Darko Ravlan was born in 1956 in Crna na Koroskem, Slovenia. He graduated at the Maribor Technical Faculty, in the field of production engineering.
In 1980 he began to work at the Ravne Ironworks, at the Production and market development plant, where he performed several technical and management jobs. In between he served his military service as a specialist in the quick interventions unit. He joined the company for the production of industrial knives in 1989 as the head of the production plant, became a technical director and in 1997 took over the position of managing director at the Ravne Knives company.
He is married and the father of a son and a daughter.
