A collection of recommendations collected from colleagues, clients and during the last few years working as a project/delivery manager, supporting my resume/CV.
Nejc Bauer
Frontend Team Lead at Kaldi d.o.o. | Triathlete in my free time
I had the privilege of working alongside Marko for seven years at Kaldi d.o.o., where we built digital products together from the ground up.
Marko started as a CSS developer. I would handle the HTML and JavaScript, and then he would step in and transform everything into something visually exceptional. He has a rare eye for detail and a deep understanding of how design should feel, not just how it should look.
Over time, he transitioned into a Project Manager role, and that’s where his organizational skills truly shined. Marko has an incredible ability to keep projects structured, clients calm, and teams aligned. He always went out of his way to make clients feel welcome when they visited our office and consistently looked out for the team’s wellbeing.
What sets Marko apart is not just his skillset, but his mindset. I have never heard him complain about workload or pressure. He simply gets things done — with calmness, focus, and reliability.
Outside of work, his discipline and passion are equally impressive. He is one of the top concert photographers in Slovenia, he runs marathons in under 2:50 and competes in ultramarathons — all while somehow still finding time to bake the best chocolate chip cookies.
More importantly, Marko makes the people around him better. His attitude toward life, consistency, and quiet determination inspired me to start my own journey into endurance sports. He genuinely changed my life for the better.
Any team would be incredibly lucky to have him.
Urša Dana Saksida
Lead QA Engineer at Kaldi d.o.o.
Let me do this all backwards, because anything else feels fake. I’ll start with a person’s energy and heart, because that’s the core. Everything we build around it finds its roots there. I see Marko as someone who is light, with an enormous amount of energy. A rare occurrence.
Whatever he builds comes from that place. The culture that grows around such a person is what makes people feel seen, valued and connected. Now, take that energy and add skill, knowledge, focus, determination and consistency, all guided by a great mind.
It is an honor to be able to co-create with such a soul.
Sašo Jakljevič
Co-founder – inShift & Freelance – UX | User Research | Digital Product Design | Product Management | Market Traction | Biz Dev
I had the opportunity to work closely with Marko Alpner on several very complex client projects while Marko was working as a Project Manager at Kaldi. The main projects where we worked together were:
- Adam Prime – Imagine an Adobe tool for researchers creating and connecting historic family trees from historic artefacts. Multi-year project with complex workflow and translation of client’s processes into a new system, and then helping the client re-integratethe tool into their organisation with sufficient support.
- Jamharah – Family-focused social media platform that investors decided to re-launch. This project brought immense complexity to be navigated at the same time in terms of budget, timeline and technical approach to fulfil the funding limitations and technical challenges of an older project.
- Many other projects in the proposal phase, where the discussions with clients were only starting.
Marko played a central role in keeping these projects on track and aligned with client expectations. He was responsible for relationship management, billing, client reporting, timeline planning, and coordinating the delivery team. He handled all of this with clarity and reliability that smoothed the collaboration even during the bumpy times.
This is probably what also makes him an amazing marathon runner (disciplined, consistent, long-term focused), a LEGO enthusiast (systemic thinking and patience), and one of the best concert photographers in Slovenia (strong sense for timing, composition, and atmosphere) in his free time.
On top of that, Marko is an expert in everything food-related. He seems to know all the best cooks and foodies in Ljubljana, which makes him super valuable when clients visit Slovenia and want to be treated by the best Slovenia has to offer (even hidden gems).
I recommend him to anyone looking for a Project manager.
Nejc Klopčič
Senior Fullstack Engineer at Kaldi
Marko is an exceptional Project Manager. He communicates clearly with developers, understands technical challenges at a practical level, and sets clear priorities that keep projects on track.
He takes strong ownership of his work and approaches projects in a structured way, making even the most complex projects feel manageable.
We worked together on two projects, and it was truly a pleasure to work with him.
Marko is great to work with and always brought a positive atmosphere to the office. He also really good at organizing different team activities, lunch breaks, and we were never left hungry thanks to his love for good food.
Thanks for all the amazing pictures, freshly baked chocolate cookies, cinnamon rolls, and the many other treats you brought to the office to make our mornings better.
Katarina Mlakar
Product Designer | UX/ UI
Marko is the kind of manager every team hopes for but rarely finds: product-savvy, technically fluent, and genuinely people-focused.
