Speakers

Jaroslav Lexa is an eternal optimist who has never lost faith in the fact that it is possible to shop in Slovakia in a funny, interesting and at the same time economical and in accordance with the law. He writes contracts, objections, articles, books and has blogged in the past. As a public procurement trainer, he can explain to people where common sense is found in the law. He is a recognised expert in public procurement, promoting the application of innovative practices in this area, including social and environmental aspects. He is also a co-founder of the Slovak APUeN. After 6.5 years at the Office for Public Procurement as Director of Methodology and Deputy Chairman of the Office for Public Procurement, he returned a few days ago to the team of buyers and trainers at APUEN AKADÉMIA s.r.o.

As a procurement specialist with more than twenty years of experience in multinational companies such as Ikea, Innogy, Makro and Amazon, Miloš has held strategic leadership positions and gained procurement experience in all its complexity. He is a major promoter of e-procurement and other modern tools for efficient procurement, as well as maximum transparency in the tender process. He currently applies his experience as Procurement and Operations Manager at ESET.

Tom leads the procurement team in the Asahi Brewery Group, aiming to make a lasting contribution to the strategic development of Asahi Europe & International in terms of savings, innovation, risk management, and environmental sustainability through advanced category management, and close relationships with suppliers and internal customers.

Jan Janek is a partner at Kerkhoff Consulting GmbH. In the past, he was, among other roles, a director in the advisory department at Deloitte Austria. He has more than 15 years of professional experience with transformation projects in procurement and governance. He is involved in process design and management of the P2P stream in an S/4 HANA and Ariba implementation project, developing a digital P2P governance strategy for a shared service center in the EU, implementing a centralized S2P solution across countries in the largest banking group in Central and Eastern Europe, and implementing a group-wide category management governance model in the largest banking group in Central and Eastern Europe. Jan's motto is work smart, not hard.

Experienced procurement manager with over 15 years of practice in various procurement roles, with expertise in services, manufacturing, and commercial sectors. Currently, he works at Penta Hospitals International as the Chief Procurement Officer, overseeing purchases for 44 hospitals, a network of clinics, and Alzheimer's homes in Slovakia, the Czech Republic, and Poland. He focuses on developing the strategic role of procurement, maximizing procurement synergies, and digitizing procurement processes.

Where chaos rules and there are no rules, order and systemization must one day prevail, otherwise we’d get nowhere. Michal Kristiňák, a lawyer with a wealth of professional experience in procurement and logistics, knows this as well as anybody. In recent years, he has overseen the development of procurement and legal teams at energy and gastronomy concerns, such as the Medusa Group, where digitisation and centralization of procurement contributed to significant savings. Currently, he works as Procurement Manager at Amazon Fulfilment Slovakia.

The newly appointed Vice Chairman of the Public Procurement Office (ÚVO), who has extensive experience in public procurement and process management. Previously, he served as Director General at the Ministry of Transport, where he was responsible for implementing knowledge and processes concerning subordinate organizations within the ministry's jurisdiction. At the Ministry of Health, he carried out conceptual, coordination, and control activities at the level of the Ministry of Health of the Slovak Republic in the field of public procurement. He coordinated and methodically supervised procurement processes in relation to organizations under the Ministry of Health, assessed and monitored public procurement processes in the healthcare sector, and issued expert opinions. He was involved in the development of the FLASHBONE system, which was utilized by the Ministry of Health for purchasing ventilators during the critical period of the COVID-19 pandemic and by the State Material Reserves Administration for the procurement of personal protective equipment (PPE). As a lecturer and trainer, he regularly participates in various training sessions on public procurement and holds a certification in the technical preparation and administration of e-auctions and tendering. He also serves as the chairman of the supervisory body of INMM Košice.

He started in public procurement as part of his internship while studying law and this field immediately appealed to him, largely thanks to his great colleagues at the South Moravian Regional Authority, who taught him a great deal and who he is currently honoured to lead. He sees public procurement as an opportunity to contribute to the development of the environment which we inhabit from day to day, so he tries to approach it responsibly and with common sense, but at the same time so that the award process is not only the same merry-go-round of formalities, but it is able to satisfy our goals and priorities.

Since 1994, when Jan ventured into international trade and logistics, he has navigated this industry like a fish in water. He leads procurement teams in companies such as Unipetrol, KUKA, and BLANCO. In addition, he is involved in projects related to process management, mapping, analysis, process improvement, lecturing activities, translations, and education in the field of personal development. He has also embarked on his own B2C project. Apart from his professional commitment, he has enjoyed baseball since childhood and cheers for the Arrows Ostrava team in the league. In his free time, he indulges in creative activities in the field of graphics and enjoys immersing himself in the world of Terry Pratchett's Discworld, where characters and stories of this fantastical realm enchant him.

Over the last 12 years, Zdeněk has known the world of purchasing from various angles, from the buyer, through the sourcing manager to the purchasing solutions consultant. Currently in the position of Head of Business Development for purchasing solutions at SAP, he helps customers find optimal ways of digital transformation in purchasing, finance and logistics. Zdeněk is also working on strategic projects associated with new solutions. In the spirit of "versatility is the key to the buyer's success", In his free time, he devotes himself to studying foreign languages, beekeeping and martial arts.

Rasto co-founded Cequence, a Slovak solution that uses the latest technologies (machine learning, artificial intelligence, NLP) and integrates ChatGPT from Open Ai for modern contract management. He brings to the Cequence team 15 years of experience in leadership positions within contract management, process engineering, and digital innovation in procurement. He has negotiated contract terms for multinational companies in purchases worth more than 50 million Euros. His interest in technology has applied to continuous process improvement in procurement, contract management, team efficiency, and internal company collaboration. Today, his ideas and vision for smart contract management have translated into the Cequence solution, which helps clients save thousands of hours of work every day. When he's not thinking about the future of contract creation and negotiation, he's interested in street art and alternative art forms, planning his next trip to an exciting destination, or evaluating the quality of a local beer.

Jaromír Šponar is a recognized Microsoft MVP, deeply involved in crafting Microsoft partnership strategies at Konica Minolta. With a focus beyond just achievements, his expertise lies in enhancing partnership ecosystems and exploring the innovative frontiers of Microsoft AI to foster business growth. Jaromír is known for sharing actionable insights and fostering collaboration within the tech community. As a speaker, he is passionate about empowering attendees with the knowledge to leverage AI technologies effectively

You'll definitely recognize him by the title professor, but Vladimir Baar is no dry academic. On the contrary, with a backpack on his back, he has traversed half the world from Russia, through Cambodia, Vietnam, the USA, all the way to exotic New Zealand, and beyond... Everywhere he sought inspiration for his scholarly articles, which you can find in prestigious journals such as Geografické rozhledy, Politické vedy, Folia Geographica, Tiltai-Bridges-Brücken, Annual of Language & Politics, and Politics of Identity, where he also serves on editorial boards. This culturally and politically adept traveler has long served as the rector of Ostrava University and continues to do what he loves there - opening young minds to the knowledge and connections of the Eastern world. When he's not on the road or sharing his pearls of wisdom with students, you'll find him either behind the microphone of Czech Radio, in front of the camera of Czech Television, or wielding a hoe in the garden. And all of this with the support of his wife and three sons. So, if you're looking for someone to broaden your horizons and show you how to live life to the fullest, Vladimir Baar is your man.

From his position as Head of Global Commodity Management at the multinational concern Siemens Energy, he oversees the strategic development and implementation of sourcing processes. His responsibilities include production plants for industrial steam turbines, industrial generators and gas engines worldwide. He is a respected expert in the field of centralized procurement and project management in the implementation of new procurement tools and procedures. He has also utilised his experience in other procurement teams, such as the RWE energy group.

Jan is a legal expert specialising in healthcare, mainly in the area of payments and issues surrounding healthcare funding. He is active in the field of public procurement and its e-enabling and the use of eAuctions in the process of evaluating suppliers’ bids. He also deals with legal issues and in the context of providing advice to legislators he has managed to design and enforce a "small user amendment" to the law on public procurement.

Kateřina Koláčková is dedicated to her mission, which is to provide highly active support to contracting authorities and to simplify and accelerate public procurement 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. She certainly has ways to inspire others in public procurement, whether through her experience implementing various contracts across sectors or different forms of evaluating bids. Since 2004, she has been actively involved in public procurement from the perspective of contracting authorities. As a result, she has implemented tenders in the tens of billions.

