Prague Leaders Magazine Issue 06/2010 by Czech & Slovak Leaders

NO 6/2010

www.leadersmagazine.cz

195,- CZK

Leaders Magazine No 6/2010

m a g a z i n e

incl. electronic version

now available in Brussels

Milan Chovanec, Governor of the Pilsen Region Photo: Mr. Chovanec´s archive

The Region of

NO DEBTS Discussion Event

State Awards

Round Table of Comenius with Governor of the Czech National Bank The Round Table was then attended by a greater number of foreign diplomats and businessmen, and the discussion topics besides including... 

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Charity Event

Technology Event

National Theatre

Honors at the Prague Castle

Adopt a Doll, Save a Child

Ostrava NATO Days

Ariadne and Nightingale

On the occasion of the 28th of October 2010, the president of the Czech Republic, prof. Ing. Václav Klaus, CSc. decided to reward outstanding contributions to the civic building of a free...

Last year, UNICEF’s spending on vaccination programs reached USD 479 million, which represents the protection against diseases such as diphtheria, tuberculosis, poliomyelitis...

Elite in Military, Aerospace and Security

In cooperation with Leaders Magazine

The greatest event in the field of aviation, military and security in Central Europe, entitled NATO Days, was held in Ostrava between the...

The new, 128th season at the National Theatre started with a performance of operas concert of two masters of modern opera: Ariadne by...

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19.1.2010 15:08:28 22.3.2010 9:39:03

publishers note & contents

Dear Readers, The autumn, with its fantastic colors and its days of gentle fog, creates a very special atmosphere. I think it mak akes es people restless and want ntin nt ingg to do mo in more ree things. Questionss ar aree po poppingg up mor oree regularly duuriring n thiis titime me,, qu me ques e titioons such as: Shhal all I go out and do soome meth thin th ingg in usef efful ul?? Or sha hall I stayy indo inndo door ors, or s, andd mak akee itt c ozy wii th c an a dl dlel e igg ht ht, indulgee in a ta tast stef st eful ef ul s te tew, and ndd drirnk Bou ourg rgog rg ogne og ne wine wi nees? Inn autumn, th ther eree ar er aree a lo lott off mix ixed feelinngs goi oing ng aro roun undd while natture sloowly un slid ides id es int ntoo itt s loong winter sleepp. But rest asssurr ed t ha Bu hatt we are not ot slee sl eeeping. We aree in th thee fina nall stage of na concluudi dinng the hee Nov ovem embe em beer is sue with th man anyy exxci an cititit ng ar ticles,, int n er view nt ews and topp leveel ev e ennts ts.. On ouur fro ront ro n pag agee we are gla ag ladd to have the ne new Go Gove vern ve rnor rn or of thee Piils lseen Region Mr Mr. Miilaan Ch Chov ovaanec. A laaw gr ov grad adua ad u te fro rom m th thee La Law w Sc Scho h ol of Westt Bo Bohe h mi m an Uni nivvers rsitityy inn Pilsen, and rs nd a for orme or merr fif rstt de deputy Goveernor,r, h toook over he er aftfter er his predeece cess ssor ss or Mrs rs. Em Emme mero me rováá wonn a seat in the Hou ouse o Dep of eput utie ut ies. Lea ie eadders Mag aggaz a inne co cong ngratuulaates Mr. Chhovvan ng anec ec upon hi h s neew postt, and we are con po onvi vinc vi nced nc ed tha hat the Pi P lssen Region willll have a st stro rong ro ng, caapa ng pabble andd compet eten et entt Go en Gove vern ve rnor.. rn Allso in th this is issue we ar are happy too hav avee ot othe herr in he i tereest stiing interviews ws suc uchh as Mr.. JiJiříří Schhneider, Fiirs Mr rstt De Depu puty pu ty Min inis iste is ter of For te orei or eign ei gn Affairs, Mr. Ja Jann Greg egor eg or, or Deputy Minnisste t r off Fin inan ance an ce,, Ge Gene n raal Miroslav Štěěpán, n, Gen e eral Direc irec ecto torr of the to Fire Fi re Res esccue cue Se Serv rvic vic icee of the C zech zeechh Rep epub ublilicc, Mr.r. Miriros osla laav Kř Kříž ížžek ek, new new CE CEO O of Czec Cz echI hInv nves estt, Mr. Zde dennek Velíšekk, doyyen of th thee Fo Fore reig ignn Af Affa fairirs Se S cttioon at Czech Tellevisi Te sioon News, Mrs rs.. Marie Sc Schhiffffer erov ová, á, Direcc toor of the Soj ojoourrn Centre for Reha Re habilitation and Ree-qu qual alifific icat atio ion for th thee Bl B indd Dědina, Mrr. Franntitiše šekk Uh Uhlílířř, lead adinng Cz Czec echh Ja Jazz zz Con ontrtrab a as asssist, MUDr. Št Šteffan Vítko, He Head ad Doc octo torr at the Clin Cl inic of Ne Nephro rolo logy IKEM, M, jus ust to name a fe few w. I am als lsoo happy to annnouuncce tw twoo ne new w co cont ntriribu buto tors rs to Le Leaaders Magaziinee. Ms. Cristina Ms na Muntean is a jo jour urna nalilist and nd media adv dvis isoor with more thhann 12 years of expe peririen ence ce. Sh Shee wrotte mo moree thhan 3,000 neews art rtic icles, fea eatture res andd in an inte terv rvie iews ws whi hile le worrkiing at the C zec echh Business Wee eekly (whi hich ch no lo long nger er exis ex ists ts).). Cririst stina is als lsoo sttudyi y ngg med ediaa eco conoomi mics cs at th thee Fa Facu cultltyy of Soc ocia ial Sciences at Charles University. She will provide deep and knowledgeable analyses of the Media, PR, as well as information on Brands and Communications from the Czech Republic to the readers of Leaders Magazine. The second contributor is ELAI (European Leadership & Academic Institute) and its founders Irena Kalhousová and Lukáš Sedláček. They established ELAI to facilitate the sharing of knowledge and experience between outstanding professionals and academics with individuals from the private, public and non-governmental sectors. Among their patrons and lecturers are some very impressive names, which will guarantee the success of this organization. We are happy to have them as a regular contributor to the Magazine. Among our coverage of top level events I would like to mention a few: The Comenius Round the Table with Minister Fuksa Myy dog M dooogg Rhea Rhea Rh ea and Minister Kocourek, and the Governor of CNB Mr. Singer; The Farewell Reception for the very popular Russian Ambassador H.E. Alexey L. Fedotov; The Unicef Charity Event – Adopt a Doll; Nato Days in Ostrava; Klub plynárenských podnikatelů’s last meeting before Christmas; Madeleine Albright´s book signing in the Luxor Bookshop; the Award Ceremony at the Castle by President Klaus on Czech National Day; National Days of Saudi Arabia and Korea; Jazz at the Castle; and the Firefly Exhibition.

events 14 22 28 31 34 38 47 72 74 76 80 82 86 89 92 95 96 100 102 106 110 112 120

5th Leaders Magazine Advisory Board Dinner Honors at the Prague Castle Round Table of Comenius with Ivan Fuksa, Minister of Agriculture of the CR Round Table of Comenius with Martin Kocourek, Minister of Industry and Trade of the CR Round Table of Comenius with Miroslav Singer, Governor of the Czech National Bank Adopt a Doll, Save a Child Czech 100 Best: Grand Golf Prix – Albatross Cup 2010 Lions Club Prague Bohemia Ambassador – Speaker: Roman Roch Lions Club Prague Bohemia Ambassador – Speaker: Roman Bradáč Klub plynárenských podnikatelů Women in Corporate Governance Beata Rajská’s Designer Fashion Show Cults 2011 Sokolovna Centre in Průhonice Madeleine Albright, Read my Pins: Stories from a Diplomat’s Jewel Box Firefly Presents: Connecting: New York – Prague – Seoul, Czech Centre Prague The British Chamber of Commerce Czech Republic – BCC Golf Tournament 2010 Skål Club 15th Anniversary Ceremonial Opening of the Emirates Airline Office – Successful Take-off Heart of Slovácko Came to Live with Folklore Annual Partners Ball at Žofín Palace Lions Club Praha Bohemia Jazz Fest Celebrates its 5th Year at Rožmberk Palace Ostrava NATO Days

culture events 130 132 133 134 135 136

page 25 – State Visits to the Czech Republic

MIRO Gallery Prague: Notes of my Thoughts, Richard Jordan (*1957) USA Ariadne and Nightingale Meeting of Komerční Banka Clients at the National Theatre Patrons in the Ateliers of the National Theater Groups and Benefits Jazz at the Castle with Richie Cole Q & Emil Viklický

Benk nkee Aikell I benke.ai aiike k lll@l @ eadersm maggazi zine ne.c .cz w ww. w.le lead ader ersm smag agaz azin inee.cz cz

Lead Le adeers Ma ad Maga g ziine VI/ I/20 2010 20 page 26 Summit of the Presidents of the Visegrad Group Countries in Carlsbad

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contents interviews 10

68 108

The Region of No Debts An interview with Milan Chovanec, Governor of the Pilsen Region A New Face for a New Vision A talk with Miroslav Křížek, the CEO of CzechInvest Composition of the State Budget for 2012 and 2013 Might Be Rather Difficult A talk with Jan Gregor, Deputy of the Minister of Finance of the Czech Republic We Have to Debate Czech Priorities in the EU An interview with Jiří Schneider, First page 65 – Are you a Leader? How About a Powerful Media Leader?/ Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Cristina Muntean Nothing to Be Ashamed of… A talk with Miroslav Štěpán, Director General of the Fire Rescue Service of the Czech Republic The Insurance Companies Do Not Provide Assistance for Transplants at all A talk with MUDr. Štefan Vítko CSc., the Head Doctor of the Nephrology Ambulances at the Clinic of Nephrology, IKEM Mathematics is Like a Fairy Tale A talk with Jaroslav Nešetřil, Recognized Professor of the Faculty of Mathematics and Physics of Charles University and Artist Teaching Towards Independence An interview with Marie Schifferová, Director of the Sojourn Centre for Rehabilitation and Re-qualification for the Blind Dědina We Are in the Century of Giants An interview with Zdeněk Velíšek, Doyen of Foreign Affairs Section at the Czech Television News Department Jazz is About Musical and Personal Chemistry An interview with František Uhlíř, leading Czech Jazz Contrabassist Will the Czech Textile and Clothing Industry Win over the International Competition? Ing. Jiří Kohoutek, Vice President of ATOK (Association of Textile–Clothing–Leather Industry)

contributors 37 46 61 65 70 90

104 109 119 127

A Friend Called Alzheimer’s/Ivan s Pilný Your Image as a Performance Tool/Karin Genton-L’Epée Believing in Ghosts/Emil Jimenez Are you a Leader? How About a Powerful Media Leader?/Cristina Muntean Czech Lion Competing in the Global World/Jan Mühlfeit A Business May Be Your Life – But – Life Is Your Business – Part VII: Conscious Capitalism – Preventing Economic Chaoss A,B,CC/James A. Cusumano, PhD Shanghai/Iva & Joseph Drebitko Interior Design Expert/Věra Rašková Twenty Years of the Czech Independent Advocacy/ JUDr. Roman Jelínek, Ph.D. EurActiv/EU Budget Talks Collapse page 47– Czech 100 Best: Grand Golf Prix – Albatross Cup 2010

114–115

116–118

EU matters 1222 12

The Eur The urop ope pea eeann Tr Trad adee Pol olic icyy Sh Shal alll be an Ec Econ onom omic ic,, not a Politiccal Tool An interview with wit Jan Zahradil, MEP

124 1 6 12

The European PParliament of Enterprises – 2nd Edition! Business News

page 62 National Day of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

diplomatic events 25 26 54 58 62 84 128

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State Visits to the Czech Republic Summit of the Presidents of the Visegrad Group Countries in Carlsbad Farewell to the Russian Ambassador H.E. Alexey L. Fedotov National Day of the Republic of Korea with the Opening of the Korean Modern Art Exhibition at Veletržní Palác Nat atio iona nall Da Dayy of the Kin ingd gdom om of Sa Saud udii Ar Arab abia ia Welcome Coctail for the New Ambassadors of Sweden and Finland The Embassy of the CR in Madrid Presented Czech Products During the National Day

page 136 Jazz at the Castle with Richie Cole Q & Emil Viklický

23.11.2010 11:03:48

info We are pleased to announce that we have considerably extended Leaders Magazine spread to include 80 topnotch restaurants in Prague. Total circulation: cca 18.000 bi-monthly including electronic version. Readership total: cca 500.000 Leaders Magazine is sent as a compliment to: Those who are the most influential, powerful and affluent readers in the Czech Republic. To representatives of the businesssphere, diplomatic corps and to top govermentt andd mayor’s officials. On the board of the ČS SA bu b sineess class & VIP lounges off Pra ragu g e ai gu aipo port po rt. rt We are also cooperatinng wi w th Pra rague City Hall, Czech Invves est, t, Czechh Cen entr tre, tr e, The Czech Meedi d ca call Ch Chaamber,r, alll Cha hamm bers of Comm mmeercee, Fo mm F ru r m Fr Fran ancophonne an Affa Af fair ires es, Če Česk skáá Ma Mana naže na žers že rská rs ká Aso soci ciac acee, ac CMC Gr Grad adua ad uate ua te Schoool of Bus usin ines in ess, es s s, Univerrsi sity ty of Ne New Yorkk in Pr Prag ague ag u , An Angglo Am mer eric icaan Sch ic choo ool,l, Uni oo nive verrsity of Piittsve burg bu rghh, CEE rg EELII Ins EE nstitu tutte, Lionss Cllub tu ubss, Rota Ro tary ta ryy Clu lubs bs, Thhe Pr bs Prague Soc ocieety for Int.. Coooperationn, CZ In CZEC ECH EC H TO TOPP 100, Czecch 100 Be Cz Best st,, CEBRE, Eurotelest graph, The Senate, Minister of Agriculture, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Culture, Ano pro Evropu annd manny ma ny more. e.

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Restauuraace Hanil Rest Restau Re aurace ce U Vla lada daře ře Restaurant bar

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224 811 118 224 097 100 257 530 000 00 257 32 20 30 308 8 222 221 185 85 220 514 4 77 78 226 006 122 2 224 932 3 249 9 222 312 2 999

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Publisher: Benke Aikell Contributors: James A. Cusumano, Iva Drebitko, Joseph Drebitko, Karin Genton-L’Epée, EurActiv, European Leadership & Academic Institute, Pavlína Holancová, Martina Hošková, Filip Hubáček, Emil Jimenez, Zuzana Kasáková, Cristina Muntean, Jan Mühlfeit, Ivan Pilný, Věra Rašková, Věra Řiháčková Marketing/Advertising: Lynn Tourkiová, Max Salamatin, Alexander Fernando, Shalva Sikharulidze Marketing & Editorial Director Vladimíra Václavíková EU Matters: CEBRE Czech Business Representation, CESES, Europlatform Photographers: R. Briard, Petr Brodecký, Jaroslav Fišer, Lukáš Fronk, Martin Herodes, Jan Hrdý, Martin Janas, Lukáš Jandík, Zuzana Jirásková, Marián Kábele, Jan Kamenář, Lada Kičmerová, Michal Linhart, Josef Louda, Tomáš Martínek, Dušan Martinček, Dominik Matouš, Gino Messina, Paul Pacey, Jakub Pavel, Filip Pokorný, Oto Polán, Zbyněk Prokop, Jakub Stadler, Milan Vávrů, Vladimir Weiss Subscription service: Daniel Raška Leaders Magazine, CEPONA, s.r.o. Lužická 32, 120 00 Praha 2 We appreciate your opinions of Leaders Magazine. Please send them to: Leaders Magazine Moravská 14, 120 00 Praha 2 tel.: 224 255 277 fax: 224 256 172 e-mail: info@leadersmagazine.cz www.leadersmagazine.cz Leaders Magazine comes out bi-monthly. Licence: MK ČR E 13147 No reproduction is permitted in whole or part without the express consent of Leaders Magazine. The advertiser is responsible for the advertising contents. Opinions expressed in this publication are those of the authors or persons interviewed and do not necessarily reﬂect the views of the editors or Leaders Magazine. All editorial material and photos in Leaders Magazine is digitally stored and may be republished by Leaders Magazine either in printed form or in various digital media. All correspondence to Leaders Magazine may be published. Graphic design and printing: D&S Design Prague, s.r.o. tel.: 274 774 131 prague@bigformat.cz www.bigformat.cz

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22.11.2010 18:49:14

Leaders Magazine Advisory Board The positive siitive repu rep reputation of Leaders Magazine continues to grow, however we realize that we must mus maint maintain nt to improve and learn, particularly during these times of dynamic change. hang nge ge. That h is why we have decided to set up an Advisory Board for the magazine. I am convinced convinc onvvinced that th creating a platform of high profile individuals will be an excellent opporttunity tun nity for tthe he magazine to acquire new ideas and define new directions of future developm lopment. ment. ent Bennkee Aike Benke Aikell A el Your ur Publis Publisher There are only on few projects started in the Czech Republic by foreigners which I consider ass useful to this country as Leaders Magazine. The magazine has brought to the Czech Republic p the completely new concept of making important people – the decision makers be they Czech or foreigners – visible and worthy of positive admiration. As you might know this is something not very common and perhaps even not very natural in the Czech Republic. It is therefore all the more of an achievement to start and successfully develop a project such as Leaders Magazine. I understand fully the intention of Benke Aikell, the magazine’s founder and editor-in-chief, to progress further with Leaders Magazine, and for this purpose to form a team of experienced Czech citizens of different backgrounds to create a consulting body which would bring this project to an even higher level. Ing. Karel Muzikář, CSc. President Pres en of Comenius I was ple pleased to be invited by Benke Aikell to cooperate on the preparation of the Advisory Board Boar ard rdd project. proj I personally see one of the main goals of the project in creation of a positive environment environme enviro ironm for networking, exchange of views, presentation of new ideas, experiences, proposals prop osaals l or suggestions. I am m convin convinced nv that the formation of a platform of highly profiled personalities and potential ddiscussion iscussi of different topics in very informal setting will be useful for both sides – for the magazine maga azi as well as for the members of the Advisory Board. Ing. ng. Petr Kubernát Director Dire Di D rect of Pekos s.r.o. Consulting Consu o and Training Company ADVISORY BOARD COMITTEE Benk Aikelll,, Publisher, Benke P , Leaders Maggazine IIng. Petr Ku Kubernát, Director, PEKOS s.r.o. and former Czech Ambassador to the Netherlands Ing. Ing g. Karel Muzikář, CSc., President, COMENIUS HONORARY MEMBERS ABROAD AND GOODWILL AMBASSADORS H Mr. William J. Cabaniss, former United States Ambassador to the Czech Republic H.E. Vincent J. Derudder, Secretary General, The European Federation of Financial Advisers and Financial Intermediaries H.E. Mr. Alexey L. Fedotov, former Ambassador of the Russian Federation to the Czech Republic H.E. Mr. Richard Graber, former United States Ambassador to the Czech Republic H.E. Athar Mahmood, former Ambassador of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan to the Czech Republic H.E. Dr. Zdravko Popov, former Ambassador of the Republic of Bulgaria to the Czech Republic H.E. Mati Vaarmann, former Ambassador of the Republic of Estonia to the Czech Republic Ája Vrzáňová, Czech World Champion in Figure-skating, Sport Legend H.E. Huo Yuzhen, former Ambassador of the People´s Republic of China to the Czech Republic

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ADVISORY BOARD MEMBERS PhDr. Zdeněk Čáp, Managing Partner, Equity Solutions s. r. o. Josef Drebitko, CEO, D&COMM Prof. Ing. Jiří Fárek, CSc., First Deputy Mayor, City of Prague 6 Ing. Peter P. Formánek, President, Canadian Chamber of Commerce in the Czech Republic Mgr. Marta Gellová, Secretary General, AFIZ Michal Heřman, General Manager, Star Communicationss Václav Hudeček, Violinist Plk. Mgr. Vladislav Husák, Director, Alien Police Service, rv Police of the Czech Republic JUDr. PhDr. Oldřich Choděra, Lawyer, Law Firm JUDr. PhDr. Oldřich Choděra & spol. Prof. Ing. Kamil Janáček, CSc., CNB Bankk Board Member Membeer and Chief Executive Director Otto Jelinek, Member of the Board, OKD K Ing. Peter Jusko, MBA, Partner, London d Market arr ket Ing. Petr Kalaš, former Minister of Environment ment ent Ing. arch. Jan Kasl, AIDstudio, President de EUROPAN EUROP R PAN AN CZ CZ Ing. Josef Kreuter, CSc., former Czech ch Amba Ambassador ssaador to the EU Prof. Dr.h.c. JUDr. Jan Kříž, CSc., Partner, Law Firm Kříž říž a Bělina s.r.o. Ing. Jaroslav Kubišta, Secretary, Lions Club Praguee Eagle E Genmjr. JUDr. Lubomír Kvíčala, former Director of the Department of Protection of Constitutionall Officials, O als, Police of the Czech Republic Ing. Vladimír Laštůvka, former M.P. Jan Mühlfeit, Chairman, Europe Microsoft Corporation or Ing. Jiří Maceška, Chairman of the Supervisory Board, Bo Česká pošta a. s. and former Czech Ambassador to OECD Ing. Jozef Piga, Member of the Supervisory Board, Omnipol a.s. George Parobek, Managing Director, Ifield Computer Consultancy Šárka Parobek, Director, Ifield Computer Consultancy Doc. Ing. Antonín Peltrám, CSc., Director IEI, Bankovní institut vysoká škola, a.s. Doc. Ing. Václav Petříček, CSc., General Manager of the Chamber SNS Ing. Lucie Pilipová, Partner, Via Perfecta, s.r.o. Ing. Ivan Pilný, President, TUESDAY Business Network JUDr. Čestmír Sajda, MBA, former Deputy Minister of Labour and Social Affairs MUDr. Richard Sequens, PhD., Head of Surgical Gastroent t terollogy Centter, Nemocnice i Mililosrddnýýchh seste sestter sv. Karla Boromejského v Praze and former Senatoor PhDr. MgA. Miroslav Smolák, Owner, Galerie MIRO RO Mgr. Albin E. Sybera, Managing Director, Sybera era Enterprises spol. s r. o. Brigadier General Ing. Andor Šándor (ret.), Consultant onsu tant nt PhDr. Jaroslav Šedivý CSc., former Ambassador or and Minister of Foreign Affairs JUDr. Josef Šesták, Lawyer Bc. Vladimír Šiška, MBA, 1stt Deputy Minister, Ministry try of Labour and Social Affairs Ing. Pavel Štefka, MSc, 4-star General (ret.), Chief of Defence and Special Programs, Tatra Ing. Helena Švédová, Director, Department of Trade Administration, Czech Export Bank Ing. Jiří Vávra, Vice Chairman, STROJEXPORT, a.s. JUDr. Petr Vyroubal, Partner, Law Firm Vyroubal Krajhanzl Školout

22.11.2010 18:54:06

Milan Chovanec Governor of the Pilsen Region Photo: Mr. ChovanecÂ´s archive

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23.11.2010 15:04:26

An interview with Milan Chovanec, Governor of the Pilsen Region

THE REGION OF NO DEBTS Milan Chovanec was elected governor of the Pilsen Region in September of this year when his predecessor governor Milada Emmerová won a seat in the House of Deputies. Mr. Chovanec graduated from the Law School of West Bohemian University in Pilsen. He became ﬁrst deputy governor in November 2008 with the responsibility for the economy of the Pilsen Region. He is also a member of the Pilsen Region Council and a council member of the city of Pilsen. You have become the governor with only two years remaining in the term. Is this just an operational solution to a situation that has occurred? Or, are you coming with a vision of your own, a vision of what to do in the remaining two years that are left until the regional election? It is both, in a way – we had to quickly solve the situation when my predecessor Governor Emmerová decided to resign after she won a seat in the House of Deputies, however, since I have been working within the regional government for quite some time, I know the problematics to the tiniest details, and sure I am going to make changes. Do not expect a revolution from me though. I will rather draw from my previous experience from the private sector. I would like to put into practice certain regulations in the sense of the communication of the region to the business community, as well as to a wider public. You are now governing the only region that is clear of debts. I reckon it must be a pleasant heritage after your predecessors. Indeed, it is! But this did not come by chance. It has been a long lasting strategy of tough budgetary measures. Before I became the governor I served as the deputy governor responsible for the economy of the region. So it used to be my domain, and I am proud of the results that we have reached in the budgetary policy. How has it been only the Pilsen Region that managed to operate with no debts, even in the days of the economic crisis? What about investments in infrastructure? Isn’t the development of the region the victim of such a strict no-debts policy? The development of our region has not been lacking behind any of the other regions in Bohemia, or Moravia. Our approach is just that it is not desirable to finance projects with borrowed money. We always seek acceptable solutions with financial backing that we can afford. We carry out investments in support of regional development continuously and on a long term basis. You have been elected a governor, but you govern with a minority in the regional council. Do you approve such a constellation that you inherited as the new governor? Are you per-

sonally comfortable in this setting? Or would you prefer a different solution that would be backed by a majority within the council? I don’t think in this way. I have been on the council for more than two years now. I got to know almost all of the regional councilmen and councilwomen personally. If we focus on the right issues and keep doing a good job for our region, I don’t think that the party affiliation should matter that much. It is a second place issue then. Ok, you have two years of your mandate left. What will be the key issues for the Pilsen Region in those two upcoming years? One of the priorities must be finishing the fundamental investments – finishing the new hospital building in Klatovy, the western part of the Pilsen by-pass road, and the other traffic structures that shall positively influence the traveling culture in our region. Besides these things, there are things that have been waiting to be resolved. For instance, we need to solve the centralization of purchases, which should bring great cost savings. We expect other cost savings from creating a medical holding and a transportation holding. In these things the savings should come mainly from the investments and operational costs. The project “Safe region” should not stay put aside either. We hope this project will increase safety in small towns and villages in our region. The benefit of this project is that the villages themselves contribute in this project. How would you describe the opportunities for business in the Pilsen Region? Do you see any idle potential here? The undisputable fact is that thanks to our convenient location, the Pilsen Region is one of the most attractive regions for investments in the Czech Republic. On a regular basis we upgrade the database of available industrial areas, regional investment opportunities, and industrial or commercial sides for lease. This is just one example that demonstrates our close cooperation with the business sector. Until recently, most of the realized investments within our region were concentrated mainly in Pilsen. This was not only due to the attractive location of the city, but also thanks to the setup of the Borská pole Industrial Park. Then the

investors got attracted by the other easily accessible areas around the D5 freeway. So, I see the potential then in offering well prepared investment opportunities in the periphery areas. We should also seek business partners that would bring more value added production here. I mean, for instance, research, design etc. In this goal, the Region cooperates not only with its business partners, but also with the West Bohemian University in Pilsen. Pilsen was awarded the European Capital of Culture 2015. What is the role of the Region in this, and what role should the Region play in the upcoming 4 years? The city of Pilsen is an inherent part of the region as such. The title that the city was awarded is binding not only for them, but also for us. We are prepared to participate in the projects that overlap into the life of the whole region. I imagine that we will help with the realization or organization of the Smetanovské dny Festival, “Finále”, J. K. Tyl Theater, football, ice-hockey etc. Does the fact that the Social Democrats will, after the election, also participate in governing, affect your approach to governing the city itself? I would avoid saying that we would change our approach in any significant way due to our presence at the town hall. Any bigger event that takes place in Pilsen will naturally have regional overlap. Promoting culture, free-time and leisure activities for Pilsen’s citizens was our priority before the election, whether or not we were part of the ruling representation at the town hall. How do you feel in the new role so far? Is there a great deal of difference between being the no. 2 and to stand at the absolute top? In the first place, there is a great deal of responsibility. I have great confidence in the team I have here. They are all professionals with significant experience. I am positive that the two years that remain ahead of us will be successful. By Filip Hubáček ■

český překlad naleznete v elektronické verzi magazínu na www.leadersmagazine.cz

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interview

Miroslav Křížek the CEO of CzechInvest

A New Face for a New Vision

Photo: CzechInvest Archive

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23.11.2010 13:07:46

A talk with Miroslav Křížek, the CEO of CzechInvest Miroslav Křížek (1979) graduated from the University of Economics in Prague, with a main specialization in business economics, s, man anag agem emen entt andd marketi k ing. He has been working there as an assistant and assistant professor, and has been giving lectures in the ﬁeld of management and entrepreneurship of small and medium-sized businesses since 2005. Mr. Křížek founded the Language Institute Prague (Jazykový Institut Praha) and the Business Welcome Service in 2005 in which he currently operates as the only owner and director. He also founded the Business Incubator as part of the University of Economics in Prague in 2006. Miroslav Křížek is a membe ber of the Cze zech ch Cha hamb mber er of Co Comm mmer erce ce in Pr Prag ague ue and the Cha hairirman of its Language Department. He is also an active member of the Prague ODS. Miroslav Křížek was appointed the CEO of CzechInvest in 2010. CzechInvest has undergone many personnel changes since 2007. How would you explain this? Czec Cz echI hInv nves estt is a ver eryy ac actitive ve age genc ncyy. Con once cern rnin ingg ititss function, it is something between a public administration and a private company. However, I do not want to separate it in this way. I just think that a management team is either good or bad, no matter which area it is operating in. Changes are the result of a natural development. So, my goal is to stabilize the situation within CzechInvest, strengthen its “drive”, and interconnect the experience of old professionals with young graduates. In any case, I feel that CzechInvest is a good place to be, not only in terms of its location in the centre of Prague. What are your main priorities for the successful operations of CzechInvest? Recently, we put together CzechInvest’s Action Plan, and we are presently coordinating it with the Ministry of Industry and Trade of the Czech Republic (MPO). There are four basic goals of CzechInvest. First of all, this includes the promotion of innovation and investment with added value, and achieving the commercialization of research and development. I take this as my personal priority. We need to be innovative and have good manufacturing right here in the Czech Republic, beyond simple assembly. Moreover, we need our research to be aimed at practical use, not only for the sake of research itself. Beyond these things, our goal involves the administration of financial tools aimed at the promotion of business and investment. We should also assist our businessmen and investors by means of European programmes, and do so in the most effective way possible. Thus, all applicants should become acquainted with the system of subsidies, and we should be able to find effective ways of supporting start-ups and small businesses. According to you, what should be the long-term strategy of CzechInvest? The last two of the four strategic goals that I have already spoken of are synergy and promotion. We are going to create relations and use more synergy and savings, which will result from cooperation with other departments and bodies both here and abroad. We also al so wan antt to pro romo motte the investtment clilimate and the environment of entrepreneurship here in the Czech Republic. To do so, we must attract new investors, and take care of the companies that are already making inve in vest stme ment ntss in the Cze zech ch Rep epub ublilicc. Rec ecen entltlyy, for exa xam mple, we celebrated the announcement of the Investor of the Year, as well as the Business Property of the Year 2009. The best companies received prestigious awards at the Monastery of St. Anne on the 26th of October. One of your main priorities is to make the drawing of EU structural funds more effective. What steps are necessary in this respect?

