Mark Cipcic
I'm a Developer
Who am I ?
Born 1986. in Rijeka, Croatia, raised near Munich, Germany until 1993, when my parents decided to relocate back to Croatia. Completing elementary and musical school in 2000, also winning regional school #1 LOGO and #2 BASIC programming championships in 1998 & 1999.
In 2000. I moved to Rijeka, where I graduated from electrical engineering high school with the highest honors in 2004. Immediately after that moved to Varaždin where I studied Business Economics and Information Technology (University of Zagreb). This is where I further focused myself mostly on web applications and secured my first full-time job as Jr. Developer / Technical Support before graduation (2007).
After 18 months the job, I began leading the whole team as Project Manager. In 2011, I became a startup founder, co-founding the most awarded eCommerce agency in Croatia. and leading my team to a successfull exit in 2017. After selling the company, I transitioned my interests more into the Medical Tech field, working with IS Design Studio (aquired by DMT Group) until the COVID-19 pandemic in 2021. Later in that same year, I joined FileCloud as a Solution Executive, a role I held until recently in 2024.
Additionally, in 2021, I co-founded the Unlock Rab conference, which I continue to create and co-lead to this day. Since it's held once per year for now, I'm looking for my next full time engagement.
Fueling Innovation, Empowering People, Collaboration to Drive Growth.
Highly motivated, self starter and results-oriented professional with over 15 years of experience in customer advocacy and engagement. I thrive in fast-paced environments and possess excellent communication and collaboration skills, allowing me to effectively work across teams and functions to achieve success.
- Birthday: 21 February 1986
- Phone: +38598849527
- Email: mark.cipcic@gmail.com
- LinkedIn: in/markcipcic
- Age: 38
- Degree: Master
- City: Rab, Croatia, EU
- Timezone: UTC/GMT +1H
- Languages: English (C2), German (C2), Croatian
Millions of Happy End-Clients using products I helped build. Adding more daily.
Projects from Solopreneurs to Enterprise & Government. Worked and Delivered.
Days Of Work and meetings survived.
People the biggest live audience I've spoken to.
Hard Skills
My technical journey began with my curiousity at age 10 in exploring LOGO and BASIC, which evolved into Visual Basic then web development (during the GeoCities era), where I mastered foundational front-end technologies like HTML, CSS, and later JavaScript. Through high school and college, I gained hands-on IT experience via apprenticeships at T-Mobile and Valamar Riviera, followed by a rapid transition from junior developer to project manager within 18 months. Over the years, I’ve expanded my full-stack expertise to include PHP frameworks (CodeIgniter, Laravel), Python/Django, and infrastructure management, witnessing and adapting to industry shifts—from bare-metal servers to modern containerization (Docker, Kubernetes) and cloud-native architectures (AWS, Azure, GCP, Alibaba Cloud).
Soft Skills
I've always been curious about what drives us as humans, general psychology and particularly in the context of motivation. Throughout my career, especially in customer-facing roles, I've had the opportunity to fine-tune and understand my soft skills. Working closely with others, I've gained a deeper understanding of how empathy, communication, and emotional intelligence can not only enhance relationships but also inspire growth and collaboration in teams.
Resume
Dynamic leader transforming tech into growth. With over 15 years of experience driving strategic growth through customer success, I’ve led cross-functional teams to deliver measurable results across startups, institutions, and enterprise organizations. From IT services and data modeling in the early days of digital systems to scaling automated marketing solutions and launching AI-driven SaaS products, I’ve consistently turned cutting-edge tech into real-world impact.
My career reflects a passion for innovation and a proven track record of turning vision into growth.
Professional Experience
CO-FOUNDER | UnLock Rab
2021 - Present
Rab, Croatia, EU
- Co-founded 50% and continue to lead it.
- Overseeing planning, strategy, and execution.
- Driving innovation and growth in the event.
- Ensuring impactful and high-quality experiences.
- Engaging with speakers, sponsors, and attendees.
SOLUTION EXECUTIVE | FileCloud
2021 - 2024
Remote | Austin, Texas, US
- Developed and managed robust sales pipelines, resulting in a 10-20% increase in qualified leads.
