Dr. Ján Oravec is a leading Slovak economist, reform advocate, and champion of entrepreneurship with a rare blend of experience across civil society, business, academia, and government. As founder and long-time president of the F. A. Hayek Foundation – later the Institute of Freedom and Entrepreneurship – he has been at the forefront of Slovakia’s pro-market transformation since the 1990s.
For nearly two decades, Ján led the Entrepreneurs Association of Slovakia and represented Slovak employers in international bodies such as BusinessEurope, the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development, and the International Labour Organization. In government, he played a key role in Slovakia’s EU and OECD accession and, as Deputy Minister of Economy (2020–2022), spearheaded regulatory reforms recognized by the OECD as a best practice among member states.
Through his work in academia and public policy, Ján has consistently advanced one mission: empowering entrepreneurs as the true drivers of economic progress by improving public policy, reducing administrative burdens, and strengthening innovation and competitiveness.
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