In cooperation with the MPO, we are urging for more than 9 billion CZK to be made available by the Oper Op erat atio iona nall Programme g Entterprise i andd Innovations (OPEI) for our businesses in 2011. Additionally, we have to intensify the OPEI’s implementation in the following years, so that we are able to draw the whole allocation of 90 billion CZK aimed at entrepreneurship by 2015. Our targ ta rget et gro roup up is ch chie ieflflyy sm smal alll an andd me medi dium um ent nter erpr pris ises es (SME’s). We would like to shorten deadlines for the authorization of application forms up to 20%. Last but not least, we are going to work toward a single methodology of the programme management so that the businesses have a clear idea of how to work out the grant applications and how to implement the OPEI’s projects. So, why is it still so difficult for Czech businesses to win co-financing of their projects from the EU funds? CzechInvest has recently conducted a “media audit” which was supposed to find out how entrepreneurs perceive the administrative burden in the Czech Republic. The results showed that 83 % of entrepreneurs believe that the bureaucracy barriers were created by authorities in Czech rather than in Brussels. As CzechInvest should be a bridge between entrepreneurs and public administration, we collected input regarding the improvement of this situation, and handed it over to the MPO. Applicants aiming for the EU money would like to speed up the process of project approval, consolidate the programme’s announcement, schedule the terms in advance, as well as improve the application manuals and instructions. So, about 90 billion CZK are prepared within the OPEI for 2007-2013. What projects have the biggest chance of obtaining some of this money? Obviously the high-quality, well-prepared projects that respect the programme’s goal. All of them are assessed by the Commission to ensure that the money goes go es in th thee ririgh ghtt pl plac ace. e. Pre rese sent ntly ly, th thee dr draw awin ingg lo look okss as follows: Companies, largely the SME’s, submitted more than twelve-and-a-half thousand application forms in the amount of 160 billion CZK by the 30th of September. The Committee has decided to provide grants for almost four thousand applicants in the total amount of 30.3 billion CZK. In your ideal view, how should CzechInvest cooperate with the MPO? On a daily basis. And I have to admit we are doing wellll. Ev we Ever eryt ythi hing ng sho houl uldd le lead ad to a bett tter effffiiciiency off the EU funds, and do better to attract new investors. Therefore, I am regularly meeting, among others, the Head of the EU Funds Department of the MPO, Peter Očko. In what area was direct investment in the Czech Republic heading this year? What is the outlook for the coming period?

CzechInvest managed to acquire investment in the amount of 7 billion CZK in the first half of this ye y ar. The investors promised to create 4,561 new positions, i.e. 1,600 more than last year. This means that companies with larger projects are approaching us again, while the same companies were avoiding us in the past. At the same time, we stand out within the Visegrad regi re gion on, an andd we are man anag agin ingg to att ttractt softf tware invest-t ment very well. According to you, what currently hinders our businesses establishment on the foreign markets? According to the World Economic Forum (WEF) news, the weak points of the Czech Republic’s competitiveness are the following: our companies’ credit histories, their ethical behaviour, the procedures that are necessary for the foundation of our companies, and the availability of “venture capital”. On the other hand, we can pride ourselves on the quality of education, the banking system, our institutions of science and technology, the functional cooperation of Universities and industry, and the investment in science and research etc. This all influences the productivity of domestic companies abroad. The way ahead lies in the already mentioned promotion of innovation and investment with added value. Therefore, I am very happy about the CzechAccelerator Programme which enables Czech start-ups to attract strategic partners for business enterprise in the US. Within this framework, CzechInvest provides companies with three months of office rent in the business incubator, such as the Plug and Play Tech Center in Silicon Valley, as well as training and mentoring. The CzechAccelerator has hosted four Czech start-ups so far. They managed to a sign variety of contracts and present their products at significant events in America. Are you preparing to launch new projects aimed at SME´s as well? We focus on issues that will take place after 2013, when wh en the dra rawi wing ng fro rom m th thee EU strtruc ucttura rall funds d is complete. One of the possible sources of financing, with the main focus on SME’s in the Czech Republic, is the JEREMIE. This is a tool of the European Commission and the European Investment Fund aimed at the promotion of venture cappital al,, mi micr crol oloa oans ns and gua uara rant ntee eess fo forr SME’s. Besides this, the MPO wants to submit a proposal on the new Seed Fund foundation by March of next year. Thanks to this Fund, the state would be able to invest into new innovative business projects by using the EU means. Thus, a fund should be established as well, which is going to promote the transfer of research and development results into commercial praxis. By Pavlína Holancová ■ český překlad naleznete v elektronické verzi magazínu na www.leadersmagazine.cz

Leaders Magazine i VI/2010 I

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23.11.2010 13:46:22

networking/gourmet event at Alchymist Grand Hotel & Spa

H.E. William J. Cabaniss, former United States Ambassador to the Czech Republic, with his wife Catherine

Special honorary guests of this evening were H.E. Aitzaz Ahmed, Ambassador of Pakistan, H.E. Nina Nakashidze, Ambassador of Georgia, H.E. Kaspars Ozolinš, Ambassador of Latvia, and H.E. Lembit Uibo, Ambassador of Estonia. We also had the pleasure of the company of our Honorary Member Abroad and Goodwill Ambassador, H. E. William J. Cabaniss, former United States Ambassador to the CR with his lovely wife Catherine, and Oldřich Lomecký, TOP 09 and new Mayor of Prague 1.

5 Leaders Magazine ADVISORY BOARD DINNER

more photos and electronic version available on www.leadersmagazine.cz From left: MUDr. Pavla Šternová, Ing. Karel Muzikář, CSc., President, Comenius, Šárka Parobek, Director, Ifield Computer Consultancy, and George Parobek, Managing Director, Ifield Computer Consultancy

LM_1006_events___3.indd 14

The positive reputation of Leaders Magazine continues to grow, however we realize that we must maintain to improve and learn, particularly during these times of dynamic change. That is why we have decided to set up an Advisory Board for the magazine. I am convinced that creating a platform of high profile individuals will be an excellent opportunity for the magazine to acquire new ideas and define new directions of future development. Benke Aikell, Your Publisher

22.11.2010 18:36:11

From left: Ing. Stanislava Janáčková, CSc., Advisor to the President of the CR, Prof. Ing. Kamil Janáček, CSc., Member of the CNB Bank Board and Chief Executive Director, and Jan Oberman, Executive Head, Korado Consulting, s.r.o.

From left: Alena Vitásková, President, Klub plynárenských podnikatelů and Chairwoman of the Supervisory Board, Endowment Fund of Livia and Václav Klaus and Ing. Helena Švédová, Director, Department of Trade Administration, Czech Export Bank Jan Valdinger, Managing Partner, Change Partnership – Czech and Slovak Republics and JUDr. Jaroslava Vítová, Judge, Court of Appeal

From left: Dr. Ing. František Klufa, Financial Arbitrator of the CR and JUDr. Čestmír Sajda, MBA, former Deputy Minister of Labour and Social Affairs

From left: Benke Aikell, your Publisher, Radomíra Kotlárová, Marketing Director, SME Union, Oldřich Lomecký, TOP 09 and new Mayor of Prague 1, and Giorgio Bonelli, Owner, Alchymist Hotel

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From left: Otto Jelinek, Member of the Board, OKD and James A. Cusumano, PhD, Chairman, Chateau MCELY with his wife Inéz Cusumano, Chateau MCELY

There are only few projects started in the Czech Republic by foreigners which I consider as useful to this country as Leaders Magazine. The magazine has brought to the Czech Republic the completely new concept of making important people – the decision makers be they Czech or foreigners – visible and worthy of positive admiration. As you might know this is something not very common and perhaps even not very natural in the Czech Republic. It is therefore all the more of an achievement to start and successfully develop a project such as Leaders Magazine. I understand fully the intention of Benke Aikell, the magazine’s founder and editor-in-chief, to progress further with Leaders Magazine, and for this purpose to form a team of experienced Czech citizens of different backgrounds to create a consulting body which would bring this project to an even higher level. 15 Ing. Karel Muzikář, CSc., President of Comenius

23.11.2010 15:22:40

From left: Ing. Stanislava Janáčková, CSc., Advisor to the President of the CR, Prof. Ing. Kamil Janáček, CSc., Member of the CNB Bank Board and Chief Executive Director, Jan Oberman, Executive Head, Korado Consulting, s.r.o., Genmjr. JUDr. Lubomír Kvíčala, former Director of the Department of Protection of Constitutional Officials, Police of the CR with his wife Hana, H.E. Kaspars Ozolinš, Ambassador of Latvia, and Vladimíra Václavíková, Marketing and Editorial Director, Leaders Magazine

From left: Ing. Karel Muzikář, CSc., President, Comenius and Otto Jelinek, Member of the Board, OKD Ivan Pilip, private Financial Consultant, former Minister of Finance

From left: Jaromír Šlápota, Chairman, Czechoslovak Foreign Institute, Mgr. Marta Gellová, Secretary General, AFIZ, and Dr. Ing. František Klufa, Financial Arbitrator of the CR

Elena Venska, PR & Communications, The Best Woman and PhDr. MgA. Miroslav Smolák, Owner, Galerie MIRO

From left: Gianni Pastorelli, Comercial Attaché, Italian Embassy, Vladimíra Václavíková, Marketing and Editorial Director, Leaders Magazine, and Giorgio Bonelli, Owner, Alchymist Hotel

From left: Šárka Parobek, Director, Ifield Computer Consultancy, H.E. Nina Nakashidze, Ambassador of Georgia, and George Parobek, Managing Director, Ifield Computer Consultancy

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22.11.2010 18:37:39

From left: Genmjr. JUDr. Lubomír Kvíčala, former Director of the Department of Protection of Constitutional Officials, Police of the CR with his wife Hana, Mgr. Albin E. Sybera, Managing Director, Sybera Enterprises, and Adéla Syberová, President, Edith Stein Foundation

Radomír Šimek, President, German-Czech Chamber of Industry and Commerce

From left: Lenka Dušková, Vice-Chairwoman, National Museum of Women in the Arts, Helena Kroftová - Leisztner, Fashion Designer, Roland Leisztner, and Ing. arch. Iva Drebitko, President, TRIGA, Patrons of Art

From left: H.E. Lembit Uibo, Ambassador, Embassy of the Republic of Estonia and Boris Gagua, General Director, National Library of Georgia

From left: Andrea Colantoni, Country Manager Czech Republic & Slovakia, Hudson, Cristina Muntean, Owner, Medialntel, Media Trainer and Advisor, and Martijn van den Berg, Secretary General, International Young Naturefriens

From left: Ing. Petr Kubernát, Director, PEKOS spol. s r.o. and Ing. Vladimír Laštůvka, former M.P.

Petr Soukup, Managing Partner, Stance Communications

Ing. Ivan Pilný, President, TUESDAY Business Network with his wife Květa

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From left: Otto Jelinek, Member of the Board, OKD, Ing. Lucie Pilipová, Partner, Via Perfecta, s.r.o., and Benke Aikell, your Publisher

22.11.2010 18:38:58

A talk with Jan Gregor, Deputy of thhe Minister of Finance of the Czech Republilic

Composition of the State Budget FOR 2012 AND 2013 MIGHT BE RATHER DIFFICULT Jan Gregor (1975) graduated from the Univerrsity of Economics in Prague in 1998. He has been worrking in the Ministry of Finance (MF) since 1998. Jan Gregor becaame the Head of the National Fund Department of the MF in 2001. He was appointed Deputy of the Minister of Finance of the Czech Republic in August 2010. Jan Gregor is marriedd and has one child.

Photo: VladimĂr Weiss

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Leaders Magazine VI/2010

23.11.2010 13:08:57

The Government is preparing p a state-wide budget budget at a record high hig for 2011. What category tegory of the budget are ar you worrying about most? most? Thhe budget proposall foor next year is indeed at its reecord high concernninng the cuts. The budget propposed in the Chambberr of Deputies represents a coomplete expendituuree decrease compared with the year 2010. In thiss respect, we would like to seet new records in thhe following years as well. Adm ministrators of partticular budget categories workked out the requessteed limits corresponding to thhe Department’s priorities, which they are aimiing to fulfil. Yet, obbserving the expenditure limitt s of budgets cann bbe difficult, especially conccerning expenditurees of a mandatory nature. Thesse reduce the maanooeuvring room of both the Government and thhe budget’s categories in a coonsiderable manneer. I am worried about all of thhe budget categoriees so far. I will not be satissfied until I see how w tthe budget was cut, and untill I understand whhatt lies within its secret com mpartments. I wouuld like to compare the costt s of particular buddgeet categories in a better way.. On top of this, I haave secured a detailed coopperation with my Sllovvak colleagues. What areas are going goiing to be hit greatest by the the cuts? Measures embeddeed in the state budget in ordeer to reduce futuree state indebtedness can not be simplified undeer one concept – “cuts”. This comprises a wholee variety v of measures realizedd on both sides of the state budget. The Goveernment has foundd ssavings on the expenditure side, chiefly in the area of current expenditurres of the budget caategories which include wagees, in the area of toop-up direct payments and in social transferss. O On the other hand, the Goveernment takes intoo aaccount the realization of higher incomes on thee income side, in order to eliminate specific unjustified exceptions of the t ax liability calculattioon. The state budget de deficit, as part of the public public budgets reform, reforrm is closely interconnected nected with this issuee aas well. In this respect, where where are the biggest biggees clashes within the Coalition Coalition at the moment? momeent Cooncerning the clearr fiiscal goal, the Coalition is unnited. This can be seeen by the fiscal goal that was set for the year 2013, with the maximum deficcit of 2.9 % GDP set s during middle-term budggetary frameworkk nnegotiations. Yet, the Goveernment’s Policy Staatement specifies only 3 % GDP. I am not hidingg the fact that the composiition of the state buuddget for 2012 and 2013 mighht be rather difficullt. To what extent do yo you calculate that the eventual eventual taxation of “solar “so business” will lead to to a reduction of the public pub budgets deficit? Measures approved by b the Government aim to reestrict the growthh inn electricity prices for end consumers. The prim mary goal is to provide

compensation for distributors who are buying back solar energy from producers for guaaranteed prices, so that they do not have to fully project an increased amount of purchhased electricity into their final prices. Thus, we do not count on these measures having an impact on the public budgets deficit. So, what are the real risks of enduring a reduction of the state budget deficit? There are risks beyond comparison, more so on the income side than on the expendditure side. This is interconnected with the factt that the income range, depending on many ecconomic factors, is only anticipated by the Government. On the other hand, the Government has the power to state the range of expenditures of the state budget. So, it should bee the Government’s effort to optimize that paart of the budget which it is able to influence, i.ee. the expenditures. What are the budget targets for the years to come? When does the Government think they may accomplish the balanced budgets? The primary goal of the current Government is the consolidation of public budgets, tow wards a fiscal balance, i.e. so that the Government is not forced to borrow money for its regularr operations. We can expect to accomplish thiss goal in 2016, provided that there is econnomic growth. At the same time, and in compliiance with this long-term goal, the Governmentt has specified its middle-term goals. The fiscal target of the Government is expressed partly within the balance of the Governmental sectoor of the GDP in the amount of -3.5 % for 2012, and in the amount of -2.9 % for 2013. In this respect, how is our accession to the Eurozone shaping up? The current Government decided correctly to focus on fiscal consolidation, and at the same time, has not interrupted the technical prepparations aimed at launching a single Europeann currency. The Eurozone has enough problem ms to deal with at the moment, such as trying to activate the debit fiscal criterion, among otheer issues, which had been historically suppress sed, so that the founding EU countries could enter the Eurozone as well. According to the latest statistics, only about 30 % of Czech citizens are going to give their support for the Euro. Could this prove to be a problem in the future? The Czech citizens’ position towards the Euro is unambiguously a result of the debit crissis of the Eurozone. Therefore, a correction of these shortages has to come from the Eurozone itself, so that our citizens can see that their futuree currency is based on solid grounds. It is encouraging that the Eurozone members are aware of this need, and that they support remedial meassures. A full rehabilitation of the Euro, however, may still require some time.

A complex tax reform is currently being prepared. Could you outline the areas in which our current tax system is the least effective? The current tax reform consists of several long-term projects. The basic reform involves a simplification of the whole tax system and, at the same time, an increased efficiency of the tax system as a whole. The main step of the forthcoming tax reform is the preparation of the new complex legal form which is going to include income-taxes, social insurance and health care insurance. On top of this, the reform should contribute to a much greater approximation of the legal forms than it does today. Moreover, the new legal form unifies calculations, and at the same time removes an array of exceptions and tax-reliefs. Thus, distortions caused by the tax system will be removed, and its economic efficiency will be increased. A project of the Single Collection Point (JIM) has much to do with this as well. Can you specify this? The primary goal of the JIM is that all payment obligations are carried out by businessmen at one single point, i.e. at the tax office. We suggest that all three types of tax payments are declared on one blank form, paid in one term, on one account, and all at once controlled by the tax office. We are counting on the electronic communication between tax subjects and the tax administrator. Therefore, we want to prepare the new tax law so that it does not require new updates of the previous frequency. Thus, we want to accomplish the long-term continuity of the tax system. Frequent changes of the tax system create, for both citizens and for potential foreign investors, a picture of an unstable environment. Therefore, they constitute a risk of the income portion of the state budget. Hence, it is important to set up a long-term basic tax system that is immune to frequent political or other cyclical changes. In this respect, do you count on basic tax redistribution? We await the discussion on the new tax system concerning a sharing between the Central Government and regional budgets, i.e. counties and municipalities. We plan to carry out the analysis of central endowment titles, and we evaluate this by trying to find out if it is more effective to realize these development programmes directly at the given location. Beyond this, we must conduct difficult negotiations regarding the possible involvement of new criterions which could influence the allocation of means among particular municipalities. By Pavlína Holancová I

český překlad naleznete v elektronické verzi magazínu na www.leadersmagazine.cz

Leaders Magazine i VI/2010

Interviews.indd 19

23.11.2010 13:58:13

An interview with Jiří Schneider, First Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs

WE HAVE TO DEBATE CZECH PRIORITIES IN THE EU Jiří Schneider served in the Czech diplomatic service for the first time in 1993–2001, at the post of Head of the Department of Analysis and Planning, and as the Czech Ambassador to Israel. He received a scholarship from the Central European University in Budapest in 2002, and then returned to the ministry for two years (as Head of the Department of Analysis and Planning and Director General of the Multilateral and Security Section). As of 2005 he worked as a consultant and programme director of the Prague Security Studies Institute (PSSI), a renowned Czech security think-tank. In this capacity he also co-fathered the security studies established within the Institute of Political Science of the Faculty of Social Sciences, Charles University. In the summer of 2010 he returned to the ministry for the third time as the First Deputy Minister. He is responsible for strategic planning, security issues, the EU, and bilateral relations with European states. He wants to focus on energy security, Eastern Partnership and Central European cooperation. You are one of a few top Czech civil servants that have worked in the academic and think-tank milieu. How important of an experience was it for you? I do not want to claim that it is a sine qua non condition of working in the public administration,

but it definitely was a very enriching five years. It is useful to see from the outside not only the work of this ministry, but also of other state institutions, and to have the opportunity to speak more freely, without a strait jacket of responsibility. On the other hand, one has far more limited access to informa-

tion; but this is also useful to know, in order to establish the lines of communication with academia and civil society in general. Do you plan to open more communication channels with the academic and expert spheres? There can hardly be a targeted strategy; commu-

Photo: Vladimír Weiss

Interviews.indd 20

Leaders Magazine VI/2010

23.11.2010 13:09:54

nication depends on experience and a style of work. If one works in public administration in an exposed position, one that does not have to be a top job, then there is not enough time. Thanks to the asymmetry in information, communication with civil society can be difficult. But I am not the only one at the ministry with experience from the civil society sector, and those who have similar experience do not regard such communication as a burden. They can appreciate it because it is a win-win situation. If you work under time-pressure, you soon find out that you need a dialogue with someone who can bring up fresh ideas. New ideas as are har ardl dlyy bo born rn und nder er str tres esss. No revision of the Czech foreign policy strategy has taken place since our accession to the EU, and the formulation of a long term vision of priorities and interests is missing. What problem does this pose from the perspective of the long term goals of the ministry? It is not true that the interests are not defined – the documents that were developed in the last ten years have established a corridor for Czech foreign policy. On the other hand, the international situation is changing and so is our position. We are not the newcomers in the EU and NATO anymore. We know what our position is, and what the membership in these organisations means. This government adopted an ambitious commitment in its program-me declaration that all concept documents will be updated. That naturally involves foreign policy as well; the last officially adopted foreign policy strategy ends with the year 2006. This document is still valid but needs further specification. Perhaps we will go into more details;; perhaps p p we will design g the concept p a bit differently. The area that deserves deeper debate is a discussion about our priorities in the EU. But that is not a foreign policy issue only; all public spheres have to contribute. We have to consider opportunities that the EU offers, but also the related risks. It is necessary to define our interests in the EU and, in particular, how to achieve them successfully. Are some of the foreign policy priorities that are not so well embedded in the strategy generally threatened by changes in political power? Such as the often mentioned support for democracy and human rights, where the Czech Republic is considered a credible and strong player. No, I would not be afraid of that. First, this specific priority is not the pivotal one. It is an area where the Czech Republic managed to build a reputation and it is a priority that we would be expected to be actively involved with. This is important because once a specific policy is linked to our name, the door is opened, and it is up to our abilities to shap sh apee th this is pol olic icyy ar area ea. Th Thee Cz Czec echh Re Repu publ blic ic is a midsized country, and our ambitions have to correspond to our potential. In the upcoming debate, I am not expecting any fundamental change of direction. We will discuss the level of our ambitions and what to involve in our plans. As far as the support for democracy and human rights is concerned, there are three priority countries where our activity is expected – Cuba, Belarus and Burma. Unfortunately, the state of democracy and human rights is a burning issue in many countries, but we have had to make

our choices. The same is to be expected in other foreign policy areas, too. Due to the budget cuts, we had to cancel a significant number of jobs, and some embassies. This also reflects our ambitions in the area of consular services that are provided to our citizens – we do not have a global network of diplomatic representation, and naturally there can be a situation in which a Czech citizen finds himself somewhere where there is no Czech diplomat within a thousand square kilometres. To set the standards that correspond with our ambitions also concerns the support for our economic interests and securirity ty pol olic icyy. So I am not exp xpec ectiting ng any maj ajor chhange of direction, I am expecting a serious discussion on the allocation of resources. In all basic areas of foreign policy priorities, there is a wider consensus among the government parties and ČSSD, the opposition. The debate will be as inclusive as possible, but on the other hand, it is healthy not to search for a consensus on what to do, but to be able to argue about the question of how to do it. It is an illusion to think that there will be an agreement on all points. A debate about the allocation of resources is an essence of politics. Are there any further plans for cutting the jobs at the ministry? Due to the unclear situation there is allegedly a bad mood among the employees. To a certain extent this is about crisis management. When I came into office, I was aware that my first task here would not be of a conceptual nature, but I would have to handle the changes in resources. In order to decrease the public finance debt, this government made a commitment that the wages, investments and runningg costs of state institutions will be drastically cut. We had to think about how to manage the Foreign Service operations. The real decrease of expenses on Foreign Service has already been taking place over the last couple of years, so reserves have been, in fact, spent. In this situation, one can hardly expect a positive working atmosphere. It is a crisis situation and we have to manage this change. I hope we will soon get into the second phase; which is not to adapt to the budget cuts only, but to engage in a serious debate on the way we allocate resources, and whether we allocate them in proportion to our list of priorities. I am not ruling out that we would find it necessary to cut positions in certain areas or embassies, but we would maintain a balance by adding new positions elsewhere. This phase will be closely intertwined with the debate on conceptual documents. When does the first phase stop? The deadline has been given. The adaptation to cuts has to be finished by the end of the year because the budget for the next year is already fixed. The discussions on our priorities and allocation of resources are already taking place. You mentioned the reduction of Czech embassies. At which stage are the negotiations with the V4 countries regarding possible substitutions? These negotiations have already been taking place over the past few years, and they were accelerated by the budget cuts. In some cases we have succeeded in coming to a specific solution, like in

the case of Kenya, where a Czech diplomat will be embedded with the Slovak embassy. We are trying to find solutions for other cases too, but it is a question of further negotiations that can take months. We want to turn this into a priority for our bilateral talks with neighbours, and also to raise the issue within the V4 group that will be chaired by the Czech Republic. It is a particular and practical issue that has many aspects. It is not only an issue of property, but also of rules and standards. Despite that all of the countries in the region are EU members, we often encounter a lack of mutually compatible rules, despite the existing harmonization within the EU framework. There is a lot we have to learn from the Scandinavian countries; they are much further along in this sense. Why aren’t the new EU member states, and the Czech Republic specifically, more successful in staffing the top jobs in the emerging European External Action Service? The reason is very simple – we are new to this structure. The European External Action Service is emerging under pressure. There is an interest of the European commission and existing EU Delegations to staff a significant part of the Service with the people who already work there. Most of these personnel naturally come from the old member states. The part of the Service that is newly created and is open to diplomats from the new member states is just a subset; the competition is tough and the criteria very demanding. Some of our diplomats have gone very far within the concourses, so far that we believe they will be offered jobs in the near future, despite ture, p the fact that theyy were not short listed during the last round of top job selection. And not only do new member states complain about the selection procedure, but the old ones complain as well. Together with other new member states, it is in our utmost interest to be represented. Without representation, it would be hard to identify with the Service, and to balance the traditional supremacy of the old members within the EU institutional structure. At the same time, it is important to keep explaining that the Service is not a full-fledged diplomacy. We must have modest expectations, especially as our citizens are concerned, since the EEAS cannot provide them with consular services, as much as the public would wish for this. In the coming years, the national diplomacies will keep playing an important role for securing the interests of their countries and citizens. Do you think EEAS can turn into an effective tool of single EU foreign policy? Considering the expectations of the rest of the world, it would be more than welcome for this Service to work eff f fectiively, l butt I am afra fraid id the here re is still a long way to go. The difficulty also stems from the fact that the EU currently has a hard time concluding who will represent the Union on the highest level on the important international fora. By Věra Řiháčková I český překlad naleznete v elektronické verzi magazínu na www.leadersmagazine.cz

Leaders d Ma Maga gazi zine ine VI VI/2 I/201 0100

Interviews.indd 21

23.11.2010 15:36:50

state awards

Dear citizens, ladies and gentlemen, On the occasion of the 28th of October 2010, the president of the Czech Republic, prof. Ing. Václav Klaus, CSc. decided to reward outstanding contributions to the civic building of a free democratic society, excellence of work, contributions to the homeland defense, exceptional and heroic deeds of some prominent figures and grant them with a state decoration by the Czech Republic.

