Speakers & Special Guests
 | Dita Charanzová Vice-President, European Parliament BIO: Dita Charanzová has been a member of the European Parliament since 2014, where she was elected for the ANO Movement. In 2019, she defended her mandate in the European elections and was subsequently also appointed vice-president of the European Parliament. Dita was born in Prague, graduated from the University of Economics, graduated from the Diplomatic Academy in Madrid and in 2001 defended her dissertation at the Faculty of International Relations of the University of Economics in Prague. |
 | Martin Jahn Member of the board of directors for sales and marketing, ŠKODA Auto BIO: Martin Jahn was born in Prague, Czech Republic, in 1970. In 1994, he received a master’s degree in Foreign Trade and International Relations from the University of Economics in Prague. In 1999, he completed an MBA programme in marketing at the DePaul University in Chicago. From 1994 to 2004, Jahn worked for CzechInvest, the Czech government agency for foreign investment. He started there as Marketing Manager, heading the company’s US operations in Chicago from 1996 to 1999, and held the position of CEO from 2000 to 2004. He was Deputy Prime Minister for Economic Affairs in the Czech Republic between 2004 and 2006. In 2006, he started working in industry at ŠKODA AUTO a.s. in Mladá Boleslav as Board Member for Human Resources. In 2008, Jahn was appointed Managing Director of Volkswagen Group NSC in Moscow, Russia, where he was responsible for Group Sales. He was also a member of the Supervisory Boards of VW Financial Services Russia (2009 - 2010) and ŠKODA AUTO a.s. 2009 – 2016). Jahn served as President of the Czech Automotive Industry Association (2009 – 2016, since 2021). In 2010, Jahn became Managing Director of the Volkswagen Group’s international fleet business in Wolfsburg, Germany, where he was responsible for managing global Group sales From 2016, he worked in China as Executive Vice President for Sales & Marketing and Managing Director of the Volkswagen brand at FAW-VW. Jahn has been Board Member for Sales and Marketing at ŠKODA AUTO a.s. since March 2021. Martin Jahn is the president of the Automotive Industry Association of the Czech republic. |
 | Alexander Matušek President, Automotive Industry Association of the Slovak republic BIO: He heads the External Relations / Environment / Social Services department at Volkswagen Slovakia, a.s. In the past, he was responsible for the management of the entire logistics at Volkswagen Slovakia and also held several management positions within the Volkswagen Group in Portugal and the USA. Since 2018, he is the President of the Automotive Industry Association of the Slovak Republic (second term). In 2018, he was elected Vice President of the Federation of Slovak Industrial and Transport Associations. |
 | Pavel Sovička Managing director CZ & SK, Panattoni Lecuture: The Role of Industrial Developers in Achieving Carbon Neutrality The lecture provides an in-depth exploration of sustainable construction within the context of decarbonization and demonstrates that industrial developers hold a crucial role in achieving environmental objectives during this era of green industrial transformation. We'll take you on a high-speed journey through the challenges and opportunities, as we analyze the carbon footprint of non-eco-friendly industrial buildings. BIO: Pavel Sovička started his professional career at Cushman & Wakefield, where he spent a total of ten years. Since 2008, he has been at the head of Panattoni as Managing Director for the Czech Republic and Slovakia. Since starting operations in Central Europe in 2005, the company has completed a total of over 20 million m2 of modern industrial space. Pavel Sovička has 25 years of experience in industry in the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Hungary and has participated in transactions that represent a total of more than 1.8 million m2 of leased and sold space. The most significant projects under his leadership include, for example, a robotic distribution center for Amazon, as the first full-scale multi-storey industrial building in the Czech Republic in Panattoni Park Kojetín (the largest rental building in the Czech Republic, 187,000 m2), Amazon's distribution center in Panattoni Park Prague Airport I (the second largest rental building in the Czech Republic, 120,000 m2) and Panattoni Park Cheb, whose most important tenant is the company Tchibo (the third largest rental building in the Czech Republic, 105,000 m2). |
 | Lukáš Ptoszek Business development manager, Unikie Speaker Lecuture: Practical use of AI in automotive manufacturing Presentation of basic principles and reasons for digitization beyond the implementation of MES, EPR and BI systems. How the advent of LLM and AI models can help advance digitization not only in production - theoretically and practically. Brief presentation of the Unikie solution for autonomous vehicle control in logistics processes not only in factories. BIO: Lukáš Ptoszek graduated from the University of Civil Engineering with a focus on planning and processes. During his early career, he worked in several companies, from the smallest possible to international holdings. He recently put this knowledge to use in the Finnish company Unikie, where he started as a project manager, worked his way up to the position of Delivery head of Industry 4.0, and is now Unikie's external representative on Central European markets. |
