Pavla Holcová is an investigative journalist and the founder of Investice.cz, which is based in Prague.
She was the only journalist from the Czech Republic to be invited to take part in the global investigation of the Panama Papers, for which the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists won the Pulitzer Prize.
She collaborated with Azerbaijani journalist Khadija Ismayilova on a series of articles exposing the illegal business activities of the Azerbaijani president and his family. For this work, both journalists received the Global Shining Light Award. In collaboration with the Balkan Investigative Reporting Network (BIRN) and the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP), she mapped the supply of billions of dollars' worth of arms to the conflict in Syria. She and her colleagues were awarded the Serbian Prize for Investigative Journalism for this investigation.
Together with Macedonian journalist Saška Cvetkovska, she exposed the hidden investments of former Macedonian secret service chief Saso Mialkov. Following these and other related disclosures, Mialkov was forced to resign and the Macedonian government subsequently collapsed. The two journalists won the European Union's Investigative Journalism Award for their work on this case.
In November 2016, Pavla was selected as one of 100 New Europe changemakers — individuals who are changing Central and Eastern Europe for the better.
In 2018, she was selected for the European Young Leaders initiative.
Prior to founding investigation.cz, Pavla worked for six years at People in Need as head of the Cuban section.