IN COOPERATION WITH LEADERS MAGAZINE

The Order of White Lion for the Military group is awarded to Colonel Marie Ljalková-Lastovecká for outstanding contributions to the national defense and security and an excellent combat action

Honors at the Prague Castle

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more photos and electronic version available on www.leadersmagazine.cz

The Order of Tomáš Garrigue Masaryk is awarded to JUDr. Jan Haluza for outstanding contributions to the development of democracy, humanity and human rights

23.11.2010 10:43:34

The Order of Tomáš Garrigue Masaryk is awarded to Mr. Jan Janků for outstanding contributions to the development of democracy and human rights

The Medal of Merit is awarded to Prof. Karel Raška, PhD. for his merit to the State in science The Order of Tomáš Garrigue Masaryk is awarded to Mr. Josef Vlček for outstanding contributions to the development of democracy, humanity and human rights

The Medal of Merit is awarded to Mrs. Hana Maciuchová for her merit to the State in art

The Medal of Merit is awarded to Father František Fráňa for his merit to the State in education

Photo: archive of the office of the President of the Czech Republic

The Medal of Merit is awarded to Mr. Jaromír Jágr for his merit to the State in sports

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23.11.2010 10:44:05

The Order of White Lion for the Military group is awarded to Colonel Jan Plovajko for outstanding contributions to the national defense and security and an excellent combat action

The Medal of Merit is awarded to Colonel Ing. Roman Hlinovský for his merit to the State in the national and citizens’ security The Medal of Merit is awarded to Prof. Milan Knížák for his merit to the State in arts and culture

The Medal of Merit is awarded to Ing. Jiří Michal for his merit to the state in economics

The Medal of Merit is awarded to Prof. MUDr. Milan Šamánek, DrSc. for his merit to the State in science

The Medal of Merit is awarded to Mr. Karel Šiktanc for his merit to the State in arts and culture

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The Medal of Merit is awarded to Prof. RNDr. Jaroslav Nešetřil, DrSc. for his merit to the State in science

23.11.2010 14:14:41

Prof. Ing. Václav Klaus, CSc., President of the Czech Re-

IIN Npublic CCOOPERATION OO ERATIOProf. N WITH W ITHIveta Radičová, PhD., is P welcoming PhDr. Prime Minister of the Slovak Republic LLEADERS EADERS M AGAZINE MAGAZINE

Source: Archive of the Office of the President

state visits

State Visits to the

Czech Republic

Mudr. Přemysl Sobotka, Chairman of the Senate of the Czech Republic and Prof. PhDr. Iveta Radičová, PhD., Prime Minister of the Slovak Republic

more photos and electronic version available on www.leadersmagazine.cz

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From left: Doc. JUDr. Petr Pithart, Vice Chairman of the Senate of the Czech Republic and Nickolay Mladenov, MA, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Government of Bulgaria

23.11.2010 12:05:36

visegrad group IN COOPERATION WITH LEADERS MAGAZINE

Collective photo on the colonnade´s terrace – from left: Mrs. Silvia Gašparovič, wife of the President of the Slovak Republic, Ivan Gašparovič, President of the Slovak Republic, Livia Klausová, wife of the President of the Czech Republic, Prof. Václav Klaus, President of the Czech Republic, Bronisław Komorowski, President of the Republic of Poland, Anna Komorowska, wife of the President of the Republic of Poland, Pál Schmitt, President of the Republic of Hungary, and Katalin Schmittné Makray, wife of the President of the Republic of Hungary

Summit of the Presidents

of the Visegrad Group Countries in Carlsbad On the invitation of the President of the Czech Republic Václav Klaus, the regular annual meeting of the V4 group countries’ Presidents took place in Carlsbad (Karlovy Vary) on 5–6 November 2010. The President of the Czech Republic welcomed the President of the Slovak Republic Ivan Gašparovič, the President of the Republic of Hungary Pál Schmitt and the President of the Republic of Poland Bronisław Komorowski. During the summit the Presidents evaluated the previous period of V4 group’s existence and discussed common interests and priorities.

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Opening of the summit meeting – from left: Bronisław Komorowski, President of the Republic of Poland, Prof. Václav Klaus, President of the Czech Republic, Pál Schmitt, President of the Republic of Hungary, and Ivan Gašparovič, President of the Slovak Republic

23.11.2010 15:42:04

Welcoming ceremony in the city center – from left: Pál Schmitt, President of the Republic of Hungary, Prof. Václav Klaus, President of the Czech Republic

Visit the Vřídelní kolonáda – from left: Ivan Gašparovič, President of the Slovak Republic, Silvia Gašparovič, wife of the President of the Slovak Republic, Anna Komorowska, wife of the President of the Republic of Poland, Livia Klausová, wife of the President of the Czech Republic, and Prof. Václav Klaus, President of the Czech Republic

Final press conference of the V4 summit – Prof. Václav Klaus, President of the Czech Republic From left: Ivan Gašparovič, President of the Slovak Republic and Prof. Václav Klaus, President of the Czech Republic

more photos and electronic version available on www.leadersmagazine.cz

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Tasting of a mineral spring, Mlýnská kolonáda – from left: Bronisław Komorowski, President of the Republic of Poland, Werner Hauptmann, Mayor of Karlovy Vary, Prof. Václav Klaus, President of the Czech Republic, Pál Schmitt, President of the Republic of Hungary, and Ivan Gašparovič, President of the Slovak Republic

23.11.2010 13:24:50

networking/discussion event

A special thanks to Iﬁeld Computer Consultancy Ltd. and Laic Aktiengesellschaft for making this reportage possible

more photos and electronic version available on www.leadersmagazine.cz

From left: Ivan Fuksa, Minister of Agriculture and Karel Muzikář, President, Comenius

Round Table of Comenius with Ivan Fuksa, Minister of Agriculture of the Czech Republic Minister of Agriculture Mr. Ivan Fuksa was the VIP guest of the “Round Table of Comenius“ which took place on September 23 at the ZOOM Unique Place restaurant. The discussion over a three course dinner prepared by Zátiší Group and supplemented by wines from Spielberg winery was joined by representatives of professional organizations and chambers (such as President of the Agrarian Chamber of the Czech Republic Mr. Jan Veleba or President of the Federation of Food and Drink Industries of the Czech Republic Mr. Miroslav Toman), farmers as well as personalities from the food industry, Ambassador of Slovakia H.E. Mr. Peter Brňo or Member of the Board of the Czech National Bank Mr. Pavel Řežábek.

IN PARTNERSHIP WITH IFIELD COMPUTER CONSULTANCY LTD. AND LAIC AKTIENGESELLSCHAFT Comenius.indd 28

The Conference at Zoom Unique Place

23.11.2010 16:19:38

IN COOPERATION WITH LEADERS MAGAZINE

networking/discussion event

From left: Vladimír Dohnal, Chairman of the Board, Top Hotels Group, Jan Veleba, President, Agrarian Chamber of the CR, and Jiří Balík, Rector, Czech University of Agriculture

From left: Michal Donath, Executive Director, Donath-Burson-Marsteller and Benke Aikell, your Publisher

From left: Miroslav Toman, President, Federation of the Food and Drink Industries of the CR, Jaroslav Faltýnek, Member of the Board of Directors and Director, Agriculture Division, Agrofert Holding, Zdeněk Jandejsek, Executive Director, Rabbit Trhový Štěpánov, and Jiří Zelenka, Chairman of the Board, ZD Krásná Hora nad Vltavou

From left: Jan Tašek, Executive Head and Co-owner, ASE and Ota Schütz, Owner, Žilní klinika From left: Pavel Řežábek, Chief Executive Director and Member of the Bank Board, Czech National Bank, Karel Kutílek, CFO, Interlacto, and H. E. Peter Brňo, Ambassador of Slovakia

From left: Karel Muzikář, President, Comenius, Miloslava Procházková, Owner, Avanti, and Jiří Vacek, Co-owner, Avanti

From left: Daniel Riegel, Sales Counsulting Director, SAP Czech Republic and Oldřich Reinbergr, Executive Director, Cukrovary TTD

From left: Jan Lembas, Director, CET Capital and Tomáš Kreutzer, Director, Federation of the Food and Drink Industries of the CR

From left: Petr Hotovec, Director, Zenova Services and Petr Krogman, Chairman of the Board, Spojené farmy

Comenius.indd 29

From left: Bohumil Belada, Vice President, Agrarian Chamber of the CR, Karel Pilčík, Chairman of the Board, MP Krásno, and Jaroslav Faltýnek, Member of the Board of Directors and Director, Agriculture Division, Agrofert Holding

23.11.2010 11:30:09

A special thanks to Iﬁeld Computer Consultancy Ltd. and Laic Aktiengesellschaft for making this reportage possible

networking/discussion event

From left: H.E. Peter Brňo, Ambassador of Slovakia and Ivan Fuksa, Minister of Agriculture

Pavel Kováčik, Vice Chairman, Agriculture Committee, Parliament of the CR

Vlasta Holéciová, Editor in Chief, Komora

Blanka Kalcsová, Chairwoman of the Board and CEO, Medis Holding

From left: Pavel Smejkal, Sales Director, Okin Group, Martin Žůrek, Sales Representative, Spielberg CZ, and Jaroslav Javornický, Executive Head, Spielberg CZ

Comenius.indd 30

From left: Ivan Souček, Member of the Board, IMG, Světlana Krulišová, Assistant to the Minister of Agriculture, and Jan Kruliš, TOP 09

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From left: Ivan Fuksa, Minister of Agriculture, Karel Muzikář, President, Comenius, Magdalena Hrabánková, Libor Chrobok, Chairman of the Board, Geco Tabak, and Jan Veleba, President, Agrarian Chamber of the CR

23.11.2010 11:31:25

A special thanks to Iﬁeld Computer Consultancy Ltd. and Laic Aktiengesellschaft for making this reportage possible

networking/discussion event

From left: Martin Kocourek, Minister of Industry and Trade, Karel Muzikář, President, Comenius, and Jiří Haken, Director of Strategy, Noen

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Round Table of Comenius with Martin Kocourek, Minister of Industry and Trade

From left: Libor Hájek, President, ELTODO EG, Karel Muzikář, President, Comenius, and H.E. Peter Brňo, Ambassador, Embassy of Slovakia

Comenius_Kocourek.indd 31

IN PARTNERSHIP WITH IFIELD COMPUTER CONSULTANCY LTD. AND LAIC AKTIENGESELLSCHAFT 23.11.2010 10:31:54

networking/discussion event

A special thanks to Iﬁeld Computer Consultancy Ltd. and Laic Aktien Gesellschaft for making this reportage possible

From left: Zbyněk Frolík, Managing Director, Linet, Ivan Jukl, Managing Director, Czech Trade Promotion Agency, Jan Wiesner, President, Union of Czech Production Co-operatives, and Vladimír Dohnal, Chairman, Top Hotels Group

From left: Ján Čarny, CEO and Chairman, Direct Pojišťovna and Josef Bárta, General Manager and Chairman of the Board, CZ LOKO

Jutta Walter, General Manager, Commerzbank and Radomír Šimek, President, Czech-German Chamber of Commerce

Comenius_Kocourek.indd 32

From left: Petr Kozma, Senior Associate, Corpin, Tomáš Březina, Chairman of the Board, BEST, and Peter Kozma, Managing Director, CRYTEX

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From left: Karel Muzikář, President, Comenius, Martin Kocourek, Minister of Industry and Trade, and Benke Aikell, your Publisher

23.11.2010 10:32:24

IN COOPERATION WITH LEADERS MAGAZINE

networking/discussion event

From left: Ján Čarný, CEO, Chairman of the Board, Direct Pojišťovna, Karel Muzikář, President, Comenius and Ladislav Dráb, Chairman of the Board, Česká Energie

From left: Ivan Jukl, Managing Director, Czech Trade Promotion Agency and Miloš Večeřa, Raiffeisen Bank Klára Samková, Advocate and Karel Muzikář, President, Comenius

From left: Eduard Pálka, Director of Sales, Česká Energie, Karel Muzikář, President, Comenius, and Jaroslav Javornický, Owner, Spielberg CZ

František Smolka, CEO, Solar Global and Chairman of the Board, The Czech Photovoltaic Industry Association and Stanislav Servus, Partner, DVOŘÁK & SPOL.

From left: Otto Kechner, University of Finance and Administration and Roman Cabálek, General Manager, Microsoft

Josef Tauber, General Manager, Czech Banking Association and Vladimír Plašil, Chairman, ALTA

Josef Rada, General Director, Civil Aviation Authority of the CR and Beata Rajská, Fashion Designer, Beata Rajská Design

The second “Round Table of Comenius” with the member of the new cabinet of the Prime Minister Petr Nečas took place on November 1 at the hotel Barceló Praha, and its VIP guest was the Minister of Industry and Trade Mr. Martin Kocourek. Some of the topics raised by the participants during the course of the discussion included the new law about government procurement, diversification of export, long term visions, and businessmen raised question as to what actually should the condition of the Czech Republic be in the next twenty to thirty years in terms of trade, private enterprises, export and living standard. “You are the leader, you are the elite, and elites lead the way. You need to tell the nation that in thirty years this or that should happen”, addressed Mr. Tomáš Březina of Best the minister. Participants included the representatives of the Grand Partners of the evening which were ČEZ, A.T. Kearney, Škoda Power and Noen, as well as former Minister of Finance Mr. Eduard Janota, Slovak Ambassador H.E. Peter Brňo or lawyer Klára Samková.

more photos and electronic version available on www.leadersmagazine.cz

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Hotel Barceló Conference Hall

23.11.2010 10:33:13

networking/discussion event

A special thanks to Iﬁeld Computer Consultancy Ltd. and Laic Aktiengesellschaft for making this reportage possible

From left: Miroslav Singer, Governor, CNB, Karel Muzikář, President, Comenius, Hannu Kasi, Country Manager, ABB, and Jan Sýkora, Director, WOOD & COMPANY

Round Table of Comenius Miroslav Singer, Governor of the Czech National Bank The guest of the last October Round Table of Comenius was the Governor of the Czech National Bank Mr. Miroslav Singer. The Round Table took place at the Hotel Ambassador Zlatá Husa, and this time the official language of the discussion was English. The Round Table was then attended by a greater number of foreign diplomats and businessmen, and the discussion topics besides including domestic issues focused strongly on international ones as well. These included mainly the global dimensions of the recent financial crisis, advantages and disadvantages of the Euro zone as well as prospects of economic growth in the Czech Republic and abroad. Some of the participants included for instance Ambassador of Egypt H.E. Amal Mourad, Charge d´Affaire of the Chinese Embassy Mr. Cai Ge, Senior Economic Counsellor of the American Embassy Mr. Michael Dixon, Representative of the Russian Chamber of Industry and Trade Mr. Vladimir Mikoyan.

more photos and electronic version available on www.leadersmagazine.cz

IN PARTNERSHIP WITH IFIELD COMPUTER CONSULTANCY LTD. AND LAIC AKTIENGESELLSCHAFT Comenius.indd 34

From left: Roman Šilha, Corporate & Investment Director, Large Corporates, UniCredit Bank Czech Republic, Cai Ge, Counsellor, Embassy of the People´s Republic of China in the CR, Tomáš Čáp, Executive Vice President, Comenius, Kamil Swaczyna, CEO, Tempest Czech, and Petr Kozma, Senior Associate, Corpin

23.11.2010 11:32:34

IN COOPERATION WITH LEADERS MAGAZINE

networking/discussion event

From left: Josef Veselka, Head of Cardiology Department, Motol University Hospital, Jiří Vacek, Co-owner, Avanti, Miroslava Procházková, Owner, Avanti, and Karel Muzikář, President, Comenius

From left: Alexander Akulinin, Project Manager, Russia and CIS operations, Comenius and Vladimir S. Mikoyan, Russian Chamber of Industry and Trade

From left: Martin Novák, Member of the Board, Director of Finance Divission, ČEZ and Otto Kechner, The University of Finance and Administration

From left: Martin Diviš, CEO and Chairman of the Board, Kooperativa pojišťovna, Karel Muzikář, President, Comenius, and Benke Aikell, your Publisher

From left: Milan Hradický, Member of the Board, IMG and Jaroslav Dráb, jr., Member of the Supervisory Board, Česká plynárenská

Eva Trotter, Member of the Board, PEM-INVEST and Karel Muzikář, President, Comenius

Martin Novák, Member of the Board, Director of Finance Divission, ČEZ

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Jana Fischerová, M.P., Chamber of Deputies of the CR and Albín Sybera, CEO, Sybera Enterprises

From left: Igor. I. Smurov, Asset Manager, Green Energy Investment Fund, Alexander Akulinin, Project Manager, Russia and CIS operations, Comenius, and Karel Muzikář, President, Comenius

23.11.2010 11:33:30

networking/discussion event

Přemysl Synek, Diamonds International Corporation – D.I.C.

A special thanks to Iﬁeld Computer Consultancy Ltd. and Laic Aktiengesellschaft for making this reportage possible

Hannu Kasi, Country Manager, ABB

From left: Karel Muzikář, President, Comenius, H.E. Amal Mostafa K. Mourad, Ambassador of Egypt, and Cai Ge, Counsellor, Embassy of the People´s Republic of China

IN PARTNERSHIP WITH IFIELD COMPUTER CONSULTANCY LTD. AND LAIC AKTIENGESELLSCHAFT Comenius.indd 36

Albín Sybera, jr., Advisor to the President, Comenius

Martin Diviš, CEO and Chairman of the Board, Kooperativa pojišťovna

Congress Hall of Hotel Ambassador

From left: Tomáš Tarcala, Marketing Director, Stock Plzeň, Martin Červencl, Diamonds International Corporation – D.I.C., Jan Wiesner, President, Union of Czech and Moravian Production Co-operatives, Přemysl Synek, Diamonds International Corporation – D.I.C., Hannu Kasi, Country Manager, ABB, Miroslav Singer, Governor, CNB, and Karel Muzikář, President, Comenius

23.11.2010 11:34:25

IN PARTNERSHIP WITH LEADERS MAGAZINE

A Friend Called Alzheimer’s From time to time, we all find ourselves unable to remember something. Some of us are better at remembering faces, and some at names. There are some people who have a photographic memory – they can ‘take a mental picture’ of a whole magazine page, and at least for a short time, they are able to replicate it in their minds. It has been proven that, starting at the age of twenty, millions of our brain cells begin to wither away. We can accelerate this process by drinking alcohol, being lazy, or by suffering some unlucky accident that affects our brain functions. As we grow older, we face more and more situations in which we are not able to remember something that we certainly have known before. In the end, these moments are so common that we start to realize that something is different. Moreover, these moments annoy us so much that, if we cannot recollect something, we spend a few hours or even whole days y fixed on the need to remember. No matter what the reason is, including the disease Alzheimer’s, which you have read in the headline, the good news is there is a solution. According to numerous recent neurological researches, our brains have an incredible abundance of jobless neurons and their joints. You can train your brain in the same way as you train your body in a gym. The studies of eighty-year-old actresses that were not able to keep a single sentence in their head are not unique. However, you cannot trust everything. There are Shamans who will try to persuade you that Sudoku solving, the completion of numeric lines, or other knick-knacks will improve your brain performance. The fact is that after a few months of Sudoku solving, you become a good Sudoku solver. But that is, concerning your brain, all that has improved. Even though I am still young, I certainly belong to the category of people who begin to realize a difference in the dynamic of recollection. The fact that, regarding mental and physical endurance, I can classify myself as a hyperactive type, does not influence the situation. I have discovered my passion for literature that seriously describes what we can do with our brains. Thanks to a ‘Den D’ (the popular Czech TV show) filming, I have met people who have become concerned with this topic on the basis of foreign experience, and through cooperation with clinical psychologists. There are magical ‘knick-knacks’, one of which is a Mindball Game – a ball that you move on a table and against your opponent, based on impulses scanned from your brain. Another one is Nexus, a device i thatt scans your reactitions to stressful or relaxing situations through tens of points on your head. These machines have begun to be used in a clinical practice. Unfortunately,

for the purpose of practical life, or even business or the management of people, there is a lack of methodology using cumulated data and curves. In my opinion, the essence of my improvement lies in three areas. The first one is an impartial evaluation of my concentration and memory. Then comes a recommendation of what I should train in my brain’s ‘fitness centre’. Devices such as Mindball and Nexus can give me feedback on my training progress. All of this is completed by the methodology of homework. The last part is a training of practical emotional intelligence skills. The emotional intelligence, as it seems, is for the purpose of studies,

success in life, and business, and is more important than traditional IQ. If you do not even succeed with getting the help of a Mindball Game, do not despair. Somebody once said that if you do not remember anything, then every day can surprise you with something new. By Ivan Pilný I President of Tuesday Business Network Former Chairman of Czech Telecom český překlad naleznete v elektronické verzi magazínu na www.leadersmagazine.cz

Photo: Vladimír Weiss

Leaders Magazine VI/2010

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22.11.2010 18:55:38

IN COOPERATION WITH LEADERS MAGAZINE

charity event

Photo: Marián Kábele, Petr Brodecký and Tomáš Martínek

Year by year, more than 1.5 million children die as a result of diseases that can be cured by vaccination. More than 30 million children in the poorest countries are still not vaccinated.

Front from the left: Karel Voříšek, Moderator and Pavla Gomba, Director of UNICEF announcing the outcome of the auction, 479 000 CZK, that will provide comprehensive vaccination against six deadly childhood diseases for 798 children

Adopt a Doll, Save a Child Last year, UNICEF’s spending on vaccination programs reached USD 479 million, which represents the protection against diseases such as diphtheria, tuberculosis, poliomyelitis, tetanus, whooping cough and measles for 40 percent of all children living in developing countries. In 2002, the Czech Committee for UNICEF launched the ‘Adopt a Doll and Save a Child’ project. The purpose of the project is to gain financial means for the worldwide UNICEF vaccination program, by means of the symbol known by all the children and adults of the world – a doll. Each doll represents one real child who will be vaccinated against six main fatal child diseases within the UNICEF vaccination campaign in developing countries. Since 2003, many prestigious fashion designers and celebrities whose dolls are auctioned yearly within the regular autumn beneficial auction at the National Museum’s Pantheon, have supported the project. Proceeds from the beneficial auction in the amount of CZK 479,000 will suffice for the vaccination of 798 children against six fatal diseases. Thank you!

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more photos and electronic version available on www.leadersmagazine.cz

New adoptive parents of dolls Růžena Kekulová (made by Jana and Jiří Adamec), Kubo (made by Odette Fedorová), and Zátiší (made by Robert Vano)

22.11.2010 18:41:55

New owner of dolls Clowns Boris and Lída, whose author is a Movie Director Jan Hřebejk

Adoptive parent of a doll Josefína whose author is a Sculptor, Designer and Glass Artist Rony Plesl

Michal Viewegh, Writer with his daughters and a doll Kája (Jan Hřebejk)

Adoptive parents of a doll Thianna that was made by Fashion Designer Tatiana Kováříková and a doll Ledová královna – Křehká made by Fashion Designer Petr Kalouda

Jana and Jiří Adamcovi with their son at the auction

You can ‘adopt’ the dolls either in the UNICEF stores or via electronic adoption on www.unicef.cz.

Petra Černocká, Singer (on the left) is introducing her doll Mrs. Dwarfs Liběna Rochová, Fashion Designer and adoptive parent of her doll OLO

Adoptive parents of a doll PUB, which was made by Lucie Bílá, and a doll Anna: Pietro di Filipi made by Anna Geislerová

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22.11.2010 18:42:23

A talk with Mirooslav Štěpán, Director General of the Fire Rescue Service of the Czech Republic

Nothing to Be Ashamed of… General Miroslav Štěpáán graduated from the VŠB-Technical University of Ostrava in ﬁre protection technique and industry security. He was appointed direector of the Fire Rescue Service in Hradec Králové in 1997 and two years later, the Supreme Fire Rescue Counsellor at the Direectorate General of the Fire Rescue Service of the Czech Republic. He was Deputy Minister of Interior for ﬁre protection, integraated rescue system and civil emergency planning in 2000–2006. As of January 2001, he has held the post of the Director General of the Fire Rescue Service of the Czech Republic. One of his hobbies is beekeeping. How significant is the impact of the budget cuts on the Fire Rescue Service? Very significant; first of all, it is very difficult to succeed in explaining thatt there is a difference between us and the police foorce. When a traffic accident happens and the policce arrive after one hour because there are so few of them, people will be fed up – but, in fact, nothing elsse happens. Now we will also be fewer, but after onee hour we don’t have to arrive to a house fire, becaause the issue will have been solved already. Are the cuts distributed proportionally within the interior ministry?

Yes, given such fierce cuts of the ministry’s budget, no one can decide other than to cut proportionally; all parts will be affected, so the cuts are distributed equally. No one will be able to decide that one thing is more important than another, as everyone fights for his or her own business. The Fire Rescue Service is considered the best functioning segment of the Integrated Rescue System… …I don´t know if the Fire Rescue Service is, thanks to the media, perceived as the best functioning segment, but it is the managing part of the whole system. The system is designed in a way that there are basic

segments including us, t he police, and the Health Rescue Services, as well as other parts. At the central level, for example, there are at least seventy cooperation contracts with other subjects. Since the Fire Rescue Service is a centtral structure of the whole system, it can sometimes be the most visible. But if there is such a percepption that we are the best functioning part, this is onnly good. The second factor is that the name Fire Resscue Service does not express the full scale of our activities. Fire fighting stands for roughly 20 % of our work. And since life is rich and there is always something interesting going on, our operations are often reported by the

Pho h to: Mi Milan la Vávrůů

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media – curious cases like pulling p a horse from a well, catching a runaway seaal, oor removing a pub guest’s finger from a table. What name would suit the th Service better? When the amended laaw oon the Service went to the Parliament, the name “Resscue Service” was proposed. The deputies thenn, either maliciously or from nostalgia, put the “Fire”” baack in. So today many regard us as firemen onlyy, bbut this is no longer true. Besides the fire rescue segment, our institution includes, for example, thee Firre Police that check upon the protection equipmeent of buildings, or the civil protection department. Civvil protection is designed differently compared to thee Cold War past, when we were advised on how to putt on a gas mask, or how to reach a non-existent shheltter. Nowadays we pursue protection against non--military risks, because even the Czech Security Strrateegy says that the risk of a military conflict on ouur territory is very low in the foreseeable future. Statte security s today means managing and minimizing noon-military threats. There is a widespread discourr se oon the threat of terrorism these days; not that the riskk is zero percent, but from our point of view there is no n difference in managing the consequences of a speecial situation regardless of its cause. Compared to the Cze Czech ech system, the French Fire rescue system includes includdes the first medical aid service. Would it be better bette for the Czech system to include it, too? Broadly speaking, I cam me to the interior ministry in 1997, and as a chhief fireman I went through baptism by water, nott fire, since right after my appointment we saw thhe greatest g floods in the history of our country. Thhis necessitated improvisation, energy and hard workk. After the debriefing, we concluded that our origginal system was not working well. Some parts were funnctioning but some – like civil protection, totally failed, since these were designed for different purpposses. So we were given the task of preparing majoor leegislative changes. Comprehensive research on rescue r services in other countries was carried ouut and at the end, we followed the French model, beecauuse at that time public administration reform waas being prepared here, which included the estt ablishment of the regions, and in France the system m iss organised and managed by departments. Howeeverr, from the competence point of view, we did noot suucceeded in accomplishing the same as our colleeaggues in France – pyrotechnics, for example, are tradditionally handled by the Police, and we also did not manage to include the Health Rescue Serviicess. Regarding Czech conditions it would probably be the right model to follow, but in the end we haave a system that is fully operational. So are you expectin expecting ng aany changes in the near future? There should be a systtemic change to achieve even tighter cohesion of thhe integrated system, but this is a political decisiion. The Fire Rescue Service started functioning as of Jaanuary 2001; soon we are going to celebrate the tentth anniversary. I have put a part of my life into it, at a time when I was at the top of my career, and I think there is nothing to be

ashamed of. The Fire Rescue Service has been doing a good job. Some critics of the Czech military forces reform say that the army is losing its capability to act at times of crisis within the country. Are these military capabilities necessary to maintain? And are these critics truly convinced that the military forces ever had these capabilities? I have been in service for 37 years. Perhaps somebody thinks the military forces could do everything, but I can’t recall that the army was present after the explosion of stored ammunition in Polička, the emergency of the chemical factory in Pardubice, or the fire at the Chemical concern in Litvínov – that was, by the way, the biggest fire in our country after WWII. I never saw any soldier during these emergencies, and why should there have been? The critics probably believe that the army should have technical equipment to manage the consequences of similar emergencies, or wellequipped sappers in case of floods… As far as the army Chemical unit is concerned, numerous debates have taken place. There is a Chemical brigade staged in Liberec; however, when a train with chemicals crashes near České Budějovice, do the military planners truly believe that we would just mark the area and wait for six or eight hours until the brigade from Liberec arrives? This is nonsense. The system must be designed in a totally different way. The idea is probably not that the army would be the body of first response, but that it should be ready to support you if necessary… For a non-military system, the capability of military engineers is important, but during a certain stage of reform the army almost erased these capabilities. At that time we had a rarity – an army without engineers. I never understood that, because if any conflict had occurred the army would have been stopped by the first destroyed bridge. So two years ago, I welcomed the next phase of military reform, when the rescue bodies that were still kept within the army, together with civil protection, should have been transferred under our competence. For some reason this did not happen, but the army established engineer units again. Today the capability is renewed, and the army is able to help in case of floods, for example, and build provisional bridges. From our point of view, helicopters are another important military capability that we need, and the cooperation works well in this field. All other things were nonsense, or ideas based on the army´s manpower. Still, during the floods in 1997 and 2002, the army was able to send a unit of soldiers to clean up the dirt. Today we have a professional army, and who would do this? They don´t have people that can assume any such role within the Rescue System. Nevertheless, the country did not lose these capacities. Do you know how many firemen are included in our emergency plans? No… It is over ninety thousand; a number the army has never had. The voluntary firemen are people who like this job and do it basically for free. They are in almost every village. We need the army to provide us with

engineers and air suppport; while other things are much better managed wiithin the Rescue System, and last year’s and this year’ss floods have proven it. Some of the military engineerss have also been transferred under our competence; there are 250 people, one full unit. I believe that the soldier today should be well trained to protect the coountry and to fulfil the tasks in missions abroad. Buut to turn a soldier into an untrained rescuer is thee same as to turn a rescuer into an untrained soldierr. You mentioned critical infrastructure protection as a further agenda that you have to handle. Are there any problems fulfilling these tasks from a systemic point of view? Critical infrastructure protection is first and foremost a huge inter-ministerial agenda. The Czech Republic has defined ninne areas, the most important being the protection of electric energy resources, as well as gas pipelines annd the water supply system. At the moment we neeed to work on coordination and the legal backgroundd. The preparatory legislative process has ended recenntly, and the proposal is now in the pipeline. We will see whether the new government will forward it to the Parliament. It is a new agenda and a continuaation of civil protection, in a certain way, since wee cannot sufficiently protect the population if we aree unable to secure the basic functions of the state – that means the functioning elements of critical infrastructure. What new duties has the proposed legislation assigned to you? We are not going to build anything from scratch; rather our tasks have beeen enlarged in the area of civil protection. This is a logical next step in the process of training citizens. We will coordinate and control subjects that ensure the basic functions of the state – i.e. water supply plants, electric power plants, etc. Also the responsible ministries will play their part in it. The EU solidarity clause regarding emergencies was strengthened. Some member states were afraid that others could abuse their capacities and not invest properly within their own countries… The Lisbon Treaty dooes not establish that every member state must be one hundred percent ready for everything. For example, we do not have to have a fire plane if there is no threaat of major forest fires in our country. All of this is baased on free cooperation. It works on the basis that member states will help each other in cases of need. Inn reality, what everyone contributes is just their free will. I think this debate ended up with a reasonable coompromise, and I do not see any other solution in the foreseeable future, because from a systemic point of view it would be senseless. Why do you like beekeeping? I have kept bees sincce I was thirteen; I like them very much and I try to follow my hobby despite the fact that I am often awayy from home. I have also been chairman of our apicultural club for almost thirty years. This is not a time-ddemanding hobby, but I hope that I will dedicate more time to it when I retire. By Věra Řiháčková I český překlad naaleznete v elektronické verzi magazínu na www.leadersmagazine.cz

