Suzana Lep Šimenko

Suzana Lep Šimenko (born on 30 October 1979) graduated from the Faculty of Economics and Business of the University of Maribor in 2002, obtaining a degree in economics.

She began her career at the same faculty, where she held her first full-time position as a university assistant in the fields of organisational policy, strategic management, planning and analysis. She continued her career in the private sector. Her first position was with MLM Storitve d. o. o., where, as Head of Business Organisation, she was responsible for overseeing the implementation of numerous organisational changes and the redesign of business processes. She later joined NKBM d. d., where she was responsible for organisational development and human resources. In 2012, she joined the Office of the Prime Minister of the Republic of Slovenia as an economic affairs adviser, where, among other roles, she served as a member of the interministerial coordination group for accelerating the absorption of EU funds and as a member of the steering group responsible for preparing Slovenia's Development Strategy 2014–2020. In 2012 and 2013, she also served as a member of the Council of the Agency of the Republic of Slovenia for Public Legal Records and Related Services (AJPES). From December 2012 until her election to the National Assembly, she was employed by Zavarovalnica Maribor d. d., where she initially served as an adviser to the Management Board on the optimisation and simplification of business processes, and later as a specialist in the Management Board Office for organisation and processes. In these roles, she contributed to and participated in the company's most demanding projects related to optimisation, process simplification, and employee development.

In July 2014, she was first elected Deputy to the National Assembly of the Republic of Slovenia, and was subsequently re-elected in 2018, 2022 and 2026. As Deputy, she served as a member of various parliamentary committees and as Chair of a Commission of Inquiry. During the 2022–2026 term, she chaired the Commission for Relations with Slovenes in Neighbouring and Other Countries. During her time as Chair of the Commission, Slovenians living outside their homeland gained an important parliamentary interlocutor, as their representatives were given the opportunity to participate in commission meetings, engagement with these communities was strengthened, and greater attention was given to the challenges they face.