Dagmar Havlová Veškrnová
Popular and award-winning Czech theater, film and television actress. She was the wife of
late President Václav Havel since 1997. As First Lady she accompanied him on his
professional duties and was intensively involved in charity work. After the death of her
husband, she administered his legacy. In 1997, she founded the Dagmar and Václav Havel
Foundation VIZE 97, of which she is the chairman of the board. In 2004, she also founded the
Václav Havel Library. She is a member of Femmes d'Europe and Honorary Chair of the Czech
Committee of UNICEF. She is an active member of a number of other Czech and
international charitable organizations. At present, in addition to her charity work, she is
again an actor.
Tereza Maxová
Leading Czech top model born in Pardubice who has been active for almost three decades in
the world of modeling and was cooperating with top brands such as Karl Lagerfled, La Perla,
Donna Karan, Hermés or Giorgio Armani. Her face has appeared on the cover of leading
fashion magazines such as Vogue, Elle, Marie-Claire and Glamour. Yet she never lost touch
with the real world. In 1997, after a visit to an orphanage in Krč, she began helping children
in need. She is the recipient of many international awards in the field of philanthropy. She
lives with her family alternately in Prague, Turkey and the south of France. The mission of
the Tereza Maxová Children's Foundation is to allow every child to experience a happy and
safe childhood in a family environment and to give disadvantaged children a chance for a
better life.
Michaela Seewald
Founder of V24 MEDIA, a multimedia company focused on creating and delivering premium
content through print and digital platforms, which she manages to enable leading brands to
access new and fast-growing markets. She is the publisher of the most iconic fashion
magazine Vogue CS, which she licensed from Condé Nast in 2018. She graduated from the
Faculty of Law at Charles University and is a member of the Czech Bar Association. She co-
founded SV Law, a Prague-based law firm specializing in intellectual property and advertising
law.
Danuše Nerudová
Economist, professor and rector emeritus of Mendel University in Brno (2018–2022). In her professional career, she focuses mainly on taxes, pensions and equal opportunities for women and men. Since 2018, she has chaired the Commission for Fair Pensions, which presented a proposal for pension reform with broad professional and political consensus. In April 2020, together with other economists, she founded the civic initiative KoroNERV-20. She and her husband Robert have two sons and live in Brno. She is a presidential candidate for the 2023 election.
Margareta Křížová
She is active in consultancy on the purchase and sale of companies (M&A) and venture
capital investments. But her heart is also in helping entrepreneurs and startups. She runs the
NEWTON Business Accelerator on Newton University and is a frequent judge in
entrepreneurship competitions. She has written a book How to run a business and not go
crazy, hosted her own show Entrepreneurship from A to ZET on Radio Zet, hosted a show on
Czech TV called We Got It on financial literacy and writes a blog on margaretakrizova.com.
Silke Horáková
She is the co-founder of Tilia Impact Ventures, the first social impact fund in the Czech
Republic, and co-owner of Albatros Media, the largest Czech book publishing company. She
is the founder and chairperson of the supervisory board of the Albatros Foundation, which
supports socially disadvantaged children in education, and a co-founder of the Independent
Journalism Foundation Fund in the Czech Republic. She has worked closely with national and
international organizations like Ashoka, NESsT and the Social Impact Award, on the
promotion and development of social entrepreneurship. Currently, she serves as a member
of the board of the European Venture Philanthropy Association and as a member of the
Ashoka ASN global advisory board.
Lenka Koenigsmark
Marketing Director of MATTEL for the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Hungary, who started to
focus on diversity and inclusion after the birth of her severely disabled son. She often
lectures on these topics, runs her son's Instagram blog where she shares stories from her life
on a daily basis under the motto: happiness has nothing to do with disability. This year she
ran for the Senate in Prague 6.
Jan Koenigsmark
After years of running an international transport company, in 2017 he decided to devote
himself full time to caring for his disabled son. This experience transformed him so much
that he graduated as a driver-paramedic and has been driving an ambulance in Prague since
April 2022.
Jana Laštovka
Jana Laštovka founded in 2013 the first online sales gallery of "Young Real Art". During her
studies at AVU she was already thinking about a new presentation platform for students and
graduates. The friendly digital environment of her gallery allows the general community of
those interested in fine art to get acquainted with the works of young artists in detail and to
get selected works to customers in the easiest way and with the lowest possible costs. In the
gallery's nearly ten years of existence, a community of creators and consumers has been
formed and expanded, convinced that original art is not a luxury for snobs, but a creative
way of communication.
William Rudolf Lobkowicz
Distinguished member of The House of Lobkowicz, a cultural organization that manages the Lobkowicz Collections, one of Europe's oldest and finest private collections, with items dating back over 2,000 years. With the vision of sharing the past and creating the future, the House of Lobkowicz wants to explore the intersection of the traditional art world and the rapidly evolving technology behind NFTs. Through the use of this technology the Lobkowicz Collections has managed to receive funding to restore 58 different pieces. In an increasingly digital age, the House of Lobkowicz is exploring how technology can broaden accessibility to cultural heritage.
