Prague Leaders Magazine Issue 03/2014

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www.leadersmagazine.czincl. electronic version

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“IT BOTHERS ME that careerists are beginning to INFILTRATE AMONG US”

now availablein Brussels

Brno I Ostrava I Plzeň I Liberec I Olomouc I Ústí nad Labem I Hradec Králové I České Budějovice I Pardubice I Zlín I Jihlava I Turnov I Karlovy Vary I Mladá Boleslav

Andrej Babiš, Minister of Finance of the Czech Republic

July / 2014 / 199 CZK

Reinhard Heydrich se svým šoférem - Reinhard Heydrich and his driver

Čeští vojáci sloužící v britské armádě - Czech soldiers serving in the British Army

Rekonstrukce atentátu na říšského protektora Reinharda Heydricha - Reconstruction of the assassination of the Reich Protector Reinhard Heydrich

Památník Operace Anthropoid v Praze Libni - Operation Anthropoid memorial in Prague, Liben

Památník Operace Anthropoid v Praze Libni - Operation Anthropoid memorial in Prague, Liben

Po rekonstrukci atentátu - the reconstruction of assassination

Zasažený říšský protektor - Stricken Reichsprotector

Atentátníci Jan Kubiš a Josef Gabčík - Bombers Jan Kubis and Josef Gabčík

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80. KONCERTNÍ SEZÓNA

2014/2015

Narozeninová sezóna v prodejiod 28. 4. 2014

Pokladna FOK Po–Pá: 10.00–18.00 Obecní dům, nám. Republiky 5, Praha 1 Tel.: 222 002 336, Fax: 222 322 501, E-mail: [email protected]

www.fok.cz

Inzerat prague leaders 5/2014 234x162,5.indd 1 17.04.14 18:52

conference/Association of Czech Insurance Brokers

page 64

Leaders Magazine III/2014 5

infopublisher’s note & contents

Dear reaDers,12 High Level Meeting on the 5th Anniversary of the Eastern Partnership

13 State Visit of the President of the Federal Republic of Germany

14 Anniversary Celebrations of the Birth of Charles IV

16 Manager of the Year 2013

22 Aspen Institute Prague Annual Conference 2014

23 Aspen Annual Gala Dinner and Presentation of the Aspen Prague

Award

25 Opening Party at GALARD Fashion Showroom

34 Round Table of Comenius – Discussion Dinner with Marian Jurečka,

Minister of Agriculture of the Czech Republic

36 Round Table of Comenius – Discussion Dinner with Dr. Svatopluk

Němeček, Minister of Health of the Czech Republic

38 Round Table of Comenius – Discussion Dinner with Ing. Antonín

Prachař, Minister of Transport of the Czech Republic

40 European Union, Czechia, and Slovakia: Common Security Future

44 Canada Day Garden Party

46 Lions Club Prague Bohemia Ambassador

47 Lions Club Prague Bohemia Ambassador – Charity-Social Evening in

Kaiserstein Palace

50 7th Professional Meeting of Best of Magazine

56 Jiří Postolka from North Bohemia Coal Mines was Awarded the

Prestigious Prize Financial Director fo the Year 2013

60 Minister of Finance Andrej Babiš Guest of the CFO Club

64 Association of Czech Insurance Brokers Celebrated its 20 Years

Anniversary

72 Gala Evening of the Zlatá Koruna Competition

75 CERGE-EI Graduation Gala 2014

76 Endowment Fund of Livia and Václav Klaus Honored Sponsors and

Volunteers

80 Better Cities for Better Life

84 Fryday W at the Maharal Club

85 Anniversary Party Fryday AfterWork Networking

90 Czech Raildays 2014 Trade Fair

107 Conference on Governance of Land Use in OECD Countries

108 Czechoslovak Foreign Institute Discussed its New Projects in the

General Meeting on 21 May 2014

eventsBy the time these words have

been written, the summer will arrive bringing its beautiful weather. All of a sudden we are in the midst of summer, and one starts wondering what happened to spring. There is the feeling that autumn is lurking around the corner and before you know it – winter is once again upon us.

Anyway, I hope this summer will bring along a chance to relax and some time to get close to family and friends. The possibility is also there to mull over some of life’s bigger issues such as climate change, and what we can do in order to reduce our respective carbon footprints.

The weather is on everybody’s mind, and topical discussions bring the worries of having to deal with changing global weather systems, higher temperatures, melting icebergs and glaciers, and possibly higher sea levels in the future. Increasingly we know that we all must take a personal interest, raising awareness and shouldering the responsibility to do our part in reducing carbon dioxide – the main cause of pollution in the atmosphere.

In this issue we cover a plethora of important events like Manager of the Year, Aspen, Conference and Gala Dinner with many well-known personalities from both the Czech Republic and abroad including honored guests such as Prime Minister Sobotka and Mrs. Albright, Toomas H. Ilves, President of Estonia, Ivan Mikloš, MP and former Minister of Finance of Slovakia, Iveta Radičová, former Prime Minister of Slovakia, Joe Lieberman, former US Senator, Zdeněk Bakala, Entrepreneur and Philanthropist to mention but a few. Other events include Ceses Conference, CFO Financial Director of the Year, Insurers Award of the Year by AČPM, Zlatá Koruna Award of the Year, Russian National Day, Round Table by Comenius with several Czech Ministers, CD Railway Fair in Ostrava, Canada Day, Better Cities Conference, OECD Conference, Design-Czech Day in Monaco again to mention but a few.

As usual we are offering interesting, fascinating and thought provoking articles by our contributers.

In this issue we are also pleased to have Andrej Babiš on our front page who grants us an in-depth interview. He is the very able, efficient but sometimes controversial Minister of Finance and founder of the very successful political party ANO. Other top level interviews are with Mr Antonín Prachař, Minister of Transport, Mrs. Michaela Marksová-Tominová, Minister of Labor and Social Care, Prof. Pavel Dungl, head of the Orthopedic Clinic of the Hospital Na Bulovce, Mrs. Anna Šabatová, the Public Defender of Rights, Mr. Eduard Míka, shareholder/boardmember of Netretail Holding, the company that owns and operates Mall.cz.

Dear Readers, have a great and relaxing summer wherever you are and whatever you do and, whenever you can, save some energy for the future, both to inspire and to help and care for others.

Benke Aikell ■ [email protected]

www.leadersmagazine.cz

interview/When Female Politicians Don’t Have anExceptionally Tolerant Partner at Home …

culture event/Opening Ceremony in the MIROGallery Prague

diplomatic events /Russian National Day

An interview with Michaela Marksová-Tominová,Minister of Labor and Social Care

From left: Vlastimil Harapes, Ballet Dancer andActor and MgA. Vladislav Kučík, Writer

From left: Jan Fulík, Director of the Security Department,CR, and Karel Muzikář, President, Comenius

page 30

page 110

page 104

6 Leaders Magazine III/2014

contents

10 “It’s enormously difficult to seek support when you stand against all”

An interview with Andrej Babiš, Minister of Finance

20 Aleš Graf

An interview with Ing. Aleš Graf, MBA, Chairman of the Board,

Centropol Holding a.s.

21 Hana Machačová

An interview with JUDr. Hana Machačová, Deputy General Director of

Kooperativa insurance company

30 When Female Politicians Don’t Have an Exceptionally Tolerant Partner

at Home, As I Do, Then They Have No Chance Combining Career and

Family

An interview with Michaela Marksová-Tominová, Minister of Labor and

Social Care

54 I Still Consider It Essential for People to Know Their Rights and

Disallow Their Infringement

An interview with Anna Šabatová, Public Defender of Rights

66 True Leader Cannot Do Without Foresight

An interview with Antonín Prachař, Minister of Transport

88 There are Many People who Know How to Make Money, but That’s Just

One of the Many Prerequisites of Success

An interview with Pavel Foubík, Owner, Brudra

92 I Can’t Afford to Save Money on Patients, Still, the Magic Formula Is

Cost Effectiveness

An interview with Pavel Dungl, Head of the Orthopedic Clinic of the

Hospital Na Bulovce

94 We Wouldn’t Survive Without Technologies

An interview with Eduard Míka, Shareholder and a Board Member of

Netretail Holding

48 Era Golf Tournament for Centrum Paraple 2014

98 Running for Art – 14th Annual Miroton

100 D+D REAL Czech Masters

70 Natali Ruden: Make Love not War

110 Opening Ceremony in the MIRO Gallery Prague and Afterparty in the

Lindner Hotel Prague Castle

52 Design – Czech Day in Monaco

104 Russian National Day

interviews sport events

culture events

diplomatic events

India – Lifestyle / Iva and Joseph Drebitko

Dining at Rambagh Palace, Jaipur

page 82

Leaders Magazine III/2014

26 Yujin Kreves

28 Maureen Chang: Tri – Culture

33 Civil Service Act: They Would Like To But They Are Afraid To/Evžen Tošenovský

43 Fear, Fear/Ivan Pilný

49 Honesty Pays – Raising Standards Delivers Rewards/Jonathan Wootliff

63 European Leadership & Academic Institute Events/ELAI

68 Grateful for the Opportunity/Sanjiv Suri

71 Is your Brand ‘Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious’?/Tereza Urbánková

77 Strategic Media Relations for Summertime /Cristina Muntean

78 Let’s Wake up Europe Before it’s Too Late!/Jan Mühlfeit

82 India – Lifestyle, Part III/Iva and Joseph Drebitko

86 Gender Integration is Taking Momentum/Elisabet Rodriguez Dennehy

87 How to Get Public Investment from the Stalemate?/Emanuel Šíp

88 The Foundation of the Czech Business Club in the United Arab Emirates

96 Ivana Dohnalová/Linda Štucbartová

102 Balance: The Business-Life Connection Part V: “Inept” Student Wins Nobel Prize!/James

A. Cusumano, PhD

112 Interview with MEPs Kateřina Konečná and Martina Dlabajová

114 EU Debates – Future MEPs were Briefed by CEBRE Founders

115 EU Debates – New State Aid Rules Extend Block Exemption Regulation, Commission Relies More

on Member States

116 Bussiness News

contributors

EU matters

Publisher:Benke Aikell

Head of Editorial:Lenka Helena Koenigsmark

IT Manager:Michael SerencesOffice Assistant:Tatiana Fominykh

DTP:Tomáš Stoklasa

EU Matters:CEBRE Czech Business

Representation, CESES, EuroplatformContributors:

James A. Cusumano, Iva Drebitko,Joseph Drebitko, Elisabeth Rodrigues Dennehy,

ELAI, Martina Hošková,Lenka Helena Koenigsmark,

Jaroslav Kramer, Jan Mühlfeit,Cristina Muntean, Ivan Pilný,

Sanjiv Suri, Emanuel Šíp, Linda Štucbartová,Evžen Tošenovský, Tereza Urbánková,

Jonathan WootliffPhotographers:

Ondřej Besperát, Roland Hilmar,Martin Janas, Jiří Janda,

Jakub Joachim, Jan Levora, Ivan Malý,Martin Pinkas, Jan Šilpoch,

Jan Šulc, Vladimír WeissSubscription service:

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No reproduction is permitted in wholeor part without the express consent

of Leaders Magazine.The advertiser is responsible for

the advertising contents.Opinions expressed in this publication

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ADVISORY BOARD COMMITTEEBenke Aikell, Publisher, Leaders MagazineIng. Petr Kubernát, Advisor to the Minister of Foreign Affairs and former Czech Ambassador to the NetherlandsIng. Karel Muzikář, CSc., President, COMENIUS

HONORARY MEMBERS ABROAD AND GOODWILL AMBASSADORSH.E. William J. Cabaniss, former United States Ambassador to the Czech RepublicVincent J. Derudder, Secretary General, The European Federation of Financial Advisers and Financial IntermediariesFrank J. Devlyn, Rotary International President 2000–2001 and Rotary Foundation Chairman 2005–2006H.E. Alexey L. Fedotov, former Ambassador of the Russian Federation to the Czech RepublicIng. Peter P. Formanek, President Emeritus, Canadian Chamber of Commerce in the Czech RepublicH.E. Richard Graber, former United States Ambassador to the Czech RepublicH.E. Jan Cornelis Henneman, Ambassador of the Netherlands to the Czech RepublicOtto Jelinek, former Canadian Cabinet Minister and current member of numerous international boardsH.E. Athar Mahmood, former Ambassador of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan to the Czech RepublicH.E. Zdravko Popov, former Ambassador of the Republic of Bulgaria to the Czech RepublicH.E. Mati Vaarmann, former Ambassador of the Republic of Estonia to the Czech RepublicÁja Vrzáňová, Czech World Champion in Figure-skating, Sport LegendH.E. Huo Yuzhen, former Ambassador of the People’s Republic of China to the Czech Republic

From left: Jan Mühlfeit, Chairman Europe, Microsoft Corporationand Jiří Hrabovský, Managing Partner, Ewing Public Relations

Michaela Lejsková, Business and Editorial Director,Best and MUDr. Pavel Kukla, Mettinum

From left: Jiří Fárek, Professor, Technical University Liberec, Ing. Radomír Šimek, former President,German-Czech Chamber of Industry and Commerce and member of numerous international boards, Veronika Ivanová Fárková, Relationship Manager, UniCredit Bank, Karel Zelený, German Tourist Central, CR, SK, and Josef Šesták, Vice-Head of Department of Air Transport, VŠO

Photos from the last Advisory Board Dinner

ADVISORY BOARD MEMBERSPhDr. Zdeněk Čáp,

Managing Partner, Equity Solutions s. r. o.

Josef Drebitko, CEO, D&COMM

Prof. Ing. Jiří Fárek, CSc., Professor, Technická Univerzita

Liberec and former First Deputy Mayor,

City of Prague 6

Mgr. Marta Gellová, President, EFPA

Michal Heřman, General Manager, Star Communications

Plk. Mgr. Vladislav Husák

JUDr. PhDr. Oldřich Choděra, Lawyer, Law Firm

JUDr. PhDr. Oldřich Choděra & spol.

Prof. Ing. Kamil Janáček, CSc., CNB Bank Board Member

and Chief Executive Director

Ing. Peter Jusko, MBA, Partner, London Market

Ing. Petr Kalaš, Advisor to the Minister,

Ministry of Agriculture of the CR and former

Minister of Environment

Ing. Josef Kreuter, CSc.,

former Czech Ambassador to the EU

Prof. Dr.h.c. JUDr. Jan Kříž, CSc.,

Partner, Law Firm Kříž a partneři s.r.o.

Genmjr. JUDr. Lubomír Kvíčala, former Director

of the Department of Protection of Constitutional Officials,

Police of the Czech Republic

Ing. Vladimír Laštůvka, former M.P.

Ing. Jan Mühlfeit, Chairman Europe, Microsoft Corporation

Ing. Jiří Maceška, former Chairman of the

Supervisory Board,

Česká pošta a. s. and former Czech Ambassador to OECD

George Parobek, Managing Director,

Ifield Computer Consultancy

Šárka Parobek, Director, Ifield Computer Consultancy

Doc. Ing. Václav Petříček, CSc., Chairman of the Board

of Directors of the Chamber SNS

Ing. Jozef Piga, Managing Director, Servis Praha a.s.

Ing. Lucie Pilipová, Partner, Via Perfecta, s.r.o.

Ing. Ivan Pilný, Member of the Parliament of the CR,

President, TUESDAY Business Network

JUDr. Čestmír Sajda, MBA, former Deputy Minister

of Labour and Social Affairs

MUDr. Richard Sequens, PhD., Head of Surgical

Gastroenterology Center, Nemocnice Milosrdných sester

sv. Karla Boromejského v Praze and former Senator

PhDr. MgA. Miroslav Smolák, Owner, Galerie MIRO

Mgr. Albin E. Sybera, Managing Director, Sybera

Enterprises spol. s r. o.

PhDr. Jaroslav Šedivý CSc., former Ambassador

and Minister of Foreign Affairs

JUDr. Josef Šesták, Assistant Professor, Vysoká škola

obchodní v Praze, o.p.s.

Ing. Radomír Šimek, current member of numerous

international boards

Jaromír Šlápota, President, Československý

ústav zahraniční

Ing. Pavel Štefka, MSc, 4-star General (ret.),

former Chief of General Staff

Ing. Helena Švédová, HR Director, PSG International, a.s.

Ing. Josef Tauber, Advisor to the President,

Czech Banking Association

JUDr. Petr Vyroubal, Partner, Law Firm

Vyroubal Krajhanzl Školout

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10

interview

“It’s enormously difficult to seek support when YOU STAND AGAINST ALL”

An interview with Andrej Babiš

A Vice-Prime Minister, Minister of Finance, a Member of the Chamber of Deputies, Chairman of the ANO 2011 Movement, businessman, billionaire... How do you actually prefer to be addressed? And which of the titles always surprises you?

I tell my closest colleagues that my name is still Babiš. So, they call me Mr. Babiš or boss… When someone says Mr. Vice-Prime Minister, I have to focus to be clear they are talking to me.

A while ago, the media brought a number of lists with a so called ‘hundred day of defense’ of the new government. Were you interested in anything particular in these evaluations?

I never noticed that the media would be evaluating anything serious. The government runs and, in my view, it couldn’t have performed more in a hundred days than it did.

Were you satisfied with the results of the European Parliament elections? What will the Euro-Deputies from the ANO 2011 Movement be like? Won’t they be ‘too far’ from you in Brussels?

I wasn’t happy with the results, but that’s a general knowledge. Not so much in regard with the final result as with the course of the campaign and the approach of some people from the movement. But that’s behind us. Our candidates were the best and I’m convinced that they really want to do something for Czech Republic. I’m sure they will be reporting about what they do in Brussels and Strasbourg.

What goals do you have for the communal elections? And is Prague key for you or also other regions?

As a movement, we want to be successful in places where we will find quality people, quality candidates. We will not build candidate lists everywhere at all

costs. Prague will certainly be essential to us. It’s like a state within a state, where there is the most stealing happening in total. I want to personally have oversight of the elections in Prague.

And what about the Senate? Do you have a sufficient list of suitable personalities?

Of course we will offer some personalities, but it’s a question of who perceives whom as a personality. Both famous and less famous people will be the candidates for the ANO Movement. They are important in their respective fields and will go to the Senate to offer their experience and mainly, to work. If they are successful at it, they can become personalities, as that term probably understood by the media.

It’s been a year since the Petr Nečas government failed. Last summer was in the spirit of forming

Dealing with Andrej Babiš is short, matter-of-fact, unambiguous and with a clear outcome. Actually, he already announced that it’s possible to run the state like a company during the campaign for preliminary elections. What else is needed to do this? What types of people does he select for his immediate circle and where does he look for candidates for the autumn communal elections?

Photo: Archive


interviewa new government, insecurity, approaching early elections. When was the point at which you realized that ANO 2011 must act ‘now or never?’

The entry of ANO into politics wasn’t at all connected to the failure of the Petr Nečas government. Petr Nečas was essentially a decent Prime Minister who didn’t manage to handle his immediate surroundings and his emotions, which brought him down. I realized that I had to do something when the Topoláneks, Řebíčeks and Dalíks began stealing in the scope of billions and Mr. President maintained that there actually is no corruption, which was in the fall of 2011. Our campaign was launched long before the fall of Mr. Nečas’ government, back when journalists and politicians laughed at us.

At which point did you realize that you could – and will – immediately participate in directing of the state? From today’s knowledge and experience, would you act differently in that moment?

We realized it when we ended up second in the elections after ČSSD. We essentially prevented a leftist government of social democrats with the support of communists, thus avoiding, for example, a leap increase in taxes and waste of public money. We did create a functioning coalition government, but from today’s perspective, we would have chosen a different approach in negotiating the coalition agreement. These days we wouldn’t have had to hassle over hospital fees or cancellation of the second pillar. We made mistakes. On the other hand, there was no other solution except a coalition government with ČSSD.

The chart of relationships in the Commercial Register, when searching your name, looks like a very complicated spider web at a first glance. Actually, if there was a similar chart within central administrative bodies, the result would be equally complicated. Which one of the fields is more difficult for you in terms of maintaining an overview?

In the company, I had managers around me whom I could choose myself. They knew how holdings work. At the same time, I personally knew most of over two hundred directors of the companies. I’m only beginning in the state administration, but I’m getting used to it. And I’m increasingly convinced that managing a state administration on the principles of company management is neither silly or nor some chimera. To the contrary, every day I see that such management over state administration is necessary.

You are perceived by the public as a leader. But how do you personally define a leader?

In my view, a leader is a person who strategically leads a project toward a goal. It should be someone with charisma, who can motivate other capable people toward the goal.

What kind of people do you select for your immediate working environment?

Exactly the kind of people I’m talking about, people who aim for the goal, who know what they want. But there aren’t that many people like this and only a few in politics, if I don’t count those whose goals are to their own benefit.

IN COOPERATION WITH LEADERS MAGAZINE

No doubt, your schedule is very busy. Inevitably, this requires an effective method of negotiation and decision making. What is it actually like to deal with Andrej Babiš?

A meeting shouldn’t take longer than thirty minutes, it would be matter-of-fact, unambiguous and with a clear outcome. I have ten to fifteen such meetings per day, so it’s not even possible otherwise.

Was the state administration ready for ‘your’ method of leadership?

It wasn’t and it isn’t, so I’m trying to break it.

So, you are running the Ministry ‘as a company.’ What would have to change in order to run the state the same way?

We would have to win elections with more than 51 percent and be in a majority government. But mainly we would have to change the thinking of people in the state administration. They have to realize that they aren’t working for politicians, not for the godfathers, not even for themselves, but for the citizens of this country. There are many capable people among the clerks, but now we need to put the capable and unselfish to the forefront. It’s going to take a while and certainly the Service Act will help us.

What makes you currently happy and what bothers you most from the position of the Chairman of the ANO Movement?

What makes me happy? That there are many people in the movement who believe that it’s possible to move our country toward prosperity and a satisfied society. It bothers me that careerists are beginning to infiltrate among us, who don’t care on whose side they stand and are only interested in their own benefit. But we will work on eliminating such people.

And what makes you currently happy and what bothers you most from the position of the Minister of Finance?

I’m happy to see that some numbers and rules still work. I’m dealing with how the department worked, or rather how it didn’t work. But I’m bothered with české znění naleznete na našich

stránkách www.leadersmagazine.cz

the incredible bureaucracy and non-action of the state administration. That’s also something we fight.

Will the citizens of the Czech Republic be better off one day when the participation of ANO in directing the state ends? In what areas?

I think it’s already clear today that people can be better off. But it depends on all of us. I assume that the systemic large-scale theft will end, that we will stop the greatest injustice against groups who cannot defend themselves, such as pensioners or health impaired. Even if ANO were to disappear today, I think the fresh air it brought into politics is cleansing. I have never heard that someone from ANO would be stealing, nor have anything to do with certain godfathers. That in itself is positive.

And what should be the main imprint that Andrej Babiš would leave in the Czech Republic?

I really don’t need any monuments. I just want to show that politics can be done by people who don’t need to do it for their own profit. But it’s enormously difficult to seek support when you stand against all. It will be a success if our political scene renews itself, if some people have their noses rubbed and leave politics. It’s essential for us to define where we want to go as a society. Then we can decide with whom we want to do it.

And finally, what will this year’s summer be like in the political scene? Will there be peace?

It won’t be very peaceful. In July, there will be an extraordinary meeting in the Chamber in regard to the Service Act, in mid-August the campaign for communal and Senate elections will launch. So I don’t expect peace. But I will certainly find the time to be with my children. I recommend this to everyone. I also recommend to everyone that they vote for decent and selfless candidates in the fall, the best of the best, regardless of which political party they are from.

By Jaroslav Kramer ■

Photo: Archive

12

presidential meeting

HigH level meeting on tHe 5tH AnniversAryof tHe eAstern PArtnersHiP

Upper row from left: Jan Björklund, Deputy Prime Minister, Sweden, Nicolae Timofti, President, Republicof Moldavia, Bronislaw Komorowski, President, Republic of Poland, Giorgi Margvelašvili, President,Republic of Georgia, and Andrii Deshchytsia, Minister of Foreign Affairs, UkraineBelow row from left: Serzh Sargsyan, President, Republic of Armenia, Ivan Gašparovič, former President,Slovak Republic, Štefan Füle, European Commissioner, Miloš Zeman, President of the Czech Republic,Ilham Alijev, President, Republic of Azerbaijan, and Dalia Grybauskaite, President, Republic of Lithuania

From left: Ivan Gašparovič, former President of the SlovakRepublic and Miloš Zeman, President of the Czech Republic

Press conference

Debate of the participants Miloš Zeman, President of the Czech Republic at his speech

IN COOPERATION WITHLEADERS MAGAZINE

A meeting on the 5th Anniversary of the Eastern Partnership was held at Prague Castle on 24th and 25th April 2014. President of the Czech Republic, MilošZeman attended the summit along with the heads of states and top representatives of Eastern Partnership countries as well as several EU member states.

Photo: Hana Brožková – Archive KPR

13

state visit

State viSit of the PreSidentof the federal rePublic of Germany

From left: Miloš Zeman, President of the Czech Republic andJoachim Gauck, President of the Federal Republic of Germany

From left: Joachim Gauck, President of the Federal Republicof Germany and Miloš Zeman, President of the Czech Republic

Welcoming ceremony Miloš Zeman at his speech

From left: Joachim Gauck, President of the Federal Republicof Germany and Miloš Zeman, President of the Czech Republic


At the invitation of President Miloš Zeman, President of the Federal Republic of Germany, H.E. Joachim Gauck visited the Czech Republic on May 5th – 7th.

Photo: Hana Brožková – Archive KPR

senate

Milan Štěch, President of the Senate at the press conference


Photo: Martin Vlček

The Senate launched preparations for the celebrations of 700 years since the birth of the Czech King Charles IV. Representatives from the ranks of politicians and important public institutions commenced official preparations for the national anniversary in 2016. According to a current poll, 84% of Czech citizens desire honorable celebrations of this anniversary. Jan Hamáček, the President and Speaker of the Chamber of Deputies, will head the National Committee to coordinate the celebrations on the national level.

AnniversAry CelebrAtions of the birth of ChArles iv

14

Petr Sommer, Director of the Center for Mediaeval Studies by the Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic and the Charles University

Dominik Duka, Archbishop of Prague The opening meeting took place in the Main Hall of the Wallenstein Palace, the seat of the Senate of the Czech Republic

Prime Minister Bohuslav SobotkaMilan Štěch, President of the Senate and Jan Hamáček, Chairman of the Chamber of Deputies, with the declaration in which they committed to coordinating the preparations for the celebrations

14

senate

AnniversAry CelebrAtions of the birth of ChArles iv

Milan Štěch, President of the Senate at the press conference

Petr Sommer, Director of the Center for Mediaeval Studies by the Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic and the Charles University

Milan Štěch, President of the Senate and Jan Hamáček, Chairman of the Chamber of Deputies, with the declaration in which they committed to coordinating the preparations for the celebrations

Prime Minister Bohuslav Sobotka

Dominik Duka, Archbishop of PragueThe opening meeting took place in the Main Hall of the WallensteinPalace, the seat of the Senate of the Czech Republic


The Senate launched preparations for the celebrations of 700 years since the birth of the Czech King Charles IV. Representatives from the ranksof politicians and important public institutions commenced official preparations for the national anniversary in 2016. According to a current poll,84% of Czech citizens desire honorable celebrations of this anniversary. Jan Hamáček, the President and Speaker of the Chamber of Deputies,will head the National Committee to coordinate the celebrations on the national level.

Photo: Martin Vlček

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From left: Petr Dvořák, Director, Czech TV, Petr Duhan, General Director, Czech Radio, Ondřej Chrást, Chairman of the civic group Charles IV, the Father of the Country, Bohuslav Sobotka, Prime Minister, Milan Štěch, President of the Senate, Jan Hamáček, Chairman of the Chamber of Deputies, Dominik Duka, Archbishop of Prague, Jiří Drahoš, Chairman of the Academy of Sciences, Tomáš Zima, Rector of the Charles University, Viktor Krištof, Producer, and Daniel Fajfr, Chairman of the Ecumenical Council of Churches

Ondřej Chrást, Chairman of the civic group Charles IV the Father of the Country, at the press conference

From left: Tomáš Zima, the Rector of the Charles Univesity and Daniel Fajfr, the Chairman of the Ecumenical Council of Churches

Senator Eva Syková

Alena Gajdůšková, First Vice President of the Senate with Jiří Drahoš, Chairman of the Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic

From left: Prime Minister Bohuslav Sobotka with Viktor Krištof, Producer

Jiří Drahoš, Chairman of the Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic

senate

Petr Duhan, General Director, Czech Radio From left: Jan Hamáček, Chairman of the Chamber of Deputies with Jakub Železný, Moderator and Petr Dvořák, General Director, Czech TV

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senate

From left: Jan Hamáček, Chairman of the Chamber of Deputies with Jakub Železný, Moderator and Petr Dvořák, General Director, Czech TV

From left: Petr Dvořák, Director, Czech TV, Petr Duhan, General Director, Czech Radio, Ondřej Chrást, Chairman of the civic group Charles IV, the Father of the Country, Bohuslav Sobotka, Prime Minister, Milan Štěch, President of the Senate, Jan Hamáček, Chairman of the Chamber of Deputies, Dominik Duka, Archbishop of Prague, Jiří Drahoš, Chairman of the Academy of Sciences, Tomáš Zima, Rector of the Charles University, Viktor Krištof, Producer, and Daniel Fajfr, Chairman of the Ecumenical Council of Churches

Petr Duhan, General Director, Czech Radio

Senator Eva Syková

Ondřej Chrást, Chairman of the civic group Charles IV the Father of the Country, at the press conference

From left: Tomáš Zima, the Rector of the Charles Univesity and Daniel Fajfr, the Chairman of the Ecumenical Council of Churches

From left: Prime Minister Bohuslav Sobotka with Viktor Krištof, Producer

Jiří Drahoš, Chairman of the Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic

Alena Gajdůšková, First Vice President of the Senate with Jiří Drahoš, Chairman of the Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic

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manager of the year 2013

Who Are This Year’s Best Managers?Finalists of this year’s MANAGER OF THE YEARcompetition, in front of the Žofín Palace

From left: Rastislav Lukovič, Secretary, MANAGER OF THE YEAR competition and Přemysl Čech, Moderator during the difficult preparation for the ceremonial announcements

From left: Milan Štěch, President of the Senate of the Czech Republic, male Manager of the Year, Karel Žďárský, General Director, Farmet, female Manager of the Year, Jaroslava Valová, General Director, SIKO Koupelny, and Jaroslav Hanák, President, Confederation of Industry of the Czech Republic, during a celebratory toast

From left: Přemysl Čech, Moderator, Jan Světlík, General Director, Vítkovice Holding, and Karel Mourek, Member of the Board, Česká spořitelna

Ivo Gajdoš, Executive President, CMA, in discussion with last year’s Female Manager of the Year, Olga Kupec, Director, Abydos


Ing. Karel Žďárský, General Director of Farmet a. s., was named Best Male Manager of the Year in the Czech Republic and the Best Female Manager ofthe Year, Ing. Jaroslava Valová, General Director of SIKO KOUPELNY a. s. They were awarded their titles on April 24 in Prague’s Žofín Palace, duringthe announcement ceremony for results of the prestigious MANAGER OF THE YEAR competition. The competition took place under the auspices ofPresident Miloš Zeman and four hundred managers, entrepreneurs and important guests attended the awards ceremony.The male and female Managers of the Year 2013 received the highest awards from the hands of the presidents of the three organizing associations –Confederation of Industry of the Czech Republic (SP ČR), Confederation of Employer and Entrepreneur Associations of the Czech Republic (KZPS) andthe Czech Management Association (ČMA) which was also the organizer of the competition.Jaroslav Hanák, President of SP ČR presented the award to Karel Ždárský, along with last year’s winner, manager Jan Světlík, the General Director andChairman of the Board of Vítkovice Holding a. s., and Karel Mourek, Member of the Board of Česká spořitelna, the general partner of the competition,and the President of the Senate, Milan Štěch. Jaroslava Valová received the title Manager of the Year from Jan Wiesner, the President of KZPS, IvoHlaváč, the Director of the department of Public Affairs of the ČEZ, a. s. Group, the main partner of the competition, as well as Martin Pros, the DeputyMinister of Finance of the Czech Republic.

Partner

17From the performance of Jan Smigmator (left) at the accompanying banquet

Jan Pirk, a renowned Surgeon and medical field manager (right), the head of the Cardiocenter and Clinic of Cardiovascular Surgery of IKEM, past award-winner in the MANAGER OF THE YEAR competition, also participated in the event

Jaroslav Hanák, the President of the Confederation of Industry of the Czech Republic, during Hyde Park

From left: Jan Wiesner, President, Confederation of Employer and Entrepreneur Associations, Pavel Kafka, President, Czech Management Association, Rostislav Dvořák, President, Union of Czech and Moravian Production Co-operatives, and Jaroslav Hanák, the President of the Confederation of Industry of the Czech Republic

TOP 10 – the ten best managers of this year’s MANAGER OF THE YEAR competition

Those receiving awards included Young Managerial Talent up to 35 years of age, Ing. Aleš Gothard, head of the organizational unit of Metrostav a. s.in Iceland; the Exceptional Manager of a Small Company of up to 50 employees, Ing. René Kocourek, the Representative of Wolf System spol. s r.o;and the Exceptional Manager of a Medium-Size Company of up to 250 employees. The above-mentioned Ing. Karel Žďárský received this award.

Also the winners of the individual twenty-two segments were announced. See the list of the individual category winners at the MANAGER OF THEYEAR website: http://www.manazerroku.cz/vysledky_21_rocniku_souteze_manazer_roku/

Ing. Zdeněk Liška, the General Director and Member of the Board of Confederation of Industry of the Czech Republic was introduced into the Hallof Fame of the MANAGER OF THE YEAR competition. He has served in this position since 1999 and, under his leadership, the Confederationraised its role of a representative of employer and entrepreneur interest in the Czech Republic, particularly in the field of Council of Economic andSocial Agreement (a three-party governmental entity). The existence of the MANAGER OF THE YEAR competition, as well as maintaining its highprofessional level, is personal effort of Zdeněk Liška, who participated in founding the competition.

Partner

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Jan Preclík, the author of the book Managers with a Lion III, during its launch

From left: Helena Šimáčková, Marketing Manager,Czech Information Agency and three winners of the student essay competition, Eva Lisoňová, Jana Pastorčáková and Markéta Řepová, all from the VŠB-Technical University of Ostrava

From left: Milan Štěch, President of the Senate of the Czech Republic, Karel Žďárský, General Director, Farmet, Jaroslava Valová, Female Manager of the Year and General Director, SIKO Koupelny, and Jaroslav Hanák, President, Confederation of Industry of the Czech Republic

Hyde Park: in front, Pavel Kafka, President,Czech Management Association

Jan Pirk, a renowned Surgeon and medical field manager (right), the head of theCardiocenter and Clinic of Cardiovascular Surgery of IKEM, in a lively discussion

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Jan Wiesner, President, Confederation of Employer and Entrepreneur Associations (KZPS), presents the award to the Female Manager of the Year, Jaroslava Valová, General Director,SIKO Koupe

Jan Wiesner, President, Confederation ofEmployer and Entrepreneur Associations

From left: Exceptional Manager of a Small Company, René Kocourek, Representative and Director, Wolf System spol. s r. o. and the Exceptional Manager of a Medium-Size Company, Karel Žďárský, General Director, Farmet

From left: Jan Světlík, General Director, Vítkovice Holding, a.s., Milan Štěch, President of the Senate ofthe Czech Republic, Karel Žďárský, General Director, Farmet, Jaroslav Hanák, President, Confederationof Industry of the Czech Republic, and Karel Mourek, Member of the Board, Česká spořitelna

From left: Zdeněk Liška, General Director, Confederation of Industry of the Czech Republic, Jaroslav Hanák, President, Confederation of Industry of the Czech Republic, Pavel Kafka, President, Czech Management Association, and Jan Wiesner, President, Confederation of Employer and Entrepreneur Associations

@ MORE PHOTOS AND ELECTRONIC VERSIONAVAILABLE ON WWW.LEADERSMAGAZINE.CZ


interview

Ing. Aleš Graf, MBA, is the Chairman of the Board and sole owner of the companies associated in Centropol Holding a.s. Among these is CENTROPOL ENERGY a.s., one of the largest alternative suppliers of energy. He was included among the top 72 best managers in the Czech Republic for the year 2013.

Mr. Graf, you received the Manager of the Year Award in the area of providing services for businesses. How does it now feel to be in the top seventy managers from the entire Czech Republic?

I’m a bit of a Doubting Thomas. I never treated my business like a sport, a race or to chase personal prestige. So when I learned of what good company I was in, it was a chance to stop for a while and look back. I’m from Ústí nad Labem, which is where I have done business ever since my studies and I’m proud I was able to put together such an excellent team of managers and employees even outside the capital city and still achieve success. It feels like yesterday, when in 2002 I started Centropol Energy with twenty excited people and now it supplies electricity and gas to more than 330,000 customers.

As you mentioned, you didn’t consider that perhaps for reasons of prestige, it would be better to have headquarters in Prague? Why do you stay in Ústí nad Labem?

