ALUMNI 2016

Olga works as a producer and journalist at ARD TV Studio Brussels. She is covering EU and Benelux politics for the Tagesschau and the ARD Europamagazin. She studied political science at Friedrich Alexander University in Erlangen and at the FU Berlin. During her studies, she worked as a freelance journalist for different newspapers and radios. After her studies, she was committed as an assistant for a member of the European Parliament for a year and a half. Witnessing political reality from the perspective of a political scientist often helps a lot. Although empathy and knowledge of the human nature are sometimes more important. Living with different cultures and languages since the beginning (she comes from a Czech family, has been raised in Germany and now lives in Belgium with a French husband) makes her sensible for problems and opportunities that emerge from this great European continent.

Andreas is a Researcher at the Ecologic Institute in Berlin and Brussels, and holds a Master in International Relations from the Freie Universität Berlin, the Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, and the University of Potsdam. At the Ecologic Institute he works on various policy research projects for EU and German public sector clients, including the Directorate-General for Energy of the European Commission (DG Energy), the German Ministry for Environment, the Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy, and the Federal Foreign Office. His project work includes policy analysis related to EU and German Climate & Energy Policy, facilitating transatlantic dialogue on energy and the environment, as well as monitoring and communicating developments in the German Energiewende. Prior to working for the Ecologic Institute, Andreas gained work experience in the German Bundestag and the energy policy unit of DG Energy. He also made research stays at the University of Nagoya in Japan, as well as The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI) in New Delhi, India. Due to his background in European and international affairs Andreas is particularly interested in exploring key differences in perspective held in the Czech Republic and Germany on shared crises and developing ideas of how to build bridges towards common positions. He is a native speaker of German and English and has been learning Czech next to his studies and work since the spring of 2012.

Andreas is a Researcher at the Ecologic Institute in Berlin and Brussels, and holds a Master in International Relations from the Freie Universität Berlin, the Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, and the University of Potsdam. At the Ecologic Institute he works on various policy research projects for EU and German public sector clients, including the Directorate-General for Energy of the European Commission (DG Energy), the German Ministry for Environment, the Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy, and the Federal Foreign Office. His project work includes policy analysis related to EU and German Climate & Energy Policy, facilitating transatlantic dialogue on energy and the environment, as well as monitoring and communicating developments in the German Energiewende. Prior to working for the Ecologic Institute, Andreas gained work experience in the German Bundestag and the energy policy unit of DG Energy. He also made research stays at the University of Nagoya in Japan, as well as The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI) in New Delhi, India. Due to his background in European and international affairs Andreas is particularly interested in exploring key differences in perspective held in the Czech Republic and Germany on shared crises and developing ideas of how to build bridges towards common positions. He is a native speaker of German and English and has been learning Czech next to his studies and work since the spring of 2012.

Libor has been leading the team of Asset Strategy and Projects in the company E.ON Czech Republic since January 2015. His responsibility is to manage a large portfolio of distribution activities and projects mainly on the field of Smart Metering, Network Operation and Asset Management. Within the team Strategic Projects and Technical Development he participates on the E.ON Czech Group strategy in connection with above mentioned topics and cooperate with other Regional Units within E.ON Group. In 2008 Libor graduated from the University of West Bohemia in Pilsen where he studied Electrotechnology. During his study spent one year at the University of Regensburg in Germany. Libor decided to join the CGYPP program in order to gain and share experience and to deepen his intercultural competence.

Martina has gained international business experience at Procter & Gamble in Prague as a global project IT manager and CE business analyst. In this role, she was responsible for delivering a major analytical platform for sales teams across 50+ countries worldwide, leading a medium-size multifunctional team. Most recently, Martina has decided to make a major change in her career path and entered a family real estate business and became a real estate broker, maintaining a set of houses, flats and lots for sale and rent in South Bohemia. She graduated from the University of Economics in Prague in 2011. She spent a year of studies in Vienna as a member of a management program for students from Central and Eastern Europe. Martina joined CGYPP to both gain inspiration and give inspiration.

Michal is a researcher with focus on managing on-demand autonomous vehicle fleets at TUM CREATE Ltd. Michal has focused on challenges of on-demand vehicle fleets. With great passion he has analyzed, developed and evaluated methodologies leading to improving customers’ service and taxi operators’ profit. He is currently finishing his PhD at TUM CREATE Ltd. – a joint collaboration between Nanyang Technological University and Technische Universität München, funded by Singapore’s National Research Foundation. Born in the Czech Republic 31 years ago, with about nine years of international experience in Germany, Singapore and England, he currently lives in Munich.

