Karel Žebrakovský, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to Canada

Date of Birth:            March 31, 1948

Professional Career:

2008 -

Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Czech Republic to Canada

2006 – 2008

Ambassador-at-Large for Science, Technology and Education, MFA, Prague

2001 – 2006 

Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Czech Republic to Japan

1999 – 2001

Member of Supervisory Board, ČEB Czech Export Bank, Prague

Member of Supervisory Board, EGAP Export Guarantee and Insurance Corporation, Prague (ex officio representative of MoFA in boards, unpaid duty)

1998 – 2001  

Director, Dept. of External Economic Relations and International Organizations, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Prague

1993 – 1998              

Counsellor, Permanent Mission of the Czech Republic to the United Nations, New York, in charge of ECOSOC and 2nd Committee of the UN General Assembly and related specialized agencies (UNDP, UNICEF etc.)

1991 – 1993

Professor of Information Technology and MIS Systems and Director of Computing Services, Czech Management Centre (CMC) Čelákovice (MBA school of University of Pittsburgh, local campus)

1985 – 1991      

Senior advisor, Chief technical advisor and regional project manager, UNIDO-Czechoslovakia Joint Programme for Cooperation, hosted by INORGA Research Institute under the auspices of Federal Ministry of Metallurgy and HeavyEngineering, Prague

1973 – 1985               

Manager, Corporate Development Unit

Senior system analyst and programmer, Pipeline Dispatching and Control Centre, Transgas comp., Prague

Education:

1981 – 1987               

PhD programme at Dept. of  Computers, Czech Technical University Prague, concluded without degree conferral 

1979 - 1981               

Postgraduate course in computer science and cybernetics, Czech Technical University Prague

1977 – 1979               

Postgraduate course in English language for Scientific Usage, Charles University Prague

1967 – 1973               

Czech Technical University, Prague, Faculty of Electrical Engineering, M.Sc. in Computer Science, Cybernetics and Automatic Control

1966 – 1967               

Advanced secondary technical education - computer programming and maintenance, Grammar School Štěpánská, Prague

1963 – 1966               

Grammar (secondary) school, science-focus branch, Hořovice near Prague

Professional Activities and Skills:

Member of Supervisory board, Czech Technical University MEDIA-LAB Foundation, Prague (as of 2006)

Guest Professor of International Relations, Keio University Tokyo, Japan (2003- 2004)

Large-scale experience in international cooperation and development projects (UNDP/UNIDO)

Experience in education, science and technology cooperation promotion

Many short-term and medium term courses on science and technology, management, entrepreneurship

Former close collaborator of EFMD (European Foundation for Management Development), EFER (European Foundation for Entrepreneurial Research), CEEMAN (Central and East European Management Development Association)

Family Status:

Married - wife Markéta

two children (son Jan 1983, daughter Iva 1984)

Hobbies:

Classical (symphonic) music

Photo and film making (winner of “Princess Takamado Prize” in photo competition “Beauty of Japan through Diplomat Eyes”, Tokyo, 2004)

Science and technology, education and hi-tech business