about us

Erik van Heeswijk - CEO and Co-founder

One of the founding fathers of smartocto, and our 'Big Boss'. He oversees operations from our office in The Netherlands. Erik secretly has a huge talent for playing chess, and that strategic insight probably comes in handy when he figures out his next move for the company.

Dejan Nikolic - CCO and Co-founder
Dejan is one of the founders of smartocto. He has been in publishing since the dark ages (we think quite literally). Dejan is well-known for his work in the satirical news world, his bushy beard, and his love for movies and everything that has chocolate in it. He collects vintage computers, just like every other normal human being.

Ilija Šuša - CDO and Co-founder

A father and a mathematician, currently lost in software development. Applies mathematics to parenting, and parenting strategies when working with the team.

Rutger Verhoeven - CMO and Co-founder

Rutger used to be on television when he worked in the media industry, and you can probably tell when you watch our webinars and interviews. He's our ultimate 'Gari', and the mastermind behind our marketing actions. He's also in a band, and likes to liven up our office afternoons with live singing and guitar playing and bringing his dog, Vos.

Dragutin Miletić - CTO and Co-founder

Passionate about solving real-life problems with just the right amount of technology. Daydreamer, beer advocate and World Pinball Champion-in-waiting.

Chris Dikker - CFO

With Chris as our Chief Financial Officer, we’ve added another great cook to the team. This is not only a strategic move regarding our food needs, but also to make our work-lives better. He’s an Excel-master and gained experience in every industry, so our finances are in good hands. Besides cooking, Chris likes to drink wine, do some kind of sports, or walk his enormous dog, which is a sport by itself.

Vos - Chief Happiness Officer

Vos is the ultimate ‘Gari-dog’ that sprinkles her ❤️ like confetti on all the Dutch colleagues. She’s the spirit of every smartoctonian. It’s true when they say an office dog brings more joy to work, Vos is the living proof of that. You can never go wrong adding a dog to the story!

Aleksandra Radivojević - Customer Success Manager

Alex is in charge of operations management. Moreover, she is managing a small army of success specialist (and some other things that are, allegedly, also important). So, one can only deduce that she just loves organising things. Being able to create a strategy out of anything and everything, she developed a passion for project management in working with small and local publishers. Alex is chatty, jolly, and loves unicorns. Nobody in the company has the heart to tell her that they don't exist.

Martijn de Bie - Senior Customer Success Specialist

As a Customer Success Specialist, Martijn helps our clients to use our systems in the best way possible. He also likes to hack those systems over the weekend to solve problems. Fortunately, his priorities on the weekend have shifted with the recent addition of two brand new smartocto babies.

Dimitrije Bolta - Customer Success Specialist

We couldn't believe it, but there is someone who loves pizza more than Ninja Turtles. And that's our very own Dimitrije Bolta - Customer Success Specialist. The similarities don't stop there: he is also great at ninjutsuing the issues of our clients. And even though he is not a teenager and doesn't have a name that came from Renaissance painters, he works faster that a turtle, and that's all we (and our clients) need.

Milena Tihojević - Customer Success Specialist

Milena is great at communicating with the newsrooms. She is also great at hoarding (mostly food). Additionally, Milena is our official office child. Instead of coffee, she drinks non-alcoholic kids' champagne and populates her table with fluffy pens and plushies. We tried paying her in dolls and candy but unfortunately she is not that childish.

Goran S. Milovanovic - Chief Artificial Intelligence Officer

When he's not lurking from the shadows and playing Counter-Strike (he said he'd quit, but we'll see), Goran enjoys movies. And cooking! We didn't try any of his specialties yet, but if they're any good as his passion for data science... Well, let's just say we'll need to hit the gym more often.

Marina Pantelić - Senior Data Analyst

Marina is part of our Labs Team. She's something of a statistics and numbers magician, but in spite of these things she somehow manages to be a lovely person. Maybe it's because of her stats and maths prowess that she's one hell of a darts player - at least, that's how we explain our losing streak.

Bojana Soro - Senior Data Analyst

When Bojana is not crunching the numbers, she is teaching them, usually to the youngsters. Also, her dancing skills are out of this world. She also likes traveling and riding a bicycle. Some say they've seen her do all these things simultaneously. That's what financial mathematics does to you.

Aleksa Šaršanski - Junior Data Analyst

The famous joke 'I can't hear you from way up here' literally applies to Aleksa because he is our almost-2-meters tall Junior Data Analyst. And you won't believe it, but he bounces other stuff besides numbers - tennis balls. He is as agile on the court as he is in the office. We just advised him to watch his head.

Ilija Lazarevic - Senior Data Scientist

This one seems to be obsessed with Greece (if he is to be judged based on his favourite holiday destination and LinkedIn profile), and yet he would like to learn French (there are similarities between these two, we can all agree). Somehow, we managed to snatch this one, although he is a super busy human being who does a lot of things besides being a data expert. He also cooks. So... That's really all we needed to know. But yeah, that data thing also helps, I guess.

