State Secretary studied law and specialized in management at Comenius University in Bratislava. She expanded her education by studying European Fund Management at the European Academy for Taxation, Economics and Law in Berlin and European Law at King's College in London. She completed further studies at the École de Langue – Accord in Paris and received an MBA from the Cambridge Business School in Prague.
Professional career of Denisa Žiláková has been linked to European legislation and EU funds for more than two decades. From 2001 to 2005, she worked for the European Commission as an advisor for justice, internal relations and pre-accession funds within the European Commission. Between 2005 and 2007, she held the position of Director General of the Section at the Ministry of Transport, Posts and Telecommunications. Subsequently, until 2012, she worked at the Ministry of Finance as Director of the Department for EU funds.
From 2012 to 2016, she led the Transport Operational Programme Section at the Ministry of Transport. From 2016 to August 2023, she served as the Director General of the Central Coordination Body Section, first at the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister for Investments and Informatization, and later at the Ministry of Investments, Regional Development and Informatization. Before her appointment as State Secretary at the Ministry of Transport, she worked at the Ministry of the Interior as an advisor for EU funds.
As State Secretary, she leads the EU funds, water and rail transport as well as road safety.