Jiří Slavík is a native of Havířov and was a career diplomat at the Czech Foreign Ministry for almost 25 years. During his diplomatic career, he served as Minister Counsellor at the Czech Embassies in Italy (Rome) and Egypt (Cairo), as Czech Ambassador in Saudi Arabia (Riyadh), from where he was also accredited to Bahrain, Oman and Yemen, and subsequently in the United Arab Emirates (Abu Dhabi). He had the opportunity to experience the Arab world in depth, including local customs, business opportunities, cultural and social specificities. Currently, he works as an external lecturer at the Department of Social Geography and Regional Development at the Faculty of Science of the University of Ostrava, and is strongly motivated by passing on his own experiences from diplomatic practice and life abroad to students. In his native Havířov, he served as deputy mayor in the 1990s and knows the importance of working for the citizens and their happy life. As a graduate of technical cybernetics, he worked for thirteen years in a research institute in Ostrava-Radvanice after his studies. In his spare time, he and his wife devote themselves to the folklore ensemble Vonička Havířov, which they founded in the early 1990s.

Currently, Dáša is the director of the Office for Investments and Acquisitions of the Ministry of Defense of the Slovak Republic. In the past, she managed public procurement and purchases at Slovak ministries of finance, interior, and culture. There are few commodities, situations, and problems she hasn't encountered. It follows that her expertise must be quite substantial. And indeed, it is. In addition to training, lecturing, publishing, and advising, she has been involved in public procurement since 2006. She is a fan of digitization, but she argues that human potential and relationships are irreplaceable. She adheres to the principle of common sense and tries to convince her surroundings and the professional (and non-professional) public that it is possible to succeed in public procurement.

Since 2004, Petra has been involved in procurement in international concerns. She has held various positions in procurement. She is intensively involved in the streamlining of procurement processes using modern IT technologies and the development of procurement competencies in the areas of strategic procurement. She also works as a mentor in Business & Professional Woman CR z.s. She held the position of Procurement Director at innogy Česká republika a.s., GasNet, s.r.o., and now she is Country Head of Procurement CZ/SK/GE/AT at Plzeňský Prazdroj, a.s.

At eBF it would be hard to miss an expert who has carried out corporate purchases worth more than €3.5 billion. Jacek Jarmuszczak, who has 17 years of experience in supply chain management, is undoubtedly one of the most sought-after speakers in global procurement. Previously, he held the positions of Strategic Buyer in the Philips Group and Global Category Manager in the Carlsberg Group and Danfoss Group. Then Vice President at Nextbuy. Now he works in his own venture as a founder of OperaPro Procurement Consultancy and you can see him on Okiem Kupca - YT channel.

Marketing specialist, consultant and head of the PROEBIZ project, Milan Kaplan has frequently shared his experience at conferences in the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Poland. In the 1990s he founded NAR which specialized in marketing for industrial concerns. Subsequently, he began to develop and put into practice eBusiness technologies, such as using eAuctions for supplier selection and the digitisation of the procurement process. The PROEBIZ project is now the most widespread eAuction platform and a source of know-how throughout Central Europe.

Peter is the Group Head of Project Procurement in MOL Group. He has extensive experience within strategic procurement as Senior Category Manager for MRO. Prior transformation he led local Procurement in Slovnaft. He graduated executive double MBA SEED/Corvinus and one year CIPS practitioner course. Besides DNT program, he lectures in MOL Group Internal Academy and University in Komárno. He likes to enjoy life fully in his spare time.

Martin has been involved in public procurement issues almost all his professional life, from his position as a clerk at the Public Procurement Section of the Public Procurement Office, a student and teacher at Mendel University in Brno, where he lectured and actively published professional articles on this topic, and currently as the head of the Public Procurement Department at the Brno University of Technology. He regularly participates in conferences, seminars, and workshops on public procurement issues and publishes in professional journals. He advocates and promotes an open, less conservative, less formalistic, rational, and innovative approach to public procurement. The contracting authority's energy should not be focused only on the procedural side of the procurement, which does not play a vital role in the 'search for quality.' Instead, the main focus is developing the BVA/m4E method as an effective and versatile tool for selecting a quality supplier. Since 2021, Martin has been a member of the Public Procurement Appeals Committee of the Office for the Protection of Competition.

Marcela is the CEO and co-founder of the consulting company APUEN AKADÉMIA s.r.o. and Vice President of APUeN SK, an OZ founded to promote the electronicisation of procurement. In her professional practice, she is mainly engaged in advisory and consulting activities for contractors and public procurers. In addition, she contributes to the development of legislation and application practice in public procurement. She also cooperates with non-profit organisations such as Transparency International Slovakia, the Stop Corruption Foundation, and slovensko.digital. She is passionate about public procurement and she gives many inspiring lectures in this area, she participates at international conferences and streams on her youtube channel. She is a member of the Procurement Board, a collective of inspirational buyers and procurement professionals.

Michal Garaj was offered a job in public procurement on his way to Spain, from where he headed for the audition for the Slovak Public Procurement Office (PPO). He succeeded in the audition and began to address objections in review procedures. Later he was recruited to the Council of the PPO, where he helped with second level decision-making. After six and a half years he was "transferred" to the team of the Mayor of Bratislava, Matúš Vallo. He has headed the Public Procurement Department, where he strives to get the highest added value possible.

Detailed knowledge and a career in an attractive and challenging environment is a very brief summary of Václav Pelouch’s CV, who has experience in the operation, management and maintenance of the National Theatre in Prague, where he has been working since 1998. He has held various positions there, including managing the theatre in 2012-2013. Currently, he is Head of Technical and Operational Administration, where he ensures the preparation and implementation of investments and public tenders. He may well share with us the latest on the ongoing renovation of the historical State Opera buildings, for which he heads the implementation team.

Marcin has more than 20 years’ experience in various purchasing functions. 17 years in Royal Philips/Philips Lighting/Signify – a company undergoing severe restructurings and technological revolutions over all those years. He has been purchasing manager in Thule Poland since January 2020. He enjoys sharing knowledge and observations from his ongoing procurement journey as well as learning from others during procurement conferences and forums.

Since graduating from law school, she has been involved in public procurement, gaining experience as a Representative of the Controlling Body of EU funds and as a contracting authority. Currently she is the Director of the Pilsen Region Public Procurement Department, which administers public procurement for 115 contributory organizations. In 2022 alone, her team saved the regional government more than CZK 400 million. She promotes modern and innovative ways of public procurement and the digitalization of public administration. In her spare time, she enjoys diving, sports, and traveling.

Martin has extensive experience in supply chain management, procurement, strategic and operational purchasing, logistics, replenishment, planning, forecasting, S&OP, distribution systems management, and general operations in retail, wholesale, distribution, manufacturing, and co-production.

Ondrej is a counsel at HAVEL & PARTNERS and focuses on advising the public sector, commercial relations, and contract law. In addition, Ondrej advises on complex ICT, innovation, transport, energy, insurance, and infrastructure construction projects. Ondrej also focuses on passenger rail and road transport regulation and often supports foreign clients in implementing their projects in the Czech Republic. Furthermore, he is the author of many professional articles, co-author of the MMR methodologies in the field of VR, and an active participant in professional groups and conferences.

He is a graduate of the Czech Agricultural University. Since 2008 he has been working in the brewing industry, for the last 12 years he has been working at Pivovary Staropramen s.r.o., where he is the head of the Purchasing Department. Miroslav promotes a sustainable style of purchasing with respect to business, people and the environment. He is a pragmatist who still believes in common sense. In the company he is actively involved in the sustainability and diversity, equality and inclusion agenda in addition to purchasing. In his spare time, he enjoys his family, outdoor sports and fishing.

Expert in public procurement legislation and lecturer at the Polish Tender Service Group. She has 13 years of experience in the field, including working in the procurement department of one of the largest university hospitals in Poland. For the last three years she has been helping suppliers and bidders to navigate the public procurement landscape. She is the author of the blog www.bzp.pl, which is dedicated to this issue.

He graduated from the Faculty of Law at Comenius University in Bratislava. After ten years in the field of commercial and civil law, he transitioned into the dynamic environment of public procurement. Through his work in governmental institutions as well as in private consulting firms, he has gained extensive knowledge of public procurement from the proud perspectives of major contracting authorities to the humble viewpoints of the smallest ones. Currently, he serves as the Director of Methodology and Regional Centers at the Public Procurement Office in Bratislava.

Luboš has 20 years of experience in strategic sourcing from global companies, both in industry and consulting. He is a passionate supporter of digitizing and professionalizing procurement, leveraging and processing data for better decision-making, empowering procurement teams within their companies and transforming procurement to create value not only in the form of savings but also innovation, risk avoidance, and understanding the needs of internal customers.

He graduated from the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering at the Slovak University of Technology in Bratislava. He gained work experience as a business and project manager in energy and construction. Since 2014, he has worked at NAFTA, where he held the position of Senior Procurement Specialist, participating in the comprehensive electronicization of procurement processes. He currently serves as the Chief Operating and Procurement Officer at Penta Hospitals Slovakia, overseeing procurement and operations for a network of 16 hospitals and 14 clinics in Slovakia.

