The change in leadership advances UNI&FORMA’s objectives of achieving long-term stability and enlarging upon the success of its UF PRO brand.
KOMENDA, SLOVENIA (20 October 2022) — UNI&FORMA d.o.o. announced today the appointment of Jože Kastelic as its new chief executive officer. Kastelic, an experienced business leader, assumed the post on 1 September 2022. He will gradually succeed Milena Wagner and Armin Wagner who are stepping down from their co-CEO roles on 31 December 2022.
Milena Wagner will retire after departing UNI&FORMA. She founded the company 25 years ago.
Armin Wagner, meanwhile, will continue in his capacity as UNI&FORMA’s Head of Product Development. He will also continue holding that same title within the company’s UF PRO brand.
Born in Novo mesto, Slovenia, Kastelic earned a Master’s degree from the University of Ljubljana in 2012 and brings to UNI&FORMA nearly 25 years of managerial experience. For his previous employer, Kastelic served as a Business Unit Managing Director and was responsible for leading a team of 185 employees. By implementing lean business approaches, new technologies and other efforts to achieve a better market position, Kastelic and his team doubled the company’s revenue and increased profitability significantly.
“I am extremely pleased and grateful for the opportunity to join UNI&FORMA, a brand with an outstanding reputation for innovation, top-quality products, and reliability,” said Kastelic. “My goal is to put in place a long-term strategy for the stability of the company and consolidate its global reputation as the leading manufacturer of tactical clothing.”
Said Wagner, “It is certainly a huge change, but it was immediately clear that Mr Kastelic is the right fit. It’s not only his impressive past achievements but also the positive attitude, work ethic, and drive to succeed—it all suggests that he will take UF PRO to the next level.”
Founded in 1997, UNI&FORMA became a part of Mehler Vario System Group in 2019. The MVS-Group is a broadly based and globally active group of companies with Mehler Vario System GmbH as parent company and its subsidiaries: UNI&FORMA, Lindnerhof Taktik GmbH, Mehler Law Enforcement GmbH, Mehler Engineered Defence GmbH.