Leaders Magazin ine VI/2010

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interview

MUDr. Štefan Vítko CSc., Head Doctor of the nephrology ambulances at the Clinic of Nephrology, IKEM Photo: Vladimír Weiss

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23.11.2010 13:14:02

A talk with MUDr. Štefan Vítko CSc., the Head Doctor of the Nephrology Ambulances at the Clinic of Nephrology, IKEM

The Insurance Companies Do Not Provide Assistance

FOR TRANSPLANTS AT ALL Štefan Vítko has devoted himself to nephrology (kidney disorders) and organ transplants since his graduation from the Faculty of Medicine at Charles University in Prague in 1978. He later worked at the First Internal Clinic of the First Faculty of Medicine at Charles University in Prague from 1985–1992. Mr. Vítko became famous as a representative of Czech Transplantology abroad. He was the Head of the Institute of Transplantology of the Institute for Clinical and Experimental Medicine (IKEM) in 1992–2007, and since 2006 he has also been the Director of the IKEM. During his tenure, however, Mr. Vítko’s ideas concerning the management of the Institute were different from those of the Ministry of Health Care, and therefore he resigned in 2007. In 1992, he founded the Board of Directors of the Karel Pavlík Foundation, upon which he is currently Chairman. This Foundation was named after the ﬁrst kidney transplant patient in the former Czechoslovakia. Štefan Vítko is a co-founder of the Czech Transplant Society; of which he was repeatedly its Chairman. He is currently engaged in clinical medicine, and participates chieﬂy in the research of new drugs aimed at the suppression of the immune response. Štefan Vítko has never been a member of any political party. The Czech Republic is known for its high level of medicine. How does the field of transplants here compare to other countries of the world? Well, it depends on our perception of a “high level” of medicine. To me, this is a very exclusive classification where only a few can be considered. So, I don’t like to look at it this way. The best in the field would be the one who can solve the problems which no-one else can solve. In many respects, Czech medicine is on the same level of medicine as other economically developed countries. Yet, only a few areas of Czech medicine are of a high level. So, we should not indulge in wishful thinking. Here, in the Czech Republic, average health care is available and it is of a good standard. Organ transplants belong to a field of medicine that is readily available for ordinary patients here in the Czech Republic. However, it is a bit presumptuous to say that Czech transplantology is among the best in the world. What can be transplanted at this point in time? Routine transplantations can be distinguished as curative methods for organ malfunctions, and those which are still “under development”. The curative methods include the transplantations of kidneys, livers, lungs and some combination transplantations (such as the transplant of a kidney and pancreas in an unstable diabetic patient). Still under development are the transplants of the small intestine or islets of Langerhans, or the transplant of several tissues at once, i.e. the transplant of “hands”, or the transplant of a face. The intestinal transplant is not very common in the Czech Republic so far. Why not? The transplant of the small intestine is a very difficult surgery major, which cannot be compared to the kidney transplant. It doesn’t belong to any routine curative method that the world has ever known. Only a few clinics systematically pursue these

surgeries, and only some of them, for instance in Pittsburgh, have achieved good results. This issue is somewhat due to the problem that we have very few suitable patients. Therefore, there is very little pressure to cure them. So, because there are so few patients for this particular transplant, it has been pursued with difficulty in the Czech Republic. Could you tell us how many months patients are presently waiting for a kidney transplant in the Czech Republic? The waiting period for a kidney transplant is 12 months on average in the Czech Republic. By comparison, a kidney transplant patient in the US has waited for up to 5 years for a kidney from a dead donor. At a first glance, this seems like a great situation for Czech patients. However, our kidney transplant waiting list has a low ratio of sick people who are cured by dialysis. Why is this happening? There may be several reasons, but I have the feeling that the main reason is the economic profitability of dialysis. Obviously, it is only profitable for the dialysis provider. How many kidney transplants do you perform in a year? We have performed 590 organ transplants – 347 kidney transplants, 100 liver transplants and 80 heart transplants in the last year. However, I find it more interesting that 5500 people have had their lives saved by transplants, thanks to the 5500th successfully completed transplant in the Czech Republic last year. This is no small number! Transplants coming from living donors comprise only 10% of all kidney transplants in the Czech Republic, while this number is more than 50% in some other countries. How would you interpret this? It was even less than 10 % last year! I think the main reason for this is that Czech patients do not

have to wait long for kidneys coming from dead donors. Thus, there is no pressure for the relatives to consider donating a kidney. The truth is also that about 50 % of potential donors are unsuitable for kidney donation because it may complicate their heath. What is the future of human organ transplantation? In the years to come I definitely see a great future, in which we will discover new ways of curing organ disorders. Stem cell transplants may bring a real breakthrough. I was fascinated by a lecture on the “creation” of a heart with stem cells at the last Congress of the American Society Transplantation (AST). Similar hopes were placed on animal organ transplants in the beginning of the seventies; unfortunately progress in this field was slowed down significantly. Do you expect that upcoming health care reform in the Czech Republic will bring significant changes in the area of transplant medicine? Well, we can only speculate about the upcoming health care reform results. So far, I can only see efforts concerning the deficit savings of health insurance companies. However, I believe that no reform can “do harm” to transplant medicine! Especially if health insurance companies acknowledge that kidney transplants are more profitable than dialysis! For many years I have not understood why health insurance companies do not support transplants by any means! Maybe this is because they th ey are not ins nsur uran ance ce com ompa panies to all intents and purposes, but merely “distributors” of a health tax. By Pavlína Holancová ■ český překlad naleznete v elektronické verzi magazínu na www.leadersmagazine.cz

Leaders Magazine i VI/2010 I

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Alchymist Grand Hotel and Spa Alchymist Grand Hotel and Spa offers its guests a tranquil oasis dedicated to guests’ well-being and health in Prague. Escotica Spa & Health Club is the finest luxury spa, offering restful rejuvenation in unrivalled privacy and comfort, combining exclusive pampering treatments with extraordinary design elements. Our Ecsotica Spa includes five intimately furnished treatment rooms, of which one room is specially designed for couples to share their romantic experience. Guests can also enjoy a variety of Indonesian inspired signature health treatments, ranging from deep muscular massages and relaxation aromatherapy to bathing rituals to detoxifying wraps and Darphin facials provided by a gracious team of Balinese therapists. Alchymist Grand Hotel and Spa is a spa hotel in Prague that expands the hotel experience into a new realm of experience. Whether or not you were originally interested in spas in Prague, one thing is for certain – upon staying with us, you will have the opportunity to improve your overall wellness in Prague, through the massages we offer and dozens of other procedures. In addition to representing a leading spa hotel in Prague, where it is possible to obtain one of the best massages in Prague, Alchymist Grand Hotel and Spa also offers a fully equipped gym situated in a unique gothic cellar. The health club is complimentary for hotel guests; is air-conditioned and features Technogym cardio and weight fitness equipment. The health club includes a private pool and relaxation area, separate locker rooms and dry and steam saunas. Monthly or annual membership for non-hotel guests includes member discounts on Ecsotica Spa treatments. Ecsotica Spa and Health Club At Alchymist Grand Hotel and Spa Tržiště 19, Prague 1 www.alchymisthotel.com tel: +420 257 286 011 Opening hours: Ecsotica Spa: Daily 9:00–21:00 Health Club: Mon–Fri 7:00–21:00 Sat–Sun 8:00–21:00

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O O O O O

Technogym cardio and weight fitness facilities ilities Separate locker areas with saunas Steam bath Swimming pool Relaxation area

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21.7.2010 13:28:27

IN COOPERATION WITH LEADERS MAGAZINE

YOUR IMAGE AS A PERFORMANCE TOOL Karin Genton-L’Epée has 15 years of management experience in the United States, France and the Czech Republic. For the last 12 years Karin has worked as a successful business coach in the Czech Republic offering international professional expertise. As a business coach, Karin has developed a range of coaching and training programs for mid- and top-level managers to focus on leadership development, cross-cultural understanding and effective communication in an international environment. With her knowledge, skills and range of experience, Karin has been a frequent guest speaker at business conferences and educational institutions. She is also a regular contributor to business journals and magazines. Karin works in English and French and can be reached at karin@coaching.cz

I MUST BE GETTING OLD Twenty five years ago, Descamps, the renowned French luxury linen brand I was working for, asked me to hire a public relations agency to promote their 150-yearold brand in the United States. They told me to look for a PR firm that would be able to present the company in the best light; and to make sure that the account manager who would handle our company was someone who could easily be associated with the elegant and fashionable linen brand. The firm we hired was an excellent fit, and our account manager was confident in her ability to promote the brand. She had a lovely, cultivated demeanor, groomed impeccably, and had outstanding written and interpersonal skills. Though the world of marketing and PR has evolved quite a bit in the past 25 years, I thought that some principles i i l had h d remained i d the h same: a successful f l PR person is a walking advertisement for the brand he/she represents, whose behavior and attitude project credibility and professionalism. So I was bewildered a few weeks ago when I attended a presentation on how to deal with the media, at which half of the audience presented themselves as PR consultants. Somewhere along the way, these PR consultants forgot that the way they dress, the way they speak and the way they behave in business situations says more about their competence and performance than they can imagine. One of them was dressed more like a perennial student than someone dealing with business. Another sat slumped in his chair during the whole presentation. A third managed only to sound ill informed and arrogant when trying to contribute to the discussion. These PR people clearly needed some good PR coaching! Like it or not, we are responsible for the way people perceive us. While judging a book by its cover can lead to some critical misunderstanding, ignoring the power and impact of how people perceive us can also be detrimental to our reputation. And refusing by choice or by ignorance to understand the interaction between our image and our overall performance is a serious mistake. THE WAY WE LOOK The way we dress says a lot about who we are. Studies have shown that there is a clear link between our physical appearances – clothes, hairstyle, grooming – and our career advancement. And an airhead or grunge

Interviews.indd 46

look can only get you so far before it becomes a detriment. Regardless of gender and personal preferences, anyone on a path to power needs to adopt a style that is office appropriate. The idea is to avoid undermining one’s credibility. And you see famous people undermined in the mass media all the time. Sarah Palin (former candidate for U.S. vice president) gets a $150,000 makeover, (former U.S. presidential candidate) John Edwards gets a $400 haircut, (pop star) Britney Spears shaves her head, and all are pilloried by the media. And then there’s the American entrepreneur Donald Trump’s hair... You may not, yet, be in the same league, but people make judgments about the way you look, and position you in their minds accordingly. From personal experience, I have learned that people who pay attention to the way they look have managed to open more doors andd are taken k more seriously i l than h those h who h neglect l their appearance or present themselves carelessly. THE WAY WE ACT While our personal appearance has a tremendous impact on the image we project, how we behave carries more weight than our wardrobe. Our bodies are our most important communication tool. We are constantly sending unconscious signals to the outside world by the way we stand, the way we move and the way we behave. And our posture automatically gives people an impression of our competence and credibility or the opposite. “As a leader, one seeks prominence, as an outlaw the opposite is true. When underground, I did not walk as tall or stand as straight. I spoke more softly, with less clarity and distinction. I was more passive, more unobtrusive,” wrote Nelson Mandela in his memoir Long Walk To Freedom. Mandela understood the benefits of wearing a fitted suit while he worked as a lawyer. But he was even more aware of the importance of his posture when he went underground during his time of struggle against apartheid. “The key to be underground is to be invisible,” Mandela has said. “Just as there is way to walk into a room in order to make you stand out, there is a way of walking and behaving that makes you inconspicuous.” The young aspiring PR consultants I met seem to be oblivious to the fact that their slouching and flimsy postures project a very negative impression and discredit them. And as crucial as our posture is to project credibility, our actions speak even louder.

At the eve of the American midterm’s elections, I was surprised to read how Barack Obama’s early supporters appear to have lost faith in him. It seems that after having built his image with great intelligence, the American President disregarded the voters’ needs for their leader to share their anger. “Many voters believe that getting angry is somehow a good thing in a leader, and that the apparent absence of anger betokens someone who is out of touch or insensitive to the moral dimensions of the problem,” says psychiatrist Ronald Pies of SUNY Upstate Medical Center in New York. “Obama hasn’t been able to show people that he was feeling their anger, which makes them angrier.” According to a recent Newsweek Poll, about three quarters of angry voters were more likely to support a candidate who expressed anger about the economy and jobs, federal spending, taxes and the deficit. Based on the November 2nd results, these predictions rang true. I doubt that Barack Obama’s failure, so far, to achieve many of the goals he stated as a candidate is due to his cool and controlled behavior. But I wouldn’t be surprised if not showing voters that he felt their anger and not expressing much passion during the mid-term elections had a strong impact on the results. People constantly observe our behavior and form theories about our character and ability to perform. While times have changed and PR, like marketing, follows new trends, some basics remain unchanged, including the importance of having a clear picture of the image we want to present and expressing it to others. We are walking advertisements for ourselves. Our appearance and behavior have an enormous impact on the way people perceive us. When we look and act the part, we reinforce who we are and what we can offer. When we keep our goals in mind and, more importantly, keep in mind the people who can help us achieve those goals, we are bound to have greater success. Nevertheless, while physical appearance and appropriate behavior are fundamental to successfully projecting our image, we should never forget the importance of credibility and authenticity. Without these key characteristics, any attempt to influence people and gain their trust will be undermined. Only by presenting ourselves in a way that is true to who we are and can be believed by others, can we perform to the level we expect. I

Leaders Magazine VI/2010

23.11.2010 13:15:26

A special thanks to Iﬁeld Computer Consultancy Ltd. and Laic Aktien Gesellschaft for making this reportage possible Photo: Jan Kamenář

On September 22 Comenius organized its first Czech 100 Best golf tournament, and it took place at the exceptional golf resort Albatross in Velký Újezd near Prague. As its name suggests, the tournament was inspired by the Czech 100 Best competition, which Comenius has been organizing annually since 1996. The golf tournament was a great opportunity for the representatives of the Czech 100 Best companies to compete on the greens in a relaxed, but productive atmosphere.

Jana Doleželová, Moderator and Karel Muzikář, President, Comenius

CZECH 100 BEST

GRAND GOLF PRIX – ALBATROSS CUP 2010 Czech 100 Best Golf Tour Thus Officially Began!

Category HCP 37 - 54 – from left: Jiří Šáda, ARIS Product & BPM Consulting Director, IDS SCHEER ČR, Jan Klas, General Director, Air Navigation Services of the CR, Beata Rajská, Fashion Designer, and Pavel Moučka, E.ON Energie

From left: Vladimír Dohnal, Chairman of the Board, TOP Hotels Group, Sponsor, Jana Doleželová, Moderator, Radek Dohnal, Vice Chairman of the Board, TOP Hotels Group, Sponsor, Tereza Vránková, Marketing Director, GTS Novera – Winner Longest Drive, Petr Kmoch, Chairman of the Board, Petrisk International – Winner Longest Drive, and Jaroslav Míl, President, Union of Industry and Trade – Winner Nearest to Pin

Comenius.indd 47

Category HCP 18,1 - 36 – from left: Ladislav Dráb, Chairman of the Board, Česká plynárenská, Sponsor, Jiří Weigl, Chancellor, Office of the President Václav Klaus, Monika Košková, LINPAC Packaging, and Jaroslav Míl, President, Union of Industry and Trade

more photos and electronic version available on www.leadersmagazine.cz

23.11.2010 13:26:45

czech 100 best golf tournament

From left: Jaroslav Veselý, Co-owner, ProMoPro, Milena Veselá, Co-owner, ProMoPro, Ivana Holcátová, 1st Faculty of Medicine, Charles University, and H.E. Peter Brňo, Ambassador of the Slovak Republic

A special thanks to Iﬁeld Computer Consultancy Ltd. and Laic Aktien Gesellschaft for making this reportage possible

Šárka Parobek, Director, Ifield Computer Consultancy/Laic Aktiengesellschaft and George Parobek, Managing Director, Ifield Computer Consultancy/Laic Aktiengesellschaft

Milan Rusnák, General Director, Vekra Okna

From left: David Dušek, CEO, STES, Jan Brázda, Managing Partner, Constellation Executive Search, Michal Zahradníček, Chairman of the Supervisory Board, Primecell, and Ladislav Hloušek, Chairman of the Board, Hloušek

From left: H.E. Peter Brňo, Ambassador of the Slovak Republic and Karel Muzikář, President, Comenius

Jan Klas, General Director, Air Navigation Services of the CR and Kateřina Sedláčková, Partner, AK Doleček Kahounová Sedláčková

From left: Jan Klas, General Director, Air Navigation Services of the CR, Kateřina Sedláčková, Partner, AK Doleček Kahounová Sedláčková, Šárka Parobek, Director, Ifield Computer Consultancy/Laic Aktiengesellschaft, and George Parobek, Managing Director, Ifield Computer Consultancy/Laic Aktiengesellschaft

Comenius.indd 48

23.11.2010 13:27:26

IN COOPERATION WITH LEADERS MAGAZINE

czech 100 best golf tournament

From left: Václav Junek, Chairman of the Board, LST, Karel Filip, Director, Thomayerova Faculty Hospital, Dana Bérová, Investor and former Minister of Informatics, and Ladislav Blažek, Chairman of the Board, Blažek Praha

From left: Vladimír Mráz, former CEO, Kooperativa pojišťovna, Jiří Tvrdík, CFO, Barrandov Studio, Eva Frindtová, Publisher, COT Media, and Radek Dohnal, Vice Chairman of the Board, TOP hotels Group

From left: Tomáš Klapště, Executive Director, Patria Finance, Ladislav Dráb, Chairman of the Board, Česká plynárenská, Eduard Pálka, Chairman of the Supervisory Board, Česká plynárenská, and Pavel Moučka, E.ON Energie

From left: Milan Rusnák, General Director, Vekra Okna, Ogi Jakšič, Development Director for Central Europe, Orco Property Group, Marek Černý, Deputy Chairman of the Board, Česká plynárenská, and Vladimír Jelínek, Development Director, City Realex

Karel Muzikář, President, Comenius

George Parobek, Managing Director, Ifield Computer Consultancy/Laic Aktiengesellschaft

Comenius.indd 49

Grand partners of the tournament: Česká plynárenská, a.s. and Ifield Computer Consultancy Ltd.

Jan Tašek, Co-owner, ASE

23.11.2010 16:12:55

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MATHEMATICS IS LIKE A FAIRY TALE Interviews.indd 50

23.11.2010 13:16:00

A talk with Jaroslav Nešetřil, recognized Professor of the Faculty of Mathematics and Physics of Charles University and Artist Jaroslav Nešetřil (1946) studied mathematics at Charles University, Universität Wien and at McMaster University in Canada. He has been working at Charles University since 1969 and as a full professor of geometry and topology since 1993. Jaroslav Nešetřil pursued private studies in art with Prof. F. Lexa. He has been co-operating with the foremost Czech artist, Jiří Načeradský, since 1991. Together they organized several exhibitions in the field of “Antropogeometry”. Jaroslav Nešetřil is also an author of many scientific books and articles, chiefly from the field of combinatorics, discrete mathematics and theoretical informatics. What is it that makes you so interested in mathematics and what can mathematics tell us about life itself? Mathematics is not only interesting as entertainment or as a hobby. It is life itself. It represents one of the most comprehensive and most intensive artefacts as the complex of knowledge. You might find it pretentious, but mathematics is a foremost activity of human beings. I didn’t invent this sentence. And beyond this, mathematics is important to the life of every person, whether they realize it or not. Last but not least, math is a science that deals with thinking itself, with the structure of comprehension, and the mastering of the outer world at the highest level. One can say that mathematics is the vision of the world in light of exactness and truth. These issues influence the lives of all of us. What, how and when mathematics is applied really matters to us all. Without an understanding of mathematics, our children might move along in the world without any chance of understanding it. Abstract mathematics presently deals with various hypotheses and assumptions. Yet, what is its connection with daily reality? Does it concern a rather general trend in science? This question echoes, I think, a common mistake which is often repeated. Mathematics (and science in general) is a part of our lives. We are surrounded by things that we don’t understand, or things that we don’t understand fully. How many people can repair a car, a fridge, or a TV. Furthermore, only a few people understand the principles of how these things work. Despite this, all of these objects were invented by people with knowledge of mathematics, by people who used and knew mathematics. Mathematics is a science among sciiences. It is hidden behind the surface of other sciences, and applied sciences to a much greater extent. It is like the salt in Božena Němcová’s fairy tale. We do not eat the salt itself, as many people say – “I do not want salt”, and it seems we do not need it. But alas, salt is not a spice, salt is the essence. And so salt, much like mathematics, is everywhere. Moreover, we can also explain it by telling stories. This has been happening at school at all levels. Once you understand the essence of mathematics, it seems to be like a fairy tale, the fairy tale of mankind. Why did you become interested in the arts? I always liked to draw; and I had a feeling that I understood it. Ass a yo youn ungg ma mann my mot othe herr re reco comm mmen ende dedd me to professor Lexa. I was attending private drawing lessons with him for about 5 years. František Lexa was a professor at the Gymnasium in Rakovník, and a pensioner. He was a well-known painter in Rakovník as well. I think he liked me, and he liked telling me about his scientific life. He was a relative of his namesake,

František Lexa, the famous Czech scientist and founder of the Czech Institute of Egyptology, at Charles University in Prague. He was very proud of this, and maybe his nice stories turned me on to science. For a young man in Rakovník, the big world of science was like a fairy tale. In what way does science enrich art? Does art assert a “criterion of truth” and, on the contrary, does mathematics regard “aesthetic rules” as well? This is not a question one can respond to easily. Coherence is obvious, yet deep. The aesthetic aspect of mathematics does not express itself in the form or in the quality of the paper that the work is printed on. It depends rather on the elegance, originality and ingenuity of expressions, much like the whole approach. Similarly, the verity of artwork cannot be measured by comparison with reality, but rather with the sincerity and originality of the method, and at the same time, with the quality of work of the artist within their historical context. There are several common points between art and mathematics, and I have already written something on this issue issue, yet it is very complex. complex What do you think of space and place when you are conducting your artwork? Artwork is entirely about the space. It is, e.g. possible to abolish the space as a result of a great act. Or, one can break the space and replace it with many partial views. Finding an adequate space in accordance with the place within the world, with the place of people, is a topical issue much like it was in the past. A space extends, and is not solely the geometrical space or space-time, but it can also be a space of our being. It is actually an abstract space, perceived in accordance with mathematics, which is not so common. In this context, do you find purely abstract art to be “dead”? Is it something that should strive toward perfection, and out of the imperfect world make a perfect world, i.e. “dead” forms? No. In art much like in mathematics, once something proves to be vital, it never disappears. Everything is topical. Much like we are affected by the gentle beauty of Byzantine and Gothic painting, much like we are inspired by the exact and fatigue logics of Euclides, and the antique thinkers. Additionally, the classic discoveries of Kupka, of Mondrian and others have not been forgotten either. They are vital and reincarnated, and serve to soften our comprehension of art. Great artists, much lilike ke mat athe hema matitici cian anss, tak akee hi hist stor oryy wi with th the hem m, and com ompare their work with works of their famous predecessors. Nothing essential is being lost. On the contrary, great activities of the past awe us and, at the same time, fill us with a craving for our own modest contribution. What appeals to you most about the figuralism and art of Jiří Načeradský?

I cannot say it appeals me. This would be to say too little. I love Jiří Načeradský as an essential artist, a man of great knowledge and experience, the artist who, whatever he is doing, is doing it excellently. The fact that the essential part of his work is figuralism fills me with admiration, and I find this as further evidence of his dutifulness, essentialities and supreme skill. Figurehead has been a basis since the outset of things. I know the ground works of Mr. Načeradský, ý and we have similar tastes in the history of the arts. Yet, not everybody can recast the arts so masterfully and in ways so new as Jiří Načeradský does. What does your mutual cooperation consist of? Can you specify how it works? This is a difficult thing which cannot be described by words. We do not talk while doing our work either. Obviously, the leading personality is the Master. You should ask him. Yet, our cooperation takes place awkwardly and requires a lot of time, which we have only little of at present. I consider my meeting and matching with Jiří Načeradský a happy circumstance of my life. We have both deserved it, though! Nonetheless, can you specify the method of “Antropogeometry”? It is a connection of two words in the accordance of: space for a man, and a man in the space. And there must be a balance of both. Our aim was and still is to make a program. We even wrote a “Manifesto”. It is about a clash of aspects with the elements of accidents. More than this cannot be revealed (This is a quotation from the Manifesto). Your dream concerns “mathematics aesthetics”. How do you feature this connection? It is apparently a very easy goal. We try to illustrate the PC, or another mechanism that is harmonious, with the aesthetic effect. If a computer cannot only count, but also speak and draw, then we might perhaps teach it to understand the concept of aesthetics. Thus, by analysis, which would be obviously done by us, not by the computer itself, we might find out what “aestheticism” actually means. The history of art calls for such an effort towards classification that is “impersonal”, objective, and even archaeological. It is easy to formulate the program, but much more difficult to implement it. We have made some efforts thus far, and we aim toward something like this within interdisciplinary scientitifificc re rese sear arch ch at th the Ph Phililosophi hicall Facullty as well. By Pavlína Holancová ■

český překlad naleznete v elektronické verzi magazínu na www.leadersmagazine.cz

Leaders Magazine i VI/2010 I

Interviews.indd 51

23.11.2010 13:16:24

IN COOPERATION WITH LIONS CLUB PRAGUE EAGLE

An interview with Marrie Schifferrová, Director of the Sojourn Centre for rehhabilitation and re-qqualiﬁcation for the Blind Dědiina

TEACHING TOWARDS

INDEPENDENCE Marrie Schifferová graduateed in speciall pedagogy from the Faculty of Philoosophy of the Masaryk University in Brno. She has dedicatedd herself to thhe education of the bllind since the 19 970’s, and has also authored textboooks for the blind. She is a member of the editorial board of the Special Pedaagogy journal annd cooperates with the Department of Special Pedagogy at the Faculty of Pedaggogy of Charles University, with the Jabok College, andd the Rehabilitation Clinicc of the 1st Faaculty of Medicine at Charles Universitty. She has beenn the director of the Sojoourn Centre for rehabilitaation and re-qqualiﬁcation for the Bllind Dědina sincee 1995.

