Ivica Lukanović

Mr. Lukanović was born on January 19th, 1969 in Rijeka. He completed elementary school in Kastav, and attended both the Secondary School of Civil Engineering and the Faculty of Civil Engineering in Rijeka, earning the title of a graduate civil engineer. Guided by a family tradition of centuries-old artisanal heritage in masonry and carpentry, in 1992 he founded a company that is now a regional manufacturer of PVC, wooden, and aluminium joinery. In 2019, he expanded his business into hospitality and tourism, and today his companies employ more than one hundred workers.

He has been a long-time member of the working bodies of the Croatian Chamber of Economy and the Croatian Employers’ Association, and for more than a decade, he served as president of the Rijeka branch of the Employers’ Association. He has received numerous commendations and awards for his business achievements and the economic contributions of his companies.

In addition to entrepreneurship, he is very active in social and political life. In the City of Kastav, he participated in the work of the Executive Council for Culture from 1993 to 2001, was a member of the City Council from 2001 to 2009, and from 2009 to 2017 he served as Mayor of Kastav. He was president of the Administrative Council of the County Health Centre from 2017 to 2022. He became president of the County Organization of the Social Democratic Party (SDP) of Primorje-Gorski Kotar County in 2021.

In the 2024 parliamentary elections, he was elected representative for the 7th electoral district in the Croatian Parliament. He considers his experience in the Parliament valuable because of the direct insight it provides into how the upper echelons of Croatian politics function. Nevertheless, he sees himself more at the local and regional level, where he believes his knowledge and skills can contribute to the quality of life of his fellow citizens.

The focus of his political activity is the development of the county, the improvement of the quality of life of its residents, and the strengthening of theregion’s economic and social potential, to which he wishes to devote his full attention.

He is a sports enthusiast and a supporter of Rijeka football club. In his youth, he played football, basketball, and volleyball. He is vice-president of the Zamet Handball Club, a role he took on during a time when the club was facing major challenges, in order to support its management.He is one of the founders and a long-time operational manager of the Kastav Summer of Culture, a festival that has continuously promoted culture and attracted thousands of visitors to Kastav since 1993. He also participated in launching small local museums in Kastav and revitalizing local wine varieties. He was the longtime secretary of the Cultural and Artistic Society “Istarska vila” from Kastav, he participated in projects such as the Kastav Amateur Theatre, Kastav Guitar Festival, and served as director of the Vincent Gallery from 1992 to 2000.

He would describe himself as a workaholic who balances work with caring for his family. He is married and a proud father of two children.