Marko Jovanović - Senior Data Engineer

Marko is part of the team that's behind our complex system of data crunching mechanisms and is also a craft beer connoisseur. He is innovative and always in a quest for the latest technologies which can help us improve our world-changing app and/or create better beer. He also loves to hike and luckily his interest in (or consumption of) beer doesn't prevent him from taking amazing pictures from his adventures.

Momčilo Radotić - Coordinator and Senior Data Engineer

As a Senior Data Engineer, you'd think Momčilo only cares about data engineering, but he also likes long walks on the beach, sunsets and data. Did we mention he's into data?
He's also always there to lend a helping hand when needed and aid (oftentimes boring) colleagues who nudge him whenever they need something (you guessed it) data related.

Miloš Stanić - Senior Sales and Strategy Manager

Part journalist, part pike-hunter and part stew-making competitor, Miloš is also one of our key sales people, specializing in smartocto features and use cases. He happily represents the Sales team in every company sports activity - to the huge relief of the rest of his (much lazier) team members.

Kristina Tolić - Junior Sales Development Representative

They say sales is not about talking, but about listening. But why not have both?! Luckily, we managed to find Kristina Tolić. As a Sales Development Representative, she is our funnel to the outside world, revealing the wonders of smartocto to the newsrooms. Tina also plays volleyball, so we just know that she is going to dunk those deals left and right.

Todor Papić - Senior Sales Specialist

Do you know what Todor and Howard Roark (his hero) have in common?
Two things for sure - smoking and high self-esteem. We think there will be some more similarities, but it's something we chose to figure out later on (fingers crossed it's the dedication to the job). He says he's funny, but that's also something we didn't really see in action. Maybe that's reserved only for his sales endeavours (hopefully not).

Sara Popović - Sales Development Representative

Sara is our newest curious Sales Development Representative, but she is also a representative of an abundance of interesting things. For example, not only does she like all kinds of sports, but she also likes gaming and comic books (best of both worlds we say). And this is the exact type of variety we look for in our colleagues. We also like her because she is nice and talkative (that’s good for business as well; we kind of need her for that too).

Mirko Maksimović - Sales Specialist

Like any typical member of the sales team, confidence is strong with this one too. Perhaps that’s because he likes mountain biking and climbing - sports synonyms for reliance (on thyself, of course). As luck would have it, Mirko is also reliant on pizza (we have a lot of pizza lovers amidst our bunch). Since he’s paying attention to his diet, in his free time, he enjoys printing 3D pizza models - at least then he can enjoy it guilt-free (unlike his job).

Peter Ruijter - Senior Software Engineer

The man, the myth, the legend - that's what it says on Peter's coffee mug. Probably rightly so, since he single-handedly built the very first version of smartocto real-time. Apparently he used to be a professional chef once, but we'll believe that when we taste it.

Ivan Radonjić - Coordinator and Senior Client Web Developer

Ivan is the guy who always gets the hardest job. It's his own fault because he is such a great coder. When he feels bored, he makes applications to solve his everyday problems. He loves fishing on the Danube, but refuses to make an app that would fish for him. Because he would probably succeed.

Rade Poznić - Technical Support Specialist and Coordinator

Who needs implementation instructions? You? And you? Rade's got you covered. He is also there to help out when someone is in a dire need of solving their tech-related problems. This skill comes in quite handy when he gets home and solves problems that his teenage sons put in front of him. But we're not sure if he gets paid for that as well.

Vukašin Lalošević - Web Developer

What do sailors and developers have in common? Vukašin wanted to become both. Well, he did get his wish come true - he now roams in the programming sea of smartocto. When he's not busy doing all that mambo jumbo, he likes to go for a real swim. And play video games. What else can you expect from a developer. Sheesh!

Marko Šović - Web Developer

With the philosophical background (just when you thought things couldn't get more complicated). He has this dual nature - he could talk for hours but then falls silent when there is a chess match here in the office. Nevertheless, we like him and kind of hope he won't become an astronaut (even for a day) because that means he would leave us to go to Mars, and we don't have headquarters there yet.

Bojan Morvai - Technical Support Specialist

On summer of 2023, we were actually looking forward to coming back to work because we had a new colleague joining us - Bojan Morvai, our newest addition to the Support Team. He is our Technical Support Specialist. Maybe we wouldn't be so excited if he wasn't so keen on bringing us presents and his musical talent (he is playing double bass). And a bass guitar. So, now we are waiting to see how our dear clients will respond when the technical instructions are played.

Darko Đorđević - QA Engineer & DPO

Darko is a lawyer disguised as a QA engineer. He's also our Data Protection Officer and in-house GDPR expert. Does he have the power to predict the future? We can't say, but he was talking about GDPR before it became a thing...