Photo: Vladimír Weiss

Interviews.indd 52

Leaders Magazine VI/20110

23.11.2010 13:16:47

How didd you you start working w with blind and partially-siighhted people? peoplee? partially-sighted You could caall me a Nesstoor of the field. I am a music teeacher by edducation, andd blind people have the eaasiest accesss to music andd they like it. Beginning in 19970 I taught at a school foor partially sighted pupils, annd then in the 1980’ss I became the director of a school for thee weak-sightedd in Prague, which involved nuursery, primaary and highh sschool students. I worked thhere until 19995, when my fformer students proposed thhat I take a job in the Děddina Centre that was just abbout to open. A similar facility had been established in Levoča, Sloovakia, in thhe 1970’s, but after the divisioon of Czechooslovakia thee CCzech blind could not travel foor rehabilitattion and re-quualification abroad. So it waas necessaryy to build a neew institution in the Czech Reepublic. My former stuudeents founded the Czech Unnion of Blindd and Weakk-siighted, and privatized the buuilding of thee Centre thaat w was a former nursery. They also managed to get fundiingg for reconstruction, so that thhe building could serve the blind. At the end I was assked to becoome the directtor here. I was very much pleased by theeir offer; I waas honoured h that they thought abbout me as a person whho they wanted in their adult livves. When the option to esttablish a public benefit orgaanisation em merged, we spllit from the Union and becaame indepenndent. Did you m mind ind the pprofessional ro change from pedagogy too services, to rehabilitation and requalificatioon? qualification? It was a change but itt w was definitely a good one. When I begann, there waas a reconstructed building, whhich was parr tly furnisheed and with accommodation caapacities - there were faccilities, but no special equipment for the classes annd re-qualification courses. I have been buuilding all off thhis from scratch and it has beeen very inteeresting. I havve always tended towards thhe opinion thhat visually im mpaired people should not onnly have a goood educatioon, but should also go through reehabilitation that would leaad to an independent life. When I workeed in educaatioon, I didn´t like that the nuursemaids did everything for f the blind children in the booarding schoool. These children were not trained to lead an indepeendent life, andd I remember, for example, thhat they didn’’t know whaat a loaf of bread looked like, beecause someeone alwayss cuut the bread for them. One caan be super-educated, butt not knowing how to take caare of them self means thaat the education cannot be puut to use. I have seen thiss in my practice; how the ovver-caring attitude of paareents or others can lead to thhe social disqqualificationn oof an individual. So I have always tendedd towards thee belief that rehabilitation annd re-qualificcation are im mpoortant forms of education. Who ca can an enjoy reh rehabilitation hab in the Dědina Centre? We accept only adult clients, who have lost their sigght due to reeasons in thheiir adult life, and who have exxperienced social problem ms because they became vissually impairred. Most of tthe people that lose their sigght go throough rehabilitaation in Tyfloservices or Tyy flocentres thhat exist thrroughout the country. We acceept people who have been deprived of their social baackground. For example, thhere are many men here in thheir forties orr fifties whoo loost their sight, and consequuently their families haavee broken up. A wife and

children can naturally adjust to this type of situation; but this adjustment is all about tolerance and keeping things the same at home. But for many people, it is easier to leave their partner. The unimpaired partner usually maintains custody of the children, and thus they stay in the apartment that the partnners shared. Finally, the blind partner ends up with notthing but social support, and does not know how to conntinue living. He or she suffers from serious psychologiccal problems and social complications, and comes here to learn how to live with this disability. The loss of sighht usually results in the loss of a job, too. So here the clients have an opportunity to re-qualify, and afterwaards we help them to find employment. We usually assisst them with securing accommodation too, be it in the sppecial social flats managed by municipalities, or in the homes with day care. Sometimes the clients find neew partners here, and when they are leaving hand inn hand, it is naturally always more optimistic. Do you also work with the families of the blind in order to prevent their collapse? Unfortunately, our clients usually get here when their families have already split. They loook for a way forward and lead their independent livees. In these cases, there is not much to do about their former families. If there is a client with a functionning partnership, we organise a weekend course of faamily therapy. The family members are taught how to accompany a blind person, and how to assist them in a shop or when travelling – in this way we are tryingg to transfer a practical know-how. We also blindfoldd the family members, so that they understand the feeeling, and we let them prepare coffee in our training kittchen under the guidance of our instructor, for exaample. Then they know what it is all about. Are there more jobs for the blind thanks to IT technology? It is complicated. As a compensation tool PCs are great for the visually impaired, and they alsso get a state subsidy to purchase one. We do impleement basic trainings – with us the client learns how w to access information and how to communicate in written form. We teach the clients Braille, but because they have been blinded in their adult life, they are never able to perfect it, and what’s more, some of them m have problems with motor functions. It is basic know wledge to be able to read a floor number in a lift. But to have a computer as a working tool demands a certain amount of knowledge. We do this type of re-qualificaation as well. Usually this is prepared according to the demands of a specific employer. We had an acadeemic patient here who formerly worked in the universityy library, and her collective was ready to take her back after she had lost her sight. But she couldn’t do the sam me job as before, and she is currently responsible for keeping their book fund online. In another case, we hadd a configuring engineer here who was also able to return to his original employer, but the blind cannot woork with a PC mouse – all has to be done via keyboard – and to learn to master the computer this way is a loot more demanding. So he couldn’t design, but becaause he had a certain amount of knowledge, he startedd elaborating technical reports. A third case was paradoxically a head ophthalmologist who became blinnd. He works for a pharmaceutical company now, afteer rehabilita-

tion and re-qualificcation, and manages reports on the computer. There are also those who do not have to change jobs, but foollow up on what he or she knows. But in some vocatioons this is just impossible. So you can tailor-make a re-qualification? Yes, but the em mployers are usually not interested; these are only indivvidual cases. It will take a lot of time until the situation im mproves. According to the law, every employer today should employ a certain percent of disabled persons, but many opt for substitutive measures – they either buy products made by disabled people, or pay a sanction fine because they feel it is more advantaggeous. Do the clients pay for their stay in the Dědina Centre? No, rehabilitatioon is covered by the Ministry of Labour and Sociall Affairs subsidy, which is unfortunately rather insuff ficient, and we have to search for additional resourcces whenever we can. The clients contribute to livingg expenses in the amount of seventy CZK per day, and too their meals in the amount of eighty CZK per day, for which we can cover breakfast, lunch and dinner. The kiitchen service is covered from the subsidy. As far as thhe re-qualification is concerned, it is the same procedurre as in cases of normal unemployed people. A client gooes to the employment bureau, gets registered, and annnounces that we are going to provide the re-qualificationn, and the bureau covers the fee. What is the maximum length of stay in the Dědina Centre? It is 5+5 monthss for social rehabilitation, because during the first five months the clients usually leave for follow-up medical treatment, for hospitals or spas – for example every year there is a young biker who was blinded due to a head injury that needs further treatment. The clients get full care in hospitals and spas and forget almostt everything that they have been taught here. We caan start all over again when they return, but then theyy usually proceed much faster. The work rehabilitation course also takes five months and includes basic worrk with computers, and the search for a suitable futuree job. The follow-up re-qualification courses are accreddited with the Ministry of Education, and the course foor masseuse with the Ministry of Health, so there iss a given number of hours that the clients have to paass – some take two months, and some four, so it deppends. What is the accommodation capacity of the Centre? There are 37 places that are sufficient for the whole Czech Repuublic. We are also accredited by the European Unioon – we do have an IES organisation certificate, and the rating of a Quality institution managed at a veery good professional level. After concluding their re-qualification, the clients can apply for an internationaal certificate that is in fact a certification for workingg abroad in the EU. This concerns especially masseuuses that live in the border regions, but we do have masseuses who travel with travel agencies abroad during the summer, providing services to their clients.. By Věra Řiháčková ■ český překklad naleznete v elektronické verzi magaa zínu na www.leadersmagazine.cz

Leaders Magazine i VI/2010 I

Interviews.indd 53

23.11.2010 13:17:18

A special thanks to Star Group Czech a.s. for making this reportage possible

diplomatic event IN COOPERATION WITH LEADERS MAGAZINE

H.E. Alexey L. Fedotov, Ambassador of the Russian Federation in his speech

FAREWELL

IN COOPERATION WITH LEADERS MAGAZINE After six and half years as an Ambassador of the Russian Federation, H.E. Alexey L. Fedotov, along with his wife, is now leaving the Czech Republic for new duties in Russia. The Ambassador has served his country greatly, pragmatically and with understanding and finesse, exhibiting this from time to time while dealing with sensitive issues. With deep respect for the Czech Republic’s traditions and values, he became a very popular Ambassador and representative for the Russian Federation. Your Excellency, your publisher (or as you called me “my editor”) salutes you for your friendship and your support for the Magazine. We will all miss you and your wife and we wish you and your family all the best for the future. Myself and the Magazine are proud to have you as an Honorary Member, and our Goodwill Ambassador abroad for Leaders Magazine Advisory Board. In this way we will stay in touch.

to the Russian Ambassador H.E. Alexey L. Fedotov

From left: H.E. Fabio Pigliapoco, Ambassador of Italy, H.E. Amal M. Mourad, Ambassador of Egypt, and H.E. Jan C. Henneman, Ambassador of the Netherlands

From left: František Mikeš, Deputy Minister, Ministry of Culture of the Czech Republic and Tomáš Chalupa, Deputy and Mayor of Prague 6 From left: Ing. Ivo Grim, President of the Chamber, SVSOK and Peter P. Formánek, President, Canadian Chamber of Commerce in the CR

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From left: PhDr. Jan Kohout, former Minister of Foreign Affairs of the CR and Ing. Vladimír Laštůvka, former M.P.

From left: Ivan Wilhelm, Plenipotentiary of the Government of the Czech Republic, Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports of the CR, Marie Kousalíková, Deputy Mayor of the City Hall, and MUDr. Richard Sequens, former Senator

23.11.2010 11:43:26

From left: Dr. Jaroslav Kafka, Assistant of the Chairman of the Audit Committee, City Council, City Hall Prague and Vladimir Fiodorovič Kolmakov, Counsellor, Embassy of the Russian Federation

From left: H.E. Jens Eikaas, Ambassador of Norway and H.E. M. Kabir Farahi, Ambassador of Afghanistan

Ing. Alena Vitásková, President, Klub plynárenských podnikatelů ČR s.r.o. and Jiří Weigl, Chancellor, Office of the President of the CR

From left: H.E. Auriman Taurantas, Ambassador of Lithuania and H.E. Jan Pastwa, Ambassador of Poland with his wife

more photos and electronic version available on www.leadersmagazine.cz

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From left: H.E. Peter Brňo, Ambassador of Slovakia and Ing. Karel Muzikář, CSc., President, Comenius

From left: H.E. Alexey L. Fedotov, Ambassador of the Russian Federation and his wife toasting with Most Reverend Diego Causero, Titular Archbishop of Grado Apostolic Nuncio

23.11.2010 15:01:00

From left: Roald F. Piskoppel, Main Representative, Gasprom Export in the CR, Vladimir J. Novgorodsky, Counsellor, Embassy of the Russian Federation, and Vojtěch Mynář, Deputy Mayor, Ostrava City

From left: Petr Hájek, Deputy Head, Office of the President of the CR and Prof. Dr.h.c. JUDr. Jan Kříž, CSc., Partner, Law Firm, Kříž a Bělina s.r.o.

From left: Ing. Jozef Nálepka, CSc., Benjamín Szákal, Partner, Galerie Soga Prague, and PhDr. MgA. Miro Smolák, Owner and Director, MIRO Gallery

From left: Mrs. Marie Kousalíková, Deputy Mayor of the City Hall and Mrs. Anděla Dvořáková, President, ÚV ČSBS

H.E. Alexey L. Fedotov, Ambassador of the Russian Federation receiving the traditional silver plate

From left: Ing. Josef Starenko, Chairman of the Board, Star Group Czech a.s., Jana Kordačová, Deputy Director, Chamber of Trade / Industry for CIS Countries, and Ing. František Masopust, Executive Director, Chamber of Trade / Industry for CIS Countries

Farewell to the Russian Ambassador H.E. Alexey L. Fedotov 56

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From left: Archbishop Kryštof in his speech, H.E. Alexey L. Fedotov, Ambassador of the Russian Federation, and Most Reverend Diego Causero, Titular Archbishop of Grado Apostolic Nuncio

23.11.2010 11:47:43

From left: Anatoly Agapov, Deputy Head of Mission and Minister–Councellor, Embassy of the Russian Federation and Sergey V. Shcherbakov, Consul General of the Russian Federation in Karlovy Vary

From left: H. E. Alexey L. Fedotov, Ambassador of the Russian Federation with his wife, and Ing. Josef Starenko, Chairman of the Board, Star Group Czech a.s. From left: H.E. Stefan Gorda, Ambassador of Moldova and Ing. František Masopust, Executive Director, Chamber of Trade/Industry for CIS Countries

From left: František Mikeš, Deputy Minister, Ministry of Culture of the Czech Republic, Jiří Weigl, Chancellor, Office of the President of the CR, and Milan Hovorka, Deputy Minister, Ministry of Industry and Trade of the CR

From left: Jiří Bělohlav, CEO and Chairman of the Board, Metrostav a.s. and H.E. Peter Brňo, Ambassador of Slovakia

Mrs. Tatiana M. Anisova receiving beautiful flowers from H.E. Celia Sandra Botha, Ambassador of South Africa

From left: Victor Haruta, First Secretary, Consul, Embassy of Moldova, H.E. Stefan Gorda, Ambassador of Moldova, H.E. Ivan Grytsak, Ambassador of Ukraine, and Ing. Josef Starenko, Chairman of the Board, Star Group Czech a.s.

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A special thanks to Star Group Czech a.s. for making this reportage possible

23.11.2010 11:50:00

A special thanks to Hanjin Shipping, Korean Air and Posco for making this reportage possible

diplomatic event

IIN N CCOOPERATION OOPER ERATION WITH WITH LLEADERS EADERS M AGAZINE AGAZINE MAGAZINE

IN COOPERATION WITH LEADERS MAGAZINE

NATIONAL DAY

From left: MUDr. Jiří Besser, Minister of Culture of the CR in his speech and H.E. Gabriel Oh, Ambassador of the Republic of Korea

OF THE REPUBLIC OF KOREA WITH THE OPENING OF THE KOREAN MODERN ART EXHIBITION AT VELETRŽNÍ PALÁC

From left: H.E. Hussain S. Mualla, Ambassador of Iraq, Tomáš Smetánka, Director, Middle East & North Africa Department, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, H.E. Aitzaz Ahmed, Ambassador of Pakistan, and H.E. Amal M. Mourad, Ambassador of Egypt

Dr. Alexej Litvin, Director, Asiana with his wife

Jiří Škába, President of Czech-Thai Society Prague with his wife Hana

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Karel Prskavec, Director, Department of Defence, Security and Secretariat of the National Security Council, Office of the Government of the CR with his wife JUDr. Eva Prskavcová

From left: Jan Sýkora, Director, Institute of Far East, Charles University in Prague and Ing. Petr Pavlík, CSc., MA, VŠE, Faculty of International Relations with his wife

23.11.2010 16:21:26

From left: Mirko Lachman, Senior Advisor, Leaders Magazine, H.E. André Regli, Ambassador of Switzerland, H.E. Inger Ultvedt, new Ambassador of Sweden, and H.E. Ole E. Moesby, Ambassador of Denmark

From left: Jaromír Šlápota, President, ČSÚZ and Benjamín Szákal, Partner, Gallery SOGA Prague

From left: H.E. Dr. Mohamed M. Salaymeh, Ambassador of Palestine and H.E. Abdullah Abdulaziz Al Alsheikh, Ambassador of Saudi Arabia

From left: Choi, Il Ho, General Manager, Posco, H.E. Gabriel Oh, Ambassador of the Republic of Korea, and Seungmin Park, Branch Manager Czech Office, Hanjin Shipping

Lev Roitman with his wife

more photos and electronic version available on www.leadersmagazine.cz

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From left: H.E. Yu Qingtai, Ambassador of China, and H.E. Gabriel Oh, Ambassador of the Republic of Korea with his wife

23.11.2010 15:20:13

From left: Michael Specking, General Manager, Hilton Prague and Hilton Old Town with his wife Claudia, and Benke Aikell, your Publisher

From left: H.E. Vicente Espeche Gil, Ambassador of Argentina, H.E. Ayman Al-Adsani, Ambassador of Kuwait, and Pavel Kafka, Ministry of Foreign Affairs

H.E. Gabriel Oh, Ambassador of the Republic of Korea in his welcoming speech Milan Knížák, Executive Director, National Gallery in Prague

From left: Colonel Tomasz Podlasin, Defence, Military and Air Attaché, Embassy of Poland, Jongkee Hong, Colonel, Defence Attaché, Embassy of Korea, and Lieutenant – Colonel Bruno Bucherie, Defence Attaché, Embassy of France

Mgr. Romana Kokoška Pulchartová, Director, Ambassadors Concert Series and H.E. Jean Faltz, Ambassador of Luxembourg

Petr Hrubec, Secretary General, Czech Olympic Committee with his wife

Lucia Ratulovská, PR Manager, Firefly Branding s.r.o. and Ing. Ivo Gajdoš, Business Development Manager, Vegacom a.s.

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From left: Hahn Young-Hee, Executive Vice President, Korea Foundation, Ivana Karásková, Head of Asian Program, Association for International Affairs, and Tomáš Karásek, Director of the Research Center, Association for International Affairs

23.11.2010 11:57:04

BELIEVING IN GHOSTS Emil Jimenez started working in the communications industry in 1998 as a web designer in NYC. After graduating Rutgers University with a degree in Psychology he moved to Miami where he continued his education and received a Masters in Creative Communications from Florida International University and the renowned Miami Ad School. Mr. Jimenez has worked for United Bank of Switzerland, Citibank, MTV Latin America, Leo Burnett Budapest, Leo Burnett Prague, Lowe worldwide Prague and has recently opened Passion Communications. Passion Communications is a full service communications agency which specializes in bridging traditional media with the digital world. emil@passioncommunications.com We live in a world where ghosts are everywhere. They are our friends, colleagues and customers. They have the ability to change the way we behave, sway public opinion and facilitate our lives. These aren´t ghosts in white sheets, but rather a ghost of a digital kind. The kind that swipes a purse over a turnstile at the metro station and the turnstile magically opens. The kind of ghost that has over a million hits on youtube for funny videos they make from their bedroom. Or the ghost that gets other ghosts together to make a bulk purchase and get a discount with a retailer. I am calling them ghosts because they are no more than an ip address and an email account yet they have the ability to scare brands into doing what they want. Brands that want to survive the social media network must base their communication strategy around what people are saying about them online. There are a number of tools available to track what people are saying about your brand online but the best is arguably Radian6. It provides comprehensive analysis of over 11 million digital impressions, filtered by language, country, brand, and keywords. Furthermore, it provides you an analysis of how influential the person making the remark was as well as giving you the ability to respond to their comment right from the Radian6 terminal. Recently Forbes magazine interviewed Charlene Li, vice president and principal analyst at Forrester Research, she states, “The more you know and understand the individuals who make up the groundswell around your brand and your company, the more you can use the new social networking phenomenon to your advantage.” The same article used us ed MIN INII US USAA as an ex exam ampl plee. MIN INII US USAA us uses es inn formation gathered through blogs, forums, and social network pages to guide their communication strategy. Using social media monitoring tools is a bit like surfing. You can capture the social undercurrent swelling in the community and position your brand to catch that wave. If you don´t react to the swell, you get left back. If you start paddling at the right time, you can catch a wave which lifts your brand and sells your product. It all has to do with listening and reacting honestly to your customers by providing them a service. Bob Thacker, senior vice president of marketing and advertising for Office Max, was quoted by ZDNET as saying, “Marketing is all about change. There´s a saying that if you don´t create change, change will create you. We´ve embraced social media and incorporated it into our marketing strategy to reach today´s digital

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consumer through humor, entertainment and personalization.” Pay particular attention to the last three words: humor, entertainment and personalization. These are very important words because if you get the three right, your communication becomes viral. It has the ability to spread across the world wide web at lightning speed through posts, reposts, sent links, emails, chats and the local news. Take for example a video on youtube from BeenerKeeKee19952 which, at the time this article was written, has 3,788,184 views. BeenerKeeKee19952 is just your typical guy making funny videos of himself lip singing to popular songs. He´s done over 50 video uploads and has built himself a following of over 164,000 subscribers. This last video he did looks like all the other ones in that he´s singing in his bedroom. The music track is a new song from 50cent and as BeenerKeeKee19952 is lip singing, the bedroom door opens behind him and 50cent walks in just in time to lip sing his verse of the song. It sounds simple but if you have look closely the video has humor, entertainment and personalization. Humor because BeenerKeeKee19952 is a funny guy and that is why everyone loves him. Entertainment in the form of 50cent, and personalization in that people leave comments on youtube and discuss online. The result is an online hit which has been viewed by millions of “ghosts”, reposted hundreds of times and will eventually make 50cent a lot of money. Now that we are on the topic of money, a recent trend happening online is that people are getting together to get group discounts at restaurants and forr se fo serv rvic ices es. Th Thee wa wayy it wor orks ks is th that at t he web ebsi site te has previously agreed with the vendor a price that is only available if a certain number of people purchase. Therefore the website acts as a middle man who takes the money from the customer and only releases it to the vendor if the target is met. If it is not met, then everyone gets their money back. Due to the nature of the discount, people tend to forward it to friends and rarely does the purchase not go through. This is a revenue stream which works very well for any company who is struggling with the economic crisis. It provides cash flow which would otherwise not be there. Furthermore, it gives the vendor an opportunity to build a relationship with the client and up-sell them once they actually walk into the store or restaurant. A good example of such a site in Prague is www.limeandtonic.com. The current model works very well on the local level because the sites are geographically targeted and

Photo: Brian Fleming

usually speak directly with the decision maker of the business. Big brands have yet to take advantage of this but you can be certain it is not far away. In conclusion, the ghosts which I mentioned in the beginning of this article are just a metaphor forr ac fo actu tual al peo eopl plee lilivi ving ng in th thee di digi gita tall co comm mmun unitity. y. People who interact online by commenting, reposting, and purchasing goods without ever actually leaving their computers. They are a people with a vast amount of purchasing power and share of voice. By offering them humor, entertainment, and personalization brands can harness the power of the social network to communicate with their customers and sell products. I´ll leave you with one last thing to think about which comes from Mark Pincus, CEO of Zynga who recently stated that “In five years, everybody will always be connected to each other, instead of the web.” He continued by saying that he sees today´s social companies as “dial tones, merely entry points for these social connections.” The question that remains to be answered is what brands will be picking up the dial tone or which ones will have a ghost line with an eerie booooo on the other end. I

Leaders Magazine VI/2010

24.11.2010 9:10:35

diplomatic event

IN COOPERATION WITH LEADERS MAGAZINE

perex

IN COOPERATION WITH LEADERS MAGAZINE

National Day

From left: H.E. Zainal Abidin Bin Bakar, Ambassador of Malaysia with his wife greeted by H.E. Abdullah A. Al Alsheikh, Ambassador of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and his wife

of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

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more photos and electronic version available on www.leadersmagazine.cz

From left: Faleh Al-Yahya, Abdullah Almuhaysin, Maan Kurdi, Abdullah Al-Amer, Ahmad Al-Miaraj, Aziz Al-Rasheed, Nawaf Al-Deeb, and Ayman Al-Sayegh

23.11.2010 11:38:04

Dr. Faisal Al-Hamati, CSc., General Manager, Gulf of Aden LTD with his wife

H.E. Lubomír Hladík, Czech Ambassador to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia with his wife Eva

From left: Olivier Thomas, Hotel Manager, Four Seasons Hotel and David Barnes, General Manager, Four Seasons Hotel

Jaromír Šlápota, President, ČSÚZ and JUDr. Světlana Semrádová Zvolánková, Attorney

From left: H.E. YU Qingtai, Ambassador of China, H.E. Zainal Abidin Bakar, Ambassador of Malaysia, H.E. Koray Targay, Ambassador of Turkey, and H.E. Surey Tsoggerel, Ambassador of Mongolia

From left: H.E. Mohamed Rachid Idrissi Kaitouni, Ambassador of Morocco, Ms. Ilena Ukyčeva, JUDr. Dita Schautová, Deputy Minister, Ministry of Transport, and H.E. Pierre Lévy, Ambassador of France

From left: Ladislav Moravec, Director of Political Department, Office of the President, H.E. Abdullah A. Al Alsheikh, Ambassador of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, and Tomáš Smetánka, Director, Middle East and North African Department, Ministry of Foreign Affairs

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23.11.2010 11:39:11

From left: Ing. Miloš Janů, Marketing Manager, Vyšehrad 2000, H.E. Abdullah A. Al Alsheikh, Ambassador of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, and Ing. Renáta Janů

Kenichi Kimiya, Counselor, Embassy of Japan with his wife From left: JUDr. Zdeněk Matějka, VŠE and Ivan Voleš, Special Envoy of the President, Chief Advisor, Czech Chamber of Commerce

From left: H.E. Hussain S. Mualla, Ambassador of Iraq, H.E. José Pereira Gomes, Ambassador of Portugal, and H.E. Dr. Mohamed M. Salaymeh, Ambassador of Palestine with his wife

H.E. Ayman Al-Adsani, Ambassador of Kuwait and H.E. Renilde Loeckx, Ambassador of Belgium From left: H.E. Vicente Espeche Gil, Ambassador of Argentina and Dr. Vítězslav Grepl, Director General, Section of Non-European Countries and Development Cooperation, Ministry of Foreign Affairs

National Day of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia 64 6 4

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From left: Lynn Tourki, Marketing Executive, Leaders Magazine, Fadel H.S. Al-Hasan, Counselor, Embassy of Kuwait, and Anita Grmelová, Head of the Gulf Policy Group, Middle East and North Africa Department, Ministry of Foreign Affairs

23.11.2010 11:41:04

ARE YOU A LEADER? How about a Powerful Media Leader? Is there one task that you can’t delegate to anyone? One task, a simple one, yet an essential one that only you can achieve. A task that can transform you from an unknown name into a visible leader. Do you know what that is? It’s talking to the media. I hear very often in the Czech Republic that managers are too busy to talk to the press. Or that this is the task of the spokespeople and the PR department. Or that one can do successful business even if you don’t show up in the media. Coming from Romania, a market even more immature than the Czech Republic, I can understand this approach. Only 20 years ago, this country’s leaders didn’t have a clue what free media was about, not to mention what it means to speak freely to the press. Twenty years is not enough time for leaders to realize the true value of speaking to the media. Yet, here we are, at the end of 2010, at the edge of two worlds – a comfortable one, the world of growth and hope as we knew it before 2007 and the start of the financial crisis – and the world of rough competition where only those who master the art off cost control and efficient ff valueadded creation will survive. Do you still think media won’t play a role in this game? PALPABLE BENEFITS Talking to the media can bring you many tremendous advantages. First of all, it brings you free advertising. Have you ever though that, that for one page of an interview in a newspaper you would probably have to pay between € 2,000 and € 25,000 if you were to buy it as advertising space? That money can be immediately reflected in the savings folder of your budget. Moreover, you boost

Bio: Cristina Muntean is a journalist and media advisor with more than 12 years of experience in the Czech, Romanian and international media. For the last ﬁve years, Cristina worked for the English-language economic magazine Czech Business Weekly (CBW) in Prague. During this time she wrote more than 3,000 news articles, features and interviews. Cristina graduated in journalism from the University of Bucharest, Romania. She also holds a master’s degree in project management. Cristina is studying media economics at the Faculty of Social Sciences at Charles University in Prague for her doctoral degree. Currently, Cristina provides media training, coaching and advisory to managers, communication specialists and public ofﬁcials across Central and Eastern Europe. Cristina speaks Romanian, French, English and Czech and can be reached at cm@mediaintel.cz

the credibility of your company because your speech will not be distorted by self-flattering advertising messages, but it will enjoy the master touch of a journalist. You show that you have the courage to speak out in the open and you make money at the same time. It’s quite a solid argument in today’s cost-cut driven world and I am very surprised that more leaders have not come to understand this already. Secondly, media provides you with a wonderful opportunity to communicate with your stakeholders. These are your clients, employees, business partners and financial supporters, such as your bank or your shareholders. In a volatile world where today’s truth might be thrown to the ground tomorrow, you need to put out a message off stability. This will bring you opportunities. Today, everyone is searching for something new. We cannot stay in the comfort zone where we were prior to 2007. This is a different world. If you are visible in the media, business opportunities can come to you from places you have never thought about. A large deal could come from China or Latin America just because yesterday your name was in the Financial Times. A new investor could knock at your door and solve your headache about how to push the company to the next stage because your interview convinced him that your value proposition is unique. A snowball effect could be created among your clients, and your sales could jump up without the slightest effort, only thanks to your media visibility. All of these opportunities are in your hands – if you have the courage to go for them. Thirdly, you can transform yourself into a brand. Does the name Martin Jahn tell you anything? Or Tomáš Sedláček? Kamil Blažek? Jan Procházka? Aleš Michl? When I was a reporter at Czech Business Weekly, y it was a delight to consider talking to these people. They are more than high-end professionals in their fields. They are visible and savvy media leaders, and journalists love to talk to them. It’s a pleasure to place someone with whom wh om you have hadd an inspi p ringg int nter ervi view ew on th thee co cove verr of a magazine. All these people share something in common. They stepped out of their comfort zone and understood that talking to the media matters, and it helps you make a difference. They don’t mind picking up the mobile phone at almost any time of the day. They answer e-mails and text messages fast and, when they can’t help you, they refer you to someone who can. This might

Photo: Jakub Stadler

seem like a lot of work, but in their cases it paid off. These people are true leaders – brands that are valued for what they offer on top of their professional competencies. If you plan to hire any of them, you better prepare a consistent budget, because you won’t be buying only skills – you’ll be buying visibility and a brand. STEP OUT AND BRING VALUE You can also get there. You can also become a brand. The power to be a media savvy leader is really in your hands. Yet, first you need to understand that you can’t delegate this work to anyone. You want to represent your firm? You need to do it on your own. This doesn’t mean that you should ignore the advice of your PR team. On the contrary – a wise leader brings his HR and media advisors, along with his legal advisors, onto his board, because he understands that a company is a complex entity that lives in a creative world, and that soft skills are more needed than ever before. So, do rely on your PR exp xper erts ts’ ad advi vice ce,, bu butt ta talk lk to th thee pr pres esss on you ourr ow ownn. In the wor orst st cas ase, you wililll be learning something new and you will be able to do it better the next time. The power to boost the image and value of your company, and of yourself, lies in your hands. Don’t ignore that opportunity. We live in a world that doesn’t give too many chances to those who ignore opportunities. By Cristina Muntean ■

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23.11.2010 13:17:55

An interview with Zdeněk Velíšek, Doyen of Foreign Affairs Section at the Czech Television News Deppartment

We Are in the Century of Giants Zdeněk Velíšek (1933) graduated in philology with a specialization in Hispanic and Bohemian Studies. He is currently a member of the Foreign Affairs Section at the Czech Television News Department. He contributes to the “European Affairs” programme and blogs regularly on the Czech TV website. In 1968 he became a TV journalist but soon was forced to leave the job involuntarily and had to make a living as translator and interpreter. He returned to the TV of public service in 1990.