I was born here and I like this city. I have my family here, people I know and what I call roots. I already said this in another interview. My great role model is Tomáš Baťa. Not only for the great success he achieved in business, but also how he approached business, how he worked with people, his customer relations, the way he could think in contexts of an entire country or the whole world and perhaps even in the fact he was a patriot originally from a small city. At the peak of its glory, Zlín was almost like a state within a state. Why couldn’t a company from Ústí nad

An interview with Ing. Aleš Graf, MBA, Chairmanof the Board, Centropol Holding a.s.

CENTROPOL ENERGY a.s. was founded in 2002 as the first player in the field of alternative suppliers of electricity and today is one of the largest sellers of power and gas in the Czech Republic. The offer of cheap electricity (and from 2010 also gas), excellent customer care and a number of bonus programs quickly became popular and today Centropol takes care of providing problem-free supplies to over 330,000 delivery points. Households are among their main customers. Centropol Energy a.s. also has a strong position among significant clients such as ministries, regional and city offices and big companies.

Labem be successful? We even continue a certain patriotism by supporting the region through our ENERGY HELPS (ENERGIE POMÁHÁ) fund.

When it comes to the approach to business. What is your philosophy? What kind of an approach do you prefer?

You know, I don’t think I’m the only one who is deeply convinced that the mere vision of getting rich is the worst possible motivation for going into business. That’s business without a future and in this regard we perhaps shouldn’t really be called a business. That’s mere wheeler-dealing and that’s the case even if it’s in millions. In the beginning, there needs to be a dream, an idea, a vision or a desire to create, improve, find or move something. The moment the energy market opened, the things that came to my head besides a business plan were all the stories I experienced and heard in regard to dominant suppliers. And more than once I was able to show that it can be done differently, that prices of energies don’t need to always go only up, that the customer is not sentenced to a simple role of a liege with responsibilities and nearly no rights. In the Czech Republic, there are plenty of entrepreneurs who have short-term goals in the style of ‚I’ll create, build, buy and quickly sell‘. I’ve got the desire to build a long-term business and with it a necessarily strong relationship with customers.

How do you view the business environment in the Czech Republic in general?

Because of my children’s education, my family and I live a part of the year in the US. Therefore I have a direct comparison there and, with regret, I must admit that our country doesn’t come out too positively. There practically isn’t a day when I wouldn’t be running into problems that often look almost absurd from the US perspective. I’m not going to begin criticizing the legislative standards that unnecessarily complicate business, give way to improper practices and other things. Not everything is about the system, as people often say here. Every system, including socialism, is made by people and those remain the same. We can’t endlessly complain that some other regime is responsible for our present condition. It’s up to us now and I’m often sorry to see how many smart people in the Czech Republic waste their potential by looking for loopholes, scheming, avoiding and ‚outsmarting‘, instead of creating or building something. Too many people have no respect for rules.

What do you see as the main reasons Centropol Energy is so successful today?

There’s a huge amount of work behind it. Precisely what I talked about a moment ago caused so many people to be distrustful in our country. When you come and tell them you have something cheaper of a better quality, they

already look at you with suspicion. We had to build a trust-based relationship between us and our customers and, according to a poll we had done, our clients are indeed the most loyal in the market. Over time we were able to create a system that never leaves our customers without support. Then we added a number of excellent benefits and services.

I don’t know what kind of a benefit I would expect from an energy supplier.

For example, we created a program called Family. And the contents of this package exactly correspond to its name. For our customers, we put together services that are simply and occasionally needed in every household. We can solve small accidents, such as water leakage or a broken window, usually within two hours. You simply call our assistance service. Or, for instance, someone incurs an injury while at their summerhouse, for this we have a health assistance service that recommends the doctor and their opening hours. And we can even transport a client to or from a hospital. There are many things. Our clients have various discounts in hundreds of shops and our own e-shop. These days, anybody can supply energy, but we want to make sure our customers have no reason to go anywhere else.

And what are your plans for the future? What about expansion abroad?

There are many plans, but given the high competition I would prefer to not reveal them. If you are asking about foreign markets, then our plans are certainly also directed this way, but currently we’re in a phase where we verify the options and evaluate possible risks. In any case, the main goal is to sustain stability for our customers here in the Czech Republic. Again, I’ll go back to my favorite, Baťa. He was exceptionally successful and yet even today both his employees and customers remember him with respect and honor. That’s the Holy Grail of business I want to achieve.

Prepared by LM ■

An interview with JUDr. Hana Machačová, Deputy General Director of Kooperativa insurance company.

What does the award of Manager of the Year mean to you?

It is a prestigious competition and I really appreciate the title Manager of the Year for the area of insurance. And perhaps even more so because as one of three women I was selected for the TOP 10 Managers of the Year 2013. I see it as an appreciation for my work, but mainly as an award for the company of which I’m a top manager, a company that gave me the opportunity to realize my potential. I also had the opportunity to meet other successful managers, which is always enriching.

What do you consider your greatest professional success in the last three years?

If I were to evaluate my professional career, then certainly being named the Deputy General Director in 2012. But I’m even happier that I was able to start an interesting tradition in Kooperativa... when I was celebrating an important birthday in 2012, I asked guests that instead of gifts they should financially support those who are in difficult life situations. In total we collected over 750,000 crowns and this money was donated to several charity projects. Also other colleagues were excited about the idea and over the last two years over 2 million CZK were donated from private contributions to charity purposes.

In your opinion, do women have the same chance to get to the highest managerial positions?

It’s usually more difficult for women. Often they make the mistake of trying to be like men. I’m convinced that there is no point trying to fight with so-called ‘male weapons.’ Quite the contrary, particularly in trade women have abilities that men lack. They are more sensitive, often communicate better and are better at perceiving client needs.

Who was your professional role model and who do you see at the most important personality in Czech business?

I was lucky enough to have met a number of excellent people who influenced my professional life. Here I would like to mention Ing. Vladimír Mráz, former General Director of Kooperativa, because he brought me to the company and supported me in the beginning.

The insurance field was influenced by significant legislative changes, particularly the effects of the new Civil Code. Where will this become most apparent?

The most important change is notable in covering health damage compensations. In accordance to the law, these must be settled in accordance with the principles of decency and justice. It will now be much more possible to evaluate specific situations, consider the kinds of lifestyle the persons were leading, the level of pain inflicted, how the injury or death of a relative affected the family and how much damage it was for them. Of course, this is a

correct step. Those damaged will finally receive a more just compensation. On the other hand, it’s also a challenge for the insurance companies to convince their clients of the importance of insurance. Because if they don’t become insured, they will have to cover the cost of the caused damages, sometimes several millions, from their own resources.

Prepared by LM ■

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Aspen InstItute prAgue AnnuAl ConferenCe 2014 the BIg BAng. 25 YeArs sInCe Annus MIrABIlIs

From left: Ivan Mikloš, Member of Parliament of the Slovak Republic, former Minister of Finance of the Slovak Republic, H.E. Toomas Hendrik Ilves, President of Estonia, Madeleine K. Albright, former U.S. Secretary of State, H.E. Michael Žantovský, President of the Aspen Institute Prague and Ambassador of the Czech Republic to the United Kingdom, Danuta Hübner, Member of the European Parliament, former EU Commissioner, Poland, Péter Balázs, former EU Commissioner for Regional Policy, former Minister of Foreign Affairs, Hungary, and Mykola Riabchuk, Journalist, Political and Cultural Analyst, Ukraine

From left: Jan Farský, Member of Parliament of the Czech Republic, Mayor of Semily, Markus Meckel, former Foreign Minister of the German Democratic Republic, H.E. Cameron Munter, former U.S. Diplomat, Professor of International Relations at Pomona College in California, Ivan Hodač, Founder and Member of the Board, Aspen Institute Prague, Iveta Radičová, former Prime Minister of the Slovak Republic; Peter Stračár, CEO, General Electric Central & Eastern Europe, and František Šebej, Member of Parliament of the Slovak Republic

H.E. Toomas Hendrik Ilves, President of Estonia

Tomáš Hudeček, Lord Mayor of Prague

Radek Špicar, Executive Director, Aspen Institute Prague addressing the audience

Joe Lieberman, former U.S. Senator and vice-presidential candidate

H.E. Michael Žantovský, President of the Aspen Institute Prague and Ambassador of the Czech Republic to the United Kingdom and Madeleine K. Albright, former U.S. Secretary of State


The Aspen Institute Prague Annual Conference commemorated the momentous events that took place across Central and Eastern Europe 25 years ago. Respected panelists focused on geopolitical changes that followed the fall of Communism and evaluated their political, cultural, and economic impacts and legacy for the present and future. An opening debate between former U.S. Secretary of State Madeleine K. Albright and Michael Žantovský, the President of the Aspen Institute in Prague, launched the conference, followed by a panel focusing on the significance of the year 1989. The event’s panelists included among others the President of Estonia Toomas Hendrik Ilves, former Slovak Minister of Finance Ivan Mikloš and former EU Commissioner Danuta Hübner. The second conference day commenced with a keynote speech delivered by former U.S. Senator Joe Lieberman. The morning panel, “Breaking the Ties of Totality”, looked at the heritage of totality with e.g. former Slovak Prime Minister Iveta Radičová. The fourth and final panel of the conference brought together successful young leaders of the past decade, including Taťána le Moigne and Branislav Šebo. The event was organized in cooperation with PRK Partners, attorneys at law, GE and IBM.

9–10/6/2014, senAte, pArlIAMent of the CzeCh repuBlIC

Photos: Ondřej Besperát, Aspen Institute Prague

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gala dinner

Aspen AnnuAl gAlA DInner AnD presentAtIon of the Aspen prAgue AwArD

H.E. Toomas Hendrik Ilves, President of Estonia

Bohuslav Sobotka, Prime Ministerof the Czech Republic

From left: Bohdan Wojnar, Member of the Board of Management, Human Resources Management, Škoda Auto, Ivan Hodač, Founder and Member of the Board, Aspen Institute Prague, Martin Jahn, Managing Director, Group Fleet International at Volkswagen Group, and Jan Hamáček, Speaker at the Chamber of Deputies of the Parliament of the Czech Republic and the Board of Directors Member, Aspen Institute Prague

From left: Benke Aikell, your Publisher, Prague Leaders Magazine, Michal Mejstřík, Chairman of IES Advisory Board, Charles University in Prague, Joe Lieberman, former U.S. Senator and vice-presidential candidate, and H.E. Normal L. Eisen, Ambassador of the United States to the Czech Republic

From left: Luděk Sekyra, Founder and CEO, Sekyra Group, Sebastian Wlodarski, Spokesman, ČEZ Poland, Kamil Čermák, President, Czech Institute of Directors and Executive Director, BM Management, and Jan Macháček, Journalist, Respekt Publishing

From left: Ivan Mikloš, Member of Parliament of the Slovak Republic, former Minister of Finance of the Slovak Republic and Gabriel Eichler, Founder, Benson Oak Capital

Aspen Institute Prague Annual Dinner celebrated the 25th anniversary after the fall of Iron Curtain by an international gathering of inspirationalpersonalities from the worlds of business, politics, sports and academia. Welcome notes were delivered by the Prime Minister Bohuslav Sobotka andkeynote speech was held by the President of Estonia Toomas Hendrik Ilves. Secretary Albright was awarded the first Aspen Prague Award – art made fromBohemia crystal appreciating her indelible imprint on Central Europe.

9/6/2014, strAhov MonAsterY

Photos: Ondřej Besperát, Aspen Institute Prague


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gala dinner

Zdeněk Bakala, Chairman of the Supervisory Board, AspenInstitute Prague, Entrepreneur, Investor and Philanthropist

Lenka Bradáčová, Prague High State Attorney, and Martin Jahn, Managing Director, Group Fleet International at Volkswagen Group

Madeleine K. Albright, former U.S. Secretaryof State, receiving the Aspen Prague Award

Tomáš Halík, Roman Catholic Priest and the Templeton Prize laureate and H.E. Magdaléna Vašáryová, Member of Parliament of the Slovak Republic, Diplomat, Actress

From left: Zdeněk Bakala, Chairman of the Supervisory Board, Aspen Institute Prague, Entrepreneur, Investor and Philanthropist and H.E. Toomas Hendrik Ilves, President of Estonia

From left: H.E. Norman Eisen, Ambassador of the United States to the Czech Republic, Madeleine K. Albright, former U.S. Secretary of State, and Pavel Bělobrádek, Deputy Prime Minister for Science, Research and Innovations, Chairman of KDU-ČSL

From left: Karel Janeček, Chairman of the Supervisory Board, RSJ, Philanthropist and Zdeněk Bakala, Chairman of the Supervisory Board, Aspen Institute Prague, Entrepreneur, Investor and Philanthropist

Kamil Čermák, President, Czech Institute of Directors and Executive Director, BM Management and Iveta Radičová, former Prime Minister of Slovakia

Zbyněk Frolík, CEO, Linet Group SE and MadeleineK. Albright, former U.S. Secretary of State

From left: Karel Schwarzenberg, President of TOP 09 and Chairperson of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the Chamber of Deputies, Parliament of the Czech Republic and H.E. Toomas Hendrik Ilves, President of Estonia

From left: Martin Jahn, Managing Director, Group Fleet International at Volkswagen Group, Ivan Hodač, Founder and Member of the Board, Aspen Institute Prague, Peter Stračár, CEO, General Electric Central & Eastern Europe, Radek Špicar, Executive Director, Aspen Institute Prague, Bohuslav Sobotka, Prime Minister of the Czech Republic

gala evening

From left: Martin Barak, CEO, GALARD Brno, spouse of Mr.Barak, Mrs. Aneta Fiala, Zdenek Fiala, Owner, GALARD Fashion, Radim Mertl, CEO , Connea travel, Alexander Lochman, Mayor of Praha Cakovice, Jakub Mulac, CEO, APTO, a.s., Jana Schellingova, Consultant, Arthur Hunt, and David Rusnak, CEO DRFG, a.s.


Opening party at gaLarD fashiOn shOwrOOm Top qualiTy Tailoring services finaly coming To pragueHand made suits and private tailoring services are back in fashion. GALARD not only offers their clients first class hand made product, it also gives the experience of classic tailoring.

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From left: Petr Humlhanz, Owner, Vyber Reality, Rachid Toumi, SCABAL, Hanus Kotek, Director, I.T.A.Services, Alexander Lochman, Mayor of Praha Cakovice, and Jakub Mulac, CEO, APTO, a.s.

Petr Kriz, Executive Director, Ernst & Young and Barbora Vida, Executive Director, GALARD Fashion

From left: Alexander Lochman, Mayor of Praha Cakovice and Zdenek Fiala, Owner, GALARD Fashion

From left: Hana Svobodova, Office Manager, GALARD, Karel Repa, Project Manager, GALARD, Michaela Skuhrava, Consutant, GALARD, Simon Flemr, Consultant, GALARD, and Barbora Vida, Executive Director, GALARD Fashion

From left: Barbora Vida, Executive Director, GALARD Fashion and Mrs. Aneta Fiala

From left: Zdenek Fiala, Owner, GALARD Fashion, Erik Martin Lawart, Shoe Maker, and Oldriska Krizova, Chairwoman, Czech Fashion Council

From left: Barbora Vida, Executive Director, GALARD Fashion and Gabriela Kratochvilova, Miss of the Czech Republic

Jana Schellingova, Consultant, Arthur Hunt and Roman Drobnak, Compensation & Benefits Manager, Raiffeisenbank

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gala evening

OPENING PARTY AT GALARD FASHION SHOWROOMTop qualiTy Tailoring services finaly coming To prague

From left: Martin Barak, CEO, GALARD Brno, spouse of Mr.Barak, Mrs. Aneta Fiala, Zdenek Fiala, Owner, GALARD Fashion, Radim Mertl, CEO , Connea travel, Alexander Lochman, Mayor of Praha Cakovice, Jakub Mulac, CEO, APTO, a.s., Jana Schellingova, Consultant, Arthur Hunt, and David Rusnak, CEO DRFG, a.s.

From left: Zdenek Fiala, Owner, GALARD Fashion, Erik Martin Lawart, Shoe Maker, and Oldriska Krizova, Chairwoman, Czech Fashion Council

From left: Alexander Lochman, Mayor of Praha Cakovice and Zdenek Fiala, Owner, GALARD Fashion

From left: Barbora Vida, Executive Director, GALARD Fashion and Gabriela Kratochvilova, Miss of the Czech Republic

Jana Schellingova, Consultant, Arthur Hunt and Roman Drobnak, Compensation & Benefits Manager, Raiffeisenbank

From left: Barbora Vida, Executive Director, GALARD Fashion and Mrs. Aneta Fiala

Petr Kriz, Executive Director, Ernst & Young and Barbora Vida, Executive Director, GALARD Fashion

From left: Petr Humlhanz, Owner, Vyber Reality, Rachid Toumi, SCABAL, Hanus Kotek, Director, I.T.A.Services, Alexander Lochman, Mayor of Praha Cakovice, and Jakub Mulac, CEO, APTO, a.s.

From left: Hana Svobodova, Office Manager, GALARD, Karel Repa, Project Manager, GALARD, Michaela Skuhrava, Consutant, GALARD, Simon Flemr, Consultant, GALARD, and Barbora Vida, Executive Director, GALARD Fashion

Hand made suits and private tailoring services are back in fashion. GALARD not only offers their clients first class hand made product, it also gives the experience of classic tailoring.


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world business

Yujin Kreves

Yujin Kreves (chairman Young Kee Moon, www.yujinkreves.com) isworld leading utensils and silverwares such as spoons, forks, and knives,manufacturing and exporting company. Through world-famous brandslike WMF, Henkel, Cambridge (USA), Lennox (USA), products ofYujin Kreves are on the tables around the world. Yujin Kreves wasestablished in 1996, and founded overseas manufacturing business“Yujin Vina” in Vietnam and started exporting in 1999. About thirtykinds of utensils and tablewares are manufactured through sophisticateddie mold technology, optimization of hardness with heat treatment,machinery works, and grinding process to manufacture the world-classproducts and annually over 80 millions of the products are exported toGermany, UK, Holland, Australia, USA and so on.


world business

Yujin KrevesIN COOPERATION WITH LEADERS MAGAZINE

we can get better results when the workers are satisfied and have good quality of life. They can be more motivated.” And Yujin Kreves has been involved in various CSR activities and has been donating for many organizations. One of the company’s main activities is that they cooperate with Sunny Korea Welfare Foundation, Korean Heart organization, Sejong hospital and Yoido Full Gospel Church to take Vietnamese children with heart disease to South Korea for appropriate medical treatment and operations. Yujin Kreves is also providing medical services for the unprivileged in Vietnam and they have worked to promote the well-being and health for the people in their community.

Moon said, “Sharing is like spirit to a human body. It’s not about getting your body physically big, what’s more important is how to balance the body and your spirit, and I believe it’s the same for business. To grow a healthy company, you have to have a healthy spirit and give back and share. I want to live a life to sacrifice for others, to love and to help.” His share business philosophy has created a sound company and this must be one of the important keys to become a reliable good business.

české znění naleznete na našich stránkách www.leadersmagazine.cz

With Vietnamese Children

Moon won an amity medal in May, 2013 from Vietnamese government for his contribution. It is the highest medal for non-Vietnamese and Moon is the first to win as NGO activist in Vietnam. As sports-culture business, he built a gym for Teakwondo in Da Nang, Vietnam and host a national competition to promote Taekwondo. In China, he is supporting the students in Neimenggu to learn Korean and Korean culture and history. He’s now planning to expand educational and medical support to the Philippines and Ukraine. Last summer, cooperating with NewLife Orchestra based on Washington D.C USA, they had a concert for foreign workers in Korea at Ansan park, South Korea. He is also actively participating in international development NGO.

He is a vice president of KCOC (Korea NGO Council for Overseas Development Cooperation www.ngokcoc.co.kr) which is an organization of 118 NGOs in Korea. And in 2013, he had attended the UN General Assembly in New York as a representative of Korean NGO. Moon said, “High quality and technology are the very fundamental ground of corporations, but it’s more important for the entrepreneurs to be responsible for their community and society. Corporations are destined to grow when they persevere sound management along with conducting their social responsibilities.Two business philosophies of Yujin Kreves are the foundation of the company.

First, they aim to be a company that wins social credibility. To be a trustful corporation from their shareholders, customers, and employees, they constantly work on developing global management, high technology and customer satisfaction. Second, is to create core value. constant development of technology, maximizing customer value, stronger brand power, expanding overseas market, and creating higher added value are chairman Young Kee Moon’s business philosophy and core values and the ultimate vision of Yujin Kreves is to realize a corporation with these values and philosophy.

Prepared by Kevin Lee ■

High quality and reliable delivery of Yujin Kreves has been well-recognized in Europe and North America which helps to expect yearly sale to USD 45 million. Moreover in September 2009, they landed American Designer Brands ‘Coach’ and ‘Michael Kors’ as one of their main clients and have increased sales over the time. In 2012, at Coach’s Macao conference, Yujin Kreves won an award for “The Excellence in Customer Service” among 200 suppliers working for Coach.

This award is given to the most outstanding supplier with reliable delivery, quality and service. Handbag ornaments exporting sales have grown by 109% to $11 million in 2012, and Yujin Kreves is planning to expand more in the future. It was not always easy for the company to grow up to a fruitful business. The chairman Moon had managed manufacturing factories at young age and after 10 years of experience, based on the know-how, he established Yujin Kreves. “ About a decade ago, when they all said that the utensils and tablewares business was going downhill, I set up the business in Vietnam.

And because the factory was located in Vietnam, many of the buyers looked away.” Chairman Moon said. “They were reluctant to do business with us and we just had to keep trying to make it work.

And we had a big fire at the factory once and some of the worker had stolen the products from the factory.” However, Moon didn’t let any of the troubles stop him from trying. He kept on manufacturing good products, watching carefully on quality management and embracing the employees with generosity and affection. And his perseverance has paid off and now we can meet Yujin Kreves tablewares at famous hotels, fine restaurants, and department stores as well.

Chairman Moon is well-known for his “share business philosophy.” “We are trying to maintain the top position in the industry,” said Moon. “ I don’t want to set up impossible goal which can only push our employees to overwork. I believe

With Vietnamese Disabled Child

reflections

28

Maureen Chang and Karel Muzikář, President, Comenius


My 14 years in the Czech Republic has made me aware of how important it is to get to know different cultures in today’s world. I have had the privilege of living in different places in Asia, US, and Europe both as an expat’s wife and working myself as well.

When I first went to US from Taiwan 44 years ago, my impression of Americans was very taint-ed by Hollywood movies and war stories. So, American to me at the time was either flamboyant or military.

Within days after I landed in San Francisco (my first trip out of Taiwan), I had an unexpected men-toring from my hostess. She was a lovable middle age lady with very kind heart. She soon realized

that I had never left home to experience real life outside, and she made me to understand that I am a real person in my own right and need to be responsible for myself. I can go to a bank to open an account and get a check book to pay for pur-chases as there is no parents that I can go to for everything I need. She was very patient with me to teach me how to be a young grown up, and to live in this new country of mine. She treated me as her own family. (I house sat for room and board.)

I would never forget this help from the lady as it had set the tone for my life onwards. I am not afraid anymore and I know Americans are not all movie stars or soldiers. They are hard working and down to earth people.

Most recently, I sponsored Kutna Hora mayor Ivo Sanc’s participation in the 5th International Conference of Slavic Language, hosted by Na-tional Chengchi University (Department of Slavic Languages & Literature). Many scholars and practitioners from Russia, Ukraine, Poland, Czech, Macedonia, Turkey, Belarus, etc., and from most important universities in China, Taiwan, and Korea, have a first hand experience with mayor of an 11/12th century city, and vice versa. It is amaz-ing how this little thing i did have brought different people closer together.

We all talk about everything global, like global village, global economy, border less, etc. We all live under the same roof and are all interrelated through social media, global supply chains, world bank, etc. Yet, under the same common roof, each individual still has his or her umbrella. Each must fight for his or her own survival and at the same time to live with different umbrella. This is so visible every time when I landed at San Fran-cisco airport that I no longer can differentiate people by race, religion, color, language, etc., anymore. Everyone is individual and each lives with others without prejudice. It is simple a hu-man instinct to be able to live with others with different background. There is no negotiation tak-ing place or compromise to be reached. It simply happens as everyone is working to survive in the given environment and mutual understanding is part of everyday instinct.

From left: Jim Chang, Maureen Chang, and Aung San Suu Kyi, Political Leader, Nobel Peace Prize Laureate, Member of the Forum 2000 International Advisory Board

Tri- Culture

Photo: Archive

28

reflections

Tri- CultureMy 14 years in the Czech Republic has made

me aware of how important it is to get to know different cultures in today’s world. I have had the privilege of living in different places in Asia, US, and Europe both as an expat’s wife and working myself as well.

When I first went to US from Taiwan 44 years ago, my impression of Americans was very tainted by Hollywood movies and war stories. So, American to me at the time was either flamboyant or military.

Within days after I landed in San Francisco (my first trip out of Taiwan), I had an unexpected mentoring from my hostess. She was a lovable middle age lady with very kind heart. She soon realized that I had never left home to experience

real life outside, and she made me understand that I am a real person in my own right and need to be responsible for myself. I can go to a bank to open an account and get a check book to pay for purchases as there is no parents that I can go to for everything I need. She was very patient with me to teach me how to be a young grown up, and to live in this new country of mine. She treated me as her own family. (I house sat for room and board.)

I would never forget this help from the lady as it had set the tone for my life onwards. I am not afraid anymore and I know Americans are not all movie stars or soldiers. They are hard working and down to earth people.

Most recently, I sponsored Kutna Hora mayor Ivo Sanc’s participation in the 5th International Conference of Slavic Language, hosted by National Chengchi University (Department of Slavic Languages & Literature). Many scholars and practitioners from Russia, Ukraine, Poland, Czech, Macedonia, Turkey, Belarus, etc., and from most important universities in China, Taiwan, and Korea, have a first hand experience with mayor of an 11/12th century city, and vice versa. It is amazing how this little thing i did have brought different people closer together.

We all talk about everything global, like global village, global economy, border less, etc. We all live under the same roof and are all interrelated through social media, global supply chains, world bank, etc. Yet, under the same common roof, each individual still has his or her umbrella. Each must fight for his or her own survival and at the same time to live with different umbrella. This is so visible every time when I landed at San Francisco airport that I no longer can differentiate people by race, religion, color, language, etc., anymore. Everyone is individual and each lives with others without prejudice. It is simple a human instinct to be able to live with others with different background. There is no negotiation taking place or compromise to be reached. It simply happens as everyone is working to survive in the given environment and mutual understanding is part of everyday instinct.


Maureen Chang and Karel Muzikář, President, Comenius

Photo: Archive

From left: Jim Chang, Maureen Chang, and Aung San Suu Kyi, Political Leader, NobelPeace Prize Laureate, Member of the Forum 2000 International Advisory Board

Tri- Culture 4

29

Maureen and Jim Chang

In today’s fast paced world, very few people would have the opportunity to learn different cul-tures and new environment like I did. Yet, with moments of notice, many would be involved in or moved to different countries, not always by design. Misunderstanding of people and lack of knowledge of local culture have become an ob-stacle to achieving our assigned objectives or even a source of frustration. Worse, people could become very resenting and resigning.

There are situations where people are not tol-erate of each other, or taking advantages of the ones who have difficulties to new environment, both in business or personal sense. I believe it may also be the root cause to bigger political is-sues between nations.

Complaining would not help. Understanding differences and finding ways to bridge the gaps (compromises without breaking principles) is fun-damental for us to manage issues and to enjoy whatever the world is.

I have been very fortunate in this regard with helps from people with good heart and inten-tion. Not everyone would have the same experi-ences that I had when I first went to the States. This is the reason I want to share my experiences in bridging the divide between different cultures. There are many others do share with the same ex-periences and feelings as I do. I am sure together we can help many more people who are facing the challenges.

By Maureen Chang ■

To be continued…

Maureen Chang

Mrs. Chang came to the Czech Republic with her husband in 2000. Unexpectedly, she got into activities as urged by her friend, to renovate chateau, to build a golf course, to publish a magazine, and to build a unique business model, a brand.

Mrs. Chang, ex-General Director and founder of Casa Serena, dedicated 12 years of her life in the Czech Republic to accomplish her commitment to the project and fulfill her commitment to her friend very much single-handily. She had done what only few people tried. It has been very hard but reward-ing. She had to learn everything there is to know for her project.

A journalist by training, Mrs. Chang plans to apply her experiences and knowledge to promote the tri-culture center hoping it will lead to a better world for everyone.

From left: Maureen Chang, Jim Chang, Jasim Husain, former Member of Parliament, Bahrain, Nada Dhaif, Chairman, Bahrain Rehabilitation and Anti-Violence Organization, Bahrain, and Jakub Klepal, Forum 2000

29

In today’s fast paced world, very few people would have the opportunity to learn different cultures and new environment like I did. Yet, with moments of notice, many would be involved in or moved to different countries, not always by design. Misunderstanding of people and lack of knowledge of local culture have become an obstacle to achieving our assigned objectives or even a source of frustration. Worse, people could become very resenting and resigning.

There are situations where people are not tolerant of each other, or taking advantages of the ones who have difficulties in new environment, both in business or personal sense. I believe it may also be the root cause to bigger political issues between nations.

Complaining would not help. Understanding differences and finding ways to bridge the gaps (compromises without breaking principles) is fundamental for us to manage issues and to enjoy whatever the world is.

I have been very fortunate in this regard with help from people with good heart and intention. Not everyone would have the same experiences that I had when I first went to the States. This is the reason I want to share my experiences in bridging the divide between different cultures. There are many others who share the same experiences and feelings as I do. I am sure together we can help many more people who are facing the challenges.

By Maureen Chang ■

To be continued…

From left: Maureen Chang, Jim Chang, Jasim Husain, former Member ofParliament, Bahrain, Nada Dhaif, Chairman, Bahrain Rehabilitation andAnti-Violence Organization, Bahrain, and Jakub Klepal, Forum 2000

Maureen and Jim Chang

Maureen Chang

Mrs. Chang came to the Czech Republic with her husband in 2000. Unexpectedly, she got into activities as urged by her friend, to renovate chateau, to build a golf course, to publish a magazine, and to build a unique business model, a brand.

Mrs. Chang, ex-General Director and founder of Casa Serena, dedicated 12 years of her life in the Czech Republic to accomplish her commitment to the project and fulfill her commitment to her friend very much single-handily. She had done what only few people tried. It has been very hard but rewarding. She had to learn everything there is to know for her project.

A journalist by training, Mrs. Chang plans to apply her experiences and knowledge to promote the tri-culture center hoping it will lead to a better world for everyone.


interview

When female politicians don’t have an exceptionallyTOLERANT PARTNER AT HOME, AS I DO, THEN THEY HAVE NOCHANCE COMBINING CAREER AND FAMILY

Michaela Marksová-Tominová,the Minister of Labor andSocial Care, studied at theFaculty of Natural Sciences atCharles University. She came upthrough the non-profit field, asDirector of Public Relations forthe Gender Studies non-profitorganization, as well as classicalpublic-office work. Then headedthe Department of FamilyPolicy at the Ministry of Laborand Social Care, as well as theEqual Opportunity Departmentof the Ministry of Education.In practice, she specializes infamily policy, women’s rightsand equal opportunities forwomen and men.

An interview with Michaela Marksová-TominováPhoto: Archive

Have you become used to being called a Minister yet?

Generally yes. But if someone calls me Mrs. Marksová, I don’t care. I’m not attached to being called Minister Marksová.

Being considered as a candidate for the post of Minister of Labor and Social Care was under close media watch. Was it even possible to think peacefully about this offer after such charged meetings?

It wasn’t. But not because of the media, rather because of the time. I remember that it was a Monday and I had just walked out of the Jedlička Institute, where I was teaching and a journalist

called me, asking me whether I was the candidate for Minister of Labor. She told me that Mr. Krčál had stepped down for family reasons. I had no idea what she was talking about – and then on Thursday, I had an interview with the Prime Minister and on Friday was nominated. It was a bustle.

In one interview back then, still as the shadow Minister, you answered the question of what was your political dream by saying that “If it works out after the elections, I would like my shadow function to become an executive one.” Would you answer differently today?

I would answer exactly the same. You can only criticize from the shadow position and you can sort

of propose some things as well, but the chances of making them happen are minimal.

In the same interview, you said that you “don’t like meetings which often discuss the political situation from the Šumavas to the Tatras‘ and many inter-party matters.” It is my feeling that this is a rather dominant feature of Czech politics…

It is and, as I know from various discussions, it’s not a feature only of Czech politics. It had been written about at the international level in relation to the small ratio of women in politics. Women often have a family at home that they need to take care of and they want to get their meetings done


interviewquickly. Men don’t care. They can take their time to discuss any issue at ease and at length. This is also apparent in the Chamber of Deputies, where the opposition creates obstructions with endless speeches and they’re all men. Of course, there are exceptions on both sides.

How detailed was your overview of the issues at the Ministry before you came to office? And what surprised you most during your first days in this regard?

In some areas I had a very detailed knowledge, because I had remained in touch with my former colleagues. This was mostly the area of caring for children in need, concerning family policy or fighting poverty and supporting social integration. I also had detailed knowledge of social security payments, both within and outside the insurance. I taught that subject at the Jedlička Institute. I knew a number of people personally, including some from the government. I even knew the premises of the Minister and other such spaces. So, to some degree, it was like coming home. I have no idea how the Ministry could function today if these people weren’t there. I was shocked by the incredible chaos in the area of IT – one learned from the media about problems with social care payments, but that mess was and, for a while still will be, in everything.

The media already pronounced that the Ministry of Labor and Social Care was the ministry with the highest ratio of women in leadership. Was this your intent?

No, because two of the three deputies were ‘given’ to me by coalition partners. But I’m very happy for them.

How do you envision the expression ‘modern family policy’?

A system of support on part of the state and municipalities, thanks to which young people in this country needn’t be concerned about having children.

What will you consider a personal success while heading the Ministry?

If I manage to deliver all the items from the program statement and if there is no big disaster. I would like to set up such policies that even the ministers following me could easily take them over and continue without changing them from scratch again. And mainly, if we can manage the mentioned IT: if there is no more news in the media regarding the payments of social care by the beginning of next year, then everything will be running as it’s supposed to. And that’s a big challenge.

You have experience in state administration, self-governance and even from the media and non-profit areas. Is this a good combination for your current position?

Certainly, just for the fact that I already have known many people from these fields for a long time and I also understand the issues they work on. That simplifies mutual communication.


The agenda of your ministry is actually very wide. Which areas did you have to study first? And what interested you the most?

I had to learn about the IT issues in detail, to a degree that is even possible to understand for a non-professional. At the same time, it’s a world of private business, sometimes even pretty rough private business that I had no experience with so far. The other areas weren’t unknown to me, I just needed to get to know them in more depth: such as labor safety and health protection, social housing, the employment policy, functioning of the labor inspectorate, injury insurance and setting remuneration rates. In terms of content, I can’t think of anything that would surprise me, but what did completely shock me was that a number of these areas had suffered from negligence for years. Many things landed on this government that had been postponed for 10 or 15 years. For God’s sake, what were they doing here before us?

You have many years of experience in politics at the municipal level. What are the benefits of this experience? Is it that closeness to people, or is it better to be heading the central administrative office where you can change more things?

I’m personally interested in the national level and think it gives us quite considerable opportunities for change. One is also more visible in the media and the way I express myself on different subjects already has had the potential to change the atmosphere in society – a change in the sense of making people understand that their offices are here for them. In terms of the municipal level, I’m from Prague 2 and that adjoins the very center. Although it’s a small city district in terms of the capital, it has 52,000 citizens, already quite a big town, where many people come to work during the day and is a relatively rich district. We don’t have any socially excluded areas and have low unemployment. Although we do have problems with drug-users, street crime and even a few problematic rooming houses.


What type of complications should women planning a political career be prepared for?

They will find themselves in a very male environment, often being the ‚oddballs.‘ My experience is that many colleagues no longer treat us courteously as women, while not yet as equals to men. We’re sort of strangely in between. If women have small children, it still seems to me that it’s considered as a bit unnatural that they can’t pay perhaps so much attention to them, while with men it’s fine. When female politicians don’t have an exceptionally tolerant partner at home, as I do, then they have no chance combining career and family. This is all still much simpler for men.

What makes you, as a Minister, the happiest and what, on the other hand, takes most of your energy?

I’m pleased that we bring people the hope that there is a chance the situation will change for the better. But we need time in order for that hope to transform into acts, so I hope that this government will survive throughout its entire election period without any larger scandals. If we don’t provide people a certain stability, I’m afraid they will be voting for extremists the next time around. I’m also happy to be travelling around the Czech Republic, because of my function. I have a chance to get to know the problems of ordinary people, visit various companies, social care facilities…

What drains my energy is, for example, the duty of spending long hours in the Chamber of Deputies, when none of the laws related to me are being discussed. As I said, some men from the opposition parties that governed in past years, wasted time on purpose with endless speeches. As if they were unable to do anything constructive.

Author: Jaroslav KramerTranslation: Michaela Freeman ■

32

culture

BMW Group Česká republika at Mezinárodní hudební festival Český Krumlov 2013

From left: Dr. Josef Reiter, Managing Director, BMW GroupCzech Republic and Jiří Bartoška, President, KVIFF

BMW supports various cultural projects in the CzeCh RepubliCCulture moves people; a driving forCe that ConneCts and inspires

the BMW also moves people. BMW offers customers independence through its products and moves people through the cultural activities the company supports. BMW believes the voices of those involved in art and culture are among those most important to society. these voices challenge us in BMW with new perspectives and through our long-term, sustainable support, we wish to continue enabling them to be heard.

