Past, Present, Pride — the annual Pride Business Forum conference

Event Details

Evan Davis

Presenter, BBC

Evan Davis hosts a one daily news programme on BBC Radio 4, called PM, but is also well-known as the presenter of the BBC2 business reality show Dragons Den. And on Radio 4, he hosts a weekly business discussion programme the Bottom Line.

In his long career at the BBC, he has presented other programmes, such as Today on Radio 4 and Newsnight on BBC 2. Between 2001 and 2008 he was the Economics Editor of the BBC, the most senior economics reporter in the corporation.

Before joining the BBC in 1993, he was an economist at the Institute for Fiscal Studies, and at the London Business School. He has written numerous papers, articles and newspaper and magazine columns as well as the book, Public Spending, (published by Penguin in 1998). He is also a co-author of the Penguin Dictionary of Economics and the New Penguin Dictionary of Business.

His latest book is called Post Truth: Why we have reached Peak Bullshit and what we can do about it which sets out to explain why there is so much mendacity and nonsense in public discourse and why it became more of a concern in 2016.

He studied at St John’s College Oxford (1981 to 1984) and at the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University (1986 to 1988).

Evan has won numerous awards. In 2017, he was the Television and Radio Industries club (TRIC) News presenter of the Year. In 2015, he was Attitude magazine’s Man of the Year.

Poornima Luthra

Associate Professor, Copenhagen Business School

Dr. Poornima Luthra is a renowned author, TEDx speaker, and expert in talent management and Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. With three impactful books, including “The Art of Active Allyship” which was named one of the 10 best management books of 2023 by Thinkers50, she leverages eighteen years of research and teaching experience across Asia and Europe. Poornima has her fourth book, ‘Can I Say That’ releasing in May 2025. Holding the position of Associate Professor at Copenhagen Business School, Dr. Poornima combines academic rigor with real-world application.

Photo: Pavla Keltnerová, Charles University

Michal Pitoňák

Chairman, Queer geography, z.s.

Michal Pitoňák, Ph.D. is an Assistant Professor at the Faculty of Humanities, Charles University, a researcher at the National Institute of Mental Health (NUDZ), and a research collaborator at the Faculty of Education, Charles University. He is also the founder and chair of Queer Geography, a research and science communication association dedicated to interdisciplinary dialogue on LGBTQ+ issues.

His research is internationally recognized for its contributions to LGBTQ+ psychology and minority stress research, as well as pioneering studies in the geographies of sexualities in Czechia. He has led and co-authored key national studies on the societal position and discrimination of LGBTQ+ people in the Czech Republic, significantly shaping policy discussions and public health strategies. His interdisciplinary approach examines heteronormativity, cisnormativity, and structural stigma in Central and Eastern Europe, bridging psychology, human geography, and sociology.

Susanna Romantsova

Founder of DEI Consulting

With 11+ years of experience, Susanna helps organizations build high-performing, inclusive cultures that drive business success. A TEDx speaker, LinkedIn Top Voice, and Forbes 30 Under 30 honoree, she previously led DEI at IKEA, creating a transformative three-year strategy. Susanna runs an independent consultancy, supporting global organizations and leaders in fostering inclusion, collaboration, and psychological safety. She holds a master's in clinical psychology and is a certified Fearless Organization Scan practitioner.

Dinah Richter Spritzer

Director, Inclusion Stars

Dinah is the director of Inclusion Stars, a consultancy that provides strategy and training for organizations seeking to boost profits through employee satisfaction. Inclusion Stars focuses on transparent communication, change management, and team cohesion. Her clients have included JPMorgan Chase, Morgan Stanley, L’Oréal, and the U.S. White House. 

Dinah is also a top-ranked journalism professor with more than two decades of experience in reporting and teaching. As a journalist, she covered minorities, gender, and politics in Europe for The New York Times, USA Today, and The Jerusalem Post. 

A native of New Jersey, USA, Dinah is also the author of Global and Intercultural Communications, a 434-page interactive academic book used by business students at universities worldwide.

Marie-Anne Valfort

Senior economist, OECD

Marie-Anne Valfort is a senior economist in the Social Policy and International Migration Divisions within the OECD Directorate for Employment, Labour and Social Affairs. 

She leads the OECD’s work on LGBTIQ+ inclusion which addresses three main topics: (1) the life situation of LGBTIQ+ individuals (and the economic returns of improving it); (2) whether laws and policies critical to foster LGBTIQ+ inclusion are in place; and (3) the monitoring and impact evaluation of member countries’ strategies to achieve LGBTIQ+ equality, to ensure they engage in actions that are fully effective. 

She is also co-leading the OECD’s work on the inclusion of racial/ethnic minorities. Prior to joining the OECD, she was a Professor at the Paris School of Economics. She holds a PhD in Economics from Ecole Polytechnique and a Master of Science in Management from HEC.

Czeslaw Walek
Chairman of the Board of Directors, Pride Business Forum

Czeslaw graduated from the Law Faculties of Jagiellonian and Central European universities. He worked in both the government sector and the non-government sector. As the Czech Deputy Minister for Human Rights, he was responsible for creating, adopting, and implementing domestic policies on human rights protection. Between 2011 - 2022 Czeslaw chaired Prague Pride, the leading organization focusing on LGBT+ rights in the Czech Republic. Until 2015 Czeslaw was the managing director of the Prague Pride festival, making it the biggest Pride festival in post-communist countries.

In 2016 as a part of the Fulbright Scholarship, Czeslaw was a Global Fellow of Out & Equal Workplace Advocates, where he implemented a Global program of the organization. After returning to Prague, he started to manage Jsme fér, the marriage equality campaign, and Pride Business Forum, a platform focusing on LGBT+ equality in the workplace. In 2011 Czeslaw was awarded Alice G. Masaryk Human Rights Award for his dedication to promoting human rights.

Date: 06/06/2025

Start time: 09:00

End time: 18:00

Venue: Hilton Praha (Pobřežní 311/1, 186 00, Praha 8-Rohanský ostrov)