Bogdan Topalović - Technical Support Specialist

Every company needs to have that one guy who loves the cool, nerdy stuff, so here's ours. Bogdan ticks all the essential boxes: likes silence, collects cards, figures, books and comics, and enjoys metal. He also ticks other boxes, like bringing his colleagues candy and solving the tech issues our dear clients have, but... The first one is what really counts. He learned that pretty early.

Dragomir Radovanović - Coordinator & Senior System Engineer

As a system engineer, Dragomir is only able to talk in zeros and ones, bleeps and whirs. Subsequently, we are only able to communicate with him through Google Translate, which means nobody really knows what he’s saying. His hero is C3PO – or, as Dragomir says, "the original, better dressed Google Translate."

Dejan Vrhovac - Junior System Engineer

Dejan likes to play guitar and spend sleepless nights monitoring our beloved system (and equipment). He calls it his second bride (the system) - he never leaves her side. Except when his real wife calls him. Or when there is a really, really good concert in town. Coincidentally, our system goes berserk only at those times.

Katarina Vučić - Finance Specialist

Katarina is our Finance Specialist. Her job is to ensure that things run smoothly when it comes to bacon (bankrolls, beans, bucks; so, we mean - money). She is very systematic, fearless and efficient. Katarina is also company's CMO (Chief Medical Officer), since she always has painkillers and Band-Aids with her.

Kristina Sretenovic - Senior People Operations Specialist

Kristina is our People Operations Specialist. She's full of positive energy and good vibes. Like a proper HR should be. In her free time she is colouring mandalas, watching movies and taking care of her plants. Interestingly, you'll notice a lot of her hobbies exclude people and we just can't blame her for that. She has her hands full with us from 9 to 5.

Em Kuntze - Content Editor

Our Content Editor hails from Norfolk in the UK. When she’s not scribbling about editorial analytics she can usually be found camping, reading or explaining where Norfolk is - sometimes simultaneously. Tends to start every other sentence with: "I read this really great article…"

Willem-Joop Lagarde - Designer and Video Editor

If you appreciate any of our graphics and videos, it's probably Willem-Joop's handiwork. He gracefully turns whatever we hand him into the most beautiful designs, whether it's a shitty graph, awkward video or big pile of data.

Stefan ten Teije - Senior Content Editor

Stefan is one of those people who turned their hobby into their work. You can tell he is very passionate about being a writer, but he is just as passionate about salsa dancing, singing and the environment. He built his own sustainable house and that just amazes us. It might also be a strategic move to distract the Dutch colleagues from the fact that Stefan is a fan of Lewis Hamilton. Let’s not talk about it.

Zahra Asyifa Salsabila - Content Creator

How does an Indonesian girl end up in Nijmegen, you may wonder? Well, we won’t question it, we are just very happy to have Zahra with us as a Content Creator. She brings impressive design and editing skills to the company, and hopefully also some of her Asian-inspired cooking skills.

Marina Milic - Online Marketer

Marina, our awesome online marketer, is a total plant mom who loves hiking, cooking up a storm, and busting out dance moves. Although she’s not into karaoke (sorry, folks!), she's a blend of passion, curiosity, and humor makes her an absolute gem in our team.

Erik van Heeswijk - CEO and Co-founder

One of the founding fathers of smartocto, and our 'Big Boss'. He oversees operations from our office in The Netherlands. Erik secretly has a huge talent for playing chess, and that strategic insight probably comes in handy when he figures out his next move for the company.

Dejan Nikolic - CCO and Co-founder
Dejan is one of the founders of smartocto. He has been in publishing since the dark ages (we think quite literally). Dejan is well-known for his work in the satirical news world, his bushy beard, and his love for movies and everything that has chocolate in it. He collects vintage computers, just like every other normal human being.

Ilija Šuša - CDO and Co-founder

A father and a mathematician, currently lost in software development. Applies mathematics to parenting, and parenting strategies when working with the team.

Rutger Verhoeven - CMO and Co-founder

Rutger used to be on television when he worked in the media industry, and you can probably tell when you watch our webinars and interviews. He's our ultimate 'Gari', and the mastermind behind our marketing actions. He's also in a band, and likes to liven up our office afternoons with live singing and guitar playing and bringing his dog, Vos.

Dragutin Miletić - CTO and Co-founder

Passionate about solving real-life problems with just the right amount of technology. Daydreamer, beer advocate and World Pinball Champion-in-waiting.

Chris Dikker - CFO

With Chris as our Chief Financial Officer, we’ve added another great cook to the team. This is not only a strategic move regarding our food needs, but also to make our work-lives better. He’s an Excel-master and gained experience in every industry, so our finances are in good hands. Besides cooking, Chris likes to drink wine, do some kind of sports, or walk his enormous dog, which is a sport by itself.

