Zoran Cekic had significant Higher Educational Institutions – HEI leadership & management experience, as the University Rector, member of Danube Rectors Conference – DRC (70 EU Universities, 1.1 million students), University Senate Member and Dean of Faculty of Real Estate, Dean of Faculty of Architecture and Civil Engineering, and Dean of Faculty of Construction Management.

He is a former State Secretary at Ministry for National Investment Plan, Government of the Republic of Serbia, and manager for national infrastructure programs co-funded by European Investment Bank – EIB EBRD and World Bank.

Zoran is a professor of project management, quantity surveying and smart cities and infrastructure. He is a visiting professor at Institute of Architecture and Construction, South Ural State University, Chelyabinsk, Russia, Faculty of Technical Science, Institute of Civil Engineering and Geodesy, University of Novi Sad and Faculty of Architecture, University of Montenegro.

Professor Cekic is professional member of The Chartered Institute of Building (MCIOB), The Association of Project Management (MAPM, London Branch) and The Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (MRICS and assessor for SEE) with professional background in Quantity Surveying and Project Management (BSc, MSc and PhD from Faculty of Civil Engineering, University of Belgrade).

As an Advisor for RE/MAX (USA) and Simplex Project Management (UK), he has substantial experience in successful development, management and operation of infrastructure and real estate projects. Extensive academic and industry experience allowed him to give expert advises in development of industry-science centers for research, innovation and education (launch pads for innovative engineering research spin-off businesses).

Zoran, as the CEO of SMC – Smart Monitoring and Construction consultancy, is trying to figure out how to translate digitally enhanced smart systems, as a part of 4.0 revolution, into new and useful technology, which could change how infrastructure and real estate will be delivered, managed and automatically controlled, for the benefit of all stakeholders, more efficiently and with better whole-life value.