Versatile, adaptive, organized, calm under pressure, he understands full picture of the project. From vision to execution, team dynamics, client expectation, he aligns it all into one clear direction. He bridges teams with rare clarity, remains hands-on and reliable, and skillfully balances multiple projects while keeping full visibility over priorities, risks and next steps.
Leading with integrity and calm confidence, making the difficult look easy, resolves challenges before they escalate, bringing value to the team, while being a true pleasure to work with.
Simon Šerbetar
QA Engineer | Cloud | Web Development
I’ve had the pleasure of working with Marko on multiple projects during our time together at Kaldi, and I can confidently say he is the best person I’ve worked with there.
Over the years, I’ve collaborated with different project managers at various companies, and there’s almost always something missing—either a lack of technical understanding or challenges in communication with the team or client. Marko hits the perfect balance: he deeply understands technical problems, effectively leads interdisciplinary teams through complex challenges, and works seamlessly with clients to ensure timely deliveries while resolving issues as they arise.
Beyond his professional qualities, Marko is also a fantastic person to hang out with, making him more than just a coworker. It’s rare to meet someone who can run a marathon, give you a deep dive on whiskey, and explain all the intricacies of baking chocolate cookies.
He’s also a brilliant photographer—he even managed to make me look good.
Joking aside, I’m truly grateful to know and work with Marko, and I can’t recommend him highly enough for his skills, leadership, and the positivity he brings to any team.
10/10 good guy 🙂
Kika Petrovič
Searching for that one perfect word…
Marko brings an extremely valuable mix to the table: he not only has experience and in-depth knowledge of project management in software development projects, but he also complements it with a strong understanding of the technical aspects of development, as well as solid insights into UX and UI. This enables him to see the big picture of any project and create a balanced and wholesome perspective of it. His personality traits and values make him an inherent fit for any type of connecting and managerial role, as he naturally puts teamwork and collaboration at the forefront of his work.
He is a reliable, proactive, and thoughtful coworker who excels at building strong relationships with both clients and teammates. Clear communication, strong organizational skills, and a willingness to go the extra mile to exceed expectations are all qualities that consistently define his approach to work.
He keeps projects structured and moving forward while ensuring that the people involved feel informed, supported, and aligned with the goals of the project. His understanding of both business priorities and technical realities helps him navigate complex situations while staying focused on the most important goals.
Working with Marko means working with someone who genuinely cares about the success of the project and the people behind it, making him a valuable contributor to any team.
Vid Pajek
Product Designer at Carely Digital
Many IT projects fail because of feature creep, misalignment, or the usual pitfalls that show up when complexity grows. Marko makes sure that doesn’t happen.
Over 1.5 years working together (from the client side), Marko consistently brought clarity to projects with lots of stakeholders and serious complexity. He’s excellent at scoping and prioritization, and he has a great way of keeping everyone from getting lost in endless business logic. Marko spots issues early, raises them quickly and constructively, and helps the team navigate them without drama — even when there are multiple systems to integrate and plenty of moving parts.
On top of all that, he always had our back — and he somehow also made sure we had the best lunch breaks imaginable. 🙂
Jure Repnik
Team-centric Product Manager @ MESI | Fast learner & technology enthusiast, driven by shared success | Passionate about market-driven decisions & innovations
I had the pleasure of working closely with Marko on the development of a complex subscription management platform as he managed our project from the agency side. As a Product Manager, I deeply appreciated his ability to bridge the gap between business requirements and technical execution.
What truly sets Marko apart is his incredible operational agility. He is one of those rare individuals who can manage an immense workload and seamlessly switch between high-level strategy and granular details without losing focus or his positive energy.
This drive is evident in everything he does; whether he’s leading a project, running marathons, or capturing life through his lens. Marko is remarkably capable and tireless, with a natural talent for keeping things on track even as complexity grows. He’s a true ‘get-things-done’ professional who brings clarity and great energy to any team.
Teo Winkler
Front-end developer ⚡️
Working with Marko is a pleasure! He is not only focused but also excels at prioritising tasks.
He knows how to meet stakeholders’ expectations while advocating for his team.
He is a true team player at heart, dedicated to achieving the goals he sets and taking full ownership of the projects he manages.
We collaborated on two occasions, and I would do it again!
PS: Did I mention he bakes some of the most outstanding chocolate chip cookies I’ve ever had!? 🍪
Source: LinkedIn, unchanged.