BMW support of art and culture has a long tradition stretching over 40 years. We are convinced that those who strive to innovate and create cultural engagement are ingrained in our culture. Because of this, we attach a great deal of importance to the mutual development of long-term partnerships.

Internationally we are active in projects such as: BMW Guggenheim, Deutsches Museum Akademiegalerie and of course BMW plays an important role in film: Kino der Kunst, Munich, Germany; BMW Shorties Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia; Dubai Film Festival, Emirates. In one, a BMW has one of the leading roles, in another, BMW is the supporting partner.

In the Czech Republic we are already active in several cultural projects: the longest partnerships we have with the Summer Shakespeare Festival and the International Music Festival in Český Krumlov.

As of this year, at the 49th Karlovy Vary International Film Festival, BMW in the Czech Republic became the Official car. Sixty BMW limousines BMW supports various cultural projects

in the Czech Republic Culture moves people; a driving force that connects and inspires will be ready during the KVIFF for VIPs and accredited guests. The first ‘Born electric’ BMW car, the BMW i3, will be available also to drive through the city.

We, at BMW Group Czech Republic are honored to be the Official Car of KVIFF, as well as a partner of the

International Music Festival in Český Krumlov and Summer Shakespeare Festival. By this method, we support unique cultural projects that also correspond with our global BMW Group cultural activities.

Because, what would our world be, without its symphonies, works of art or architectural masterpieces?



analysis

CIVIL SERVICE ACT:THEY WOULD LIKE TO BUT THEY ARE AFRAID TODespite – or even perhaps because – of what is prescribed by the EU to the Czech Republic in an array of areas, from public transport to agriculture, such requirements are very mild for the Civil Service Act… Essentially the legislative adaptation of the Civil Service Act is not coming from EU regulation but it is fully in the hands of the national legislature. It is applied to all questions regarding the creation, changes, end of services, the rights and obligations of civil servants, their service discipline and disciplinary responsibilities, evaluation and education. The EU only wants to make sure that the officials are regulated by law, not dictate what the legislation has to say.

Therefore the laws adjusting the future existence of the Czech Civil Service Act has almost become part of every candidate’s campaign for the fall elections to the Chamber of deputies. Candidates – led by the Association Reconstruction of State – were raising hands to adopt this law as soon as possible in the context of anti-corruption measures. The elections took place in October, if you remember? We are now in June and the Chamber casts doubts on the most recent version from the pen of the minister without office, Dienstbier.

No wonder. Being in favour of the Civil Service Act, it is the same as being against corruption and disagreeing with the weather. Such attitudes are easy to express – it’s much harder when you have to actually do something.

I am personally convinced that no Civil Service Act will increase the efficiency of the state administration simply by having politically neutral civil servants. There is no such person – everyone has been brought up in a specific environment and gained a different education and life experiences... Ultimately I’m getting at two main positions. Each official servant, backed by the new law, will be on the right or left side, maybe in the middle, but definitely not neutral.

However ministers enter offices to fulfil their electoral program. If they find strong political opposition, how do they then implement their own agenda? For any type of request, they will be told that “it has always been done differently here” or “it is not possible due to the following ten reasons”. All of you who have seen at least one episode of the TV series “Yes, Minister” and “Yes, Prime Minister” see exactly what I’m getting at. And bearing in mind that those who didn’t work for Agrofert have not enough qualifications…

The Minister needs to be able to replace a certain number of civil servants in view to

Photo: Archive


ensure that analysis, strategies, concepts, drafted legislation bills or non-legislative measures are carried out quickly with possible recommendations and solutions, rather than presenting why it is not possible.

It is a tradition to get emotional that ministers brashly remove experienced civil servants and replace them with their own inexperienced friends. It brings forward the view that the administration is firstly subject to corruption and secondly to more instability. The first I do not understand at all and the second is only true in part because the most experienced officials soon find a place somewhere else. Politicians are simply afraid to say that such changes are logical, and that according to various rules and with greater or lesser intensity occur all over the world.

For instance in the USA shortly after every presidential election, a special guide is issued listing all the political and supportive functions in the federal administration, which are subject to “non-competitive” nomination of a new President or heads of subordinate offices and agencies. Recently there have been eight thousand!

Certainly no one wants to compare the U.S. Government with the Czech Republic, but it is a confirmation of the mentioned principle that without the people who “play with us” there is no government.

Definitely there is no idea that information on the coalition has leaked to the media that perhaps the Minister could bring two deputies to the office who wouldn’t manage anything, and maybe even the director of the cabinet with the spokesperson. In such situation there would be no place for Ministers because the ministries would be run independently by civil servants.

What is it about then? On each ministry officials have some control, be it administration or similar tasks. They handle various submissions from the citizens, businesses, municipalities and counties or associations and they should be dealing with them impartially, predictably and accordingly to the applicable law.

Now – and only – for them it makes sense to ensure their independence from the will of political leaders, led by the Minister, who would due to their political interests try to convince the officials to decide otherwise. In other cases it’s nonsense.

The coalition government knows but is afraid to say it due to the various self-proclaimed initiatives which might to start to raise hands that the first thing the new government suspended was the imprudent pre-election promises.

By Evžen Tošenovský ■ Member of the European Parliament


34

networking/discussion event

Round Table of Comenius - disCussion dinneR wiThmaRian JuRečka, minisTeR of agRiCulTuRe of The CzeCh RepubliC

From left: Jiří Havelka, Director, Renomia Agro, Karel Pilčík, Owner, MP Krásno, Marián Jurečka, Minister of Agriculture, Karel Muzikář, President, Comenius, and Jaroslav Faltýnek, Chairman of Agricultural Committee, Chamber of Deputies

From left: Jiří Zelenka, Chairman, Agricultural Business Co-operativeKrásná Hora, Jiří Havelka, Director, Renomia Agro, and Oldřich Reinbergr, Chairman of the Board & CEO, Cukrovary TTD

From left: Petr Cuhra, Director, Prague Branch, Czech Agriculture and Food Inspection Authority, Stanislav Coufal, Chairman of the Board, Moravia Lacto, and Martin Klanica, Director, Czech Agriculture and Food Inspection Authority

From left: Stanislav Coufal, Chairman of the Board, Moravia Lacto, Ivan Fuksa, former Minister of Agriculture, Jaroslav Faltýnek, Chairman of Agricultural Committee, Chamber of Deputies, and Karel Muzikář, President, Comenius

From left: Petr Križan, Director, International Affairs, Czech Export Bank and Martin Kult, Strategic Sales, Ness


The discussion dinner with Mr. Marian Jurečka, Minister of Agriculture of the Czech Republic was held at Hotel Pyramida on Apri l 22 and it was thefourth Round Table of Comenius in 2014. The discussion evening, which was very well received by participants representing the Czech food and agriculturalindustries, touched upon various subjects among which were problematic EU policies for agriculture, cooperation of the Ministry of Agriculture with otherCzech ministries, position of the Czech Republic within the international food market and also proposals for the maintenance of the fertility of Czech andEuropean agricultural lands. Specifically, Minister Jurečka mentioned that the ministry is focusing on long-term discussions with the EU regarding theEuropean subsidies for Czech farming and its real-product policies and later he also discussed the necessity to boost up the competitiveness of the CzechRepublic in the international food market. The well-rounded discussion concluded with an urgent discussion about climate change and its far-reachingeffects, water management and other available technologies necessary to sustain fertile agricultural lands within the Czech Republic.

hoTel pyRamida –apRil 22, 2014


35


From left: Jaroslav Faltýnek, Chairman of Agricultural Committee, Chamber of Deputies and Miroslav Toman Jr., President, Federation of the Food and Drink Industries of the CR & Agrarian Chamber of the CR

From left: Miroslav Koberna, Director, Federation of the Food and Drink Industries of the Czech Republic, Oldřich Gojiš, Director, INTERLACTO, and Stanislav Coufal, Chairman of the Board, Moravia Lacto

From left: Jan Hůda, Chairman of the Board, Rybářství Třeboň, Martin Klanica, Director, Czech Agriculture and Food Inspection Authority, and Karel Kuthan, Farmer

From left: Zdeněk Šigut, Lector and Pavel Dvořáček,Chairman of the Board & CEO, Rudolf Jelínek

From left: Jan Hůda, Chairman of the Board, Rybářství Třeboň andVojtěch Filip, Chairman, Komunistická strana Čech a Moravy

From left: Milan Hejl, Managing Partner, AMI Communications, Oldřich Gojiš, Director, Interlacto, and Tomáš Jendřejek, CO- Owner, Kofola Czechoslovakia

From left: Jiří Zelenka, Chairman, Agricultural Business Co-operative Krásná Hora, prof. Jiří Balík, Chancellor, Czech Agricultural University in Prague, and Karel Muzikář, President, Comenius

Jiří Havelka, Director, Renomia Agro

From left: Benke Aikell, your Publisher, Karel Muzikář, President, Comenius, Marián Jurečka, Minister of Agriculture, Jaroslav Javornický, Owner, Spielberg Winery, and Martin Bruno Žůrek, Director of Sales, Spielberg Winery

From left: Petr Zimmermann, PrivaMed, Svatopluk Němeček, Minister of Health, and Karel Muzikář, President, Comenius


ZOOM UniqUe Place – PragUe cOngress center, aPril 29, 2014

The introductory words of the Round Table – discussion dinner with Dr. Němeček, Minister of Health of the Czech Republic, which was held on April 29, 2014, revealed that the ministry is facing an increasing pressure from the government to constraint its costs. Minister Němeček thus discussed in detail his suggestions for changes in the health insurance system and the conditions of partnerships between hospitals and insurance institutions. Another key subject of the evening was the maintenance of state hospital buildings, which are intensely used and often centuries old and whether constructing new hospitals might be a more effective option than renovating old hospital buildings. Furthermore the open discussion among participants concluded with subjects such as the costs and accessibility of medicaments in the Czech Republic, public and private health institutions and the advantages and disadvantages of public-private-partnership projects.

rOUnd table Of cOMeniUs – discUssiOn dinner withdr. svatOPlUk něMeček, Minister Of health Of the cZech rePUblic


From left: Václav Volejník, Director, Hamzova odborná léčebna pro děti a dospělé, Lubomír Klepač, Director, B. BRAUN MEDICAL, and Tomáš Kolář, Executive Director, Linet

Pavlína Gratzová, General Director, Medis International and Stephen Lukas, Owner, Medis International

From left: Jiří Stránský, Director Pharma, Sprinx Systems and Lukáš Bartoš, Senior Consultant, Sprinx Systems

From left: Luděk Kramář, Director, Oblastní nemocnice Mladá Boleslav, Václav Vachta, Chairman of the Board, EUROCLINICUM, and Petr Hostek, Director, Nemocnice Rudolfa a Stefanie Benešov, a. s.

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Svatopluk Němeček, Minister of Health

From left: Jan Oberman, Managing Director, Korado Consulting, Li Yi Sen, President, Czech – China Cultural Association, Svatopluk Němeček, Minister of Health, and Karel Muzikář, President, Comenius

From left: Josef Veselka, Head of Cardiology Dept., Faculty Hospital Motol and Jan Wiesner, President, Confederation of Employers ‘and Entrepreneurs’ Associations of the Czech Republic

From left: Libor Olexa, Managing Director, MINION INTERACTIVE, Emil Zorner, Executive Director, Czech Association of Pharmaceuticals Companies, and Milan Štěpánek, Director of Department, Všeobecná zdravotní pojišťovna

From left: Stephen Lukas, Owner, Medis International, Zdenka Němečková Crkvenjaš, Head of Burn Center, Faculty Hospital Ostrava, and prof. Tomáš Zima, Principal, Charles University Prague

From left: Bohuslav CEMPÍREK, General Director, ICZ and Martin KULT, SVP Strategic Sales, NESS CZECH

Alena Jakšová, Deputy General Director, Zdravotní pojišťovna Ministerstva vnitra ČR and Milan Kubek, President, Czech Medical Chamber

From left: Petr Svoboda, Owner, Expharma, Libor Olexa, Managing Director, MINION INTERACTIVE, Eva Gottsteinová, Consultant – pharmaceuticals, and Tomáš Čáp, Executive Vice President, Comenius

From left: Svatopluk Němeček, Minister of Health, Karel Muzikář, President, Comenius, Alena Jakšová, Deputy General Director, Zdravotní pojišťovna Ministerstva vnitra ČR, and Milan Kubek, President, Czech Medical Chamber

MORE PHOTOS AND ELECTRONIC VERSIONAVAILABLE ON WWW.LEADERSMAGAZINE.CZ@


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Round Table of Comenius – disCussion dinneR wiThdR. svaTopluk němeček, minisTeR of healTh of The CzeCh RepubliC

From left: Petr Zimmermann, PrivaMed, Svatopluk Němeček, Minister of Health, and Karel Muzikář, President, Comenius

From left: Václav Volejník, Director, Hamzova odborná léčebna pro děti a dospělé, Lubomír Klepač, Director, B. BRAUN MEDICAL, and Tomáš Kolář, Executive Director, Linet

Pavlína Gratzová, General Director, Medis Internationaland Stephen Lukas, Owner, Medis International

From left: Luděk Kramář, Director, Oblastní nemocnice Mladá Boleslav, Václav Vachta, Chairman of the Board, EUROCLINICUM, and Petr Hostek, Director, Nemocnice Rudolfa a Stefanie Benešov, a. s.

From left: Jiří Stránský, Director Pharma, Sprinx Systems and Lukáš Bartoš, Senior Consultant, Sprinx Systems

Svatopluk Němeček, Minister of Health


The introductory words of the Round Table – discussion dinner with Dr. Němeček, Minister of Health of the Czech Republic, which was held onApril 29, 2014, revealed that the ministry is facing an increasing pressure from the government to constraint its costs. Minist er Němeček thusdiscussed in detail his suggestions for changes in the health insurance system and the conditions of partnerships between hospi tals and insuranceinstitutions. Another key subject of the evening was the maintenance of state hospital buildings, which are intensely used and often centuries old andwhether constructing new hospitals might be a more effective option than renovating old hospital buildings. Furthermore the open discussion amongparticipants concluded with subjects such as the costs and accessibility of medicaments in the Czech Republic, public and private health institutionsand the advantages and disadvantages of public-private-partnership projects.

zoom unique plaCe – pRague CongRess CenTeR,apRil 29, 2014






From left: Bohuslav CEMPÍREK, General Director, ICZ and Martin KULT, SVP Strategic Sales, NESS CZECH

Alena Jakšová, Deputy General Director, Zdravotní pojišťovna Ministerstva vnitra ČR and Milan Kubek, President, Czech Medical Chamber





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Alena Jakšová, Deputy General Director, Zdravotní pojišťovna Ministerstvavnitra ČR and Milan Kubek, President, Czech Medical Chamber



From left: Bohuslav CEMPÍREK, General Director, ICZand Martin KULT, SVP Strategic Sales, NESS CZECH



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Round Table of Comenius – disCussion dinneR wiThing. anTonín PRaChař, minisTeR of TRansPoRT of The CzeCh RePubliC

From left: Petr Havlíček, General Director, Sudop, Jiří Kolář, General Director, Railway Infrastructure Administration, Jan Klas, Director General, Air Navigation Service, Antonín Prachař, Minister of Transport, Karel Muzikář, President, Comenius, and Daniel Kurucz, General Director, České dráhy

From left: Stanislav Beneš, General Director Eastern Europe, INFRAM, Jiří Kolář, General Director, Railway Infrastructure Administration, and Josef Bárta, Owner, CZ LOKO

From left: Karel Muzikář, Managing Partner, Weil, Gotshal & Manges, and Ivan Pilný, Member of the Parliament of the CR, Chairman of the Committee on Economic Affairs, Chamber of Deputies

Li Yi Sen, President, Czech-Sino Cultural and Economical Association

From left: Pavel Surý, General Director (as of June 1st, 2014), Railway Infrastructure Administration and Marek Binko, Director of Strategy, Railway Infrastructure Administration


The last Round Table - discussion dinner of the month of May was held on the 26th with Ing. Antonín Prachař, Minister of Transport of the CzechRepublic. As the state of transportation infrastructure affects the entire population, the dinner resulted in a lively debate during which participantscontributed with a range of questions and comments. Minister Prachař is an experienced and acknowledged expert in transportation and throughout theevening he expressed that among his priorities is the improvement of government tenders and their business conditions, completion of current highwayreconstruction projects and the modernization of information channels for better communication with the public. The discussion also brought up subjectssuch as private-public-partnerships in transportation, land expropriation for the purpose of highway constructions, Czech railway situation and also theprocess of lawmaking. Minister Prachař concluded with a sincere wish to enhance the communication with European Parliament and to improve theimage of the Czech Republic on a European scale.

ToP hoTel PRaha – may 26, 2014


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From left: Martina Osvaldová, Managing Director, SABEKO, Mr. Patrik Jakeš, Mr. Marek Jakeš, and Václav Jakeš, Managing Director, PRETOL HB

From left: Jan Klas, General Director, Air Navigation Services of the CR, Antonín Prachař, Minister of Transport, Karel Muzikář, President, Comenius, Daniel Kurucz, General Director, České dráhy, and Karel Dobeš, Deputy Minister of Transport

From left: Vladimír Dohnal, Chairman of the Board, TOP hotels Group, AntonínPrachař, Minister of Transport, and Karel Muzikář, President, Comenius

From left: Radim Passer, Owner, Passerinvest, Romana Fukalová, Passerinvest, and Benke Aikell, your Publisher

Pavel Surý, General Director (as of June 1st, 2014), Railway InfrastructureAdministration and Jiřina Nepalová, Owner, Renomia

Václav Jakeš, Managing Director, PRETOL HB and Jiřina Nepalová, Owner, Renomia

Libor Hájek, President, Eltodo EG

Rostislav Dvořák, Chairman, Union of Czech, and Moravian Production Cooperatives

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SBP conference

EuropEan union, CzEChia, and Slovakia:Common SECurity FuturEOn April 28, 2014, the Chamber of Deputies of the Czech Parliament hosted the international conference „European Union, Czechia, and Slovakia: Common Security Future“. The event commemorated the 10th anniversary of the Czech and Slovak membership in the European Union. The conference was organized by the Center for Security Policy of the Charles University and supported by the Delegation of European Commission to the Czech Republic, embassies of Ireland, France, Sweden, and Slovakia. Leading Czech and European experts participated at the conference, with the audience of more than 280 participants representing a wide spectrum of politicians, diplomats, business people, and scholars.

From left: Dušan Švarc, Adviser to the President of the Defence and Security Industry Association, Gen. Jean-Paul Perruche, former Head of the European Union Military Staff, and Miloš Balabán, Head of the Center for Security Policy, Charles University

From left: H.E. Jean-Pierre Asvazadourian, Ambassador of France to theCzech Republic, Miloš Balabán, Head of the Center for Security Policy,Charles University, and Pierre Lévy, Director of the EU Directorate, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of France, former French Ambassador to the Czech Republic

From left: Petr Gazdík, Vice President of the Chamber of Deputies, Parliamentof the CR, H.E. Alison Kelly, Ambassador of Ireland to the Czech Republic,and H.E. Peter Weiss, Ambassador of Slovakia to the Czech Republic

From left: Vladimír Špidla, Chief Adviser to the Prime Minister of theCzech Republic, Štefan Füle, Member of the European Commission, andH.E. Annika Jagander, Ambassador of Sweden to the Czech Republic

Štefan Füle, Member of the European Commission


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SBP conference

EuropEan union, CzEChia, and Slovakia:František Bublan, Chairman, Committee on Foreign Affairs, Defenceand Security, Senate of the Parliament of the Czech Republic

From left: Tomáš Přibyl, Director General, Corpus Solutions a.s., Jaroslav Šmíd, DeputyDirector, National Security Authority, and Col. Miloslav Ivica, Director of the Departmentfor Civil Protection and Crisis Planning, Ministry of Interior of the Slovak Republic

Oldřich Martinů, Deputy Director of EUROPOLFrom left: Dušan Švarc, Adviser to the Presidentof the Defence and Security Industry Associationand Gen. Jean-Paul Perruche, former Head ofthe European Union Military Staff

From left: Col. Jiří Chalupa, Director of the Department for Civil Emergency Preparedness andStrategies, General Directorate of the Fire Rescue Service, Libor Stejskal, Center for SecurityPolicy, Charles University, and Jan Sixta, First Deputy Minister of Interior of the Czech Republic

From left: Antonín Seďa, Head of Permanent Delegation of the Czech Parliamentto the NATO Parliamentary Assembly, Member of the Committee for Defence,Chamber of Deputies, Parliament of the Czech Republic and Jan Michal, Headof the European Commission Representation in the Czech Republic

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SBP conference

From left: LtCol. Per Råstedt, Defence Attaché of Sweden, Miloš Balabán,Head of the Center for Security Policy, Charles University, and Gen. KarlEngelbrektson, Co-chairman, NATO Connected Forces Initiative Task Force

From left: Gen. Jean-Paul Perruche, former Head of the European UnionMilitary Staff, Jan Ludvík, Center for Security Policy, Charles University, andPeter Mišík, Permanent Representative of Slovakia, EU PSC/COPS

From left: Jan Ludvík, Center for Security Policy,Charles University and Peter Mišík, PermanentRepresentative of Slovakia, EU PSC/COPS

From left: Gen. Karl Engelbrektson, Co-chairman, NATO ConnectedForces Initiative Task Force and Jiří Hynek, President of the Defenceand Security Industry Association of the Czech Republic

In front: H.E. Ma Keqing, Ambassador of thePeople‘s Republic of China to the Czech Republic

Gen. Petr Pavel, Chief of the General Staffof the Armed Forces of the Czech Republic


analysis

This morning I thought about how fast our sense of being threatened had changed over a few decades. This is true not only for the experts and mankind as such, but we are all beginning to feel it. From the 1950’s, the whole planet was under a threat of nuclear and hydrogen bombs and nuclear missiles launched from the ground, submarines and airplanes.

This threat didn’t disappear entirely, there are still some nutcakes in North Korea and elsewhere, but perhaps we can defend ourselves against those. The manual for making an amateur nuclear bomb is rather an urban tale. Biological and chemical weapons cannot be regulated, so they are essentially suicidal. An individual and suicidal terror has its unfortunate victims, but it is not a mass attack.


Crooked competitors can destroy or cause severe problems to their enemies through our badly protected private computers. They can freeze servers, deliver false messages or change the appearance of a website. Such infected computers may be rented out without the knowledge of their owners. This is how new and very profitable criminal businesses are created. Even simple collection of personal data can be easily abused and sold for profit.

Personal, company as well as state security is becoming increasingly more expensive, which causes problems in common use. Additionally, crime is always a step ahead. The space open to crime opened very quickly. First we should increase our sensitivity to danger and be more careful. Social engineering using carelessness and human weaknesses developed quickly. Joseph Heller said in Catch 22 “Just because you’re paranoid doesn’t mean they aren’t after you.”

From “The Information Age Arena” by Ivan Pilný and Tereza Kučerová published recently by Albatros Media

By Ivan Pilný ■ Member of the Parliament, ANO party

President of Tuesday Business Network


Fear, Fear

Then the internet came,technologies, networking,controlling everythingimaginable througha computer. The damageterrorists can causethrough destruction ortargeted reprogrammingor control networks isnot at all only material,but threatens the livesof people perhaps evenmore than the fearedatom.

Also the overallunderstanding ofcriminality had changed.PIN numbers andpersonal data are soughtafter, false identities arebeing created. Pedophiliais showing a full-blowndevelopment thanksto social networks.It’s easy to imaginea coordinated attack onstock markets that couldcause a collapse of theentire economy. The firstattempts already tookplace.

offices or banks. Theygradually overfill thejails while it’s veryhard to catch digitalcriminals. To identifyand prove their guilt isnearly impossible. Thisonly happens throughinfiltration into suchgroups using snitches.

A new age, new crimesand criminals. Onlysimpletons steal copperrain gutters and sewagecovers, attack old ladies,break into flats or post

Rockets can be redirected and sent who knows where, the speculations about the influencing of routes of auto-pilot planes is no longer a speculation. It’s not hard to imagine disruptions to power and gas grids. Information, or rather disinformation, also has a huge capability. Targeted false news and alarms can cause mass hysteria, revolutions, waves of violence, confusion and chaos. The individual terrorism had moved, it’s organized and entire states are suspected to use and finance it.


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CANADA DAYCanadian Ambassador Otto Jelinek, and his wife Leata, welcomed over 300 guests to the 147th anniversary of Canadas Confederation, better known as CANADA DAY. The celebration was held in the new premises in Bubeneč, Prague 6. The guest of honour, Czech Foreign Affairs Minister Lubomír Zaorálek, took the opportunity to emphasize the historic and ongoing close bilateral relationship between the two countries.

From left: Lubomír Zaorálek, Minister of Foreign Affairs and H.E. Otto Jelinek, Ambassador of Canada

From left: H.E. Otto Jelinek, Jiří Weigel, Institut of Václav Klaus

From left: H.E. Otto Jelinek, Ambassador of Canada, Jan Zahradil, Member of European Parliament and First Deputy Leader of ODS, and Prof. Jiří Fárek

H.E. Otto Jelinek, Ambassador of Canada with his wife Leata

Mrs. Yamakawa , wife of Japanese Ambassador, and H.E. Tetsuo Yamakawa Ambassador of Japan being welcomed at the garden party, with Petr Soukup, Managing Director, Stance Communications in the back

From left: Mrs. Miriam Prata, wife of Brasilian Ambassador, H.E. George Prata, Ambassador of Brazil, and H.E. Stefan Gorda Ambassador of Moldova

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diplomatic event

From left: H.E. Otto Jelinek, Ambassador of Canada and Lubomír Zaorálek, Minister of Foreign Affairs

From left: H.E. Otto Jelinek receives symbolic key to Česká Kanada from Ladislav Mátl, Chairman, Czech Canada Agency, far right Pavel Mikula, CEO MP-Soft and Director, Gaudeamus fair

From left: Mrs. Leata Jelinek, wife of H.E. Otto Jelinek, and Mr. Pavel Hlinka with his wife Anne

From left: Petr Palecka, Member of the Board, Komerční banka, H.E. Otto Jelinek, Ambassador of Canada with Mrs. Irena Plánková, and Karel Muzikář, President, Comenius

From left: Jakub Hoda, Managing Director, Bell Helicopter, Lubomír Zaorálek, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Karel Žebrakovský, former Ambassador of the Czech Republic to Canada, Petr Kaiser, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and H.E. Jerry Jelinek, Honorary Consul to Canada

From left behind: Milan Budín, Owner, Hemi, H.E. Tibor Peto, Ambassador of Hungary and H.E. Maria Susana Porturas, Ambassador of Peru

From Left: H.E. Otto Jelinek, Ambassador of Canada with his wife Leata greeting H.E. Peter Weiss with his wife, in the background Matyáš Pelant, Ministry of Industry and Trade

H.E. Venkatesan Ashok, Ambassador of India

From left: H.E. Otto Jelinek, Amabssador of Canada and Benke Aikell, your Publisher

H.E. Christian Hoppe, Ambassador of Denmark

H.E. Ma Kequing, Ambassador of China

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networking/charity

LIONS CLUB PRAGUE BOHEMIA AMBASSADOR

From left: Ing. František Chaloupecký, former President, LC Praha Bohemia Ambassador, JUDr. PhDr. Oldřich Choděra, Lawyer, Charterpresident, LC Praha Bohemia Ambassador and former Gov-ernor, LCI D122 Czech Republic and Slovak Re-public, Ing. Antonín Novotný, CEO, CSI, President, LC Praha Bohemia Ambassador, and Ing. Zdeněk Liška, General Director, Confederation of Industry of the Czech Republic

Ing. František Chaloupecký, former President, LC Praha Bohemia Ambassador

Ing. Jiří Opichal, Executive Head, Allimex Trading s.r.o.and former President, LC Praha Bohemia Ambassadorand MUDr. Blanka Seifertová, General Practitioner

From left: Ing. Antonín Novotný, CEO, CSI, President, LC Praha Bohemia Am-bassador, Ing. Zdeněk Liška, General Director, Confederation of Industry of the Czech Republic, Ing. František Chaloupecký, former President, LC Praha Bohemia Ambassador, and Ing. Ladislav Vaško, Commercial Director

From left: Miroslav Hříbal, Entrepreneur and Ing. Jiří Novotný, CSc., MBA, Financial Director

From left: Ing. Vladimír Páral, Writer and Ing. Jiří Málek, former President, LC Praha Bohemia Ambassador


Guest of Honor: Ing. Zdeněk Liška, General Director,Confederation of Industry of the Czech Republic

The position and role ofthe Confederation of Industryof the Czech Republic

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events

LIONS CLUB PRAGUE BOHEMIA AMBASSADORCharity-social evening in Kaiserstein palace

From left: Ilona Málková, Treasurer, LC Praha Ladies , Stanislava Miková, Member of LC Praha Ladies, Miloslava Procházková, President, LC Praha Ladies, prof. Věra Kubíková, Zdeňka Geráková, Member of LC Praha Ladies, Libuše Novotná, Secretary, LC Praha Ladies, JUDr. Jaroslav Novotný, Lawyer, Membership Chairperson of LC Praha Bohemia Ambassador, Editor in Chief, Český a Slovenský Lion, and Ing. Anton Gerák, CSc., Commercial Director, former President of LC Praha Bohemia Ambassador, Secretary, LCI D122 Czech Republic and Slovak Republic

From left: JUDr. Vojtěch Trapl – Lawyer, former Governor, LCI Czech Republic and Slovak Republic, Ing. Ladislav Bouček, CSc., Entrepreneur, former Governor, LCI D 122 Czech Republic and Slovak Republic, Ing. Antonín Mika, Regional Director for Foreign Trade, President of LC Praha Bohemia Ambassador, and Ing. Jiří Opichal, Executive Head, Allimex Trading s.r.o. and former President of LC Praha Bohemia Ambassador

From left: Prof. MUDr. Aleksi Šedo, Vice Dean, 1st Medical Faculty of Charles University, MUDr. Šedová, and Ing. Jaromír Kaulfus, Entrepreneur

From left: Ing. Antonín Novotný, CEO, CSI, former President of LC Praha Bohemia Ambassador and Ing. Anton Gerák, CSc., Commercial Director, former President of LC Praha Bohemia Ambassador, Secretary, LCI D122 Czech Republic and Slovak Republic

From left: Ing. Antonín Mika, Regional Director for Foreign Trade, President of LC Praha Bohemia Ambassador, Ing. Antonín Novotný, CEO, CSI, former President of LC Praha Bohemia Ambassador, and Ing. Jaromír Kaulfus, Entrepreneur

From left: Ing. Jiří Málek, former President of LC Praha 47 Bohemia Ambassador, Treasurer, LC Praha Bohemia Ambassador, and Jan Budín, Professor, Deyl Academy


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sport/charity event

Era Golf Tournamentfor Centrum Paraple 2014

Marek Eben opening the Era GolfTournament for Centrum Paraple

Flight number 14, from left: Vladimír Jurina and PeterLenka Šachová from Pilsner Urquell, Marek Bolega,Fast ČR, a.s., and Pavla Podskalská, Lobby Magazine

Peter Mikula, General Director, Vinland, a.s.

Flight number 15, company Trigema, a.s., from left: MarcelSoural, Vít Soural, Miroslav Mudra and Martin MalinskýMarek Eben, Moderator and Štěpánka

Antošová, Director, Centrum ParapleFrom left: Marek Eben, Moderator, Mrs. Kateřina Nekolná,Moderator, Mrs. Darina Muchová and Jiří Bartoška, Actor

Winners of the Era Golf Tournament for CentrumParaple, 2nd place, Flight number 1, Era: OtakarBobko, Jiří Žemlička, Simona Klufová, František Klufa

Winners of the Era Golf Tournament for CentrumParaple, 1st place, Flight number 4, Era: PřemyslHanzelka, Jiří Vlk, Martin Pejsar, Petr Průcha

Winners of the Era Golf Tournament for CentrumParaple, 3rd place, Flight number 3, Era: PetrKuneš, Simona Brchlová, Petr Syka, Jan Doubek


6th annual of the charity golf tournament for support of Centrum Paraple. Centrum Paraple helps people who have suffered illnessor injury affecting spinal cord to come to terms with their new situation, improve their physical and psychological state, achieve thegreatest possible self-sufficiency and independence, and to return to their family, friends and society, studies, job and to sport.

Sunday 27th april 2014,Golf reSort Cihelny,Karlovy vary

www.paraple.cz


sustainable development

According to the Czech Ministry of Trade, “Czech companies have a reputation of reliable partners and suppliers of high quality products, technologies and services.” That’s good news if it was really true. But the harsh fact is that this country ranks at only 57 in Transparency International’s latest corruption index. And according to this leading non-governmental organization which monitors business and political honesty, the situation is getting worse in this country.

Of course, there are many fine Czech companies who behaviour is exemplary. An increasing number of businesses are adopting impressive corporate responsibility practices, demonstrating true respect for the society and environment in which they operate. However, it clear that there remains much room for improvement.

Good citizens follow the law. The concept is simple: stick to a set of rules and stay out of trouble. But decent citizens also realize that the law alone does not dictate our every move. Other powerful forces – family, friends, colleagues, peers, moral values – play a role in determining how we interact with the world and people around us.

The same concept should hold true for corporations. Most follow strict financial guidelines and corporate governance standards. More and more companies monitor how their operations and employees impact the environment, local communities and the planet at large. But a small but growing number go a step further and listen to the voices beyond regulators and litigators.

If every company in the Czech Republic respected the environment and corporate governance and social imperatives, groups like Greenpeace, Transparency International and Human Rights Watch wouldn’t have anything


to do. Perhaps it should become the goal of businesses in the country to make these watchdogs redundant.

It is those companies that hold themselves to a higher standard, and go beyond compliance that enjoy the most highly regarded reputations. It is companies that go the extra mile that reap the rewards in the court of public opinion. And it is companies that voluntarily raise the bar that often unearth a myriad of commercially interesting business opportunities.

These are the companies that take a step back to consider what is right from wrong, how their actions impact the environment and society, and where they are most vulnerable to attack from the eagle eyes of Civil Society – the myriad of advocacy groups and concerned individuals who rally around shared social interests.

Successful businesses have found a strong case for doing good and exceed baseline standards for a range of smart business reasons.

Meeting the expectations of many different stakeholders. Smart companies go beyond meeting environmental requirements and meaningfully engage with other critical stakeholders, including consumers, customers, employees, shareholders and activist groups. They have discovered that taking time to listen to concerns ensures the company receives wellrounded feedback and makes noticeable impact where it matters most.

By holding consistent moral and social positions in, successful companies are viewed by key stakeholders as true to their word and principles, and thereby less vulnerable to attack or criticism.

Staying ahead of the curve. Environmental and corporate laws and regulations are constantly evolving, and it’s up to individual businesses to decide if they will follow the leaders, play “catch up” with competitors or take the initiative and lead by example. Companies that are well prepared to adapt to changing laws become “best practice” models in their respective industries and for the business world as a whole. In some instances, new laws and regulations are modelled after the practices of these trail-blazers.

Expectations and demands from society often well exceed those of law and policy makers. It’s the everyday citizen who has the most influence on business decisions – whether it’s the next “green” product to market or current environmental challenge.

Ignoring voices of concern can cause irreparable reputational damage. Companies must stay in touch with real-world critics if they are to truly succeed.

Understanding what society demands and not just what the law requires is a unique (but learnable) skill. It starts by being in tune with the wide range of environmental and other concerns of the world at large, and being in position to address them.

Companies are increasingly waking up to the fact that good corporate stewardship means good business.

Smart businesses experience the positive effects of leading with a moral compass and not just by following the letter of the law. They understand that they are not just held accountable by rules and regulations, but by the broader expectations of the consumers, families and communities they serve.

Above all, these companies know that a broader definition of accountability represents the only sustainable way of operating in today’s business world. Progressive companies in the Czech Republic realize that the 21st Century version of corporate accountability is here to stay and those who choose not to follow it will be left behind.

Before the Revolution, dishonesty was rife and most people would agree that the system inadvertently encouraged everyone to break the rules. A quarter of century on, it is time for the entire Czech business community to understand the true benefits of responsible capitalism. Enhancing this country’s reputation as a good place to do business should be a top priority. Embracing this philosophy surely delivery a sustainable future to this great nation.

In summary – honesty is good for business.

By Jonathan Wootliff ■

HONESTY PAYSRAISING STANDARDS DELIVERS REWARDS

Jonathan Wootliff A former director of Greenpeace International, Jonathan Wootliff lives in Prague and works throughout the world as a sustainability consultant to business. He is Chair of the Board of Experts of the Czech Business Council for Sustainable Development. He has consulted many large corporations including BP, Colgate-Palmolive, McDonald’s, Procter & Gamble and Whirlpool, and providing counsel to companies on the development of sustainability strategies that benefit the environment, society and business. Among his many activities, he helps companies to resolve disputes, forge productive relationships with non-governmental organizations, and build long-term sustainability strategies. A qualified journalist with a subsequent background in public relations, Jonathan commonly assists companies with their sustainability communications. He can be contacted at [email protected]

Former Greenpeace International director,Jonathan Wootliff, is now a sustainability

consultant living in Prague.