Vos - Chief Happiness Officer

Vos is the ultimate ‘Gari-dog’ that sprinkles her ❤️ like confetti on all the Dutch colleagues. She’s the spirit of every smartoctonian. It’s true when they say an office dog brings more joy to work, Vos is the living proof of that. You can never go wrong adding a dog to the story!

Aleksandra Radivojević - Customer Success Manager

Alex is in charge of operations management. Moreover, she is managing a small army of success specialist (and some other things that are, allegedly, also important). So, one can only deduce that she just loves organising things. Being able to create a strategy out of anything and everything, she developed a passion for project management in working with small and local publishers. Alex is chatty, jolly, and loves unicorns. Nobody in the company has the heart to tell her that they don't exist.

Martijn de Bie - Senior Customer Success Specialist

As a Customer Success Specialist, Martijn helps our clients to use our systems in the best way possible. He also likes to hack those systems over the weekend to solve problems. Fortunately, his priorities on the weekend have shifted with the recent addition of two brand new smartocto babies.

Dimitrije Bolta - Customer Success Specialist

We couldn't believe it, but there is someone who loves pizza more than Ninja Turtles. And that's our very own Dimitrije Bolta - Customer Success Specialist. The similarities don't stop there: he is also great at ninjutsuing the issues of our clients. And even though he is not a teenager and doesn't have a name that came from Renaissance painters, he works faster that a turtle, and that's all we (and our clients) need.

Milena Tihojević - Customer Success Specialist

Milena is great at communicating with the newsrooms. She is also great at hoarding (mostly food). Additionally, Milena is our official office child. Instead of coffee, she drinks non-alcoholic kids' champagne and populates her table with fluffy pens and plushies. We tried paying her in dolls and candy but unfortunately she is not that childish.

Goran S. Milovanovic - Chief Artificial Intelligence Officer

When he's not lurking from the shadows and playing Counter-Strike (he said he'd quit, but we'll see), Goran enjoys movies. And cooking! We didn't try any of his specialties yet, but if they're any good as his passion for data science... Well, let's just say we'll need to hit the gym more often.

Marina Pantelić - Senior Data Analyst

Marina is part of our Labs Team. She's something of a statistics and numbers magician, but in spite of these things she somehow manages to be a lovely person. Maybe it's because of her stats and maths prowess that she's one hell of a darts player - at least, that's how we explain our losing streak.

Bojana Soro - Senior Data Analyst

When Bojana is not crunching the numbers, she is teaching them, usually to the youngsters. Also, her dancing skills are out of this world. She also likes traveling and riding a bicycle. Some say they've seen her do all these things simultaneously. That's what financial mathematics does to you.

Aleksa Šaršanski - Junior Data Analyst

The famous joke 'I can't hear you from way up here' literally applies to Aleksa because he is our almost-2-meters tall Junior Data Analyst. And you won't believe it, but he bounces other stuff besides numbers - tennis balls. He is as agile on the court as he is in the office. We just advised him to watch his head.

Ilija Lazarevic - Senior Data Scientist

This one seems to be obsessed with Greece (if he is to be judged based on his favourite holiday destination and LinkedIn profile), and yet he would like to learn French (there are similarities between these two, we can all agree). Somehow, we managed to snatch this one, although he is a super busy human being who does a lot of things besides being a data expert. He also cooks. So... That's really all we needed to know. But yeah, that data thing also helps, I guess.

Marko Jovanović - Senior Data Engineer

Marko is part of the team that's behind our complex system of data crunching mechanisms and is also a craft beer connoisseur. He is innovative and always in a quest for the latest technologies which can help us improve our world-changing app and/or create better beer. He also loves to hike and luckily his interest in (or consumption of) beer doesn't prevent him from taking amazing pictures from his adventures.

Momčilo Radotić - Coordinator and Senior Data Engineer

As a Senior Data Engineer, you'd think Momčilo only cares about data engineering, but he also likes long walks on the beach, sunsets and data. Did we mention he's into data?
He's also always there to lend a helping hand when needed and aid (oftentimes boring) colleagues who nudge him whenever they need something (you guessed it) data related.

Miloš Stanić - Senior Sales and Strategy Manager

Part journalist, part pike-hunter and part stew-making competitor, Miloš is also one of our key sales people, specializing in smartocto features and use cases. He happily represents the Sales team in every company sports activity - to the huge relief of the rest of his (much lazier) team members.

Kristina Tolić - Junior Sales Development Representative

They say sales is not about talking, but about listening. But why not have both?! Luckily, we managed to find Kristina Tolić. As a Sales Development Representative, she is our funnel to the outside world, revealing the wonders of smartocto to the newsrooms. Tina also plays volleyball, so we just know that she is going to dunk those deals left and right.

