Professional references

In my capacity of the Founding President of IEDC-Bled School of Management, one of the leading international management development institutions in Europe, I would like to recommend Ms Tonja Blatnik.

Tonja Blatnik was Head of Corporate Communications at IEDC-Bled School of Management between 2012-2017 and she was my direct report.

By building long-term partnerships with Slovenian and foreign media, Tonja managed to secure media coverage in some of the most reputable media outlets such as The Financial Times, Al Jazeera, The Independent and Poets&Quants.

Apart from that, Tonja has a passion for content creation. Above all, she has excellent writing skills. She co-edited several IEDC publications such as “IEDC-A Creative Environment for Creative Leadership” (2016); “China & Europe: leadership in 21st century globalization” – the European Leadership Centre Conference proceedings, 2015) etc. On the occasion of IEDC’s 30th Anniversary, she also efficiently coordinated the work of the organizing committee of the international conference ‘Women Leaders – Agents of Change in Europe’.

Tonja is a positive, talented and promising young woman, and a pleasure to work with. She has my highest endorsement.

Prof. Danica Purg, President, IEDC-Bled School of Management

I had a pleasure to work with Tonja in two different capacities – as a head of communications and editor-in-chief at the Managers’ Association of Slovenia and later as a head of corporate communications at IEDC business school. Tonja’s gifts are many; for me the most important one was her ability to combine rational professional mind with a very warm human heart. Perhaps, this is what made her so successful as a communicator – as you must be able to engage the whole person, using rational intelligence in unison with emotional intelligence. I also admire Tonja’s willingness to get things done no matter how hard the task is – she is not only a dreamer and a communicator, but she is ready to roll up her sleeves and go beyond the talk. Difficult conferences, complex events, exciting strategies – no matter what is the level of complexity, she is able to get it done. So, it is my great honor to recommend Tonja as an amazing professional and an inspiring human being.

Nadya Zhexembayeva Chief Reinvention Officer at WE EXIST Reinvention Agency, U. S.

Tonja is an invisible assistant who builds and sweats before and after you. But, when she walks in, it’s like the sun shines on you. I love the speed and success of her follow-ups. She was the soul of our first international Modri – Les Noirs Wine Festival, and since then, our communication has come to a whole new dimension.

Matjaž Lemut, director, TILIA estate

With Tonja, we participated in the implementation of two business conferences, where she was primarily in the role of the head of public relations. In this role, she was proactive and actively participated in the conceptual design stage, and thus contributed significantly to the success of both conferences. When in contact with the media, she is professional and constantly searching for mutual benefits. In the team, she is active and cooperative.

Tonja has very rare ability to switch between strategic view and operational execution. She is pleasant, heartfelt and professional, and I strongly recommend her in the role of product development and PR.

Peter Ribarič, director, Planet GV, editor-in-chief, HR&M Magazine

Tonja is a very energetic outgoing person who possesses an infectious enthusiasm. She is a real professional in the field of communications, both in producing output in a wide field of critical areas, including China-EU relations. She undertook very pioneering undergraduate studies, providing a base for her insatiable intellectual curiosity. I have had the pleasure of cooperating with Tonja and look forward to many other opportunities. I recommend her warmly.

Jean-Pierre Lehmann, Emeritus Professor International Political Economy, IMD, Lausanne, Switzerland (1945 – 2017)

I had the pleasure of working alongside Tonja as I hosted the 8th Art of Management & Organization conference in 2016 at the IEDC, Bled School of Managment. Tonja arranged coverage of our event with both local, national and international media and took a pro-active approach to supporting our social media presentation of the conference. In addition, Tonja worked both collaboratively with me and independently of me to ensure coverage of the conference events was captured by a professional photographer. Her independence and initiative was invaluable.

Jenna Ward, Senior Lecturer at De Montfort University, United Kingdom

I worked with Tonja when I was asked to give a keynote address at a recent conference hosted by IEDC in Bled, Slovenia. I found Tonja to be professional, creative, innovative, detail-oriented, and personable. She was fabulous, and it was truly a joy to get to know her!

Susan R. Madsen, Orin R. Woodbury Professor of Leadership and Ethics, U.S.

Talented, Openminded, No-nonsense, Joyful and Amazingly creative: this are just few traits of Tonja’s irresistible character! It is amazing and joyful to co-create with her, her talent and open mind enabled us to always go tho the core of the issues we persued, no nonsense! Looking forward to more. Dear reader, see to it, that your professional journey benefits from evolving genius!

Miha Pogačnik, Violinist, MihaVision