My favourite mantra is: ‘It’s not a race, it’s a journey.’ I want to enjoy all aspects of the journey, including my career, while celebrating achievements along the way. I prefer a balanced approach to work and life, and try to focus on the present. However, I also think that both positive and negative experiences have contributed to my growth and development.
After graduating I started my career in the Ministry of Finance as an auditor of European Union funds as the main direction of my studies was finance, so it seemed logical. Since 2003, I have grown from a junior auditor to the deputy director of our department, but currently my main responsibility is the protection of the EU’s financial interests.
The main challenge is to ensure that EU funds are invested correctly and effectively. It is also important to focus controls and supervision on those recipients of EU funds who seek to carry out fraud and are not interested in the honest implementation of projects. There is a big national network of institutions with whom I cooperate to achieve this goal, and we also have very close contact with similar services in all the member states of the EU, which provides many possibilities to exchange knowledge with them.
I would definitely recommend a career in the public sector if your aim is to achieve a work-life balance
The main advantage of building my career at the ministry is that I became well known in my field. I believe that I am now an expert in the field of auditing of EU funds and in protecting the financial interests of the EU. I have participated in numerous international projects, sharing my knowledge and experience with candidate countries and helping them to achieve compliance with the EU’s legal requirements. I also participate as a speaker at international seminars and conferences, which is a great opportunity to meet new people and share experience.
I would definitely recommend a career in the public sector if your aim is to achieve a work-life balance. The fixed working hours are an advantage, as are the additional holidays and good social guarantees.
I have drafted several laws, but if I had the power, I would work on improving the Public Procurement Law. I think this should be simplified to make it more understandable to users, as well as to provide public expenditure transparency and ensure a balance between the rights of the customers and suppliers.
What I enjoy about my role is that I can combine my work with my interests. I have many business trips, so I have travelled all over the Europe, making a lot of contacts and friends. I think the more you travel and get acquainted with diverse cultures and people, the better you can understand what is happening in the world.
I would love to work in the field of quantum physics to contribute to our understanding of the universe
My biggest achievement came in 2023. I received a badge of honour from the Minister of Finance, both for my excellent results at the ministry and my contribution to the development of auditing. It is highly motivating when your work is recognised by the minister.
If I wasn’t in finance, I would like a career in quantum physics. I would love to work in this field to contribute to our understanding of the universe. I read A Brief History of Time by Stephen Hawking and since then I follow with great interest attempts to formulate The Theory of Everything.
Outside of work I like travelling. I also enjoy planning and organising my trips by myself. I usually travel with my daughter – we are currently planning a big trip to Japan. I also enjoy listening to music and reading books.
