Neda Rusjan Bric

A renowned Slovenian actress, playwright, and master director specializing in large ceremonies and cultural projects.

She was the director of the National Theatre Nova Gorica and the initiator of the Nova Gorica-Gorizia ECoC candidacy. She directed the spectacular GO! 2025 opening ceremony and serves as the artistic director of the Slovene National Theatre and professor of screenwriting at the University of Nova Gorica, Academy of Arts.

Rudolf Střítecký / Founder and Creative Director of Art4Promotion

Rudolf Střítecký is a show designer, director, and dramaturge who has been creating large events and multimedia shows in public spaces for more than 25 years.

He and his team are behind projects that have won the Grand Prix Czech Event Awards, Ilda Artistic Awards, and Conventa Best Event Awards 2025. In the panel, he will focus on the city as a stage, the dramaturgy of space, working with audience emotions, and what large events bring to the city.

Martina Schlegelová

She studied dramaturgy and directing at DAMU and since 2006 has been the artistic director of the independent LETÍ Theater. She has staged over 20 productions and participated in international projects, immersive performances, and radio directing. From 2018 to 2023, she was the head of drama at the South Bohemian Theater, and since January 2024, she has been its director. She is the recipient of the 2025 Balvín Award.

Anna Hořejší / Creative Director of České Budějovice 2028

Together with the artistic council, a panel of program guarantors, and partner institutions, Anna develops the ECoC program to fulfill the concept of (Perma)culture, artistic quality, and strategic goals. Anna gained most of her professional experience at the Institute of Art (now the National Institute for Culture), first as part of the Prague Quadrennial team and then at the Creative Europe–Culture office.

Immie Jonkman

A cultural entrepreneur from Leeuwarden, the Netherlands, who was involved in the creation of Leeuwarden–Friesland 2018 European Capital of Culture and was part of its artistic team. Her work has long focused on community engagement (mienskip). Since 2021, she has been CEO of the Arcadia project, which strives to create a better world through art and culture and whose second edition took place in the summer of 2025.

Václav Krištůfek

Ing. Václav Krištůfek, CSc., is an agricultural engineer, biologist, lifelong researcher at the Biology Center of the Czech Academy of Sciences in České Budějovice, and popularizer of science and beekeeping. In the scientific sphere, he is one of the founding figures of Czech soil biology.

He is also a long-time member and actor of the J. K. Tyl Theater Association in České Budějovice, where he served as chairman for 16 years. Here, he participated in the construction of a new stage at the U Kapličky Theater, Husova tř. 622/45. He is the founder of a new phenomenon in the city, the Budějcká Thálie amateur theater festival, which celebrated its 25th anniversary this year.

He participated in the České Budějovice 2028 European Capital of Culture project with two supported projects - the educational fairy tale Běla mezi včelami (Běla Among the Bees, 2022) and Heřmánková víla (The Chamomile Fairy), a fairy tale with elements of black theater.

Lucie Bílková

While studying at J. V. Jirsík Grammar School, she began organizing Budějovický Majáles, and her love for culture and the city has never left her. She continued her studies in Arts Management at the University of Economics, through which she was involved in the dramaturgical and production preparation of many events.

In 2014, she co-founded the Prague celebrations of November 17, Korzo Národní, and since 2019, she has been leading the Samet na školách (Velvet Revolution in Schools) project, both within the Díky, že můžem (Thanks, We Can) association. For this activity, she was ranked in Forbes magazine's 30 under 30 list.

She worked at the McCann agency in Prague on projects promoting South Bohemia as a tourist destination. After a year of living and working in Berlin, she continued her studies with a master's degree in Civil Society at the Faculty of Humanities of Charles University. At EHMK, she focuses on engaging residents and supporting community life in the city.

Bianka Machová ml. 

Bianka became involved in culture at the age of 13 through the Budějovice Majáles festival, of which she later became director. After graduating from high school in České Budějovice, she gained experience in Prague and abroad, including at Czechdesign and the Dutch platform The Artists and The Others. She currently works in the management of the Czechmag cultural platform, where she focuses on relationships and cooperation with cultural institutions and emerging artists. At the same time, she holds the position of public engagement manager in the České Budějovice – European Capital of Culture 2028 project, where she is responsible for accessibility, volunteering, audience development, and the participatory nature of the project.

Jan Jelínek

Jan has been working in advertising and innovation for over 20 years. During that time, he has led creative teams at the most prestigious Czech and international agencies. Nine years ago, he founded the B&T agency, which creates communication and innovation for brands such as Pilsner Urquell, L'Oréal, Rohlík, Lindt, Tchibo, VISA, and Notino, not only in the Czech Republic, but throughout Europe and South America.

Bernhard Buchegger

Managing Partner of Gruppe am Park (Linz/Vienna), an agency that develops comprehensive communication strategies for brands and institutions. He headed communications for the Linz 2009 – EHMK, Bad Ischl Salzkammergut 2024 – EHMK projects, as well as the Johann Strauss 2025 anniversary celebrations in Vienna. He has won numerous international awards, including Cannes Lions and the Red Dot Award, and is a member of UNESCO City of Media Arts and Marke Innsbruck.

Adéla Kovářová

Before joining the České Budějovice 2028 – EHMK project, she worked in cultural marketing and PR for the Vltava Philharmonic Orchestra, DOX, and Collegium 1704. She was involved in the creation of the Vzlet cultural center and managed Forbes Czechia's social media accounts. At Budějovice 2028, she is responsible for marketing, brand, and communication strategy, as well as leading the marketing team.

Aleš Seifert

Mgr. Aleš Seifert (*1977) is the Director of the Aleš South Bohemian Gallery, one of the most significant regional fine art institutions in the Czech Republic. He has long been dedicated to developing the gallery as a vibrant cultural platform that connects historical collections with contemporary art and actively opens space for interdisciplinary and international projects. In his work, he emphasizes a high-quality curatorial program, the professionalization of operations, and long-term communication with both the general public and the professional art community.

He is currently also intensively involved in preparing the project for a new building of the Aleš South Bohemian Gallery, which is intended to significantly strengthen the institution’s facilities and expand its possibilities for presentation and collection care. Under his leadership, the AJG is reinforcing its role as a cultural center of the region and a natural partner for cooperation across institutions, artists, and communities.