Srđan Šaper,
founder of I&F Grupa

Before entering the world of advertising, Srđan Šaper was very successful in the music industry, film and directing TV commercials. He is also well-known as a founder and member of the band VIS Idoli, one of the bands that spearheaded the New Wave on the culture scene of the former Yugoslavia in the 1980s. Music journalists and critics brought together by the regional edition of Rolling Stone magazine proclaimed VIS Idoli’s album “The Defence and The Last Days” as the Greatest Yugoslav Rock Album of all Time.

Alongside music, Srdjan has also been active in the film industry. He played the lead role in cult Yugoslav film “Davitelj protiv davitelja” (Strangler vs. Strangler), in where he starred as rock star Spiridon Kopicl. It was for the purposes of this film that he wrote the song “Belgrade Strangler”, which he performed with the fictional band “VIS Symbols”. He acted and composed music for the TV drama “Šumanović – Comedy Artist”, while he is also the author of the original idea for the TV series “BESA”.

Saper is known for providing long-standing support to a number of humanitarian organisations, culture institutions and manifestation, such as BITEF – the Belgrade International Theatre Festival. He has initiated numerous projects in the field of culture and communication, and is the author of the pioneering project for improving the image of Serbia in the world – “La Serbie version original”, which was presented in Paris in November 2000, with the aim of presenting the spirit of Serbia after the democratic changes in 2000. Saper is also the owner of the Novembar Gallery, an art gallery dedicated to the affirmation and international promotion of young and emerging artists, with a particular focus on the Serbian and regional art scene.

Srdjan holds a graduate teaching position at the University of Dramatic Arts in Belgrade and is often invited as a lecturer and keynote speaker at various international conferences on marketing and communication.

He continued his career in the marketing world, where he has been active for more than 30 years. He worked as a creative director, producer and director at the agencies Ogilvy & Mather, Saatchi & Saatchi and Idols & Friends, then founded the marketing agency McCann Beograd in 1997 and McCann Skopje soon after. He is today the chairman of I&F Grupa, a communications system operating in 12 countries of Southeast Europe and the Nordic region.

In 2003, Srđan Šaper was awarded Special Recognition by the Association of Market Communications for the Advancement and Development of the Public Relations Profession, while in 2011 the same association awarded him its Lifetime Achievement Award for his creative contribution to the development of market communications. In 2012, at the “Advertiser’s Night” event, Saper received the Grand Slam Award for his contribution to Serbian and regional advertising.