Todor Papić - Senior Sales Specialist

Do you know what Todor and Howard Roark (his hero) have in common?
Two things for sure - smoking and high self-esteem. We think there will be some more similarities, but it's something we chose to figure out later on (fingers crossed it's the dedication to the job). He says he's funny, but that's also something we didn't really see in action. Maybe that's reserved only for his sales endeavours (hopefully not).

Sara Popović - Sales Development Representative

Sara is our newest curious Sales Development Representative, but she is also a representative of an abundance of interesting things. For example, not only does she like all kinds of sports, but she also likes gaming and comic books (best of both worlds we say). And this is the exact type of variety we look for in our colleagues. We also like her because she is nice and talkative (that’s good for business as well; we kind of need her for that too).

Mirko Maksimović - Sales Specialist

Like any typical member of the sales team, confidence is strong with this one too. Perhaps that’s because he likes mountain biking and climbing - sports synonyms for reliance (on thyself, of course). As luck would have it, Mirko is also reliant on pizza (we have a lot of pizza lovers amidst our bunch). Since he’s paying attention to his diet, in his free time, he enjoys printing 3D pizza models - at least then he can enjoy it guilt-free (unlike his job).

Peter Ruijter - Senior Software Engineer

The man, the myth, the legend - that's what it says on Peter's coffee mug. Probably rightly so, since he single-handedly built the very first version of smartocto real-time. Apparently he used to be a professional chef once, but we'll believe that when we taste it.

Ivan Radonjić - Coordinator and Senior Client Web Developer

Ivan is the guy who always gets the hardest job. It's his own fault because he is such a great coder. When he feels bored, he makes applications to solve his everyday problems. He loves fishing on the Danube, but refuses to make an app that would fish for him. Because he would probably succeed.

Rade Poznić - Technical Support Specialist and Coordinator

Who needs implementation instructions? You? And you? Rade's got you covered. He is also there to help out when someone is in a dire need of solving their tech-related problems. This skill comes in quite handy when he gets home and solves problems that his teenage sons put in front of him. But we're not sure if he gets paid for that as well.

Vukašin Lalošević - Web Developer

What do sailors and developers have in common? Vukašin wanted to become both. Well, he did get his wish come true - he now roams in the programming sea of smartocto. When he's not busy doing all that mambo jumbo, he likes to go for a real swim. And play video games. What else can you expect from a developer. Sheesh!

Marko Šović - Web Developer

With the philosophical background (just when you thought things couldn't get more complicated). He has this dual nature - he could talk for hours but then falls silent when there is a chess match here in the office. Nevertheless, we like him and kind of hope he won't become an astronaut (even for a day) because that means he would leave us to go to Mars, and we don't have headquarters there yet.

Bojan Morvai - Technical Support Specialist

On summer of 2023, we were actually looking forward to coming back to work because we had a new colleague joining us - Bojan Morvai, our newest addition to the Support Team. He is our Technical Support Specialist. Maybe we wouldn't be so excited if he wasn't so keen on bringing us presents and his musical talent (he is playing double bass). And a bass guitar. So, now we are waiting to see how our dear clients will respond when the technical instructions are played.

Darko Đorđević - QA Engineer & DPO

Darko is a lawyer disguised as a QA engineer. He's also our Data Protection Officer and in-house GDPR expert. Does he have the power to predict the future? We can't say, but he was talking about GDPR before it became a thing...

Bogdan Topalović - Technical Support Specialist

Every company needs to have that one guy who loves the cool, nerdy stuff, so here's ours. Bogdan ticks all the essential boxes: likes silence, collects cards, figures, books and comics, and enjoys metal. He also ticks other boxes, like bringing his colleagues candy and solving the tech issues our dear clients have, but... The first one is what really counts. He learned that pretty early.

Dragomir Radovanović - Coordinator & Senior System Engineer

As a system engineer, Dragomir is only able to talk in zeros and ones, bleeps and whirs. Subsequently, we are only able to communicate with him through Google Translate, which means nobody really knows what he’s saying. His hero is C3PO – or, as Dragomir says, "the original, better dressed Google Translate."

Dejan Vrhovac - Junior System Engineer

Dejan likes to play guitar and spend sleepless nights monitoring our beloved system (and equipment). He calls it his second bride (the system) - he never leaves her side. Except when his real wife calls him. Or when there is a really, really good concert in town. Coincidentally, our system goes berserk only at those times.

Katarina Vučić - Finance Specialist

Katarina is our Finance Specialist. Her job is to ensure that things run smoothly when it comes to bacon (bankrolls, beans, bucks; so, we mean - money). She is very systematic, fearless and efficient. Katarina is also company's CMO (Chief Medical Officer), since she always has painkillers and Band-Aids with her.

Kristina Sretenovic - Senior People Operations Specialist

Kristina is our People Operations Specialist. She's full of positive energy and good vibes. Like a proper HR should be. In her free time she is colouring mandalas, watching movies and taking care of her plants. Interestingly, you'll notice a lot of her hobbies exclude people and we just can't blame her for that. She has her hands full with us from 9 to 5.

