Minhwan CHANG Chief Representative of KHNP Prague Office
Mr. Minhwan Chang serves as the Chief Representative of KHNP's Prague Office, where he spearheads and coordinates KHNP's efforts in advancing new nuclear projects within the Czech Republic. Since joining KHNP in 2002, Mr. Chang has amassed extensive expertise in nuclear power plant operations and international project development. Notably, in 2011, he played a pivotal role in the triumphant execution of the UAE Barakah NPP construction project, taking charge of ENEC personnel training and commissioning preparations. In 2014, Mr. Chang has made significant contributions to global nuclear safety by serving as a Peer Reviewer at the WANO Tokyo Centre, furthering the cause of safe NPP operations across the globe.
In recent times, Mr. Chang has directed his efforts exclusively towards the expansion of the overseas nuclear sector in Europe, underscoring his commitment to advancing this crucial industry.
Anna FOŘTOVÁ Team Energy Leader, KPMG
Anna Fořtová graduated in nuclear power engineering equipment at the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering of the Czech Technical University in Prague and has been working on the topic of energy (both nuclear and thermal) for her entire professional career. This has led her from academia to the International Atomic Energy Agencyc, to the Energy Regulatory Authority and the Ministry of Industry and Trade. Currently she works at the consulting company KPMG, where she leads the energy team and, together with her colleagues, focuses on nuclear energy, modern energy and electricity distribution topics.
Juyoul KIM Professor & Dean of External Affairs, Kepco International Nuclear Graduate School, Co-Leader of the Czech-Korean Nuclear Cooperation Centre
Professor Juyoul Kim graduated from Seoul National University in 2002. He was serving as a researcher for Waste Disposal Research Group of KHNP-NETEC for 2 years from 1998 to 2000. After graduation he joined CENS UCLA for 3 years being postdoctoral research associate. He was serving as director of radiation environment department of FNC Technologies in Suwon from 2005 to 2017 and part-timely was also delivering lectures at Dongguk University. He joined KEPCO International Nuclear Graduate School as an Assistant Professor in Radiation Protection in 2018 and was promoted to associate professor in 2022. From 2022 he has also served as Dean of External Affairs of KINGS and Section Chair of Korea Nuclear Society as well as the member of Board of Editors for Korean Radioactive Waste Society. He is very active in support of international cooperation of KINGS and Czech, Polish, and other universities. He introduced the idea of a Czech Korean Nuclear Cooperation Centre and is going to be its director from the Korean side.
Jiří MAREK NE•RS 2025 Conference Chairman
Jiri is the consultant in the field of power industry and is the Partner & Head Executive of JMM Consulting, Ltd. – a company focused on advisory services and organization of professional activities. After graduating from the Czech Technical University, Faculty of Technical and Nuclear Physics, he worked in research; he has been working in the power industry field since 1974 (until 1996 in ČEZ). For the last more than thirty years, he was the advisor of the Minister of Industry and Trade, chairman and vice-chairman of the Supervisory Board of ČEZ, a member of supervisory boards in several energy distribution companies and an advisor of Deputy Ministers of Finance. In these positions, he was dealing with the reorganization of state administration in power industry, the development of state energy policy, the establishment of the State Office for Nuclear Safety and with the preparation of the privatization of Czech power industry. He is occupied by publication activities, mainly in the field of nuclear power industry and has wide experience in organizing of international and specialized professional conferences and meetings. His positions are quoted on TV, radio and in economic periodicals. In 2014 Jiri was elected the President of the Association of Czech Nuclear Veterans.
