Cadez to Leave Helm of Serbian Chamber of Commerce
The leadership of the Serbian Chamber of Commerce, headed by Marko Cadez, is stepping aside, with new governing bodies to be chosen once government formation begins. No successor named.
The Serbian Chamber of Commerce (PKS) announced in a statement on its website on October 30, 2026 that its leadership is stepping down, led by president Marko Cadez. According to the statement, the entire leadership is leaving, not just the president. No successor was named.
When will the Serbian Chamber of Commerce choose new leadership?
The chamber says it has begun preparations and consultations with businesses so that it can elect new governing bodies as soon as the formation of a new government starts. The new leadership, it says, would establish “continuous and efficient dialogue with the new Government, state institutions and administration.” The trigger is the start of government formation, and no specific departure date was given.
Cadez said in the statement:
“I am confident that the future newly elected PKS leadership will be ready to immediately present the concrete proposals of the business community and, through expert and open dialogue, contribute to decisions in the interest of companies, employees and society.”
The departure came with a political assessment. In the same statement, the PKS president said:
“The citizens of Serbia expressed their will for political change in the parliamentary elections. The task of institutions and the business sector is to ensure the transition period passes quickly, in an orderly way and without harm to business operations.”
What does the chamber want from institutions in a caretaker mandate?
The announcement came together with an appeal to institutions serving in a caretaker capacity to ensure the economy can operate without disruption, and for a new Government to be formed as quickly as possible. According to the statement, “production, investment, wages and contractual obligations cannot wait for political processes to be completed.” PKS says the National Assembly should be constituted and the Government formed as soon as possible, to allow stable business operations, the growth of domestic companies and the attraction of new investment.
The chamber listed what must not stop:
- issuing the permits, approvals and certificates needed for regular business operations
- uninterrupted production
- procurement of raw materials and semi-finished goods
- ongoing investment activity
Those activities, the statement says, “must not be halted at any cost.” It singles out the manufacturing industry, which employs almost one in five workers in Serbia. Cadez called for predictable business conditions and for efficient issuing of permits and approvals for projects and investments already under way.
The chamber’s president said PKS remains a stable support for domestic businesses, but that responsibility for preserving economic continuity now rests fully with the institutions, which must ensure a calm and functional handover. On how involved the chamber itself is in resolving delays, he said:
“The Serbian Chamber of Commerce and I personally are in daily contact with companies and with institutions in a caretaker mandate, in order to try, as far as possible, to remove any potential delay, with clear communication of the consequences they would have for the country’s economy. The interest of the business sector is a successful Serbia for all our citizens.”
In the statement, the chamber describes itself as “a link between the business sector and economic policy makers,” responsible for making the dialogue between the state and business succeed and serve the interests of member companies.
Who is Cadez, and how long was his mandate meant to run?
At the PKS Assembly on May 30, 2022, Cadez was re-elected president of the chamber for a five-year term. The announced departure therefore comes before that term has run out. After his re-election, he said:
“We live in a completely new world full of challenges and unpredictability, which demands a new role for the chamber of commerce. We begin the changes with ourselves.”
He then set out five frameworks for adjustment: using Serbia’s comparative advantages in food production, strengthening local and regional supply chains with greater involvement of micro, small and medium-sized enterprises, diversifying energy supply sources, improving the education system to match the needs of the economy, and continuing regional economic integration in the Western Balkans.
At the same session, the PKS Assembly, on the president’s proposal, gave new terms to the existing vice presidents:
- Zoran Vujovic, owner of TMF 2005
- Zoran Matijevic, co-owner of IM Matijevic
- Miroljub Aleksic, owner of the Alko group
- Nebojsa Saranovic, director of Kappa Star Limited
- Nikola Petrovic, director of Eco Energo group
- Milovan Kocic, owner of Yumis
- Rade Ljubojevic, owner of the Sirogojno company
The assembly also adopted the PKS annual report, the financial statements and other decisions important for the functioning of the unified chamber system.