Em Kuntze - Content Editor

Our Content Editor hails from Norfolk in the UK. When she’s not scribbling about editorial analytics she can usually be found camping, reading or explaining where Norfolk is - sometimes simultaneously. Tends to start every other sentence with: "I read this really great article…"

Willem-Joop Lagarde - Designer and Video Editor

If you appreciate any of our graphics and videos, it's probably Willem-Joop's handiwork. He gracefully turns whatever we hand him into the most beautiful designs, whether it's a shitty graph, awkward video or big pile of data.

Stefan ten Teije - Senior Content Editor

Stefan is one of those people who turned their hobby into their work. You can tell he is very passionate about being a writer, but he is just as passionate about salsa dancing, singing and the environment. He built his own sustainable house and that just amazes us. It might also be a strategic move to distract the Dutch colleagues from the fact that Stefan is a fan of Lewis Hamilton. Let’s not talk about it.

Zahra Asyifa Salsabila - Content Creator

How does an Indonesian girl end up in Nijmegen, you may wonder? Well, we won’t question it, we are just very happy to have Zahra with us as a Content Creator. She brings impressive design and editing skills to the company, and hopefully also some of her Asian-inspired cooking skills.

Marina Milic - Online Marketer

Marina, our awesome online marketer, is a total plant mom who loves hiking, cooking up a storm, and busting out dance moves. Although she’s not into karaoke (sorry, folks!), she's a blend of passion, curiosity, and humor makes her an absolute gem in our team.

Erik van Heeswijk - CEO and Co-founder

One of the founding fathers of smartocto, and our 'Big Boss'. He oversees operations from our office in The Netherlands. Erik secretly has a huge talent for playing chess, and that strategic insight probably comes in handy when he figures out his next move for the company.

Dejan Nikolic - CCO and Co-founder
Dejan is one of the founders of smartocto. He has been in publishing since the dark ages (we think quite literally). Dejan is well-known for his work in the satirical news world, his bushy beard, and his love for movies and everything that has chocolate in it. He collects vintage computers, just like every other normal human being.

Ilija Šuša - CDO and Co-founder

A father and a mathematician, currently lost in software development. Applies mathematics to parenting, and parenting strategies when working with the team.

Rutger Verhoeven - CMO and Co-founder

Rutger used to be on television when he worked in the media industry, and you can probably tell when you watch our webinars and interviews. He's our ultimate 'Gari', and the mastermind behind our marketing actions. He's also in a band, and likes to liven up our office afternoons with live singing and guitar playing and bringing his dog, Vos.

Dragutin Miletić - CTO and Co-founder

Passionate about solving real-life problems with just the right amount of technology. Daydreamer, beer advocate and World Pinball Champion-in-waiting.

Chris Dikker - CFO

With Chris as our Chief Financial Officer, we’ve added another great cook to the team. This is not only a strategic move regarding our food needs, but also to make our work-lives better. He’s an Excel-master and gained experience in every industry, so our finances are in good hands. Besides cooking, Chris likes to drink wine, do some kind of sports, or walk his enormous dog, which is a sport by itself.

Vos - Chief Happiness Officer

Vos is the ultimate ‘Gari-dog’ that sprinkles her ❤️ like confetti on all the Dutch colleagues. She’s the spirit of every smartoctonian. It’s true when they say an office dog brings more joy to work, Vos is the living proof of that. You can never go wrong adding a dog to the story!

Aleksandra Radivojević - Customer Success Manager

Alex is in charge of operations management. Moreover, she is managing a small army of success specialist (and some other things that are, allegedly, also important). So, one can only deduce that she just loves organising things. Being able to create a strategy out of anything and everything, she developed a passion for project management in working with small and local publishers. Alex is chatty, jolly, and loves unicorns. Nobody in the company has the heart to tell her that they don't exist.

Martijn de Bie - Senior Customer Success Specialist

As a Customer Success Specialist, Martijn helps our clients to use our systems in the best way possible. He also likes to hack those systems over the weekend to solve problems. Fortunately, his priorities on the weekend have shifted with the recent addition of two brand new smartocto babies.

Dimitrije Bolta - Customer Success Specialist

We couldn't believe it, but there is someone who loves pizza more than Ninja Turtles. And that's our very own Dimitrije Bolta - Customer Success Specialist. The similarities don't stop there: he is also great at ninjutsuing the issues of our clients. And even though he is not a teenager and doesn't have a name that came from Renaissance painters, he works faster that a turtle, and that's all we (and our clients) need.

Milena Tihojević - Customer Success Specialist

Milena is great at communicating with the newsrooms. She is also great at hoarding (mostly food). Additionally, Milena is our official office child. Instead of coffee, she drinks non-alcoholic kids' champagne and populates her table with fluffy pens and plushies. We tried paying her in dolls and candy but unfortunately she is not that childish.

