International Conference – “Communication and entrepreneurship in the European context”
Bucharest, June 8-9, 2015
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Zofija Mazej Kukovič has broad experience in business and politics in Slovenia and the European Union. She served as CEO of Esotech, an environmental engineering company, as the Slovenian Minister of Health, and as a Member of the European Parliament. She is a regular speaker at Universities and conferences in Slovenia and abroad. Zofija has published two books about her life and her work: Simple Philosophies for Tough Times, about her time as CEO of Esotech, and Požen’ Evropo’ ( Start Up Europe) about her time as a Member of the European Parliament sharing best practices of growing food for health and new employment opportunities in Slovenia. CEO of Esotech: Zofija took over part of the company for coal mine equipment in 1991, Eso Montaža, and made successful transition into the market economy after Slovenian independence. She redifined and implemented company strategy into environmental engineering company with European and Chinese market outreach. Zofija has served as CEO from 1991-2007. Minister of Health: As Slovenian Minister of Health, from 2007 – 2008, Zofija achieved many milestones for her country, including the completion of the Pediatric and Neurological Clinic in Ljubljana; the adoption of the Mental Health Act; the adoption of the Law on Patients’ Rights; and the adoption of the Long-term Health Care Resolution. During the Slovenian Presidency of the European Union, she chaired the Council of Ministers of Health. The comprehensive management of cancer was one of the key conclusions of the presidency, which became one of Europe’s new political priorities. Member of European Parliament : In 2009, in accordance with the Treaty of Lisbon, Zofija was elected to the European Parliament. After its successful ratification, she was made a full Member of the European Parliament in December 2011 withing European People’s Party. Zofija was a shadow rapporteur for seven reports for European Parliament. During her time ad MEP, she launched the initiative Požen’ Evropo (Start Up Europe) to encourage active participation and discussion about growing food as a new employment opportunity for young people in Slovenia. Zofija’s mandate ended in 2014. |
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Anthony ANTOINE (Brugge,1969) holds a degree in Political Science (Licentiaat Politieke Wetenschappen, 1994, summa cum laude) and studied as Erasmus student at the Vrije Universiteit Brussel, the University of Central Lancashire (Preston, UK) and the Université Libre de Bruxelles (Centre d’Etudes en Relations Internationales et Stratégiques). As researcher, he was linked to the Centre for Peace and Security Studies of the VUB’s Politics Department. Between 1998 and 2002, he worked on a project creating educational modules over the Internet on proliferation and non-proliferation of chemical and biological weapons, and this together with the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) and the Eidgnossische Technische Hogschüle Zürich(International Relations and Security Network, ETHZ). As assistant to Prof. Dr. Gustaaf Geeraerts, he was responsible for the course “European Security” at VUB. Within the Euro-Atlantic Foundation, an NGO created under the auspices of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly, he was Project Director and consultant for internet-communication for parliaments in Central and Eastern Europe (1997-2002). After having worked for NATO’s Office for Information and Press (1995-1997) he became CEO of the companies Allied Consultants and Dune Enterprises (1997-2002), where he dealt with electronic (crisis-) communication at the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO), the Western European Union (WEU), the High Representative for Bosnia and Herzegovina, various international Parliamentary assemblies and Belgian Federal Government. Since 2002, Anthony is full-time Executive Director of the Institute for European Studies. |
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Dr. Loredana RADU is Associate Professor at the College of Communication and Public Relations, National University of Political Studies and Public Administration, Bucharest, Romania. Since May 2014, she has been appointed as Director of the Center fo EU Communication Studies – the first research center in Romania focusing on EU Communication and the European public sphere. Dr. Loredana RADU also acts as an Academic Coordinator of the Master’s in Project Management, the first internationally accredited educational program in project management in the CEE. Loredana RADU has a Ph.D in Sociology and an MBA from CEU Business School. She has also authored several academic papers on the economic crisis, European public sphere, EU communication policy, and Euroscepticism. Her research interests include: the EU’s crisis, Europeanization of national public sheres, and EU communication. |