Advisers to the President of the Republic
The president's advisers
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Secretary-General of the President's Office
mag. Uroš Krek
As the head of the President's Office, he is responsible for the Office's operation and for providing any support the President needs to perform her function.
He also served as the Secretary-General under President Danilo Türk and as the Deputy Secretary-General and the National Security Adviser under President Borut Pahor. Earlier in his career, he worked as the Director of the Development Administration, the Armaments Administration and the Defence Policy Directorate, and as the State Secretary at the Ministry of Defence. In recent years, he has served as the Assistant Chief of the General Staff of the Slovenian Armed Forces.
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Chief of Cabinet
Ula Tomaduz
In her work as a lawyer, she has focused on punitive, constitutional and media law. During and after her studies, she furthered her knowledge by working with public institutions and non-governmental organisations. She started her professional career at Senica & Partners law firm and continued it as a judicial trainee at Ljubljana Higher Court. After passing the state law examination with honours, she worked as Senior Judicial Adviser at Ljubljana District Court. She also served as the Deputy Disciplinary Prosecutor of the Bar Association of Slovenia. From 2019 until her appointment as the Head of the President's Private Office, she has worked as an attorney-at-law at Pirc Musar & Partners law firm. She is also a doctoral candidate at the Faculty of Law of the University of Ljubljana.
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Adviser to the President on Human Security
mag. Tatjana Bobnar
The former Minister of the Interior has many years of experience in the field of policing, in particular investigating and preventing domestic violence, child sexual abuse and youth violence. During her time at the Ljubljana Police Directorate and then at the General Police Directorate, she worked, among other things, on the legal aspects of criminal investigative work, which involved her in the drafting of legal acts concerning the work of the Criminal Police. She has worked to improve working conditions in the Slovenian police in several areas, and has strengthened cooperation with NGOs on human rights and the elimination of intolerance. She has led projects on strengthening ethics and integrity in the police, psychological assistance and support in the police, and established a consultative body on equal opportunities in the police. She also established the Council on Police Law and Powers and was its first chair. In 2018, she became the first woman Director General of the Slovenian Police. She has contributed to the drafting of laws and commentaries in the field of criminal law and police work.
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National Security Adviser to the President
mag. Nataša Dolenc
Mag. Nataša Dolenc has been working on national security since 2000. During her employment at the Ministry of Defence she worked in defence policy, performing duties related to Slovenia's participation in the EU and NATO. She also participated in international operations and missions. As the State Secretary, she was in charge of drafting the White Paper on the Defence of the Republic of Slovenia and was a member of the National Security Council Secretariat. As the Director of the Government Office for the Protection of Classified Information, she was responsible for classified information and cybersecurity. She also participated in the drafting of the Resolution on the National Security Strategy of the Republic of Slovenia. She participated in the military operation of NATO KFOR in Kosovo as a special political adviser to the KFOR commander.
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Social Activities Adviser to the President
Biserka Marolt Meden
Biserka Marolt Meden has dedicated her entire professional career and a great part of her private life to taking care of people, in particular vulnerable groups. The former president of Srebrna Nit, a society campaigning for dignified old age, is a sociologist, editor, business manager, activist, humanitarian and volunteer. Together with her coworkers, she established the first secular women's shelter in Slovenia and contributed to the systemic financing of this service. She was one of the initiators of the construction of the new building for the Division of Paediatrics of Ljubljana University Medical Centre, headed the Foundation for the new Division of Paediatrics in Ljubljana and served as the Managing Director of the Paediatrics Division for four terms. She has received many awards and prizes.
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Foreign Policy Adviser to the President
Miriam Možgan
Miriam Možgan is a seasoned diplomat. She served as the Deputy Ambassador in Washington and Paris and as the third Secretary-General of the Bled Strategic Forum. As an expert in strategic communication, she advised President Janez Drnovšek, five defence ministers and three foreign ministers. At the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, she participated in the establishment of digital diplomacy and the Diplomatic Academy. In recent years, she has closely monitored the developments in the fight against disinformation.
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Political Affairs Adviser to the President
Aleksej Skok
Aleksej Skok is a former non-professional Vice Mayor of Izola and has many years of experience in how local communities operate. He was a co-founder of one of the first youth councils in the country and subsequently became its president. He worked on international terrestrial and marine spatial planning, and on the procedures for implementing the Barcelona Convention in practice. Skok also has extensive experience in leading election campaigns at all levels.
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Adviser to the President of the Republic of Slovenia on European Affairs
dr. Zoran Stančič
Dr Stančič graduated from the Faculty of Civil and Geodetic Engineering of the University of Ljubljana and held managerial, research and teaching positions at the Scientific Research Centre of the Slovenian Academy of Sciences and Arts, the University of Ljubljana, the Sorbonne University in Paris and the University of Trieste.
From 2004, Stančič worked for the European Commission, first as Deputy Director-General for Research (DG RTD) and then as Deputy Director-General for Communication Networks, Content and Technology (DG CNECT). From 2016 to 2020, he was Head of the European Commission Representation in Slovenia. In 2021, he returned to the DG CNECT as a Special Adviser.
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International Relations Adviser to the President
dr. Zlatko Šabič
Dr Zlatko Šabič has worked as a professor and researcher in international relations at the Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Ljubljana. He spent more than four years abroad for study and research in Austria, Norway, the UK, Taiwan and the US. He has held numerous management and advisory positions at home and abroad. He is a co-founder of the East Asia Resource Library at the University of Ljubljana and of two international professional associations for international relations, one Central and East European and the other pan-European. He was also a member at-large of the Governing Council of the International Studies Association, the global professional network of international relations scholars and practitioners. He is a member of the Strategic Council of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in which he already participated in the past. His areas of expertise are the development of international community, international organisations, inter-parliamentary cooperation and international politics of East Asia.
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Climate Policy and Human Rights Adviser to the President
mag. Eva Tomič
Mag. Eva Tomič has devoted the majority of her work to the protection and promotion of human rights and fundamental freedoms, as well as to multilateral diplomacy. She was the head of the first Office of the Council of Europe in Montenegro and of the UN Human Rights Office in the occupied Palestinian territory. She served as a diplomat at the missions of the Republic of Slovenia in New York and Geneva and as the Ambassador and Permanent Representative of the Republic of Slovenia to the Council of Europe. Tomič was the head of the Human Rights Department and then the head of the Department for International Organisations at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, before being appointed Special Envoy for Climate Diplomacy at the same ministry.
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Special Representative of the President of the Republic for Economic Affairs
Igor Mervič
Igor Mervič is one of the best-known and most successful managers in Slovenia, with more than 40 years of experience. He was CEO of Spar Slovenia for 28 years. Earlier, he worked for the company Lesnina for 12 years and was also a member of the management boards of the Slovenian Chamber of Commerce and the Olimpija Basketball Club. In January 2022, he was awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award in the Field of Management by the Managers’ Association of Slovenia.
He is currently working with the President of Slovenia in the field of self-sufficiency and food security, on economic issues, and in other areas in which he has long-standing expertise. One of his main tasks is the preparation of the President’s forum on self-sufficiency and food security scheduled for October 2023.
