Mayor of Kranj

Matjaž Rakovec, Mayor of Kranj, Slovenia, was born and raised in Kranj and graduated from the University of Ljubljana in Economics. He is well recognized for his experience in the fields of economy as well as sports. As a member of a hometown's water polo club Triglav Kranj he participated in the water polo league of former Yugoslavia. Later he was the president of the Water Polo Federation of Slovenia for five years. During his mandate the national team earned the ticket to the European Championships in 2006. Since 2010 he has been holding the presidency of the Ice Hockey Association of Slovenia and has made a historical achievement with the national team by qualifying for the Sochi 2014 Winter Olympic Games. The team played also at Pjeongchang 2018 Winter Olympic Games.

Matjaž Rakovec was previously employed at Zavarovalnica Triglav, the biggest commercial insurance company in Slovenia, where he gained 19 years of experience. From 2009 to 2013 he chaired the management board. In these years he led the company to record profits and twice received the Best Financier of the Year Award. For several years he was at the helm of the Triglav Group with over 5500 employees in six countries. In his professional career he performed several other functions, including being a management consultant at Mercator and director of Studio Moderna.

He was elected mayor for the second term in December 2022. While performing this role he has successfully carried out multiple important projects, some of which had been at a standstill for several years, some even decades. Matjaž Rakovec has been emphasizing some very important fields in the city's development, such as sustainability, e-mobility, the development of a green and smart city. In 2021 Kranj was named the best e-mobility city municipality in Slovenia. Under his leadership City of Kranj was selected into the EU mission of 100 climate-neutral and smart European cities by 2030 by European Commission and received European Destination of Excellence 2023 award.