Dragan Šolak is a Serbian businessman and media mogul.
He is the founder and majority owner of the United Group media house.
2000
Šolak founded United Group back in 2000.
His net worth was estimated at €1.22 billion, and as of 2021 was understood to be the richest man in Serbia.
Initially starting as just a small cable operator in central Serbia, the company has since become one of the most dominant media companies in Southeast Europe, providing broadband, mobile and TV services in eight countries.
He holds the position of Chairman of the advisory board and retains 33% share in the entity.
Šolak is the lead investor and chairman of investment firm Sport Republic.
In January 2022, Sport Republic became the owners of English club Southampton which bought 80% of the shares in the club from Chinese businessman Gao Jisheng for about £100m.
Following Southampton's relegation from the Premier League after Sport Republic's first full season in charge, Šolak admitted that the club's owners were too distant to have a full understanding of what was happening and pledged that they would be more involved going forward.
The investment firm also acquired a 70% controlling stake in Turkish club Göztepe in August 2022 and became majority shareholders of French club Valenciennes in July 2023.
On 13 May 2023, the Slovenian information portal N1info, owned by Šolak, reported extensive and irregular investigations conducted by the Slovenian Office for Money Laundering Prevention in December 2021.
The investigations occurred amidst a politically charged atmosphere in Slovenia as the elections approached.
Evidence obtained suggested that the head of the office, Damjan Žugelj, appointed by the SDS party, facing time constraints, received an anonymous tip enabling him to initiate the investigation, presumably in the context of a pre-election agreement between Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić and former Slovenian Prime Minister Janez Janša to gather potentially damaging information on their opponents through the respective anti-money laundering offices.
Janša has denied the allegations of an agreement with Vučić, while Žugelj has characterised the N1info portal's publications as political revenge.