Director of the Public Procurement Department II at the Office for the Protection of Competition. After graduating from the Faculty of Law at Charles University, he worked for almost ten years at the Prague 2 Municipal Office, where he was involved in public procurement; in 2012 he moved to the other side of the imaginary barricade and has been supervising the procedures of contracting authorities ever since. He participated in the formulation of the thirteenth part of the currently effective Public Procurement Act regulating supplier protection, i.e., objections and supervision of compliance with the Act by the Office for the Protection of Competition. In addition to its undeniable complexity, he believes that public procurement is also characterized by its dynamism and the diversity of the problems addressed, which require a comprehensive approach to solving them. He regularly lectures and publishes on topics of public procurement. He is a member of the expert group of the Ministry for Regional Development on the Public Procurement Act.

Michal has nearly 20 years of experience in procurement in various international companies (FMCG, consulting, energy sector) with clear objectives to optimize procurement activities. His career also includes a mission in FMCG sales to understand the entire supply chain from customers to production and back. Recently, he has been focusing on optimizing the procurement process, Problem-Solving, Simplification, Sustainability, and Risk Management areas and leadership. Moreover, he likes assisting with the personal development of his colleagues. He is the Procurement Director at Orkla Foods Czech Republic and Slovakia.

“If I have a job to do, it is worth doing it well”, says Kamil Lipski, who can be described as an energetic specialist with experience in project management, procurement and logistics. While in previous years he held various positions at companies such as DB Schenker, Unilever, and Orlen, two years ago he returned to Amazon Poland, where he is the Head of the Procurement Analyst Team.

Václav Šlapka's professional career is linked to the pride of Czech industry, the Škoda Auto car company, where he works as Coordinator of Data Analysis and Process Centre. Prior to that, he gained experience as a Procurement Specialist, focusing, for example, on sourcing new suppliers in low-cost countries, or as assistant to the head of general procurement. At Škoda he also completed his university studies in Business Economics, Global Business and Financial Management.

Jan is a partner at ACTUM Digital responsible for Procurement, Supply-Chain and SAP. Thanks to his comprehensive knowledge of the SAP portfolio, Jan currently focuses mainly on validation and preparation of business cases or quality assurance for projects implementing SAP cloud solutions. Jan has gained experience with SAP systems and processes as a data analyst creating data analytics tools for internal auditing of procurement and sales processes for a variety of clients mostly in the manufacturing industry. He holds a Masters degree in Information Management and a Bachelors degree in Management.

Co-founder and Managing Director of the Polish company Tender Service Group. Public procurement expert with almost 30 years of experience. Creator of the first Polish public procurement monitoring portal Pressinfo.pl and a leader in the field of information systems for contractors, organizers and participants in public procurement in Poland and abroad. He manages platforms such as pressinfo.pl, oferty-biznesowe.pl, info-przetargi.pl and others.

Dr. Birgit Moritz is a recognized expert in game theory negotiation and strategic decision-making with extensive experience in the automotive, renewable energy, consumer, telecommunications, healthcare and logistics industries. She is a director at TWS Partners and previously a researcher and lecturer at the Centre for the Study of Law and Economics at Saarland University. She is expert in applied market design and game theory, often in the field of strategic purchasing.

He has been working as a director of Kühne + Nagel, spol. s r.o. for 6 years, but he joined the logistics industry in 1991. Having already been present at the founding of the Czech branch, he feels extremely connected to the company. He appreciates the humanity and openness in communication and is glad that together with his colleagues he can offer complex logistics solutions that reflect the requirements of digitalization and sustainability even in today's changing world.

Tomáš Kotyza is a prominent figure in Czech public administration. Since 2013, he has held the position of Director of the Regional Authority of the Moravian-Silesian Region, where he has been serving in various leadership roles since 2001. For his ability to efficiently manage a public institution and implement modern managerial approaches, he was awarded the Public Administration Manager of the Year 2020 in 2021. His goal is to create a modern and friendly institution that provides high-quality services to the public and efficiently manages regional assets.

It may come as a bit of a surprise that the domain of Zdeněk Pytlíček, who has worked his way up from a buyer to a strategist, is all procurement activities that do not involve "buying". At GasNet, he is currently focusing on digitization, automation and robotization of procurement processes, implementation, and development of procurement systems, reporting and analysis, and procurement legislation. An example? In 2017, the first robotic procurement process was launched and now more than 92% of procurement transactions are carried out by machines, without the intervention of buyers.

Leoš Vrzalík has been tasked with introducing the principles of sustainability into the central purchasing of the Asahi CE. In his position of Sustainability Procurement Lead he focuses mainly on packaging, carbon footprint and raw material supplies. Prior to this, he worked for 17 years in managerial positions at Skanska. The fact that he has linked his professional life with the principles of sustainability is well illustrated by the fact that he was also the Chairman of the Board of the Czech Green Building Council.

Alena is the Head of Procurement and Public Tenders at Nové Město na Moravě Hospital. She has rich experience in a wide range of public tenders and finance from EU funds. Her specialisation is in investment tenders, particularly for medical technology and construction work using eAuctions as the medium for evaluating bids.

The constant development and improvement of people and processes are the main professional goals of our next speaker, whose name is Mikołaj Kuc. He’s amassed more than twelve years’ procurement experience, seeking to achieve low costs and high efficiency through modern project management techniques. He first worked in the FMCG sector but has been in the brewing business since 2013. He is now Category Manager at Asahi Breweries Europe, where he’s in charge of procurement strategy for the MRO (maintenance and repair) category.

Procurement Officer, Commodity Purchaser and Procurement Manager: these are all positions that have been held by Hana Sušková during her career. She is currently the Procurement Director at AL INVEST Břidličná. She gained her experience in leading teams, implementing new systems, electronic procurement processes, and negotiating with industrial suppliers in companies such as Škoda Vagonka, OKD, OKK Coking Plants and Tatra Defence Vehicle.

Václav Ocelík is an experienced consultant and an expert in negotiations in competitive and bilateral environments. He focuses on strategic decision-making, capability management and process optimization in the transport, steel, semiconductor and packaging industries. His career includes work experience in the Netherlands, Germany and Asia. He has been a researcher and lecturer at the Amsterdam Business School (University of Amsterdam), where he was involved in research and teaching in strategic negotiation and game theory applications.

He has been involved in public procurement for over ten years, working through academia and the private sector to anchor public administration at the Office of the Banská Bystrica Self-Governing Region. Here, as Head of the Public Procurement Department, he set up the processes related to public procurement from scratch and fully streamlined them. In addition to public procurement, he is involved in the investment process as Director of the Public Procurement and Investment Department.

Jiří Votava is the founder and owner of BrainMarket, which focuses on the production and sale of premium dietary supplements, organic food and eco cosmetics. As a student of Applied Informatics at the University of Applied Sciences in Ostrava, he founded a carpet cleaning company and has already placed emphasis on customer satisfaction. And so it has remained until today. His goal is to support people's physical and mental health through quality and scientifically based products.Today, BrainMarket is one of the leaders in functional nutrition and healthy lifestyle. It offers a wide portfolio of products for immunity, sports, sleep and overall vitality. In addition to a successful e-shop, it operates brick-and-mortar stores and is expanding into international markets. Jiří Votava relies on innovation, quality and a holistic approach to health. In his spare time, he is devoted to family and active recreation. He is an amateur mountaineer - he has climbed Mount Blanc, visited the Himalayas and, if it weren't for the weather, he would have completed the Matterhorn, which he plans to return to.

Martin holds a law degree from Charles University in Prague and a postgraduate LLM in Corporate Law from Masaryk University in Brno in cooperation with Nottingham Trent University. He has been involved with public procurement for more than ten years, beginning in 2005 when he became Head of the Procurement Department at RAVEN Consulting (today Erste Grantika Advisory). In 2009, he became Manager of the Department of Project Implementation at the same company. In 2011 he joined Masaryk University as Head of the Public Procurement Department. Currently, he and his colleagues carry out central purchasing for the university using dynamic purchasing systems and framework contracts. He also manages public procurement co-financed from EU operational programmes, coordinates the use of digital solutions for public procurement, provides methodological support to university administration centres and monitors the contracting of public tenders. He also occasionally lectures.

Marek is an experienced professional in the field of purchasing for manufacturing companies and distribution. As Solarity's Director of Purchasing, he manages the global procurement of photovoltaic products for the company's offices in Europe, Ukraine, the Middle East, North Africa and Latin America. He spends several weeks each year in China where he builds strong relationships with the world's largest manufacturers. He leads a team of strategic and operational buyers, product management and logistics to ensure their work is efficient, fast and reliable, including the use of AI and data analytics. He is constantly working on his development and strives to improve in all areas of life. He enjoys spending his free time with his family, sports and traveling.