Photo: Vladimír Weiss

You are Hispanist by education; this year, the Nobel Prize for Literature went to Mário Vargas Llosa. Do you like him? What are your favourite authors that you have translated? I have had no opportunity to translate Mário Vargas Llosa’s works, but I have been reading them for more than 20 years. I read his novel “The Green House” in Spanish. I prefer reading literature in the language it was written, as I need to be linguistically fit. I also read his work “Pantaleón y las visitadoras”. Mário Vargas Llosa is an author capable of introducing the readers to Latin America. He also became a presidential candidate, but I translated another writer who in fact managed to be the president – Rómulo Gallegos, the first directly elected president of Venezuela. I translated his novels Doňa Bárbara and Canaima as a young Hispanist. It was quite a tough job but good training, and I gained an insight into the life in Latin America and into Spanish as a world language. Who is your favourite writer among the Spanish writing authors? It is Carlos Fuentes, the Mexican writer. I authored an extensive epilogue to his most significant novel “The Death of Artemio Cruz” that describes Mexico in a natural and realistic way with all of its revolutions. I liked him very much because he was a great intellectual but also able to tap into the lives of various social strata at the same time. Have you always translated prose or have you done poetry as well? You would be surprised. I translated Czech poet po etry ry int ntoo Sp Span anis ishh. How owev ever er, I ha have ve no clue l

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Leaders Magazine VI/2010

23.11.2010 13:18:20

how it finally came out because it was for export. You worked as an interpreter without previous college training. How difficult was it for you? I have always considered simultaneous interpretation to be proof of the best possible knowledge of any language – one has to be able to cover many areas and jump from one issue to another smoothly. When I was young there was no specialisation in interpreting at the university. During my studies, the Faculty of Philosophy was divided into pure philology and philosophyhistory. The graduates from the philological part received a degree of “graduated philologist” – I do not much pride myself on this today. Furthermore, when I was studying, there was no adequate Spanish-Czech dictionary available and I had to use English and French dictionaries. There was, however, an excellent Spanish-Czech dictionary written by Professor Slabý, but he compromised himself by sympathizing with Franco and was banned during Communism, and so the dictionary was not published. Nevertheless, it was used in Germany because Professor Slabý made an excellent German version too. What was your first contact with the living language like, after your graduation? To travel abroad had always been my dream and it took quite a long time until it was fulfilled. When I met someone as an interpreter here, I always told them that I graduated from linguistics in the same way that a biologist would graduate without seeing a microscope during the whole course of his studies; and they naturally understood. But I think they did not disclose this fact to those who shouldn’t know. After your return to TV journalism in 1990 you started specializing in the EU. Why? In fact, I have followed the European integration from its very beginnings. The whole process started in the 1950’s when I was a university student and the world was opening up to me. During the following decades, I started considering a unified Europe as a solution for the future of the European nation-states. It is a solution even more advisable for our 21st century – in my commentaries, I like to call it a century of giants, because new superpowers are emerging – China, India, Brazil. There is no single omnipotent superpower any more. Europe is a conglomerate of small countries and even the postcolonial powers came to understand that they are insignificant when standing alone. A lot of people here still do not want to understand this, but in the future, our common existence will be the only defence of the continent. At the moment, European integration is an interesting and dramatic experiment that is definitely worth attention to a journalist. A couple of months ago, there was a notion that the Euro currency might fall, but it would have meant that we all would have fallen. The opaqueness of our future has not improved, but should the process of Euro Eu rope pean an int nteg egra ratition on rev ever erse se, it wou ould ld be

a tragedy for the European nations in the upcoming competition of the 21st century. In your opinion, what can help the EU turn into a unified actor on the global arena? Like the influential US commentator Fareed Zakaria said recently during the Prague conference Forum 2000, the US is interested only in a unified and strong Europe… The outside pressure is one of the factors but we, the Europeans, have to understand first that the world is interested in us only if we are a true single power. This has already been proven on the international stage, as in the recent climate conference in Copenhagen, where Europe was bypassed and sidelined, and it was only China and the US that negotiated, despite the fact that the original draft agreement proposal came from Europe. President Obama today does not have trust in an alliance with a fragmented Europe that can break up in front of his eyes, and thus he feels that he has to handle today’s world affairs alone. The US, which faces great difficulties in its effort to return to the position of world hegemonic power, knows that unified Europe could be the second leg underpinning the rescue of Western civilization. But this is not the case nowadays; Europe is not able to play such a role. Europe must do everything it can to be able to play this role as soon as possible, and I believe this will lead to quite dramatic historical events. Unfortunately, there are many politicians now who are rather spoiling this effort. When we look at what happened in France – your soul country, recently in relation to proposed reforms, are the inside developments within the member states also a hurdle that may prevent further integration? Europe is bound by joint hopes but also joint by problems. The aging population is a common phenomenon, and the indebting of public budgets has become a usual vice of the governments. The Maastricht criteria that regulate the Eurozone are often breached. Even if the total public debt of the Czech Republic is relatively low in comparison to other European countries, it does not save us from the fact that we are on the same boat as those who have to try hard to keep the Euro currency credible, and prevent their economies from collapsing. How do you interpret the current situation in France? What is specific about France is the philosophy of a caretaking state, which has existed there since Gaullism and the Second World War. It is a kind of political religion. No government – neither right nor left, has ever stepped up vigorously against this philosophy. Today, this type of social policy is very difficult to implement and president Sarkozy decided quite impulsively, as is his usual habit, to leave aside its rules when pushing for his pension reform. He got into an open conflict with a very strong employees’ movement that has a great tradition and power in France, despite the fact that the labour unions display negligible organisation – they are the secondd wor stt in the h OECD.

And the organised labour unions are mostly leftist? No,, th t e co conn nnec ectition on of th thee la labo bour ur uni nion onss to the political parties has been more or less wiped away – some of them are radical, some leftist, some very reasonable. Their disaccord is usually the Achilles’ heel of almost every strike and protest movement. However, in this case, they were able to unify and their unity was an impulse to the unusual wave of mass protests. We also get a distorted and schematic picture of the positions, of both parties involved, from the media. It was widely mentioned that the French are spoiled because of their protests against shifting the retirement age limit by only two years. But it is a different case if you look into the details. The number of years one has to contribute to the pension insurance will increase to 42 in France, in Germany it is currently 35. The limit of achieving a right to a full pension has moved from 65 to 67 years of age, and will be implemented as of 2018 according to this reform; the German reform plans to achieve the same goal in 2027. We do not know the details; we are presented a schematic picture that prevents us from seeing the real situation in France. Every major change of social policy is preceded there by deliberations of the government with the social partners, i.e. with labour movements and employers organisations. Whatever the result is, the deliberations always come first. President Sarkozy ignored this established praxis, so he found himself in a clash that he himself in fact caused. It shouldn’t have been so fatal. Why do you think he opted for this strategy? Because it is Sarkozy! He has acted this way from the very beginning. He managed his presidential campaign in such a way that Obama’s motto “Yes, we can” could apply to him in a slightly modified way – “Yes, I can”. In the meantime he has proved that this does not work. He is an unbelievably good speaker, but after two years, the voters are looking for results. The recent protests are an expression of Sarkozy’s perceived failure and that he tries now to touch the basic guarantees of people that naturally want to retire, because their pensions are very comfortable. These are the circumstances one has to know in order to understand France. Is it indispensable to have correspondents in place to cover foreign affairs? Some media, including the Czech Press Agency, are cancelling these positions because of the budget cuts. It is important and it is a pity that the correspondents cannot be in action when they should. I think the journalists who are specializing in specific fields should be given the opportunity, because they know the context of the current news, and suffer when only schematic pictures are presented to the public. By Věra Řiháčková ■ česk če skýý př přek ekla ladd na nale lezn znet etee v el elek ektr tron onic ické ké ver erzi zi magazínu na www.leadersmagazine.cz

Leaders Magazine i VI/2010 I

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24.11.2010 9:13:40

An interview with František Uhlíř, leadinng Czech Jazz Contraabassist

JAZZ IS ABOUT MUSICAL AND PERSONAL CHEMISTRY Contrabassist and composer František Uhhlíř comes from a music family. After his graduatioon from the academy of mussic in Brno, he became a much sought after musician and side man for renowned jazzzmen at home and abroad. He reecorded many albums both with his band František Uhlíř Team, and with other musicians. He was the leading staar of the September concert from m the “Jazz at the Castle” seeries, and to celebrate his sixtieth birthday, his double CD came out, composed of his author album Bassaga from 1984, and of his new recordd Bass Devotion.

Photo: Vladimír Weiss

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So jazz was part of your family… Yees, I listened to music from f my early days. There weree rehearsals in our livvingg room from time to time, I sneeaked under the table and sucked the music in uncoonsciously. So your fatherr didn’t mi mind that you turned from class sical music ttoo jazz? classical I don’t think he did. I was a about to start a career in classical music; I played in Brno’s philharmonic orchestra and assisted in opera during my studies. Afterr graduation, I had too go into the military service as a conscript, but I was luccky since I left for Prague, for the Army’s Art Corpss of o Vít Nejedlý – that was a domicile of all of the gradduated musicians at that time. Here my first fateful musical encounter with pianist Emil Viklický occuurrred. We had jam sessions at niights in the barrackss, and after we had played togetther a couple of timees,, we formed the army jazz quarr tet, which we also did in order to get out of the military routine. So with thee quartet, we were allowed to leeave for various festivals for amateur musicians around the country. Durinng the first year, we won the biggeest and most renownned festival of amateur jazz in Přřerov, and the seconnd year I was awarded the best solo player at the samee festival. Thanks to these succcesses we gained nootooriety, and we were also sent to the jazz festival inn San Sebastian, Spain. This happpened in 1974 – andd itt was absolutely amazing. We played many concerts inn Germany along the way, which were organised by our friends, musicians – émiggrés. We managed deesppite the fact that there was a “taail” with us, a fellow froom the secret police who accoompanied us, becausse our tour to San Sebastian was an official event of thhe ministry of culture. culture What Wh hat happene happened ed when you returned from the milita ary service? military Duuring my military seervvice, I had already been slowly turning away froom classical music. I was turneed on by jazz, but wheen I returned to civil life, I tried to pass a concourr se to the Prague opera, but ut I wass not selected becaausse nobody knew me – as I didnn’t study in Prague. Lucckily, I had already startted playiing with Karel Velebbnýý – that was my seccon o d fatefful musical encounteer. Karel Velebný saw us at the Přerov festival and just at that time, he diss ssolved his SHQ, a band that is ofteen labeled a laboraatory of Czecch jazz in the 1960’s andd 1970’s. All of thhe important personalities in the histtory of jazz in Cze zech lands havee played in this band. Karel K offered me m and Emil Vikliccký a chance to playy inn the revived ed SHQ. In the meantime, I also got myy ffirst and onnly permanent contract with the Linha Siingers bannd – otherwise I havve always been, eveen under er the communists, a freeelancer, and that wass quite te a free life for that time. Linha Singers was a voocal ba band that performed old baroque annd classi s cal pi pieeces, and they needed a jaaz z acccompa paniment. So iit was not pure jazz, but at leeasst I worked ed undder perrmaanent contract in a band thatt cor th o resp spoonddedd we well withh my musical taste. Jazz Jaz zz formation formations ns are very ver flexible. Do you know after the first no otes that you will get along well notes with a musician?? How doe does this work? It is a chemistry of huuman relations and musical perception. Paradoxically, one does not have to be on thhe same wavelengthh w with a musician as far as

peersonal chemistry is concerned, but it works great onn the stage, and vice versa. Jazz muusicians keep ennriching each other. On the other hand, it is convenieent to have musicians who you like as human beinggs in a stable band, since you spendd a lot of time toggether on a tour. So the moment of total understanding and harmony does not happen every time… These are the star moments, and one wishes that it neever stops, but it truly happens in jusst an eyewink. Aftter such a concert, one lives with a great pleasant meemory for couple of days, and then it is over. Even if theere are great things coming out duringg the concert, theey are short-lived. Compared to a music record, boook, painting or another piece of art, it is very epphemeral. But that’s why we play with different peeople every evening – we want these moments to be freequent. How does it work in your band? Can your fellow musicians still surprise you? Jam sessions are jazz Latina, it is an improvisatioon, a language one has to handle in order to speak witth other musicians across the globe, and it is amazingg. When you say a name of a song on the stage, be it a Japanese man or an Eskimo playing with you, they im mmediately go on. Working in a stabble band has diff ferent criteria; you cooperate with musicians on a continuous basis, you can make thhem shine in sppecific tunes, you can rehearse, arrange, be creativve, and dedicate time to your own compositions. You can work on making your music different and intteresting. Jam sessions have great spontaneity; woorking with a band is continuous creative work thaat needs dedication dedication. In fact, fact almost all tunes have already been composed and played in jazz, and the interpretation of every individual music i ian is key, and that is influenced by many factors - where he comes from, what he likes, what kind off temperament he has. Is there any type of musician that actually suits you best? It is hard to tell. Once I playedd wi with th Israeli saxophonist Gilad Atzmon who was fullll of fifire r and energy – he was playing and the lightninng struck. Naturally one cannot stay cool and has to br bring up the same energy as well. But jazz can alsoo be introverted. Every musician contributes with soome m thing specific, and it is a task for his fellow pa part rtners to adjust to it and to contribute with their ownn inventions for the geneeral good. What are your current projects? I play full time in three or four bands of mine. The herre is first and foremostt my band František Uhlíř Teeam that has been around since 1987. Recently, a dou oubl ble CD celebrating my sixtie ieth th anniversary came ouut, issued by the Multisonnic Company. It contains my first record from 1984. It is a bo border project – ann in interesting production wheree contrabass is shownn in different roles, for ex exaample accompanied by a string quartet. The seccon ondd CD called Bass Devotio ions is recorded with my curre rentt band and I cons nsid ider it my turning point. Oth theerwise, I have been pl p ay ayiing with pianist Emil Vik iklilický for an unbelievablee 36 years. Another gift for your anniversary was the concert at the Prague Castle…

Yes, the Castle was very open; within the concert of thhe series “Jazz at the Castle” I could invite guests I haave been playing with. These concerts are Mr. Pressident’s babies, and take place according to his availability. I have played there eight times already, for the first time in 2006 and three times with my ownn projects. The most experimental was probably the concert during which five contrabassists were on the stage, accompanied by drums and guitar. Is the Prague Castle a convenient place for jazz concerts? Itt depends. In 2006, I played in the Ball Game Hall andd twice in the New Gallery that is probably the most suittable place for jazz concerts in the Castle. We also playyed larger events a couple of times, at the Spanish Halll; as Joe Zavinul put it once, quite accurately, on the acoustics in the Hall – “I haven’t played in such a beautiful train station, yet”. But the audience enjooyed the music everywhere. Do you like vocal singing in jazz? I am taking part in the new project now that is called PVC – Prague-Vienna-Connections; together withh drummer Jaromír Helešic we play with two younger colleagues from Vienna – renowned pianist Juliaa Seidl and singer Nika Zach. I have also been coooperating more with Lee Andrew Davidson, an Ameerican singer that settled in Prague, and we are plannning to go together for a tour abroad next year. How wever, vocal is a bit dangerous and vocalists were not much tolerated in jazz in the past. Today, vocalistss are taking the lead, and while there are many com mpetent, only a few are chosen. Can you say whether the audience in Prague is changing, or do you have a stable group of fans? It is a generational issue. Most of the clubs in Prrag ague are dependent on tourists, but there are jazz clubs where many Czechs go. Sometimes it happens cl that th at a club is filled with young student from abroad – it just happened to us recently, but it was a great concert and a big success. It is all about PR – jazz co is not very much visible; there are only late night jazz shows on some radios and the printed media ja writes about us scarcely. This is our mistake, too. During the 1970’s, jazz evolved into free jazz that was rather incomprehensible to the audience. Then Miles Davis came with the jazz rock fusion, and jazz became more attractive to the young generation that discovered his music. But we can say that jazz is a marginal genre today. You were also a composer of film music. Why have you stopped composing? Yes, it was music for animated cartoons by Lubomír Beneš, author of the serial “A je to!” but it was rather a short period of my life. In order to succeed in this competition, one has to have specific contacts. Also, many composers of film music have started their home studios, but this leads to a complete change of lifestyle, and my desire has always been to play life, with whatever it takes. By Věra Řiháčková ■

český překlad naleznete v elektronické verzi magazínu na www.leadersmagazine.cz

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23.11.2010 17:58:39

global perspectives

IN COOPERATION WITH LEADERS MAGAZINE

Jan M端hlfeit Chairman Europe Microsoft Corporation Photo: Paul Pacey

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22.11.2010 18:56:50

Czech Lion Competing IN THE GLOBAL WORLD As many of you will know, the Group of Eight (G8) as a discussion forum for the world’s major industrialized democracies emerged following the 1973 oil crisis and was eventually formalized in France in 1975. We can only regret that this club had not existed several decades earlier given that Czechoslovakia, prior to the outbreak of the World War II, had been the 8th most developed country in the world and hence would have certainly deserved a seat at this prestigious table. Well unfortunately that’s not the case any more and clearly there is nothing we could do about changing the course of history, which on the other hand makes it even more important that we firmly hold the steering wheel of our and our children’s future. Let me use this opportunity to share with you several thoughts on what I am deeply convinced must be done to help the “Czech lion” successfully compete in the global marketplace again. Between the years 2000 and 2007 the Czech Republic, our economy and our economical policy have been very popular amongst the foreign investors. Together with many of our neighbors we have hugely benefited from the global economical boom, availability of the EU funds following the EU enlargement process in 2004 as well as, specifically in case of the Czech Republic, from the government’s relatively aggressive investment incentives and supporting policies. All these factors combined have created uniquely interesting and investorfriendly conditions which resulted in foreign direct investment of over USD 140 billion across the Central and Eastern Europe in 2007 alone, making the figure even higher than FDI being made into China or India. Unfortunately as we all had witnessed, the past few years and the global economical crisis have changed this picture quite dramatically. Countries of the Central and Eastern Europe are now standing on a cross-road, facing strong and gradually advancing competition from Asia (where by the way majority of the FDI has now moved to), increasing pressure from the demographic challenge and aging of population, the national increasing deficits and – last but not the least – the global boom is gone, too. The only significant “tool” that’s left in our hands are the EU funds and yet even with those we in many cases still have a certain way to go in maximizing and making the best of these opportunities. At the recent International Engineering Fair in Brno I had the opportunity and pleasure to discuss these issues with Mr. Petr Nečas, the Czech Prime Minister. We have agreed that it is

imperative that the government goes full speed ahead with addressing the deficit and demoographic issues hand in hand with ensuring that we have a comprehensive and sound national competitive plan. Business too will have to lend a helpinng hand as obviously this whole topic cannot just rest on government’s shoulders. Global connectivity means global comppetition. In addition the information technologies continue to spread at a speed of light and whatever remaining processes and tasks can be automated will be automated over the next 5 years. The pace at whhich the global society and economy are moving is thherefore accelerating and we cannot afford to stay behind. This train has already “left the station” andd for the benefit of our children we need to make suree we are on it. Now the big question is obviously hoow? We need to start with broad and deep social, heaalthcare and education reforms as soon as possible as only that way we will ensure the sustainability of our success. Secondly, the national deficit issue needs to be addressed and unfortunately that won’t go without some major public sector budget cuts. Let’s keep our fingers crossed for the Czech goveernment and let’s also work together to avoid any potential resulting social turmoil or keeping it at minimum. On the other hand I am confident that there is some low hanging fruit which might not cause thaat much pain – at the end of the day, why is the cosst of the Czech public sector as a percentage of GD DP 8 % higher than in Slovakia, which given the sizee of the country, has less public sector servants to spread the mandatory costs across? Focus on prodductivity and competitiveness has to become a manntra not only in the private, but also in the Czech pubblic sector. That includes various benchmarking, service levels and quality control that are already a regular business as usual in many developed Western democracies. Compared for example to the USA, where 60 % of products are consumed within the market, the Czech economy is almost 80% based on export. We are a very open marketplace, which on one side is great, but at the same time makes the Czech Republic more volatile against various externalities. As such the country is also hugely dependent on oppen and good relationships with our trading partnerss worldwide. That’s why I am convinced that our comprehensive foreign policy has to very carefully work with the economical diplomatic corps and truly maximize their positive impact on the business off Czech traders and producers with partners and cusstomers

around the globe. The Czech Republic, givven its historical inddustrial reputation, good internaational relationshipss, geographic location as well as today’s political anchoring in the European Union and NATO noow has a unique chance to posittion as a bridge betw ween the US/Europe and Asia. We have to be aggress sive in export while becoming (again) very attractivve for further foreign investors. Inn order to get to such position though, we have to inn a way serve as an example for our both Westerrn and Eastern partners and lead in reforms of public sector budgets, innovation and education, quaality of public sectorr, marketing abroad, taxation orr smart immigration policies. We also have to makke sure that we don’t stay focused only on the hard-fact parameters and economical factors such as GDP growth or unnemployment rate, but in a veery balanced way equally watch and address manyy of the soft ones, most importantly around quality of and access to woorld-class education. I am conccerned about the lasst being one of our major currentt problems as from m various recent studies it is beccoming apparent thaat the quality of our educationn down from the elem mentary schools up to the univeersities has started to struggle and worsened noticeaably. Education, innovation and research are the key to our futuree success. Over the past not onnly decades, but even centuries, many traditional Czech industries haave successfully developed and profiled themselves with a strong reputation known around the whole woorld. Many of these historical brannds like Bata or Skodda have become synonyms of thee Czech quality and innovation. In the global comppetitive world we now w have to do something similar to what our predecess sors have done – fine the right niche, innovate, doon’t compromise on quality andd excel in marketingg of the product abroad. Whethher this should be connected with any of the tradditional industries suuch as smart car production, tourism or anything elsee I don’t consider that importantt. However what I beelieve is important is that we workk really hard and toggether (also in public private partnerships) to maake sure that we return the Czecch lion to where it beelongs – to the top class of the world’s economy, whhere it once already was. Jan Mühlfeit Chaairman Europe Microsoft Corpooration

českýý překlad naleznete v elektronickké verzi magazínu na www.leadersmagazzine.cz

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22.11.2010 18:57:10

networking/charity

IN COOPERATION WITH LEADERS MAGAZINE

Lions Club

From left: MUDr. Roman Joch, Director, Civil Institute and JUDr. PhDr. Oldřich Choděra, Lawyer, Governor, LCI D122 Czech Republic and Slovak Republic and Charterpresident, LC Praha Bohemia Ambassador

Prague Bohemia Ambassador

From left: Petr Laštovka, Enterpreneur, Ing. Jiří Novotný, CSc. MBA, Financial Director, Ratiopharm, and Ing. František Chaloupecký, Enterpreneur

Doc. MUDr. Martin Mates, CSc., Head Doctor of Cardiocentre, Hospital Na Homolce and MUDr. Blanka Seifertová, General Practitioner From left: Ing. František Novotný, Director, TERRAMET s.r.o. and Ing. Jiří Novotný, CSc. MBA, Financial Director, Ratiopharm

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From left: PhDr. Ladislav Říha, Owner, CK RI-Tours and former President, LC Praha Bohemia Ambassador and Ing. Tomáš Jadrníček, Project Engineer

From left: JUDr. Vojtěch Trapl, Lawyer, former Governor, LCI Czech Republic and Slovak Republic, Ing. Jaromír Kaulfus, Enterpreneur, and Mgr. Jaroslav Drápal, Analyst, ČSOB

23.11.2010 17:33:28

From left: Ing. Jiří Novotný, CSc. MBA, Financial Director, Ratiopharm, Ing. Antonín Mika, Regional Director for Foreign Trade, Ing.Antonín Novotný, CEO, CSI, a.s., and Ing. František Novotný, Director, TERRAMET s.r.o.

From left: Fra. Karel Paar, Grand Prior of Maltese Knight and Ing. Antonín Mika, Regional Director for Foreign Trade

Front from left: Mgr. Kamil Košina, Executor and Oldřich Hořák, Owner, Hotel Bílá Růže in Poděbrady

From left: JUDr. PhDr. Oldřich Choděra, Lawyer, Governor, LCI D122 Czech Republic and Slovak Republic and Charterpresident, LC Praha Bohemia Ambassador, MUDr. Roman Joch, Director, Civil Institute, and Ing. Jiří Málek, President, LC Praha Bohemia Ambassador

Guest of Honor: MUDr. Roman Joch, Director of the Civil Institute (Občanský institut) Evening topic: Right-wing view of human rights

more photos and electronic version available on www.leadersmagazine.cz

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From left: Ing. František Chaloupecký, Enterpreneur, Oldřich Hořák, Owner, Hotel Bílá Růže in Poděbrady, Ing. Anton Gerák, CSc., Commercial Director, Secretary, LCI D122 Czech Republic and Slovak Republic, MUDr. Blanka Seifertová, General Practitioner, PhDr. Martin Komárek, Chief Commentator, MF Dnes, Prof. MUDr. Václav Mandys, CSc., Head of the Institute of Pathology, and Ing. Jaroslav Hořák, Enterpreneur

23.11.2010 17:35:14

networking/ charity

IIN N CCOOPERATION OOPERATION WITH WITH LLEADERS EADERS M AGAZINE MAGAZINE

IN COOPERATION WITH LEADERS MAGAZINE

Lions Club

From left: Mgr. Roman Bradáč, News Director, Czech TV and Doc. MUDr. Bohuslav Svoboda, CSc., former President, Medical Association and former Dean, Third Medical Faculty

Prague Bohemia Ambassador

From left: JUDr. PhDr. Oldřich Choděra, Lawyer, Governor of LCI D122 Czech Republic and Slovak Republic and Charterpresident of LC Praha Bohemia Ambassador, Ing. František Novotný, Director TERRAMET s.r.o., and Jan Tajbl, Member of the Cabinet of the Governor of D 122 Czech Republic and Slovak Republic

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From left: Ing. Antonín Mika, Regional Director for Foreign Trade and Petr Laštovka, Enterpreneur

From left: Tomáš Kaiseršot, Project Manager ORGREZ, a.s. and Ing. Jiří Málek, President, LC Praha Bohemia Ambassador

From left: Ing. Jiří Málek, President, LC Praha Bohemia Ambassador and Petr Laštovka, Enterpreneur

23.11.2010 11:59:39

From left: Prof. MUDr. Václav Mandys, CSc., Head of the Institute of Pathology, Ing. František Novotný, Director, TERRAMET s.r.o., and JUDr. Jaroslav Novotný, Lawyer, Membership Chairperson of LC Praha Bohemia Ambassador

From left: JUDr. PhDr. Oldřich Choděra, Lawyer, Governor, LCI D122 Czech Republic and Slovak Republic and Charterpresident, LC Praha Bohemia Ambassador and Mgr. Roman Bradáč, News Director, Czech TV

From left: Ing. Jaromír Kaulfus, Enterpreneur and Prof. MUDr. Václav Mandys, CSc., Head of the Institute of Pathology

From left: PhDr. Ladislav Říha, Owner, CK RI-Tours and former President, LC Praha Bohemia Ambassador, Ing. Anton Gerák, CSc., Commercial Director and Secretary of LCI D122 Czech Republic and Slovak Republic

From left: Ing. Antonín Mika, Regional Director for Foreign Trade and Petr Laštovka, Enterpreneur

From left: Mirko Lachman, Senior Advisor, Leaders Magazine, PhDr. Ladislav Říha, Owner, CK RI-Tours and former President, LC Praha Bohemia Ambassador

more photos and electronic version available on www.leadersmagazine.cz

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Evening topic: TV news and the selection of topics Guest of Honor: Mgr. Roman Bradáč, Czech TV News Director

From left: JUDr. PhDr. Oldřich Choděra, Lawyer, Governor, LCI D122 Czech Republic and Slovak Republic and Charterpresident, LC Praha Bohemia Ambassador, Mgr. Roman Bradáč, News Director, Czech TV, Doc. MUDr. Bohuslav Svoboda, CSc,. former President, Medical Association and former Dean, Third Medical Faculty, and Ing. Jiří Málek, President, LC Praha Bohemia Ambassador

23.11.2010 12:01:05

IN COOPERATION WITH LEADERS MAGAZINE

energy/discussion event

Klub plynárenských podnikatelů ČR hosted a meeting at Hotel Esplanade on the topic of “The reliability of energy supplies in winter 2010–2011”. The Partner of the meeting was the ČEZ Group. Ing. Alena Vitásková, President of KPP ČR began the meeting, and the main speaker was Alan Svoboda, Chief Sales Officer, ČEZ, as. Other speakers included: Martin Herrmann, CEO, RWE Transgas Ing. Evžen Tošenovský, MEP Filip Thon, RWE Poland

KLUB

Ing. Alena Vitásková, President, KPP ČR, s.r.o.

plynárenských podnikatelů

From left: Ing. Luděk Pfeifer, M.C. TRITON, spol. s r.o. and Ing. Jiří Borovec, MBA, Chairman of the Board and CEO, ČEPRO

From left: Milan Dado, Partner, Euronova Partners and JUDr. Vladimír Ermakov, President and Executive Head, Vemex, s.r.o.

