After leaving the Secondary School of Economics and Sociology of Koper in 1989, Dr. Patrick Vlačič (born on 22 February 1970 in Slovenj Gradec) enrolled in the Faculty of Law, the University of Ljubljana. He graduated in 1995 and then worked for two years (1995–1997) as a trainee clerk at the Higher Court of Koper. He passed the national bar examination in 1998. He gained his LL.M. in maritime law from the Faculty of Law in Split (2001), Croatia, and his PhD from the Faculty of Law in Ljubljana (2005).

From 1997 he worked at the Faculty of Maritime Studies and Transport of the University of Ljubljana, where he first became Assistant Professor.  In 2001, he became Senior Lecturer for the courses International Transport Law; Corporate and Transport Law; and Maritime and Corporate Law. From 2004 he has been Head of the Department for Maritime and Transport Law.

Mr Vlačič gained valuable business and management experience as Director of Portorož Airport (2002 to 2004). Between May and November 2004, he was Advisor to the Minister of Transport.

State Secretary

Igor Jakomin was born on 10 February 1970 in Koper. After concluding Nautical Secondary School (1989) and graduating from the Faculty of Maritime Studies and Transport in Portorož (1995), he gained his Master degree in Management at the Faculty of Social Sciences in Ljubljana and a Doctoral degree in Traffic Technologies and Transportation at the Faculty of Traffic Science in Zagreb (Croatia). 
Immediately upon graduating from the university, he started his professional career in business – first as Director of the company Yacomo from Portorož and as an expert associate for the insurance company Adriatic from Koper. In 1999, he became UPS Regional Manager for the company Intereuropa.
The beginning of his academic career dates back to 2002, when he was employed at the Faculty of Maritime Studies and Transport in Portorož – first as an Assistant, and since 2003 as an Assistant Professor for traffic technologies and transport logistics. Between 2005 and 2007, he was Head of Transport Logistics Department and a Member of the Faculty Council (Senate).
In 2004 and 2005, Dr. Jakomin was a member of the Supervisory Boards of the companies Luka Koper and BTC Terminal Sežana. He is also a member of several national and international associations and organisations in the field of transport and logistics. 
Since 2004, he has been Visiting Professor at numerous foreign universities in Finland, France, Italy and elsewhere.
He has written more than 110 bibliographic items – scientific and professional articles in Slovenian and foreign papers, scientific conference contributions both in Slovenia and abroad, various elaborates, studies, professional monographs and a university textbook.