She studied public economics and administration at the Faculty of Economics and Administration. In her master's course, she decided to enrol in an inter-faculty programme, and so she studied international relations at the faculty of social studies in addition to economic policy. But finance began to attract her, so she tried her luck and applied to the European Investment Bank (EIB), which employs over four thousand people.
You finished your studies at MU less than five years ago and you already work at the European Investment Bank. How did you get the job?
It wasn't exactly a straight path. I have always been attracted to the idea of working abroad, which is why I went for a five-month graduate internship at the European Parliament in Luxembourg, where it has one of its three seats, right after my finals. I really liked the capital and wanted to stay there, so just before covid I started working at the Court of Justice of the European Union and then I went back to the European Parliament where I was for two and a half years. After some time, however, I was drawn back to finance, and so I applied for one of the positions at the European Investment Bank. I didn’t hear from them at all for a few months, as is often the case in European institutions, but then they invited me for competency tests and an interview. I didn't really expect them to call me at all, so I was very happy. And I'm also very lucky that they took me - because there is a huge number of applicants for each position.
Do you know how many people applied for your position?
I don't know how many people applied together with me at the time, but when a similar position in our team opened recently, over a thousand applicants applied. The HR department reduced it down to about five hundred, and our management then selected a hundred applicants to advance further. Then they invited about fifty people for interview. So, the competition is really big and I am still extremely grateful that they chose me back then. Already when I was preparing for the interview and studying the mission of the European Investment Bank and what it does, I was intrigued. I found it interesting to participate in the creation Europe’s future. And after the interview I wanted to work there even more.
Why do you think they chose you?
I don't really know, but my profile was a good fit for the position. The head of the department and other colleagues were nice to me, and everything made a good impression on me. So, I believe they felt the same and saw great potential in me. And after a year and a half of working there, I have to say that the work and the team have exceeded all my expectations. I am very lucky that we have a great management and team in our department - people are full of knowledge and experience. It is really inspiring for me to work alongside people who have worked, for example, for large investment banks such as JP Morgan or Goldman Sachs, and other global companies. Thanks to this, I am constantly moving forward and learning a lot from them. I also like working in an international environment. Our team is quite large, and among the forty employees there are colleagues from Europe, as well as from the USA and Asia. I am in daily contact with different nationalities, which is culturally very enriching and interesting. My colleagues have experience from different countries and very interesting perspectives on things, so I am constantly expanding my horizons in the field of finance as well.
What exactly do you do at the European Investment Bank?
I work in a department that plays the role of investment advisor for the European Innovation Council Fund under the European Commission. During its existence, this fund has developed into the largest European venture capital investor and its main task is to invest in innovative technologies and venture capital and to catalyse private investment. The fund never invests alone - there are always investors from the private sector who co-invest and set the terms of the investment.
The start-ups with the greatest potential are not chosen by us at the European Investment Bank, but by the European Innovation Council, which invites the best candidates to appear before a jury. The jury then selects several companies that come to us at the European Investment Bank. We carry out a due diligence process, i.e. a thorough review of start-ups, including risk assessment and the like. And then we make a recommendation whether to invest in the start-ups or not. So, the whole process is about the close cooperation between the European Commission, the European Investment Bank, private investors and start-ups.
It's hard work and every day is a challenge. We encounter start-ups from all over Europe or, for example, from Israel. Every company is different and operates in a different area. Our portfolio thus includes medical and biotech companies, and companies focusing on semiconductors or artificial intelligence. We are thus in contact with other disciplines every day. At the same time, we also cooperate with several parties – the European Commission, private companies and start-ups, which are three completely different entities that must find a way of working together. Procedures, policies and methods of financing are often discussed, to see which would be the most advantageous for all parties. And sometimes the negotiation is difficult.
You actually came to the European Investment Bank as a recent graduate. Was that a problem?
It didn't matter. Of course, I had to learn a lot of things, as in any new job. But studying at Masaryk University gave me a very good foundation. My boss also told me something on the first day at work that I liked very much - I shouldn't be afraid if I can't do something or that I don't know, and that even he, despite all these years of practice, learns new things every day. And that I shouldn't be afraid of making mistakes. The important thing is not to let it stop you and to fix it. After all, you learn the most from mistakes. That was very inspiring to me. Our team and management in general is made up of incredibly experienced and talented people, which inspires me. It is a pleasure to learn from such people.
However, I definitely have a lot to learn. But I‘ve really enjoyed my work from the very beginning. That's why I always want to improve myself and I'm looking for other educational programmes. Finally, I signed up for a two-year long-distance course in Finance and Investment Management taught at the University of Liverpool. I don't have a lot of free time now, but I always find time for sports and travel. The advantage is living in Luxembourg. I'm at the airport in twenty minutes and it's a short distance to Paris or Brussels, so I spend a lot of weekends outside Luxembourg.