Meet young professionals in European Standardization: Monika Mlakić, from Croatia

On the European Year of Skills, which continues in 2024, we are conducting a special interview campaign: through a series of interviews with young standardization professionals and experts, we explore the interaction between innovation, skills and standardization in some of the most relevant sectors for Europe’s long-term competitiveness.

For the fourth episode in this year’s series of interviews, we get to know Monika Mlakić, a young expert in the construction sector from Croatia who is also a member of the technical committee HZN/TO 551 ‘Construction’. With Monika we discussed the importance to invest on the link between standardization and research, the importance of standardization to foster the digitalization of the construction industry, and how young experts cope with increasingly demanding topics and major changes in their sectors.

1. Please, present yourself.

My name is Monika Mlakić. I am currently employed as Operations Manager at Digital Construction Technologies Group Hrvatska.

In addition to heading the development of Croatian office, as Information Manager I am responsible for information management and BIM (Building information Management) coordination, and problem-solving on various European projects such as data centres, health institutions, and residential and business premises.

In addition to everyday work, I am the Regional Lead for Croatia in Women in BIM and President of the Centre for Digital Built Croatia, which I am extremely proud of.

2. To what extent are you involved in standardization? How much do you know about standardization? 

As a representative of Centre for Digital Built Croatia in the Croatian Standards Institute’s (HZN) technical committee HZN/TO 551, I am directly involved in standardization in the field of construction and Building Information Modelling (BIM). As the construction projects I am working on require implementation of and reference to standards adopted in Croatia as well, I have mastered in practice the application of standards and realized the importance of standardization in construction.

3. Do you think standardization can play a role in addressing big challenges, such as the digital transition and climate change? 

Standardization plays a key role in times of digital transition and digital transformation. The construction industry is one of the least digitalized industries and, due to its fragmentation, it faces standardization gaps.

For any process to be digitalized, the first thing we need to look at is definitely standardization. This is where we can find answers about the structure and format of the information we share, the participants involved in the process, and the protocols for cooperation.

4. Why should there be more young people in standardization? And what should be done to encourage their participation? 

Given the importance of knowledge and understanding of standardization for the future development of the construction industry and its digital transformation, it is key for younger generations to be involved in standardization, as they can bring new insights and more advanced working methods. It is through such activities, adequate promotion, and practical examples that it is possible to encourage young people to inject new values into the industry through standardization.

This article is part of our special series dedicated to the European Year of Skills: through a series of articles and interviews with standardization professionals, experts and business leaders coming from a variety of backgrounds, we will explore the interaction between innovation, skills and standardization in some of the most relevant sectors for Europe’s long-term competitiveness. You can read the other articles related to the campaign here

*A version of this interview was first published in Croatian on HZN's website. It was translated in English and edited for publication by Mirjana Fijolić, Tatjana Majić, and Ivana Canosa.