Rikard Bakan

Rikard Bakan was born on August 25, 1968, in Virovitica. He graduated from the Faculty of Hotel Management in Opatija, earning a degree in tourism and hospitality economics. He began his career as a teacher at the Vocational School in Virovitica, later working in the Municipality of Pitomača, where he helped establish the local Tourist Board and served as its first president. From 2003 to 2011, he was principal of the secondary school in Pitomača. Since 2012, he has been employed at the College of Management in Tourism and Informatics, where he also served as head of department. He was appointed senior lecturer in 2015 and professor of professional studies in 2025. He earned his PhD in 2024 at the Faculty of Economics in Osijek. He currently serves as Vice Dean for Development at the Polytechnic in Virovitica and is the author of numerous academic papers and projects.