School Advisory Boards

The UNYP Business Advisory Board convenes semi-annually to review progress and future developments within the university’s School of Business and IT.  Though all aspects of the department’s policies, procedures, and functions are regularly examined by the board, particular focus is given to full-spectrum quality control of the department’s graduate and undergraduate curricula, and the administration thereof.

The board is comprised of eleven distinguished members of the academic and business communities, each selected or invited to serve based upon superior education and skills within their respective areas of expertise.  In addition to board representation by key academic officials of the university, the UNYP Business Advisory Board is honored to avail itself of the experiences and advice offered by exceptional business people, both from the Czech community and abroad:

Jan Havel

Jan was born and lives in Prague, Czech Republic. He graduated in Finance at the Prague University of Economics and earned a Ph.D. in General Economic Theory. Later, after some gap, he graduated from the General Management Program at The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.
Aged 21, he started ACTUM Digital where he’s spent all his time since. His main responsibility is the corporate strategy and strategic development of the company. Jan’s teaching experience includes University of Economics, University of New York in Prague, Charles University, Cevro Institute, and currently Czech University of Life Sciences where he teaches international programs in Strategic Management and Strategic Marketing. Jan is a keen marathon runner, ex frisbee ultimate national team player, a sworn enemy of central banking and a former Board Advisor to the country’s Central Bank, a scholar in the tradition of the Austrian School of Economic Thought, Board Member of the Czech Liberal Institute, a fan of science-fiction and technology.

Petr Havelka

Petr is currently the General Manager and Vice President of PLEX Operations EMEA at Rockwell Automation, responsible for the company’s regional customer base and driving cross-company initiatives to bring the Plex Smart Manufacturing Platform to more global manufacturers. Prior to joining Plex, Petr held multiple global and regional leadership roles in multinational enterprises such as DHL, Global Payments, and Deloitte. Most recently, he acted as Managing Director of SAP Ariba’s delivery center in Prague and Vice President of the EMEA Cloud Services organization.

He has over 25 years of experience in the IT industry, focusing on customer success and the delivery and adoption of enterprise software solutions. He possesses deep expertise in cloud and SaaS software and excels at building and executing complex digital transformation programs for global customers across industries.

Petr graduated from the Czech University of Life Sciences and earned an MBA from UNYP.

He is a proud dad of three children. He loves skiing and racing motorcycles.

Josef Karásek

Josef has over 25 years of experience in the FMCG industry in Central Europe. He was responsible for The Coca-Cola Company business in Czech, Slovakia, Baltics, and Slovenia as Managing Director for 13 years. Josef proved to deliver on a major local business turnaround that accelerated business performance as well as on building high-performing teams in rapidly changing environments across Central and Northern Europe for an employer of FORTUNE TOP 100. Over the last 10 years, The Coca-Cola company share in carbonated soft drinks doubled in the Czech Republic, while the consumption per capita of the Coca-Cola brand doubled in Baltics from 2009 to 2014 in the single-digit market decline period. His experience and expertise include strategic planning, marketing, and commercial leadership, revenue growth management, organizational and talent development. 

Diana Rádl Rogerová

Diana Rádl Rogerová has been with Deloitte since 1996. For the past 12 years, she has been a Partner in the Audit function and, simultaneously, the Real Estate Industry Leader for Central Europe and the Financial Services Industry Leader for the Czech Republic. Over the course of more than 22 years with Deloitte, Diana has worked for major banks, real estate companies, funds, and developers and obtained significant insights into auditing, accounting and financial reporting, corporate finance advisory, and many other areas. Since 1 December 2016, Diana Rádl Rogerová has been the Office Managing Partner at the Deloitte Czech Republic and a member of the Executive Committee of Deloitte Central Europe. Diana obtained her degree at the University of Economics in Prague and speaks fluent Spanish and English.

Hadi Salavitabar

Dr. Salavitabar’s academic background is in the field of economics and finance.  After earning his Ph.D. he has, to date, completed nearly three and a half decades of service in academia as a professor, department chair, business school dean, and as Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs.  Dr. Salavitabar also serves on the Board of Trustees of a major bank in the U.S.       

Ivana Šedivá

Ivana is an experienced C-level leader. She served on the boards of the Top Most Admired Companies like Johnsons & Johnson or McDonald’s for almost 30 years. In 2020 Ivana left the corporate world and started her own journey.Over the last years Ivana mentored more than 1000 personal hours, and helped more than 500 startups from around the globe. She is a certified Flow Consultant. She is also a certified trainer of Google Founders Lab, OKR and Storytelling Lab, and a mentor of other mentors. Her purpose is to help motivated people stepchange their game, with a sense of meaning, with high impact, without burnout. Ivana holds a postgraduate degree in Artificial Intelligence and an MBA.

Blake Wittman

Blake Wittman is currently the European Business Director at GoodCall. He has seen the inside of massive Fortune100 global giants as well as 5-person startups, and enjoyed both. He has a more than 20-year career highlighted by a passion for people and purpose. After a short stint in Citibank Blake entered the recruitment arena and began a career focused on quality relationships, strong ethics, and a deep belief in making a positive impact. Well-known executive search firm, SpenglerFox, was started and grown across Central Europe by Blake where he personally serviced leading blue-chip financial institutions. His time in Philip Morris International as lead HR Business Partner for Sales & Marketing was extremely valuable, however it was when he helped build the award-winning, venture capital-backed internet startup, Lime&Tonic, which influenced, challenged, and sharpened his view on business and the potential to impact the market. Blake is now Director of Europe, and shareholder, of Good Group, which comprises GoodCall, Recruitment Academy, and Datacruit. All three companies have a common goal of waking up the recruitment industry and evolving the human relations market.