Nicole Krajčovičová
Nicole Krajčovičová has worked at ČSOB since 1996. She graduated from the University of
Economics in Prague and completed the MBA programme at the Czech Technical University
in cooperation with Sheffield Hallam University. In 2012, she joined the Board of Directors of
ČSOB Asset Management and seven years later became its CEO. She is responsible for
managing client funds and portfolios, investment strategy
Linda Šejdová
Linda Šejdová co-founded the company Snuggs which develops high quality and effective
products for intimate care, such as period underwear and more. She also has experience
from other startups; she worked at LidskáSila.cz, Productboard and BudgetBakers. She
created global marketing strategies and led the marketing team as marketing manager.
Kristin Parpel
Kristin is an executive coach and leadership consultant with over 25 years of business
experience. She runs her own company, KLP Coaching, which offers individual coaching and
team programs focused on leadership, diversity and mentoring. She is also a steering
committee member and mentor in the Equilibrium mentoring program for women
(organized by the British Chamber of Commerce) , as well as a mentor in the EWOB
(European Women on Boards) program, and an international mentor for the My Odyssey
mentoring program. Since the start of the war in Ukraine, Kristin has also been mentoring
displaced Ukraine professionals, in hopes of helping them find meaningful work abroad.
Tomáš Sedláček
Author of the philosophical-economic book Economics of Good and Evil, which has been translated into 21 languages, and in many countries It has become a bestseller in many countries and won major international awards. At the age of 24 he became an economic advisor to President Václav Havel. He was included in the prestigious list of the 100 Top Thought Leaders (GDI). He is a member of several important international and Czech organizations, he is the chairman of the supervisory board of Vize 97 and the program board of the Forum 2000.
Bára Nesvadbová
Used to be editor-in-chief of numerous magazines, including Cosmopolitan, Xantypa, Playboy, Harper's Bazaar, and is the author of eighteen books. Ten books of fiction, two books of fairy tales and one on fashion. She is an active member of Etincelle, a company that employs mentally handicapped fellow citizens, founder of the Be Charity Foundation, which cares for children after serious illness or injury, funds primary, precedent-setting, orphan surgeries in teaching hospitals and equips surgical units with equipment, and is also a patron of UNICEF and an ambassador for Giving Tuesday.
Richard Seewald
He is a founder and managing partner at Evolution Equity Partners and is a member of the
firm’s investment committee. He leads investments in cybersecurity, enterprise software
and data analytics and brings over three decades of investment, operational and
entrepreneurial experience to his role. He is an investor and board member in category-
defining software companies like AVG Technologies, OpenDNS, Cognitive Security, Carbon
Black, Security Scorecard, Onapsis, LogPoint, DFLabs, Fortscale and Panaseer. He graduated
from the University Of Chicago Booth School Of Business, New York Law School and Pace
University. He was awarded a Kauffman Fellowship by the Palo Alto based Society of
Kauffman Fellows and sits on the global advisory board of the University Of Chicago Booth
School Of Business.
Silke Horáková
She is the co-founder of Tilia Impact Ventures, the first social impact fund in the Czech
Republic, and co-owner of Albatros Media, the largest Czech book publishing company. She
is the founder and chairperson of the supervisory board of the Albatros Foundation, which
supports socially disadvantaged children in education, and a co-founder of the Independent
Journalism Foundation Fund in the Czech Republic. She has worked closely with national and
international organizations like Ashoka, NESsT and the Social Impact Award, on the
promotion and development of social entrepreneurship. Currently, she serves as a member
of the board of the European Venture Philanthropy Association and as a member of the
Ashoka ASN global advisory board.
Natalie Jaresko
The US-born financial manager served as Ukraine's Minister of Finance from December 2014
to April 2016. She co-founded the successful private equity investment firm Horizon Capital.
In 2017, she was appointed Executive Director of the Financial Oversight and Management
Council of Puerto Rico, where she served until April this year. She is the Chair of Aspen
Institute Kyiv, serves on the Board of Directors of Superhumans (hospital) and leads the
Stronger Than Ever Foundation to support the humanitarian needs of Ukraine.
Jan Sýkora
Jan Sýkora is a partner of WOOD & Company, a Central European financial group that has
been providing comprehensive investment banking services for more than 30 years. He is
responsible for management and strategic decisions across the group. He is also a member
of the boards of directors of a number of companies and organizations including the Prague
Stock Exchange, the International School of Prague and the Young Presidents' Organization.
Emília Wardrop
Emilia is a founding partner of ESPIRA Investments, a private equity firm that invests growth
capital in SMEs in the Central European region. One of the elements of the company's
investment philosophy is to focus on companies led by diversified teams of both men and
women. Emilia has been investing in the Central European region for over 15 years. She is
also a member of the investment committee for Tilia Impact Ventures and was the founder
of the non-profit organization AkSen - Active Senior in the Czech Republic. Emilia is a
graduate of the MBA program at the University of Chicago Booth School of Business.
