CEE Young Sustainability Leaders

Viktoria As an ESG Corporate Affairs and Stakeholder Management Expert at Erste Group Bank AG, I am working at the intersection of sustainabilitystrategy, stakeholder engagement, and public policy. My work focuses on integrating ESG considerations into external engagement and sustainability governance across Central and Eastern Europe. With experience spanning sustainable finance, non-financial reporting, net-zero strategy, and stakeholder management, I am particularly interested in how sustainability can drive long-term competitiveness and resilience in the CEE region.

Kaloyan is a Senior Consultant ESG & Sustainability at Cushman & Wakefield Forton, where he focuses on developing the firm’s ESG product line and integrating sustainability across its business lines. He has experience in commercial and residential real estate development, feasibility assessments, cost control, green building certifications, photovoltaic assessments, and ESG data management. He is also a licensed BREEAM New Construction & In-Use Assessor. Kaloyan holds a Master’s degree in Civil Engineering from the University of Applied Sciences Mittelhessen and a Bachelor’s degree in Industrial Engineering from the University of Applied Sciences Mainz, Germany.

Jan Lehejček is an experienced project and public-sector professional with a background spanning environmental management, regional development, innovation and programme evaluation. He currently leads the Department of Environment and Transportation at Prague-Libuš Municipal District, where his work covers environmental protection, waste management, public infrastructure and local policy implementation. Since 2013, Jan has worked across project and programme management, monitoring and evaluation, socio-economic research and development cooperation, combining analytical approaches with practical implementation. He has contributed to projects focused on sustainable agriculture and forestry, innovation, education and the effective use of public funding, including Horizon 2020 initiatives.

Bogdana Leshchyshyn works on climate finance and energy transition at the Stockholm Environment Institute, with a focus on mobilising investment for industrial decarbonisation. Her work focuses on what makes transition projects investable, including project economics, transition risk, policy and risk-sharing mechanisms, particularly in hard-to-abate sectors. Her experience spans climate finance, carbon pricing and international carbon markets, alongside the development of financing approaches and international energy initiatives with financial institutions, industry, governments and development partners. Before joining SEI, she worked at Ukraine’s national energy agency. Across her work, she focuses on bridging the gap between transition ambition and investment, and on how public and private capital can be mobilised for industrial and energy transition.

As an economics graduate, I began my professional journey at KPMG Serbia, where I am currently part of the ESG & Sustainability Consulting team. My professional experience has developed through working with leading local and European clients across the CEE region, across a diverse range of sustainability challenges and industries. I have worked on sustainability reporting, ESG advisory for banks, GHG emissions calculations, sustainable finance projects, developing ESG strategies and other climate-related topics. I am naturally curious and enjoy stepping into new areas, which is what makes sustainability consulting particularly rewarding for me — the constant exposure to new industries, challenges and perspectives keeps me learning, expanding my expertise and finding new ways to create value through sustainability.

Jadwiga Pisarska (she/her) - Sustainable Transition Financing Director at BNP Paribas Bank Polska, PhD candidate at SGH Warsaw School of Economics, graduate of SGH Warsaw School of Economics and the University of Warsaw

Piotr Rodak is a Policy Advisor at Business & Science Poland, the largest Brussels-based association representing Polish companies, where he helps Polish companies navigate and shape EU policies related to industrial competitiveness, the clean technologies, and critical raw materials. He took his first steps in consulting for the public sector at PwC in Warsaw, and then at Edelman Global Advisory in Brussels. A former Youth Delegate of Poland to the Council of Europe, Piotr is committed to strengthening young people’s participation in policymaking. From September, he will pursue a Master’s degree at KU Leuven, further developing his expertise in European policy and sustainability.

Zuzana Serinová is a Policy Manager at the American Chamber of Commerce in Slovakia, where she works on sustainability, responsible business, rule of law and public policy. She leads and coordinates initiatives bringing together companies, policymakers and experts around the green transition, ESG, competitiveness and the quality of the business and regulatory environment. Her work focuses on turning sustainability ambitions into practical solutions and strengthening cooperation between the private and public sectors. She is particularly interested in how sustainability, investment, sound policymaking and economic competitiveness can reinforce one another. Zuzana is also a European Climate Pact Ambassador.

Natalia Topczewska is a Sustainable Finance Expert in the Sustainable Finance Department within Corporate Banking at mBank. She supports the development of sustainable finance products, including green bonds and sustainability-linked loans (SLLs), and collaborates on the execution of such transactions. She also delivers workshops and educational sessions for mBank employees and clients. She holds a degree in Global Business, Finance and Management from the Warsaw School of Economics (SGH). She is a holder of the CFA Institute Certificate in ESG Investing and is a member of the Sustainability-Linked Loans (SLL) Working Group at POLSIF (Polish Sustainable Investment Forum).