Photo: Archive of Author

best of event From left: Pavla Vopeláková, Envoy Business Administration Manager, Michaela Lejsková, Editor in Chief, Best of magazine, Lukáš Langmajer, Moderator, Mgr. Lenka Vinická, Representative, Vlaďka dětem o.s., and Marie Kampfová, Consumer Engagement Executive, Philip Morris


7th professional meeting of Best of magazine held at designhotel elephant prague

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From left: Milan Švára, General Director, Designehotel Elephant Prague, Michaela Lejsková, Editor in Chief, Best of magazine, Vlastimil Harapes, Ballet Dancer, and Jindřich Sobota, Director, Chateau Lednice

RNDr.PhDr. Zdeněk Hostomský, CSc., BiochemistFrom left: Dita Brančíková, Head of Press Department, BVV, Ivan Šablatúra, Florist, Hana Robinson, Pianist, and Michaela Lejsková, Editor in Chief, Best of magazine

Lenka Hatašová, Photographer

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best of event

7th professional meeting of Best of magazineheld at designhotel elephant prague

From left: Milan Švára, General Director, Designehotel Elephant Prague, Michaela Lejsková, Editor in Chief, Best of magazine, Vlastimil Harapes, Ballet Dancer, and Jindřich Sobota, Director, Chateau Lednice

RNDr.PhDr. Zdeněk Hostomský, CSc., BiochemistFrom left: Dita Brančíková, Head of Press Department, BVV, Ivan Šablatúra, Florist,Hana Robinson, Pianist, and Michaela Lejsková, Editor in Chief, Best of magazine

From left: Pavla Vopeláková, Envoy Business Administration Manager, Michaela Lejsková, Editor in Chief, Best of magazine, Lukáš Langmajer, Moderator, Mgr. Lenka Vinická, Representative, Vlaďka dětem o.s., and Marie Kampfová, Consumer Engagement Executive, Philip Morris

Lenka Hatašová, Photographer


best of event

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From left: Martin Tomášek, Barist, Vratislav Dědoch, Distributor, Sisel Kaffe, and Vlastimil Harapes, Ballet Dancer

Michaela Lejsková, Editor in Chief, Best of magazine and Mgr. Daniel Pagáč, Director, Czech national registry of bone marrow donors

From left: Denisa Bartošová, Sales Manager, Česká lodní doprava, Charter s.r.o., Vlastimil Harapes, Ballet Dancer, and Marie Zelená, Fashion Designer

From left: Dominik Fiala, Student, Pavlína Dohnálková, Student, René Strouhal, Vicar, Michaela Lejsková, Editor in Chief, Best of magazine and Ing. Zdeněk Krček, executive director, Izolpartner

From left: Eliška Hašková Coolidge, Etiquette Lecturer and Helena Leisztner, Artist and Designerwww.ibestof.czMartin Vodička, Sales Director, Peugeot Kopecký

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best of event

Michaela Lejsková, Editor in Chief, Best of magazine and Mgr. DanielPagáč, Director, Czech national registry of bone marrow donors

From left: Martin Tomášek, Barist, Vratislav Dědoch, Distributor, Sisel Kaffe, and Vlastimil Harapes, Ballet Dancer

From left: Denisa Bartošová, Sales Manager, Česká lodní doprava, Charter s.r.o., Vlastimil Harapes, Ballet Dancer, and Marie Zelená, Fashion Designer

Martin Vodička, Sales Director, Peugeot KopeckýFrom left: Eliška Hašková Coolidge, Etiquette Lecturer and Helena Leisztner, Artist and Designer

From left: Dominik Fiala, Student, Pavlína Dohnálková, Student, René Strouhal, Vicar, Michaela Lejsková, Editor in Chief, Best of magazine and Ing. Zdeněk Krček, executive director, Izolpartner

www.ibestof.cz

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czech events abroad

Design – CzeCh Day in MonaCo

From left: Michel Dotta, President of the Chamber of Economic Development of Monaco, Karel Zděnovec, Commercial Counsellor, Vladimír Bartl, Deputy Minister of Industry and Trade of the Czech Republic, H.E. Marie Chatardová, Ambassador of the Czech Republic in France/Monaco François Jean Brych, Honorary Consul General and José Badia, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation of Monaco

From left: Robert Halama, Halama glass company, H.E. Marie Chatardová, Ambassador of the Czech Republic in France/Monaco, and Olga Kopalová, Šenýř bijoux company

From left: Eva Behrová, Evervit company and H.E. Marie Chatardová, Ambassador of the Czech Republic in France/Monaco

From left: Giann Angelini, My Sushi companyand Ivo Čepický, ATEH company

From left: Iveta Miškovská, Director of CzechTrade Paris, Michal Macko, Business Manager of the Franco-Czech Chamber of Commerce, H.E. Marie Chatardová, Ambassador of the Czech Republic in France/Monaco, and Michel Dotta, President of the Chamber of Economic Development of Monaco

From left: Zbyněk Kotal, Elementary company, H.E. Marie Chatardová, Ambassador of the Czech Republic in France/Monaco, Mr. Jindřich Ptáček and Mr. Jindřich Bílek, musicians, and Mr. Roman Krátký, owner of pharmacies in the Czech Republic

From left: Tereza Pirščová, Studio Pirsc Porcelain company, visitor of the Czech Day and Libuše Marciňáková, Studio Pirsc Porcelain company


The Embassy of the Czech Republic in France and Monaco in cooperation with the Economic Development Chamber in Monaco organised a Czech Dayon 20 March 2014 to promote Czech design in Monaco. The event under the auspices of the Ambassador of the Czech Republic in France and MonacoMarie Chatardová was attended by over 40 companies from both the Czech Republic and Monaco.The main aim was to present Czech glass, jewelry, ceramics and furniture. The event was attended also by the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Cooperationof Monaco Mr. José Badia and the Deputy Minister of Industry and Trade of the Czech Republic Mr. Vladimír Bärtl.

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events

From left: François Jean Brych, Honorary Consul of the Czech Republic to Monaco, H.E. Marie Chatardová, Ambassador of the Czech Republic in France/Monaco, Anne-Marie Boisbouvier, Advisor to H.S.H. Prince Albert II, and Pavel Kadleček, Preciosa company

From left: Olga Kopalová, Šenýř bijoux company, Federica Nardoni Spinetta, Beach and Cashmere Monaco, and Jean Francois Brych, Honorary Consul of the Czech Republic to Monaco

Petr Larva, Larva Design company and H.E. Marie Chatardová,Ambassador of the Czech Republic in France/Monaco

H.E. Marie Chatardová, Ambassador of the Czech Republic in France/Monaco and Michel Dotta, President of the Chamber of Economic Development of Monaco

H.E. Marie Chatardová, Ambassador of the Czech Republic in France/Monaco and José Badia, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation of Monaco

Participants at Czech Day in Monaco@ MORE PHOTOS AND ELECTRONIC VERSIONAVAILABLE ON WWW.LEADERSMAGAZINE.CZ


interview

I still consider it essential forpeople to know their rights anddisallow their infringement

Anna Šabatová, the PublicDefender of Rights, was alreadyactive prior to 1989, having beeninvolved with the dissent and oneof the first signatories of Charter77. She was also a member ofthe Committee for the Defenseof the Unjustly Prosecuted,which she co-founded. After therevolution, she headed the CzechHelsinki Committee. Šabatováholds a number of awards,including the Medal of Meritand the United Nations HumanRights Prize, as well as the AliceGarrigue Masaryk Prize.

An interview with Anna ŠabatováPhoto: Archive

What are the options available to a Czech ombudsman, where are the largest problems and what does she think about company ombudsmen?

Mrs. Šabatová, the office of the Public Defender of Rights is now headed by a woman for the first time in the Czech Republic. What’s actually the correct name of the function? And is it what you personally prefer?

Correctly it’s ‘veřejná ochránkyně práv,’ which is usually shortened to ‘ochránkyně’ [feminine variation of the word ‘defender’]. That’s also what I prefer. But I got used to the fact that people learned to use the more international expression ‘ombudsman’ for which the Czech

language promptly created a feminine gender ‘ombudsmanka.’

This Brno-based office wasn’t unknown to you prior to you receiving the function. Between 2001 and 2007 you worked as the Deputy Public Defender of Rights. Still – was there something that surprised you in the beginning of your work here?

There certainly wasn’t an actual surprise, because I had been in contact with the institution during the previous years and monitored its activity from a distance. The scope of effect of the public defender is much wider these days than it was back in the years when I worked there. I was surprised by

the amount of complaints the defender deals with, particularly the dramatic increase in the number of motions from the area of social care that occurred during the past two years.

Our readers aren’t necessarily lawyers, so perhaps they aren’t familiar with the exact agenda of the office. In your opinion, what are the main and contact points of the Public Defender of Rights in this country?

There are three basic areas. The oldest and most numerous area is the processing of complaints against the work of the state administrative bodies. We get over 8,000 complaints concerning various offices on an annual basis.


interviewThe second area is the oversight of places where people whose freedom has been restricted may be located. These are preventive systematic visits to facilities with the goal of overseeing the respect for human rights and prevention of ill treatment of these people. The third area is then promoting just treatment and protection against discrimination. We process complaints from people who feel they are victims of discrimination. We conduct research and formulate recommendations for various areas of life.

When it comes to your scope of rights, meaning the possibility to change or push through something, would you favor widening this scope, at least when it comes to the option of proposing the cancellation of a law to the Constitutional Court?

I think that this right would fit the Defender well. Occasionally we get into a situation when the ombudsman points out a possible unconstitutional law or its part. Unless there is a sufficient number of Senators or Deputies who would submit a complaint, there is only a minimal chance for the Constitutional Court to review whether the given law may be in conflict with the Constitution. In these exceptional cases the Defender could initiate such a proceeding with the Constitutional Court.

In this regard, the Chairman of the Constitutional Court mentioned that you already have this right when it comes to regulations arising from the law. According to him, you are not using it sufficiently.

That’s not true. The Defender is entitled to submit petitions for cancelling a sub-law regulation and uses this option anytime it’s necessary, meaning when we learn about the possible unconstitutionality of the regulation or another rule and aren’t able to arrange a change by negotiation with the respective office. I find it positive that we are usually able to achieve a change of a regulation without necessarily involving the Constitutional Court. As of last year, the Defender is also entitled to enter proceedings at the Constitutional Court as an external participant in the matter of laws and their parts.

It works like this, when the Constitutional Court receives a petition for cancellation of a law or its part, they address the Defender, who can decide whether they will participate in the proceeding or not. Should the proceeding regard a subject the Defender dealt with, that is in their scope of responsibilities and that they have sufficient knowledge of, then in all such cases the Defender participated in the proceedings of the Constitutional Court. I think that’s also sufficient proof that the possible widening of the Defender rights wouldn’t be used excessively.

Recently you presented a report for the past year, on behalf of your predecessor, to the Deputies. In it you recommend a change of ten laws. What do these changes regard?

Three of the recommendations relate to equal treatment and prevention of discrimination. These are, for example, the transfer of burden of proof


in all cases regarding discrimination. This only happens in some cases so, for example, victims of discrimination due to age, health condition or minority sexual orientation have a more difficult situation defending themselves in the courts. I would like to extend the rights of the Defender by the ability to initiate a public prosecution in cases that regard problems of structure or the entire society. I’m also seeking, for example, the removal of certain flaws within the legal regulation concerning the dispensation of seizure, or the rights of court-appointed caretakers of children, to view their records, as maintained by the authorities of the social and legal protection of children and other issues.

And do you think you will be able to push through these changes? Is there the political will?

I believe I will, although perhaps not immediately. Some of the recommendations are in accordance with the program statements of the government as well as political parties, so the political will to make them happen should be there. But the legislative process has its rules and the government has its priorities, so we have to be patient. According to an analysis I did, it takes three years on average to achieve a change in a law. However, my current communications with ministers spark some hope in me that some of our recommendations may be applied much quicker this time.

Over forty years ago, you were arrested and sentenced to three years in prison for ‚Subverting the republic and organizing a flyer campaign against the elections and a contribution to dissemination of samizdat.‘ The Czech Republic had made truly a notable step in this regard and these days, such accusations are unthinkable... Am I right?

Of course and thank God this is already in the past. But that doesn’t mean that rights aren’t being infringed. Only it doesn’t have the form of such a clearly evil state-power. Therefore I still consider it essential for people to know their rights and disallow their infringement.

What are your feelings as you see the events, for example, in Belarus? In your opinion, is there a way that Czechs could stand more firmly against restrictions of freedom in countries that are a part of our continent?

This is not mine to comment upon. As a Public Defender of Rights I must remain unbiased, I have to stay away from politics. Therefore I cannot evaluate how our foreign policy should look.

Thanks to your intervention, a plaintiff from the former Soviet Union received an exceptional back-payment of her retirement – it was a million CZK. Such cases are exceptional. But numbers in the hundreds of thousands appear considerably more often. Why is that? Do people let the problems ‘ripen’ for too long? Or have they really have had the opportunity to defend their rights?


Each case is different. But I don’t think that people would ‘grow’ their problems. If their request for social security was rejected and their appeal as well, that used to be an end point. They thought it was hard, but they considered it a penalty for having found a home in a different country. They couldn’t but continue working or depend on the support of their family. Usually it takes a few years, when the whole family is in financial problems and the situation is unbearable, that they try to apply again or turn to the Defender, to see whether there is some possible help for them.

How do you see the private-law ombudsmen, for example in large companies? Do they make sense?

A company ombudsman is a mediator between the company and a client. I know from experience that a number of problems occur from insufficient communication and misunderstanding. And often it’s difficult for clients to get oriented in the organizational structure of the company, to find out whom to address with their problem. I see the company ombudsmen mainly as a friendly step toward the clients. Of course, in that case such an ombudsman is resolving the client’s problems, but you should remember that they too are employees of the company.

What are the advantages and disadvantages of a Czech ombudsman compared to their European colleagues?

This cannot be answered simply. There are differences in the scope of authority and rights, as well as the position between the individual national ombudsmen, but at the same time, there are differences between the societies of the individual states. What is an advantage in one place may not be of interest in another. For example, we can be proud of the fact that approximately 60% of the complaints we receive are within the authority of the Defender, which is not common in European countries. We can therefore focus more on the actual solution to problems, rather than just consulting.

Author: Jaroslav Kramer Translation: Michaela Freeman ■

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gala evening

Jiří Postolka from North Bohemia Coal miNes was awarded the Prestigious PrizefiNaNCial direCtor of the Year for 2013

From left: Dean Brabec, President of the CFO Cluband CEE Managing Director of Arthur D. Little andJiří Postolka, CFO, Severočeské doly a.s., winnerof the contest Financial Director of the Year 2013

From left: Patrik Choleva, CFO, Skanska, Member of the CFO Club Council andDean Brabec, President of the CFO Club, Managing Partner CEE, Arthur D. Little

Jadran Šetlík, Artistic Photographer and Monika Zahálková,Executive Director, Czech Institute of Directors

From left: Ivana Goossen, Director, EMBA – Europe, University ofPittsburgh, Bohdana Pražská, CEO, KempHoogstad, s.r.o., andIrena Prášilová, Senior Manager, Accenture Central Europe B.V.

From left: Dean Brabec, President of the CFO Club, Managing Partner CEE, Arthur D. Little and


Holder of the annual prize “CFO of the Year 2013” was announced on CFO session held on April 9 in the Grand Hotel Bohemia in Prague. The winnerof the ninth year is Jiří Postolka, the CFO in North Bohemia Coal Mines. The second position was successfully defended by Thomas Merker from RWEGasNet. The third most successful CFO of 2013 became Hana Strnadová from Fincentrum. “Talent of the Year 2013” prize was awarded to KateřinaJirásková from PPF. The gala evening was preceded by the discussion on alternative ways of financing the companies.

Photo: Jakub Joachim

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gala evening

From left: Július Kudla, CEO, Euler Hermes Europe SA, Lucie Urválková, Member of the Board and CFO, UNIQA pojišťovna, a.s., and Mr. Martin Sušil

From left: Michal Mareš, CEO, NB Financial Advisors, s.r.o., Daniel Ryšávka, Senior Advisor, Advisory, KPMG Česká republika, s.r.o., and Linda Karpašová, IFC FOOD s r.o.

Jiří Postolka, CFO, Severočeské doly a.s., winner of the contest Financial Director of the Year 2013

From left: Lenka Hejduková, Sales Director, Havel, Holásek & Partners s.r.o., Attorney at Law, Eva Marková, BD Manager, Cash Collectors, and Martin Jeřábek, CFO, Havel, Holásek & Partners s.r.o., Attorney at Law

From left: Miroslav Doležal, Member of the Board and CFO, Invelt Industry International, a.s., Iveta Ocásková, Executive Director, Corporate Banking, Komerční banka, a.s., Věra Mrázová, Unibail – Rodamco Česká republika, s.r.o., and Miloš Mikolajský, CFO, OSTROJ a.s.

From left: Petr Bučík, Member of the leadership team, KPMG Česká republika,s.r.o. and Karel Šimůnek, Managing Director, AvantGarde Restaurant & Café

Jan Brožík, Executive Finance Director, ČEZ, a. s.

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gala evening

From left: Dean Brabec, President of the CFO Club, Managing Partner CEE, Arthur D. Little with the winners of the contest Financial Director of the Year 2013 – Jiří Postolka, CFO, Severočeské doly a.s., Hana Strnadová, CFO, Fincentrum a.s., Thomas Merker, Executive, CFO, RWE GasNet, s.r.o.

From left: Aleš Barabas, Member of the Board, UniCredit Bank Czech Republic and Slovakia, a.s., Vice President of the CFO Club and Thomas Merker, Executive, CFO, RWE GasNet, s.r.o., 2nd position in the contest Financial Director of the Year 2013

From left: Bartel Puelinckx, CFO, Československá obchodní banka, a. s.and Thomas Merker, Executive, CFO, RWE GasNet, s.r.o.

From left: Hana Strnadová, CFO, Fincentrum a.s., 3rd position in the contest Financial Director of the Year 2013 and Hana Pavlištová, CEO, Česká informační agentura, s.r.o.

Markéta Mátlová, Soprano

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From left: Peter Mikula, Chairman of the Board, CEO, VINLAND, a.s., Jiří Postolka, CFO, Severočeské doly a.s., and Martin Novák, CFO, ČEZ, a.s., Member of the CFO Club Council, winner of the Financial Director of the Year 2012

From left: Pavel Doležal, CEO, pdMEDIA s.r.o.and Jiří Postolka, CFO, Severočeské doly a.s.

From left: Zdeněk Fiala, Chairman of the Board and CEO, ZF Holding, SE and Martin Novák, CFO, ČEZ, a. s., Member of the CFO Club Council

View of the Grand Hotel Bohemia Boccaccio room

From left: Monika Zahálková, CEO, Czech Institute of Direc-tors, Aleš Vojíř, Deputy Editor in Chief, Economia, a.s., and Lucie Hrdličková, Business Reporter, Economia, a.s.


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discussion event

Minister of finance andrej BaBišguest of the cfo cluB

From left: Andrej Babiš, Minister of Finance and Dean Brabec, President, CFO Club and Managing Partner CEE, Arthur D. Little

From left: Pavel Elis, General Director, Pražská energetika and Jakub Hlavica, CFO, Pražská teplárenská

From left: Michal Mejstřík, Chairman of the Board, EEIP and David Koláček, Partner, Clifford Chance LLP

From left: Patrik Choleva, Member of the Board, CFO Club, Vice Chairman and CFO, Skanska a.s., Martin Novák, Member of the Board, CFO Club, Member of the Board and CFO, ČEZ, a. s., Andrej Babiš, Minister of Finance, Dean Brabec, President, CFO Club and Managing Partner CEE, Arthur D. Little, and Aleš Barabas, Vice President, CFO Club, Member of the Board, UniCredit Bank Czech Republic and Slovakia

From left: Petr Kubernát, Advisor to the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Roland Leisztner, Entrepreneur, and Helena Leisztner, Fashion Designer, Member of the Board of NMWA


Andrej Babiš as a guest of the CFO Club attracted a huge audience to the AUREOLE Fusion Restaurant & Lounge in Prague 4. The pr e-summer sessionwas held on June 11, 2014 on the topic Funding Strategy and Goals of the Czech Republic. Andrej Babiš proved his managerial approach to financing forwhich he was treated by high appreciation

Photo: Jan Šulc

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event

From left: Mr. Jan Kislinger, Eva Kislingerová, Head of Departmentof Business Economics, Faculty of Business, VŠE Praha

From left: Helena Leisztner, Fashion Designer, Member of the Board of NMWA and Eva Vašková Čejková, Founder, ŽENY s.r.o.

Ice carving logos of CFO Club

View of the hall

Andrej Babiš, Minister of Finance

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discussion event

Dean Brabec, President, CFO Club andManaging Partner CEE, Arthur D. Little

From left: Patrik Choleva, Member of the Board, CFO Club, Vice Chairman andCFO, Skanska and Radek Bednařík, Editor, Hospodářské noviny, Econom

From left: Marek Huml, Partner, Stanton Chase International and Pavel Sehnal, Owner, SPGroup a.s.

From left: Patrik Bauer, Head of Participation Management & Org. Development,RWE East and Marek Huml, Partner, Stanton Chase International From left: Pavel Doležal, Director, pdMEDIA s.r.o. and

Miroslav Řezník, Chairman of the Board, OVB Allfinanz

From left: Eva Kislingerová, Head of the Business Department, Business Faculty, Vysoká škola ekonomická, Prague, Milan Štoček, Head of Large Corporates Team, Raiffeisenbank a.s., and Hana Frelichová, Relationship Manager, Raiffeisenbank a.s. @ MORE PHOTOS AND ELECTRONIC VERSION

AVAILABLE ON WWW.LEADERSMAGAZINE.CZ

Photos: ELAI archive


debate

EUROPEAN LEADERSHIP & ACADEMICINSTITUTE EVENTS

The Oxbridge debate on the freedom of press was organized by the European Leadership & Academic Institute in collaboration with the Konrad Adenauer Stiftung, the DOX Centre for Contemporary Art and IHNED.CZ on Wednesday 23rd of April.

The main goal of the debate was to bring the topic that is controversial and for which it is not easy to determine unambiguous solution. Debaters on this discussion on the PRO side were Pavlína Kvapilová, the former head of the New Media division of the Czech Television and Jan Urban, a well known columnist and professor at the New York University Prague. The against panel consisted of Ištván Léko, the editor-in-chief of Lidové Noviny and Jindřich Šídlo, the editor-in-chief of the political news and opinion section of the Economia publishing house. The moderators of the event were Lukáš Sedláček, Executive Director of the European Leadership & Academic Institute and Daniela Retková from the DOX Centre for Contemporary Art.

Photo: Archive


Lukáš Sedláček, Executive Director, European Leadership & Academic Instituteand Daniela Retková, DOX Center for Contemporary Art

Jan Urban, Columnist and Professor, New York University Prague andPavlína Kvapilová, Freelance Journalist, former Head of the New Media Division

From left: Jindřich Šídlo, Editor-in-chief, Political News and Opinion SectionEconomia publishing house and Ištván Léko, Editor-in-chief, Lidové noviny

Panelists and moderators

conference

AČPM Chairman Ing. Ivan Špirakus during his opening speech


AssociAtion of czech insurAnce Brokers celeBrAted its 20 yeArs AnniversAryWith a jubilee conference held in the czech national bank congress centre in Prague

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Ing. Jaroslav Besperát, CEO, Česká podnikatelská pojišťovna, was also among the well-wishers to AČPM 20th anniversary

Ing. Václav Balihar, CEO, ITEAD, AČPM founding member, receives an award for 20-year continuous support to AČPM from AČPM Chairman Ing. Ivan Špirakus and AČPM Vice Chair Ing. Jitka Hradilová

The jubilee conference was opened by Ing. Miroslav Singer, PhD., Governor of the Czech National Bank

AČPM 20th anniversary event was honoured with the presence of Lloyd´s, the world´s oldest and most reputed insurance market. Its regional representative Jan Blumenthal delivered a very interesting speech

Former AČPM Chairman and Personality of the Insurance Market 2009 JUDr. František Stach spoke about the Association’s first steps back in March 1994, with Ing. Ivan Špirakus, AČPM current Chairman, listening attentively

A brilliant overview of the 20-year history of the Czech insurance and of the insurance brokers’ contribution to its development provided Ing. Vladimír Mráz, Kooperativa pojišťovna founding father and Personality of the Insurance Market 2007

From left: Ing. Jitka Hradilová, AČPM Vice Chair and Ing. Zdeňka Indruchová, AČPM Executive Director

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conference

ASSOCIATION OF CZECH INSURANCE BROKERSCELEBRATED ITS 20 YEARS ANNIVERSARYWith a jubilee conference held in the czech national bank congress centre in Prague

AČPM Chairman Ing. Ivan Špirakusduring his opening speech

Ing. Václav Balihar, CEO, ITEAD, AČPM founding member, receives an award for 20-year continuous support to AČPM from AČPM Chairman Ing. Ivan Špirakus and AČPM Vice Chair Ing. Jitka Hradilová

Ing. Jaroslav Besperát, CEO, Česká podnikatelská pojišťovna, was also among the well-wishers to AČPM 20th anniversary

The jubilee conference was opened by Ing. MiroslavSinger, PhD., Governor of the Czech National Bank

Former AČPM Chairman and Personality of the Insur-ance Market 2009 JUDr. František Stach spoke about the Association’s first steps back in March 1994, with Ing. Ivan Špirakus, AČPM current Chairman, listening attentively

Press conference

AČPM 20th anniversary event was honoured with the presence of Lloyd´s, the world´s oldest and most reputed insurance market. Its regional representative Jan Blumenthal delivered a very interesting speech

From left: Ing. Jitka Hradilová, AČPM Vice Chair and Ing. Zdeňka Indruchová, AČPM Executive Director


events

From left: Ing. Tomáš Síkora, MBA, ČAP Executive Director, Romana Benešová, KPMG Partner, and Ing. Ivan Špirakus, AČPM Chairman, with one of the prizes, designed by VSUP student Pavel Výtisk


2013

The 14th year of this professional contest, founded by the Association of Czech Insurance Brokers (AČPM), and organized jointly with the Czech Insurance Association (ČAP) and the specialized information server oPojištění.cz, culminated in a gala evening on May 20, 2014, in the Great Hall of Prague Slovanský dům. The happy winners received awards as follows: Kooperativa pojišťovna won Industry and Life Insurance categories, while Allianz pojišťovna was the first in Civil and Car Insurance categories. ERV (former Evropská Cestovní Pojišťovna) has reconfirmed its victory in the Specialized Insurance category for the 8th time. The much appreciated title of “Personality of the Insurance Market”, awarded for an outstanding contribution to the development of insurance in the Czech Republic, went this time to Ing. Václav Křivohlávek, CSc., a former head of insurance regulation at the Ministry of Finance, now professor, Vysoká škola finanční a správní.

Insurer of the year 2013

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Ing. Ivan Špirakus, AČPM Chairman, and Ing. Zdeňka Indruchová, AČPM, Executive Director, during the Brokers’ Afternoon that preceded the gala evening

From left: Ing. Ivan Spirakus, AČPM Chairman, Ing. Tomáš Síkora, MBA, ČAP Executive Director, with Personality of the Insurance Market 2013 Ing. Václav Křivohlávek, CSc. and other well-wishers Prof. Jaroslav Daňhel, Prague University of Economics and Personality of the Insurance Market 2012, and Ing. Zdeněk Tůma, KPMG Partner

From left: Tomáš Síkora, Executive Director, ČAP, Romana Benešová, KPMG Partner, together with the Insurance Brokers of the Year 2013: the winner Renomia (Jiřina Nepalová, CEO), 2nd INSIA (Petra Fenclová, Board Chair), 3rd INPOL (Margit Vavřincová, Business Director), 4th C.E.B. (Marek Vondra, CEO) and 5th GrECo JLT (Zdeněk Voharčík, CEO).

RNDr. Jakub Strnad, Board Chairman, Allianz pojišťovna, winner of the Car Insurance category, with Master of Ceremonies Ondřej Hejma in the back

From left: Roger Gascoigne, KPMG Partner, with „medailists“ of the Industry Insurance category: gold Kooperativa (represented by Jiří Sýkora, Board Member), silver Allianz (Petr Hrbáček, Director) and bronze Česká podnikatelská pojišťovna (Jaroslav Besperát, CEO)

2013

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events

Insurer of the Year 2013

From left: Ing. Tomáš Síkora, MBA, ČAP Executive Director, Romana Benešová, KPMG Partner, and Ing. Ivan Špirakus, AČPM Chairman, with one of the prizes, designed by VSUP student Pavel Výtisk

From left: Ing. Ivan Spirakus, AČPM Chairman, Ing. Tomáš Síkora, MBA, ČAP Execu-tive Director, with Personality of the Insurance Market 2013 Ing. Václav Křivohlávek, CSc. and other well-wishers Prof. Jaroslav Daňhel, Prague University of Economics and Personality of the Insurance Market 2012, and Ing. Zdeněk Tůma, KPMG Partner

From left: Roger Gascoigne, KPMG Partner, with „medailists“ of the Industry Insurance category: gold Kooperativa (represented by Jiří Sýkora, Board Member), silver Allianz (Petr Hrbáček, Director) and bronze Česká podnikatelská pojišťovna (Jaroslav Besperát, CEO)

Ing. Ivan Špirakus, AČPM Chairman, and Ing. Zdeňka Indruchová, AČPM, Executive Director, during the Brokers’ Afternoon that preceded the gala evening

RNDr. Jakub Strnad, Board Chairman, Allianz pojišťovna, winner of the Car Insurance category, with Master of Ceremonies Ondřej Hejma in the back

From left: Tomáš Síkora, Executive Director, ČAP, Romana Benešová, KPMG Partner, together with the Insurance Brokers of the Year 2013: the winner Renomia (Jiřina Nepalová, CEO), 2nd INSIA (Petra Fenclová, Board Chair), 3rd INPOL (Margit Vavřincová, Business Director), 4th C.E.B. (Marek Vondra, CEO) and 5th GrECo JLT (Zdeněk Voharčík, CEO).


The 14th year of this professional contest, founded by the Association of Czech Insurance Brokers (AČPM), and organized jointly with the Czech InsuranceAssociation (ČAP) and the specialized information server oPojištění.cz, culminated in a gala evening on May 20, 2014, in the Great Hall of PragueSlovanský dům.The happy winners received awards as follows: Kooperativa pojišťovna won Industry and Life Insurance categories, while Allianz pojišťovna was the first inCivil and Car Insurance categories. ERV (former Evropská Cestovní Pojišťovna) has reconfirmed its victory in the Specialized Insurance category for the8th time.The much appreciated title of “Personality of the Insurance Market”, awarded for an outstanding contribution to the development of insurance in theCzech Republic, went this time to Ing. Václav Křivohlávek, CSc., a former head of insurance regulation at the Ministry of Finance, now professor, Vysokáškola finanční a správní.

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interview

True Leader Cannot Do Without ForesightPhoto: Archive

Antonín Prachař hasbeen active in the field oftransport already since hisstudies. In 1991, he foundeda successful company forinternational transport andshipping called Omegaservis. Furthermore, heused to be the vice-presidentof the Česmad BohemiaAssociation, the president ofthe Transfrigoroute Bohemiacompany or the chairmanof Česmad Bohemia’scommission for transportof dangerous goods. Hehas also experience fromthe Chamber of Deputies –between 2002 and 2004 hechaired the TransportationSubcommittee.

An interview with Antonín Prachař, the Minister of Transport


interviewWhen you joined the ANO movement in 2012,

could you imagine that one day you would become be the head of the Ministry of Transport?

If you bear in mind that the voting preferences of the ANO movement began to increase rapidly only in the second half of 2013, it becomes obvious that at that time I definitely did not expect a government post. By the way, Andrej Babiš told me about my nomination for the minister of transport only a few days before last New Year’s Eve.

Have you managed to keep the visions that you held before you had become a politician? What was the main impulse that prompted you to go into politics?

In the beginning, it did not really occur to us that we could end up in the big politics. Our original motive was to stop the mafia way of governing this country and to prevent people from stealing money from the public budget. As the later development showed, voters responded to this programme and expressed their trust in the ANO movement in the elections. We still respect those original ideals and we are trying to carry them out also in practice.

When you were the vice-president of the Association of Road Transport Operators ČESMAD Bohemia, how did you perceive the Transport Ministry and the ministers? Are you afraid that you will be regarded in the same way as your predecessors?

Naturally, the Ministry of Transport has always been our “opponent“ and we had to fight it when pushing through the demands and opinions of the road transport operators. Ten years ago, I even worked as an advisor to the chair of the Transport Subcommittee at the Chamber of Deputies – this was connected to my position as the deputy chairman of the ČESMAD. Therefore I would like to make both parties respect each other as partners rather than compete.

How detailed had been your insight into the problems of the ministry before you took up the post? What surprised you most during the first days?

As I had spent many years working in a road transport company, I naturally knew most about road freight transport. However, I always had to follow also the development in the other fields of transport in order to keep our company competitive. Nevertheless, I was greatly surprised by the number of neglected issues left behind by my predecessors, as well as the degree to which they had been neglected. Yet we cannot do without the Central Registry of Vehicles, the tachographs or the toll system. We simply cannot afford to let these projects collapse.

If you were to choose three problems that you would like to solve as soon as possible and three that cannot be dealt with during one term in office, which problems would you name?

First and foremost, we need to finish personnel and system changes at the Road and Motorway Directorate so that this public organization can once again operate normally. It is also necessary to stabilise the transport administration departments to eliminate the danger of a collapse. Furthermore, we must speed up and simplify the preparation


process of strategic civil engineering projects (i.e. line constructions) to avoid situations where the average time lag between the beginning of the preparatory works and the actual launch of the construction works can take up to incredible 12 years. That is why we have take inspiration from the German act governing line constructions. As regards long term issues, I would certainly need more than one term in office to carry out my vision of connecting the Czech Republic to the transeuropean network referred to as TEN-T, especially in the direction of Austria and Slovakia. Last but not least, the whole of the Czech Republic would finally deserve an alternative connection between Bohemia and Moravia - I am talking about the expressway R35 from Hradec Králové to Olomouc.

What would you perceive as your success as a minister?

Especially speeding up the preparatory works of the constructions that form part of the strategic transport infrastructure, as well as stabilizing the situation in the transport sector after years of incessant changes.

Which items on the Ministry’s agenda have not been discussed yet, although in your opinion, discussion is necessary?

I must say that the media have been paying attention to all problematic areas. At the moment, we are going to discuss the Green Paper, a working document for debate and discussion about the future and structure of public transportation. Therefore we are trying to involve the regions into this process.

Many issues and problems concern several ministries at once. In your opinion, what is the best recipe for efficient cooperation on knotty calls for tenders, investments in the Czech Republic etc.? Information sharing between the “buildings” is sometimes quite complicated.

As regards tenders, in my opinion it is wrong to use price as the only major criterion. I will definitely support efforts aiming to incorporate a mechanism against companies with poor reputation into the Public Procurement Act.

What would you especially like the public to associate you (as the 16th Minister for Transport) with?

I would be pleased if people remembered me as the minister during whose term in office the normal, stable era of transportation constructions began once again.

You have not been in the high politics for long. Nevertheless, has it changed you yet?

I do not think so. However, my current everyday work has definitely been teaching me to be more wary. Not only as regards the media.

Since the preterm elections to the Chamber of Deputies, you have been closely followed by the media. How do you cope with their presence? Did you have to reassess your approach to them?

I am trying to treat journalists as fairly as possible. Yet as we all know, not all people are the same and some headlines sometimes upset me. For instance, I read that Prachař had stopped the Danube – Oder – Elbe channel project,


Prachař wanted to introduce toll for passenger automobiles, Prachař had forced people to queue three times etc., while in reality these snapshots are not true.

Due to your previous jobs, the media often mention the possibility that you will favour carriers. Is it possible to avoid such speculations? Or is it simply the price that ministers have to pay for having gained the necessary experience in the private sector and not in the Chamber of Deputies?

I cannot imagine favouring transporters during my term at the Ministry, although I have already felt some pressure from the lobbyists.

As a minister, what are your current greatest pleasures and what, on the contrary, costs you most effort and energy?

When I took up the post, I was fully aware that I would need a lot of energy. I replenish it from glimpses of changes for the better in the transportation sector.

Your colleague Marian Jurečka, the Minister of Agriculture, has made his phone number public, so that discontented farmers can call him. Are you planning offering such possibility also to the drivers?

I do not think that it is the minister of transport’s task to explain himself to every driver who calls him. And by the way, there are substantially more dissatisfied drivers than farmers in our country. However, I have given my phone number to journalists and I am trying to react to their questions.

And the final question: What is your definition of a perfect leader?

As we know from theory, there is no real definition of a perfect leader. Nevertheless, a true leader cannot do without foresight, personal charisma and courage to take risks. In this respect, I have been inspired by leaders from the Baťa family.

Jaroslav Kramer ■Translation: Zuzana Halamíčková


thoughts about alternative ways...

GRATEFUL FOR THE OPPORTUNITY

Sanjiv SuriPhoto: Archive of Author


thoughts about alternative ways...

