Jakov Kitarović
Jakov Kitarović is the longtime and proud husband of gorgeous Croatian President Kolinda Grabar-Kitarović.
Jakov’s wife was elected Croatia’s fourth president in January 2015. She is the first woman to ever hold the title of president for the eastern European country.
Grabar-Kitarovic was born on April 29, 1968 in Rijeka in the Croatian part of Yugoslavia. She studied in Zagreb, Vienna, Washington DC and Harvard, before completing her doctoral studies in her home country.
She has held multiple positions since joining the Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ) in 1993, starting out as an adviser to the foreign ministry. The 50-year-old President speaks eight languages including Portuguese and Italian.
Meet her husband in his top facts below.
#1 He and Kolinda Grabar have been married for decades
She has been married to Jakov Kitarovic since 1996; meaning they will celebrate their 22nd anniversary this year.
#2 He is the father of the couple’s children.
Jakov is also a proud father, the couple’s daughter Katarina is a professional figure skater. The power couple are also the parents of a son, Luka.
#3 Jakov Kitarovic is often cited as his wife’s right hand
Jakov was born on October 4, 1968; he is described as a businessman most of the time. He is a corporate security advisor currently employed at AD Plastik –the largest manufacturer of plastic parts for the automotive industry. He was hired in 2016 and is currently still serving in that role.
#4 He went to University
He holds a degree in nautical studies form the University of Rijeka and a degree in electrical engineering from the University of Zagreb.
#5 He didn’t work for a while
During his wife’s campaign for the presidency, it was reported that Jakov Kitarovic did not work and instead took care of the house and their kids. After Kolinda Grabar-Kitarović was alected president, Jakov began to work landing a job at a software company in Zagreb, Reversing Labs.
#6 He was involved in a scandal
In 2010, a scandal involving Jakov Kitarovic occurred when it was discovered that he was using an official embassy car for private purposes. Minister Jandroković launched an internal investigation because of Jakov Kitarović’s unauthorized usage of the official car. Kolinda Grabar-Kitarović then paid for all costs that occurred due to her husband’s unauthorized using of the car.