Claudia works as a freelancer and heads a small NGO from Leipzig. Since 2010 she dedicates her work to projects that raise awareness, support identification of individual opportunities of action, motivate and encourage to take responsibility for global challenges of our present age. To this end, she designs, manages and implements various “non-formal education and networking projects” all around Germany. Frieda studied Geography and gained work experience in research projects in Leipzig and Dresden, as well as through development cooperation projects in Ghana and India, and through exchange projects with Czech Republic and Japan. Back in Germany, she decided to put emphasis on supporting a strong and active civil society. In her opinion, recent global challenges with a significant impact on our current society strongly require not only a fundamental rethinking on a political level but also on the personal level. Therefore, she considers herself as a facilitator and multiplier for ideas – at the moment with an emphasis on supporting rural areas in Central Saxony to recognize the opportunities of migration.

Jana is a journalist at the international department of MF Dnes daily, reporting on European socio-political topics with the focus on Germany, France and Britain. She has previously worked in broadcast, print and online media in the Czech Republic and Germany. Jana studied Social Sciences and Cultural Anthropology at the Charles University in Prague, with semester long stays at universities in the United States and Australia. International relations, national identities, as well as the complexity of the Czech-German relationship and its current implications belong to the wide range of her interests. She has most recently lived in Berlin but is currently based in Prague.

Andrea worked for Booking.com as a customer service agent for almost 2 years. Andrea studied in Hamburg and finished her B.A. in Economics in 2005. During her studies she also had the chance to study one year as an exchange student in Prague. Her experiences with the Czech culture and her friendships among Czech people were a strong motivation to move to Prague after she finished her studies and to start her first job in an international company in the field of Audit. With this experience she decided about 1.5 years later to work for a Hostel chain in Prague. Inspired by all the travellers she met she wanted to fulfil one of her dreams and travelled with a Work & Travel Visa trough Canada in 2008.  During her trip, she realized how important it is to balance nature conservation and tourism, which led her to the decision to sign in again for a study program in sustainable tourism management. She successfully finished her M.A. in 2013.In relation to the topic of this year she supports the view of Mrs. Tekkal, a famous TV journalist in Germany, whom she recently followed on an interesting discussion at the ITB Berlin (International Tourism Fair). Tourism can contribute to deal with the present situation, which is already shown by the “Welcome culture” in Germany. When people have the chance to travel and meet other cultures it is the first step to change the mindset and take away the fear of the unknown. Her personal point of view is that everybody can and needs to contribute to meet the current challenges by treating foreign people and all people in need in an open and respectful manner, but also expressing with clear words what our democratic society stands for and what our values are.

Vit heads a small management consulting company InvEast, based in Prague. He combines his professional interest in data analytics and business intelligence with his academic career, participating at research projects at universities in Hradec Králové, Liberec, and Wien. Apart from his business partners, he also consults for state agencies and NGOs in the Czech Republic and Austria, and at the European level. In his spare time, he runs, reads lots of books, plays jazz, or visits museums and theatres. His moral compass is guided by the principles of the Scout’s promise.

Kateřina works at the State Cinematography Fund Czech Republic and is responsible for the subsidy system of the Fund and the strategy of support of Czech cinematography. She studied history at Charles University in Prague with a specialization in International Relations in the 20th Century. After her studies, she worked in the preparatory team of the Ministry of Culture for the Czech Presidency of the EU where she was responsible for international conferences organized by the Ministry. In relation to the topic of this year she stands on the border of several possible approaches. Her education as an historian leads her to look at current situation from the perspective of historical reasons, historical experience and international relations. Her personal political attitudes emphasize ethical and moral levels of the situation, her working experience perceives reflection of the social development in the contemporary art and the ways of its interpretation in the film and media.

Jonas is an art historian, project manager and freelance curator focused on contemporary art projects and digital strategies in the cultural field. Under the responsibility of the Dresden University of Technology, he initiated and coordinates the digital platform “kultura.digital” which connects established institutions like museums, galleries and cultural centers with temporary projects, independent initiatives and artistic interventions in public spaces and is currently being developed to network contemporary culture in the Elbe-Labe-border region. The goal is to reduce distances towards contemporary art by using the media as a vector from digital to real. The question of the role of digital media as a bridge between culture and society was also the motivation for his application project “ARTOMAT”. All these topics are part of his practical seminars “HYBRID SPACES – emerging real and digital spaces” at the faculty for art education at the Dresden University of Technology. As a freelance curator he sees art as a powerful vector for promoting dialog on current social issues. This is why he cooperates closely with young European artists for various exhibition projects. Among others supported by the “Foundation Osterberg for Arts and Culture” where he is responsible for International Relations and international project work.