- Gathered competitive intelligence to position offerings effectively and deliver exceptional customer service.
- Generated leads through cold/warm calls, referrals, trials, events, and marketing campaigns, exceeding quota by 15%.
- Qualified leads by uncovering pain points and demonstrating FileCloud's value proposition, resulting in a 28% increase in qualified leads.
- Closed opportunities with compelling product demos, technical expertise, and best practice recommendations, leading to a 21% growth in closed deals.
- Delivered product demos and provided technical answers, ensuring customer satisfaction and maximizing FileCloud adoption.
- Collaborated with cross-functional teams (marketing, solutions, product) to tailor solutions and achieve customer goals.
- Unearthed customer pain points through technical inquiries and feedback, driving product improvements and enhancing user experience.
- Leveraged Salesforce to streamline lead management, opportunity tracking, communication, and accurate forecasting.
SOLUTION EXECUTIVE | DMT Group / IS Studio
2017 - 2021
Remote | Kowloon, Hong Kong, HK
Managed technical strategy, client relationships, and enterprise solutions for a high-revenue company operating across Pharma, Health, Care, Finance, Fintech, and Martech sectors. Led system integrations, cloud transformations, and security initiatives to optimize performance, scalability, and compliance.
- Drove strategic IT initiatives by optimizing workflows and implementing DevOps & DevSecOps best practices, leveraging Agile and Waterfall methodologies.
- Managed key client accounts, fostering relationships and delivering tailored technical solutions across complex industries.
- Architected and executed cost-effective IT strategies, aligning cloud infrastructure (AWS, Oracle, IBM), budgets, and KPIs with business goals.
- Led API and microservices integrations, including Salesforce (Apex) and enterprise systems (CRM, ERP), enhancing operational efficiency.
- Oversaw vendor partnerships and IT service delivery, deploying scalable SaaS, PaaS, and on-prem solutions.
- Spearheaded IT infrastructure transformations, advising leadership on technology risks, compliance, and innovation strategies.
- Directed high-impact projects, integrating Salesforce, ERP, and third-party APIs to streamline processes and improve business intelligence.
- Optimized DevOps pipelines by automating deployments and enhancing incident management for increased reliability and uptime.
Co-Founder & CTO | MARKER.hr Agency
2011 - 2017
50% Remote | Varaždin, Croatia, EU
Led the strategic and technical direction of a growing business, overseeing operations, client relations, and technology management for a 35-employee company generating $2.8M in annual revenue.
- Recruited, trained, and led high-performing teams, fostering a culture of innovation and accountability.
- Developed and maintained key client relationships, ensuring seamless communication and long-term partnerships.
- Managed business operations, streamlining processes, optimizing expenses, and improving performance metrics.
- Directed technical issue resolution, project management, and data analysis to drive operational efficiency.
- Implemented and enforced customer service policies, ensuring adherence to contracts and payment terms.
- Planned and executed web and e-commerce promotional events, successfully building commercial brands and increasing sales.
- Strengthened company presence through networking, sales partnerships, and business development initiatives.
- Oversaw financial management, including budgeting, job costing, invoicing, and cost control strategies.
JUNIOR DEVELOPER | PROJECT MANAGER | Logit internet services
2008 - 2011
Varaždin
From 2008 to 2011, I served as a Junior Developer then Project Manager at a fast-growing SaaS startup based in Zagreb, Croatia, specializing in CMS, ERP and cloud-based collaboration tools for SMEs across Europe. This hybrid role allowed me to bridge technical execution and project leadership, contributing to the company’s expansion from a 10-person team to a 50+ employee organization serving clients in 15+ countries. The product focused on multilingual project management software, integrating time-tracking, invoicing, and GDPR-compliant data storage—critical for EU markets. Key Responsibilities
-
Development Work:
- Built and maintained core CMS features using PHP 5, Python/Django, and jQuery, with a focus on backend APIs and frontend improvements.
- Managed MySQL databases and optimized queries to handle scaling user traffic (10k+ monthly active users by 2011).