Jana Bloch Macková and Peter Martyn White

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Milan Dado, Partner, Euronova Partners and Darina Vozárová, Executive Head, Stendhal, s.r.o.

From left: Ing. Evžen Tošenovský, Euro Deputy, European Parliament, Vice-Chairman of ITRE and Igor Spartakovič Plaksin, Embassy of the Russian Federation in the CR

23.11.2010 15:57:33

From left: Ing. Miloslav Zaur, Executive Head, RWE GASNet, s.r.o. and Ing. Břetislav Piprek, MBA, CEO, Tele Data System, s.r.o.

From left: Ing. Aleš Linhart, Office of the Deputy of European Parliament and Benke Aikell, your Publisher

Dipl. Ing. Petr Krčil, General Director, Elgas, s.r.o. and Ing. Lenka Šmidáková, Čedok, s.r.o.

From left: Ing. Alan Svoboda, MBA, Chief Sales Officer, ČEZ, a.s. and Ing. Luboš Pavlas, General Director, Czech Coal, a.s.

From left: Ing. Alfred Roik, CSc., Vice-Chairman of the Board, SMO, Petr Kwiek, KPP, ČR, and Rudolf Baďura, M-Plast, s.r.o. From left: Ing. Jiří Borovec, MBA, Chairman of the Board and CEO, ČEPRO and Ing. Alan Svoboda, MBA, Chief Sales Officer, ČEZ, a.s.

more photos and electronic version available on www.leadersmagazine.cz

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From left: MUDr. Pavel Čermák, Ph.D., Head, Gyncentrum Ostrava, Ing. Alena Vitásková, President, KPP ČR, s.r.o., Martin Pecina, Deputy, PSP ČR, and Prof. Dr. Arnošt Thon, CSc., A.T. Plyn

23.11.2010 15:59:10

Ing. Evžen Tošenovský, Euro Deputy, European Parliament, Vice-Chairman of ITRE

Martin Herrmann, Chairman of the Board, RWE Transgas, a.s.

Ing. Alan Svoboda, MBA, Chief Sales Officer, ČEZ, a.s.

From left: Dr. Filip Thon, President, RWE in Poland, RWE Polska S.A., Martin Hermann, Chairman of the Board, RWE Transgas, a.s., Ing. Jan Ruml, Executive Head, RWE Plynoprojekt, and Prof. Dr. Arnošt Thon, CSc., A.T. Plyn

Klub plynárenských podnikatelů ČR decided to include the last meeting of the year into its regular program under the name ENERGETIC MARTIN – as a celebration for all members of gas, energy and heating plants. This happened at a time when Martin Kocourek is the Minister of Industry and Trade, Martin Říman the Chairman of the Supervisory Board of ČEZ, Martin Roman the Chairman and CEO of ČEZ, Martin Herrmann the Chairman of the Board of RWE, Martin Pecina a member of the Chamber of Deputies of the CR, … Martin Novák, Martin Chalupský, Martin Mikan, Martin Píša, Martyn White …

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Dr. Filip Thon, President of RWE in Poland, RWE Polska S.A.

From left: Ing. Alan Svoboda, MBA, Chief Sales Officer, ČEZ, a.s., Ing. Jan Ruml, Executive Head , RWE Plynoprojekt, and Ing. Pavel Bartl, Executive Head, RWE Plynoprojekt

From left: Dipl. Ing. Petr Krčil, General Director, Elgas, s.r.o., Pavel Káčer, RWE Distribuční služby, s.r.o., and Robin Profeld, GAS, s.r.o.

23.11.2010 16:01:10

From left: Olga Solaříková, Chairman of the Editorial Board, Český plynárenský svaz, Ing. Petr Crha, Vice-Chairman of the Board and General Director, ASPP, and Ing. Eva Jelínková, Department Director, Ministry for Regional Development

Peter Martyn White and Jana Grohmannová, Marketing and Communication, Instar ITS Ostrava, a.s.

From left: Dr. Filip Thon, President of REW in Poland, RWE Polska S.A. and Martin Pecina, Member of the Chamber of Deputies of the CR

From left: Růžena Nechanská, Enterpreneur, Mgr. Martin Chalupský, Director of Communications, RWE Transgas, a.s., and Ing. Jaroslava Dlabolová, Insolvency Administrator

Ing. Alena Vitásková, President, KPP ČR, s.r.o. and Ing. Jiří Borovec, MBA, Chairman of the Board and CEO, ČEPRO

From left: Ing. Ladislav Hodinka, RMG Regel + Messtechnik and Benke Aikell, your Publisher

From left: Martin Herrmann, Chairman, RWE Transgas, a.s. and Ing. Alena Vitásková, President, KPP ČR, s.r.o. launched Energetic Martin, celebration for all members of gas, energy and heating plants

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23.11.2010 16:02:37

Photo: Jakub Pavel

conference/networking

The audience, on the right: Vera Maria Budway Strobach, Diversity & Inclusion Manager, Česká spořitelna

IN COOPERATION WITH LEADERS MAGAZINE

Women in Corporate Governance

From left: Andrea Mele, Senior Consultant AG, Vodafone, Jitka Součková, Legal Counsel, Tesco Stores ČR, Monika Kubičková, CEO, Talent on, and Radomíra Sýkorová, Ethics Officer, Česká pojišťovna

Petr Kavalíř, Managing Partner, CGPartners, Founder of the „Women in Corporate Governance“ project From left: Andrea Květoňová, CFO, Bakala Crossroads Partners and Monika Kubičková, CEO, Talent on

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Klára Starková, Board Member, Generali PPF Holding

From left: Eva Vencovská, CEO, Nutricia and Dita Stejskalová, CEO, Ogilvy Public Relations

23.11.2010 16:04:35

Alexis George, CEO, ING Czech and Slovak Republic

Muriel Anton, CEO, Vodafone

Štěpánka Duffková, HR Director, Provident Fianancial

From left: Andrea Květoňová, CFO, Bakala Crossroads Partners, Jan Bubeník, Managing Partner, Bubeník Partners, and Jaroslava Kunová, CEO, University Hospital Plzeň

Petra Janíčková, Executive Director, British Chamber of Commerce

The women managerial elite of the Czech Republic met at the very first Women in Corporate Governance Conference, held in Prague on 20th October, 2010. This unique event was organized by CGPartners the oldest corporate governance and organizational culture consultancy in the Czech Republic and supported by British Chamber of Commerce in the Czech Republic and Prague Leadership Institute. The ambition of the conference was to allow participants to meet the very women and men who are inspiring, revitalizing and transforming business and to offer women in the CEE region perspectives of role models to motivate them to move up the career ladder to the board positions.

more photos and electronic version available on www.leadersmagazine.cz

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From left: Magdalena Souček, CEO, Ernst&Young, Janka Vozárová, CEO, Barrandov televizní studio, Olga Girstlová, CEO, Flexibuild, and Monika Horníková, CEO-GlaxoSmithKline

23.11.2010 16:07:07

fashion show/charity

IN COOPERATION WITH LEADERS MAGAZINE

Beata Rajská’s Designer

From left: Beata Rajská, Fashion Designer, Alena Kábrtová, Director, Center Paraple with the check, and Jiří Bartoška, President, Karlovy Vary Film Festival

Fashion Show Cults 2011 Beata Rajská’s fashion show took place in the splendid building of the Air Traffic Control. On this occasion the audience had the opportunity to see a new collection called “Kulty 2011” for the first time. Many celebrities and businessmen came to admire the new collection. At the end of the fashion show they had the chance to participate in the auction of a special edition of a bottle of Moet Chandon, which was signed by celebrities of the International Film Festival in Karlovy Vary. The bottle was sold for 110 thousand CZK. Money earned at the auction was donated to Center Paraple, and every crown of this money will be used for improving the life of disabled people. At the end of the event, Beata accepted a Volkswagen Touareg as a gift from one of the partners of the whole event – Volkswagen.

From left: Michal Štefl, General Director, ŽS Brno, a. s., Kateřina Sedláčková, Jan Klas, General Director, Řízení letového provozu ČR, s.p., Beata Rajská, Fashion Designer, and JUDr. Petra Buzková, Partner, Law Firm Vyroubal Krajhanzl Školout

Beata Rajská, Fashion Designer and Jan Holásek, Advocate, Law Office Havel & Holásek The bottle was auctioned for CZK 110 000 and proceeds went to Center Paraple

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Vratislav Strašil, Head of Division, Volkswagen, Beata Rajská, Fashion Designer, and Rudolf Javurek, CEO, Import Volkswagen Group

From left: Michaela Lobíková, Martin Borovka, CEO, Eurovia, Beata Rajská, Fashion Designer, and Martina Borovková

24.11.2010 9:58:07

From left: Rostislav Ševců, Owner, GLANCE Travel, Beata Rajská, Fashion Designer, and Gabriela Ševců, GLANCE Travel

From left: Miroslav Donutil, Actor with his wife, Beata Rajská, Fashion Designer, Jan Klas, General Director, Řízení letového provozu ČR, s.p., and Jiří Bartoška, President, Karlovy Vary Film Festival

From left: Agnieszka Smektała, Brand Manager, Moët Hennessy Czech Republic and Romana Škamlová, Vice-Miss SR 2007

more photos and electronic version available on www.leadersmagazine.cz

Jitka Válková, Miss of the CR 2010

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From the collection „Kulty 2011“ (Cults 2011)

Photo: Lukáš Fronk

Jana Doležalová, Miss of the CR 2004

23.11.2010 17:49:11

diplomatic/networking event

Nordic Chamber of Commerce arranged an opportunity for its members to meet and chat with the new Ambassador of Sweden H.E. Inger Ultvedt and the new Ambassador of Finland H.E. Paivi Hiltunen-Toivio at the Augustine Hotel.

IN PARTNERSHIP WITH LEADERS MAGAZINE

Photo: Jaroslav Fišer

From left: Stefan Lager, Managing Director, Sweden Telecom s.r.o. and President of the Nordic Chamber of Commerce and H.E. Inger Ultvedt, new Swedish Ambassador to the Czech Republic

WELCOME COCTAIL for the New Ambassadors of Sweden and Finland

From left: Birger Husted, Managing Director, UniqueConsult Czech Republic s.r.o. and Vice President Nordic Chamber of Commerce, Staffan Erenmalm, Manager of Industrial Robot Division in the CR and the CEE Region, ABB s.r.o., and Jonas Thomsen, Managing Director, CodanAgentura s.r.o.

From left: Stefan Lager, Managing Director, Sweden Telecom s.r.o. and President of the Nordic Chamber of Commerce and H.E. Jens Eikaas, Ambassador of Norway From left: Tomáš Kortán, Managing Director, ADBENTRUST s.r.o. and Tomáš Urban, Country Manager CZ/SK, Det Norske Veritas Czech Republic s.r.o.

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From left: Jiří Buňát, Head of Branch, FORTUM HOLDING B.V. org. složka and Birger Husted, Managing Director, UniqueConsult Czech Republic s.r.o. and Vice President Nordic Chamber of Commerce

From left: Lea Turcarova, Executive Director, Nordic Chamber of Commerce, H.E. Paivi Hiltunen-Toivio, new Finnish Ambassador to the Czech Republic, and Hannu Kasi, Managing Director, ABB s.r.o.

23.11.2010 15:49:52

From left: Staffan Erenmalm, Manager of Industrial Robot Division in the CR and the CEE Region, ABB s.r.o., Ing. Jan Horal, President, Bohemia Properties, and Christer Jonsson, CIO, Oriflame Corp.

Mrs. Pacourková, wife of Managing Director, Družstevní závody Dražice - strojírna s.r.o.

From right: Britta Cesar, Managing Director, Skanska Property Czech Republic, s.r.o., Jan Johnsson, Business Development Director, Skanska CS a.s., and Björn Mattsson, Vice President, Skanska CS a.s.

H.E. Paivi Hiltunen-Toivio, new Finnish Ambassador to the Czech Republic From left: H.E. Inger Ultvedt, new Swedish Ambassador to the Czech Republic and Zuzana Cisternas, Country Manager, KappAhl Czech Republic s.r.o.

more photos and electronic version available on www.leadersmagazine.cz

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From left: H. E. Jens Eikaas, Ambassador of Norway, Jonas Thomsen, Managing Director, CodanAgentura s.r.o., and Rolf Ericsson, Deputy Head of Mission, Embassy of Sweden

23.11.2010 15:51:51

On 20th September 2010 the historic building of the local gym Sokolovna was opened to public after a year-long reconstruction. The program started with a tennis exhibition of the currently most successful Czech tennis player Tomáš Berdych who came to the Sokolovna centre directly from the Davis cup semi-final match against Serbia and the former professional tennis player Jiří Novák. All visitors including the pupils from the basic school in Průhonice and children from the orphanage in Pyšely, personally met the javelin thrower Jan Železný and the tennis player Karel Nováček. All of the above mentioned sportsmen signed autographs after the tennis exhibition. The duo of artists Mladý and Náhlovský, the singer Josef Laufer and the famous Czech anchorman Petr Salava put the visitors in good spirits and everyone could enjoy perfect entertainment during the whole afternoon.

launching event

The Mayoress of the town Průhonice, PhDr. Hana Borovičková thanked Ing. Andrej Babiš for the realization of the intention to restore a sports tradition in the town of Průhonice

Cooks were preparing meals tailored to customer needs

Sokolovna Centre in Průhonice

From right: Tomáš Berdych, Jan Železný, Karel Nováček, and Jiří Novák

Ing. Andrej Babiš gave a welcome speech to all guests

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more photos and electronic version available on www.leadersmagazine.cz

Exhibition of the tennis players Tomáš Berdych and Jiří Novák

23.11.2010 12:15:25

A rich leisure time program for both adults and children, sports activities including the traditional sports such as football, tennis or volleyball through those which are currently very trendy and attractive such as pilates, power yoga or kickbox up to the latest novelties represented by Zumba Dancing Classes based on the LatinAmerican dances with easy to follow dance steps to the tune of Latin and International music. Further, there is a fitness room equipped with the latest Technogym fitness machines and other sports equipment from which you have a marvelous view of the surrounding area.To artistically-inclined visitors we offer almost forgotten courses of traditional dances, children artistic courses including ceramics are devoted to children and for everyone regardless the age or interests we prepared a relaxing zone with a Finish sauna and a steam spa. You will feel fresh and relaxed after a visit of the BEAUTY SALON offering various massages, physiotherapy professionally guaranteed by Doc. PaedDr. Pavel KolĂĄĹ&#x2122;, La Prairie Cosmetics, manicure and pedicure. An essential part of these complex services is the gastronomic offer which you can try from early mornings.

Under the supervision of experienced instructors, children learn to overcome fear and shyness of every sports

The breakfast including fresh bakery and daily newspapers and magazines is served already at 7 a.m. Both active sportsmen and passive gourmets come into their own in the restaurant menu. The offer of meals for even the smallest children and outdoor children playground surrounded by tree houses are commonplace. Thanks to the glass wall restaurant, parents are permanently aware of their children activities and can calmly enjoy the offered cuisine.

What does the Sokolovna Centre ACTUALLY OFFER TO ITS VISITORS?

View from the upper terrace at the children playground

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23.11.2010 12:13:46

For your relaxing after a sauna

Restaurant with an amazing view

Pleasant reception staff is expecting you at the Sokolovna centre reception and is looking forward to assist you

Children like it here!

Bosu

Art studio offers a lot of courses directed to development of the artistic talent

Social club of the Sokolovna centre for gathering with friends

Thanks to a pleasant and high quality background you will enjoy the real feeling of comfort in this unique multifunctional centre.

88 The current appearance of the Sokolovna centre

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Sokolovna Průhonice Říčanská 118, 252 43 Průhonice Opening hours: 7.00–22.00 o’clock

The original appearance of the old Sokolovna building which was funded by donations from the citizens of Průhonice in 1928

23.11.2010 12:16:14

book release

From left: Dagmar Havlová, former First Lady of the Czech Republic, Madeleine Albright, former United States Secretary of State, and Miroslava Němcová, President of the Chamber of Deputies

IN COOPERATION WITH LEADERS MAGAZINE

A press conference and book launch was held on October 26, 2010 in Palác knih Luxor to mark the occasion of a release of a new book by Madeleine Albright: “Tajná řeč broží: příběhy z mé šperkovnice“ (“Read My Pins: Stories from a Diplomat’s Jewel Box”). The book was christened by Mrs. Miroslava Němcová, President of the Chamber of Deputies and Mrs. Dagmar Havlová, former First Lady of the Czech Republic. In the illustrated memoir, Albright shares the stories behind her unique pin collection, and explains how brooches became a signature diplomatic tool. The book was published by Práh.

Photos: Michal Linhart and Lukáš Jandík

MADELEINE ALBRIGHT Read my Pins: Stories from a Diplomat’s Jewel Box

Madeleine Albright, former United States Secretary of State

Martin Vopěnka, Owner, Práh

Madeleine Albright, former United States Secretary of State

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A toast. From left: Miroslava Němcová, President of the Chamber of Deputies, Dagmar Havlová, former First Lady of the Czech Republic, Madeleine Albright, former United States Secretary of State, Marek Eben, Moderator, and Martin Vopěnka, Owner, Práh

23.11.2010 15:40:45

IN PARTNERSHIP WITH LEADERS MAGAZINE

Business May Be Your Life – But – Life Is Your Business Part VII: Conscious Capitalism – Preventing Economic ChaosA,B,C

James A. Cusumano, PhD

“Only a life lived for others is a life worthwhile”. Albert Einstein

KEY CONCEPTS: Five challenges threaten human sustainability via economic and social collapse. Addressing one of them – Non-transparent Political and Corporate Governance – can mitigate all five. Business has evolved to the most powerful force on the planet, and must take responsibility for “the whole.” In doing so, it can enhance its performance and long-term viability. We must transition to Conscious Capitalism, in which conventional Ego-based Leaders become Conscious Leaders. The power of Conscious Leadership to serve ALL stakeholders is beyond anything we have ever seen with conventional leadership. GLOBAL THREATS The world has changed. We stand at a critical tipping point in the history of the human race. Not long ago, developed and developing countries decided for better or for worse to become a single global economy, a natural extension of our capitalist’s creed. This decision brought opportunities for many, but it also created the most significant challenges in human history. For me, the five most challenging global threats in declining order of priority are: (1.) Non-Transparent Political and Corporate Governance (2.) Energy-Climate Insecurity (3.) Nuclear Terrorism and War (4.) Global Pollution (5.) Overpopulation. All five either directly or indirectly promote poverty, civil unrest, and environmental unsustainability. Some might disagree with these choices and especially with the first one. But think for a moment about the evolution of global power during the last millennium. For centuries, religion ruled the world, but with time that power was usurped by government, and then, beginning with the

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Industrial Revolution in the 18th century, business slowly, but assuredly became the dominant global power. In many, if not most countries, corporations heavily influence and often control government actions and decisions. It was precisely this power, complemented by cooperative government support that was responsible for the global financial challenges currently underway. BUSINESS IS THE FORCE This means that if business, as the most powerful force on the planet, does not lead the way to addressing our global challenges, it is unlikely that anyone will, or could do so, effectively. Although far from a universally accepted conclusion, this responsibility of business for “the whole” is not incompatible with a fair return to all stakeholders – people, planet and profit – the so-called “Triple Bottom Line.” And in fact, if not addressed by business, these five challenges will lead to civil unrest, and even under the best of circumstances, to significantly diminished business productivity1. Indeed, there are more than enough books that predict social upheaval, economic collapse and unsustainability to life as we know it 2,3. Proof that corporations can move us in the right direction is demonstrated by the success of companies such as Patagonia, Whole Foods, UPS, Starbucks, The Body Shop, Medtronics, Google, Herman Miller, Vestas, and others. But as we progress into the 21st century, much, much more will be required. For the human race to survive and proceed along a path of productive evolution of body and consciousness, and continue developing the social structure that supports this evolution, the world must transition to what has been called Conscious Capitalism4. We have touched on some of the central aspects of Conscious Capitalism in prior articles in this series where we outlined how to unleash the power of purpose and passion5. Conscious Capitalism refers to the concept that profit and prosperity can and must embrace social justice and respect for our environment6. Perhaps more importantly, and to the surprise of many, Conscious Capitalism almost always leads to a more successful enterprise regardless of the evaluation metric. TRANSITION TO CONSCIOUS CAPITALISM Conscious businesses are built on three core principles7. First, a conscious business always seeks a higher purpose, which need not be incompatible with profit, and more often than not, leads to profit maximization. It doesn’t matter whether it is a beer company or a biotech firm, conscious commerce is a practical and realistic goal. Second, Conscious Businesses deliver value to ALL stakeholders by aligning their interests; this encompasses customers, employees, partners, investors, community and the planet. And third, and most importantly, Conscious Businesses are led by Conscious Leaders who focus on the company’s deeper purpose and on delivering value to all stakeholders by finding creative profitable means to harmonize and mesh their interests. And therefore the central aspect of business and commerce that must be addressed is leadership. Since Adam Smith’s treatise on “The Wealth of Nations,” written

in 1776 at the inception of the Industrial Revolution, we have primarily taught and practiced a single leadership style. It has often been called “Ego-based Leadership” and is driven mostly by the leader’s personal needs and desires8. Such a leader is generally chosen based on past performance and he or she directs the organization to be coherent, cohesive, and effective. This form of leadership emanates from the ego and is generally driven by personal ambition, determination, goal attainment and sometimes, even aggressiveness. CONSCIOUS LEADERSHIP IS THE WAY In Ego-based Leadership, the leader does something to others. For example, he or she seeks to influence employees to achieve an objective. This leadership style has served companies and governments reasonably well for more than 200 years, but it will not succeed in addressing the five global challenges listed above. Why? Worldwide environmental consciousness is rapidly growing; public distrust of corporations with its current base of leadership is at an all-time high; many employees and customers are disengaged from the companies they respectively work for or buy from, suppliers feel alienated and squeezed on price; and often, communities organize to keep businesses out. A recent major study by world-renowned strategist, Gary Hamel concludes that 80 percent of employees are disengaged and unsatisfied with their job9. We desperately need a new kind of leadership, one that speaks to all of the stakeholders and is focused on the Triple Bottom Line. Such an approach has been developed by a number of forward looking thinkers. It is called “Conscious Leadership10,11.” Conscious Leadership is a serving relationship with others that inspires them to grow and reach their innate human potential and in doing so they not only exhibit A)

EDITOR’S NOTE – This is Part VII in a series of articles based on the author’s experience as an entrepreneur, having founded several successful businesses, including Catalytica Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a billion-dollar public company. His business experience base spans “5 lives” – A multimillion record sales recording artist; R&D Director for Exxon; Chairman & founder of 2 public companies; CEO, founder and Executive Producer for Chateau Wally Films; Chairman & Owner of Chateau Mcely, an international award-winning luxury hotel & SPA. This article is extracted from his latest book, presently in preparation and entitled, “My Little Book of Business – Tales of Purpose, Passion & Enterprise.” Parts I–V of this series deal with “Creating A Fulfilling Life.” Part VI addresses “Building A Successful Business,” and the current series focuses on Conscious Capitalism and Conscious Leadership as a means to lasting fulfillment in life and success in business. B) The concepts of Conscious Leadership, Conscious Business and Conscious Capitalism have emerged over the past few years. A detailed discussion can be found in references at the end of this article, especially those by Lance Secretan and those presented at the website http://www. ConsciousCapitalism.Com/. C) The author may be reached at Jim@ChateauMcely.Com.

Leaders Magazine VI/2010

23.11.2010 16:59:40

TO BE CONTINUED... Figure 1: Lance Secretan: Developed the concept of Conscious Leadership; As former CEO, built Manpower, Inc. into a Fortune 100 company; Voted one of the “Top 5 Speakers on Leadership” and one of the “Top 21 Speakers for the 21st Century” by Successful Meetings Magazine (References 10, 11, 14).

outstanding performance and thereby contribute much more to their company, but they also make the world a better place. Conscious Leadership is not a model, or a formula, or a system, or a process. Instead of doing something to someone, Conscious Leadership is a way of being and it comes from within. You choose to be this way, you don’t have to be promoted or anointed. Its two central hallmarks are awareness of your true self within and the world around you, and responsibility for “the whole.” Conscious Leadership is very powerful and it inspires greatness from one person to others (see Figure 1). It can change the world. Success in Ego-based Leadership focuses on power and profit. Suppose you were to ask a college business major, “Who has been more successful in life, Steve Jobs or Nelson Mandela?” What do you think the answer would be? NOT THE ECONOMY, STUPID – IT’S INSPIRATION “When you are inspired by some great purpose, some extraordinary project, all your thoughts break their bonds; your mind transcends limitations, your consciousness expands in every direction, and you find yourself in a new great wonderful world. Dormant forces, faculties and talents become alive, and you discover yourself to be a greater person than you ever dreamed yourself to be.” Patanjali, author of the Yoga Sutras, 150 B.C. Conscious Leaders take full responsibility for all relationships, from employees, family and friends to the wellbeing of the planet and our species. Being conscious means being fully aware, totally engaged, and personally responsible for the impact you have on the world, as well as the impact the world has on you. So the very first thing a Conscious Leader does is to gain deep insight into his or her life and the inspiring role that he or she can play in both the personal and business arenas. How to do this has been discussed previously in detail in Parts III and IV of this series12,13. The essence of it all is to

understand your true purpose in life. What sets you apart from others around you that would allow you to contribute to the greater good? This knowledge of purpose always leads to passion for action, which ignites inspiration that generates creativity, y which in turn results in innovation. Isn’t that what makes companies “great” and the world a better place? To be sure, Conscious Leadership is not just a charitable undertaking. Pursued and practiced with integrity, it results in substantial returns to all stakeholders. By a commitment to this process of introspection and change, it is possible to understand the role that you can play in transforming the organization your lead – or work within – into one that truly inspires you and those around you. The core force of this transformation process is inspiration. History teaches us that it is inspiration that gets things done, creates ideas, grows people – it can change the world. One Dream Once you understand your personal sense of purpose in the business world, and your passion is ignited, it is a natural next step to create “One Dream,” the vision and mission that underpin your organization. It is this “One Dream” that attracts and motivates others to your path, and you will get things done through others and at the same time this will help them to grow well beyond their expectations. The power of “One Dream” can be seen in the example of U.S. President John F. Kennedy’s commitment for the U.S. to go to the moon. His dream was created on October 4, 1957, when the Soviets launched Sputnik 1, the first earth-orbiting artificial satellite. Feuding Republicans and Democrats alike stood behind Kennedy. Dreams are like that – they transcend differences and disagreements – they join people at a higher level of consciousness, engage them in a higher purpose – as ONE14! Dreams have the power to change the world, and have done so, many times before. IT’S ALL ABOUT TRUST Conscious Leaders are intimately aware of the single most reliable predictor of employee productivity and satisfaction – TRUST! And they understand the four ways to cultivate trust in their organization. 1. Excite their stakeholders with “One Dream.” 2. Employees must understand the company’s strategy. 3. Employees must know how their role can contribute to achieving the company’s goals. 4. Share with employees, the company’s progress and how their team is doing relative to corporate goals. Examples of recent Conscious Leaders include Nelson Mandela, Martin Luther King, Ray Anderson (founder of Interface, Inc. – sales of $1 billion/year), Robert Swanson (founder of Genentech – $10 billion/year), George Rathmann (founder of Amgen – $4 billion/year). Take the example of Ray Anderson, founder and recently retired CEO of the world’s largest manufacturer of modular carpets. Carpet manufacturing is notorious for pollution. Since 1995, under Anderson’s leadership and supported by employees as part of their “One Dream,” Interface has reduced its waste by one third and is on target to reach its goal of making the company environmentally sustainable by 2020. Anderson’s company is consistently the most profitable carpet company in the developed

world, proof that the Triple Bottom Line – People, Planet, Profit – works! Can We Do It? The big question is, “At a time that is arguably the most critical tipping point in the history of mankind, will we slip into economic and social chaos, or can we make the transition to a higher state of consciousness in the way we do business?” I think we can, perhaps not without a few false starts and minor “catastrophes,” but global human spirit will eventually triumph. History has often gifted us with the right leaders at the right time to catalyze a necessary quantum change in human consciousness – Thomas Jefferson, Abraham Lincoln, Franklin Delano Roosevelt, Winston Churchill, Mahatma Gandhi, Václav Havel, and Nelson Mandela, to name a few. But I think this time things are different. If we are to create a sustainable future for us, for our children, and for all our descendants thereafter, it will mean more than a “chosen few” to make the transition we need to make. It will require broad participation in Conscious Leadership in much of what we do – an immediate commitment by you, by me, and many more like us. For as once well said, “If not you, who? If not here, where? If not now, when?” James A. Cusumano, PhD 1 The World Business Academy, established in 1986 is a great resource for the role of business in addressing the whole. 2 Jared Diamond, “Collapse – How Societies Choose to Fail,” Penguin, New York, NY, 2005. 3 Sir Martin Rees, “Our Final Hour – A Scientist’s Warning,” Basic Books, London, 2004. 4 www.ConsciousCapitalism.Com/and references therein. 5 James A. Cusumano, “Business May Be Your Life – But – Life is Your Business: Part III Finding Your Passion And Purpose,” Leaders Magazine, Volume II, 2010, pp. 142–143. 6 Rajendra S. Sisodia, David B. Wolfe, and Jagdish N. Sheth, “Firms of Endearment,” Wharton School Publishing, Philadelphia, 2007. 7 Op. cit., reference 4. 8 See for example, http://www.leadershape.biz/transpersonal_journey.aspx. 9 Gary Hamel, European Wall Street Journal, December 16, 2009. 10 Lance Secretan, “ONE – The Art And Practice of Conscious Leadership,” The Secretan Center Inc., 2006. 11 Lance Secretan, “!INSPIRE! – What Great Leaders Do,” John Wiley & Sons, Inc., New York, NY, 2004. 12 Op. cit. reference 5. 13 James A. Cusumano, “Business May Be Your Life – But – Life is Your Business: Part IV Listen To The Omens – A Letter To Julia,” Leaders Magazine, Volume III, 2010, pp. 104–105. 14 Lance Secretan, “The Spark, The Flame and The Torch,” The Secretan Center Inc., 2010.