A woman once went to Buddha and said “I want Happiness“. Buddha replied “First remove the ‘I’ – that is ego. Then remove ‘want’ – that is desire. See now you are left only with ‘Happiness’.

I am realizing that it really can be as simple as that… and in this Newsletter I will share with you my on-going journey and 5 learnings. Also, a quote from Mother Teresa and a very inspiring children’s story from a close friend.

1. With my four children I always believed that it is not what we do for our children but what we teach them to do for themselves that makes them successful human beings. Now I am also realising that when we have children, the love we have for the children is unlike any other feeling in the world and unless we have children, we don’t know what it feels like. But as children grow up and start to become teenagers, sometimes we come to crossroads. It is then that we realize how much we love them unconditionally or just love them to fit our own image. Do we love only the reflection of ourselves we find in them or are we capable of unconditionally accepting them as they are even when they are very different from what we thought they would be?

In my case, being completely empathetic and understanding needed a lot of work: work on myself. Changing myself, the way I look at and see things was not easy at all in the beginning but with time and practice it seems to be getting better. It is very interesting to see how much love and kindness there can be when things apparently seem to go wrong.

It is work in progress but I am not stressed. I am realising that stress is nothing but the gap between expectation and reality. The bigger the gap, the greater the stress. I am slowly learning to accept everything and expect very little or nothing and as a result I am happier every day and so are my children. The love between us has grown and there is a lot more compassion, patience & kindness I am grateful for the opportunity to be on this beautiful journey. As the famous Sufi poet Rumi said:

GRATEFUL FOR THE OPPORTUNITY

2. As I continue on my journey to change myself positively and slowly but surely work on my ego, I am realizing that I will always get what I need – not necessarily what I want. I can give up trying to control everything. I am learning to slow down and that it is better to STOP, LOOK & GO – just like at a zebra crossing. So I try to STOP, get quieter, think, and then LOOK by consciously opening all my senses and having an open heart and mind each time before I GO.

4. Very often when I talk about giving up the egoor practicing gratitude or compassion, I get asked the question about my religion. I was born a Hindu but I follow no religion in particular except humanity and my response is always: It is not about the religion. Religion is but a means. Buddha was not a Buddhist, Jesus was not a Christian,Mohammad was not a Muslim,they were teachers who taught LOVE and KINDNESS. KINDNESS & LOVE was their religion, so irrespective of our religions we can practice Humanity, Compassion, Kindness, Gratitude and LOVE at all times.

5. I now understand that it is our ego that wants us to try to change the whole world but we forget that if we change ourselves, the difference we can make to one person at a time just by being kinder or empathetic or compassionate or loving can mean a lot.

We may be just another person to the whole world but to some people we may become the whole world.

Somehow what I learnt from Virat, he knew without learning because children are compassionate and kind and loving. We all are till we start to grow up and learn all those things which are not second nature to us. Maybe it is us adults who need to unlearn what we have learnt and simply start learning again from our children so we can also be kind and loving towards others at all times.

There are opportunities in every single moment of everyday, and I am grateful & happy for them.

Sanjiv Suri,President & CEO,

Zátiší Group ■[email protected]

3. I am realising that it is the difficulties and the failures that have always given me the opportunity to learn and grow. Difficulties are now opportunities for me to rise to, learn from and grow. So when I see a difficulty or experience a failure I now say “Hurrah! What an opportunity to grow.”

“Yesterday,I was cleverand I wanted tochange the world.Today I am wiserand I want tochange myself.“


In India we say: “You really start to learnwhen you have children.“ I have learnt a lot

from my children. Today I will share with youone of those lessons. About eight years agoI was in India with my older son Virat and

we went shopping to the vegetable market.He was about 9 years old then and may

not remember but I do. I was negotiatingwith a lady vegetable seller on the roadside

market and her one year old son was playingaround in the mud behind. Suddenly frombehind my son tapped me on my shoulder& said: “Daddy she needs the money more

than you, please don’t negotiate“ I gave herthe money, but those words STILL ring in myears, even now whenever I am deciding ONsending funds to projects in Africa or India.Today my personal belongings besides mybooks can probably fit into one suitcase.

Thank you Virat!

This actually reminds me of a story thata close friend with younger childrensame age as mine told me. A story

she had read to her children in NewZealand. ‘Starfish and the little girl‘

A little girl and her parents were walkingdown a beach when suddenly they sawa large number of starfish stuck on the

beach – still alive but dying slowly.The little girl suddenly started picking

one starfish at a time and throwing it inthe sea. The parents told her that theywere too many and that she would not

be able to save them all.Then the little girl replied: “I will not save

them all but this one I will save as shethrew one into the sea, and this one,

and this one, and this one…”And so she did, one at a time the lives

of many starfish although she could notsave all of them.Something I find very inspiring and what

helps me to continue my journey:“People are often unreasonable and self

centered. Forgive them anyway.If you are kind, people may accuse you of

ulterior motives. Be kind anyway.If you are honest, people may cheat you.

Be honest anyway.If you are happy, people may be jealous.Be happy anyway.The good you do today

may be forgotten tomorrow.Do good anyway.

Give the world the best you have and it maynever be enough.

Give your best anyway.For you see, in the end it is between you and

god. It was never between you and themanyway.”

Mother Teresa of Calcutta.

70

NATALI RUDEN:MAKE LOVE NOT WAR

Andrea Verešová, famous Czech Model

Natali Ruden, Fashion Designerwith her son Filip

Denisa Domanská, Model

Petra Faltýnová, ModelGábina Kratochvílová, Miss of the Czech RepublicLejla Abbasová, ModeratorKristýna Schicková, Model


On April 28, fashion designer Natali Ruden presented her latest collection called Make Love Not Warat the Občanská plovárna riverside restaurant and club. Ruden drew attention with her fashion creationsthat are unusual among Czech designers, as well as her visual and artistic impression.After a short break, the designer got back to designing with leather. And these leather designs, togetherwith silk, dominated the entire show. New leather dresses in up-to-date colors were created, highlightingfeminine curves and creating a beautiful silhouette through their daring color combinations and cuts.The show presented clothes from high-quality silk imported from Paris, with fashionable geometricdesigns that are the hit of this season. These designs apply sophisticated cuts, created almost in the formof a collage, where the resulting patterns carry a nearly achitectural expression.Casual designs called cupro, from quality copper-like materials with a wrinkled effect, drew muchattention. These easy styles are interestingly decorated with metal and, for the purpose of the show, wereaccessorized with glasses, belts and gloves, underpinning the impression of casual elegance.The collection further included elegant lace designs, with a sophisticated glance toward femininity.The models exhibited gowns from luxury materials, combining leather with a metallic effect on abackdrop of tulle. Cuts through the leather created lace-like patterns and a very artistic appearance.The finale of the fashion show showed off evening gowns of luxury silk materials with aquarelle effects.These designs are created from a unique type of silk that is see-through, delicate and light, but verystrong and of high-quality. The material is then layered to create color gradiants. Those attending verymuch enjoyed this artistic work with a delicate touch.


brand

If your brand was extraordinarily good or wonderful, you’d hear Mary Poppins* say this so hard-to-pronounce word. Is your brand worth the effort? You may be able to answer this question after reading this article.

In general, brands are promises. A brand connects people to what you do and promises experience. Most people think a brand consists of exterior elements: the brand name, the logo, the tag line, and perhaps an acoustic element. However, thinking of a brand this way is like thinking of your significant other as a collection of skin and clothes. The essence of a brand is not only the exterior elements, but how people feel about your product or service as consumers, and how they feel about your company as employees.

When you consistently keep delighting customers, it adds value to the brand; and, customers may even forgive the occasional flop. If you keep your promise as an employer to employees when they join your company, the promise you made through your brand in your external communications and during the interview process for example, they may stay for a long time and subsequently create value – for you and your customers. Your employees may also become your brand advocates. It is all about expectations of both parties involved, set out at the start of the process of engaging with your brand, and how these expectations match reality. And naturally on the other hand, irritating customers and employees extracts value from the brand and the brand suffers.

‘Branding’ has a dozen different meanings; however, in the end it’s about finding and articulating that special spark which makes you stand out. After all, standing apart from others is one of the few things which makes a brand great, as almost everyone would agree. In addition, every brand can and should be able to tell a story. This holds true as much for corporate brands as for their more seductive B2C counter parts. The story starts conversations with stakeholders. It builds value. It defines your brand.

* ‘supercalifragilisticexpialidocious’ means extraordina-rily good (Oxford Dictionary) and was popularised by the 1964 film Mary Poppins


Why storytelling? Communication is the lifeblood of a corporate

brand which exists largely in the telling of its story: clearly, compellingly and coherently across all channels. However, it’s truly amazing how often this is absent in the corporate world, where a devotion to facts and an addiction to jargon prevents many people from applying lessons learnt at their mother’s knee and reinforced everywhere they turn. A child doesn’t say “read me a list, mummy”. Nor does your audience. At the very least it demands (probably unconsciously) a thread that binds together what you have to say in a way that makes sense logically, and engages emotionally. With the volume of competition that businesses face in most industries, and many messages out there, it’s never been more important to stand out and develop a unique identity and value proposition through strategic branding.

What makes a great story? Whether your story is old and tired, non-existent

or just, frankly, wrong, the path to salvation might be just round the corner. You can start asking yourself questions around where you currently are as knowing your brand position is crucial. How well is your story known? Is it genuinely interesting and memorable? Is it driving you where you want to go? Once you have the answers you can direct your effort to where you could go, i.e. what kind of brand or organisation you could be to meet your overall corporate mission; how you position your brand, considering who you want to appeal to; how you want people to feel about you and what you could do to achieve that. At this point it might be good to consider where you can’t go as a brand or company. The next question is – where should you go?

And as your story starts to shape, that’s the time to refine it ensuring it ticks all the key boxes and stands the test of time. Does it give you stand-out? Does it feel true and inspire stakeholders? Finally, consider how your story should be told, to whom and in what voice, and through which channels.

Eight traits of successful brands There are many definitions about what a

successful brand should be like; here are eight traits for consideration:

Innovative Great brands focus on innovation and

improvement. They avoid becoming stagnant and complacent. They don’t settle on their current level of success and neither should you.

Focused Truly remarkable brands are always the most

focused. They know what they do and they focus

on doing it well. They know precisely where they are going.

Passionate Remarkable brands not only love what they

do, they love why they do it. It’s their passion that keeps them moving and pushing forward. Passion is greatly underrated in business. Passion is what can get you through the late nights working through a challenge.

Consistent Successful brands are undoubtedly consistent.

You can rely on them. You can trust them. Inconsistency opens a door for your customers and employees to go somewhere else.

Flexible Great brands are willing to change and adapt.

Look at Virgin and Apple for example; they are not the same companies today as when they started.

Competitive All great brands have a strong competitive spirit.

They use it to motivate themselves. Competition makes you step up your game and improve your product/service.

Leadership Behind every great brand you can typically

find a great leader. But what makes a brand truly remarkable is when their leaders create a culture of leaders and achievers.

Distinctive As I said, the best brands have something that

makes them stand out. Something that is different than everyone else.

There are many ways to approach a brand. This article covers foundations that can be the first check list you tick when re-evaluating your brand. With the right approach and real brand promise, consistently delivered to your stakeholders in an engaging way through the right channels, there is no doubt your brand can be ‘supercalifragilisticexpialidocious’.

By Tereza Urbánková ■


IS YOUR BRAND‘SUPERCALIFRAGILISTICEXPIALIDOCIOUS’?

Tereza Urbánková is a PR, communications and marketing professional with over 15 years’ experience and proven success in industries such as hospitaality, retail, IT, defence, broadcast, logistics and engineering. For the past seven years she has been working and living in London, UK; currently she is Manager of Global Communications for AMEC plc, a large international engineering consultancy. Tereza also works as a freelance consultant in the area of communications and PR. She speaks Czech, English, Spanish and Russian and can be reached on [email protected] or through her LinkedIn profile.

gala eveningFrom left: Václav Moravec, Moderator and Radek Pluhař, Director of Risk Department and Vice Chairman of the Board, Equa bank


On June 10, 2014, Zlatá koruna awarded the prizes for the best financial products of the year. The awards were held for the twelfth time already. The gala evening during which the prizes were awarded in all 18 categories took place in TOP HOTEL Praha, and was moderated by Václav Moravec and Barbora Černošková. Among the 290 guests, the evening was attended by significant personalities of the Czech financial and insurance markets. The event took place traditionally under the auspices of the Minister of Finance, Andrej Babiš.

Gala EvEninG of thE Zlatá koruna CompEtition

Photo: František Herman

72

Jiří Mrózek, Sales Manager Enterprise Business, Samsung and Monika Kristková, CFO and Member of the Board, Equa bank

Josef Valter, Member of the Board, Fio banka

From left: Vladimíra Dvořáková, Head of the Department of Political Science, VŠE Prague, Jaroslav Hanák, President, Confederation of Industry of the Czech Republic and Václav Moravec, Moderator

From left: Petr Zapletal, CEO, Pojišťovna České spořitelny and Roman Latuske, Member of the Board, MAFRA

gala evening

Petr Řehák, Chairman of the Board and General Director, Equa bank

Jiří Vodička, Director for Strategy and Marketing, Fio banka

Miroslav Řezník, Chairman of the Board and General Director, OVB Allfinanz, a.s.

From left: Ján Franek, Member of the Supervisory Board, Fio banka and Jaroslav Hanák, President, Confederation of Industry of the Czech Republic

From left: Michal Straka, Product Development Director, Ipsos Research Communication, Tomáš Macků, Director, Ipsos Research Communication, and Radek Jalůvka, General Director, Ipsos Research Communication

From left: Martin Diviš, Chairman of the Board and General Director, Kooperativa pojišťovna and Jan Osúch, Media Representative, FISCHER Group

From left: Pavel Doležal, Director, Zlatá koruna and Prof. MUDr. Jan Pirk, DrSc. with his wife

73Miroslav Holub, Senior Business Development Manager, RENOMIA, a. s. and Tereza Vránková, Head of Marketing a PR Department, Wüstenrot

72

gala evening

Gala EvEninG of thEZlatá koruna CompEtition

From left: Václav Moravec, Moderator and Radek Pluhař, Director of Risk Department and Vice Chairman of the Board, Equa bank

Jiří Mrózek, Sales Manager Enterprise Business, Samsung and Monika Kristková, CFO and Member of the Board, Equa bank From left: Vladimíra Dvořáková, Head of the Department of Political Science, VŠE Prague, Jaroslav Hanák,

President, Confederation of Industry of the Czech Republic and Václav Moravec, Moderator

From left: Petr Zapletal, CEO, Pojišťovna České spořitelny and Roman Latuske, Member of the Board, MAFRAJosef Valter, Member of the Board, Fio banka


On June 10, 2014, Zlatá koruna awarded the prizes for the best financial products of the year. The awards were held for the twelfth timealready. The gala evening during which the prizes were awarded in all 18 categories took place in TOP HOTEL Praha, and was moderatedby Václav Moravec and Barbora Černošková. Among the 290 guests, the evening was attended by significant personalities of the Czechfinancial and insurance markets. The event took place traditionally under the auspices of the Minister of Finance, Andrej Babiš.

Photo: František Herman

gala evening








73Miroslav Holub, Senior Business Development Manager, RENOMIA, a. s. and Tereza Vránková, Head of Marketing a PR Department, Wüstenrot

73



Miroslav Holub, Senior Business Development 73 Manager, RENOMIA, a. s. and Tereza Vránková, Head of Marketing a PR Department, Wüstenrot






gala evening

74

From left: Pavel Doležal, Director, Zlatá koruna and Martin Diviš, Chairman of the Board and General Director, Kooperativa pojišťovna, a.s., prof. Ing. Michal Mejstřík, CSc., Chairman, Finance Academy of Zlatá koruna Award, Professor, Institut ekonomických studií, FSV UK

Marta Gellová, Chairwoman of the Board, European Financial Planning Asscociation Czech Republic and Pavel Němec, Director of Retail Banking, J&T Banka

From left: prof. Ing. Richard Hindls, CSc., dr. h. c. and Prof. MUDr. Jan Pirk, DrSc.

Winners of Zlatá koruna Award 2014

From left: Pavel Doležal, Director, Zlatá koruna and Hynek Chudárek, Sales Director, Česká televize


From left: Ján Franek, Member of the Supervisory Board, Fio banka and Lukáš Wagenknecht, 1st Deputy Minister of Finance

74

From left: Pavel Doležal, Director, Zlatá koruna and Martin Diviš, Chairman of the Board and General Director, Kooperativa pojišťovna, a.s., prof. Ing. Michal Mejstřík, CSc., Chairman, Finance Academy of Zlatá koruna Award, Professor, Institut ekonomických studií, FSV UK

From left: Pavel Doležal, Director, Zlatá koruna and Hynek Chudárek, Sales Director, Česká televize

From left: prof. Ing. Richard Hindls, CSc., dr. h. c. and Prof. MUDr. Jan Pirk, DrSc.

From left: Ján Franek, Member of the Supervisory Board, Fio banka and Lukáš Wagenknecht, 1st Deputy Minister of Finance

Winners of Zlatá koruna Award 2014

Marta Gellová, Chairwoman of the Board, European Financial Planning Asscociation Czech Republic and Pavel Němec, Director of Retail Banking, J&T Banka


75

gala evening

CERGE-EI Graduation Gala 2014

From left: Robert A. Zimmerman, the Counselor for Public Affairs, Embassy of the United States to the Czech Republic and Jakub Klepal, Executive Director, Forum 2000 Foundation, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Association for Democracy Assistance and Human Rights

Jan Švejnar, co-founder of CERGE-EI and Professor, Columbia University with three finalists of the New Economic Talent Competition

From left: Karl Johansson, CIS Sub-Area Managing Partner, EY, Moscow, Michal Kejak, Director, CERGE-EI, Magdalena Souček, Country Managing Partner, Leader for the Central Cluster of Countries, EY, and Jan Švejnar, co-founder of CERGE-EI and Professor, Columbia University

From left: Randall Filer, President of the CERGE-EI Foundation, City University of New York, Burkhard Dallosch, Chief Operation Officer, Asset Management, Deka Immobillien GmbH, Mrs. Farber, and Henry Farber, Princeton University

From left: Peter Čižmár, Consultant, EY, Yaroslav Hul’, Economist, OGResearch, and Oksana Oryshchyn, Ph.D Student, CERGE-EI

From left: Alan Brown, Senior Advisor, Schroders Investment Management, London, Burkhard Dallosch, Chief Operating Officer, Asset Management, Deka Immobilien GmbH, Magdalena Souček, Country Managing Partner, Leader for the Central Cluster of Countries, EY, Susan Walton, CERGE-EI Foundation Board Member, Jan Švejnar, co-founder of CERGE-EI and Professor, Columbia University, and Michael C. Markovitz, Chairman and CEO Yorkville University, USA

On Saturday, May 31st, the CERGE-EI community reunited to celebrate yet another successful year providing top notch economic research andeducation. The spectacular event was filled with speeches, gourmet food, live music and dancing. Alumni, students, faculty, board members, corporatepartners, and supporters celebrated throughout the evening together. And of course all the guests were amazed by the exquisite neo-renaissance palatialrooms of CERGE-EI’s Schebek Palace.


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charity event

EndowmEnt Fund oF Liviaand vácLav KLaus honorEdsponsors and voLuntEErs

Professor Václav Klaus with his wife Livia Klausová, Czech Ambassador to Slovakia on the left, accompanied by participants of a course Senioři komunikují

Petr, a volunteer and a high-school student, with Ing. Petr Kareš, a donor of the Foundation Fund from JLL

Professor Václav Klaus, the founder, with PhDr. Marie Hamplová from the Institute of Law and Jurisprudence and Mgr. Kamila Kryštofová, the Foundation Fund Director

Professor Václav Klaus

Cimballica, with Foundation Fund stipendrecipient Anežka Gebauerová – accordion A View of the Audience


On the afternoon of June 5, 2014, the Rosenberg Palace at Prague Castle hosted a meeting of donors and volunteers of the Foundation Fund of Václav andLivie Klaus, attended by both the founders, Mr. and Mrs. Klaus. This was the eleventh consecutive ‘thank you’ to donors for their financial support and, asusual, it highlighted a performance by one of their supported students. This year, the opportunity to present went to Anežka Gebauerová, from Fulnek, whostudies the accordion. After her individual performance she also played with the Cimballica music ensemble with great success.The Foundation Fund focuses on supporting education and interests of children and youth from socially disadvantaged families, as well as helping seniorsget oriented in the world of computers and banking services. Also, this year, five senior students were drawn and invited to the meeting to receive gifts fortheir interest in education at such an advanced age.As pointed out by Mrs. Kamila Kryštofová, Director of the Foundation Fund, since 2003 when the fund was founded, 21,000 contributions were paid out,totaling 58 million CZK.

Photos by: Romana Rašovská,The Foundation Fund of Václav and Livie Klaus


media power

STRATEGICMEDIA RELATIONSFOR SUMMERTIMEIn 2013, the media industry went through a deep transformation. According to recent studies, it was one of the most dynamic years in terms of mergers and acquisitions: more than half of the respondents addressed by AD Media, a global advertising agency, were approached by a strategic buyer in 2013; one in three respondents were approached by a financial investor. A third of the respondents also received purchase offers and one in five was finally acquired by a new business entity.

We don’t need to go very far to check out this reality: just remember the moves that shook the Czech media market last year, starting with the purchase of the Mafra publishing house by Andrej Babiš in June 2013 and ending with the sale of Ringier Axel Springer CZ, publisher of the most widely read Czech daily (Blesk) to local businessmen Daniel Křetínský and Patrik Tkáč in December 2013. This obvious market concentration triggered numerous debates; I won’t dwell further into what’s right and wrong with these transactions. What I would like to do is to offer some thoughts on how those of you interested in using media relations for strategic communication can and should use these market dynamics to boost your visibility and provide a new dimension for your public image.

Understand what’s going on. Like it or not, commercial media are just that:

Photo: Archive


commercial entities, meant to bring profit to their owners and – if possible – satisfaction to their employees. Yes, media have a social role; yes, media transform the way we perceive reality; yes, we should be aware of all that and hold them responsible when they go too far. But what is “too far” in the quest for profitable figures at the end of the year? The same question applies to other sectors: banking, energy, real estate or retail. Admitting that media is important, because it deals with our emotions, level of information and perception of the world, we must also admit that in a capitalist market we’ve got commercial media that (should) thrive on advertising. The fact that new investors swarm around media outlets means they believe these cash cows have still some future. For media relations specialists that means two things. First, expect even more pressure on your advertising budget if you want to get into the newspapers without a powerful story. Second, if you don’t have an ad budget, you better have – or develop – brilliant media relations (a heart-touching story, engaged experts and leadership, courageous opinions and above all, timely and relevant news content).

Media is not everything anymore People in your marketing and PR department

may already realize this: sheer media relations are not sufficient anymore to get your message across. In fact, not since 2007 and the economic crisis and debacle that attended it, have we hung on to traditional ways of doing things. Why? Simply because new technologies (social media, mobile apps etc.) empowered the people you care about (your customers, employees or business partners) to get together on other virtual platforms, share opinions, gather information and make decisions on whether to buy from you or not. You need to be out there where your public is. You need to keep an eye on all these platforms at the same time and be ready to flexibly mold your communication processes in the direction that interests your audiences.

Traditional media isn’t the main source of information anymore. Does that mean you should ignore it? No. It is still powerful, still relevant and, particularly in case of crisis communication, can still trash your brand and force you out of

business. It only means that you should think more about strategic cross-platform communication than media relations per se. The lines between marketing, PR, content management, SEO, event management, graphic design and other specialties have become more and more blurred. How can you handle this challenge? By going back to the roots: clarify (again) who you are and what you bring to the world, closely follow the moves of your audiences, develop a mutual conversation with your publics and cultivate engaged representatives and flexible processes that allow you to communicate what you need, when you need it and only to those who listen.

Bet on trustworthiness and personal relationships

Back to the news makers, it has never been more important to return to the basics of media relations: know thy reporter. With so many news reps moving from one job to another or launching titles, blogs and projects of their own, you simply must know who the opinion-makers in your industry are. The media market is fragmenting and this will continue in 2014 as well. It may be tiring to follow the constant moves of those who cover your industry.

However, the best thing you can do this summer is to get a handful of journos out for a beer, coffee or breakfast and let them talk. Listen to their needs, understand how they work, share your experience and view of the world, cultivate the relationship and become a trustworthy source. In this chaotic media world, trust in individuals is all we’ve got. Trust has always been the fundamental pillar of strategic media relations. Fortunately, the economic crisis and wave of M&As hasn’t changed that. We remain human beings and need to trust and rely on each other in order to move forward.

By Cristina Muntean ■

Cristina Muntean is a professional communi-cations advisor, media-trainer and coach. She has more than 12 years’ experience in Czech, Romanian and international media. In August 2010, Cristina founded Media Education CEE, a Praguebased premium PR advisory and training agency. Her clients are top managers, diplomats and public officials who aim to make their voice heard in their community. In June 2011, Cristina was elected president of the Czech PR Klub and in January 2012 elected chairwoman of the Marketing Committee of the American Chamber of Commerce in Prague. Cristina speaks Romanian, French, English and Czech and can be reached at [email protected]. české znění naleznete na našich


Photo: Jakub Stadler

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global perspectives

Let’s wake up Europebefore it’s too late!

Photo: Paul Pacey

Jan Mühlfeit, Chairman,Europe Microsoft Corporation


global perspectivesEurope’s future is at risk. Future competitive edge, economic empowerment, digital innovation across Europe, as well as the career development opportunities, earnings, and job security of Europe’s next generation are all at risk. Our youth is no longer competing at the national level, and not even at the European Union level. Just like our economy, they are competing on the global scene. The skills and knowledge they gain in our educational system must prepare them to strengthen the competitiveness of our economy while also competing with the best prepared youth in the world. That is why we must prepare our youth with the digital and analytical skills required by the globalized job market. Europe has the potential to be a leader if it unleashes its innovative capabilities and continues to invest in key areas like education, technology and digital services.

EU’s growth strategy for the future – Europe 2020, has set five ambitious objectives on education, innovation, employment, social inclusion, and climate and energy – to be reached by 2020. These objectives are addressed by seven flagship initiatives that include an agenda for new skills and jobs, youth mobility, and a digital agenda. The multidimensionality of the Europe 2020 strategy reflects the multiple forces that drive economic growth and development, but I believe education and technology to be the two priorities that can drive all other important initiatives of the strategy. As I emphasized this past March at the European Conference at Harvard Kennedy School “Europe 2014 Re-Generation”: in a globalized world, the competition for skilled talent, as well as digital services and big data is fierce. I was honored to give the keynote speech at the conference joined by Esko Aho, VP Nokia and former Prime Minister of Finland. We both agree the importance of technology for the future of Europe. By addressing education and the digital future of Europe, I believe Europe 2020 can decisively take Europe’s economy out of the crisis and send it into a growth streak. However, having a great strategy is not enough, we must also ensure that Europe 2020 is implemented successfully and the objectives are reached. Within each flagship initiative and each objective, both the European Union and each Member State have to coordinate their efforts so they are mutually reinforcing.

In comparative terms, Europe fares very well on social inclusion and environmental sustainability. According to the “Europe 2020 Competitiveness Report” issued by The World Economic Forum in 2012, the EU fares better in building inclusive and sustainable societies than many developed countries including the United States. Furthermore, the EU has a comprehensive winning environmental framework that takes into account essential elements like the share of renewable energy consumption, the enforcement of environmental legislation, the ratification of international environmental treaties and the quality of the natural environment. These are important winning platforms for the European Union. But what about the other five flagship initiatives that drive our strategy towards the year


2020? While progress has been made in terms of the other pillars including education and training as well as the digital agenda, Europe still has room for improvement. Europe 2020 is our strategy that is supposed to march us into a new era of innovation and when compared to key global players, we are currently only winning on two out of our own seven priorities. We have chosen our flagship initiatives and we must now deliver on them when compared to the rest of the world. We must implement our strategy accordingly on all fronts. More investment in education and technology, as well as a refocus on training digital and analytical skills required by business and the future economy could drive Europe’s competitiveness.

The Nordic countries score best in class in terms of national focus on education and training, excellent business environment with a strong culture of entrepreneurship and uptake of latest digital technologies. For example, Sweden holds a top spot in Europe on all of these three important Europe 2020 platforms. Emphasis over the years on driving growth by creating a skilled and innovative workforce has paid off in Sweden, which scores number one on the innovation Europe 2020 flagship initiative, with excellent collaboration between universities and the private sector in research, very sophisticated business techniques and high spending on R&D leading to much innovation output making it to market. With well enforced environmental regulations, Sweden is even ranked first in the environmental sustainability pillar, demonstrating that driving growth through education, entrepreneurship and technology can very well go hand in hand with sustainability and innovation across the board.

Finland is another case in point with a profile similar to that of Sweden. Finland’s business environment fosters entrepreneurship and at the roots of Finland’s economic prowess is decades of strong focus on education. Indeed, Finland occupies the top position in the higher education and training Europe 2020 pillar. Maintaining education a priority in Finland has provided the workforce with the skills needed to adapt rapidly to the changing global economic environment and has laid the groundwork for high levels of technological adoption and innovation. Not surprisingly, Finland is one of the innovation powerhouses of Europe. The long-term focus on education in countries like Finland and Sweden represents a marked difference in Europe. These countries distinguish their economies through the benefits of high adoption of digital technologies and an efficient and well trained market skilled in the competencies required by the business sector. When implementing Europe 2020 education and digital initiatives, we should keep in mind the experience of Finland and Sweden.

Adopting new technologies and teaching digital and analytical skills in the rest of Europe will be key for our competitiveness because technology is advancing very fast. With this advancement comes a big wave of innovation that has changed the world we live in, and will continue to change industries, economies, and even our social cultures. Europe should leverage the enabling change that


technology is bringing because big global players are doing so as well. To put the importance of technology in context, ICT (information and communications technology) differs from other industries in a fundamental way. While other industries experience a climactic change then plateau in terms of innovation, ICT keeps advancing at a fast pace, accelerating its rate of change. The capability of the latest technology rapidly enables the development of the next improved technology. For example, the industry started with room size computers for institutions, and evolved to producing mobile gadgets for consumers in only four decades. The seed of this evolution is the scaling down and multiplication of transistors on a chip, driving the computing power. With multiplication of computer power, the size of devices actually decreased. Moore’s Law has often been employed to predict this technological evolution pattern. Since 1965, Moore’s law initially predicted that the performance of a device will double every year. As technology accelerates in performance, it also brings innovation to every aspect of our economies. Everything in our society is touched by technology in some measure, and we must not underestimate the enabling impact and influence it has on our businesses and our economy.

Technology megatrends present a new era of opportunity for Europe to prosper. Investing in digital services by leveraging big and open data, cloud computing, and mobility can act as a strong catalyst for EU’s competitiveness. According to the recent report by the Warsaw Institute for Economic Studies, “Big and open data in Europe: A growth engine or a missed opportunity?,” the economic gains of big and open data policies in EU-28 by year 2020, are estimated at €206 billion in GPD—or 1.9% of GDP. Enabling data access to citizens will also contribute to make a more efficient use of public sector services, while at the same time provide increasing transparency and accountability. Furthermore, with cloud computing, storing data and making it available anytime anywhere has transformed government, health and even education through digital services. At the same time, these can be multiplied through mobile solutions.

Nowadays our students are no longer competing at the national or EU level. They need to be prepared to compete globally, and embracing the latest digital tools at an early stage can give them a competitive advantage. The successful implementation of the digital agenda together with the skills and training flagship initiative of Europe 2020 will help our young generation give our EU economy a competitive edge on the global scene. It is very important that we shift the educational model towards one where students are prepared for the skills the 21st century workforce requires. The only competition relevant for our young generation and for our economy is global competition. Global economies are investing in digital technologies and in teaching digital and analytical skills, and Europe must wake and do the same before it’s too late.

By Jan Mühlfeit Chairman Microsoft Europe ■

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international conference

BETTER CITIES FOR BETTER LIFE, Prague 2014was successfully held on 12th – 13th May

From left: Prof. Petr Moos, Vice Rector, Czech Technical University in Prague and former Minister of Transport and Maroof Afzal, Mayor Islamabad, Pakistan

Jaroslava Jermanová, 1st Deputy Chairwoman of the Chamber of Deputies

From left: Vojtěch Filip, Vice Chairman of the Chamber of Deputies, H.E. Hussain Saleh Majeed Mualla, Ambassador of Iraq, and Naemm Abaob. Alkaabi, Mayor of Baghdad, Iraq

Jan Landa, 1st Deputy Ministerof the Environment

Petr J. Kalas, Chief Advisor Minister of Environment and H.E.María Susana Landaveri Porturas, Ambassador of Peru

Prof. Boris Šimák, Representative of the Czech Republicin ITU International Telecommunication Union


The two-day conference focused on sharing positive examples on noise, air and water pollution, was held in Prague. The following guests took part at theconference: the Mayor of the Iraq capital Baghdad, Naemm Abaob.Alkaabi, Mayor of the Pakistani capital, Moroof Afzal, Indian representative fromDelhi, R. N. Sharma, Deputy Mayor of Asunción, the capital of Paraguay, Mirian Torrez, the General Director of Moscow state environmental companyMOSECOMONITORING, Russian Federation, Polina Zakharova, the Deputy President of Chillan Association of Towns and Municipalities, Mr. LuisFelipe Delpin Aguilar, Deputy Governor of Chinese Xi’an, Qiao Zheng, Mrs. Naomi Tsur, former Deputy Mayor of Jerusalem and current President ofGreen Pilgrim Jerusalem, and almost hundreds other delegates from Europe, Asia, Africa and America.The conference was opened by the top Czech politicians: Jaroslava Jermanová, 1st Deputy Chairwoman of the Chamber of Deputies, Deputy Chairman ofthe Chamber of Deputies, Vojtěch Filip, and 1st Deputy Minister of the Environment, Jan Landa. The representative of Prague was the Mayor of Prague 1,Oldřich Lomecký.The active participants of the conference were also many Czech experts, such as Prof. Michal Mejstřík, the Chairman of Internat ional Chamber ofCommerce Czech Republic (ICC-CR) and the Chairman of the advisory board of Český aeroholding, Prof. Boris Šimák, the representative of the CzechRepublic in International Telecommunication Union, Ivan Beneš, the Deputy Chairman of Czech national commission for catastrophe management,Prof. Petr Moos, Vice Rector of Czech Technical University in Prague and former Minister of Transport, Prof. Věra Adámková, the Head of PreventiveCardiology IKEM, Prof. Jaromír Volf, the Chairman of the Czech Association of Scientific and Technological Companies, Doc. Judita Kinkorová, theCzech representative in the EU in the programme HORIZONT 2020 and many others.

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From left: Ahmed Jabbar Kareem, Secretary of the Mayor of Bagdad, Iraq, H.E. Hussain Saleh Majeed Mualla, Ambassador of Iraq, and H.E. Cihad Erginay, Ambassador of Turkey

From left: Ivo Vanek, President BCBL Prague 2014 and Zdeněk Žák, Chairman, National Committee for Electromobility, former Minister of Transportation

From left: Gholam Reza Derikvand, Chargé d‘affaires a.i., Islamic Republic of Iran and Naemm Abaob. Alkaabi, Mayor of Baghdad, Iraq

H.E. Gary Koren, Ambassador, State of Israeland Indira Gumarova, Publicist, New York

From left: Maroof Afzal, Mayor Islamabad, Pakistan, H.E. Gary Koren, Ambassador, State of Israel, Naomi Tsur, former Deputy Mayor of Jerusalem and President of Green Pilgrim Jerusalem

Oldřich Lomecký, Mayor of Prague 1

From left: Prof. Svatopluk Mackrle CSc., Partner, Miloš Janů, Partner, Prof. Michal Mejstřík, the Chairman of International Chamber of Commerce Czech Republic (ICC-CR) and the Chairman of the advisory board of Český aeroholding, and Dr. Vladimír Mackrle CSC., Partner ECOTRADE FLUID SYSTEMS Šárka Bricier, Moderator and Prof. Michal Mejstřík, the Chairman

of International Chamber of Commerce Czech Republic (ICC-CR) and the Chairman of the advisory board of Český aeroholding

From left: H.E. Tajammul Altaf, Ambassador of Pakistan, Maroof Afzal, Mayor Islamabad, Pakistan, and Miloš Janů, Partner ECOTRADE FLUID SYSTEMS

From left: Dr. Vladimír Mackrle CSC., Partner ECOTRADE FLUID SYSTEMS, Miloš Janů, Partner ECOTRADE FLUID SYSTEMS, Genc Pecani, Chargé d‘affaires a.i., Albania, H.E. Franki Verwey, Ambassador of South Africa, Oldřich Lomecký, Mayor of Prague 1, and H.E. Cihad Erginay, Ambassador of Turkey Poster BETTER CITIES FOR BETTER LIFE Prague 2014

From left: Ibraheem Jafar Hamzah, Expert , Mayor Office Bagdad, Miloš Janů, Partner ECOTRADE FLUID SYSTEMS, Ahmed Jabbar Kareem, Secretary of the Mayor of Bagdad, Iraq, Gholam Reza Derikvand, Chargé d‘affaires a.i., Islamic Republic of Iran, Falah Mindab Abdulhussein, Advisor Mayor of Bagdad, Hussein Adulridha Mezban, Deputy GM Office Mayor of Bagdad, Naemm Abaob. Alkaabi, Mayor of Baghdad, Iraq, H.E. Hussain Saleh Majeed Mualla, Ambassador of Iraq, and Hussein Daeami Resen, Assistant GM Mayor Office, Bagdad


the good things in life

INDIA – LIFESTYLE Part III

Despite the increasing influence of western fashion trends, most Indians still wear traditional outfits. The colorful sari, decorated with glittery stones enhances the charm and beauty of Indian women and does not restrict motion. With men, a turban is more than a fashion accessory. Its shape and color make a statement about social status, religion and membership in a caste and regional origin.