After finishing law school and three years of practice in a law firm, Martina started working in public procurement, where she worked as the head of the Procurement Department at Czech Radio. During her time in this role, she introduced eAuctions and promoted digitalization. For the last two years she has been the Executive Director of the Association for Public Procurement. She has organized educational events, developed new partnerships, "set in motion" a project of working groups in selected areas of public procurement and publishes in the journal "Public Procurement in Practice". She has also been involved in legislative initiatives to facilitate public procurement. She is currently working at the Ministry of Regional Development as Head of the Implementation Unit of the Public Investment System Support Programme.

For approximately the last twenty years, he has managed the logistics division of the energy company ZSE a.s., thus reliably knowing all the routes from suppliers to the right place within the company. He responsibly and creatively led strategic purchasing, operational purchasing, and warehousing services with transportation. Thanks to his specialization, he was a member of the "Corporate Supply Chain" and "Grid BAP" in the E.ON group. He advocates for maximum digitalization, transparency of the entire procurement process, and the creation of qualification systems for suppliers.

We will undoubtedly be convinced that our neighbours in Poland also know about procurement, consulting and sourcing by Mateusz Borowiecki. A truly wide-ranging expert with more than fifteen years’ experience in international projects, including IT projects; he has introduced clients to the procurement systems of a variety of providers. He regularly speaks at procurement conferences, publishes papers on corporate procurement and is a lecturer in postgraduate studies in procurement at Kozminski University in Warsaw and at WSB in Wroclaw.

A working knowledge of procurement categories and cost analysis are, according to Peter Čambál, important procedures and tools in procurement, in which has been working for over twelve years. Since 2015 he has been Manager of Tenders at Slovenské Elektrárne, where he is directly involved in the transformation of procurement from tactical to strategic. He is considered to a pioneer of applying Design to Cost (DTC) methodology at SE. In addition to his home turf of Slovakia, he has also worked in Russia, at Enel Russia from 2013 to 2015 as DTC Manager.

Urszula is an experienced procurement professional with over 23 years of experience in strategic sourcing, category management and supplier relationship management in global companies (Sarantis, Berry Global, Avon, Diageo, Philips). She has experience managing multiple categories of direct and indirect spend, leading cross-functional and international teams, and creating value through strategic initiatives in complex matrix organizations. Her career path has given her experience in strategic sourcing, creating category strategies, negotiating contracts and pricing, optimizing costs and initiating innovative projects with suppliers. She is passionate about the strategic dimension of the purchasing process and collaborating with internal and external partners to achieve strategic objectives. She is recognized for her energy, enthusiasm and excellent communication skills and places a high value on relationship building. She enjoys sharing knowledge and learning new things. With years of experience, she appreciates the human dimension of processes and organizations - after all, business is about collaboration between people.

EAME Procurement Manager - Corporate Services at the global company ExxonMobil with over 20 years of experience in Procurement, including 18 years in leadership positions. Karolína possesses extensive professional expertise across a broad spectrum of procurement categories, encompassing Corporate Services, Marketing, Talent Management, Information Technology, and extending to commodity categories such as chemical products, fuels, and lubricants. She primarily focuses on strategic procurement for the European and African markets. Karolína is a passionate and active advocate for inclusion and diversity, actively supporting equal opportunities for the professional and personal development of women.

Branislav Šarmír is coming to Ostrava with news from brotherly Slovakia, with whom we understand each other very well linguistically and philosophically. During his professional career, he has worked in large companies such as EuroTel, UPC, VUB, and IBM Slovakia since 1996. In addition, however, he has traded management positions in marketing, sales, and customer service for public and corporate procurement, which is his current "job" at obstaráme, s.r.o.

He graduated in Security from the VŠB - Technical University of Ostrava and has been working in this field ever since. From the very beginning, he has focused on efficient and innovative security solutions that provide clients with cost-effective protection for their premises, whether administrative complexes, industrial or logistics areas, data centers, or elements of critical infrastructure. He describes that, with few exceptions, the budget for security in each company is limited, making the design and tendering process extremely important. He has extensive experience in security assessments, designs, and the implementation of individual projects. He regularly tests his risk assessment skills by mountaineering.

Romana Martincová is a seasoned HR manager, coach and therapist who specializes in the development of companies, teams and individuals. She gained her extensive experience in companies such as Red Bull and L'Oréal, where she worked in human resources management, building effective teams and strategic HR. In addition, she worked in external HR consulting and ran a recruitment agency. In her practice, Elevate Me helps organizations create an environment that fosters growth, engagement and long-term performance. She focuses on leadership, talent management and corporate culture development. At the same time, she works with individuals to help them overcome personal and professional challenges, manage stress, and find work-life balance. As a yoga teacher, she also integrates yoga philosophy into her work, fostering deeper self-development and resilience in her clients.

Oleksandr is a highly experienced and results-driven international business leader specializing in Procurement and Supply Chain. With over 25 years of experience across industries like FMCG (Mondelez, Coca-Cola), Packaging (DS Smith, SHP Group), Pharma, and Industrial sectors, enriched with Management Consultancy (Accenture), Oleksandr has a proven track record of helping businesses improve efficiency, reduce costs, and drive innovation. Passionate about turning challenges into opportunities, he works closely with industry leaders to strengthen their operations, upskill teams, and implement practical strategies for long-term success. Known for a hands-on and collaborative approach, Oleksandr builds on bringing stakeholders together to identify opportunities, align strategies, and create meaningful, lasting impact. His recent professional interests were growing into the area of Collaborative Sourcing/Crowd-Sourcing through effective cooperation of purchasing organizations, and Source-to-Pay processes automation with use of modern technologies.

Ivana is a purchasing manager at Veolia Group, where she is responsible for purchasing process consulting and digitalization projects. In the past, she was in charge of materials and operational purchasing and has experience in customer centre management.

A lawyer specializing in public investments and public procurement. Currently, she serves as Of Counsel at the law firm HAVEL & PARTNERS, where, until 2023, she worked as a partner building a team specialized in the public sector (40 lawyers). During her tenure, the team secured four victories in the Legal Firm of the Year competition for the field of public procurement. Since January 2023, she has been dedicating half of her capacity as an advisor to the Chief Executive Officer Leona Gergelová Šteigrová at the Ministry of Regional Development (MMR) in the preparation team – and since February 2024, for the implementation - of the National Public Procurement Strategy, continuing her involvement from the Responsible Procurement (SOVZ) project at the Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs (MPSV). Additionally, Adéla Havlová is involved in the leadership of professional associations (Association for Public Procurement - AVZ and Union of Administrators - UNIAVEZ) and is a member of the MMR expert group on legislation related to public procurement. She is dedicated to the development of best practices and innovations in public procurement, including digitization, circular economy, procurement practices and systems, quality assessment, etc. From 2014 to 2023, she was a member of the Adjudicating Commission of the Office for the Protection of Economic Competition. She leverages knowledge from other EU member states, especially Germany, Austria, the Netherlands, and of course, Slovakia. She regularly lectures and publishes in professional journals.

Zdeněk has worked as a lawyer in the public domain for nearly thirty years and has been involved in public procurement for more than fifteen. He was, for instance, the Director of the Public Procurement and Central Procurement Department at the Ministry of the Interior. Since 2014, he has headed the Public Procurement Department at Charles University, and among his responsibilities belong university-wide procurement and methodological support for staff. He is a member of the Executive Committee of the Association for Public Procurement and represents the University in the Responsible Public Procurement Platform. In his leisure time, he enjoys cooking and cycling.

A leading expert in resilience psychology, crisis situations, and team dynamics. A retired colonel and chief military psychologist with over 22 years of service in the Army of the Czech Republic. Since 2023, she has been a member of the elite instructor team at Vyjednavame.cz, specializing in mental resilience psychology, negotiation, and public speaking. She trains special forces, diplomats, security services, corporate clients, and NGOs for deployment in high-risk areas abroad. She works with people in crisis situations, supports hostage families during kidnappings, and helps hostages reintegrate into everyday life after their return. Helena is also a proud mother and partner, a passionate sailor, and a dog lover.

In 1999, Martina successfully completed her master's studies at the University of Economics in Bratislava and has since devoted herself to her professional career at U.S. Steel Košice, where she has been a key team member for over twenty years. During this long period, she had the unique opportunity to visit the United States twice, actively developing her professional skills. Throughout her career abroad, Martina gained valuable experience working in various teams and holding various positions, from purchasing manager to release manager. She currently holds the position of General Purchasing Manager, where she excels in her ability for strategic planning and leading the team to achieve excellent results. Outside of work, Martina spends her free time exploring ski slopes and enjoys moments spent on mountain peaks. Her passion for skiing challenges is combined with a love for nature

Long-time manager of the PROEBIZ project. Consultant and innovator in digitalizing corporate and public procurement systems with more than 20 years of experience in the field. He strives to spread computerization in procurement processes not only in the private but also in the public sector. Currently, he is the Executive Director of PROEBIZ Group.

