Alumni 2010/2011

Milena Bajajova

works as a senior specialist in the Regulatory Affairs department of RWE Transgas a.s., the Czech Republic’s largest gas trading company. She is responsible for following developments in energy policy at the EU and Czech level. She studied Law in Giessen, Prague and Passau and spent part of her legal training at the German Embassy in Bratislava and the European Commission in Brussels. By joining the CGYPP, she wants to deepen her understanding of today’s state of Czech-German relations and the role media plays in political decision-making. She is very keen on exchanging views with other young professionals interested in Czech–German issues.

Contact: milena.bajajova[at]rwe.cz

Pavel Chovanec

works for the governmental investment promotion agency CzechInvest, where he facilitates cooperation between Czech companies and foreign investors as senior project manager of Sourcing Section. On previous posts, he was responsible for savings search in former Siemens VDO Automotive. He graduated from the University of Economics, Prague, specializing in Economic Policy. He is interested in investment promotion and related approaches in communication. By participating in the CGYPP he would like to compare Czech and German approaches and extend his knowledge of current opportunities and challenges.

Contact: pavchov[at]centrum.cz

Ines Heger

works as a communication specialist and spokesperson for the German Blades Unit of Vestas, the world leader in wind energy technology. She is also pursuing a PhD at the University of Leipzig in Political Communication. She studied Communication Management and European Studies in Leipzig, Miami, Aix-en-Provence and Brussels. In her previous work she implemented communication campaigns, among others for the European Commission. She applied to the CGYPP to become part of an initiative that fosters cross-border exchange. She wants to learn more about the interdependent relations between media and political actors and discuss about key drivers in today’s political agenda-setting process.

Contact: inheg[at]vestas.com

Ondřej Hradil

is Deputy Project Director of CEITEC – Central European Institute of Technology –, which is one of the major scientific projects in all new EU member states. He graduated from the University of Economics in Prague majoring in Business Administration and Management. He is an expert in EU affairs and EU funding. Before joining CEITEC, he spent approximately five years in Brussels representing interests of Czech companies vis-à-vis the EU as Brussels’ delegate of Czech Chamber of Commerce in CEBRE (Czech Business Representation to the EU). He joined the CGYPP to gain insights into political communication as well as to get to know new people.

Contact: ohradil[at]centrum.

Jana Kheková

works within the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Czech Republic as desk officer in the Common Foreign and Security Department with responsibility for Africa and the Middle East. After graduating from Prague College for Social and Legal Affairs she went on to study History at the Silesian University of Opava, from where she earned her Masters. She applied for the CGYPP, because she is very much interested in the role of media in Czech-German relations as well as its role in international relations in general. And as she knows from her private and professional experience that relationships can best be developed when people are brought together, she especially appreciates the opportunity to get together with highly qualified people who are willing to cross borders for present communication and also for future cooperation.

Contact: jana.khek[at]post.cz

Anke Mansar

works for Brussels Philharmonic as a press officer. She graduated in History at the Johann Wolfgang Goethe-University Frankfurt/Main and enrolled in a postgraduate program in Communication at a Brussels based academy afterwards. She applied for the CGYPP to see how colleagues in other sectors deal with the challenges of setting up tailored communication strategies and engaging their client’s/ voter’s / audience’s sympathy. Besides, she is eager to connect with social, political and economic topics of the Czech Republic – a country she has so far primarily held in high regard because of its impressive musical heritage.

anke.mansar[at]brusselsphilharmonic.be

Markéta Miková

works as PR & Marketing manager at King Sturge Prague, an international property consultancy. She is responsible for the company’s external and internal communication and coordinates the firm’s CSR activities in the Czech Republic. She has got eight-year-experience in the marketing communication. Marketa graduated from Charles University in Prague where she studied International Area Studies with a focus on German speaking countries. She is happy to attend the CGYPP program year on media-politics-communication as it offers a unique opportunity to meet interesting people and to discuss attractive topics from different angles.

marketamikova[at]centrum.cz

Peter Onneken

works with the German Television (ARD) in Frankfurt. He is an author for the economy and consumer magazine „Plusminus“, the most widely seen magazine in public television in Germany. He also works as a duty editor for „Mex – das Marktmagazin“, an economy and consumer TV magazine for the region Hesse. He produced films on young Europe and worked as an editor, writer, stock market reporter and presenter for Bloomberg TV in Frankfurt and London. Peter studied in Leicester (UK) and Frankfurt and holds a degree in Political Science. He is happy to participate at the CGYPP to share and discuss ideas cross border, and to be part of a growing Czech-German network.

Contact: peter.onneken[at]me.com

Marco Schwarz

works for the European NGO Europa-Union Deutschland (Union of European Federalists Germany) where he deals with the democratization of the European Union and public participation in Europe. As assistant to the director his tasks include public relations, event organization and coordination of the different sections of the NGO. He studied Political and Social Sciences in Germany, Spain and the Czech Republic and graduated from the University of Göttingen in 2008. During the time he spent at Prague’s Charles University, he developed a particular interest in the European integration process and especially in the history, politics and culture of Central and Eastern Europe.

schwarzmar[at]web.de

Jiří Šimek

is the vice chairman of the board of E.On Energie, a.s., a sales company of E.On group in the Czech republic. He is responsible for the purchase of gas and the sale of both power and gas. Before, he worked for Jihočeská plynárenská, a. s., a south bohemian gas distribution company, as a sales and marketing manager. He studied Business Administration at the University of Johannes Kepler in Linz/ Austria. He applied to the CGYPP to understand the relationship between the Czech Republic and the German-speaking countries from different perspectives.

Contact: Contact: jiri.simek[at]eon.cz

Marion Steinberger

works at the International Bureau of the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research where she coordinates several EU projects promoting research cooperation with non-European countries, in particular East Asia. She graduated in Sociology from the University of Munich and holds a diploma in Economics as well as a Master in European Studies from the College of Europe in Warsaw. She also has several years of work experience with the EU institutions, mainly in the areas of social, research and educational policy. She applied for the CGYPP because it brings together her interests in political communication and European cooperation.

Contact: steinberger.steinbergerm[at]yahoo.de

Zuzana Válková

works as an independent PR consultant for a variety of Czech and foreign businesses and occasional columnist for several Czech dailies (e.g. Právo, Lidové noviny). She majored in Journalism at Charles University in Prague and later extended her specialization at the London School of Public Relations. Her experience includes a two-year collaboration with Czech TV as a presenter and contributing as a foreign correspondent to US Weekly Magazine, Czech-English interpreting and lecturing. Currently she seeks opportunity to enter the NGO market helping it communication-wise. She applied for the CGYPP because of its immensely convenient focus relating to her experience to-date and her lasting partiality for the German-speaking environment.

Contact: valkova.z(at)seznam.cz

Czech-German Young Professionals Program