Jan RATAJ Head of the Department of Nuclear Reactors, Faculty of Nuclear and Physical Engineering of the Czech Technical University in Prague
Jan Rataj graduated from the Faculty of Nuclear and Physical Engineering of the Czech Technical University in Prague with a master's and doctoral degree in Nuclear Engineering. In 2001 he became a member of the Department of Nuclear Reactors and since 2005 he has been working there as an academic researcher. From 2008 to 2018 he held the position of Head of Reactor Operation VR-1 and Deputy Head of the Department, since 2018 he has been the Head of the Department. He is the guarantor of the Bachelor's degree program in Nuclear Engineering. As an academic researcher, he provides teaching in the field of experimental neutron and reactor physics. He is engaged in experimental and teaching activities at the VR-1 and VR-2 reactors and in the development of nuclear education in the Czech Republic. He led the project for the construction of the VR-2 subcritical reactor. He cooperates with the IAEA in the field of the use of research nuclear reactors and the promotion of nuclear education and training, and participates in IAEA missions aimed at assessing the safety of research nuclear facilities. He is a member of the Council of the State Institute of Radiation Protection.
Jan SKOPEČEK Deputy Speaker, Chamber of Deputies, Parliament of the Czech Republic
Jan Skopeček graduated in economics and management at the Faculty of Agriculture of the University of South Bohemia in České Budějovice and then in economic policy and administration at the Faculty of Economics of the University of Economics in Prague, where he also completed his PhD studies. His professional interests focus on the history of economic thought, economic integration theory and public sector economics. He is one of the leading economic experts of ODS (Civic Democratic Party – right wing party, now the leading one of the governmental coalition).
He has been active in politics for twenty years, since 2017 he has been a deputy and since November 2021, he has been a deputy speaker of the Chamber of Deputies of the Parliament of the Czech Republic.
Branislav VRBAN Director of the Center for Technology Transfer in Nuclear Power Engineering, Faculty of Electrical Engineering and Information Technology of the Slovak University of Technology in Bratislava
Branislav Vrban completed his engineering and doctoral studies at the Slovak University of Technology in Bratislava in the field of nuclear power engineering, where he has been working as an associate professor since 2021. In his research and teaching work, he is dedicated to the issues of neutronics of thermal and fast reactors, shielding analyses and dosimetry. During his stays abroad, he worked at CEA Cadarache and at KAERI in South Korea. He is the leader and researcher of several national and international research projects in the field of nuclear research and education. At FEI STU, he works as the head of the Department of Nuclear Technology and Energy of the Institute of Nuclear and Physical Engineering and the director of the purpose-built facility, the Center for Technology Transfer in Nuclear Power Engineering.
Petr ZÁVODSKÝ Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of the Boards at ČEZ daughter SPV’s Elektrárna Dukovany II, a. s. and Elektrárna Temelín II
Petr Závodský joined CEZ Group in 1994, started at Nuclear Power Plant Temelín during construction of Units 1&2, among others as Manager of Independent Verification and Validation of the Safety Systems Software. In autumn 2006, when CEZ decided to prepare New Nuclear Built, Petr was one of the first members of the new team, responsible for technical part. In April 2009 he becomes Director of NPPs Construction Department responsible for nuclear new build within ČEZ Group, i.e. New NPPs at Dukovany and Temelín (in the Czech Republic) as well as at Jaslovské Bohunice (Slovakia).
Currently he is Chairman of the Board of Directors at ČEZ daughter SPV’s Elektrárna Dukovany II, a. s. and Elektrárna Temelín II a. s. as well as Chief Executive Officer of those companies. Additionally, he is Vice-Chairman of Board of Directors at ČEZ Bohunice, a. s.
Andrej ŽIAROVSKÝ member of the Board of Directors and Strategy Development and International Projects Director, VUJE a.s., Trnava
He graduated from the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering of the Slovak Technical University in Bratislava with a focus on thermal energy and received an MBA from the Prague International Business School. He started his career in aviation and logistics. He has been working in the energy industry since 2003. He was the general director of Alstom Power Slovakia and the commercial director of Alstom Power Service for the Czech and Slovak Republics. He worked for the Italian energy group Enel in Slovenské elektrárne, in the position of deputy director of the procurement division. Between 2008 and 2019, he worked at the Czech energy company ČEZ, a.s. in senior management positions, as well as in statutory bodies of ČEZ Group companies, such as Nuclear Energy Company of Slovakia, a.s. and Škoda Praha a.s..
He is also the author of a number of popular science articles and podcasts devoted not only to energy, but also to military history. He is currently a member of the board of directors and director for strategic development and international projects of the nuclear company VUJE a.s.