Gastronomy

The Indian, largely vegetarian cuisine, features a general and rich use of spices. Hindus never eat beef and members of the upper castes are

Hindu pagoda

usually vegetarians. The main foods are rice, grains, legumes, milk products (yogurts, ghee butter), vegetables and spices.

The most common process for meals in Indian cuisine is slow cooking or steaming on low heat. Also popular are pan-frying, grilling or baking in a clay oven, called tandoor. Meat, vegetables and other ingredients are usually prepared by chopping to cubes or slices, less often whole. A very diverse mix of foods reflects various origins of the population and climate, but also social backgrounds, the castes. The only common base for the whole of India is tea and rice. Dhal is also very popular (a type of legumes soup), chutney (pickled fruits or vegetables), chapattis (flour flat bread), thalis (various vegetable meals) and in terms of deserts, kheer (rice with milk) and kulfi (a pistachio ice cream).

Indians traditionally eat with their right hand, often with the aid of a piece of flat bread, which they use instead of a spoon. The table should not lack various sauces, chutneys, yogurts, pickled vegetables and spices in which you dip individual morsels. Indians serve several meals at the table simultaneously and diners add a bit of each on their plates. Soups and main courses are served at the same time. Sweets, fruit, tea or coffee are offered after the main meal.

It’s clear that this mixture, common among restaurants, may be difficult to digest for Europeans and it’s better to either try something from the wider selection of simple street food or dine in renowned hotels or restaurants.

An example of the gastronomic experience is certainly the Jaipur Maharaja Feast, or Maharaja Menu, that truly honors the fine cuisine of the city of Jaipur in the Rambagh palace hotel in Jaipur. The culinary art of great local chefs offers refined palettes of flavors, fragrances, colors and spices

in a unique royal cuisine. But it’s difficult to absorb such a storm of diverse flavors at one sitting, when many meals are served at the same time and the transitions from powerfully spiced meals to milder flavors require a great deal of focus.

As an appetizer, we try Sikandari Raan (lamb leg, baked in tandoor on caraway-seed with rum), Kadak Seekh Kebab (spiced grilled chicken), Mahi Tikka Tandoori (freshwater fish), Bhutteyan da Kebab and Tamatar Dhania Shorba. After such an already demanding beginning, main courses are served on a large copper tray with several smaller dishes, among which were Masalendar Champ (lamb with onions and spices), Dal Survarna Mahal (lentils, tomatoes, garlic stewed in a tandoor overnight with a special cream and but-

The Indians love celebrations and a year in India is carried in the spirit of many celebrations and markets. Nearly every day there seems to be some social event that often stretches late into the night, where fasting and light feasting go hand in hand. Not only during celebrations but also in daily life, the Indians wear traditional universal garments based on one long strip of cloth wrapped around the body or around their heads as a turban.

Hindu temple Dining at Rambagh Palace, Jaipur

Gwailor



the good things in life

ReligionDespite the fact that many religions are followed

in India, over 80% today are steering toward Hinduism. The Muslim Persians used to use the word Hindu to identify all non-Muslim people living beyond the river Indus. In principle, the word was used in a similar manner as Christian Europe used the word pagan for all non-Christians. Hinduism cannot be understood as a religion in the European sense (unlike Judaism, Christianity or Islam). Rather it is the ‚dharma,’ a way of being. This is the expression for the traditional Indian philosophical and religious concept, based on historic spiritual practices that are part of their lifestyle. We best get to know the extensive pantheon of Hindu Gods in the sculptural decoration of temple architecture that represents a visual explanation of Hindu mythology with countless deities, headed by Brahma, the Creator, who is a part of the Holy Trinity (Trímurti) that also includes Vishnu, the keeper and protector of the Universe and Shiva, the God of destruction. The peace and coexistence of such a large and diverse nation such as India can be drawn from two significant epics, the Ramayana and the Mahabharata that are full of wisdom regarding human behavior, emotions and moral dilemmas. After centuries, these epics influence Indian culture and philosophy and direct the lives of millions of Indians.

The sixth century before Christ witnessed the birth of Buddhism, one of the most important religions founded by a king’s son, Gautama Siddharta, called Buddha. At the age of 30, he gave up his life at the royal court, left the palace, his family and devoted himself to penance and fasting alongside the ascetics, with the goal to resolve the purpose of human existence through meditation and to define the rules of a proper life. However, six years spent in poverty and seclusion didn’t produce the desired enlightenment. Buddha returned to people, but


continued with his meditations that brought him the ‘understanding of truth.’ Afterward, he devoted himself to preaching and passing on his principles, a teaching open to everyone, including women, without castes and sacrifice. Even today, Buddha’s teachings of our connection with Universal energy are up to date and correspond with the current findings of quantum physics. His principles of proper living, respect to other people’s beliefs, rightful actions, efforts and charity are deeply rooted in today’s principles of morality.

Vardhamana Mahavira was the spiritual father of Jainism, another religion born at the same time. This religion, along with Buddhism, also gained many followers, because it didn’t recognize the caste system or sacrifice and was open to everyone, including women. Mahavira believed in the ascetic lifestyle, in truth without acquisitive intent. Also for his religion, God was not important. Both religions put emphasis on the laws of the Universe and preached the ahinsa, non-violence Women of Agra

Sikh from Panjab Traditional dress of a waiter in Rambagh Palace to all sentient beings. Today’s belief in reincarnation (the path of the soul from one life to another) comes from Jainism.

The third religion is Sikhism, included in Hinduism and based in the Indian Constitution. The founder of this faith is Guru Nanak. This belief represents the basics of Sikh thinking and separates them into three requirements: mindfulness of God, honest hard work and charity. Every Sikh’s goal in life is to achieve unity with God through the unity of everything. At the same time, all Sikhs must attempt to free themselves from the shackles of ‘five thieves,’ which are lust, rage, greed, attachment and ego. Sikhism has several visible features through which it differs from other world religions. Guru Granth Sahib is not only a holy book, but rather a collection of teachings of the gurus and is considered to be the last, material guru. The holy book is in verse of a specific rhythm. The individual hymns are read aloud, so that believers may not only mentally look into the content of the words and thoughts hidden in them, but also concurrently tune into the sound frequency and, during a meditation, step out of the illusion of the material world.

The Sikh clothing, Ban, is a uniform of sorts. It’s the reference to the last Guru and enables a quick identification of Sikhs in a crowd. Despite the Sikhs intent to serve mankind, their easy identification prevents them from avoiding responsibilities, such as to protect the weaker or treat everyone with respect. All people, regardless of their faith, nationality, race, sex or caste are welcome in the Gurdwaras. In certain situations, it is necessary for the Sikhs to accept the role of a soldier to protect themselves and all who cannot protect themselves. They differ from other Indian population with their exceptional care and precision.

Indira Gandhi, former Indian Prime Minister, once wrote “My country is simply different and that’s precisely its secret – one learns to accept life in all its diversity here.”

By Iva and Joseph Drebitko Photos: Iva Drebitko, archive ■

Turban

Sikh from Panjab

Women of Agra Traditional dress of a waiter in Rambagh Palace

events

From left: Hans Weber, Manager FRYDAY Prague and Country Manager, Greenstar Solar. H.E. Cihad Erginay, Ambassador of Turkey, Juan Braun, Harvard University, USA, Charles University, Czech Republic, and Cyril Svoboda, Director, Diplomatic Academy


Fryday W at the Maharal club“Fryday W” together with former foreign minister Cyril Svoboda, Diplomatic Academy led a discussion with H.E. Cihad Erginay, Ambassador of Turkey in the Czech Republic about the current situation in Turkey.

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From left: H.E. Jose Júlio Pereira Gomes, Ambassador of Portugal in the Czech Republic, Juan Braun, Harvard University, USA, Charles University, Czech Republic, and Markéta Borůvková, Assistant of Commercial and Economic Department, Flanders Investment and Trade

From left: H.E. Cihad Erginay, Ambassador of Turkey in the Czech Republic and Cyril Svoboda, Director, Diplomatic Academy

From left: Alexandre Fedorovski, Owner, Far Westa Enterprises, Mauro Lazzari, Investment Support and International Engineering and Trade, and Mr. Alessandro Amato

Maharal club

Round table discussion with H.E. Franki C. Verwey, Ambassador of the South Africa in the CR and Agata Dinzl-Rybářová, Senior Consultant and Project Manager, Enfina Consult s.r.o.

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events

Fryday W at the Maharal club

From left: H.E. Cihad Erginay, Ambassador of Turkey in the CzechRepublic and Cyril Svoboda, Director, Diplomatic Academy

From left: H.E. Jose Júlio Pereira Gomes, Ambassador of Portugal in the Czech Republic, Juan Braun, Harvard University, USA, Charles University, Czech Republic, and Markéta Borůvková, Assistant of Commercial and Economic Department, Flanders Investment and Trade

From left: Alexandre Fedorovski, Owner, Far Westa Enterprises,Mauro Lazzari, Investment Support and International Engineeringand Trade, and Mr. Alessandro Amato

Maharal club

Round table discussion with H.E. Franki C. Verwey, Ambassadorof the South Africa in the CR and Agata Dinzl-Rybářová, SeniorConsultant and Project Manager, Enfina Consult s.r.o.

From left: Hans Weber, Manager FRYDAY Prague and Country Manager, Greenstar Solar. H.E. Cihad Erginay, Ambassador of Turkey, Juan Braun, Harvard University, USA, Charles University, Czech Republic, and Cyril Svoboda, Director, Diplomatic Academy


“Fryday W” together with former foreign minister Cyril Svoboda, Diplomatic Academy led a discussion with H.E. Cihad Erginay, Ambassador of Turkeyin the Czech Republic about the current situation in Turkey.

events

From left: Yana Kindalova, Event Manager, Fryday Prague, Assem Al-Sabban, Counselor, Saudi Embassy Paris, Mrs. Irina Rodionova, Anastasia Steinhauser, Private Banker, Sberbank CZ, Evgeniya Pasedko, Development Manager, Venta-Trans Europe, and Juan Braun, Harvard University, USA, Charles University, Czech Republic


May 16th, 2014

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From right: Hans Weber, Manager, FRYDAY Prague, Country Manager, Greenstar Solar with Tamara Maldonado, Marketing Studies for French speaking partners, TaMaVie in the middle with a friend

Lars Klett, Partner, Rechtsanwalt and Attorney at law, Ueltzhöffer Klett Jakubec & Partners in the middle with Jitka Klett, Owner and Fashion Designer, Jitka Klette, Fashion Design on the right

From left: Jitka Klett, Owner & Fashion Designer, Assem Al-Sabban, Counselor, Saudi Embassy Paris, Martina Husková, Partner, Czechoslovak Originals s.r.o.

Tomáš Birhanzl, CEO, SMS Global, a.s.

From left: Greg Gibb, Partner, Presidia Consult and Hans Weber, Manager, FRYDAY Prague and Country Manager, Greenstar Solar

From left: Ondřej Fišer, Sales Manager, IT Profik s.r.o. and Jacky Damwani, Owner, Suit & Me, Obleky na miru, Bespoke Clothing

From left: Assem Al-Sabban, Counselor, Saudi Embassy Paris, Naveed Gill, President & Founder at Czech Polo & Gill Polo Club, and Juan Braun, Harvard University, USA, Charles University, Czech Republic

“anniversary Party Fryday aFterWork netWorking”

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events

“anniversary Party FrydayaFterWork netWorking”

From left: Yana Kindalova, Event Manager, Fryday Prague, Assem Al-Sabban, Counselor, Saudi Embassy Paris, Mrs. Irina Rodionova, Ana-stasia Steinhauser, Private Banker, Sberbank CZ, Evgeniya Pasedko, Development Manager, Venta-Trans Europe, and Juan Braun, Harvard University, USA, Charles University, Czech Republic

From left: Ondřej Fišer, Sales Manager, IT Profik s.r.o. and JackyDamwani, Owner, Suit & Me, Obleky na miru, Bespoke Clothing Lars Klett, Partner, Rechtsanwalt and Attorney at

law, Ueltzhöffer Klett Jakubec & Partners in the middle with Jitka Klett, Owner and Fashion Designer, Jitka Klette, Fashion Design on the right

From right: Hans Weber, Manager, FRYDAY Prague, Country Manager, Greenstar Solar with Tamara Maldonado, Marketing Studies for French speaking partners, TaMaVie in the middle with a friend

From left: Jitka Klett, Owner & Fashion Designer, Assem Al-Sabban, Counselor, Saudi Embassy Paris, Martina Husková, Partner, Czechoslovak Originals s.r.o.

From left: Greg Gibb, Partner, Presidia Consult and Hans Weber,Manager, FRYDAY Prague and Country Manager, Greenstar Solar

From left: Assem Al-Sabban, Counselor, Saudi Embassy Paris, Naveed Gill, President & Founder at Czech Polo & Gill Polo Club, and Juan Braun, Harvard University, USA, Charles University, Czech Republic

Tomáš Birhanzl, CEO, SMS Global, a.s.


May 16th, 2014


analysis

New trend of male leadership actively involved in promoting women.


GENDER INTEGRATIONIS TAKING MOMENTUMShifts of perception and social behaviors take time. They also need champions who decide to re-examine what I call present state scenarios to envision ideal state possibilities.

This is the case with gender integration and the advocacy from male leaders in the promo-tion, retention, and advancement of women. We are looking at a shift in narrative from organiza-tions such as Catalyst, Ernst and Young LLP, and Deloitte, to name a few.

Recently the Financial Times published a great article: Her Inequality is now his concern, written by Emma Jacobs which describes this new trend of male leaders taking an active role in advocating for gender parity. There are some important points that can be quite useful to you as a leader, as you develop your own narrative and leadership strategy.

1 – Gender integration is good for business. This is a pivotal point thoroughly analyzed in my

book: Can You Afford to Ignore Me? Research from the most reputable universities and consulting organizations throughout the world consistently show that the more “diverse” the work population, the better companies perform in all aspects including better metrics related to retention and engagement.

2 – It’s important to prevent group think. Again this is an issue that has been intensely analyzed especially during the recent economic crisis, and many continue to say that the melt down would most likely been prevented if we had had “Lehman Brothers and Sisters”.

3 – New demands from the incoming work force. The younger generation, millennials and X-er’s, are “demanding” a new style of working and a new definition of roles at work and at home. Both men and women from these generations will seek more flexibility, more diversity in their work environments, more rotations and variety in work and assignments.

I summaries these issues in Chapter two of my book:

“In short, environments and management styles geared to welcome and motivate women will also welcome and motivate Millennials. Obviously, good management requires a complementary approach that can reach all the groups in your diverse workforce. But there is good reason to focus special attention on women and Millennials: They are the future of the workforce. As Veterans and Baby Boomers retire, Generation X, Millennials and women will continue to make up a larger percentage of employees and potential leaders. These groups are integral to succession planning — developing depth here now can strengthen your competitive position for years to come.”

Lastly the article captures that which I express in my consulting work. It is essential to find the right context to discuss, understand, analyze and enhance the performance of women. Attrition and derailment are bad for business. To have men fully engaged in this process, will make them catalyst for change, will move this issue forward faster, will evidence the power of aligning with a common purpose. We need a full representation at the table it’s the best way to help develop a healthy dialogue that will continue to bridge the gender gap.

By Elisabet Rodriguez Dennehy,President Rodriguez

and Associates LLC ■Photo: Archive


analysis

The Czech economy has encountered a considerable decrease in public investment during recent years; only in the sphere of transport infrastructure it was about 25 % between 2008 and 2013. Also private sphere considerably reduced its orders. Demand for construction of residential estates declined during the same period by about 40 %. Preparation of new infrastructure projects, especially larger ones, almost got to a standstill.

It is no wonder that, in effect of this, construction industry underwent a significant decline. Its production has fallen down between 2008 and 2013 also by about 25 %, in the cumulative financial volume it amounted CZK 435 billion (EUR 15.9 billion). The output of the industry got in 2013 even under the level of 2005. Many construction companies were forced to outplace their employees, some others try to keep their employees at least at basic wages.

The Czech Government will probably not be able, both due to a limited reservoir of projects ready to invest and to a lack of funds of co-financing, to utilize all allotted European funds of the EU 2007–2013 programming period. The Ministry of Regional Development estimated the gap this March to be of CZK 62.8 billion (EUR 2.3 billion). The ministry struggles hard to reduce this gap as much as possible forecasting that the discrepancy could be reduced possibly by CZK 12 billion (EUR 440 million) during 2014.

This domestic trend cannot be attributed to the overall world recession only that reached its bottom during the above period. One factor was the restrictive financial policy of right-wing governments that is often considered as exaggerated, and in fact pro-cyclical. Another main factor was political instability; during the period 2009–2014 governments exchanged four times, and the country encountered for this period even 8 ministers of transport, the same number of ministers of environment and 5 ministers of industry and trade, all from various political parties. This caused weakening of strategic management, sudden turnabouts in political priorities, and also numerous changes in managerial and specialists’ positions at the ministries and in subordinated entities.

And also another factor is to be added why the Czech recession was overproportional to that of the broader region and somehow similar to some EU south wing countries in spite of relative monetary stability and only moderate indebtedness. More scandals got to the daylight about lobbyists that should have influenced governmental decisions on investment projects and even attributed to their inefficiency that was in many cases also


criticized by supervisors from the EU. Spectacular police raids against powerful persons “from behind the curtain” might have shocked or, on the contrary, amused citizens, but brought another deal of insecurity to officials in power who found their space for allowed action suddenly put in doubt.

It is a paradox that just in the period when radical changes in investment policy are necessary to push the economy forward most representatives and officials of public sector are reluctant to decide. Old lobbyists might have been, without a doubt, an ill driving force of public procurement, but it seems that nothing significant has come so far to take over their former role. Politicians and officials learn to decide at new risk, and within stricter legal limits. It is worth admitting that this is not a simple task at all.

Czech governments were increasingly aware during last years of the necessity to make more transparent and streamline the process of preparation and procurement of investment projects, but were not always lucky in the result. An amendment of the Public Procurement Act introduced in 2013 brought a lot of measures to prevent morally hazardous activities in public orders, but simultaneously enhanced also time consumption and administrative burden especially for regions and municipalities. Growing volume of administrative labour with public procurement results e.g. in an excessive preference of the criterion of the lowest price against the more complex and appropriate criterion of the most economically advantageous tender. So the subsequent amendment of the Act in force from this year had to correct some extreme stipulations and limits embodied in the previous version.

Another positive governmental effort is devoted to simplification and speeding of preparation of investment projects by means of a new act on line projects. It should streamline the so far complicated and clumsy processes of preparation of infrastructure projects (transport, energy, water management etc.) by simplification and unification of assessment, public discussion and approval of those projects. Some contrary effect, however, can be expected from the amendment of the environmental impact assessment legislation in progress.

Also the acquisition of lands for public infrastructure is to be facilitated through raising the existing Harpagon-like decree-fixed prices well under market clearing values that gave the existing proprietors scarcely any motivation to yield their assets for public purposes and led to costly litigations. It is necessary to duly recompense the difficulties of involuntary expropriation caused to the owners and create conditions for quicker accomplishment of missing infrastructures.

The days to come will require from the Government and public administration more preparedness and bravery in materializing the ideas from election programmes aiming at the overcome of the existing stalemate in public investment. And also more strong-minded economic diplomacy at the European level to push forward Czech infrastructural priorities for the next EU 2014–2020 programming period.

Emanuel Šíp ■ Partner, Allied Progress Consultants

Associationčeské znění naleznete na našich


HOW TO GET PUBLIC INVESTMENTFROM THE STALEMATE?


czech business club

THE FOUNDATION OF THECZECH BUSINESS CLUB INTHE UNITED ARAB EMIRATES

H.E. Jaroslav Ludva – the Ambassador of the Czech Republic in the UAE, delivering the openingspeech at the initial meeting of the Czech Business Club (on the left: CBC Spokesman Vít Koďousek)

The elected Presidentof the Czech BusinessClub, JUDr. Pavel Foubík

From left: PhDr. Roman Míšek, CzechTrade, Mr. Vít Koďousek, H.E. Jaroslav Ludva, Ambassador ofthe Czech Republic in the UAE, and JUDr. Pavel Foubík, President of the Czech Business Club, UAEDiscussion during the initial meeting of the Czech Business Club

Dubai, May 29, 2014

Those members of the Czech business community living in the United Arab Emirates met at the Emirates Golf Club on May 28, 2014 to found the Czech Business Club. Among others, the Czech Republic‘s Ambassador to the UAE, Ing. Jaroslav Ludva, was present at the program, which included the election of a President.

The proposed candidates were unanimously elected, making JUDr. Pavel Foubík from the Brudra company the historic first President of the Czech Business Club in the United Arab Emirates. Ing. Jaroslav Ludva was elected Vice-President and PhDr. Roman Míšek from the Czechtrade government agency became the Secretary. Vít Koďousek was named spokesman. „Over the

years, I began meeting with Czech businessmen regularly and I’m glad that we were finally able to frame these activities a formal organization,“ said Ambassador Ludva, in his speech. „I wish the Czech Business Club much success for the future and the many interesting activities that are now open to us.“

Approximately thirty participants then congratulated the newly elected President of the Czech Business Club. „Thank you for your trust and I hope that together will see to it that this club becomes a respected entity in the Emirates,“ said President Foubík. „We are opening contact with the Dubai Chamber of Commerce and will work to establish the Czech Business Club as best as we can in the local business environment. “ President Foubík also mentioned that the basic

impulse for initiating negotiations with the Dubai Chamber of Commerce came from the activity of Professor Michal Mejstřík, who also participated in the foundation meeting of the CBC and who must be thanked for his support.

The meeting of the CBC at the Emirates Golf Club affirmed that the Czech business community is very active in the Emirates and interested in further deepening the relationship between these individual entities. And this is precisely the basic idea behind the club – to create a platform for getting to know Czech businessmen and exchanging experience and knowledge regarding their economic activities in this country. The initial meeting already proved that the club will be the best place to establish new contacts and exchange important information


interview

There are many people who know how To make money, buT ThaT’s jusT one of THE MANY PREREQUISITES OF SUCCESS

A successful businessman, co-founder of the BRUDRA brand and the first President of the Czech Business Club in the United Arab Emirates, in an interview concerning his beginnings as well as the goals of the first platform for meetings of Czech businessmen in Dubai.

Dr. Foubík, I cannot but start with the latest news. At the end of May, you became the first President of the Czech Business Club in Dubai, where you now live. What are its goals?

First of all, we want to make sure the club becomes a respected entity in the Emirates. We’re opening contacts with the Dubai Chamber of Commerce and will try to establish the Czech Business Club in the local environment as best as we can. I would also like to mention that the key impetus for our initial meetings with the Dubai Chamber of Commerce was a result of the activity of Professor Michal Mejstřík, who participated in the foundation meeting of the CBC and must be thanked for his support. I also won’t forget the input from Roman Míšek from the Czech Trade government agency and the Czech Embassy in Abu Dhabi. It’s all been a team project.

Is the environment within the United Arab Emirates ready for this?

Our first meeting of the Czech Business Club at the Emirates Golf Club showed that the Czech business community in the Emirates is very active and is interested in deepening relations between the individual entities. And that’s precisely the basic idea of the club – to create a platform for getting to know one another among Czech businessmen and exchanging experience and knowledge in the scope of economic activity in this country. The club will be the perfect place to establish new contacts and obtain important information.

Apparently, people often ask you how a graduate lawyer ended up in production and sales of work apparel.

In 1991, after completing my law studies, my classmate Pavel Růžička and I found ourselves at a crossroads – whether to make a living by the practice of law and wait for some legal firm to employ us or go a different route. At the time, the father of this same classmate and current partner in Brudra, bought a gas station in privatization in Prague. I remember that back then, as kids in an attempt to help, we took an Avia truck and drove to Slovakia to get distilled water, because there were no dealers around at the time. Over time, the pump operation showed that it was a serious problem to get clothing for the pump operators. And that was it. We created a company on spot, just like that, and


today it’s 22 years old. To a certain degree we can be proud that most people in Prague know what kind of a brand our little BRUDRA figure represents.

Did anyone try to talk you of it? That you should follow what you studied?

They did tell us that. But within the first year we made our first money and that decided it. The famous quip ‘money talks’ had its say and the legal career was over before it began. For example, one morning I decided to put clothing on all Coca-Cola workers and that happened within a month. We were lucky. But we’re not resting on our laurels and continue working on the image, as well as having a complex full of storage buildings, a heating company, we co-operate a go-cart track and provide apparel for the police... we always try to go on.

Are you thinking of the school uniforms? Exactly. Five years ago, the pupils of the PORG

Elementary School voluntarily decided to wear uniforms we designed and that was a reward for us. We managed to blend an interest with fashion trends and create interesting designs for free time, tennis, golf and skateboarding. And we’re successful with it. Now we’re collaborating with the Czech Masters Golf 2014. For the first time in history we created the role of an official merchandiser in the Czech Republic, not only a partner, at such an important event within the European PGA Tour. We’ve been preparing for this for a year now. We’re the authors of the Czech Masters logo, as well as producing a beautiful and very wide collection that is dominated by polo shirts and baseball caps. So our activity reaches this far.

One would think that, after twenty-two years, you might be lacking ideas...

Worse than that. I get ever bigger ideas and I see the potential in combining activities between the Emirates and the Czech Republic on the basis of trade, leisure and golf. I have a vision for the Expo 2020 and other thoughts. But in the end, it’s all about the team of people in the company and about the details that compose the world. We’re working on three videos for television. Our colleagues created a new visual for the logo. It’s a transition of the human over the course of evolution all the way to the BRUDRA figure. Our evolution continues. It’s very typical and encouraging.

It’s about vision. As one matures, one begins to believe their own

ideas. When you’re young and you have visions, you don’t believe them yourself. It takes a long time before you test yourself that they are really good.

An interview with Pavel Foubík


Or others don’t believe you... That’s a different story. It’s your job to convince

others.

Your brand is indivisibly tied to crafts. Do you consider that a success?

The greatest success is if you find a person or people with whom you can share your path and be happy doing it. That’s basic and everything else goes sort of hand-in-hand with it. The other thing is setting your values correctly. I know a lot of people who really advanced in terms of work and made plenty of money. But they weren’t able to share them with anyone or enjoy them for their own joy or for those close to them. I was surprised with how many rich people are stingy and relentlessly money saving, collecting property without joy. I don’t see happiness in that.

So how do you envision happiness? To understand my mission on this planet Earth

now, in this life and to find harmony and balance with everything else around. And also to know myself.

Fine, but you must be also happy with your successes in the working environment.

I’m not going to tell you anything new. Money has always been the key measure of success in work. That’s logical. But one must reasonably enjoy money, work with it. I understand what you’re asking. It’s a success when you take a break for five years and even after, people collaborate with you. Because you’ve done everything with honesty and they know they can trust your word. There are many people who know how to make money, but that’s just one of the many prerequisites of success.

Then success in a profession brings responsibility along with it?

That goes hand-in-hand. The moment you’re successful and make money, you employ people and co-contribute to their existence. You’re creating stability. You bring something to society. The logical outcome is then selfless help. That’s automatic.

Prepared by LM ■

90

international fair

The CzeCh Railways GRoup Madea suCCessful pResenTaTion aT TheCzeCh Raildays 2014 TRade faiR

From left: Roman Kokšal, Head of Divisions IC RL and MOL,Siemens and Daniel Kurucz, Chairman of the Board, ČD

From left: Oldřich Mazánek, Chairman of the Board, ČD Cargo, Daniel Kurucz, Chairman of the Board, ČD, Antonín Blažek, Chairman of the Board, VÚŽ, Jindřich Kušnír, Director, Railways, Rail and Combined Transport Department, Ministry of Transport of the CR, and František Bureš, Chairman of the Board, DPOV

From left: Jindřich Kušnír, Director, Railways, Rail and Combined Transport De-partment, Ministry of Transport of the CR, Pavel Surý, General Director, SŽDC, Daniel Kurucz, Chairman of the Board, ČD, Tomáš Sucharda, Deputy Mayor of Ostrava and Stanislav Zapletal, Manager, International Fair Czech Raildays


The Czech Railways group, with its filial companies DPOV, VÚŽ, ČD Telematika, ČD IS and ČD Cargo, regularly exhibits during the International TradeFair, Czech Raildays. This year, the company introduced the most modern Czech train, railjet, which is in use since June 2014. It operates railjet on theroutes between Prague, Brno and Vienna, as well as providing a comfortable, air-conditioned, wheel-chair accessible suburban unit, the RegioPanter, made byŠkoda Vagonka. These world-class trains already serve 6 regions of the Czech Republic. Thanks to the ongoing modernization of t rains, the national carrier isgaining more and more passengers. Between 2010 and last year, the number of Czech Railways passengers increased by more than 6 million people.

Daniel Kurucz, Chairman of the Board, ČD and the ČD tea

From left: Vladimír Kostelný, Director, Regional Center for Passenger Traffic, Plzeň, ČD and Jaromír Jelínek, Commercial Director, Škoda Transportation

91

international fair

The CzeCh Railways GRoup Madea suCCessful pResenTaTion aT TheCzeCh Raildays 2014 TRade faiR

From left: Oldřich Mazánek, Chairman of the Board, ČD Cargo, Daniel Kurucz, Chairman of the Board, ČD, Antonín Blažek, Chairman of the Board, VÚŽ, and František Bureš, Chairman of the Board, DPOV

From left: Jindřich Kušnír, Director, Railways, Rail and Combined Transport Department, Ministry of Transport of the CR, Pavel Surý, General Director, SŽDC, Daniel Kurucz, Chairman of the Board, ČD, and Tomáš Sucharda, Deputy Mayor of Ostrava

From left: Igor Krško, Member of the Board, Železničná Spoločnosť Slovensko and Jiří Urbanec, General Director, Škoda Vagonka

From left: Oldřich Mazánek, Chairman of the Board, ČDCargo and Daniel Kurucz, Chairman of the Board, ČD

From left: Jindřich Kušnír, Director, Railways, Rail and Combined Transport Department, Ministry of Transport of the CR, Daniel Kurucz, Chairman of the Board, ČD, Tomáš Sucharda, Deputy Mayor of Ostrava, and Stanislav Zaple-tal, Manager, International Fair Czech Raildays

From left: Pavel Surý, General Director, SŽDC, Daniel Kurucz, Chairman of the Board, ČD, Tomáš Sucharda, Deputy Mayor of Ostrava, and Stan-islav Zapletal, Manager, International Fair Czech Raildays

From left: Jindřich Kušnír, Director, Railways, Rail and Combined Transport Department, Ministry of Transport of the CR and Pavel Surý, General Director, SŽDC

From left: Miloš Klofanda, Head of Testing Department, VÚŽ, and Jaromír Jelínek, Com-mercial Director, Škoda Transportation

From left: Stanislav Zapletal, Manager, International Fair Czech Raildays, Tomáš Ignačák, Vice President, Škoda Transportation, Jindřich Kušnír, Director, Railways, Rail and Combined Transport Department, Ministry of Transport of the CR, Daniel Kurucz, Chairman of the Board, ČD, and Tomáš Sucharda, Deputy Mayor of Ostrava

From left: Roman Kokšal, Head of Divisions IC RL and MOL,Siemens and Daniel Kurucz, Chairman of the Board, ČD


interview

I can’t afford to save moneyon patients, still, the magicformula is cost effectiveness

Professor Pavel Dungl, theHead of the OrthopedicClinic of the HospitalNa Bulovce, belongs to topCzech medical professionals.Not only is his a renownedspecialist, he’s alsoa sportsman with seeminglyalways good mood and a manwith many interests. What isit like to be running one of thebest regarded Czech clinics?And how are we doing in theCzech Republic in terms ofsponsoring hospitals?

An interview withPavel Dungl

Professor Dungl, you are a very busy man... I’m not. An adult man must work. Loitering is not

a part of life script of a western type person.

Still, I would dare to say so. You are the head of an orthopedic clinic, you teach, lecture, test...

Mainly I need to work. I’m most satisfied when operating.

As a layman, I cannot imagine that I would spend forty years operating without a certain internal routine...

Every operation is a new challenge and every patient is different. There are operations that are roughly the same in all people, but still, they’re different. The minute you slide into a routine, you stop being concerned before an operation and being respectful to the patient, that’s the first step on the path of destruction and failure.

Additionally, you need to continually keep yourself in a good condition psychologically and physically. It’s a demanding job.

Physically demanding, thanks God. When you

like something, you do it economically, meaning you operate quickly and without unnecessary movements, then it’s not demanding.

You operate five days a week. Is that your standard you wouldn’t go under?

It’s not. I will use a metaphor about foxes and hares. If there are too many foxes, they eat the hares. There’s not enough food, they die. The hares overpopulate. And so on. When I’m successful, it brings in more patients. When it stops being bearable for me, people start leaving. This is why


interviewI try to find balance. I don’t reject, but sometimes it’s to the detriment of my free time. I’m glad that my work is attractive and that I can help, but it has to have limits.

If you have time off, how do you use it? I like culture, music, literature. I ride a motorcycle

and play golf and tennis. I sail and in the winter I ski. I have a seven-year-old son with whom I play soccer.

To what degree do you identify yourself with the phrase that work is a person’s mission?

It’s not a mission. That’s a flat cliché. It’s luck in life if one fits into a job that’s also their hobby. But the Pope or a Cardinal have a mission. I could be just as successful being a driver, a farmer or a company director.

Is it important for you as the head of the clinic that people who work here would have their job as a hobby?

Naturally. If you were to do everything on command, it shows in the work. Such people wouldn’t survive. People here have to be excited about their work. Unfortunately, the motivators are not financial, even though I would like to see that. It’s more about the happiness about healed patients, the joy of having a good background and a group of people who have correct relationships among them.

What makes you currently happiest in leading the clinic?

Of course, that’s working with patients, whether in the operating room or in my office. It’s also a joy to lecture to medical students and pass on experience.

And the less joyous work? All administrative work. What outright unmotivates

me is the constant scramble for money. Nothing is available all the time, constantly something missing and you don’t have enough. Everyone is treated here as a potential criminal by default – as if you wanted to cheat and steal. And yet nobody takes into an account, that in your position, you are primarily an economically thinking entity that is frugal. I can’t afford to save money on patients, still, the magic formula is cost effectiveness. I’m aware of how much what costs and so I do everything effectively.

Do you think that this ‘lack’ is always roughly the same in time or is the situation changing?

There are enough means. It’s not a question of a lack but a bad distribution and particularly in medications. There an enormous dissipation in terms of medications.

Is there anything you can personally do about it?

A clinical pharmacist comes along with me to ward rounds on regular basis. There would be an old lady, she’s eighty-years-old, doesn’t see, doesn’t hear and takes thirteen pills a day. Her local doctor is nice and prescribes them for her. The old lady doesn’t even take them nor does she


know what they’re for. And that’s the case with the majority of old people. I try to implement effective pharmacology with everyone.

Are you exceptional with this? In this, yes. I don’t know whether my colleagues

don’t care or are afraid to take action so that the patient doesn’t complain.

I would go back to the students. What is their level?

I have two types of students. Pre-gradual at the faculty and post gradual, that is doctors preparing for their certification. The pre-gradual students sometimes have the tendency to avoid obligation and not learn properly. I have both Czech and English-speaking groups in parallel. The difference is unbelievable. The western students are active, they ask, they are timely and have interest in the field. With the exception of some ten percent of active students, our students mostly study out of obligation. I can’t complain, but the difference between them is still very notable.

Are you interested in internet evaluations of doctors?

I don’t read it and I’m very careful about it. I don’t allow competitiveness among us doctors that would lead to suppressing the care for patients. When we begin competing for who is more popular, we will be pandering. Like politicians. We can’t do that.

Is the Czech medical environment rather conservative?

Of course and it has to be. We accept new trends and methods, but we still honor basic values. The respect toward the patient, caring for health so that the patient is satisfied and quickly healed. That’s true for all times.

When you mention new trends, do you have an example of a truly essential difference in work between your beginnings and today?

I started in 1972 and at the time, artificial joints came into practice. These days they are an entirely commonplace product. There are twenty thousand of them used for hips every year.

And do you prefer Czech products? Every doctor, whether here or abroad, should

honor their ‘national tradition.’ I can’t say that Czech implants are the best, but they also aren’t bad. I use them in sixty percent of our operations, Czech implants, splints, files, tools. Some regional doctors who are preparing for their certification here are often surprised because it’s the first time they see a Czech joint. And yet it costs seventeen thousand. Others cost fifty thousand. By default I don’t say that what’s Czech is bad.

Is there an interest on part of private entities in sponsoring medical clinics?

In America, this is a normal procedure. Every department has its sponsors that have labels above the doors. Sponsoring is a sign of an approach and quality.