Martin has been working at Česká televize since 2012 and is the head of the central purchasing department. He is responsible for all purchases, with the exception of program rights and services directly related to the production of program content for broadcasting and distribution via the internet. At Česká televize, he has promoted the insourcing of services related to public procurement and the gradual introduction of sustainable purchasing elements. Within public procurement, he strives to consider all relevant life cycle costs, seeks balanced and long-term cooperation with suppliers, and within evaluation criteria, aims to assess quality wherever it makes sense. He values courage and initiative in colleagues, and dislikes unnecessary formalism and excuses. His interests include classic cars, tramping (bushcraft) combined with high gastronomy over an open fire, long-distance hiking, and an unnamed agent of Her Majesty.

Jan is a graduate of the Faculty of Law at Masaryk University. He began to gain experience in procurement law between 2009 and 2012 in the position of a secretary of the chairman of the Office for the Protection of Competition's decommissioning commissions. After two years of practice as a lawyer and lecturer at OTIDEA, he spent eight years at the Prague Public Transit Company, followed by a year as director of the legal department at Prague Transport Company, where he managed public procurement of legal services using BVA procedures. They were the first in the Czech Republic to assess only qualityvwith a fixed price in this segment. Currently, he works at Tender Society and KGS legal law firm. Throughout his career, he has gone through all three main branches of procurement practice - supervisory, advisory, and contracting. In his current activities, he specializes in providing external legal services to public and sectoral procurers in all areas of procurement and investment. He further shares his experience through training sessions and seminars for the public, as well as through publishing activities.

Ivan Macho is the business director of PKV, a consultancy firm in the energy sector. He helps clients with preparing projects that save money for companies and the public sector while reducing carbon footprint. He also assists cities and municipalities with integrating energy management and creating energy concepts, among other things.

With more than 20 years of experience, Michael Delle bridges technology and strategic procurement. At Nokia Networks, he quickly advanced to managing global IT solution procurement. At Ericsson, he was responsible for strategic ICT procurement with a budget of €1.8 billion, achieving 18% savings in 2017. Later, as a consultant, he helped companies with digital transformation. Since 2020, he has been leading global procurement at BLANCO GmbH & Co KG, where he modernized processes and achieved €15 million in savings. He holds a master’s degree in Business IT and speaks three languages. His story is an inspiration for integrating technology with business.

Piotr Bucki builds bridges between psychology, communication, and business. A word architect who prefers designing ideas over buildings. An actor who swapped the theater stage for training and lectures. A psychologist constantly questioning how we know what we know. For 20 years, he has been teaching people how to communicate clearly, persuasively, and with an understanding of how the human mind works. He has collaborated with companies worldwide – from Australia to Chile. He has written several books on communication, psychology, and marketing and translated 12 professional titles. His TEDx talk has been viewed by over 280,000 people. He lectures at WSB, SWPS, SGH, and AGH. He trains teams at Allegro, Dynatrace, Santander, and the European Space Agency.

Certified Clinical Naturopath, Accredited Nutrition Consultant, and Lecturer with over 10 years of experience. Founder of the Naturally to Health Integrative Care Center, the first psychological-naturopathic clinic in Moravia. As the Vice-Chair of the Czech Naturopathic Society, she actively contributes to the development of the field and public education. She lectures at the School of Clinical Naturopathy, secondary schools, and businesses. She helps clients improve their physical and mental well-being, mentors teams in therapeutic nutrition and phytotherapy, and provides training on chronic fatigue prevention. Originally a journalist, she worked on the Memory of the Nation project, documenting stories of survivors of totalitarian regimes. She also gained experience in Ghana, participating in community development projects. In her practice, she combines scientific knowledge with a holistic approach to health.

Honza has been working in the Central Procurement Department since 2011 as a specialist officer. Over the years, the scope of his work in this position has developed in several directions. From technical support, through mentoring and training users of the electronic tool for public procurement, to administering tender procedures, acting as the contracting authority for centralized public tenders, and — among other things — currently being the most qualified person regarding the MARQUET system within the organizations of the Pilsen Region.

The creed of competing meaningfully and purchasing efficiently is inseparably linked to the work of Jiří, who has been working as the Deputy Director for Business Management at the Regional Health Authority in Ústí nad Labem. Within public procurement, he primarily deals with purchasing medical equipment, applying innovative and bold approaches to public procurement, just as he has done in his previous roles. He is an enthusiastic innovator, initiator of preliminary market consultations, and advocate for responsible procurement, drawing on his experience from the Ministry of Regional Development of the Czech Republic or the Technical Administration of Communications of the City of Prague."

Adam is a sales and procurement management specialist with a strong business and legal background and "bulletproof" leadership experience, capable of leading and implementing changes both through processes and people. All of this in an international environment, where he has been working long-term as a consultant, trainer, and coach for procurement management. He has experience with supplier relationships from both Asian and European markets. Additionally, he is a member of the advisory board of the PSML - Polish Supply Management Leaders association.

Jan Musil is a graduate of the Faculty of Law at Charles University in Prague, where he completed his studies with a rigorous examination and earned the academic title of JUDr. During his studies, he completed several internships in both the public sector – for example, at the High Court in Prague and the Supreme Administrative Court in Brno – and the private sector, including at LEGO. After graduation, he fully dedicated himself to the field of public procurement, starting at the Technology Agency of the Czech Republic as a public procurement lawyer in the area of research, development, and innovation. He is currently working as a junior lawyer (articled clerk) specializing in public procurement law at the renowned law firm MT Legal s.r.o. In his free time, he is involved in education and raising awareness about public procurement through the platform “Veřejné zakázky 24” and is developing Tenderixe – the first artificial intelligence dedicated to public procurement.

Dominik Krizan is a professional in the world of international business operation and management with a background in project management and consulting across Asia, MENA, and Europe. He has led business teams, launched projects, and managed public affairs, developing a passion for the complexities and consequences of global supply chains. He will always emphasise how important it is to understand the local operational and global context in navigating Global Complexity of supply chains.

He worked for 7 years at the Public Procurement Office of the Slovak Republic, spending 5 of those years in the Department for Filing Objections and 2 years in the Office of the Council of the Office. Public procurement still quite fascinates him. His effort to serve the public interest in the best possible way led him to the Public Procurement Department of the Bratislava City Hall, where he currently works.

She was there in 2010 when Masaryk University in Brno switched to digital procurement and introduced dynamic purchasing systems. Nowadays, Naďa Voráčová is Manager of Public Procurement at the University Rectorate where she is always looking for new solutions. In recent years, she has been working on supplementing DPS with framework agreements, on tenders using electronic catalogues, and on introducing an internal e-shop for the complete digitalisation of central purchasing.

Graduate of the Faculty of Law of Comenius University in Bratislava. He has been involved in public procurement since 2013, starting with "euro-fund" contracts for beneficiaries of NFA (non-refundable financial contribution). Since 2019, he has been the Head of the Central Procurement Management Department at Comenius University in Bratislava, the largest university in Slovakia. In his spare time, he enjoys cycling and announcing contracts in the DNS.

Barbora holds the position of Regional Category Manager in the areas of Capex & Engineering at Asahi. She has experience in purchasing from both local and global perspectives, focusing on both manufacturing and non-manufacturing expenditures, global category strategies, and market strategy development, including their implementation in the regions of Europe, Latin America, Africa, and Australia. She is also knowledgeable in sourcing within multicultural environments, taking into account the needs of various stakeholders. At the eBF, she will primarily speak about key indicators of team performance.

Marián Kočiš focuses on macroeconomic and strategic analyses within the Slovak economy. He studied at the Faculty of Management, Economics and Trade at the University of Prešov. He has been active in the banking sector for over ten years, gaining experience and expertise mainly in product management for investment and deposit products. In Slovakia, he is among the most frequently cited analysts in the media regarding economic development.

An experienced procurement manager, trainer and consultant; Karel Otýs is all of these things. He left his senior management procurement position in 2011 to establish his own consulting and training practice. He is enthusiastic about teaching, connecting, advising, sharing, discussing, motivating, training and coaching not only buyers and procurement managers, but also their internal clients and occasionally suppliers. He’s able to find novel solutions with an emphasis on efficiency and simplicity, but also has the ability to break down a complex problem into simple, understandable molecules.

Tomáš works as the Head of Procurement at GasNet. He has extensive experience in managerial positions in procurement, facility management, and large fleet management, which he gained in companies such as RWE/innogy, Czech Airlines, Marks & Spencer, and GasNet. He specializes in process optimization and lean management. He is a father of four and spends his free time with his family, traveling, learning, and engaging in sports.

