Connecting business, academia and policy.
Speakers
Peter Stano
EUROPEAN COMMISSION REPRESENTATION IN SLOVAKIA
Head of representation
Peter Stano is originally from Martin and graduated from the Faculty of Arts at Comenius University in Bratislava, where he studied Journalism. From 1994 to 2009, he worked in the media, including Slovak Radio in Bratislava, Deutsche Welle in Cologne and London, the BBC World Service in London, and Slovak Television in Bratislava, as a foreign affairs editor and moderator. In 2008, he worked as a freelance journalist in Damascus, Syria.
From 2009, he worked at the Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs of the Slovak Republic, serving in the Minister’s Office as spokesperson during two terms, and later as Special Envoy for Migration. He was posted to the Permanent Representation of the Slovak Republic to the EU in Brussels and to the Embassy of the Slovak Republic in Beirut, with responsibility for Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon and Syria.
He worked at the European Commission twice as the first, and to date only, Slovak citizen to serve as a spokesperson — first for Enlargement and European Neighbourhood Policy (2011–2014), and later as spokesperson for the EU’s Common Foreign and Security Policy (2019–2024).
He speaks German, English, Spanish, French and Croatian, and has conversational proficiency in Russian and Arabic.
VLADIMÍR ŠIMOŇÁK
MINISTRY OF ECONOMY
State Secretary
Vladimír Šimoňák is State Secretary at the Ministry of Economy of the Slovak Republic, specialising in international relations, European affairs and industrial policy.
His professional career spans more than 15 years in public administration. He gained extensive experience at the Ministry of the Interior of the Slovak Republic (2008–2021), where he headed the Department of Foreign Affairs and European Affairs and, from 2015 to 2021, led the Internal Affairs Division at the Permanent Representation of the Slovak Republic to the EU in Brussels.
From 2021 to 2023, he served at the Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs of the Slovak Republic as Director of the Crisis Management Department.
He is a graduate of Matej Bel University, where he obtained a Master’s degree in Law and a PhD in International Relations.
RADOSLAV ŠTEFANEK
MINISTRY OF INVESTMENTS, REGIONAL DEVELOPMENT AND INFORMATIZATION OF THE SLOVAK REPUBLIC
Slovakia’s Government Plenipotentiary for Artificial Intelligence
Radoslav Štefánek is Slovakia’s Government Plenipotentiary for Artificial Intelligence. He coordinates national AI policy across ministries, institutions and sectors. He contributes to the development of the national AI strategy, represents Slovakia’s priorities at the EU AI Board and OECD, and develops international partnerships.
His priority is to connect Slovakia’s AI community so that public institutions, businesses, researchers and schools collaborate, share experience and help Slovakia move forward. He focuses on practical AI adoption with measurable benefits for people, public services and the economy. His priorities include quality data used securely, accessible computing infrastructure, bringing innovation into practical use, and developing talent and AI literacy.
He builds international cooperation from neighbouring V4 countries and Austria through the wider CEE region and the European Union to global partnerships. He connects expertise and public policy with partners’ practical needs. His work draws on experience leading reforms, infrastructure and digitalisation. He advocates Europe’s human-centred approach to AI, grounded in respect for people’s rights, trust and responsibility.
MONIKA NAĎOVÁ KROŠLÁKOVÁ
BUSINESS ALLIANCE OF SLOVAKIA
President
Monika Naďová Krošláková is an Associate Professor and a member of the Academic Senate at the Faculty of Commerce of the University of Economics in Bratislava. She is President of the Business Alliance of Slovakia, founder of the Family Business Center, and co-founder of the Network of Top Business Leaders and Researchers at the International Business and Economic Research Academy (IBERA).
She serves as a member of the International Advisory Council at the Institute of One World Leadership®. She is also a member of the Wisdom Board of the Family Hippocampus Club, the International Council of Experts at the Family Business Institute (IRB), and the Advisory Council at Asiatech Education.
She is the academic coordinator for the Family Business and Entrepreneurship courses and co-coordinates three study programmes, including a PhD programme, at the Faculty of Commerce of the University of Economics in Bratislava.
She is co-owner of the family manufacturing company Novplasta s.r.o. (second generation) and the consulting company Excellence Consulting s.r.o. (first generation). In the field of family business, she works as an expert at the Slovak Business Agency and is a member of a working group at the Ministry of Economy of the Slovak Republic dedicated to family business issues.
Paula Puškárová
BRATISLAVA UNIVERSITY OF ECONOMICS AND BUSINESS
Vice Rector for Research and Doctoral Studies
Paula Puškárová serves as Vice-Rector for Research and Doctoral Studies at the Bratislava University of Economics and Business and Associate Professor at the Department of International Trade, Faculty of Commerce.
Her research focuses on economic growth, competitiveness, regional disparities, and environmental challenges, with particular emphasis on their implications for public policy.
She coordinated the Horizon 2020 project EDGE – Environmental Diplomacy and Geopolitics and is currently involved in the Horizon Europe project JUSTPLACE, as well as the Twin Transition Manager Development Program for a Competitive and Sustainable Europe, which aims to strengthen managerial capacities for the green and digital transitions and enhance the competitiveness of European businesses.
Filip Franek
AMAZON
Public Policy Manager for the Czech Republic and Slovakia
Filip Franek serves as Manager for External Relations for the Czech Republic and Slovakia at Amazon, where he is responsible for operations, sustainability, and support for small and medium-sized enterprises.
Before joining Amazon in 2022, he gained extensive experience in various positions at the British Chamber of Commerce and the British Embassy in Prague, where he led teams focused on delivering business services and supporting entrepreneurs.
Milan Horváth
EXIMBANKA SR
Deputy General Director responsible for Export Credit Insurance and Export financing
Milan Horváth has extensive experience in the banking and insurance sectors. Throughout his career, he has held several senior positions at EXIMBANKA SR, the National Bank of Slovakia, and the Ministry of Finance of the Slovak Republic.
Adrián Grolmus
MINISTRY OF THE ENVIRONMENT OF THE SLOVAK REPUBLIC
Director General
Adrián Grolmus serves as Director General of the Waste Management and Geology Section at the Ministry of Environment of the Slovak Republic. He specialises in administrative law, environmental law, and waste management.
With extensive experience in legal practice, he applies his expertise to legislative drafting, public procurement processes, and the professional coordination of expert working groups. He also draws on his managerial experience to lead the Ministry’s Waste Management and Geology Section.