- Assisted in migrating legacy monolithic components to modular services on AWS EC2/S3, improving scalability.
- Implemented CI/CD pipelines using Jenkins and Git (transitioning from SVN), reducing deployment errors by 40%. Project Management:
- Led Agile/Scrum ceremonies (sprint planning, retrospectives) for a cross-functional team of 8 developers and QA engineers.
- Coordinated with sales and UX teams to prioritize client-driven feature requests, such as multi-currency invoicing and localization for French/German markets.
- Managed timelines for critical projects, including a PCI-DSS-compliant payment gateway integration with Adyen and PayPal, ensuring compliance with EU financial regulations.
- Acted as a liaison for remote teams in Poland and Spain, resolving time-zone and communication gaps through structured JIRA workflows and weekly syncs.
Summary
Mark Cipcic
EXPERTISE Business Development, Customer Success, Digital Transformation, Digital Marketing, Product Strategy, User Journeys, Program Management, Design Thinking, Challenger Branding, Partnerships, Entrepreneurship, Leadership, Mentoring
INDUSTRIES Technology, Financial Services, Marketing, Advertising, Media, Automotive, Industrial Controls, Med Tech, Consumer Electronics
Education
Bachelor of Business Economics and Information Technology
2004 - 2009
Faculty of Organization and Informatics, VZ
Additional accomplishments: 2nd Rector's Academic Achievement Award (Complete Business Challenge). Member of "FOI CORE" & AIESEC Union
|
|
Computer and Telecommunications Technician
2000 - 2004
High School of Electrical Engineering and Computing, RI
- Member of "Radio Amateurs Technicians" Union.
- Additional courses in Visual Basic Studio.
- Additional courses in Windows / MS-DOS.
Elementary & Music School
1992 - 2000
Primary School, Rab
- 1st place BASIC champion (Programming).
- From age 11 till 14 school assistant for Informatics.
- National championship for LOGO and BASIC (Programming language).
- Giving lessons for students with problems in Math and Informatics.
- Played piano and later guitar in Musical School.
Certifications
Development, Networking, DevOps, GDPR, NLP
2006 - 2023
Online & In-person
Over the years I tried to pursue what was meaningful to me at the time, or what would be a great upgrade to my overall skill set.
- Global Dev Experts – DevOps Professional (2023)
- GDPR Guru (IOSH approved and CPD certified) (2022)
- Information security Essentials (2022)
- Code of Conduct Essentials (2022)
- Quality Awareness Training (2022)
- TranceFraming – Leadership, Coaching & Mindfulness (2015-2019)
- Google AdWords – Ability to create and optimize campaigns to meet specific marketing objectives. (2013)
- Google Workspace Partner – ex. GSuite Onboarding companies to work more effectively from the cloud. (2012)
- NLP Master Practitioner – Neuro Linguistic Programming (2008-2011)
- CISCO Networking Academy – Cisco Certified Network Associate Routing & Switching (2011)
- Academic whitepaper published:
Community oriented system for information aggregation based on a template operated HTML parser (2010) - W3Schools (2006-2008)
- HTML5
- CSS3
- JavaScript
- PHP
- Python
Portfolio
Over the years, I've had the privilege and honor of working on a wide range of projects, spanning from custom eCommerce platforms and WordPress sites to complex B2B and Microservices development. From 2011 to 2017, I contributed to building dynamic eCommerce experiences for brands like bio&bio, Cute, Drogerija, and Emporium. During my earlier years, I focused on custom B2B and website development with clients including abies.hr, akvant.hr, and hotel-balise.hr. Beyond development, I was also leading teams, overseeing projects end-to-end, and managing full client sign-off. If I wasn't developing the project entirely myself, I was ensuring its success through strategic leadership and technical oversight. My expertise spans PHP, Python, JavaScript, and WordPress, along with DevOps lately and server management in Linux environments, enabling me to deliver seamless and scalable solutions tailored to each project's needs. In addition to that latest SaaS was compliant with ITAR, HIPAA, GDPR, NIST 800-171, the Saudi PDPL, and other regulations.