Goran S. Milovanovic - Chief Artificial Intelligence Officer

When he's not lurking from the shadows and playing Counter-Strike (he said he'd quit, but we'll see), Goran enjoys movies. And cooking! We didn't try any of his specialties yet, but if they're any good as his passion for data science... Well, let's just say we'll need to hit the gym more often.

Marina Pantelić - Senior Data Analyst

Marina is part of our Labs Team. She's something of a statistics and numbers magician, but in spite of these things she somehow manages to be a lovely person. Maybe it's because of her stats and maths prowess that she's one hell of a darts player - at least, that's how we explain our losing streak.

Bojana Soro - Senior Data Analyst

When Bojana is not crunching the numbers, she is teaching them, usually to the youngsters. Also, her dancing skills are out of this world. She also likes traveling and riding a bicycle. Some say they've seen her do all these things simultaneously. That's what financial mathematics does to you.

Aleksa Šaršanski - Junior Data Analyst

The famous joke 'I can't hear you from way up here' literally applies to Aleksa because he is our almost-2-meters tall Junior Data Analyst. And you won't believe it, but he bounces other stuff besides numbers - tennis balls. He is as agile on the court as he is in the office. We just advised him to watch his head.

Ilija Lazarevic - Senior Data Scientist

This one seems to be obsessed with Greece (if he is to be judged based on his favourite holiday destination and LinkedIn profile), and yet he would like to learn French (there are similarities between these two, we can all agree). Somehow, we managed to snatch this one, although he is a super busy human being who does a lot of things besides being a data expert. He also cooks. So... That's really all we needed to know. But yeah, that data thing also helps, I guess.

Marko Jovanović - Senior Data Engineer

Marko is part of the team that's behind our complex system of data crunching mechanisms and is also a craft beer connoisseur. He is innovative and always in a quest for the latest technologies which can help us improve our world-changing app and/or create better beer. He also loves to hike and luckily his interest in (or consumption of) beer doesn't prevent him from taking amazing pictures from his adventures.

Momčilo Radotić - Coordinator and Senior Data Engineer

As a Senior Data Engineer, you'd think Momčilo only cares about data engineering, but he also likes long walks on the beach, sunsets and data. Did we mention he's into data?
He's also always there to lend a helping hand when needed and aid (oftentimes boring) colleagues who nudge him whenever they need something (you guessed it) data related.

Miloš Stanić - Senior Sales and Strategy Manager

Part journalist, part pike-hunter and part stew-making competitor, Miloš is also one of our key sales people, specializing in smartocto features and use cases. He happily represents the Sales team in every company sports activity - to the huge relief of the rest of his (much lazier) team members.

Kristina Tolić - Junior Sales Development Representative

They say sales is not about talking, but about listening. But why not have both?! Luckily, we managed to find Kristina Tolić. As a Sales Development Representative, she is our funnel to the outside world, revealing the wonders of smartocto to the newsrooms. Tina also plays volleyball, so we just know that she is going to dunk those deals left and right.

Todor Papić - Senior Sales Specialist

Do you know what Todor and Howard Roark (his hero) have in common?
Two things for sure - smoking and high self-esteem. We think there will be some more similarities, but it's something we chose to figure out later on (fingers crossed it's the dedication to the job). He says he's funny, but that's also something we didn't really see in action. Maybe that's reserved only for his sales endeavours (hopefully not).

Sara Popović - Sales Development Representative

Sara is our newest curious Sales Development Representative, but she is also a representative of an abundance of interesting things. For example, not only does she like all kinds of sports, but she also likes gaming and comic books (best of both worlds we say). And this is the exact type of variety we look for in our colleagues. We also like her because she is nice and talkative (that’s good for business as well; we kind of need her for that too).

Mirko Maksimović - Sales Specialist

Like any typical member of the sales team, confidence is strong with this one too. Perhaps that’s because he likes mountain biking and climbing - sports synonyms for reliance (on thyself, of course). As luck would have it, Mirko is also reliant on pizza (we have a lot of pizza lovers amidst our bunch). Since he’s paying attention to his diet, in his free time, he enjoys printing 3D pizza models - at least then he can enjoy it guilt-free (unlike his job).

Peter Ruijter - Senior Software Engineer

The man, the myth, the legend - that's what it says on Peter's coffee mug. Probably rightly so, since he single-handedly built the very first version of smartocto real-time. Apparently he used to be a professional chef once, but we'll believe that when we taste it.

Ivan Radonjić - Coordinator and Senior Client Web Developer

Ivan is the guy who always gets the hardest job. It's his own fault because he is such a great coder. When he feels bored, he makes applications to solve his everyday problems. He loves fishing on the Danube, but refuses to make an app that would fish for him. Because he would probably succeed.

