Victoria Group has received the “My Choice” recognition for social responsibility, traditionally presented by the My Serbia association and the Chamber of Commerce of Belgrade. The recognition in the category of “Support for humanitarian projects” comes as a result of the cooperation established with as many as 130 organisations over the last year, through which the company supported a large number of activities aimed at assisting vulnerable population groups, supporting agricultural development and rural communities, and protecting the environment.

Victoria Group together with Sojaprotein, a member company of the Group, is pleased to inform the public about the change in Sojaprotein senior management.

As of 1 May 2013 Mr. James P. King will be appointed as the General Manager of Sojaprotein, while Mrs. Branislava Pavlović, who has been leading the company successfully for the last eight years, will join the senior management team of the Victoria Group as a Director of Legal Affairs.

Victoria Group was awarded Corporate Superbrands Award 2012-2013, in the election of the best corporate brands in Serbia. The companies awarded with Superbrands status were elected based on public opinion research and votes of the Expert Council comprised of distinguished members of the Serbian business community.

The laureates received recognition for the company reputation, original values, reliability and consistency of the brand, and socially responsible activities.

Victoriaoil and the CEO of Sojaprotein Branislava Pavlović are the laureates of the Vojvodina Chamber of Commerce award for significant economic achievements in Vojvodina in 2012. The award that was presented this year to Victoriaoil, a member of the Victoria Group, and Branislava Pavlović, the CEO of Sojaprotein, also a member company in the Victoria Group, is traditionally presented for economic achievements to companies and individuals that have accomplished noteworthy business results.

As a long standing partner of the International Forum on Renewable Energy, the Embassy of Italy organised a meeting between Victoria Group representatives and the official delegation of the Italian Business Association of Industrials – Confindustria Italia. The Delegation included CEOs of more than 60 renowned companies, some of which were very interested in establishing cooperation in the areas of the renewable energy and electric power industry.

As a partner in the project, the Victoria Group supported the organisation of the second seminar of students of Belgrade University’s Faculty of Agriculture, entitled the Perspectives and Development of Serbian Agriculture in the Coming Decade, which took place on Zlatibor Mountain from 10 to 14 April 2013. The seminar gathered around 400 student representatives with the aim of providing guidance to young experts, encouraging cooperation between agricultural faculties and colleges, and promoting agriculture as one of the most profitable industries.

On 4 April 2013 Victoria Logistic, a member of Victoria Group, signed a contract on scholarships for three students of University of Priština in Kosovska Mitrovica. The company’s act was a response to the appeal from the Office for Kosovo and Metohija in the Government of the Republic of Serbia. The Office organized a public contest through which 89 students were chosen as the best and were granted financial aid for the ongoing school year.

After three-months long adaptations, the Department for Abdominal Surgery at University Children’s Hospital in Tirsova Street has been renovated with the support of several donators. Victoria Group provided full support for this project, whose final goal was to make the post-operative period as comfortable as possible for the youngest patients. Ministry of Health of Republic of Serbia conducted reparation of infrastructure and interior while the necessary furniture and air-conditioning systems were provided by the socially responsible companies that participated in this project.

Victoria Group has been awarded twice in the same day - for product quality and contribution to agriculture. Iskon cooking oil won the prestigious statuette for the best brand in the category of everyday consumer goods - food, in the competition Best of Serbia, which is traditionally handed out by the Ministry of Foreign and Internal Trade and Telecommunications, the Serbian Chamber of Commerce and the economic daily Privredni Pregled.

IFC, a member of the World Bank Group, and Victoria Group signed a US$75 million loan agreement today, for developing the Serbian agriculture sector - essential for stimulating employment, economic growth and exports.

Victoria Group, an agro-industrial leader in the region, will use the six-year credit to refinancie existing loans and strengthen its working capital base. The funds will be used by the Group's four core companies: Victoria Oil, Sojaprotein, Victoria Logistics and Fertil.