Dr Sagar Deva is Assistant Professor in the Department of English and American Studies at the University of Ostrava. He is also a specialist in both International Law and International Relations, having led the Global Governance programme at the University of York. He holds a PhD from the University of Sheffield, as well as a master’s degree in Global Politics and a Master of Laws in International Law. He is currently working on a contracted book with Routledge on changes in the global order brought about by the rise of Trumpian populism and has been invited to provide a number of public lectures on this topic both in the Czech Republic and abroad.

Gergö is working as Senior Category Manager for MRO materials and equipment at MOL Group and has spent the last 15 years of his career in procurement working across many industries – automotive, mining and metal- in different areas of procurement covering project procurement and category management activities at big multinational companies like Borgwarner and Alcoa Inc. Gergo has an BsC diploma in economics with specialisation in supply chain management from the Budapest University of Economics.

Milan's passion for change and challenges has led him to a long-term interest in digitalization, where he strives to bring modern technologies into practice and streamline work processes. Before his current role in procurement, he worked as a planner, process engineer, manager, and IT consultant, which often provides him with valuable perspective and the ability to approach things a little differently than usual.

He graduated from the Faculty of Law at Trnava University. He currently works in the Public Procurement Department of the Capital City of the Slovak Republic, Bratislava, and previously worked at the Public Procurement Office. He enjoys bringing innovative, tailor-made elements to public tenders. In his view, procurement that complies with the law but lacks added value is not enough. Recently, he has also been focusing on setting up construction waste recycling in public building contracts to reward more environmentally friendly solutions.

Petr Dovolil is a member of the Presidium of the Czech Business Council for Sustainable Development (CBCSD). He represents PwC in the CBCSD and has been an ESG Manager and Senior Consultant since 2021. He has over 23 years of experience in public policy, regulation, institutions, public procurement, and sustainability. In addition, he has extensive experience in EU-funded infrastructure projects, EU policies and laws, international contracting standards, PPPs, and Czech private and public law. In the last ten years, he has been heavily involved in numerous infrastructure projects and technical assistance to EBRD, EC, and EIB in the Czech Republic and abroad across infrastructure sectors (mainly water, transport, energy, waste, and buildings) around green transition, including ten projects (as Team Leader) on the EBRD "GET Policy Framework - Water Window" (Green Economy Transition). Peter also led the Mott MacDonald team on behalf of the EBRD Green Cities Framework contract. His current focus is on sustainable development, green and digital transformation, and ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) compliance, including the EU Taxonomy, screening (climate, environmental and social), and EU sustainability finance.

Piotr has 20 years of experience and has effectively managed the spending of billions of euros on global markets, including petrochemical commodities. He has worked with suppliers from the US, across Europe, China, and as far as Australia. He is passionate about building long-term strategies, negotiations, and, in recent years, topics related to ESG and improving procurement efficiency through the use of AI. He holds a PhD and lectures at Nicolaus Copernicus University, specializing in research on strategic procurement management.

Jakub Trnobranský began his career in procurement in 2018. At Tesco, he steadily progressed from the position of Tactical Buyer for waste and consumables, through the Head Office category, to his current role as Lead Buying Manager for the property category across the Czech Republic, Slovakia, and Hungary. Procurement is a true passion for him, and he enjoys meeting people who share the same enthusiasm.

Jan Beneš is an American Studies scholar based at the University of Ostrava. He studied at Masaryk University and Texas A&M University in Texas. He regularly provides commentary on political and social developments in the United States for Czech media outlets such as Czech Radio, Czech Television, Deník N, Seznam Zprávy, Novinky.cz, and Lidovky, as well as in the podcasts Redneck and Beneš for the Voxpot platform.

Tomáš has been involved in procurement since the beginning of his professional career. For the last 15 years, he has worked in the telecommunications industry. He has spent a significant part of his career with České Radiokomunikace a.s. as a procurement and PMO manager, where he was involved in projects related to the transition from analog to digital television broadcasting, the digitalization of radio broadcasting, as well as the construction of data centers and the development of IoT. Since 2019, he has been the Executive Director of Central Procurement and PMO at Letiště Praha a. s. He is, therefore, fully responsible for implementing all tenders and RFPs, as well as for the performance of strategic projects related to the operation and development of the airport.

Robert is a passionate procurement individual with more than 20 years of procurement experience. Has great knowledge about CAPEX project, he has been working for MOL Group for the last 10 years where his responsibility to engage the realization of medium sized investments (brown and green fields) related to Refinery, PetChem and Renewables portfolios. As a Project Procurement Manager, he believes procurement shall both control and support. At eBF he is going to share his experiences and thoughts on Engineering.

Rostislav Nápravník is a Senior Consultant at Dun & Bradstreet, a company that has been harnessing the power of data, analytical tools, and data solutions for nearly 200 years to help its clients and partners grow and thrive. More than 6,000 employees around the world are dedicated to this unique mission, upholding values that have positioned the company as a leader in the field of essential business data and analytics. Dun & Bradstreet’s data and insights are valuable at every stage of the business cycle and in any economic environment.

David Oliva is a seasoned procurement and strategic management expert with over 15 years of experience in both international and local companies. He currently serves as Head of Indirect Procurement at AERO Vodochody AEROSPACE, where he leads the procurement team, defines purchasing processes, manages tenders, and implements ERP systems. Previously, he oversaw gastro operations at Benzina (ORLEN Unipetrol) across the Czech and Slovak markets. He also held procurement leadership roles at FOOD AND SERVICE and Corinthia Panorama. He excels in strategic thinking, negotiation, and team leadership.

He currently leads the supply chain management team responsible for operational purchasing, warehousing, and internal logistics at SLOVNAFT and its subsidiaries. He has gained diverse experience in various procurement roles, and his career began in IT, giving him an analytical approach to process optimization. He believes in continuous repetition and improvement of processes to achieve more efficient and agile solutions. He loves Excel almost as much as he loves his daughter.

PhDr. Robert Hájek, psychologist, coach, and former chief psychologist of an elite unit of the Czech Army, will bring a unique perspective on mental resilience, handling pressure, and crisis decision-making to eBF 2025. With experience from missions in Afghanistan, the selection and training of special forces, and working with people under extreme stress, he will demonstrate how to stay calm when everything is at stake. In his current practice, he helps managers, leaders, and specialists build mental strength, navigate challenging situations, and approach negotiations with a clear mind. Join us and get inspired by how military strategies can be applied to achieve success in business.

Dominik Žlebek graduated from the Faculty of Economics and Management at the Czech University of Life Sciences in Prague, earning the title Ing. During his studies, he worked at the Technology Agency of the Czech Republic as a project manager for public contracts in research and innovation. His experience inspired his thesis on “New Trends in Competition Policy,” which resulted in a methodological guide and a published article. After graduation, he worked in public procurement at the municipal company Technologie hlavního města Prahy. Currently, he is a private-sector consultant and focuses on education and the development of Tenderixe, the first AI in public procurement, through the “Veřejné zakázky 24” platform.

Monika works at the Ministry of Regional Development, focusing on environmentally and socially responsible public procurement. She is developing Minimum Standards for Responsible Procurement in line with the National Strategy, aiming to make sustainable purchasing a standard practice with positive impacts on society, the environment, and the support of SMEs and social enterprises. Previously, she worked at the Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs, focusing on responsible procurement methodology and its implementation in organizations. She holds a law degree from Masaryk University and spent over ten years at the State Agricultural and Food Inspection Authority, where she led the legal department. For two years, she was seconded as a national expert to the Legal Unit of the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Health and Food Safety (DG SANTÉ). Her specialization lies in sustainable food procurement.

Assoc. Prof. Ing. Jan Moudrý, Ph.D. is an associate professor at the Department of Agroecosystems, Faculty of Agriculture and Technology, University of South Bohemia in České Budějovice. His work focuses on sustainable agriculture, its environmental impact, and the promotion of organic and local food in public catering. He participates in various national and international research and educational projects. He chairs the working group on local food in public procurement under SZIF, serves as vice-chair of the Czech Technology Platform for Organic Agriculture, and is chair of the Association of Social Farming. He is also actively involved in the advisory organization PRO-BIO, in ministry-level expert groups, and is a member of Agroecology Europe and its Strategic Working Group under the European Commission.

Zdeněk Kabátek is the team leader of consultants at NEOOPS. He has over 25 years of experience in various areas including corporate process outsourcing, document generation management systems, consulting services, project management, and RPA across three continents. Zdeněk has led a growing consulting team at NEOOPS to become one of the most experienced teams in Europe, having completed over 150 RPA projects to date and has automated hundreds of client processes.

