29. 1. 2025 | Between Many Scyllas and Charybdis

Antoaneta Barta is the Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary Ambassador of Romania to the Czech Republic since 2021. She is a career diplomat, serving in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs since 1999 and having the diplomatic rank of Ambassador.
Previous assignments include several management positions in the MFA headquarters in the field of bilateral relations and EU affairs, as well as missions abroad at the Embassy of Romania in Athens (2000-2004) and at the Permanent Representation of Romania to the EU in Brussels (2009-2014).
Antoaneta Barta holds a University Degree in Political Science from the Faculty of Political Sciences, University of Bucharest and a Master’s degree in European Studies from the same University, both in French language. She is alumna of the ENA (Ecole Nationale d’Administration) High Level Executive Course on European Studies. She is fluent in English, French, Greek and has knowledges of German.

Ivana Tůmová : „I look forward to a stimulating discussion at the Romanian Embassy in Prague, to sharing my experience with other business leaders and to learning from them about innovative approaches to promote women professionals. Mondelez International endorsed the UN Women’s Empowerment Principles more than a decade ago. But finding new ways to empower women in the workplace and public sphere is as acute now as it was then. I have worked for Mondelez for over two decades—which attests to my perseverance. I am a Mondelez-person through and through: I love chocolate, cookies, and my team.“

Katarína Navrátilová has been working for Tesco since 2000, when she became purchasing coordinator. Since then, she has gone through several positions, which allowed her to learn a lot about the different parts of the business. After several positions in the commercial department, Katarína moved to Turkey, where she took over the role of Sales Director at Tesco – Kipa and at the same time became a member of the Board of Directors. After returning home she became HR Director for Central Europe and a member of the Exec team. She became Product Director for Central Europe and played a key role in building partnerships with our suppliers, enabling us to deliver healthy, affordable and sustainable products to our customers. She currently holds the position of Chief Executive Officer Czech Republic.
Although she likes to develop at work, her family is just as important to her. Katarina is mother of two. She likes to engage in sports with her family and spend free time actively while cycling, hiking or skiing.

Cristina Muntean is the founder and CEO of VORNICA®, a remote-first company on a mission to triple the number of women CEOs in Europe by 2030. Cristina is also the founder of THE CEO ELEVATION CIRCLE, a global community of women leaders on track to grow into the C-Suite and beyond. Born in Romania and matured in the Czech Republic, Cristina is a public speaker, published book author, relentless innovator, and the thought partner of choice of present and future women CEOs.

Mariana Ludányiová with 15 years of experience in multinational organizations, Mariana has built a versatile career, starting as a sales representative and advancing to key leadership roles, including General Manager for multiple countries within Europe and Business Director for Central and Eastern Europe. This journey has been shaped by extensive international experience, having lived and worked abroad in the UK, Hungary, and Slovakia. These experiences have enriched Mariana’s ability to navigate diverse cultural and business environments with ease.

In addition to a successful corporate career, Mariana is a proud parent of two children. Recently, Mariana launched an entrepreneurial venture, focusing on supporting companies and individuals through tailored training, business consulting, and mentoring to achieve their goals. Driven by a passion for empowering others and a deep understanding of global business dynamics, Mariana is dedicated to fostering growth and innovation for clients navigating today’s competitive landscape.

Michaela Chaloupková graduated from the Faculty of Law at Západočeská University (ZČU) and completed an MBA at the University of Pittsburgh. Since 2003, she has been working for ČEZ, a.s., where she started as a business officer in procurement. She gradually rose to the position of Director of the Administration Division, which includes human resources, asset management, and vehicle management for the ČEZ Group. She also holds the position of Chief Sustainability Officer and is responsible for managing the ESG agenda within the ČEZ Group. In October 2011, she became the only woman on the board of ČEZ, a.s. Michaela has personally experienced not only executive roles but every managerial level in the corporate hierarchy, and she has extensive experience with the workings of a large corporation. In 2012, she appeared for the first time in the ranking of 25 women in Czech business, where she has regularly occupied leading positions ever since. She also regularly appears in the ranking of the 50 most influential women in the Czech Republic, published by Forbes magazine. Currently, she is also involved in mentoring and coaching in the Odyssey program, which supports female managerial talents, in the mentoring program of the British Chamber of Commerce, and especially in the corporate environment, where she supports the development and growth of both women and men. She is married, has two sons (14 and 9 years old), and a five-year-old daughter. She loves sports—cross-country skiing, downhill skiing, snowboarding in winter—and enjoys cycling. She runs and practices yoga year-round. She also enjoys cooking for her family, and her passions include reading and traveling.