Tjaša Ficko

Tjaša Ficko is a city councillor on the Zoran Janković List and a Deputy Mayor of Ljubljana since 2010. Her fields of work are culture, tourism, international relations, corporate communication, economy and development projects. She is a member of the Commission for Mandate Questions, Elections and Appointments and the Commission for International Relations.

She is responsible for strengthening the international recognisability and the reputation of the city trademark. She promotes the city vision, activities and achievements at many events at home and abroad and speaks at numerous renowned international conferences (among them at Walk21 Vienna 2015, IMCL Bristol 2015, WEF New Delhi 2018, Urban Future Global Conference Vienna 2018, ICLEI World Congress Montreal 2018, Cycling Scotland Edinburgh 2019, etc.). In 2013, she was in charge of the City Organising Committee of the European Basketball Championship and then of the candidacy and the implementation of the European Green Capital 2016 project, which successfully put Ljubljana on the European map as a city committed to following the green vision while actively carrying out projects for improving the quality of life.

Born in Murska Sobota, she attended school there until graduation, afterward she successfully concluded her bachelor’s studies in communication science at the Faculty of Social Sciences and the master’s programme in management at the Faculty of Economics in Ljubljana. She fulfilled part of her study obligations at the Universidad Complutense in Madrid and is a graduate of the Cervantes Institute. Her career began in the Public Relations Office of the Mercator Business System, and when Zoran Janković won the local elections in 2006, she was entrusted with the leadership of the Section for Public Relations in the Mayor’s Cabinet and the coordination of communication officers within the big city family.

In 2018, at the global conference Women Economic Forum (WEF) in New Delhi, she received the prestigious award Woman of the Decade in Public Life for heading the European Green Capital 2016 project.

She is a certified director and member of the Executive Board of the Slovenian Directors’ Association, member of the Executive Board of the Female Managers’ Section at the Managers’ Association of Slovenia, member of the Development Council of the Faculty for Social Sciences (University of Ljubljana) and member of the Policy Committee of the Council of European Municipalities and Regions.

For 16 years, I have been motivated and proud to be part of the large city family headed by Mayor Zoran Janković. Participation in the development of the city is, for me, a big responsibility every day, but at the same time, I feel great satisfaction at the completion of each project. I look forward to changes for the better and innovations with which we are raising the quality of life in the city. Strengthening the brand of the city of Ljubljana at home and abroad, just as when I took up my duties, still brings me pleasure and represents a daily challenge, as development and rapid changes do not allow much rest. The heads of organizational units and public institutions 'under my charge' (culture, tourism, communication, marketing, development projects, international cooperation) are reliable, courageous and innovative, they know their fields very well, and we have also gotten well acquainted in over the past decade and a half, and it is very nice to work together. The European Green Capital 2016 project exceeded my expectations and still resonates extremely positively today, with it, we have significantly strengthened the international reputation and recognisability of Ljubljana. Now, the Mission 100 is ahead of us all and will be even more challenging. I am convinced that together we will continue to know how to and be able to achieve many more victories for the good of our city and its citizens. Ljubljana is just big enough and, at the same time, small enough. Green, safe and clean. Nature, which I enjoy very much, is close by everywhere. It's nice to live in a progressive city of friendly and creative people, in a city with a smile, so I want it to remain that way in the future – for all of us and for the generations yet to come.