Our team
David Koppitz – managing director, project manager
David Koppitz has wide experience in the field of preparation and realization of non-investment projects financed from the EU funds as well as from other external resources. He has worked as a project manager in MEPCO since 2008 and he has worked as a managing director in MEPCO since April 2010. He has taken part in the realization of the project ‘Application of Modern Quality Management Methods into Public Administration’ (within the pilot implementation of the BSC method), production of the Integrated Development Plans of the towns Ústí nad Labem and of Vsetín, Integrated Development Plan for Park Rochus, Uherské Hradiště, and preparation of a wide range of soft projects for local administrations and other public organizations in the Czech Republic, for instance within the financial mechanism EEA and Norway Grants, INTERREG programmes or, currently, within the operational programme ‘Human Resources and Employment’. He is active in development projects in the Balkans and in the ex-member countries of the former Soviet Union. In 2004 – 2007, he was responsible for complex management of external relationships of the town of Pardubice. Lately, he has been motivating municipalities and other subjects of local economic development to engage into international development activities and helping them to implement tools to increase the quality public management.
Lenka Růžičková – office manager, financial manager
Since 2006, Lenka Růžičková has worked in the company MEPCO as the office manager and financial manager. Apart from being in charge of complex logistic and administrative background for the employees, she administers personal and wage agenda, and is responsible for the financial control of individual projects in relation to overall budget of the company, and for control of financial planning and cash-flow. Moreover, she manages full personal, financial, and operational analyses of the company. Apart from administrative control, she deals with project activities as well; namely with financial management, administrative support, and coordination of projects financed from the ESF. She has got experience with elaboration of monitoring and financial reports, realization of tenders, financial management, monitoring and control of correctness and completeness of documentation of invested funds, mechanisms for approval and legitimacy of costs, monitoring of client’s budget drawing and cash-flow, etc. She has participated in the project ‘Application of Modern Quality Management Methods into Public Administration’ (operational programme ‘Development of Human Resources’). She has got direct experience with crisis management.
Martin Guba - project manager
Martin Guba has been in MEPCO as a project manager since 2010. He participated on preparation of an international project TREIN (Transnational Entrepreneurs for Innovation) under the OP Transnational Cooperation and cooperates on transnational project CEBBIS. He has worked on other significant acquisitions of the company related to EU Structural Funds as well, especially in grant application process and following project management. He has taken part on preparation and realization of various study tours for foreign representatives in Czech Republic. Among his main areas of activities belong financial management and controlling aspects of international projects. During the period 2006-2009 he worked at IBM and Accenture. He has extensive experience with projects related to education and development of private and public sphere employees'. He was a member of several project teams preparing and then implementing the construction of Development centers focusing on selection of competencies among employees and their subsequent evaluation and further development. He is also the founder of the first coworking center in Slovak Republic.
Otto Mertens – project manager
Otto started working in the field of structural funds in 2007. He prepared several project applications for OP Enterprise and Innovations and ROP and coordinated a Czech-Austrian cooperation project supported by the INTERREG IIIA Programme. In 2008 he was a trainee in the communication office of the Utrecht University, and then he worked as a liaison officer for Dutch ministerial delegations during the Czech Presidency in the EU. In 2009-2010 he worked at the Netherlands Embassy in Prague. In MEPCO he is responsible for preparation and management of international projects and the organization of study tours for experts and officials from eastern and south-eastern Europe. Otto Mertens graduated from the Masaryk University (Brno) in International Relations and European Studies and Communication Studies and Journalism. He spent part of his study at the Otto-von-Guericke University in Magdeburg.
Alexandra Šimčíková – consultant
Alexandra Šimčíková graduated from the Charles University Prague, Faculty of Science in Social Geography and Regional Development. She has practical experience with issue of regional development, EU structural funds, preparation and management of operational programme, which she obtained on the Ministry for Regional Development. In 2007 – 2010, she worked in the Managing Authority Integrated Operational Programme and Joint Regional Operational Programme. She has wide experience in the field of implementation Integrated Urban Development Plans, when she participated in the methodical management of IUDP and coordination of activities connected with implementation. Questions of social integration belong to another area of her work. She organized working groups, whose main goal was interconnect investment and “soft” activities and solving problems in deprivated zone by integrated and complex approach. As a deputy of Czech Republic, she attended international seminars and conferences in the field of social exclusion. She has been in MEPCO as a consultant since 2011. Creation and utilization instruments of improving strategic management of towns, innovations in the field of integrated planning and rural development belong to her main areas of activities.