 | Robert Kiml Vice President, Automotive Industry Association of the Czech republic & Production Vice President, Toyota Motor Manufacturing Czech Republic Speaker BIO: Experienced General Manager with 18 years history of working in many manufacturing and administrative positions within Toyota Corporation. Skilled in Engineering, Quality, Project, Manufacturing and Administration management. |
 | Mojmír Hampl Chairman, Czech Fiscal Council Mojmír Hampl, a leading Czech economist, began his career in 1998 as an analyst in the Czech National Bank’s Monetary Department. Between 2002 and 2004, he worked as a macroeconomist at Česka spořitelna – ERSTE Group. From 2004 to 2006 he worked as a member of the Management Board and Chief Executive Officer of the Czech Consolidation Agency. In 2006, he was elected a member of the CNB Bank Board, where he served as Deputy Governor from March 2008 to November 2018. From 2019 to 2021, he was Director of Financial Sector Services at KPMG Czech Republic. He currently teaches at Tomas Bata University in Zlín and the University of Economics in Prague. He is also devoted to financial and economic education in his leisure time – he is a co-founder and member of the Board of Directors of the Institute for Economic Education INEV. He was elected to the Czech Fiscal Council in December 2021 by the Chamber of Deputies, on a proposal from the Senate for a six-year term. |
 | Lukáš Rosůlek Head of Vitesco Technologies Czech Republic Speaker Lukas started his career as a trainee at Skoda Auto and has worked in the automotive and industrial sectors throughout his life in various management positions. He spent almost 13 years at Continental, three of which were as a plant manager of the Manila plant in the Philippines. Upon his return in 2015, he took up the position of plant manager in Trutnov. After the creation of Vitesco Technologies in 2019 and the subsequent spin-off from Continental in 2021, he holds the position of managing director and Country Head of Vitesco Technologies Czech Republic, in addition to the position of Plant Manager in Trutnov. Lukáš speaks publicly on the topics of transformation of the Czech industry, the competitiveness of the Czech automotive industry, and electromobility. |
 | Petr Knap Leading partner for automotive sector in CEE Europe, EY Czech Republic Speaker Petr Knap is a Senior Advisor at EY Consulting, where he oversees automotive industry activities across CEE. He has almost 30 years of professional experience, and has worked with a wide range of clients, including Asahi Breweries, BMW, ČEZ, Kia, Porsche CEE, Schaeffler, ŠKODA AUTO, T-Mobile, Toyota, and ORLENUnipetrol. Petr has great experience in strategy preparation, organizational change management, process improvement, and cost optimization. He is also passionate about the future of the automotive industry, and is actively involved in initiatives focused on digitalization, automation, electromobility, shared mobility, and autonomous vehicles. Petr is a founding member of the Czech Chamber PMI (Project Management Institute) and a member of the Scientific Council at the Faculty of Business Administration (University of Economics in Prague). |
 | Petr Novák Speaker BIO: Petr Novák graduated from university in Pennsylvania in the field of International Business and Finance, he also have an MBA from De Paul University in Chicago, Illinois. He has been working for JTEKT Bearings Česká republika since 2001. In 2012, he took the position of the company's president, in 2019 he was promoted to the position of General Manager of the Global Acceleration Team at JTEKT's headquarters in Nagoya, Japan. A year later, he accepted position of Director of Corporate Planning at JTEKT headquarters in Lyon, France and in 2021 he was nominated as Director of Automotive Operations for JTEKT Europe responsible for nine manufacturing plants in France, Belgium, Morocco, UK and Czech Republic. In addition to this role he was asked in 2023 to lead as Executive Director Production Engineering department for JTEKT Europe. He is a member of the Board of Directors of The Automotive Industry Association of the Czech Republic and also serves on the Board of Directors of the Chamber of Commerce in Olomouc, is a member of the Regional Council for Innovation and Education in the Olomouc Region and also academic Board of the Moravian University in Olomouc. |
 | Ivan Hodáč Founder & President, Aspen Institute Central Europe Special Guest & Event Host BIO: Ivan Hodač is a Founder and President of the Aspen Institute Prague. He was Secretary-General of the European Automobile Manufacturers’ Association (ACEA) from 2001 until October 2013. He is the Chairman of the Board at cabinet DN. The Financial Times listed him among the most influential personalities in Brussels politics. Before joining ACEA, he was Senior Vice-President and Head of the Time Warner Corporate office for Europe. Previously he was Secretary-General of the trade organization IFMA/IMACE, Senior Economist at Didier & Associates, and Assistant Professor at the College of Europe, Bruges. He was born in Prague, where he studied mechanical engineering. He completed his education in economics and political science at the University of Copenhagen and the College of Europe in Bruges (European studies). |
