Get to know those who will expand your horizons this year.
Klára
Bělíčková
Klára Bělíčková is a climate activist and former spokesperson for the student climate movement Fridays for Future. She works at Re-set, a platform for socio-ecological transformation, where she focuses on issues related to banking and insurance in the fossil fuel industry, as well as campaigns addressing democracy, transparency, and issues connected to the business of Daniel Křetínský’s EPH. She hosts the student podcast MOSHPIT dedicated to current topics of the young generation. Klára is currently in the fourth year of the alternative program of Gymnázium Na Zatlance.
Miroslav
Bárta
Miroslav Bárta is a Czech scientist, Egyptologist, and archaeologist, whose expedition in Abusir significantly expanded our understanding of ancient Egypt through a series of crucial discoveries. Apart from Egyptology, he is dedicated to the study of civilizations, their rises and collapses from an interdisciplinary perspective. Bárta is the only Czech member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. He is the author of the theory of the Seven Laws of Civilization Development, he is lecturing at numerous universities worldwide, and for Czech and multinational corporations as well. Additionally, he is the founder of the think tank Komplexní společnost.
Zdeněk
Štěpánek
Zdeněk believes that one should celebrate life in all the forms that the Universe has prepared for him or her and create something beautiful and useful in harmony with the Universe. He started his business in the depths of totalitarianism. Zdeněk and his father were granted exceptional permission to start a business because the communist regime needed their skills in sheep farming. In 1991, he moved back to his grandfather’s confiscated estate and transformed it into a thriving enterprise, now even recognized at the European level. In 2006, he decided on a radical change. He sold everything and began building the ACADEMY in Libchavy. There, with his team, he helps develop companies, schools, and individuals and trains new successful coaches.
Soňa
Holúbková
Soňa studied psychology in Prague and gathered diverse experiences throughout her professional career. She worked with people in a large factory, as a youth curator she helped resolve critical situations for adolescents, and served as a psychologist in a marriage counseling center. Later, she became the director of day stays for disabled children and youth at the Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs. She continues to focus on improving the quality of life and integrating disabled people into mainstream society. In 1990, she founded the international creativity and fantasy festival Jašidielňa, followed by the community festival Inter Nos (Among Us).
Liberty
Blake
Simon
Liberty Blake Simon is a model, activist, and media personality. She currently serves as a project manager for the Mental Health League, specializing in gender-based violence issues. Through organizations such as UNICEF Slovakia, UNHCR, and UNFPA, she has been involved in various projects aimed at defending and empowering the human rights of minorities and marginalized groups.
Patrik
Meliš-Čuga
Patrik is a consultant in the field of artificial intelligence and the head of the AI Center of Excellence at PwC in the Czech Republic. With over 10 years of experience in data, technology, and artificial intelligence from international projects in Europe and the Middle East, he primarily focuses on multinational clients in the automotive industry, energy, and commerce. He obtained his education in the United Kingdom at the University of Kent and began his career by developing data solutions and data visualization. Later, he transitioned to data management and advisory services in data quality. Currently, he focuses on the upcoming European Union regulation, the AI Act, and helps clients address moral, ethical, and qualitative risks associated with the use of artificial intelligence.
Natalia
Olszewska
Natalia received an education in medicine and neuroscience, and today she applies it with great passion in creating spaces that positively affect people’s lives. She therefore uses the principles of neuroscience in architectural practice. Thanks to her interdisciplinary approach, she helps to create an environment that increases people’s well-being on a social, psychological and cognitive level. Natalia contributes with her know-how to projects all over the world. She continues to develop and promote human-centred architecture as a co-founder of Venetian Letter and Impronta.
Matej
Ftáčnik
Matej is one of the pioneers of the startup culture and community in Slovakia. In 2011, he won at the Startup Awards and also became the EY technology entrepreneur of the year 2019. He won an award Křišťálové křídlo and Forbes magazine included him in the list of 30 under 30. Matej founded the first co-work in Slovakia (The Spot), launched the first LGBT digital bank (Daylight) in the United States and he is also the co-founder of Vacuumlabs and Vacuum Group, a body of startups and digital agencies in crypto, legaltech and healthcare. In addition to his business, Matej advocates for the improvement of the conditions of LGBT+ people and promotes the values of inclusion and diversity in Slovakia and the Czech Republic, where he’s based at the moment.
Jasna
Flamiková
Jasna Flamiková studied environmental protection, which remained her lifelong mission. She started by volunteering for the Brontosaurus Movement and as a director she helped develop the ecological Foundation Veronica. Jasna founded charity shops that recycle used items and use part of the profit from sales to support environmental and community activities. Jasna also became a successful politician. She is a representative of the Municipal Council of Brno and Brno-střed she was also deputy mayor for one election term. She focuses on topics of greenery in cities, adaptation to climate change and sustainable transport. She uses her experience in politics to help and couch other active women who are transforming the world towards greater sustainability.
