifelong support of amateur culture, he became the first recipient of the Ravnihar Plaque in 2018. Under his leadership, Medis has become one of Slovenia’s largest corporate patrons of culture, supporting institutions such as Ljubljana City Theatre, Ljubljana Puppet Theatre, Mladinsko Theatre, RTV Big Band, numerous jazz musicians and vocal and folklore groups.
Humanitarian Work and Sports
Humanitarian work is a central guiding principle of Tone Strnad’s life’s work. Medis collaborates with the Slovenian Red Cross, Red Noses Clowndoctors, Slovenian Association of Friends of Youth, Europa Donna, homes for the elderly, and supports volunteer fire brigades. In sports, Medis has supported athletes such as Dejan Zavec and many others, and has established a Medis sports section that brings together numerous employees.
Awards, Recognitions and Roles
- Member of the Slovenian Pharmaceutical Society
- Recipient of the Minařik Award (2002) for contributions to the development of Slovenian pharmacy
- Initiator and founding member of the Association of Pharmaceutical Industry Representatives
- Founder of the Wholesale Pharmaceutical Traders Section at the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Slovenia
- First recipient of the Ravnihar Plaque (2018) for long-standing moral and material support of amateur culture
- Recipient of the Minařik Medal (2020), the highest national recognition for pharmacists, awarded for outstanding contributions to Slovenian pharmacy
- Chair of the Supervisory Board of the German-Slovene Chamber of Commerce since 2020
