Jana Hollá

An anthropologist turned cross-cultural professional with over 18 years of experience in the field.

BIO:
My intercultural story began with an exchange year in the US in my late teens. This first long-term immersion in a new culture gave me a new passion for learning to understand others and share that knowledge. Choosing Cultural Anthropology as my university major was thus an obvious next step. There, I discovered the field of cross-cultural communication. And while working on my doctorate, I decided for a slight shift in my profession.

I have been working as a cross-cultural consultant, facilitator and trainer since.  I specialize in cross-cultural competence building, diversity & inclusion management, and relocation training & coaching. My interventions explore the nature of difference, knowledge and learning as a means of developing and transforming individuals, teams and their organisations who seek to build effective and meaningful working relations across cultures and differences.

I have designed and facilitated learning programs for diverse audiences, in terms of national, social, professional background and/or age, in some twenty plus countries in Europe, Africa, North America and Asia. My clients come from the corporate sector, NGOs, universities and cultural institutions.

In my designs, I draw heavily on the latest findings in Developmental and Organizational Psychology, Cognitive Science, Anthropology, Sociology and Business Studies. In an effort to stay up to date, I welcome collaboration with academic institutions. I have been a member of the training staff at the Summer Academy on Intercultural Experience at the Karlshochshule University in Germany, the Summer Institue on Intercultural Communication in Portland in the US, and currently collaborate closely with the Institute for Developing across Differences.

I endeavour to share my passion for cross-cultural awareness and competence building in the form of volunteering and pro bono work as well. I used to extensively collaborate with the AFS network as a volunteer member of their European Pool of Trainers. I am also a former president of the Young Society for Intercultural Education, Training and Research (Young SIETAR) and maintain an active membership.

A native of Slovakia, I reside in Cairo, Egypt, since 2004. My adapted city offers a lot of opportunities for living what I preach. Twenty plus years on, I embrace the challenges and opportunities living abroad offers with full awareness and deep appreciation. It is this lived experience that adds value to what I do professionally. 

QUALIFICATIONS

• PhD in Ethnology (Cultural Anthropology)

• Leadership experience with Young Sietar

• fluent in English, Slovak and Czech

• intermediate Egyptian Colloquial Arabic

• passive knowledge of German and Polish

• in-field experience in cooperation with a wide variety of clients

SKILLS

• training

• facilitation and coaching

• empathy and interpersonal skills

• translating academic theory into practice

• project management and support

• event organization (cross-cultural conferences)

SERVICES

• individual training

• group training

• facilitation of group processes

• individual and group coaching

• culturally sensitivity training - local knowledge on Egypt and MENA region

• available around the world

Publications

TV interview

I recently talked at the Egypt II morning show about cross-cultural adaptation. Check it out to get a better idea of how I approach the subjects of my work. The interview is in English with Arabic translation and the segment I appear in starts at the 3m 10s mark.