- All
- (2007 - 2011)
- (2011 - 2017)
- (2017 - 2021)
- (2021 - 2024)
Testimonials
What my co-workers and clients say about me:
Mark Cipic was a valuable member of my sales organization, serving as an Solution Executive. His arrival came at the perfect time as I sought a salesperson who possessed a strong understanding of technology and excelled in solution selling. Mark was the first hire from Europe, instrumental in expanding FileCloud's presence in the region. With his background in eCommerce technology and experience managing complex projects, it was evident from our initial conversation that he was technically adept, articulate in presenting solutions, and personable.
Manoj Mahondas
CSO & Co-Founder, FileCloud
Mark quickly familiarized himself with FileCloud, potentially being the fastest among all the Solution Executive hires. He wasted no time and fully embraced the art of solution selling. He dedicated himself to understanding customer needs from both technical and budgetary perspectives, ensuring that the intent to sell them on FileCloud was well-founded. It was impressive to see how rarely he relied on Sales Engineers for demonstrations, confidently handling the majority of the sales process himself. I hold great admiration for his creativity in securing Volkswagen Group as an adopter of FileCloud. Additionally, he demonstrated initiative by promoting FileCloud in Croatia through a technology event he organized. (Unlock Rab)
Madhan Kanagavel
CEO & Co-Founder, FileCloud
Mark's was very meticulous with his insights and empathetic with understanding of our client stories. Coming from a background steeped in tech innovation and social entrepreneurship, he challenged the status quo by introducing personalized, data-driven engagement methods. His approach was leading cross-functional workshops that empowered clients to see technology as a partner in growth rather than just a product. Also, he has a knack for bridging cultural nuances which redefined our approach to customer engagement. He not only absorbed the intricacies of our portfolio at lightning speed but also tailored our solutions to resonate with clients diverse needs.
Filip Hlebarsky
CEO @ UnaniTibb
When Mark envisioned a collaborative forum to bridge gaps between our team and global clients, it wasn’t just a meeting—it became a catalyst. His approach didn’t just open doors in untapped markets; it rewired how we connect, turning casual partners into invested allies. What sets Mark apart isn’t just his knack for dissecting data or steering teams with empathy—it’s how he stitches these strengths into the fabric of everyday strategy. I’ve watched him navigate high-stakes deals with overseas collaborators, not merely resolving tensions but uncovering hidden avenues for growth that others overlooked. In an era where adaptability is currency, Mark operates like a compass: precise, forward-leaning, and attuned to the nuances of diverse cultures. For teams hungry to innovate and elevate their impact, his presence isn’t just an advantage—it’s a spark.
Aleksandra Basovski
CEO @ DMT Group Systems
I am delighted to share my experience working with Mark on the development of our website. From the outset, Mark demonstrated exceptional professionalism and a keen understanding of my vision. He transformed my ideas into a stunning, user-friendly website that perfectly encapsulates my brand. Mark's attention to detail and commitment to excellence were evident throughout the project. He was always open to feedback, making adjustments promptly and effectively. His expertise not only met but exceeded my expectations, delivering a site that is both aesthetically pleasing and highly functional. I highly recommend Mark to anyone seeking top-notch web development services. His dedication and skill make him an invaluable asset to any project.
Raoul Ćurlin
CEO @ IS Design Studio
Working with Mark on our Systems integration was an exceptional experience from start to finish. His professionalism, technical mastery, and ability to translate abstract ideas into a dynamic digital presence truly set him apart. Mark not only grasped my brand’s core identity instantly but elevated it through a sleek, intuitive design that resonates deeply with our audience. What impressed me most was Mark’s meticulous eye for detail and his proactive approach to problem-solving. He welcomed feedback with genuine enthusiasm, turning revisions into opportunities for refinement rather than obstacles. The final result? A platform that seamlessly blends striking aesthetics with robust functionality—exceeding every benchmark we set.
Joris Björn
CEO @ DMT Group
Contact me
Now that you know a bit about me, I would love to hear from you!