The UNYP Communication and Media Advisory Board plays a crucial role in providing valuable insights, feedback, and strategic direction to communication and media studies related programs at the University of New York in Prague. The board consists of a diverse group of professionals and experts with extensive experience in the communication and media-related industries most relevant to the programs offered.

The Communication and Media Advisory Board engages with the study programs on a variety of levels. They help ensure that the curriculum remains up-to-date and aligned with industry trends and advancements. They offer recommendations on course content, ensuring that students are equipped with the latest knowledge and skills needed to succeed in an ever-evolving media landscape. Additionally, they often assist in establishing partnerships and internships, helping students gain real-world experience and access to valuable networking opportunities. Moreover, the Advisory Board may offer guidance on faculty recruitment and research priorities, contributing to the overall academic excellence of the program. In essence, this board serves as a vital bridge between academia and the professional world, ensuring that UNYP communication and media studies programs remain relevant, competitive, and well-prepared to meet the needs of both students and industries.

Lenka Tungova

Lenka Tungova is a PR professional with over 20 years of experience in both in-house and agency roles, focusing in the entertainment industry, services, and hospitality sectors. She has spent the last 10 years with The Walt Disney Company covering not only Czech Republic and Slovakia, but also Hungary, Romania and Ukraine. Currently she looks after Disney+ publicity in Czechia and Slovakia since its launch in the region in 2022. Ms. Tungova received a Bachelor of Arts in Communication and Mass Media from Empire State College and UNYP, and a Master’s degree at Charles University in Mass Communication studies.

Mladen Grebo

Mr. Grebo started his career in marketing and advertising 20 years ago. After working for several top global agencies on some of the world’s biggest brands, such as McDonald’s, Procter & Gamble, Volkswagen, MARS, Pepsi, Škoda or UNICEF, he co-founded his own agency Goodkin, where he applies his expertise on both local and global clients. His journey in marketing started in Digital, but gradually led towards more strategic roles, where he profiled himself as Strategic Planner specializing in Brand and Communication strategies. He holds a Bachelor’s degree in Communication and Mass Media from Empire State College and UNYP and a Master’s degree in Media and Communication Studies from the Faculty of Social Sciences of the Charles University. Above everything else, Mr. Grebo is a proud father of baby girl Iskra and a passionate supporter of Velež Mostar and Viktoria Žižkov football clubs.

Daniela Nemcova

Daniela Nemcova is a Corporate Communications strategist and manager with 20 years of experience. She is former director and currently consultant of a non-profit organization linking responsible and sustainable businesses and a student of philosophy and naturopathy. Mrs. Nemcova has Bachelor of Arts in Communication and Mass Media from Empire State College, State University of New York, and a Masters of Art in Professional Communications from La Salle University, Philadelphia.

Viktorie Janackova

Viktorie Janackova is currently Senior Internal Communications Specialist at SAP, within the Global Finance & Administration board area. Her job responsibilities include development, management and delivery of internal communication channels and formats including copywriting and visual materials creation, leadership communication support and coaching, virtual and face-to-face meetings facilitation and moderation, project and change communications, and talent development. Prior to her current role, she gained experience in various Corporate Communications and Marketing fields such as PR, Event Management, Employer Branding, Crisis Communications, or even Advertising and Media Strategy & Planning while working in an agency environment. In addition to being a Communications practitioner, Viktorie has a solid theoretical background in the discipline as after the completion of her Bachelor of Arts in Communication and Mass Media from Empire State College and UNYP, she continued her Master degree studies at the University of Manchester, majoring in Corporate Communications & Reputation Management.

Darina Seiglova

After graduating as a bachelor of arts in Communication and Mass Media graduate from Empire State College and UNYP, Mgr. Seiglova started her career in the newspaper industry, but soon moved to the food magazine Apetit, where she has stayed until this day. Meanwhile she continued her studies, earning a master’s degree in marketing and management, and also started, or was part of, many other projects. She started and then sold an advertising agency, she is a regular guest on the Czech Television show Sama Doma, and also on various radio shows. Darina also has recorded podcasts, acted in the TV series Pohlreichuv Souboj Restaurací, helps various clients prepare and shoot ads and advertorials, and besides that, she teaches people the basics of entrepreneurship, and trains young people the skills they need to succeed in life.

Martin Pavlicek

Martin Pavlicek is a PR and communication professional with 15 years of both client and consultancy side experience. He had the chance to participate in large 360-degree communication projects that ranged from product launches to brand supporting campaigns, from crisis communication to public affairs efforts, from building social responsibility programs to advising companies on merger and acquisition plans. Martin leads large communication teams, worked with agency support as well as on his own, talked to media both behind the scene as well as on camera and in tv studio settings. Martin holds a Bachelor of Arts in Communication and Mass Media from Empire State College, a Master’s degree from La Salle University, USA, and an MBA from Institut Universitaire Kurt Bosch, Switzerland.