Letter to the community – Mihajlo Džaril CEO of SGA

Mihajlo Džaril,
CEO, SGA
01.02.2024.

Dear community,

The journey of a gamer is indeed peculiar, one who loves history but pursues law, ventures into advocacy, transitions to consulting, then establishes an esports company, and has the honor of being part of the magnificent team founding SGA. However, the wheel weaves as the wheel wants.

The development of SGA has naturally led to a moment where it is necessary for someone outside the Board to take on a leadership role in the organization. This is to ensure that the organization can continue to grow, better respond to new challenges, and serve the community for which it exists. Although it was clear to us, the Board members, that this moment arrived in the summer of 2022, we were uncertain about who that person might be.

We agreed that it would be ideal for this person to not only have certain professional experience and capabilities but also understand and love gaming. It would be even more ideal if they already came from our industry. It was challenging for us to imagine entrusting such responsibility to someone “external.”

The search for the ideal, or at least sufficiently good, candidate lasted about a year and a half until a series of personal and business circumstances led me to consider the idea of stepping out of the Board and personally taking on that responsibility.

 

SGA is an incredible case of unity in a country that perhaps loves to divide more than anything else. SGA is an example of how a community of dedicated professionals can function and unite their strengths to achieve higher goals and results beyond the reach of individuals or individual companies or teams.

They say in life it’s essential to understand and accept that no one will come to save you, and if you want change, you must actually do something about it personally. I’ve been fortunate (or unfortunate) to acquire knowledge and experience in law, finance, marketing, and management, which I believe will allow me to better serve the community and contribute to SGA in a different and more demanding role than the one I had as a Board member.

The mystical chain of events I mentioned is succinctly called “Neva-has-started-in-a-great-kindergarten” and “Fortune-team-has-matured-and-has-my-full-trust.” Whatever it’s called, I thank it because it has led me to this newly created position of SGA CEO and the opportunity to write this open letter. So, allow me, after this not-so-brief introduction, to take advantage of this unique chance and share with you, the gaming community of Serbia, what SGA means to me.

SGA is an incredible case of unity in a country that perhaps loves to divide more than anything else. SGA is an example of how a community of dedicated professionals can function and unite their strengths to achieve higher goals and results beyond the reach of individuals or individual companies or teams.

I am extremely proud to have had the honor and privilege of being part of the SGA story from the very beginning. I can say that I have contributed to achieving some of these goals and results. I am also grateful to the leaders of our association and community for supporting the idea that I take on this additional responsibility and receive the additional honor as the CEO of SGA.

SGA’s goal – to create better conditions for the further development of the gaming industry in Serbia – is now my personal professional goal.

Much has been done in the past few years, but that was just the beginning. My plan this year is to assess the situation within and outside the association as best as I can, from all perspectives, and lay the foundation on which we will make further work plans and define goals for 2030. We must and can be more ambitious because we have the potential for it.

If we want results in the next decade, we must start preparing for them now. We must be more proactive and less reactive. We must strive to be “ahead of the curve.” We must give our best, and view every failure as an opportunity to learn and be better in the future.

The success of the gaming industry in Serbia so far has been more a result of exceptional personal abilities and luck than a system. We must fight for the system to increase the chances of success. Without support, success can hope for 1 in 100, but with support, if we increase that number to 2 or 3 in 100 – we can say that there is an environment that nurtures and supports winners.

Living in Serbia has taught us to fight, to work with little or no resources, and has built a strong spirit in us. The role of SGA is to provide the community with tools (through our projects, programs, and initiatives) and nurture a healthy environment that allows growth and development.

I promise to do my best to ensure that SGA fulfills its goals and roles. All members and partners of SGA, as well as those who wish to become such, will always find in me a loyal ally, with open doors, email, and Discord.

Sincerely, Mihajlo Džaril