Rade Poznić - Technical Support Specialist and Coordinator

Who needs implementation instructions? You? And you? Rade's got you covered. He is also there to help out when someone is in a dire need of solving their tech-related problems. This skill comes in quite handy when he gets home and solves problems that his teenage sons put in front of him. But we're not sure if he gets paid for that as well.

Vukašin Lalošević - Web Developer

What do sailors and developers have in common? Vukašin wanted to become both. Well, he did get his wish come true - he now roams in the programming sea of smartocto. When he's not busy doing all that mambo jumbo, he likes to go for a real swim. And play video games. What else can you expect from a developer. Sheesh!

Marko Šović - Web Developer

With the philosophical background (just when you thought things couldn't get more complicated). He has this dual nature - he could talk for hours but then falls silent when there is a chess match here in the office. Nevertheless, we like him and kind of hope he won't become an astronaut (even for a day) because that means he would leave us to go to Mars, and we don't have headquarters there yet.

Bojan Morvai - Technical Support Specialist

On summer of 2023, we were actually looking forward to coming back to work because we had a new colleague joining us - Bojan Morvai, our newest addition to the Support Team. He is our Technical Support Specialist. Maybe we wouldn't be so excited if he wasn't so keen on bringing us presents and his musical talent (he is playing double bass). And a bass guitar. So, now we are waiting to see how our dear clients will respond when the technical instructions are played.

Darko Đorđević - QA Engineer & DPO

Darko is a lawyer disguised as a QA engineer. He's also our Data Protection Officer and in-house GDPR expert. Does he have the power to predict the future? We can't say, but he was talking about GDPR before it became a thing...

Bogdan Topalović - Technical Support Specialist

Every company needs to have that one guy who loves the cool, nerdy stuff, so here's ours. Bogdan ticks all the essential boxes: likes silence, collects cards, figures, books and comics, and enjoys metal. He also ticks other boxes, like bringing his colleagues candy and solving the tech issues our dear clients have, but... The first one is what really counts. He learned that pretty early.

Dragomir Radovanović - Coordinator & Senior System Engineer

As a system engineer, Dragomir is only able to talk in zeros and ones, bleeps and whirs. Subsequently, we are only able to communicate with him through Google Translate, which means nobody really knows what he’s saying. His hero is C3PO – or, as Dragomir says, "the original, better dressed Google Translate."

Dejan Vrhovac - Junior System Engineer

Dejan likes to play guitar and spend sleepless nights monitoring our beloved system (and equipment). He calls it his second bride (the system) - he never leaves her side. Except when his real wife calls him. Or when there is a really, really good concert in town. Coincidentally, our system goes berserk only at those times.

Katarina Vučić - Finance Specialist

Katarina is our Finance Specialist. Her job is to ensure that things run smoothly when it comes to bacon (bankrolls, beans, bucks; so, we mean - money). She is very systematic, fearless and efficient. Katarina is also company's CMO (Chief Medical Officer), since she always has painkillers and Band-Aids with her.

Kristina Sretenovic - Senior People Operations Specialist

Kristina is our People Operations Specialist. She's full of positive energy and good vibes. Like a proper HR should be. In her free time she is colouring mandalas, watching movies and taking care of her plants. Interestingly, you'll notice a lot of her hobbies exclude people and we just can't blame her for that. She has her hands full with us from 9 to 5.

Em Kuntze - Content Editor

Our Content Editor hails from Norfolk in the UK. When she’s not scribbling about editorial analytics she can usually be found camping, reading or explaining where Norfolk is - sometimes simultaneously. Tends to start every other sentence with: "I read this really great article…"

Willem-Joop Lagarde - Designer and Video Editor

If you appreciate any of our graphics and videos, it's probably Willem-Joop's handiwork. He gracefully turns whatever we hand him into the most beautiful designs, whether it's a shitty graph, awkward video or big pile of data.

Stefan ten Teije - Senior Content Editor

Stefan is one of those people who turned their hobby into their work. You can tell he is very passionate about being a writer, but he is just as passionate about salsa dancing, singing and the environment. He built his own sustainable house and that just amazes us. It might also be a strategic move to distract the Dutch colleagues from the fact that Stefan is a fan of Lewis Hamilton. Let’s not talk about it.

Zahra Asyifa Salsabila - Content Creator

How does an Indonesian girl end up in Nijmegen, you may wonder? Well, we won’t question it, we are just very happy to have Zahra with us as a Content Creator. She brings impressive design and editing skills to the company, and hopefully also some of her Asian-inspired cooking skills.

Marina Milic - Online Marketer

Marina, our awesome online marketer, is a total plant mom who loves hiking, cooking up a storm, and busting out dance moves. Although she’s not into karaoke (sorry, folks!), she's a blend of passion, curiosity, and humor makes her an absolute gem in our team.