Božidar Đelić
Božidar Đelić | |
|---|---|
| Born | April 1, 1965 Belgrade, Serbia |
| Occupation(s) | Economist, politician |
| Years active | 2001–2011 (politics) |
| Known for | Deputy Prime Minister of Serbia, Minister of Finance and Economy, Minister of Science and Technological Development |
Božidar Đelić (, ; born 1 April 1965) is a Serbian economist and former political figure. As a longstanding member of the Democratic Party, he occupied significant positions within Serbia’s government following the Milošević era, including serving as Minister of Finance and Economy between 2001 and 2004, and later holding the posts of Deputy Prime Minister of Serbia and Minister of Science and Technological Development from 2007 until 2011.
Early life and education
Đelić was born in Belgrade in 1965 and was brought up by his maternal grandparents after his parents emigrated. Upon their passing in 1973, he relocated to Paris to reside with his mother. During a period of financial difficulty for the family, he balanced work alongside his studies.
Demonstrating strong academic abilities, Đelić earned top honors in French national contests for geography and economics during 1980–81. He completed his degree at SciencesPo in 1987, graduating among the top 5% of his cohort. Subsequently, he obtained a diploma from HEC Paris with a focus on strategy and finance, followed by a Master’s degree in Economics from EHESS, where his thesis analyzed the effects of exchange rate volatility on developing economies.
In 1991, he graduated from Harvard University with two degrees: a Master of Public Administration from the Kennedy School of Government and an MBA from Harvard Business School, concentrating on finance and marketing disciplines.
Career
In 2001, Đelić was appointed as Minister of Finance and Economy within the Serbian government under Prime Minister Zoran Đinđić. Following Đinđić’s assassination in 2003, Zoran Živković assumed the prime ministership.
By May 2004, Đelić became a member of the General Management Committee at Crédit Agricole, a major French financial institution.
Between 2007 and 2011, he held dual roles as Deputy Prime Minister of Serbia and Minister for Science and Technological Development (from 2008 to 2011). In these capacities, he acted as Serbia’s chief negotiator for European Union accession talks and represented Serbia as chief governor at the World Bank Group as well as Deputy Governor at the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD). He stepped down in December 2011 after failing to achieve candidate status for EU membership.
In January 2014, Đelić joined Lazard’s Sovereign Advisory Group in Paris as Managing Director at the French investment bank.