 | Petr Michník Head of Administration Subdivision, Hyundai Motor Manufacturing Czech Speaker BIO: Graduated from Faculty of Law, Charles University in 2001. Working for Hyundai since 2006 as lawyer/Head of Legal department and later also Head of Public Relations department. In 2021 appointed as Head of Administration Subdivision. Previous experience in energy industry and construction. |
 | Karel Novák Director, Head of Bus Platforms in Iveco Group Speaker BIO: Karel Novák manage the global products platform and product development for Iveco BUS. He has started his professional carreer onboard overseas cruiseships. Joined Iveco Group since 2004 in Vysoké Mýto plant. Over the years, Karel has previously led the Bus Strategy and Portfolio, earlier covered different managerial roles in purchasing and R/D in various industries of bus, truck and powertrain. He has spent 8 years by working in France, Italy and China for the company. He is graduated from Faculty of Transport at University of Pardubice. |
 | Michal Lábaj Head of Parts Development, Kia SLovakia BIO Working in Kia Slovakia since 2006, in position of Head of Parts Development and Procurement since 2017. Main responsibility is for supplier sourcing, cost and quality of supplied parts for automotive production. |
 | Cyril Klepek Founder & CEO, CYRKL Speaker BIO: Cyril Klepek's career combines innovation and the circular economy. He was an innovation project manager at Raiffeisenbank, where he created Raiffeisen Advisory, and later served as an innovation leader at Direct People, focusing on circular economy and smart cities innovations. Driven by frustration with waste management, he founded CYRKL, an online platform transforming waste into resources, contributing to the global circular economy. In just three years, CYRKL became Europe's largest secondary materials trading platform, saving over 1.4 million tons of CO2, with 19,000 registered entities as of May 2023. Cyril now leads the second-fastest-growing company in Central Europe, overseeing international expansion and strategy. Beyond CYRKL, Cyril promotes circular economy and sustainable materials management through various roles and has received awards for digital disruption and innovation. He's a frequent speaker at conferences on innovation, circular economy, and industrial decarbonization. |
 | Oliver Brauburger Head of Procurement, Siemens Lecture: The Power of Flexibility: Strategies for Resilient Supply Chains in Uncertain Times We will explore how Siemens proactively builds and implements flexible strategies, breaking down silos and fostering synergy among different functions to not only withstand turbulent times but to thrive and emerge stronger. BIO: Oliver Brauburger graduated in 1997 from the Technical University in Darmstadt, holding a master’s degree in electrical engineering. After his studies, Oliver started his career at Siemens in procurement and supply chain management, with a focus on strategies, digitalization, and leadership. Throughout his more than 20 years of professional experience, he has held operational and management positions in diverse departments around the world, including India, Mexico, and Russia. Currently, he is leading a global procurement team in the factory automation industry based in Germany and China. |
 | Ivan Kebísek Engineering Director, Site Lead of Technical Center in Slovakia, Yanfeng International Automotive Technology BIO: Ivan Kebísek is Director Engineering and Site leader at Yanfeng International Automotive Technology, located in Trenčín, Slovakia. Ivan has 25 years of experience in Engineering for Automotive Industry and currently he is responsible for Yanfeng Technical Center in Slovakia, and he is European Engineering Lead for Customer Business Units of FCA brands in Stellantis group (Fiat, Alfa Romeo, Maserati) and for Suzuki. Yanfeng is Global Automotive supplier of Car Interiors parts as Instrument Panels, Cockpits, Floor Consoles, Door Panels, Safety Systems, Seating Systems and Smart Cabin applications. |
 | Miroslav Fülöp CEO, SLUŽBA NITRA Speaker BIO Miroslav Fülöp, after graduating from the Faculty of Commerce at the University of Economics in Bratislava in 1996, he earned his law degree at the Faculty of Law at the University of Trnava in 2008. Miroslav worked in real estate sector for past 16 years. In December 2022, he took over the management of the company with the ambition to intesify the process of automation and robotization of production, with the aim of increasing competitiveness and added value of the company in the field of automotive ligthing. |
 | Pavel Grmela Project manager for CO2 neutrality, ŠKODA Auto Speaker BIO Pavel is currently project manager for CO2-neutrality at SKODA Auto. His focus is mainly on the decarbonization of the production (Scope 1 and Scope 2). Previously he was working at SKODA as an expert of fleet CO2 and LCA calculations. He is a graduate of the Hochschule Zittau-Görlitz in the field of housing industry. Pavel has been long focused on topics of renewables energy and energy savings. He worked as a project manager for 3 Czech-Saxony cross-boarder projects focused on renewable energy. To improve his specialization he completed the course European Energy Manager with focus on energy of the DTIHK. At SKODA is he also active on the fields of Sustainability, Circular Economy and Biodiversity. |
