Margareta ILKOVA
Director, Branch Manager
Prague
Summary
Enthusiastic leader with +15 years of work experience in the financial sector with proven track record in leading large-scale projects, optimizing operational frameworks, and driving change across global teams. Recognized for strategic decision-making, building high-performing and engaged teams, solving complex challenges and delivering measurable impact to achieve business goals. Strong advocate for diversity in all its forms, with a visible commitment to inclusion and equity. Honored as a Mover and Shaker at the Top of Czech Business in 2022. Alumni of DBG High Potential circle. Fluent in English, Slovak, Czech, Hungarian and French.
Overview
16
16
years of professional experience
5
5
Languages
Work History
Director, Branch Manager
Clearstream Prague Branch Manager, Deutsche Boerse Group
07.2023 - Current
- Lead a branch of ~700 employees, fostering a collaborative and high-performing culture; maintaining ~7% attrition, with 23% of staff having 10+ years and 40% with 5+ years of tenure.
- Ensure efficient daily operations and full compliance with internal policies and external regulations.
- Achieved zero serious audit findings at the branch level across internal and external regulatory reviews.
- Lead cross-location initiatives in asset services and global operations to reduce financial losses and harmonize control frameworks across Prague, Luxembourg, Frankfurt, and Singapore. Claims in Asset Servicing decreased by 30% from 2023 to 2025.
- Direct the evaluation and selection of a provider for real-time transaction monitoring, ensuring full lifecycle oversight. For the PoC the expected success is 25% decrease in NII claims.
- Improved manual instruction handling through automation and enhanced controls, reducing operational risk.
- Serve as BCM Coordinator for Prague IT, consistently meeting RTO within 2 hours for all incidents and supervised tests.
- Champion People & Culture initiatives and support multiple ERGs to enhance employee engagement and inclusion. The number of ERG increased from 2 to 6.
- Maintain strong relationships with internal clients, driving satisfaction and identifying service improvement opportunities.
- Executive sponsor for Sexual Identity and Orientation, Deutsche Boerse Group DEI Council
- Sponsor visibility campaigns (e.g. Pride Month, Lunchtime Talks) to boost awareness and engagement. Target of one campaign/ quarter met.
- Lead inclusive benefit updates for all including LGBTQIA+ employees.
- Roll out training on sexual orientation, unconscious bias, and inclusive leadership. Made mandatory for leaders.
- Support Market Pride ERG growth, increasing membership and ally participation.
- Contributed to a 92% positive score on “I am treated with respect as an individual” in Prague’s People Survey.
Director, General Manager and Head of Tax Services
Clearstream Operations Prague, Deutsche Boerse Group
01.2022 - 12.2023
- Managed 30+ direct reports and 400+ indirect reports in Prague location.
- Ensured efficient and compliant daily operations. Adopted local and global policies and group board resolutions for the Prague legal entity.
- Contributed to nearshoring strategy, increasing Prague’s share of Operations staff to 80% by 2025; led TOM design and recruitment strategy for ~150 FTEs.
- Supported Ops 2025 and Tax Revolution projects, enhancing scalability and service quality in tax operations (e.g. enhanced relief at source, automated German credit advice).
- Transitioned Tax Services to a paperless model, enabling hybrid work and improving processing efficiency via OCR technologies and local applications.
- Partnered with Tax Product to improve client experience, compliance, and audit readiness.
- Developed procedures to ensure core operational functions met business objectives.
- Led Prague’s successful completion of the first CSDR audit by BuBa/BaFin.
- Oversaw KPI reporting, ICS/RCM environment, BCDM planning/testing, and ISAE 3402 compliance.
- Directed Tax risk governance: KPIs, RIs/KRIs, risk scenarios, and internal/external audits. One serious audit finding closed within the deadlines.
- Championed talent development and cross-location mentoring across Prague, Frankfurt, and Luxembourg.
- Founded the People & Culture Prague focus group (March 2023) to improve employee satisfaction. Prague positively ranking on the top of the Group People Survey.
- Contributed to Clearstream Prague’s recognition in Czech 100 Best 2022 for dynamic growth and stability.
Global Head of HR Business Relations for IT
Deutsche Boerse
08.2019 - 12.2021
- Managed cross-location HR teams across Frankfurt, Prague, and Luxembourg: 20 HR professionals.
- Provided strategic HR advisory to IT Executive Board member and C-suite, aligning workforce strategy with global IT objectives.
- Designed and directed HR agenda supporting organizational growth across international IT teams.
- Partnered with core HR functions and data analytics teams to drive data-informed decisions on talent and performance.
- Led succession planning, talent reviews, and promotion panels to strengthen leadership pipelines.
- Delivered organizational development and strategic workforce planning to meet future divisional needs.
- Developed merit guidance, conducted remuneration gap analysis, and oversaw approval processes.
- Directed recruitment for key IT roles, ensuring alignment with strategic priorities.
- Promoted diversity through targeted action plans, contributing to increased female representation in IT.
- Successfully influenced internal promotion outcomes:
- In H1 2021, women represented 24% of promotions to middle management and 25% to senior roles.
- In H2 2021, those figures rose to 38% and 50%, respectively.
Senior Vice President, Operations
Head of Settlement, Change Management and GSF Clearstream, Deutsche Boerse Group
01.2017 - 07.2019
- Managed and developed a team of 50+ employees, fostering engagement and high performance.
- Oversaw settlement operations across 50+ currencies and 30+ domestic links, ensuring reliability and regulatory alignment.
- Led business acceptance testing and operational readiness for Global Securities Financing and Clearstream releases, ensuring seamless integration and minimal disruption.
- Drove process improvements through AI and robotics (SWIFT dispatch, Tosca, Blue Prism), increasing efficiency and reducing manual effort.
- Implemented policies and KPIs to align operations with business objectives and risk controls (RIs/KRIs).
- Collaborated with audit and compliance to ensure regulatory adherence and seamless client experience.
Vice President of Various Teams
Clearstream, Deutsche Boerse Group
01.2010 - 12.2016
- Head of Cash Reconciliation/ Investigation and Late Value Claims
- Head of Mandatory Corporate Actions
- Head of Tax Services
Education
Researcher -
French Research Center in Humanities And Social Sciences, CEFRES
Prague01.2010
Master's degree - Finance, Financial Markets and Banking
Charles University
Prague, Czechia 04.2001 -
Erasmus exchange - International Management Program
NEOMA Business School
Reims01.2007
Skills
Operational strategy & transformation
Talent development & leadership
Regulatory compliance & risk management
Cross-functional collaboration & stakeholder engagement
Problem-solving & creative solutions
Effective Communication Skills
Timeline
Director, Branch Manager
Clearstream Prague Branch Manager, Deutsche Boerse Group
07.2023 - Current
Director, General Manager and Head of Tax Services
Clearstream Operations Prague, Deutsche Boerse Group
01.2022 - 12.2023
Global Head of HR Business Relations for IT
Deutsche Boerse
08.2019 - 12.2021
Senior Vice President, Operations
Head of Settlement, Change Management and GSF Clearstream, Deutsche Boerse Group
01.2017 - 07.2019
Vice President of Various Teams
Clearstream, Deutsche Boerse Group
01.2010 - 12.2016
Master's degree - Finance, Financial Markets and Banking
Charles University
04.2001 -
Researcher -
French Research Center in Humanities And Social Sciences, CEFRES
Erasmus exchange - International Management Program
NEOMA Business School