My Job
I joined Acumen in summer 2024 to help grow its Tech practice – but it didn’t feel like a new job as I’ve already been hanging around their office for 5 years as a client. I now lead a top team advising a dozen of tech companies, covering sectors from social media and online entertainment to e-commerce and FinTech. We service clients from A to Z, helping them navigate, communicate around and shape EU regulations that impact them.
Beyond that, I support our leadership and other teams with my 12 years of in-house experience, and lead on Acumen’s external strategy. I also volunteer as EU Climate Pact and Diversity Ambassador, and contribute to the EU Parliament’s SME Connect network, Volt Slovakia and Women in Public Affairs community which we’re now bringing to Brussels.
My toughest and most fulfilling role though is that of a co-CEO (and a Chief Entertainment, Gastronomy and Crisis Management Officer) to my energetic 6- and 9-year olds.
My Experience
I came to Brussels to learn French, fell for the Eurobubble, and never left. Fast-forward two decades, I’ve worked on policy and comms in and around EU and local institutions, media and disruptive tech companies.
More on my career journey here. In short, I headed Uber’s EU office at a time of intense public scrutiny due to its past behavior, directed Amazon’s EU and local policy work around digital issues, and advocated for a Single Market approach at EVBox and bwin. Previously, I was part of the Digital Commissioner Reding’s Taskforce on the EU Roaming Regulation and had a stint in Slovakia’s Permanent Representation to the EU.
In early 2024, I hopped on the political bandwagon to help run the EU elections campaign of Volt Slovakia which also put me forward as an MEP candidate. It was my most intense professional experience which made me respect even more the people (especially women) who work in politics.
My Specialisms
My Proudest Achievements
It’s definitely seeing people I had the privilege to manage, coach or mentor to thrive and succeed. I won’t share personal details but you know who you are and how proud I am of where you got and how!
I also love celebrating every little or big team win. I was particularly proud when – after one year of intense exchanges – my past team’s work helped secure partnership with a leading European NGO that previously campaigned against us. Or when Politico described our handling of the “Uber Files” in the European Parliament as “an object lesson in reputation management”.
My most recent personal highlight – winning Acumen’s coveted annual award as “the most Italian of all Italians”. It made my Slovak parents and Italian in-laws very proud. And of course it also feeds to Acumen Tech team’s secret sauce! 🌶
My Education
I graduated in Economics in Slovakia, while also finishing 2 years in literature and philology at Prague’s Charles University. I loved both but neither felt like a career calling, so I topped them up with 3 Master’s in Brussels: in EU integration (with VUB), international relations (with ULB) and communication in EU affairs (with IHECS). Sounds like academic overkill but it was the only way to access the in-built traineeships which otherwise would be closed for me as a non-EU citizen at the time. And I also got bulletproof confirmation that the EU really was my calling!
My Languages
Czech, English, French, Italian and Spanish. Awkwardly, my native Slovak is the one language I do the worst job speaking in about what I actually do.
My Interests outside work
When I’m not working and family logistics permitting, there are high chances I’m engaging in some kind of a muddy business. Either in Bois de la Cambre with the kids. Or training for a Spartan race. Or hanging out at a rock festival. I’m also a book worm, though lately more likely to content myself with Audible while on a dog walk.
My Favourite Brussels anecdote
When Acumen’s internal (arguably a very well written) overview of the key Commission initiatives expected to feature in the Work Programme started circulating in Brussels as the Work Programme leak. For the record, it was based purely on the diligent collection of publicly available information!
Or when with my former team and consultants (AKA Acumen) we managed to escape out of an escape room during our overzealous team-building. We got an extra laugh when we later found out that our story ended up trending on the Belgian Twittersphere.