Jakov Kitarović (born 4 October 1968) is a Croatian engineer who is the husband of

Kolinda Grabar-Kitarović Kolinda Grabar-Kitarović (; born 29 April 1968) is a Croatian politician and diplomat who served as President of Croatia from 2015 to 2020. She was the first woman to be elected to the office since the first multi-party elections in 1990 and ...

, the 4th

President of Croatia The president of Croatia, officially the President of the Republic of Croatia ( hr, Predsjednik Republike Hrvatske), is the head of state, commander-in-chief of the military and chief representative of the Republic of Croatia both within the ...

from 2015 to 2020, who was narrowly elected to office in the January 2015 presidential election by defeating the 3rd president

Ivo Josipović Ivo Josipović (; born 28 August 1957) is a Croatian academic, jurist, and politician who served as President of Croatia from 2010 to 2015. Josipović entered politics as a member of the League of Communists of Yugoslavia (SKJ), and played a ke ...

. As a result, he succeeded Tatjana Josipović as First Spouse and is the first man in the role, as well as the youngest to date, aged 46 at the time.

Early life

He was born in

Rijeka Rijeka ( , , ; also known as Fiume hu, Fiume, it, Fiume ; local Chakavian: ''Reka''; german: Sankt Veit am Flaum; sl, Reka) is the principal seaport and the third-largest city in Croatia (after Zagreb and Split). It is located in Primor ...

, on 4 October 1968 as the son of Ivo Kitarović, a professor at the Faculty of Maritime Studies of the

University of Rijeka The University of Rijeka ( hr, Sveučilište u Rijeci) is in the city of Rijeka, Croatia, with faculties in cities throughout the regions of Primorje, Istria and Lika. The University of Rijeka is composed of eleven faculties, one art academy, ...

, who is originally from

Šibenik Šibenik () is a historic city in Croatia, located in central Dalmatia, where the river Krka flows into the Adriatic Sea. Šibenik is a political, educational, transport, industrial and tourist center of Šibenik-Knin County, and is also the ...

. Kitarović graduated from the Faculty of Electrical Engineering and Computing of the

University of Zagreb The University of Zagreb ( hr, Sveučilište u Zagrebu, ; la, Universitas Studiorum Zagrabiensis) is the largest Croatian university and the oldest continuously operating university in the area covering Central Europe south of Vienna and all of ...

in 1998 and also has a degree in nautical engineering from the Faculty of Maritime Studies of the

Private life

Jakov Kitarović married Kolinda Grabar in 1996 and they have two children. Following his wife's election to the presidency, he worked in a

Zagreb Zagreb ( , , , ) is the capital (political), capital and List of cities and towns in Croatia#List of cities and towns, largest city of Croatia. It is in the Northern Croatia, northwest of the country, along the Sava river, at the southern slop ...

-based software firm, Reversing Labs and later took up a position as a corporate security consultant in AD Plastik, the largest

Croatia , image_flag = Flag of Croatia.svg , image_coat = Coat of arms of Croatia.svg , anthem = "Lijepa naša domovino"("Our Beautiful Homeland") , image_map = , map_caption = , capit ...

n manufacturer of

plastic Plastics are a wide range of synthetic or semi-synthetic materials that use polymers as a main ingredient. Their plasticity makes it possible for plastics to be moulded, extruded or pressed into solid objects of various shapes. This adaptab ...

parts for the car industry.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kitarović, Jakov 1968 births Living people Scientists from Rijeka Spouses of presidents of Croatia University of Rijeka alumni University of Zagreb alumni