And how is it in the Czech Republic?Occasionally, someone asks whether they

can contribute out of gratitude. But then there is a heart wrenching and somewhat provoked campaign around children’s oncology. But I think that one is very well saturated. Unfortunately, money sometimes goes there almost pointlessly. I would be happier if sponsoring was specific and transparent, for a purpose.

What would you currently need at your clinic?There’s a lot. We get medications and medical

material. What are missing are beds, chairs, lamps. The things that make the lives of patients more pleasant. We still have over fifty percent of our beds older than thirty years. Such archaic beds belong to a museum.

Do you think your clinic is among the best in the Czech Republic?

I’m convinced of that. I have to be. The thing is, we have a complete assortment of orthopedic treatment. From children’s orthopedics to geronto orthopedics. From tumor therapy to spinal diseases. There’s nothing that can’t be treated here, we don’t have to send a single patient to another workplace.

Is it difficult to hold such standard?It is. People identify with it, live with it. Everyone

knows they have to study, educate themselves and be at a certain level.

Author: Jaroslav Kramer Photo: Martin Weiss

Translation: Michaela Freeman ■

94

interview

We Wouldn’t SurviveWithout technologieS

The online shopping market in the Czech Republic is growing. How is Mall.cz doing these days?

If you mean by market share then that’s hard to say, because there actually are no objective data about the Czech market. However, Mall.cz grew in the last fiscal year, year-on-year, by thirty five percent. In April we began a new fiscal year with a consolidated growth within the group by 40 percent and also noted a comparable development within the Czech Republic.

Will the consolidation of the market continue? Is Mall.cz looking for some purchases?

Consolidation happens in every industry field sooner or later. In times of the greatest boom, there were over 30,000 internet shops in the Czech Republic. It’s apparent that such a number is not sustainable long-term. In my opinion, there are currently only three players who have a long-term perspective – Mall.cz, Alza.cz and Czech Computer (Czc.cz). I don’t think that another local e-shop could seriously compete with these three in the retail area. In view of this, we’re looking more in other countries in terms of further geographic expansion.

You personally joined Mall.cz as an investor in 2002. Since then, several other financial investors and finally even a strategic investor have joined the company. Still, you stayed in the firm. It’s not typical for the original owners to settle for managerial positions, despite being partial shareholders.

First of all, I wouldn’t dare to say about myself that I’m a manager. If I were to hold a standard managerial position in the Mall or actually in Netretail Holding, I wouldn’t have been there for a long time. But Naspers still isn’t a corporation, it works as a holding structure and the companies within this structure have considerable independence, so the capital investment of Naspers didn’t change the function of Mall.cz very much. I would be a short-sighted investor if I got rid of my share when I expect further steep growth in its value. And, besides that, it’s fun for me.

How does the collaboration with Naspers, the strategic investor, work?

Right now, Naspers operates more like a financial investor. As I said, this is a global conglomerate of many companies that currently works as a holding structure. With the exception of exchanging experiences with other online retailers within the group, you can’t even talk about any collaboration. No doubt, there will eventually be a consolidation of the actual entities into a unified structure, but it’s still in the beginnings.

What’s the long-term trend in the development of internet shops? Is the development headed to more universal shops, such as Mall.cz or Alza.cz or is it keener on specialization?

Much like Amazon, Mall.cz wants to be a universal shop where customers find almost

Photo: Archive

“In the future, over a half of all sales in the retail segments will be over the internet,” says Eduard Míka, a shareholder and a board member of Netretail Holding, the company that owns and operates Mall.cz

An interview with Eduard Míka


interview


season this year in our entire structure and we need to add some 40 to 50,000 pieces of goods that come to the warehouses every day. Given that our system centrally operates the storage and shipping of goods in five countries, something like this would be absolutely unthinkable without information technologies.

Can you give us an example of how technologies help you?

For example last year we built a solution based on the SAP HANA technology for the so-called logistics cockpits, which enable us to monitor the movement of each piece of goods in real-time and predict the usage of capacities and operate the whole process, which is the equivalent of a production line running 24/7.

You mentioned the SAP technology. You used it in Mall.cz since 2008. Even though the start wasn’t entirely without problems, how do you view this decision now, looking back?

I still believe it was the only possible decision that we could make at the time. I realized the company wasn’t ready for something like this both in terms of people and processes, because at the time, we were still a startup to some degree. But at the same time, it was clear that if we didn’t make such a decision, we wouldn’t have a chance to survive in longterm and achieve the goals we set for ourselves. I was aware that this would be a tremendous blow to the internal environment of the company and that there was a real risk that the company wouldn’t survive such a change. It wasn’t because SAP would deliver bad technologies, but because we weren’t ready for them yet. But I knew that we wouldn’t survive anyway without this risky step.

Last year at the peak you shipped over 70,000 goods per day. How is it even possible to handle such a thing?

It’s not just a matter of the 70,000 pieces of goods. In this process we dispatch single and multi-piece orders that must be composed from several sources of goods into one or more packages. Additionally, we prepare goods for our clients to be picked up in our branches and re-stock goods to foreign countries. In our warehouses, it doesn’t work by one warehouseman to complete the order from the individual pieces. We use a very complicated optimization mechanism in order to, for example, dispatch 20 photo cameras within the next four hours and pick them all up at the same time from the warehouse location. This considerably increases work productivity. Further, we have to take into consideration in the process that some customers paid extra for express shipping and must ship the same day, while in other cases, they chose free shipping where we have two or three days for the dispatch. And then, enter the capacities and the weight or size limitations of the individual shippers. The job of the technologies is to optimize the entire process in order to maximize those options and capacities we have available. This is where we return a bit to the logistics cockpits developed in the SAP


technological environment. The output of our logistics system would be lower without a perfect overview of the entire logistics process, because we can’t allow any hitches. This is why prediction analysis is a part of the solution. All this requires real-time data, which the SAP HANA technology makes possible.

Are your technologies ready for it?While the architecture of the information

system if fully scalable, in some of our logistics technologies, we’re approaching the limit of their ability. For example, we cannot we cannot complete an unlimited number of multi-piece orders in parallel. This is why we’re preparing the new logistics center next year with a considerably higher degree of automization.

What will the e-shop of the future look like? Isn’t every customer going to have their own 3D printer that will simply print whatever they ordered right on their desk?

That may be a nice vision, but of course, this won’t be possible with the majority of goods. After all, there are some technological limits and you can’t very well print a shampoo or the lens of a camera on a 3D printer. Nonetheless, I certainly have no fear about the future of online shopping. These days, together with China, the Czech Republic is the third or fourth place in the world with a six percent share of online purchases in retail turnover, following the US with 12 percent and UK with 10–11 percent. In the segments that became available online, mostly thanks to us, Alza.cz and Czech Computer, that is household appliances and electronics, we’re actually in second place according to available data, following Great Britain and ahead of the US. Still, I think there are many areas where we have to catch up. A typical example is clothing that, for example in Great Britain, is sold over the internet in much more ratio to the overall turnover. I’m convinced that in a number of segments online sales will one day be more than 50 percent of the retail market. But there is a long road ahead of us in achieving this.

Prepared by LM ■

everything. The trend clearly shows that customers don’t want to „skip“ from one shop to another and want shop for everything they need in one spot, as quickly as possible. This is also why the meaning of price comparison sites is dropping worldwide. Our experience shows that customers prefer comfort and reliability. They want to be sure that goods that are shown as in stock actually are in stock, that they will get what they ordered and that they will get it fast. In larger purchases, saving a few tens of crowns will not tempt them to waste time searching out a seller with the lowest prices.

Don’t people actually go to the internet primarily to save money?

Of course, people shop cheaper online. But their way of shopping is changing, which is also partly caused by the change in the character of goods. What was a luxury a few year ago is now common goods. This is one of the reasons why customers approach shopping differently. The times when entire families took off to shopping centers on weekends are gone. It also has to do with a changing lifestyle. People want to travel, do sports, spend time with their family, have fun with friends and not spend time shopping. Most purchases are essentially involuntary – something stops working at home, or it’s necessary to top up supplies.

You mentioned American Amazon. Will its entry to the Czech market represent some significant change?

It will, but perhaps differently than you think. First of all, I wouldn’t put too many expectations on Amazon’s entry to the Czech market. For a global company such as Amazon, this is also tied to our economic potential. Although we hate to admit it, the Czech Republic is smaller than a half of Shanghai. We will welcome Amazon’s arrival to our market, because another part of the retail turnover will switch to the internet and some more big brick-and-mortar chains, whose market share continues to decline, will have to leave. That will mean profits not only for Amazon, but also for us.

Can Amazon somehow notably change the rules of online shopping in the Czech Republic?

In the medium-term, barely. What decides the success rate in online retail today is logistics and Amazon will be in the same environment with others. Companies like FedEx or UPS don’t work in the Czech Republic and Amazon will be dependent on the same infrastructure as other big players.

How important is the size of your information technology for the functioning of the online store?

In essence, it’s the most important thing. Mall.cz views the entire process of fulfilling an order as a production line. Next year we will be moving to a new distribution center that will have the capacity of expediting 150,000 pieces of goods. In our estimates, we will be expediting approximately 85,000 per day in the Christmas


ambassadors without diplomatic passport

Radka DohnalováThe first traditional question how do you

perceive today’s world?What a question to start with! I really feel

that we are at the turning point in a way how we operate as humanity if you wish. Right now we live in a time of accelerating changes – both positive and negative. New holistic ideas, values and technologies are developing that have the potential to change our global system into a more sustainable one. Transformation is possible once we make a paradigm shift in our view of reality and our relationships to nature and each other. Because the obstacles to human progress are cultural, not technical, we can accelerate this process through new kind of leadership.

You have been abroad several times for a longer period of time and you have always planned to return. How do you perceive the Czech Republic?

Since I was very little, I always wanted to make a difference. When I was working for the UN, it was great to make a difference to people in Africa and other developing countries, but I have always considered the Czech Republic my home and I care about this country. During that time it became clear to me that it is at home where I want to make the difference. The second reason is that I say my home is where my family is. I wanted my children to experience our roots and be close to their relatives. I am embracing my country with all its positives and negatives and I view the negative aspects as opportunities for change. I not only love the country but also the people. It is great for me to see the potential of the country when working either with leaders or young talents.

Now let me ask you about your studies at Harvard. This is a dream coming true not only for many students but also for many senior experienced professionals. What do you consider your most valuable learning experience?

For me this was a defining moment in my life. Before I went to Harvard, I was always trying to prove to my parents that I am good enough and I was hoping that having a diploma from Harvard would finally make me happy and fulfilled, so I had very high expectations. When I got there and I met with many so intelligent and driven people I felt neither fulfilled nor confident. This truly forced me to spent the two years looking at my life from a different perspective and ask myself some tough questions: what is that I want, what would make me fulfilled and where I could really make a difference as a leader. This experience was the most valuable when compared to any tips or tricks.

Photo: Archive

Successful Czech leaders who gained their education and professional experience abroad and thenthey returned because they want to make a difference to their homeland from within representanother category that fits into the ambassadors without a diplomatic passport framework. As wasthe case with personalities in preceding series, I chose Radka Dohnalová for several reasons. Notonly that Radka is a Harvard University MBA alumni, but she managed to get her degree havingone small son at the beginning of her studies and the second one born before she finished. And ontop of that she has managed to have success and fulfillment in both corporate and entrepreneurworld. Last year, Radka gave birth to her third child, a baby girl.Radka studied in the US and in UK. She started her career having various positions in businessin these countries as well as in Italy when working with the United Nations World Food Program.After eight years she returned to the Czech Republic and started to work for McKinsey. Whileworking for McKinsey and giving birth to two children, she managed to get MBA diploma atHarvard University where co-authored “The Authentic and Integrated Female Leadership Model”as a part of her MBA program.After her studies, she led McKinsey’s work on diversity and its impact on culture and performanceand spearheaded McKinsey’s pro bono study “Unlocking the Full Potential of Women in CzechBusiness”. In 2013, she founded ATAIRU, an organization empowering leaders through new modelof authentic leadership working with individual leaders as well the whole organizations. Radka isalso an author of women’s leadership programs and she has worked with over 300 female leaders inCentral and Eastern Europe in the last years.Being a member of her ATAIRU team is a great experience for me. Radka truly cares about othersand it always amazes me how this fairy looking woman can attract people’s attention with herenergy and always offers a new perspective.


ambassadors without diplomatic passportCan you give any advice to potential

students?Go for it, it is worth it! I spent whole one

year only just preparing my application, I did not apply to any other MBA schools compared to my American colleagues who applied to ten schools. I knew this is the school I am going to. For me it was one of the most precious experiences, perhaps because I got something totally different from what I expected.

Now, let us turn to diversity. Given your economic background, you support your arguments for greater diversity in companies by two facts: the first being the unused potential of employed women: „only 56% employed women in the Czech Republic compared to 70% in Scandinavia, the other argument is ageing population and danger of 500 000 jobs not being filled by 2040“. Despite these hard data available, it seems to me that the discussion on diversity is very much polarizing in the Czech Republic. Certain companies understood the trend and embrace it, while others pretend like it does not exist.

I do not consider the polarizing debate being specific for the Czech Republic. I have seen similar responses across Europe and this trend was proved when we were doing the study Women Matter with McKinsey. Debate on diversity depends very much on the context. If you need to convince someone, it feels „pushy“. When you push someone, they push back. I talk about diversity in much broader context than quotas and number of women participating. I talk about the leadership needed for 21st century, the leadership that generation Y is seeking and leadership that will make companies successful and people will feel fulfilled at the same time.If you look at the qualities of leadership that iswhen diversity is important, as there is a femaleand male way of leading, so the qualities arenot specific to particular men and women butrather female and male energies or qualities ofleadership.

To me, diversity is an amazing opportunity for companies to transform their leadership, the entire corporate environment and unlock potentials of people.

You work within the business- corporate environment, namely with CEOs and then with women on positions preparing for Board positions. How do you perceive involvement of the public sector, especially government?

I think the role of the government is important but I would not overestimate it. Government policies make things either easier or more difficult but they do not cause change per se. We need to take responsibility for changes we want to see – whether it is in a household, in a company or in society. If there is a law on flexible working hours but at the same time my husband is reluctant to share household responsibilities, then I will not be able to make it anyway. My husband and I constantly “recalibrate” our work and family life

TO BE CONTINUED WITH OTHER AMBASSADORS WITHOUT DIPLOMATIC PASSPORT

so that we can both engage in our jobs as well as to raise our three children together.

Much has been said about women lacking solidarity and very often those women who make it to the top are often criticized for not helping other women. Is there such a thing as women solidarity?

I think it is not about women solidarity per se, but what lies at the core is really the topic of collaboration. The question is, why don’t we collaborate? And the reason is that either consciously or unconsciously we feel threatened. When we work with women leaders, we work with both authenticity and fears because the element of not helping others goes down to our own insecurities. Is it that we want to be seen as the ones who made it and then to be sure there is no one to follow us and threaten us? Getting women to Board level is one thing but then comes the next question what is the quality of women you want to have on Board? Our aimis to empower women leaders to bring truly diverse qualities of leadership to companies to make a change and contribution.

Work-life balance is slowly becoming a cliché. But still, how do you manage to run own business, family with three children, to have time for yourself.

I also do not like the concept of work life balance. I do not want to balance work and life. For me, work is an expression of life. My life is who I am, why I am here and what do I stand for, so it evolves around my purpose transforming society through a new model of leadership. If my work is about expressing my purpose, there is no reason to balance it. Also, for me it is not a matter of hours but energy. Last, but not least, it is important to have an “A team” in life. My husband is on my A team, also my nanny, my parents, my mentors and as well as my work team, all of these people support me

to do things I want, to make a difference and to contribute. I have help and I do not claim to bea superstar.

What is your final advice for Prague Leaders readers regarding diversity and leadership?

Everyone has a unique value through which he can contribute to his family, team, organization as well as society. So go and find your place or purpose or unique value. When you find your place – your authentic self – you know where you can contribute the best to benefit yourself as well as the whole without feeling threatened by others. And this way we can make the world a better place.

Linda Štucbartová ■


Linda Štucbartová graduated from the Institute of International Territorial Studies. After a one year scholarship at the Oxford Centre for Hebrew and Jewish Studies, she obtained a Diplome d’études supérieures from the Graduate Institute of International Studies in Geneva. Between the years 2002 and 2006, she worked in senior positions at the Diplomatic Academy of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Since 2006 she has functioned in the private sphere, and lectures at the Anglo-American University, where she was named the Chair of the Department of Diplomacy. In addition to training in negotiation and communication of clients from the private, public and non-profit sector, she regularly collaborates with NGOs in the projects of the International Global Young Leaders Conference and the Women and Leadership Programme. Linda Štucbartová is a member of the Rotary Club Prague International. She currently works for Atairu. Articles are extracts from her book Velvyslanci i bez diplomatického pasu (Eng. “Ambassadors without a Diplomatic Passport”).

Photo: Archive

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sport

RUNNING FOR ART 14th Annual Miroton

Miroton 2014 was started by Felix Slováček, Musician

Miro Smolák, Founder and Main Organizer of Miroton and Director of MIRO Gallery Prague

Vladimír Drábek, Prague International Marathon, during his speech to the runners

From left: Martin Zach, PR, European Institute, s.r.o., handed over special gifts to the winners of the MIROTON: Jiří Šmíd, 2nd position of the race, Jiří Wallenfels, 1st position of the race, Petr Bednář, 3rd position of the race, and Ing. Vladislav Stanko, CEO, European Institute, s.r.o.

Felix Slováček handed over the first prize – graphic artwork by Professor František Hodonský to the winner of the race in the women category

Karel Srp, Artforum – Jazz Section, congratulating to one of the winners of the race

From left: Klara Mališová, 2nd position of the race, Lenka Šibravová, 1st position of the race, and Šárka Nespěchalová, 3rd position of the race, represented AGEL Company a.s.

Ivana Aquin, Body Body, s.r.o. and Miro Smolák, Owner, MIRO Gallery

IN COOPERATION WITHLEADERS MAGAZINE Presented by MIRO Gallery Prague and the Trebbia Foundation

in cooperation with the Prague International Marathon (PIM)and Strahov Monastic Brewery and supported by Prague City Hall

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sport

Jan Saudek handed over an artwork by Vladimír Větrovský to one of the winners

Juan Braun, Shaman, Writer and President of the Journalists with no borders,handed over an artwork by Karel Vysušil to one of the winners of the race

From left: Alena Miro, Soloist of the PragueNational Theatre and Hana Medková,Opera Singer, Conservatory Pardubice

Ivana Aquin with her husband Seen Aquin, Owner, Body Body, s.r.o. at after party

From left: Miloš Jaro, European-Russian Bank, Eliška Coolidge-Hašková, Owner, Coolidge Consulting Services and former Assistant of five American presidents, Růžena Nechanská, Consultant, and Felix Slováček, Musician

Pavla Hodková, Deputy Editor, Harper’s Bazaar, Czech Republic with her daughter

Jan Saudek, famous Czech photographer

Ing. František Mach with his wife

Prague Swingers were playing to keep a cheerful mood

Jaromír Schling, former Minister of Transport with his wife Věra

Eliška Coolidge-Hašková, Owner, Coolidge Consulting Services and former Assistant of five American presidents, handed over an artwork by Vladimír Větrovský to one of the winners

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sport event

The winner will receive a unique melted glass sculpture – a true piece of art created by Miroslav Drobnik and Ivan Novotny. It weighs 24 kilogramsand is 63 cm tall.

D+D REAL CZECH MASTERS: 24-KG WINNER’S TROPHY

“We wanted it to be something authentic and local. That is why we opted for glass. From there, it was only a step to crystal and its natural form,” says Petr Dedek, the Chairman of the Board of RELMOST.

Prague – Host city of Czech MastersThe Çzech Masters will be held under the

patronage of the 1st Deputy Mayor of Prague Jiri Vavra. The tournament helps promote Prague as a golf destination.

“The project of this golf marathon, being part of a series of the European tournaments, is simultaneously a demonstration of how sports bring closer all generations. Golfers of all age groups can come together and spend the free time well which, in these days, has a very positive impact on the children who would otherwise spend most of their time sitting in front of a computer screen. That is why we have been encouraging schools, families with children or seniors citizens to participate - golf is a sport to be played by everyone. We are also working with special education and alternative schools. Our common goal is to inspire by spending free time pro-actively, to connect people across generations and to highlight the prestige of teachers,” said the 1st Deputy Mayor of Prague Jiri Vavra.

Stanislav Matus to be the fifth Czech player on tournament

There are at least 11 winners of this season’s European Tour tournaments coming to the D+D REAL Czech Masters. Among others, there is also Francesco Molinari on the entry list who has just finished sixth at The Players tournament.

“The entry list looks better week by week,” says Petr Dedek, the Chairman of the Board of RELMOST, the promoter.

There are a couple of new names on the current entry list such as the Volvo China Open winner Alexander Levy, Alejandro Canizares who triumphed in Morocco not long ago, winning Ross Fisher of the South-African Tschwane Open or Felipe Auilar, the winner from Singapore.

“We are still working on adding a couple more big names. There are Miguel Angel Jimenez and John Daly at stake. We are quite confident that

those fighting for Ryder Cup points will ask to join last minute. This is where the timing of this tournament comes to our advantage. The entry list will be closed 31 July, according to the rules. We will be left with 8 more Tournament Cards which we will give out according to our best judgment”, explains Petr Dedek.

The entry list of the Czech players has grown by Stanislav Matus. He is the fifth Czech player to have the participation secured.

“Stanislav Matus ranks among the top Czech players. He has started his cooperation with the RELMOST ProGolfTeam. This week, he is playing at the Challenge Tour in Turkey and is about to take on six more tournaments o the Challenge series, including Kuneticka Hora,” adds Petr Dedek.

Mowing the green four times a day for the tournament

There are only a couple of details to be finalized when it comes to the Albatross golf course. All the necessary technical and design adjustments have been made, now all the attention is focused on the quality of the grass itself.

“During his review visit a couple of weeks ago, Miguel Vidaor was very pleased with all the adjustments we had made on his recommendation. He claimed the course was of a great quality already and that he had no doubt it would be perfectly prepared for the tournament. Nevertheless, there are still some finishing touches and improvements being made. We are growing the rough up to some 75 cm. The semi rough will be raised by 19 mm. We will mow the greens to 2.5 mm. Normally the green is of 3.5 mm during the season. The greens will have the speed of around 12 feet, average being around 9 feet outside the tournament days. During the tournament, we will be mowing the grass four times a day, rolling will be done twice every day. The fairways will be adjusted mornings and evenings. The course will start taking its final form by the beginning of June,” describes Stanislav Lisner, the General Manager of the Albatross Golf Course.

Golf courses for kids and beginners

There will be plenty of activities for families with children during the tournament. In the

interactive zone, situated alongside the main access road to the golf course, visitors will enjoy a fun and educational program. “Children will be able to try the so-called SNAG golf. It is a playful form of golf using unusual clubs and balls. The Slavicek Golf Academy students will be available to assist. At the Mind Former stand, children will be solving a mind map connected with English vocab learning. Our goal will also be to encourage the so called generation crossing. We will have members of the Senior Fitness organization and the Czech Handicapped Golf Association members participating in the activities within the tented village,” explains David Trunda, the Sports Director of Relmost.

Czech Challenge on Kuneticka Hora with 15 Czech Golfers

The D+D REAL Czech Challenge tournament will be the first major golf event in the Czech Republic This year. It starts on 29th May and finishes 1st June on the Kuneticka Hora golf course. The Prize money has been raised to 165 000 Eur. “There will be 15 Czech golfers playing at the tournament. 10 professionals (Marek Novy, Lukas Tintera, Filip Mruzek, Petr Gal, Stanislav Matus, Daniel Suchan, Ales Korinek, Adam Rajmont, Filip Junaniak, Ondrej Spur) and 5 amateurs (Petr Dedek junior, Vojtech Kostelka and three players nominated by the Czech golf federation), Lukas Lizanek and Jiri Stryncl will be the alternates,” further explains David Trunda, the Sports Director of Relmost.

“We secure a regular participation on the Challenge Tour for the RELMOST ProGolfTeam. Gathering experience will lead to improvement. A week before Kuneticka Hora, we are sending eight players to Austria. An ideal rehearsal for the Czech tournament.”

We will have the honor to welcome several players with a rich experience and numerous winnings from the European Tour. We have James Kingston from South Africa, the winner of two tournaments of the European Tour and the owner of 11 Sunshine Tour titles, as well as Rhys Davies from Wales – the winner of Trophée Hassan II in Morocco from 2010, the South African Tjaart van

From left: Stanislav Lisner, General Manager, Albatross Golf Resort, Zdenek Kodejs, President,Czech Golf Federation, Jiri Vavra, 1st Deputy Mayor of Prague, and Petr Dedek, CEO, RELMOST

From left: Zdenek Kodejs, President, Czech Golf Federation, Jiri Vavra, 1st Deputy Mayor of Prague, PetrDedek, CEO, RELMOST, and David Trunda, Sports Director, RELMOST

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sport eventder Walt who played 3 years on the PGA Tour (in 2005 Brad Foxon took his title in the Buick Championship play-off; further we will welcome Oskar Henningson, the winner of Celadna, the Austrian Martin Wiegele, the winner of one European Tour tournament or Jake Roos who triumphed on the first Challenge tournament in Kenya this year. The Swede Sjöholm is going to be the face of the tournament.

For those players travelling from the tournament in Austria, the organizers secured a special bus transportation. Golfers flying in by plain will also receive a special treatment.

“With our partner – The Prague Airport - we have agreed to provide special service to the golfers. The players will be transported by tournament cars,” adds David Trunda, the Sports Director of RELMOST.

“We are well prepared for the big heat. There are going to be 10 thousand bottles of water spread around the course. We will be providing ice buckets on every second hole. Same as last year, the prize for scoring a hole-in-one will be a brand new car. In 2013 it was taken home by Nicolo Ravano. On the 8th hole, players will have the chance to score a watch worth one million Czech Crowns.”

“When evaluating last year’s season of the Challenge Tour, we agreed that you had organized the best tournament here in Czech. You had a perfectly well prepared golf course and the driving range, unprecedented on the Tour – thumbs up for RELMOST, the promoter. I don’t see much that would have to be improved, you could only mess up from here,” stated the Czech Challenge Director Gary Butler.

The tournament entry is free. RELMOST is inviting young golfers and involving regional schools. There will also be a Children’s golf within the premises of the resort. The partners‘ tournament will be played on Sunday, 25 May; the traditional Pro-Am is scheduled for Wednesday, 28 May.

RELMOST enters into cooperation with the Czech Golf Federation

It has been agreed between RELMOST and the Czech Golf Federation to allow the participation of several amateur players in the Challene Tour and the European Tour.

“The goal of all the negotiations between the national federations and the promoters is to secure the maximum amount of tournament cards for the amateurs and we are pleased with the results so far. The deal is to nominate three players for the Challenge Tour on Kunecticka Hora and two players for the tournament on Penati, Slovakia. Then we have one more amateur spot to fill in for the Czech Masters on Albatross. The fact that the European Tour is returning to the Czech Republic is an immensely important advertising tool for this sport. It creates the opportunity to attract new players and fans of golf and it has been proven in the past. The interest of the public was always increasing rapidly when the European Tour was taking place here,” claimed Zdenek Kodejs, the president of the Czech Golf Federation.

The three official hotels The players, the escort the European Tour

representatives, journalists and other guests will be accommodated in the Vienna international Hotels. They can choose from three four-star hotels in Prague – Andels, Angelo and Diplomat.

“The Vienna International Hotels& Resorts is honored to have become the only long-time partner of RELMOST when it comes to organizing these events in Prague. Our thanks go to Petr Dedek and David Trunda for their creativity and enthusiasm. Their professional approach and motivation have taken the event to a whole new level and the Vienna International Czech Republic is honored to be part of this happening. We are convinced that our hotels will provide the perfect facilities for the players, caddies, their families, the press, sponsors and many others,” says Francois Mary, the Regional Director Vienna International Hotel Management AG.

The Czech Republic advertised in 130 countries The family of sponsors of the D+D REAL

Masters has grown by the Czech Tourism agency – a national organization that aims to promote the Czech Republic abroad. The influx of golf

tourists has always been one of the key areas of focus of the agency.

“The TV spots will be broadcasted in 130 countries. Millions of golf fans will see the invitation to come to the Czech Republic. We believe that this will increase the increase of foreigners in the Czech golf resorts,” says Petr Dedek, the Chairman of the Board of RELMOST.

There are numerous event and travel agencies from different European countries that have shown a genuine interest in the event. By now, we already have 120 incoming golf lovers from Spain confirmed; one German promoter agency has booked a private tournament for its clients, many tickets have been sold in Austria, and we are in the middle of negotiations with a Swiss partner who wants to bring his clients.

RELMOST is the promoter of the following tournaments:D+D REAL Czech Challenge (Kuneticka Hora)

26 May – 1 June, 2014 D+D Slovakia Challenge (Penati) 7 June – 13 July,

2014 D+D REAL Czech Masters (Albatross) 18 August –

24 August, 2014


Petr Dedek and Jiri Vavra revealing the tournament trophies. Winner trophy of D+D Real Czech Masters in the middle accompanied withD+D REAL Czech Challenge trophy and D+D REAL Slovakia Challenge trophy

From left: Stanislav Lisner, General Manager, Albatross Golf Resort, Zdenek Kodejs, President,Czech Golf Federation, Jiri Vavra, 1st Deputy Mayor of Prague, and Petr Dedek, CEO, RELMOST

Management of RELMOST promotion company – David Trunda, Tomas Gebrt, Petr Dedek, and Eva Kynclova


personal enlightenment

BALANCE:THE BUSINESS-LIFE CONNECTIONPart V: “InePt” Student WInSnobel PrIze!a,b

■ It is critical that parents and educators pay attention to young children and the discovery of their fundamen-tal Essence – that special thing that they do well and like to do.■ This Essence is what leads to their true Life Purpose, and ultimately long-term personal Fulfillment.■ The case of John Gurdon is presented and the trav-esty that occurred when an educator was not effective in guiding him toward the discovery of his Essence.■ Gurdon ultimately succeeded due to the support of his parents and his personal tenacity to find his Life Purpose.■ The journey to long-term Fulfillment always follows the same path:

Essence ➞ Need ➞ Life Purpose ➞ Passion ➞Energy ➞ Creativity ➞ Innovation ➞ Reward ➞

Gratitude ➞FULFILLMENT

* * *

Unfortunate TimesFifteen-year-old John Gurdon was mulling over

one of the most challenging and vexing questions that each of us confronts one time or another, “What should I do with my life?” “Perhaps, I will be a scientist,” he thought. At the time John was

a student at Eton Boarding School, a high school located near Windsor, England. Then he received his report card. Here is what his teacher had to say about his capabilities, particularly in his studies of biology:

“It has been a disastrous half. His work has been far from satisfactory. His prepared work has been badly learned, and several of his test pieces have been torn over; one such piece of prepared work scored 2 points out of a possible 50. His other work has been equally bad, and several times he has been in trouble, because he will not listen, but insists on doing his work in his own way.”

“I believe he has ideas about becoming a scientist; on his present showing this is quite ridiculous, if he can’t learn simple biological facts he would have no chance of doing the work of a scientist, and it would be a sheer waste of time, both on his part, and of those who have to teach him.”

That year, John placed 250th out of 250 students and his total number of points for the semester was 231 out of a possible 550 points,

a mere 42 percent. Thereafter, he was not allowed to study any of the sciences for the remainder of his stay at Eton.

BUT – John Gurdon, the apparent “inept” highschool student eventually received a universitydegree in zoology, and went on to win the

2012 Nobel Prize in Physiology & Medicine [Figure 1]. How is that possible?

A Scholarly JourneyFor 25 years, John was a Fellow of Churchill

College at Cambridge University, where I too am a Foreign Fellow. His life story has always amused and interested me, as it provides great insight on discovering and pursuing your Life Purpose, and absolute necessity to uncover your fundamental Essence in order to find your purpose. Let’s take

a closer look. For John’s remaining time at Eton Boarding School, since he was not allowed to pursue any further science courses, he studied Homer and other Greek and Latin scholars. He learned their works and translated them into English, something he enjoyed to some extent, but he wasn’t very good at it. His real love, which began to blossom towards the end of his stay at Eton, was science, just as he had glimpsed a few years earlier when taking biology. In his free time, he enjoyed studying insects as well as plants, many of which he studied as a hobby. John was determined to find a way into science.

Never Give UpBecause of his poor showing at Eton, John

was barely accepted at Oxford University, where he was advised to study any other topic but the Classics, for which he had taken the entrance exam. This didn’t disturb John as his interest in science, and in particular entomology, was rapidly growing. With some difficulty, he eventually persuaded the administration to allow him to pursue a degree in zoology.

After graduation, John applied to study for his PhD at Oxford in entomology, but again was rejected. He was, however, accepted as a PhD candidate in embryology. This course of events would change his life.

James A. Cusumano, PhD

“Live as if you were to die tomorrow.Learn as if you were to live forever.”

Mahatma Gandhi

FIGURE 1: Sir John Gurdon had an inkling while in high schoolthat he was interested in a career in science, but his biologyteacher said that “He would have no chance of doing the workof a scientist, and it would be a sheer waste of time, both on his part, and of those who have to teach him.” John won the 2012Nobel Prize in Medicine.

A EDITOR’S COMMENT – This is the fifth article in a seriesbased on the author’s latest book, “BALANCE: The Business-Life Connection, SelectBooks, New York, 2013.” The book is based on three decades of personal experience on how to achieve success and long-term fulfillment in both your personal and professional lives. Details concerning the book and points of purchase can be found at www.JamesCusumano.Com.B The author may be reached at [email protected].


personal enlightenmentHis professor assigned him the most challenging

task of determining whether all the different cells in the body had the same set of genes. At the time, the common wisdom was that this was highly unlikely. John was immensely attracted to his thesis topic and dug in with great enthusiasm and passion.

He had found the beginnings of his Life Purpose. “If I can shed some light on this topic, perhaps it will have an impact on our understanding of the human genome and the life process,” he pondered. And indeed it did have an impact.

Life’s Mystery UnfoldsYou see, life begins when a fertilized egg divides

and forms new cells, which in turn continue to divide. All of these cells are identical at the beginning of this process, but as the life process proceeds, they become highly specialized into, for example, nerve cells, heart cells, brain cells, etc. At the time scientists were convinced that after these cells became specialized, there was no way they could ever return to their original state. John showed this to be incorrect, and his work led to cloning [Figure 2], and has had a major impact on the possibilities for human in-vitro fertilization.

Briefly – in his PhD research, John extracted the nucleus of a fertilized frog egg, and he replaced it with the nucleus of a mature specialized cell from a tadpole’s intestine. This new “hybrid” cell actually grew into a frog and in doing so, John proved that mature highly specialized cells still contain all of the genetic information required to form all types of cells and therefore, a fully-formed species like a frog – or a human being!1

John’s work not only has important implications for cloning and in-vitro fertilization without the need to use embryo stem cells, but also forms the basis for developing techniques to treat a large number of challenging diseases [Figure 3].

Another of our colleagues at Churchill College, Dr. Robert Edwards pioneered in-vitro fertilization using many of the aspects of John Gurdon’s work, and in 1978 produced the first “test-tube” baby, Louise Joy Brown, born in England.

The Thrill of Life PurposeThe process by which John Gurdon found his Life

Purpose is similar to that described in my book, BALANCE: The Business-Life Connection. At the age of 15, deep down at a very basic level, he

FIGURE 2: Cloning plants has been known since the turn of the20th century. Now, based on the work of scientists such asSir John Gurdon, cloning of animals and eventually humansis possible. These techniques are also useful to combatchallenging diseases.

FIGURE 3: As a result of the findings of research by Sir John Gurdon and other accomplished scientists, in-vitro fertilization has become a common procedure enabling people to have children who have not been successful by conventional means.

1 Sir John B. Gurdon – Facts”. Nobelprize.org. NobelMedia AB 2013. Web. 23 Apr 2014. http://www.nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/medicine/laureates/2012/gurdon-facts.html


knew what he wanted to do with his life. He wanted to be a scientist; he had found his Essence. But at Eton Boarding School, he had a difficult time bringing this direction to the surface. And, he wasn’t particularly helped by his science teacher, who wrote him off as a “lost cause.”

This is exactly the point where John needed one of those “giants” we often meet from time to time during our life journey to help pull his predilections out of him and to coach him. Receiving just the opposite from his science teacher at Eton, he rebelled as teenagers can do, and insisted on doing biology his own way. The result was the teacher’s retribution, and the loss was John’s!

John has often said that the role of the necessary “giants” at this point in his life was played by his two dedicated parents. They encouraged him to carry on and pursue his emerging interests in science. Once, he fully recognized this interest and his own innate capabilities, he identified a project – a Need – which if successful, could eventually make a positive difference in the world.

This led to John’s intense Passion to solve this seemingly impossible problem. And as is always the case under such circumstances, there is the creation of great physical and emotional Energy, which enabled him to apply the huge level of creative effort necessary.

Furthermore, under these conditions of low stress, communication between the left and right hemispheres of the brain becomes open and facile and leads to high Creativity, well beyond that which we normally experience. This fosters Innovation and enabled John to solve difficult challenges, which most thought unsolvable.