Zdeněk Hušek – senior expert, strategic management, innovations, HR development, programming (external worker)
Zdeněk Hušek is an expert in the field of European financial tools, area of strategic management, project management, support of innovative businesses and development of human resources. From 2003 to 2009, he worked as the executive manager and head project manager of the company MEPCO. He was a member of the management team of the consortium for the creation of the National Development Plan 2007 – 2013 and member of the team for Evaluation of the Common Regional Operational Programme. He participated in the preparation of the MATEO project (planning and support of innovations in the Southeast Cohesion Region), most extensive INTERREG IIIC project in the Czech Republic, and also in the project C2ENET, LARA. He prepared the Southeast Regional Operational Programme, and took part in a wide range of projects abroad (Serbia, Bulgaria). Before starting to work in the company MEPCO, he was employed in industrial businesses. In 1992 – 1995, he took part in the restructuring process of the state-owned enterprise Chemopetrol, or in the foundation of one of the first regional development agencies in the Czech Republic. He studied at the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, Czech Technical University Prague, to later round off his education in the fields including hi-tech marketing, external trade, and management of human resources. At present, Zdeněk Hušek works for the company MEPCO as an external worker.
Markéta Novotná - senior expert, project management, funding strategies
(external worker)
Mrs. Novotná has extensive experience in project management and lecturing. She participated in the project "Increasing knowledge of project management" for the Olomouc Region, as the responsible lector. She cooperated on the design of courses and training materials in the field of project management, strategic management and training of trainers. Since 1997, she has worked in several organizations on the position of training manager. She served as a director and lecturer in the Training Centre for Public Administration, where she was responsible particularly for training of project management and structural policies.
Michal Zitko - senior expert, communications, P.R., marketing, diplomacy, governance processes (external worker)
Michal Zitko possesses an extensive knowledge of public administration, local governments and parliamentary services. Since 2003, he has worked for Municipality of Pardubice, where he moved from position of spokesperson of Mayor’s Office Director to the Municipal Office as a Deputy to the CEO. His main activities are related to external relations (incl. international twinning programmes, PR and media relations), legal services, organizational support to the political representatives (Parliamentary services), IT support, crisis management, etc. Mr. Zitko has been involved in many international initiatives in the past several years. He was a consultant in the “Sustainable Development of the Municipality of Gjakova” project and a short-term trainer for a couple of projects implemented under the Logo East program (financed by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Netherlands). He has wide experience in twinning activities with various municipalities as well.
Jana Voldánová - senior expert, education, development, benchmarking
(external worker)
Mrs. Jana Voldánová is an expert on development and training activities in municipal organizations. Currently, she cooperates with Training Centre for Public Administration in Czech Republic, where she is responsible for development, management, supervising and coordination of training projects, communication with foreign partners, coordination of national and international events, etc. She plays important role in various benchmarking activities in Czech republic. In 2009 and 2010 she managed the project Benchmarking of Social Services in Královohradecký Region focused on software, methodologies and analyses. She managed similar project for Olomouc Region as well. She has been involved in various international projects, for example in Georgia- supporting the cooperation at local level, or Macedonia- related to creation of the Handbook for Newly Elected Local Official. She has experience with preparation of study visits as well. Between 2002 – 2008 she was vice-president of the European Network of professional bodies: Training Organisations for Local and Regional Government (ENTO), Strasbourg).
Věra Jourová - senior expert – EU funds, local governance
(external worker)
Věra Jourová has extensive experience with EU funds financing, especially in the field of public administration. During her time at the Municipal Office as a Secretary of city of Třebíč, she participated in the majority of projects focused on the development from EU funds (PHARE). Since 2000, she worked as a project manager with a focus on human resource development and programs financed by the EU. At the same time, she started to lecture on topics of regional development and economic and social cohesion policies and related funding strategies. Following her assignment as a head of the Department of Regional Development Authority Vysočina, she worked during the period 2003 - 2006 as a Director of the Department and then as deputy minister at the Ministry for Regional Development. The agenda under her control covered overall coordination of programs such as the EU and their overarching monitoring system. Since 2006, she dedicated herself to counseling and preparation of projects for EU funding. Currently she cooperates with MEPCO on particular projects- UNDP Serbia and Montenegro, which provide opportunities for transfer of experience from the Czech Republic abroad.
Milan Půček – senior expert – quality methods, controlling, development strategies (external worker)
Milan Půček belongs to the experts covering methods of quality and efficiency in the public sector and strategic planning. He has extensive practical experience gained during more than 16 years in various management positions, including 8 years in leading positions in the public sector. He helped to implement ISO, CAF, BSC and other methods in many organizations, directed or performed controlling for several projects financed by the Structural Funds. He worked for many years as a Chairman of the Board Development Agency Vsetinsko o.p.s., and also worked at the Ministry for Regional Development, as a deputy minister responsible for issues as structural funds, regional development, science and research or planning and building regulations. He focuses on publishing as well, acting as an author / co-author of numerous publications. In addition, he has teaching practice at Tomas Bata University (Faculty of Management) and acts as a lecturer focusing on strategic planning.