Ivan Bednárik
Minister of Transport
Ivan Bednárik comes from the Slovak village of Starý Tekov. After graduating from the Janko Kráľ Grammar School in Zlaté Moravce, he studied in Australia at the NSW Business College and subsequently obtained an MBA degree at The Central European Management Institute in Prague. He has dedicated his entire professional career to the transport and logistics industry, in which he has worked for almost three decades. He has held a number of management and director positions in the private and public sectors, primarily in strategic management, operations and sales. He made a significant mark as Chairman of the Board of Directors and CEO of České dráhy (Czech Railways), successfully stabilising the company's finances, increasing its profitability, and securing the financing for the rolling stock fleet in excess of EUR 1 billion. Before that, he led ČD Cargo, which under his leadership underwent international expansion and achieved sustained profit growth. After working for the Budamar Group and several of its subsidiaries, he became an advisor to the Minister of Transport of the Slovak Republic and since 2025 he headed Železnice Slovenskej republiky as its Chief Executive Officer. He is a co-founder and former vice-president of the professional association Žesnad.cz, and he was the first Slovak on the steering committee of the Community of European Railways and Infrastructure Companies (CER), based in Brussels, and the first laureate awarded by the academic community and the business sector for his lifelong contribution and commitment to the railway sector in Slovakia and abroad. He is fluent in Slovak, Czech, Russian and English.
In his spare time he enjoys travelling, hunting, history, literature and developing his management skills.
Personal information
Ivan Bednárik, MBA, born 16 January 1975
Education
2015-2017: The Central European Management Institute, thesis on Risk Management
1995: NSW Business College, majoring in Management
1993: Gymnasium Janka Kráľa
Professional and public activities
15 May 2025-present: Železnice Slovenskej republiky, Chief Executive Officer
December 2023-14 May 2025: Ministry of Transport of the Slovak Republic, adviser to the Minister
September 2022-November 2023: Budamar Group, a. s., member of the Board of Directors
February 2023-November 2023: Tatravagónka, a. s., member of the Board of Directors
February 2023-November 2023: Budamar South, s. r. o., executive officer
May 2023-November 2023: Budamar Innovations, a. s., chairman of the Board
December 2020-February 2022: České dráhy, a. s., chairman of the Board of Directors, Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer
November 2020-February 2022: Výzkumný ústav železniční, a. s., chairman of the Supervisory Board
January 2019-June 2019: ČD Cargo Slovakia, a. s., member of the Supervisory Board
2017-2020: Ostrava Transport Company - Cargo, a. s., member of the Supervisory Board
2015-2020: Ostrava Transport Company, a. s., chairman of the Supervisory Board
2015-2020: CD Cargo Polska Sp. z o. o., chairman of the Supervisory Board
2014-2020: ČD Cargo Logistics, a. s., chairman of the Supervisory Board
2014-2020: ČD Cargo, a. s., chairman of the Board of Directors
2008-2009: Express Agrotrade, a. s. (from 21 December 2012 Railtrans Logistics, a. s.),
member of the Board of Directors
2002-2014: Express Slovakia "Mezinárodní přeprava, a. s." (merged on 1 July 2014
into Express Group, a. s.), member of the Board of Directors, Chief Commercial Officer
