SPEAKERS 2019
Harry & Kate Benson
Harry and Kate Benson have been married for 33 years, have six children aged fifteen to twenty seven and now live on a small farm in the west of England. Harry was previously a Royal Navy gelicopter pilot before becoming partner in an Asian finance business. Kate trained as a cookery writer and teacher and ran a food magazine. Surviving a marital crisis in the 1990s changed their lives. For the last twenty years, Harry and Kate have taught thousands of couples - from newlyweds to new parents, from couples in prison to partners in high flying law firms - how to have healthy happy relationships. Harry is now research director for UK-based Marriage Foundation. His findings are now routinely cited in the media and by politicians, and have made front page news on several occasions. Harry and Kate are also authors of the UK bestseller "What Mums Want (And Dads Need To Know)", that reached number 11 on Amazon in early 2017. Their talk will on dating relationships and marriage.
Leonita Kruezi & Simona Vrabcová
Leonita Kruezi was born and raised in Liberec, Czech Republic. She is currently in her final year of bachelor's at the University of the West of England, Bristol. As a part of her study, she has completed a 16 month long work placement at UniLink Study Abroad Advising Centre as a Student Counsellor and Junior Marketing Manager. Simona grew up in Nitra, Slovakia. In October 2018, she graduated with distinction from Middlesex University in London, where she studied both her bachelor's and master's degree. During her studies, Simona became very involved in the Czech and Slovak community in the UK and actively participated in managing many social and cultural projects promoting Slovakia abroad. Both ladies will talk about aspects regarding studies in the United Kingdom. Is studying in the UK just a distant dream or a reality within reach of a Slovak student? What is it like to study at a British University? What does the application process involve? Can I afford it? What are the benefits and challenges of studying in the UK?
Róbert Rapčan
Co-founder of the EuroPainClinics brand and Medial Director of EuroPainClinics workplaces, a leading European expert in minimally invasive and endoscopic back surgery. He is the first doctor in Slovakia to have been awarded the prestigious international FIPP certification for pain management intervention by the World Institute of Pain. He has worked in a number of foreign clinics and university hospitals where he held the leading medical positions. Currently, in paralel with clinical practice, he lectures at the 1st Clinic of Anaesthesiology and Intensive Medicine at LF UPJŠ in Košice. He is an active athlete who enjoys triathlon, martial arts and also practices and teaches the "Ice Man´s" Wim Hof Method. His lecture will focus on the specifics of diagnosis and treating back pain in terms of highly specialized intervention techniques, as well as the impact of various sports activities on the spine.
Anna Humbert
Born in Bardejov, she lived and worked in Paris and Geneva in luxury hotel industry for various international luxury hotel brands. She acquired her experience in service first as a cabin attendant while still studying in Prague and later once settled in Paris. Working in cosmopolitan and intercultural environment was a true benefit for her presonal and Professional development. After more than 13 years of living abroad, she decided to return back home and co- founded the first honest food store in Bardejov, kredenc. Simultaneously she cooperates with Amerivan NGO Bardejo Jewish Preservation Committee on preservation of Jewish heritage in Bardejov and Works for ICJ Language School as a teacher of French, Spanish and English language. Among others, Anna will talk about applying the principles and procedures of luxury hotel industry in Slovak retail industry and importance of healthy lifestyle.
Ronald Beno
A former GLS student born in Bardejov, Ronald graduated from Medical School, Charles University in Prague and IDEC Business school in Bled, Slovenia. After years spent in University Hospital Motol in Prague he took a turn in his career in 1997. He led sales and marketing team of Abbott Labs, a pharmaceutical giant in Czech & Slovakia, was appointed as General Manager in Slovenia, later Baltic countries region. He also led entire CIS region (ex Soviet Union) consisting of 15 countries based in Moscow and was appointed to positions of Commercial Director CEE region based in Paris. Between 2005-2014 he was a board member of American Chamber of Commerce in Slovenia and Lithuania. Starting from 2017 as an entrepreneur he has been managing own private equity fund and is acting as Health Care consultant for CEE region. Enjoys traveling around the world.
Rosie Riley
Rosie is a doctor, working in the Emergency Department of Major Trauma Centre in London. She graduated with a Medical Degree and a Bachelor of Science in Global Health from the University of Bristol. Since 2014, she has developed and delivered training for healthcare professionals in how to identify, safeguard and refer potential victims of modern slavery who present in healthcare settings. VITA - Victim Identification and Trafficking Awareness training has now been delivered to more than 1,000 healthcare professionals from across England. Rosie was appointed as a NHS England Clinical Entrepreneur in 2018, is a member of the NHS England Modern Slavery Network, shaping the national health response to modern slavery, as well as the Victim Support Group advising the Government Home Office. Rosie will share some of her experience working in a busy hospital and her journey in developing VITA training.
Veronika Labanc
An enthusiastic and highly motivated senior lighting designer who has been awarded with a Prize of Young Lighting Designer Finalist 2014 and Young Lighting Designer 2014 - Best Written Paper. After completing her studies in Interior Desing and Lighting Design in Architecture, in Slovakia and Germany, she worked for renowned independent consultancies in Zurich and London with a project portfolio that ranges from private yachts to hotels with locations around the world, including Los Angeles, New York, Cape Town and Beijing. She has worked closely with prominent, global brands such as Saks 5th Avenue, Harrods, Swarovski and FIFA. When Veronika has a spare moment, she likes to discover food from different countries and enjoys visual art. Veronika will talk about her experience and how interior desing and lighting are more than a selection of cushions and lamp shades.
Petra Ščamborová
A former GLS student born in Bardejov. She was a perpetual student: she studied at the University of Cambridge (England) where she received her master's degree in biochemistry; Yale University (USA) where she received her PhD in Molecular Biophysics and Biochemistry, and finally, at the University of Pennsylvania (USA) where she received her Juris Doctor degree. She currently works as an attorney at a fast-growing biotechnology company, Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, in the US where she manages patent disputes concerning the company's technology platforms and medicines throughout the world. She will share why it is important not to be afraid of change and also touch upon the use of genetically engineered mice to make groundbreaking human medicines.
Jana Remetová
A former GLS student, a woman in IT, a Professional Services Consultant, a traveler, a sports enthusiast, a keen guitar player. A high school student exchange group. Erasmus programme and Work and Travel USA were just her warm ups. Jana has visited 42 countries, while stayed employed, 14 on business trips. Jana will enlighten your minds with opportunities from IT industry, reveal why IT is your new dream job and last but not least, how many programmers it takes to change a light bulb. IT means programming. IT is not for women. IT is boring. Except none of the above is true.
Juraj Šott
Some of you may have experienced Juraj's talk last year, when he had just come back from London and talked about the benefits of studying abroad. This year he is coming back to introduce the Slovak non-profit organization of LEAF, where he is working on a programme developed for Slovaks working abroad. He will bring a guest - a 2018 LEAF Award laureate and a great example of a man who decided to change the world while still sitting at a school desk.