Degordian’s expansion and their new New York City office

The award-winning company Degordian has been strengthening its international presence for some time, and now they have taken another big step by opening an office in New York. 

Twelve years ago, they opened their first office in Zagreb, Croatia, a few years later adding an office in Mostar, Bosnia and Herzegovina, followed by another in Belgrade, Serbia. But this year, Degordian has decided to push its boundaries even further – they have just opened their fourth office in none other than New York!

Degordian has been building its international position for some time, and in the last year alone, their international income has grown by 180 per cent. Considering that one of their most important markets is the American one, this move proved to be a logical one.

When we started in 2009, it was the worst recession. Companies were giving layoffs, there was huge negativity and depression. We were born just then and defied it. We hired, won the Best Employer awards and expanded internationally. Since then, we have always tried to push our boundaries and be an inspiration to others. The opening of an office in New York is an example of this. This is a big step for us, a brave step, but definitely a new page of our book that will open up much more for us.

Daniel Ackermann, CEO 

The New York office will be headed by Swany Velázquez, and Degordian says that the idea behind this step is to create a zero point, i.e. a starting point for the American market. 

Their New York business development team will focus on developing partnerships, sales networks, networking and most importantly – developing a network of clients.

Their plan is to build a client base in the United States and to produce all solutions in the Adriatic region. They point out that their desire here is to provide a top team of experts who are confident that they can build and implement the highest quality and most complex global projects.

How did they decide to take this step?

When it comes to digital, the US market is by far the most advanced. The biggest companies and most complex projects are right there. In addition, New York itself is the centre of the digital world and Degordian wants to be a part of it. 

Digital, digitisation and transformation are currently hot topics in the world, but they emphasise that there is still a great lack of knowledge, people and agencies. This is a problem in Croatia and in the region, but it is certainly much more felt in the USA, so this is where they see a great opportunity for Degordian.

They have already recognised their place in the US market because, despite New York being the most advanced market in the world with huge needs, there are only a dozen large and serious agencies, which is not enough to meet the requirements. 

Degordian points out that most of the agencies that operate there are generally smaller, have too few people, a very narrow range of services, and often have insufficient experience. Also, they all share the same problem because it is extremely difficult for them to keep people.

Degordian, on the other hand, sees its opportunity in being completely different. They have 120 employees, and 250 with sister companies. They have won the ‘Best Employer’ award six times, and they point out that they have better access to talent, an extremely qualified and capable team, but also a stronger set of services. All this allows them to deliver the best quality solutions.

The head of the New York office Swany Velázquez sees enormous potential in Degordian:

I’ve been following Degordian for several years. I’ve always been fascinated by Degordian’s culture, talent, team and quality. As much as I’ve been in the US market for years, I don’t know when I last saw something like that. I think Degordian has huge potential at the world level. I am very much looking forward to new beginnings. What has been done in Croatia, we want to repeat in NYC.

Swany Velázquez, Executive Director North America

We strongly believe in Croatia, as well as in our entire region. We have three very strong hubs and a great team, so we want to utilise that for further development. Our goal is to empower ourselves even more, grow our teams and bring in the best talent in the market, and then in collaboration with business development teams in New York, secure better and bigger international projects.

Daniel Ackermann, CEO 

Hiring in New York is very difficult. As much as we are recognisable locally and the whole industry knows about us, in New York, we are not in such a position. It’s difficult to find the right person, as well as explain what Degordian is. We’ll keep the NY team small, agile and strong. Our goal is to focus more on market development there, and at the same time to develop and produce everything else in our region.

Daniel Ackermann, CEO