Michaela Bakala is an entrepreneur and philanthropist born in communist Czechoslovakia. After the “Velvet Revolution” of 1989, she won the Miss Czechoslovakia contest and worked as an international model, while earning a master’s degree in film and television production at the Academy of Performing Arts in Prague.

Michaela went on to build a career in public relations, first leading the communications department of an international industrial company and later becoming the spokeswoman for one of the main Czech political parties. After working on several election teams and advising a number of presidential candidates, Michaela launched her own public relations agency and founded a beauty contest under the Czech Miss brand, which she owned and managed for 10 years.

Michaela’s main passion, however, is philanthropy. As chairwoman of the Bakala Foundation’s Board of Trustees, she develops the family’s philanthropic activities, which focus mainly on supporting the education of talented youth, leading capacity-building programs for young journalists, and nurturing the values of modern democracy and a free press.

Michaela spends much of her time at her family’s home on Hilton Head Island with her husband, Zdenek, and their children, aged 18, 16, 14, and 10.