Jitka started out as a web application developer, but soon discovered she had a knack not only for debugging code, but also for smoothing out team dynamics. With the rare ability to speak both "tech" (“it works on my machine”) and "normal human” (“why doesn’t it work?”), she naturally moved into IT project management. Today, she works at Brno University of Technology and collaborates with the Public Procurement Department, where she supports the preparation and evaluation of IT tenders. She enjoys exploring new ways to select suppliers – though not every experiment ends painlessly. In her work, she never loses sight of reality: “user-friendly” doesn’t mean a 150-page manual, “security” doesn’t require six login forms, and “project schedule” is often more a wish list than an actual plan. Her approach blends technical know-how, common sense, and a good dose of humor – a combination that often brings much-needed clarity (and sanity) to public IT projects.

Petr works as a consultant helping companies navigate the fields of risk management, compliance, and supplier risk management. He combines data knowledge with an understanding of clients’ practical needs – whether it’s due diligence on business partners, setting up procurement processes, or supporting regulatory compliance. He focuses on what truly troubles the company and seeks solutions that make sense in everyday operations. He follows a simple motto: do today what can be done today.

Daniela graduated from the University of Economics in Bratislava and immediately after her studies, she started familiarizing herself with the environment of "public procurement". Her main specialization is in the area of public catering, where she gained exceptional practice and experience in managerial positions at the University of Žilina, Svět zdravia a.s., Comenius University, and at the University Hospital of St. Cyril and Methodius in Bratislava. Currently, she works in the purpose facility of the Dormitories and Dining Facilities of Charles University in Prague. As part of catalog food purchases and processes of management and administration of the extensive catering operation of Charles University, she is responsible for implementing modern procurement procedures (DNS) and utilizing the internal e-shop for more than 20 catering facilities of Charles University to ensure efficient selection and ordering of competitively tendered commodities. She is also actively involved in coordinating the Sustainable Development project of Charles University and incorporates elements of responsible procurement into public tenders.

After years spent in the manufacturing environment, Matej moved into the turbulent world of e-commerce. At Notino, one of Europe's top 10 online cross-border retailers, Matěj manages the procurement process and the supply chain. He uses his experience in procurement, logistics, and manufacturing to combine operation and automated procurement management with the feverish business pace and steady 30% year-on-year growth of Europe's number one beauty e-commerce company.

Petra has been with Lidl Czech Republic's Technical Purchasing department since 2014. Together with her team, she manages the procurement of non-commercial goods and services essential for the seamless operation of stores, warehouses, and administrative offices. Since 2018, she has been leading the department, overseeing purchasing processes, tendering, contracts, and the ordering system. Her career was enriched by a year-long assignment at Lidl Germany in Bad Wimpfen, where she participated in a project focused on the centralization of non-commercial goods procurement and simultaneously implemented a tool for tendering processes. This centralization initiative is now being implemented at Lidl Czech Republic. In her free time, Petra enjoys spending time with her daughter, engaging in modern dance, and running.

Buyer by vocation, procurement promoter by passion. For 18 years he has been managing departments that spend companies’ money. He built and developed procurement departments in industries related to mining and railways, and for the last 8 years in the energy sector at TAURON Ciepło. Creator of a podcast and YouTube channel related to procurement - #OkiemKupca. Trainer of buyers and managers who is fascinated by working with people. He is able to build, remodel and motivate a purchasing team so that it becomes competently mature and independent. On LinkedIn, showing the human face of a buyer, he created - #PiątekBrzmiDobrze - the only community on this platform focused around passion for music.

Radek Špicar, with a graduate degree from Charles University in Prague and the University of Cambridge, is not only an experienced economist and expert in his field, but also an outstanding example of approachability and human touch. In the past, he served as the Deputy Prime Minister for Economy and later as the Director for External Relations at Škoda Auto or as the Director of the Aspen Institute Prague think tank. Currently, he serves as the Vice President of the Confederation of Industry and Trade, the largest domestic representative of Czech entrepreneurs. In the academic sphere, Radek Špicar focuses on corporate social responsibility and economic diplomacy.

Tomáš Giba is a graduate of the Faculty of Law at Comenius University in Bratislava and Nottingham University in the United Kingdom. He has worked in advocacy, the Public Procurement Office, and the Ministry of Transport of the Slovak Republic, gaining valuable experience in both the private and public sectors. Currently, he is a member of the Public Procurement Office Council and works at the Slovak Electricity Transmission System. He specializes in solving problematic tenders and promoting the Best Value Approach in public procurement. Motto: "I enjoy finding solutions where others see problems."

An experienced consultant and purchasing project manager. Lukasz has advised the largest companies in the region in the raw materials, manufacturing, telecommunications, and finance industries. He has led purchasing projects aimed primarily at improving efficiency in procurement by implementing advanced and innovative process and organizational solutions. He has advised on dozens of negotiation processes supported by the Harvard methodology, which resulted in over 500 million in annual savings. He has been involved in procurement since the beginning of his professional career. He started his career with Accenture, co-creating an innovative B2B trading portal. He spent over a year in China running his own business and learning the intricacies of negotiations with representatives from China. He returned to consulting, first with Accenture, and then spent over 5 years with A.T. Kearney, a leading global consulting firm, primarily in the procurement area. As a trainer/coach, he collaborates with BIG FISH and the Logistics Department of Warsaw School of Economics.

Peter is the co-founder and CSO of Cequence, a Slovak solution that uses the latest technologies and integrates Open Al's ChatGPT into a modern contract management solution. He brings to the Cequence team the research and innovative spirit of the academic world, the need for discovery, and the drive to get to the heart of the matter. As a data scientist, analyst, and bioinformatician with two PhDs (from Slovakia and the US), Peter has authored over 30 peer-reviewed articles on artificial life, artificial intelligence, and artificial chemistry. From 2015 to 2020, he was responsible for data analysis on Parkinson's disease at the Luxembourg Centre for Systems Biomedicine, where he was also the head of the machine learning team of the DREAM competitions. In addition to research, Peter has extensive experience in the IT world, having worked as a team leader and senior developer for a multinational company and software architect for one of the first smart-grid implementations in the US. Within Cequence, his main focus is on research and development related to machine learning, artificial intelligence, and blockchain. Today, his ideas and vision for corporate solutions built on the best of modern digital design have translated into Cequence solutions that help clients save thousands of hours of work every day.

Martin co-founded Cequence, a Slovak solution that uses the latest technologies (machine learning, artificial intelligence, NLP) and integrates Open Ai's ChatGPT for modern contract management. To the Cequence team, he brings international experience from the start-up environment. He has worked through various roles in Business Development, Customer Success, and Digital Transformation. He became interested in innovative solutions that moved his industry forward by leaps and bounds while studying at universities in Denmark and Sweden. Then, he came to Cequence from the US, where he helped public institutions in the San Francisco Bay Area with the digital transformation towards citizens. Today, his ideas and vision for corporate solutions, built on the best of modern digital design, translate into Cequence solutions that help save clients thousands of hours of work every day. In his spare time, you can find him tackling the paths on his bike, cooking a delicious meal, or shredding hiking boots in the mountains.

Lukas combines years of experience in project management with advanced analytical skills acquired through his work in an academic environment. He effectively applies these skills, along with strategic thinking, to project management and critical decision-making. Prior to joining Actum Digital, he focused on predictive modeling and artificial intelligence applications at Yale University. At Actum, he now plays a key role in projects related to the integration of new software solutions, language models, and artificial intelligence.

Jan is a part of the Purchasing and Public Procurement Department at the General Directorate of Rail Administration, where he focuses primarily on conceptual issues and innovations in the department's activities, project management, and recently also on presenting the department's activities to both professional and non-professional audiences. Jan has been involved in public procurement since the beginning of his legal career. He has experienced public procurement from the perspective of both the contracting authority and a law firm administering public procurement for the contracting authority on a turnkey basis, as well as from the perspective of supervisory authorities during his tenure as an auditor of public procurement at a subsidy provider. Recently, he has been particularly involved in the introduction and development of the qualification system, where he has been both the author and project manager of the project. He has also focused on establishing the concept of responsible procurement at the Rail Administration, including its complete documentation. His driving force is the desire to devise new procedures and improvements that can be applied within public procurement and are meaningful for practical use.

Under the auspices of HAVEL & PARTNERS, their senior attorney Matúš will also take the stage. Matúš has been working for this top-tier law firm since 2018. His expertise lies in the public sector and public procurement. Previously, he served as the head of the public procurement department and analyst at the Office for the Protection of Competition, as well as a public procurement manager at a Regional Consulting Agency.