As a consequence, he experienced a Reward.In this case, it was opportunities to achieve

more exciting academic positions and eventually, the emotional and financial reward that come with winning the Nobel Prize, currently worth $1.2 million. John never set out to make a lot of money; the money came as a result of him following his Dream.

As I have explained in my book, this Rewardleads to deep Gratitude, which is always thesource of lasting Fulfillment. John’s journey

followed the classic path to long-term life fulfillment:

Essence ➞ Need ➞ Life Purpose ➞ Passion ➞Energy ➞ Creativity ➞ Innovation ➞ Reward ➞

Gratitude ➞

FULFILLMENT

Lessons LearnedJohn Gurdon began to see the seeds of his

deep interest in science at age 15. However, his science teacher was not only ineffective in helping him; he drove him in the opposite direction. Instead of helping John understand his fundamental Essence, and assisting him in digging deeper to pull it out of his consciousness, he nearly irreversibly crushed his burgeoning interest in science. The message here is for educators to spend time helping students understand their interests and exposing them to the possibilities of how to express these interests and what may be their potential.

John, fortunately had two parents who played the role of “giants” in his life by encouraging him to dig into his interests in science and pursue them, believing that he would eventually find clarity as to the direction to follow.

But there was another major factor in the equation. John never stopped asking the questions: What am I good at? How can I make a difference in the world with my skills? And though he did not immediately know the answers to these questions, he was patient as he knew that he would eventually move into the answers. And he did – big time!

Sat, Chit, Ananda!

Enjoy your journey, make a difference!

James A. Cusumano, PhD ■

James A. Cusumano (www.JamesCusumano.Com & http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_A._Cusumano) is Chairman and Owner of Chateau Mcely (www.ChateauMcely.Com), chosen in 2007 by the European Union as the only “Green” 5-star luxury hotel in Central and Eastern Europe and in 2008 by the World Travel Awards as The World’s Leading Green Hotel. It is home to Chateau Mcely Forum™ (www.ChateauMcelyForum.Com) which offers programs that teach the principles of Inspired Leadership. He is a former Research Director for Exxon, and subsequently founded two public companies in Silicon Valley, one in clean power generation, the other in pharmaceuticals manufacture via environmentally-benign, low-cost, catalytic technologies. While he was Chairman and CEO, the latter – Catalytica Pharmaceuticals, Inc. – grew in less than 5 years, to a $1 billion enterprise with 2,000 employees. He is coauthor of Freedom from Mid-East Oil, released in 2007 by World Business Academy Press (www.WorldBusiness.Org) and author of Cosmic Consciousness – A Journey to Well-being, Happiness and Success, published in English and Czech by Fortuna Libri, 2011. His new book, BALANCE: The Business—Life Connection was published in 2013 by SelectBooks in New York City. It was published in Czech in October 2013 by Fortuna Libri.

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diplomatic event

Russian National Day

From left: H.E. Sergey B. Kiselev, Ambassador of the Russian Federation and Jan Hamáček, Chairman of the Parliament of the CR

From left: Alexander Akulinin, Project Manager, Russia and CIS Operation, Comenius, Benke Aikell, your Publisher, Igor S. Plaskin, Head of the Economic Department, 1st Deputy, Embassy of the Russian Federation in the CR, and Ing. Miloš Janů, Managing Partner, Czech – Kuwait Trading Ltd.

From left: JUDr. Jaroslav Roman, Managing Director, Europartner Consulting s.r.o., Mr. Benjamin Szakal, Mr. Bedřich Kopecký, Marta Mayerová, Senator, and Mgr. Václav Snopek, CSc., Member of the Committee on Economic Affairs, Parliament of the CR Edvard Outrata, former Senator and his wife Jana

From left: H.E. Sergey B. Kiselev, Ambassador of the Russian Federation and H.E. Grazyna Bernatowicz, Ambassador of Poland


Partner

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diplomatic event

From left: Sergey Matveev, Head of the Economic Department, Chamber of Commerce of the Russian Federation in the CR and H.E. Jose Perreira Gomes, Ambassador of Portugal with his wife

From left: H.E. Mohamed Ibrahim Abdel Hakam, Ambassador of Egypt, H.E. Daniela AndaGrigore Gitman, Ambassador of Romania, and H.E. Moncef Hajeri, Ambassador of Tunisia

From left: Jan Fulík, Director of the Security Department, CR, Office of the President and Karel Muzikář, President, Comenius

From left: Miro Smolák, Owner and Director, MIRO Gallery and Doc. Ing. Václav Petříček, CSc., Chairman of the Board, Chamber of Trade and Industry for CIS Countries

From left: Rim Karra, H.E. Sawsan Al-Azzawi Mualla, Ambassador of the Republic of Iraq, H.E. Hussain Saleh Majeed Mualla, Ambassador of Iraq, and MUDr. Jamal Karra CSc., D.D.S, MS, Senior Consultant, Private Dental and Maxillo Facial Clinic

From left: H.E. George Monteiro Prata, Ambassador of Brazil, MartaMayerová, Senator, and H.E. Cihad Erginay, Ambassador of Turkey

From left: Colonel Eng. László Hajnik, Middle-European Regional Defence, Military and Air Attaché of Hungary in Austria, CR, Slovakia, Slovenia, and Colonel Gerardo López-MAyoral H., Spanish Defence, Military and Air Attaché

Vladimir S. Mikoyan, Regional Representative in Eastern Europe, Chamberof Commerce and Industry of the Russian Federation with his wife

Mrs. Nounen Zastouknova and Mrs. Yulia Ananikyan

Partner

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diplomatic event

JUDr. Vladimir Ermakov, CSc., CEO,VEMEX s.r.o. with his wife

From left: Anatoly Agapov, Board of Trade – Envoy, Embassy of the Russian Federation in the CR and Ing. František Masopust, Executive Director, Chamber of Trade and Industry for CIS Countries

From left: Peter Závodský, dipl. manager, Advisor to the Minister, Ministry of Industry and Trade and Ing. Milan Hovorka, Deputy Minister of Industry and Trade From left: Sergey Smirnov, Board of Trade, Embassy of the Russian

Federation in the CR, and Jaromír Šlápota, President, ČSÚZFrom left: Alexander Akulinin, Project Manager, Russia and CIS Operation, Comenius and Oleg Alborov, Chairman, KCPC

From left: Ing. Miloš Janů, Managing Partner, Czech – Kuwait Trading Ltd., H.E. Pablo Macedo, Ambassador of Mexico, H.E. Jan Thompson, Ambassador of Great Britain, H.E. Jens Eikaas, Ambassador of Norway, H.E. Franki C Verwey, Ambassador of South Africa, and H.E. Souriya Otmani, Ambassador of Morocco

Partner


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ČSÚZ

OECD (REgiOnal DEvElOpmEnt pOliCy DivisiOn) pRaguE institutE

Of planning anD DEvElOpmEnt City Of pRaguE hElD an intERnatiOnal COnfEREnCE On gOvERnanCE Of lanD usE in OECD COuntRiEs

From left: Pavel Rozsypal, Ambassador of the Czech Republic to the OECD, Tomáš Hudeček, Mayor of Prague, Daniel Braun, First Deputy Minister, Ministry for Regional Development of the Czech Republic, and Tomáš Ctibor, Acting Director, IPR Prague

From left: Tomáš Drdácký, Mayor of the Prague Borough of Trojaand Miroslav Šajtar, Strategic Planning Specialist, IPR Prague

From left: Ivana Radová, Bilateral Cooperation Unit, Ministry of the Environment of the Czech Republic and Markéta Braine-Supkova, President of IUFN, Executive Director of UrbanFoodLabFrom left: Petr Konvalinka, Rector of the Czech Technical University in Prague, Tomáš Ctibor, Acting

Director, IPR Prague, Jose Enrique Garcilazo, Head of the Unit for the Rural and Regional Develop-ment Programme, OECD, Miroslav Šajtar, Strategic Planning Specialist, IPR Prague; Radek Špicar, Executive Director, Aspen Institute, Rudiger Ahrend, Head of the Regional Economics and Governance Programme, OECD, and Jaromír Hainc, Deputy Head, Office of the Metropolitan Plan, IPR Prague

From left: Rudiger Ahrend, Head of the Regional Economics and Governance Programme, OECD, Jaromír Hainc, Deputy Head, Office of the Metropolitan Plan, IPR Prague, and Jose Enrique Garcilazo, Head of the Unit for the Rural and Regional Development Programme, OECD

From left: Walid Oueslati, Head of the Empirical Policy Analysis Unit, Environment Directorate, OECD and Marek Zděradička, Head of the Office of Infrastructure, IPR Prague


The conference was held onMay 15–16, 2014, in Prague,in the residence of the Mayorin the historical city centre.The conference broughttogether international expertson land-use policies as wellas policy makers to discusschallenges and best practicesof effective land use.The event took place underthe auspices of the Mayorof the City of PragueMr. Tomáš Hudeček.

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ČSÚZ

CZECHOSLOVAK FOREIGN INSTITUTEDISCUSSED ITS NEW PROJECTS IN THEGENERAL MEETING ON 21 MAY 2014

For the next two years, the Czechoslovak Foreign Institute will be managedby the board, elected by the General Meeting on May 21, 2014.

Working board (from right): JUDr. Ivana Syrůčková – moderating the General Meeting, vice-chairman of the Czechoslovak Foreign Institute PhDr. Libuše Benešová, chairman Jaromír Šlápota, vice-chairman Ing. Vladimír Kubiš, CSc., vice-chairman Ivo Valenta and chairman of the Czechoslovak Foreign Institute Bratislava Mgr. Radoslav Baran.


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ČSÚZ

Members of the Czechoslovak Foreign Institute approvedits working plan till the year 2016 unanimously.

Chairman of the control and inspectionboard Mgr. Marta Gellová.

Chairman Jaromír Šlápota spoke aboutactivities in the last two years.

Vice-chairman PhDr. Libuše Benešováwelcomed participants.

Honorary guest JUDr. Karel Kühnl, a special representative for fellowcountrymen affairs of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (1st row in the middle).

Activity of one-year existing new organization part ofthe Czechoslovak Foreign Institute in Bratislava wasintroduced by its chairman Mgr. Radoslav Baran.

CZECHOSLOVAK FOREIGN INSTITUTEDISCUSSED ITS NEW PROJECTS IN THEGENERAL MEETING ON 21 MAY 2014

Czechoslovak Foreign Institute is an independent and voluntarily institution, the members of which respect racial, religious and political tolerance. For nine decades already, it has been cooperating with Czech and Slovak fellow countrymen organizations that contribute to the development of Czech language command of our fellow countrymen children and children of Czechs living abroad and that promote Czech culture and a good name of the Czech Republic in the world. Over last years, thanks to sponsors among its members and friends, the Czechoslovak Foreign Institute can provide Czech schools abroad with modern technical equipment, books and textbooks. It co-operates with European universities where Czech is taught, namely in Lvov, Kiev, St. Petersburg, Moscow, Minsk, Baku and with Czech schools in Vienna and Daruvar. The Institute gives their students the opportunity to study summer Czech programs in Prague. The Institute contributes financially to reconstruction and

operation of meeting houses and clubs, it provides fellow countrymen art ensembles with costumes and music instruments and based on requests it supports their other activities and projects.

The participants gave a warm welcome to representatives of the Czechoslovak Foreign Institute in Slovakia. Its chairman Mgr. Radoslav Baran took place in the board of the General meeting, he informed about their one-year activity and plans for the next period – preparation of the Summer school of Slovak language for children of the Slovaks living abroad and Stipend fond of the Czechoslovak Foreign Institute for financing studies of talented fellow-countrymen from abroad at Slovak universities.

The General meeting was attended by representatives from Embassies, by a special representative for fellow countrymen affairs of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs JUDr. Karel Kühnl and by many other personalities from the public life. The Czechoslovak Foreign Institute members decided

in the meeting that the main areas of its activities will again include especially: co-operation with Czech schools and

kindergartens in Croatia and Austria, co-operation with mentioned universities and

with Czech schools without boarders in Brussels and London, organization of traditional summer courses of

Czech language including field and cultural experience in the Czech Republic for fellow countrymen, students in fellow countrymen schools and students of Czech language from European universities.Jaromír Šlápota was elected a chairman of the

Czechoslovak Foreign Institute for next two years, Mgr. Radoslav Baran, PhDr. Libuše Benešová, Ing. Vladimír Kubiš, CSc. and Ivo Valenta its vice-chairmen, Miroslav Langr, Ing. Jiří Musil and Ing. Jiří Rudolf its other members of the board.

Hebr ■

110

culture event

OpeningceremOny in themirO galleryprague andafterparty inthe lindnerhOtel praguecastle

From left: Miro Smolák, Owner and Director,MIRO Gallery Prague during his opening speech,Petr Štěpán, Art Historian, and Haralampi G.Oroschakoff, Austrian Painter, Illustrator and Writer

From left: Peter Brožek, Dynastion Czech Republic, UlfLandeberg, General Manager, Lindner Hotel PragueCastle, and Robert Gregov, Dynastion Czech Republic

Ivo Gajdoš, Czech Manager Associationand Šárka Denková, Writer

From left: Alejandro Miguel Ziegler González,Embassy of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela withhis partner and Haralampi G. Oroschakoff, Artist

From left: Petr Chromčák, Conductor with his partner

From left: Ing. Vladimír Stanko, Managing Director, CzechoslovakReal, and MUDr. Martin Papáč with his wife Erika

From left: Vlastimil Harapes, Ballet Dancerand Actor and MgA. Vladislav Kučík, Writer


exhibitiOn haralampi g. OrOschakOff (*1955)

different WOrlds

6. 5.–29. 6. 2014

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culture event

From left: PaeDr. Hynek Kmoníček, Director, InternationalDepartment of the Office of the President of the CzechRepublic with his wife and Juraj Jakubisko, Film Director withhis wife Deana Jakubisková, Film Producer and ActressH.E. Ziauddin Mojadedi, Ambassador

of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistanin the Czech Republic

From left: Miro Smolák, Alena Miro, Opera Singer,Soloist of the National Theatre, Diana von Hohenthalund Bergen, and Haralampi G. Oroschakoff, Artist

From left: Miloš Jaro, European – RussianBank and Haralampi G. Oroschakoff, Artist

From left: Juan Braun, Shaman, Writer and Presidentof the Journalists with no Borders with his partner andJan Vodňanský, Writer, Actor and Musician with his wife

Ing. Zdeněk Filla, Confederation of Industryof the Czech Republic with his wifeHaralampi G. Oroschakoff and Johannes Lobkowicz


EU matters interviewEU matters interview

MEP Martina Dlabajová: We need to understand that we cannot changeanything through pure criticism and negative attitudes towards the EU.Since we are a part of the EU, we need to take an active approach.After the EU studies at Padova University where she obtained titleDott., she dedicated her professional life to business and internationalconsulting. Since 2012 she has been the Chairwoman of the Zlin regionalChamber of Commerce. She is active as president of Zlin Rotary Club andDirector of Zlinsky zamek project. Martina Dlabajová was elected in MayEuropean Parliament’s elections to represent ANO party in the EuropeanParliament.

MEP Kateřina Konečná: Czech citizens need to see concrete positiveresults. Only after that, they may overcome their scepticism vis-à-vis theEuropean Union.After graduating from Masaryk University she became the youngestmember of the Czech Chamber of Deputies in 2002. As a Member of theCzech Communist party, her long-lasting interest in politics brought herfirst through her membership in Foreign Affairs Committee and laterin the Environment Committee of the Chamber of Deputies. Comingfrom Moravian-Silesian Region, which has long suffered from poor airquality, she saw an urgent need to deal with environment regulation. Sheis a Member of the Trade Union Association of Bohemia, Moravia andSilesia and works very intensively with young people through children’sholiday camps. Kateřina Konečná was elected in May European’selections to represent Czech Communist party in the EuropeanParliament.

An interview with MEPs Kateřina Konečná and Martina Dlabajová

What will be your key priorities in the European Parliament?

Kateřina Konečná: Key political priorities of our manifesto are unemployment, quality of food, equal treatment of all member states without distinction whether they are small or big, new or old. We would also like to raise the issue of a ban on tax havens. Companies should tax their incomes in the country where they produce revenue. The ban on tax havens can bring additional tax revenues for

social programs in all member states. The curb of unproductive expenses can be started from abolishing constant movements of the European Parliament from Brussels to Strasbourg and back, this could save more than 200 million EUR a year.

Martina Dlabajová: I am prepared to fulfil our political programme based on professional experience and knowledge, skills and contacts. One of our goals is to set up fair business environment and reduce administrative burden.

We place a great emphasis on the improvement of educational opportunities, especially within vocational education and training, and interconnection of education with practice. Another goal is to ensure better communication between the government and business sector. I will strive for greater awareness of European funds that will enhance our country’s economical development, especially in the fields of industry, education, sports and culture. Our citizens need to


Photos: Archive

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EU matters interviewunderstand why the EU membership is so important, how the EU affects our lives and how we, as citizens, can influence the functioning of the EU. Thereafter our country can become a confident member of the European Union.

Which Parliament’s committees will you seek to join?

Kateřina Konečná: I would like to be a member of the Committee for Environment, Public Health and Food Safety, because of my experience from the Czech Parliament where I have been active for many years in the Committee for Environment. The reason behind it is that I come from Moravian- Silesian region which is affected by polluted air. Nearly 70 percent of the Czech legislation in the area of environment protection comes from the European legislation. My mission is therefore to contribute to better legislation that will protect our environment.

Martina Dlabajová: I will seek to join committees that correspond to our programme. First, we will take particular steps towards integration in selected European groups in order to take strong position in the EP. Second, we will look closely across individual European topics at the issues of subsidies and their efficient utilization, transportation and infrastructure innovation, but also agriculture and digital agenda. Personally, I will intensively address the issue of elimination of unnecessary administrative burdens for businesses and more effective learning opportunities to enhance the competitiveness of our citizens within the EU.

In your opinion, are there any areas that need to be liberalized in the EU? If yes, please mention which areas you suggest to liberalize.

Kateřina Konečná: I think we have had enough of liberalization. The result of liberalization tendency was the crisis of the financial sector followed by the economic recession. What we need now is more social Europe and to concentrate on creating jobs and enhancing economic growth.

Martina Dlabajová: I will support the completion of free market in areas where liberalization has not yet been systematically completed or where it is necessary to ensure full implementation of the rules and remove administrative obstacles. This is an issue especially for service area or energy sector. We will also strive for liberalization in rapidly evolving field of new technologies, such as telecommunications, e-commerce and the whole range of digital agenda.

How could the EU legislation protect Czech companies against unfair competition from third countries?

Kateřina Konečná: The European Union should conclude trade agreements with third countries and trade blocks that will protect all European companies and guarantee them equal treatment.

Martina Dlabajová: We shall proceed in accordance with the rules of the World Trade Organization. It is important to focus on the issue of dumping or export subsidies. More attention should be paid to the differences in the regulatory environment in the EU and those third countries that produce goods at much lower standards

Amsterdam Athinai Berlin Bratislava Bruxelles Bucureşti Budapest Dublin Helsingfors København Lefkosia Lisboa Ljubljana London Luxembourg Madrid Paris Praha Rïga Roma Sofia Stockholm Tallinn Valletta Vilnius Warszawa Wien

than the EU, which disadvantages our industry. The solution is to create a supervisory authority, or at least a mechanism based on a directive that would support the work of already functioning Directorate-General for Competition of the European Commission. On the basis of a thorough monitoring the EU could adopt appropriate measures.

What can we expect from the TTIP negotiations? What will be the opportunities or disadvantages of this agreement for the Czech Republic?

Kateřina Konečná: The opportunity to have a free trade with the U.S. can be positive for employment and economic growth in the European Union but such a progress should not be achieved at the expense of weaker social standards for employees in the European Union and reduced health standards for foodstuff being usually lower in the U.S. I absolutely disagree with any expansion of disputes arbitrations as proposed in the TTIP. In the Czech Republic, we have very bad experience with arbitrations; they are beneficial only for lawyers and strong multinational companies.

Martina Dlabajová: The TTIP can bring benefits to both parties and strengthen both economies in the transatlantic area. It is assumed that due to these negotiations, the EU GDP shall increase by 0.5% by the year 2027. Speaking in short terms, the common regulatory framework based on shared values should help to reinforce democracy, freedom, respect for the environment, healthcare, etc. Our Ministry of Industry and Trade has also recognized potential benefits of this agreement stating that it is a unique opportunity to enhance export oriented economy and deepen political and interpersonal relations across the Atlantic. Though, during the negotiations the Czech Republic needs to call for high customs reduction or cutting red tape related to the differences in certification, technical standards and homologations. The negotiations are in the competence of the European Commission, but as MEPs we want to lead active negotiations with key EU institutions, striving to improve conditions for our businesses.

What is your opinion on the new EU goals in the area of climate and energy?

Kateřina Konečná: I think that the new EU goals in climate and energy policy are very ambitious.Without any coordination with big polluters such as India, China and the U.S. these goals will rather chase EU industry from Europe than having a real positive impact on global climate. The renewables are definitely the future of energy production. However, too ambitious targets can lead to an increase in electricity prices for citizens and companies and endanger jobs and economic growth in the European Union. We have to be very careful in setting up these targets. On the other hand, we need to invest more financial resources into research and development of renewables so that they become more competitive.

Martina Dlabajová: EU energy policy must be balanced with respect to specificities and needs of

different countries. An important issue is the safe nuclear energy and coal mining. We will oppose to disadvantaging nuclear energy and to the use of strategic reserves of coal in our country. We would like to promote environmental technologies used for the carbon dioxide capture and storage. As we declared in our programme, we will do our best to help to solve the problem of sudden electricity overflows from German renewable sources, which threatens the security of the Czech distribution system.

What role should the Czech Republic play in the EU within the next five-year institutional mandate? Which portfolio in the Commission should we aspire for?

Kateřina Konečná: The Czech Republic should play more active role. Last years of centre-right wing governments were in sign of an unproductive euroscepticism. We definitely need better public administration to review Czech interests and better politicians to identify opportunities for giving the civil servants the right direction. Unfortunately, the disputes in recently new coalition government don’t give us much hope regarding the improvement. As for the second question, I am glad that you are asking about the portfolio not about the person as such as the most journalists do. We have to decide first which portfolio is the best to strive and then choose proper person for it. I think that the Czech Republic should aspire for environment portfolio, because environment legislation in the Czech Republic is substantially influenced by the European legislation and it would help to give the EU more positive image in the eyes of Czech citizens who wish to see concrete positive results. Only after that, the Czechs may overcome their scepticism vis-à-vis the European Union.

Martina Dlabajová: We need to understand that we cannot change anything through pure criticism and negative attitudes towards the EU. Since we are part of the EU, we need to take an active approach. Through our effort and interest we may positively influence conditions not only in our country but also in Europe. Through our involvement, pro-active attitude and constructive suggestions, the Czech Republic can become a respected EU member. It is crucial to find a suitable candidate for the position of the Commissioner. He/she has to have an extremely strong personality with a professional and moral credit; should be able to cover the whole range of various topics and also needs to be extraordinary skilful in discussion and negotiation. I don’t think it is realistic to target a specific portfolio. This would be possible only if the leadership of the European Commission unambiguously ensured the selected resort for our country. In general, we should consider a strong portfolio in terms of importance and competence or at least a portfolio of medium importance. Based on discussions with colleagues, the portfolio of internal market, transport, energy, industry or agriculture would be optimal.

Thank you for the interview! Alena Mastantuono, Director of CEBRE –

Czech Business Representation to the EU ■


EU matters debates

Before May elections of the new Members of the European Parliament, CEBRE founders (Czech Chamber of Commerce, Confederation of Industry,Confederation of Employers’ and Entrepreneurs’ Associations) discussed their priorities regarding EU affairs with Czech candidates on 31st March, 2014.The main message was that there is a need to join forces when defending national interests in the EU and be ambitious with regards to the portfolio, whichwill be given to the new Commissioner from the Czech Republic. Better coordination is also needed with future MEPs from the Visegrad Group who mighthave similar views on the issues discussed. Last but not least, new MEPs should also more efficiently cooperate with the national Parliament, not only withregards to early warnings, but also in transposition of EU directives. Furthermore, CEBRE founders briefed the candidates on their priorities in differentareas relevant to business such as energy and climate change, transport, internal market, finance and labour market.


From left: Jan Keller, Czech Social Democratic Party, Kateřina Konečná, CommunistParty of Bohemia and Moravia, Jiří Pospíšil, TOP 09 and Ondřej Liška, Greens

From left: Jaroslav Hanák, President of the Confederation of Industry CR, Jan Wiesner,President of the Confederation of Employers’ and Entrepreneurs’ Associations CR

From left: Petr Mach, Svobodní, Evžen Tošenovský, Civic Democratic Party and Pavel Svoboda, KDU-ČSL

From left: Jan Keller, Czech Social Democratic Party and Kateřina Konečná, Communist Party of Bohemia and Moravia

Petr Mach, Svobodní Martina Dlabajová, ANO

Photo: Jiří Janda

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The General Block Exemptions Regulation (GBER) is being revised and shall allow the Member States to grant the aid withoutprior notification to the Commission, assuming GBER conditions are met. The new draft of GBER focuses on acceleration ofcompatibility assessment with EU Treaties, increasing the notification limits and significant extension of the block exemptioncategories. Up to 90% of state aid cases will fall under GBER and only bigger cases will have to be evaluated by the Commissionex ante. New rules should enter into force in July 2014. Changes brought by State aid rules modernization to Czech entities werediscussed during the debate co-organized by CEBRE, Czech Chamber of Commerce, European Commission Representation tothe CR and European Parliament’s Information Office in the CR on the 27th March 2014 in the European House in Prague.

Last year, the European Commission adopted major regulatory proposals to complete the telecoms single market and deliver a Connected Continent. The aim ofthe proposals is to establish a single European authorisation for operators that provide their services in more than one EU country, terminate roaming within theEU, harmonise the spectrum and virtual access to fixed networks, introduce a safeguarding access to the open internet and strengthen the rights of end-users. Theproposal also lays down harmonized rules on traffic management, which will promote cross-border business activities and improve services to end users. Potentialchanges brought by the single market for electronic communications and its impact on Czech entities were discussed during the debate co-organised by CEBRE,Czech Chamber of Commerce, European Commission Representation to the CR and European Parliament’s Information Office in the CR on 1st April 2014.

Michal Frankl, Member of the Boardof Telefónica Czech Republic

Jiří Peterka, Independent Consultant andPublicist in the field of telecommunications

Ondřej Malý, Member of the Council ofthe Czech Telecommunication Office

Participants of the debate

From left: Josef Schwarz, Coordinator for the Czech Republic, Directorate General for Competition, European Commission, Ramona Ianus, Country Network Manager, Directorate General for Competition, European Commission, and Alena Mastantuono, Director, CEBRE – Czech Business Representation to the EU

From left: Ondřej Dostal, Permanent Representation of the Czech Republic to the EU, and Josef Schwarz, Coordinator for the Czech Republic, Directorate General for Competition, European Commission

From left: Hynek Brom, First, Vice Chairman, Czech Office for the Protection of Competition, Ondřej Dostal, Permanent Representation of the Czech Republic to the EU, and Josef Schwarz, Coordinator for the Czech Republic, Directorate General for Competition, European Commission


Future MePs were brieFed byCebre Founders

new state aid rules extend bloCkexeMP tion regulation, CoMMissionrelies More on MeMber states

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EU matters business

BUSINESS NEWSApril 2014


DID YOU KNOW THAT…?

...the EU is closer to a banking union? During the last plenary session before the elections to the

European Parliament MEPs backed the Commission’s proposals on revision of rules for the banking sector. The package consists of three key texts – Single Resolution Mechanism, Bank Recovery and Resolution Directive, and Deposit Guarantee Schemes Directive – that complete the legislative effort focused on the banking sector. Among other things, the adopted texts change the bank bail-out scenario into bail-in scenario, so that shareholders and creditors bear costs of propping up failing banks instead of taxpayers, simplify cross border as well as domestic resolutions and ensure that depositors’ savings up to EUR 100,000 will be protected from any loss. ...the Commission has adopted new rules on public support?

As part of the Commission’s State Aid Modernisation agenda the European Commission adopted new guidelines on public support for environmental protection and energy in order to support Member States in reaching their 2020 climate goals. The new rules address serious market distortions and increased prices caused by renewables and provide criteria on how Member States can relieve energy intensive companies and bring new provisions to ensure security of supply and strengthen the EU energy market. The key elements of new guidelines consist of gradual introduction of market based mechanisms, promotion of European industry competitiveness, support to cross-border energy infrastructure and simplification of procedures in the field of environmental protection and energy. The new rules will come into force on 1st July 2014 and will be valid until the end of 2020. ...the Final Simplification Scoreboard has been published?

To make the EU funding simpler, more transparent and fairer for the 2014-2020 financial period the European Commission committed to monitor the legislative process through regular publication of a scoreboard that focuses on achievements in simplification of the funding rules. According to the third Simplification scoreboard that was issued in March 2014 over 120 measures have been introduced to cut the red tape and simplify the funding rules for businesses, regions, towns, scientists and NGOs. The EU adopted measures that simplify procedure to get reimbursement in research, shorten deadlines for payments to beneficiaries of cohesion policy funds and reduce time it is mandatory to keep related documentation, introduce e-cohesion, etc. …the European Parliament voted for the “telecoms package”?

On 3rd April 2014, the latest draft of EU “telecoms package” legislation was approved by the European Parliament. The “telecoms package” brings whole range of rules in favour of consumers, such as ban of blocking or slowing down selected services by internet access providers. Nevertheless, internet access providers would still be able to offer specialized services of higher quality, such as video on demand. MEPs also approved the end of roaming by 15th December 2015 ensuring there will be no extra fees for consumers for using a mobile phone to call, send text messages or access the internet in another EU country. The proposal is now being discussed by the Council. ...The European Parliament supported improvement of product safety and market surveillance?

In Mid-April the European Parliament approved new rules on safety of consumer products circulating in the EU’s internal market – including those imported from outside the EU – and to step-up market surveillance concerning all non-food products. The aim of this legislation is to strengthen consumer protection. By making the indication of products’ country of origin clearer the legislation will improve identification and traceability of products. It means that if any product will not comply with European safety or environmental rules, it will be easier to trace and remove it from the internal market. The proposal will now be submitted to the Council for its final approval and it is expected to come into effect in 2015.

LET’S TALK NUMBERS…

Spring 2014 forecasts show continuing economic recovery The European Commission published its spring economic

forecast for 2014 that includes an analysis of macroeconomic indicators such as gross domestic product, inflation, employment,

public budget balance and debt. The prognosis assumes continuation of economic recovery in most Member States and across the EU. Real GDP growth of 1.6% in the EU28 and 1.2% in the euro area in 2014 should continue and reach 2.0% and 1.7% respectively in 2015. The forecast is based on the assumption that Member States and the EU will implement the agreed policy measures. While the prognosis foresees domestic demand to become a key driver for growth, the importance of net exports should decrease. A gradual pick-up in economic growth should be supported through job creation and further decline in unemployment rates. Furthermore, the study expects low inflation both in the EU and in the euro area, and reduction of governmental deficits. Annual inflation in euro area is stable

According to the latest EUROSTAT data, the annual inflation rate in March 2014 reached 0.5% and 0.6% in the euro area and the EU respectively. In comparison with the previous month, the rate decreased by 0.2 percentage points in both regions. A year earlier the rate was 1.7% and 1.9% respectively. While the highest numbers were observed in the United Kingdom (1.5%), Malta and Austria (1.4% both), negative annual rates were recorded in eight Member States such as Bulgaria (-2.0%), Greece (-1.5%) and Cyprus (-0.9%) The annual inflation rate in the Czech Republic was 0.3%. Satisfaction with working conditions deteriorated

According to a recent survey conducted by Eurobarometer in EU28, 53% of European workers perceive working conditions in their country as good, but at the same time, 57% of them state their working conditions have deteriorated in the last five years. The study focuses mainly on satisfaction regarding working hours, work-life balance, health and safety at work. Satisfaction of workers with their own working conditions is 77% on average, but it greatly differs across Member States. Most satisfied workers are in Denmark (94%), Austria and Belgium (90%) and Finland (89%), Greece stands on the opposite side of the imaginary ladder with satisfaction rate of only 38%. The survey points out the areas which could further improve, such as work intensity, work-life balance, and health and safety at work. EU activity contributes to gender equality

The European Commission has published results of an annual gender equality report showing that in 2013, the EU pursued equality between men and women and took steps to solve the issue of gender gaps, salary and pension’s discrepancies, violence and equality in decision-making. Even though the gaps have been significantly reduced, the progress differs among the Member States and areas. The report shows that EU funding helped to increase the employment rate of women to 63% in 2013 from 58% in 2002. The gender pay gap still stagnates at 16.4% Europe-wide and women are still paid 16% less than men per hour and women’s employment rate is still lower than men’s. However, the number of women in boards increased from 11% in 2010 to 17.8% in 2014. Volume of retail trade rose by 0.3% in EU 28

The European Statistical Office released figures which show that in March 2014 in comparison to previous month, the volume of retail trade increased by 0.3% both in euro area and EU28. The monthly volume of retail trade rose both in the euro area and the EU28, mainly because of the positive development in the food, drinks and tobacco sector and was hindered by a decrease in the non-food sector. While the automotive fuel sector fell by 0.3% in the euro area, it rose by 1.0% in the EU28. The highest numbers in total retail trade were observed in Estonia and Latvia (both +2.8%), France (+2.3%) and Romania (2.2%) on one side and Portugal (-1.7%), Austria (-0.9%), Germany, Ireland and Slovenia (all -0.7%) on the other. Annually the retail trade went up by 0.9% in the euro area and by 1.6% in the EU28 mainly due to increase in non-food and automotive fuel sectors.

IN THE WORLD

EU and Tunisia signed Mobility Partnership To facilitate movement of people between the EU

and Tunisia and promote a common and responsible management of existing migratory flows, both parties Tunisia and ten EU Member States – Belgium, Denmark, Germany, Spain, France, Italy, Poland, Portugal, Sweden and the United

Kingdom – signed a joint declaration at the beginning of March. Implementation of the Partnership will result in many initiatives, one of which is the beginning of negotiations on an agreement to facilitate the procedures for issuing visas. To boost the mobility the Partnership seeks to improve the information available to qualified Tunisian citizens concerning employment, training and education opportunities it the EU, and to simplify the recognition of professional and other qualifications. This Mobility Partnership is second of its kind among Mediterranean countries and follows the one signed with Morocco in June 2013. EU and Japan exchanged offers

At the end of March 2014, EU and Japan launched the fifth round of negotiations for a free trade agreement in Tokyo. During the five days of negotiations the EU and Japanese negotiators met in order to discuss a whole range of topics, including anti-dumping rules, tariffs and quotas, access to public tenders, trade in services, or investment. The aim of the talks was also to lay the ground for future cooperation, including on regulatory matters. Now, EU officials are planning to review the progress of bilateral talks with special focus on whether Japan has made satisfactory efforts to eliminate trade barriers. It is estimated that the agreement could boost European economy by 0.6% to 0.8%. Once the agreement will come into force, EU exports to Japan could increase by over 30%, while Japanese exports to the EU would increase by over 20%. EU and USA focused on smaller firms during the fourth round of TTIP negotiation

In the middle of March the fourth round of negotiations on the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership took place in Brussels. Both sides showed their commitment during weeklong trade talks to explore ways how to make it easier for small and medium sized companies to benefit from the TTIP. As regards market access, offers had been already exchanged on tariffs, so the negotiators took the way forward in the field of services and public procurement. The fifth round was held in Arlington from 19–23 May, 2014 and was dedicated to the full range of issues such as trade in goods and services, investment, regulatory issues, sanitary and phytosanitary measures, procurements, IPR, e-commerce and telecommunications and energy. EU started negotiations on investment protection agreement with Myanmar/Burma

After the Member States backed the negotiating mandate in Brussels on 18th March, EU Commission launched negotiations of an investment protection agreement between the European Union and Myanmar/Burma in Nay Pyi Taw. The investment agreement aims to attract investment to Myanmar and the EU by improving protection and fair treatment of investors from both sides and thus provide EU investors key guarantees in their relationship with Myanmar. By securing protection against discrimination, expropriation without compensation or unfair and inequitable treatment and attracting foreign direct investment, the agreement could have positive impact on development and reform process in Myanmar. So far EU investment in Myanmar has been limited due to previous EU sanctions. Commission has proposed temporary tariff cuts for Ukraine

Given the situation in the country and the challenges faced by Ukraine, the European Commission adopted a proposal on tariff cuts for Ukrainian exports to the EU. This is one of the measures presented by the European Council at the beginning of March aiming to help stabilize Ukraine’s economy. With this step the EU advances the implementation of the Association Agreement’s provision on Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Area (DCFTA) tariffs section by providing trade preferences and starts to reduce custom duties on Ukrainian products. These preferences are being granted only until 1 November 2014, but it is expected that the DCFTA will be signed by that time. While the tariffs will be removed for 94.7% of industrial products, the agricultural and processed food products will be granted only partial liberalisation through duty-free tariff rate quotas in order to protect the EU agriculture sector.

Brought by CEBRE – Czech Business Representation to the EU (kindly supported by Ministry of Industry and Trade of the CR), www.cebre.cz

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Documents

Prague Leaders Magazine Issue 03/2014