"When there's a will, there's a way," says Ondřej, an expert in the field of digitization and public procurement. Until this year, he led the public procurement implementation department at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Czech Republic. Previously, he worked at the Ministry of the Interior as the head of the central purchasing department or at the Police Presidium as a purchaser. He is now the Director of the Department of Strategies, Law, and Electronic Public Procurement at the Ministry of Regional Development of the Czech Republic. Additionally, he serves as the deputy mayor of the municipality of Nedomice.

Uwe will join us at eBF as an experienced leader in consultancy, organizational development, and international affairs at the Austrian national procurement agency (Bundesbeschaffung GmbH). In addition to specializing in e-procurement, he also serves as a trainer in various EU educational programs and acts as an expert at international events under the auspices of the OECD and other organizations.

Mateusz is an expert at purchasing packaging materials of all kinds, having spent over 15 years in various roles in global companies such as Philips, DHL Supply Chain, and SABMiller. Currently, in Asahi, he continues his journey as a Senior Category Manager for Europe and North America, responsible for Aluminum Cans - one of the company’s most strategic and significant procurement categories spend-wise.

Veronika Konečná is the Director of Procurement at Slovnaft and has extensive experience as a Senior Category Manager for direct materials at MOL Group. She is a seasoned procurement professional with deep expertise in category management, gained through her tenure in various procurement roles across direct materials, logistics, ASM, and project procurement. With her strong passion, she focuses primarily on enhancing the security and sustainability of the supply chain.

For the team of the HAVEL & PARTNERS company, which is the largest law firm in the Czech Republic and Slovakia, Josef will also participate in the eBF – he is the head of the working group for the public sector, focusing primarily on public procurement law, PPP projects, construction law, state aid, environmental law, and greenfield investments. In his practice, he has advised clients on the construction of airports, highways, railways, shopping centers, and factories, including projects according to international FIDIC standards. He has also published numerous articles in Czech and international legal periodicals and is involved in the work of professional associations, notably the Association for Infrastructure Development (ARI).

After graduating from the Faculty of Law at Masaryk University in Brno, Markéta initially began her career in advocacy, focusing on civil, commercial, and criminal law. Since 2011, she has merged her career with the Office for the Protection of Economic Competition (ÚOHS) and overseeing public procurement. She has progressed through positions from a clerk to department head and eventually to director of the public procurement department, a role she held for seven years. Subsequently, she was appointed Deputy Chairperson of the Office responsible for leading the Public Procurement Section, and since last year, she has been serving as Deputy Chairperson of the Office for a six-year term. She is also active in her field through lecturing and publishing activities.

Lenka Ingrová graduated from the Faculty of Law at Palacký University Olomouc. After school, she worked as a lawyer in the property department of the Brno City Hall. She has been involved in public procurement since 2018 when she joined the team of Jakub Váňa at the Regional Office of the South Moravian Region. With minimal knowledge of how public procurement works, thanks to the help of experienced colleagues, she gradually progressed to large and interesting construction projects and opportunities to try innovative methods of public procurement.

By creating his tools, Jiří makes life easier for contracting authorities, from the largest database of procurement contracts to screening for anti-Russian sanctions. Not only does he and the Datlab team analyze contracts across Europe, he also leads the Zindex project in the Czech Republic and Slovakia. Moreover, he is involved with the Ministry of Industry and Trade as an author of the methodology for small-scale procurement. He contributed to the Annual Report and the Public Procurement Strategy.

Marek studied molecular biology and genetics at the Faculty of Science, Masaryk University in Brno, and theology in Olomouc and Brussels. He participated in two Antarctic expeditions (1997, 2000). He works at the Third Faculty of Medicine, Charles University, where he led the Institute of Ethics and Humanities (2007–2024) and was elected chair of the Academic Senate four times. For his contributions, he received the Pangea Foundation Award (2022) and the Brno City Award (2023). He is the chair of the Ethics Committee at Charles University, vice-chair of the Ethics Committee at the Ministry of Health, and an advisor to the Minister of Health. A jury member for the František Kriegel Award, he focuses on medical and environmental ethics and has authored numerous books.

Petr is the head of the Legal Department at the Regional Office of the Central Bohemian Region, where he is also responsible for the methodology of public contracts awarded by the region. His professional journey is inseparably linked to an interest in new technologies, legal tech, and lately, particularly artificial intelligence in public administration and in the field of public procurement. Petr is a co-author of the e-book 'AI Tools in Public Administration' and author of several articles on AI and law, demonstrating his deep interest and expertise in this area. He considers public administration to be an ideal place for the implementation of artificial intelligence and believes that public administration without AI will not be able to function. In the field of public procurement, he is particularly interested in simplifying and automating administration. He assumes that the combination of legal expertise with technological progress is the path to modernization and efficiency in the public sector.

"We are improving the way people work through digitalization and process optimization." This encapsulates the direction Aleš has been taking throughout his many years of professional experience in the field of enterprise technologies. At Konica Minolta IT Solutions Czech, he leads a team of experts focused on developing and implementing technologies that help companies digitize and innovate their business processes. He assists companies in growing and transforming their businesses, thereby enhancing their potential and productivity.

Michal Barč has been involved in the IT industry for almost 30 years, helping to implement projects for customers primarily focused on supporting corporate processes, automation, and reporting. With extensive experience from international projects and managerial positions in Russia and Germany, he can propose suitable strategies for implementing new tools into companies and organizations. Today, at Konica Minolta IT Solutions Czech, his primary focus is on the development of cloud technologies, automation, Microsoft 365, security, compliance, and IT systems strategy. He is also responsible for introducing proprietary products created on the Microsoft Power Platform into the portfolios of various organizations across Europe.

Attorney at HAVEL & PARTNERS, specializing in public procurement law and related fields, including aspects of compliance processes, general administrative law, the information act, and relative property rights. Libor's advantage is his experience in both the private and public sectors. In the past, he has led the legal department of the Railway Administration and worked as a lawyer at the Ministry of Education, Youth, and Sports of the Czech Republic.

Michaela Hnátová graduated in Political Science and Public and Social Policy from Charles University. She began her professional career in 2013 as a public procurement officer in the Central Bohemian Region. Subsequently, since 2022, she has been working in public administration in the city of Mělník, where she has been responsible for issuing binding opinions and administrative decisions for building permits. Currently, Michaela, in cooperation with her colleague David Dvořák, focuses on the issue of sustainable public procurement at the Ministry of Regional Development, primarily in the field of construction.

Roman Berger works at Konica Minolta IT Solutions Czech as a Solution Architect and leads the Power Platform & Dynamics 365 department. He has over six years of experience with the Power Platform, specializing in Power Apps and Power Automate. Roman is a Power Platform enthusiast and believes in the idea of empowering key users of business processes to develop business applications. He admires the Power Platform for its strong individual tools, but he values the synergy that their combination brings. His goal is to help customers with such synergistic solutions. Among his greatest achievements is the creation of the FLEETMAN product for fleet management, which is used by companies such as Rohlík.cz. Roman is also known for leading Power Platform Hackathons. Currently, he focuses on the adoption of AI and its practical application in customer processes within the Microsoft ecosystem.

She worked for four years within the PROEBIZ project as an expert lecturer and administrator specializing in eAuctions in the corporate and public sector, where she helped PROEBIZ's Czech and foreign clients with the most complex e-auction cases. Currently, she is a dramaturge at PROCUREMENT BOARD TV, where she also acts as a presenter of programs for the professional procurement community.

The legendary trainer of the PROEBIZ platform was at the beginning of the computerization of procurement negotiation processes. From his position as a specialist in dynamic bid comparison, he has handled thousands of eAuctions in terms of setup strategies, processes, and evaluation of even the most complex cases. Not surprisingly, he also invented his own type of electronic auction, which bears his name. He is currently involved in the Digital Procurement Team and eProcurement.TV educational projects and several other developmental educational projects.

Laura Janáčková works as an associate professor of clinical psychology at the Institute of Sexology of the General University Hospital in Prague and the 1st Medical Faculty of Charles University. She provides counselling in the field of partner relationships, including counselling in solving sexual problems. She deals with psychology in the field of applied medicine and communication. She works mainly with oncological and chronic patients.

Hana Součková is CEO of SAP ČR and general manager of SAP Ariba and SAP Concur. She has been with SAP for ten years, six of them as CEO. She has been a member of the board of the Czech-German Chamber of Commerce since April 2023. She is actively involved in initiatives supporting women and social enterprises such as Czechitas, Social Impact Awards, Marketing Girls and Femme Palette. In her spare time, she enjoys sports, inventing fun activities with her two children and going to the mountains regardless of the season.

After a brief stint in the automotive industry, he joined the PROEBIZ team in 2012. As a senior consultant, he operates in the Moravia region. He conducts training, develops business relationships, and assists with the implementation of electronic tools in companies and institutions. He enjoys finding solutions even to complex challenges and believes that thanks to digitalization, purchasing is simpler and more reliable.