About the Author: 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 Leading Green Hotel in the World. 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 co-author of “Freedom from Mid-East Oil,” recently released by World Business Academy Press (www.WorldBusiness.Org) and can be reached at Jim@ChateauMcely.Com.

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24.11.2010 9:45:09

modern design exhibition

An international celebration of the beauty and power of modern design opened in Prague on November 4, linking artists from three countries: the Czech Republic, the United States and the Republic of Korea. Their joint exhibition – Connecting: New York, Prague, Seoul – is devoted to bringing together disparate cultures in a world where meanings can be lost in translation, but the language of design is universal.

FIREFLY PRESENTS

From left: Sooyeon Lee, CEO, Dank Design Haus, H.E. Yaakov Levy, Ambassador of Israel, and Jiwon Shin, CEO, Firefly Branding

CONNECTING: NEW YORK – PRAGUE – SEOUL CZECH CENTRE PRAGUE

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From left: Jiwon Shin, CEO, Firefly Branding, H.E. Gabriel Oh, Ambassador of the Republic of Korea with his wife, Petra Jungwirtová, Spokesperson, NG, and PhDr. Oldřich Vejvoda, Correspondent, New Europe

more photos and electronic version available on www.leadersmagazine.cz

24.11.2010 10:21:19

From left: František Semrád, Country Manager, RolandTorsten Advertising, Marianna Vlasáková, and Petr Vlasák, Consultant

Ing. Daniel Brabec, Export and Key Account Manager, Mias Office Concept and Kateřina Stolínová, Secretariat of the General Director, Czech Centre

From left: Tomáš Pernický, Director of the Department for Culture, Communication and Presentation, Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Michael W. Pospíšil, General Director, Czech Centre

From left: Jiwon Shin, CEO, Firefly Branding and Monika Fraňková, Head of Expat Center, Česká Spořitelna, a.s.

From left: Milan Hupcej, Strategy, Analyses and Planning Office, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Jana Hajzlerová, Chairwoman, Czech-Korean Society, Ing. Helena Vodrážková, Bursar, The English College in Prague, and PhDr. Vladimír Pucek, Associate Professor, Charles University in Prague

An international celebration of the beauty and power of modern design opened in Prague on November 4, linking artists from three countries: the Czech Republic, the United States and the Republic of Korea. The exhibition, which is on display at the Czech Center Prague from November 5 to December 4, features the work of four world-class talents: Jiwon Shin, Founder and Executive Director of Firefly Branding, an international design and branding firm with offices in New York, Prague and Seoul; Rony Plesl, one of the Czech Republic’s foremost contemporary glass designers; the late Geri Taper, an American painter and environmental artist whose work has been displayed in New York, London and Paris; and Sooyeon Lee, Founder and Creative Director of Dank Design Haus in Seoul, Korea. The exhibition is being presented under the auspices of H.E. Gabriel Oh, Ambassador of the Republic of Korea to the Czech Republic, the U.S. Embassy in Prague, and the Czech-Korean Society. Mr. Oh was present at the November 4 vernissage to formally open the exhibition. The Prague exhibition marks the first physical gathering of these artists under one roof. But they have been forging international links for years with collaborative projects and personal friendships. “It’s so exciting to be showcasing these stellar talents under one roof,” Jiwon says. “The Seoul exhibition was a great success, and this one will be bigger and better and really great for Prague.”

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From right: Jiwon Shin, CEO, Firefly Branding, H.E. Gabriel Oh, Ambassador of the Republic of Korea, and Rony Plesl, Designer

23.11.2010 17:10:43

From left: Rony Plesl, Designer, Jiwon Shin, CEO, Firefly Branding, and Benke Aikell, your Publisher

Sooyeon Lee, CEO, Dank Design Haus and Clemens Hoerth, General Manager, Mandarin Oriental Prague Helena Vágnerová, Office of Public Affairs, Embassy of the USA, and Jiwon Shin, CEO, Firefly Branding

Mgr. Diana Grösslová, Department for EU Affairs, Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports and Ing. Eva Bartoňová, State Secretary – Deputy Minister, Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports

From left: Rudy JH Lee, Managing Director, Firefly Branding Korea, Lucia Ratulovská, PR Manager, Firefly Branding, and Lia Halada, Owner, Halada

Lucia Ratulovská, Radka Labendz Firefly Branding, České centrum Praha PR Manager, Program and PR Manager M: +420 602 154 455, M: +420 777 055 040 E: lucia@fireflybranding.com, E: Labendz@czech.cz www.fireflybranding.com www.czechcentres.cz/prague

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From left: Jiwon Shin, CEO, Firefly Branding, Michael W. Pospíšil, General Director, Czech Centre, and Sooyeon Lee, CEO, Dank Design Haus

24.11.2010 11:35:47

The BCC Golf Tournament 2010 has taken on a “hole” new point of view and promised more variety on and off the IIN Ncourse. CCOOPERATION OOPThe ERaim ATIOofNthisWITH Wevent ITH was to have as much fun as possible while raising funds for a very worthy cause – EDIE Czech Youth Programme / The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award.

bcc golf tournament

LLEADERS EADERSS M AGAZINE MAGAZINE

At the BCC Golf Tournament 2010, which took place this year at the prestigious golf course Albatross, on 8th October, The British Chamber of Commerce Czech Republic managed to gather almost 15 000 CZK to the charity partner for this tournament EDIE. Members of BCC got the chance to experience a great day full of sport, memorable fun, competition, creative and amusing accompanying programme, live entertainment, Photos: Paul Pacey and Jan Hrdý absolutely tremendous prizes and gourmet buffet at Žofín Garden. As to mention few of the beautiful awards, winners received beautiful Iceberg handbag, Belfe umbrellas and Smalto travel bags from Ad´ore Marketing Communications, VIP accommodation vouchers at Hilton in London, Vienna and Warsaw, Chateu Mcely Voucher, Belgium Pralines from Belvec Company, I-phone from Vodafone, Accommodation Voucher from Mozaic House and exclusive eco drive watches from Citizen! Players were very happy about the generous goodies they received when registering. Provident Financial gave to all of the players high quality golf balls and Vrana a Pelikan realized there is never enough golf umbrellas. Also, Auto Hase and Generali did sponsor the hole in one and motivated every single player present at the event! The BCC is grateful to its partner of the tournament, without whom the whole event would not be possible. Thanks go to Royal Bank of Scotland, the general partner, Vrána and Pelikán, the main partner and Provident Financial the partner of the tournament.

In the middle: Petra Janickova, Executive Director, BCC with representatives of EDIE Czech Youth Programme

The British Chamber of Commerce Czech Republic

BCC GOLF TOURNAMENT 2010

From left: Zachary Rosen, KPMG, David Jonák, První Elektro a.s., Philip Walker, TMF Group, and Adam Čížek, Pragoeduca Demos

Tomáš Tesař, Head of Communications, Royal Bank of Scotland, The General Partner of BCC Golf Tournament 2010

more photos and electronic version available on www.leadersmagazine.cz

Luděk Vrána, Partner, Vrána a Pelikán and BCC Chairman and Silvia Bušniaková, Senior Manager, BCC

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Provident Financial flight From left: Monika Němečková, František Scherbaum, Lukáš Trnka, and Aleš Janků, CEO

22.11.2010 18:46:12

networking event Skål International is a professional organisation of tourism leaders around the world, promoting global tourism and friendship. The first Club was founded in 1934 in Paris by travel managers. The idea of international goodwill and friendship has grown, and Skål International today has approximately 25,000 members in 525 Clubs throughout 90 nations.

CafØ

Skål Club Prague (Club 626) was founded on the 18th of October 1995 as the first Skål Club in the former communist countries in Central Europe. Presently, the Club has more than 90 members from all fields of the tourism industry, all of them being top managers of the most important players in the local tourism market (hotels, airlines, travel agents, travel media).

IN COOPERATION WITH LEADERS MAGAZINE

Heinz Reigl, President, National Skål Club of Prague, Club 626

Skål Club 15 Anniversary

From left: Uzi Yalon, Honorary President of Skål Int., Ahura Ganor, Vice President, Skål Jerusalem, and Jonathan Harpaz, past National President Israel, President Skål Jerusalem

From left: Hon. Prof. (FH) KR Mario Rehulka, President, Austrian Aviation Association and Nik Racic, President, Skål International Hülya Aslantas, former President of Skål Int. 2008/09, Turkey

Pavel Brandžovský, General Manager, Hotel Paris with his wife Sabina

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From left: Benke Aikell, your Publisher and Gustavo Guillen, Chairman and Founder, Casa Latina a.s. with his wife

23.11.2010 15:34:37

From left: Manuel E. Jimenez-Alonso, Director of Sales, PDMBlaguss, s.r.o., Gustavo Guillen, Chairman and Founder, Casa Latina a.s. with his wife, and Miroslav Bukva, Managing Director, Clarion Congress Hotel Prague

From left: Uzi Yalon, Honorary President of Skål Int. and Heinz Reigl, President, National Skål Club of Prague, Club 626 From left: Mrs. Cheryl Hickson, Ms. Adéla Horníčková, and Ms.Katherina Reigl

From left: Hon. Prof. (FH) KR Mario Rehulka, President, Austrian Aviation Association, Nik Racic, President, Skål International, Hülya Aslantas, President, Skål International, Turkey, Sylvia A. Liebisch, International Councillor Austria, Skål International, and Cem Aslantas, Chairman and CEO, Universal Travel Services

From left: Klaus Pilz, General Manager, Thermae Piešťany and Werner Koppel

From left: Ulf Landeberg, General Manager, Crowne Plaza Prague Castle and Wolfgang Teufl, Managing Director, Hotel Ametyst Prague with his wife

Delegation from Israel

more photos and electronic version available on www.leadersmagazine.cz

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A special thanks to Casa Latina for their support

CafØ 24.11.2010 9:38:20

EUROPEAN LEADERSHIP & ACADEMIC INSTITUTE P R A G U E

IN PARTNERSHIP WITH LEADERS MAGAZINE

European Leadership & Academic Institute The intention to establish a platform where the academic, government and business worlds would find a meeting place for the mutual enrichment of ideas and expertise was on the minds of its founders, Irena Kalhousová and Lukáš Sedláček, for quite some time. After graduating from the University of Cambridge couple of years ago, the current founders of the European Leadership & Academic Institute (ELAI) returned to the Czech Republic to seek opportunities for further experiences and development. A year ago, they began discussing some broader ideas for establishing a brand new institute. Irena first became an advisor to the Mayor of Prague for international affairs and later worked as a project manager for German Foundation Heinrich Böll Stiftung and as an analyst for the Prague-based think-tank AMO (Association for International Affairs). Today she is the Chief Analyst at the Prague Security Studies Institute and Member of the Board of the Oxford & Cambridge Alumni Society Czech Republic. Lukáš Sedláček started his career after the graduation in the NGO sphere as a project manager for the non-profit organization ANO pro Evropu (YES for Europe) and then worked at the Ministry of Defense as a policy analyst for U.S.-based company Cubic Applications Group. Seeking to gain experience in the corporate sphere, he joined Teléfonica 02 as a Senior Business Development Manager and Chief Coordinator of EU projects. He has been active in the Oxford & Cambridge Alumni Society Czech Republic first as a Secretary and later as the President of the society. Irena and Lukáš both serve as lecturers at private, English-speaking universities in Prague. The founders believe that the idea to establish The European Leadership & Academic Institute (ELAI) was a natural outgrowth of the diverse experiences they obtained both collectively and independently. They decided to establish ELAI in order to facilitate the sharing of the experience and knowledge between outstanding professionals and academics with individuals from the private, public and non-governmental sectors. ELAI was founded this year in September and its headquarters are based in Prague. The launching event of the institute is a discussion with Pavel Telička, former EU Commissioner and current Member of the Expert Team of the Ministry for Regional Development, on the topic ´Competitiveness of the Czech Republic´. An evening discussion open to the public on ´Leading Positive Change in the Czech Republic´ with prominent speakers from the business including Taťána le

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Moigne, Country ManaIrena Ire na Kal Ka hou h sov sováá and and Luk Lukášš Sed Sedláček ger for Google, was held on the 23rd November. For the months of November and December, ELAI organizes twelve open courses, lectures and networking events in either Czech or English, in which the participants will have the unique opportunity to be exposed to and to engage with ideas of exceptional leaders from the business, academic and public spheres. Among the patrons and lecturers of ELAI are economic crisis has shown that ethical responsiaforementioned Taťána le Moigne, Tomáš Sedbility plays a central role in the proper functioning láček and Michal Mejstřík, Members of the Natioof societies. Companies can lose their hard-won nal Economic Council of the Government of the credibility virtually overnight if they ignore or unCzech Republic (NERV), (NERV) Radek Špicar, Špicar Director derestimate the key position ethics plays in any for External Affairs of Skoda Auto, Eva Williams, business activity. This is the reason why ELAI Corporate & Legal Affairs Director at Tesco emphasizes in its activities the moral aspects Stores, Burton Lee, Stanford University Lecturer of leadership while focusing on the development and technology venture finance and innovation of empathy for others. strategy professional, Jan Los, Sales Director Specifically, ELAI offers a large variety of uniof SAP Czech Republic and Petr Očko, Director quely crafted business-oriented and academic of the Department for structural funds at the Miprograms, consulting services and events to pronistry of Industry and Trade. vide managers, public officials and others with ELAI envisions to become the premier European the necessary knowledge and skills to become academic institute for the promotion and underleaders in their professions and to inspire others. standing of responsible and innovative leaderThe institute also offers consultations for foreign ship. The increasing complexity of the global enbusinesses new to the Czech market as well as for vironment calls for leaders with strong moral Czech business people seeking to gain a deeper principles, knowledge and empathy to make the knowledge of foreign markets. The importance of right decisions. The future of European societies ethical behavior and responsible leadership are and businesses will depend to a great extent on stressed in all of ELAI’s activities. the quality of its leaders and their ability to posiBesides serving as a bridge connecting acatively influence others. Strong support for innovademia, business, government and the general tive thinking, creativity and further education are public, the institute will be addressing central absolutely vital for European companies so that issues relevant to the Czech society and Europe they remain competitive on the world markets. An as a whole, such as the central importance of eduatmosphere supporting new ideas and approaches cation and innovational thinking, or the need for has to be nurtured in order to increase Europe´s ethics in business and the society. The Czech competitiveness. ELAI assists companies, instituRepublic and the whole European continent face tions and individuals in realizing their full potential many challenges that will have to be seriously by passing on vital knowledge and skills necessary addressed in the near future. We at ELAI would for their success on foreign markets. like to be part of the solution – by creating a platELAI strongly believes that success cannot form were innovative people share their ideas always be measured by profit per se, and that and come up with an original solutions. Therefore, the role of ethics in business as in any human acas our motto puts it, let’s aim higher! ■ tivity should not be underestimated. The recent

Leaders Magazine VI/2010

23.11.2010 13:20:18

EUROPEAN LEADERSHIP & ACADEMIC INSTITUTE P R A G U E

PATRONS AND LECTURERS OF ELAI

Taťána le Moigne Country Director, Czech Republic, Google

Tomáš Sedláček, Chief Macroeconomic Strategist at ČSOB & Member of NERV, Czech Government

Michal Mejstřík, Chairman of the International Chamber of Commerce Czech Republic & Member of NERV

Jan Los Sales Director, SAP Czech Republic

Radek Špicar, External Affairs Director, Skoda Auto & Advisor on economic policy at the Confederation of Industry of the Czech Republic

Eva Williams, Board Director, Tesco Stores CR & SR & Vice-Chairperson, British Chamber of Commerce

Petr Očko EU Funds Section Director at Ministry of Industry and Trade

Eva Jarošová Docent, University of Economics in Prague

Burton Lee, Lecturer at Stanford University & Managing Director at Innovarium Ventures

Tomáš Bouška former Spokesperson at the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports

Raymond Smith, Regional Director and Professor of Business and Economics, Bethel College

Gabriele Meissner CEO, The Business Network

Martin Moravec, Lecturer, Collegium Hieronymi Pragensis

René Pfromm, Adjunct Professor, University of Bonn

Khaled Khotami, CEO, Marketing Architect International

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23.11.2010 13:20:36

opening

Livia Klausová, First Lady of the Czech Republic and Bořivoj Trejbal, Country Manager Czech Republic, Emirates

Ceremonial Opening of the Emirates Airline Office

SUCCESSFUL TAKE-OFF Emirates Airline announces positive passenger numbers and the opening of its new office. After only three months operating its Prague-Dubai route, Emirates Airline is experiencing smooth skies in the Czech Republic. Since launching on 1st July, passenger numbers have been extremely positive, with tens of thousands of people enjoying the Emirates experience direct from Prague. With events in the sky going so well, it’s also time to establish ground presence and officially open the Emirates office. Located in Prague 1 at Na Příkopě 22, the office was officially opened on October 26 by Mrs. Livia Klausová, First Lady of the Czech Republic. Located in Slovanský dům, the new Emirates office is not only in a historic building, but one connected with travel. Before World War II, the Carlson Wagonlit travel agency was housed here. Emirates is pleased to have revived the building’s travelling spirit and hopes to continue the tradition for many years to come.

Livia Klausová, First Lady of the Czech Republic and Bořivoj Trejbal, Country Manager Czech Republic, Emirates are cutting the ribbon

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more photos and electronic version available on www.leadersmagazine.cz

24.11.2010 11:42:54

Lime&Tonic is a fresh approach to a traditional city guide – one which combines the new trend of collective purchasing with an online guide. The goal of Lime&Tonic is to get people out and experiencing their city more, and we speak with the Manager of the Prague portal – Mr. Todd Benson – to learn more about how he achieves this with this innovative new venture. SO, FIRST OFF- WHAT IS COLLECTIVE PURCHASING? Collective purchasing has been around for a while, and basically refers to utilizing the power of group buying to obtain discounts. Recently, a new company called ‘GroupOn’ took collective purchasing to a whole new level by leveraging the power of social media – such as Facebook, which now has 500 m users. GroupOn would basically offer one deal each day at an incredible discount, with the deal being conditional to a minimum number of people agreeing to participate in it. If the minimum number of people is reached, then the deal activates and everyone benefits from the discount. If not, the deal is off and no one gets the discount. WHAT MAKES LIME&TONIC UNIQUE? Since the advent of GroupOn, there has been very little differentiation in the model at all and this is really where our strength lies. We spent a lot of time refining the model, and most people notice this from the minute they arrive on our site. The first key element is that we have combined a city guide with our collective purchasing model – something which no one else is doing. People rate their experiences after they’ve completed them which in turn creates a verified, user-generated guide on things to do around town with ongoing discounts available here. We’re currently preparing 37 destinations for launch globally, and by end of next year we hope to be a known city guide with a portal in more than 100 destinations. The next major difference is that we do one deal per week, rather than each day. We ffocus on ensuring that the deal is really something special spec and from a known brand whereas other sites will do little pizzerias and no-

Lime&Tonic

name hairdressers. Our deals encompass leading restaurants, spas, weekend getaways and cool activities and we’ve had deals from the likes of Hilton, Kempinski and Rocco Forte Hotels. Finally, we have a strong sustainable ethos attached to our site, contributing 10% of all our revenues to supporting local charities. THAT ALL SOUNDS GREAT, HOW DO PEOPLE START AVAILING OF YOUR DEALS? It’s actually very easy, and there is no cost to start receiving the deals. Just go to our website and enter your email address in the ‘subscribe’ box. Thereafter you

will begin receiving our newsletter every Thursday morning which will provide you with information about the available deal. Once the minimum number of purchasers have been reached, you will be sent your voucher which can then be redeemed at a time of your choosing, typically any time in the next 6 to 12 months. With Christmas coming up, our site is great for inspiration on interesting gifts – or simply for a special night out with your loved ones or friends. As we like to say – Lime& Tonic is “cool, caring & collective”. www.limeandtonic.com/prague I

now available in Brussels

LE ADERS MAGA ZINE PHOTO COVERAGES FROM TOP EVENTS: CONCERTS – SEMINARS – CONFERENCES – GALA EVENINGS

INTERVIEWS WITH TOP PEOPLE: CULTURE – BUSINESS – POLITICS – SPORTS

PR ARTICLES, ANALYSIS AND MUCH MORE p rtner:

Brno is

COLLAPSE

the Center

Photos: Archive

The city of Brno started to develop dynamically after the period of economic transformation that took place in 1990s. This dynamism has taken on additional momentum recently. The development of the city needs to be stream-

U BUDGET TALKS

by research, development, innovation an cation. More than eighty thousand st attending local universities and colleges underline the importance of this pillar. sential part of the graduates remain i after completing their studies, providin the city with a large pool of qualified wor That is also why Brno is becoming a ce innovation. One of the essential projects, which markably influence not only the city’s development, but also the competitive Brno, is the Masaryk University Campu capacity of the campus has been desig host about 4800 students and about 8 versity teachers, scientists and researche recently opened INBIT biotechnology inc facility is also situated on the campus.

, be launched on 1 December Service, expected to reach a comof the dispute. e ministers failed to may become victims h mest over hic”” the ibedd as “catastrophi h the European Parliamen mber) He allso describ by (111 Nove b ). send to the world h (1 dget yesterdday niight sage that the EU would acceptable soluo find a mutually acce failing to adopt a budget. ov over to roll will get budget ay, the 2010 Positions Eur the European , European Parliag questions as to how In a published statement proje such projects Buzek said: ance ambitiouss new ment President Jerzy between the European nal Action Service. ean External “Differences still exist on the (European side and the Council ia Jędrzejewska (Euro P Sidonia Parliament on one modest rope Parliament’s ready to accept the ty; EPP), the European other. Parliament is year’s budget as et, Parliament budget in payments in next n the EU budget, increase one re (France; We are not asking for hairman Alain Lamassou proposed by Council. Jerzy Buzek that our political expecarliament President euro more on condition we will member am confident that eir readiness to accept by just tations are met. I following in s budget difference and to increase the manage to iron out these t is ready to have the UK. Parliamen “The ” 11, spearheaded by meetings. on t our n

and Parliament President Jerzy Buzek, European Archive Chancellor Photo: Angela Merkel, German

divivery clearly the deep “This failure shows countries regarding sion between European lici avee ch all hav hich es whi policies monn po ommo ingg of com ncin nanc thee fifina th the want to profit from agreed to. All states ott not some richer states do European budget, but neightheir which benefit want to pay for policies ensible, this refuincompreh is It well. as bours of safeguarding the future sal to work towards European between solidarity ll

Leaders Magazine® focuses on lifestyle, interviews, business, culture and luxury products and coverss many ma important and interesting events. Our readers are people from diplomatic society, government ofﬁcials and decisionn makers ma in business. The targeted distribution is cca 20 000 copies including 1400 pcs to the top EU ofﬁcials in Brussels. Leaders Magazine® publikuje rozhovory s význanými osobnostmi obchodní, politické, umělecké a kulturní lturn sféry a přináší fotoreportáže z důležitých společenských událostí v ČR. Našimi čtenáři jsou osoby s rozhodovacími pravomocemi v diplomatické, státní a soukromé sféře. Cílená distribuce je cca 20 000 ks včetně 1400 ks představitelům EU v Bruselu.

For Full Electronic Version Go To www.leadersmagazine.cz 23.11.2010 16:57:45

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IN COOPERATION WITH IIN N CCOOPERATION OOPERATIO ON WITH WITH LEADERS MAGAZINE LLEADERS EADERS M AGAZINE MAGAZINE

“The wine festival is becoming better and more beautiful year after year, which, after all, we have seen this year too. When I see the thousands of people dressed in folk costumes, I have to admire those who with tremendous enthusiasm worship our heritage. And that is why I also support a folklore upbringing of children and youth, to ensure an even firmer future for our region’s traditions,” stated Ivo Valenta.

HEART OF SLOVÁCKO Came to Live with Folklore 70,000 people visited The Festival of Wine and Open Sights of the Slovácko Region! Tens of thousands of folklore lovers crowded the Royal City Uherské Hradiště on the second weekend of September. The 8th annual volume of The Festival of Wine and Open Sights of the Slovácko region offered an unforgettable experience, including a taste of live folklore with the spirit of viticulture traditions, as well as traditional songs and dances. This event was held for the first time eight years ago, by the founder of Synot holding, Mr. Ivo Valenta.

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From the left: Ivo Valenta, the founder of SYNOT holding while toasting with attendants of the festival of wine and open sights

Synot holding and the foundation Nadace Děti-kultura-sport have been the main promoters of this event from the very beginning. It is not just a folklore festival, but a truly impressive ethnic feast which presents approximately 80 cities and villages of the whole region. These have been represented by 4735 people dressed in folk costumes, who walked in the ceremonial procession across the whole city, which is the new record.

Five million Czech Crowns have been divided between their home cities, villages and micro-regions by the foundation Nadace Děti-kultura-sport. This year´s event included folk costumes, singing, dancing, gourmet specialties, wine tasting, handicraftsmen and various programs for children, all diversified by the international conference held by the ICCN organisation, and sponsored by UNESCO. A unique launch of the book “Na paletě krojů” also took place during the festival. This book has been prepared in participation with the foundation Nadace Děti-kultura-sport, and it surveys the contemporary folk costumes of 75 villages around Uherské Hradiště 103 over 400 pages. Almost 1,500 books were sold in one weekend only. About 70,000 visitors from the Czech Republic and abroad were drawn to the heart of the Slovácko region by The Festival of Wine and Open Sights. The event attracts more people every year, and brings our rich cultural heritage to hundreds of thousands of people.

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SHANGHAI Chin Ch i a has a lo in l t of fac acet etss th et t at havve been beeen not oted ed by th ed thee ssurrou rrrrou o ndding inng wo w rlrld wiith inntter e es estt annd asto assto tonniish shme ment me ntt, bu nt, butt allso s witi h trtouubl b e fo f r th thee la lastt t we went n y ye nt y ar ars. s. T hee ana na ysi naly s s of t e cu th currrrrent ennt si s tu tuat atio at ioon inn Chi h naa would ouldd tak ou akke at at lea e st t we went ntyy paage ges. s But wheen vi s. v si s ting tiing n Sha hang ngha ng hai ass a tou ha ouririst st for, orr, leet’’s saay, a we w ek ek,, wh what at aree the thi hing nggs th t att we shhou ould ldd noott mis iss? s s? Thee fa Th f ctt tha hatt Ch Chin inaa is in is the h cou ount ntry witih th nt thee se seco c ndd b gg bi gges estt eecconnom omyy in the woorr ld cannno n t bee oveerlrloo oooke ked. d. Att f iri st sight igght ht,, th t e di d fff er e ennce bet etw wee Sha ween we hang ngha ng h i an ha a d, for exam ex ampl plee Du D ba bai, con o siistt s in i Sha hang nggha h i’i’ss ur ba bani nize ni zeed br brea eakkea kthro th roug ro ugh. h T he h. h pos osit sititiv ivee th thin ingg ab abou outt Sh Shan a gh an g aii is th that a , fo at folllow llow winng in the ste teps ps of We West s err n ci st c vi v lilizzati zatiion on,, one onne ha hass a fa f r bett be tter er opp p or ortu tuuniity to pe perc rccei eive vee the h connneect c tioon be ctio betw tw wee eenn thee brrea th eakt ktthr hrou ough gh andd Sha hang ngghaai’i’ss ririch ch cul ultu t ree and tra tu r di dtitonns. Ano noth ther err differe if reencce caan be be fouund in th thee ci city ty’s ty ’ urbba’s niizati zaatitonn and inffraast stru ruct ctur urre – th thes esee ar aree dr draf a te af tedd sm s ar artltly, y, not as cha no haot ha o ic ot i al ally lyy as in Dub ubai aii. Th Than a ks an k to thhe In Inte tern te rnnett and ndd popu po p laatition onn awa ware reeneess s , so soci c al a dev evel elop el o ment op ment cannno me not bee sttop oppe peed, in sp spititee of Sha h ngh g ai ai’s ’s spe peci cififificc poolil tit cal ci caal re regi g me gi m . EXPO 2010 Thee op Th oppo p rt po rtun unititie iess to orggan anizizee th t e Olym ym mpi p c Gaame m s inn Beijijin Be ing, g, the E xppo Un Univ ivverr se s in Sh Shan angh ghai ai,, an a d thhe As Asia iann Game Ga mess inn Can antoon sh show ow wed Chi hina n ’s mot na otivvat a ioon to to rea e chh thee topp of the wor to orld ld ecoono n my my. Sh Shan angh g aaii is a grea e t ex exam am mpl plee of of Chin Ch ina’ a’ss sttee e p indu inndu dust sttrirall inc stri n re reas a e, and as nd als l o th t e diisp s la layy case ca se of mo m de dern rn Chhiina na.. ItI all staart r eedd in 19992 92,, wh whenn Dengg Xiao Xi a pi ao ping ng dec ecid ided id ed to rais raaisse th t e ci c ty t fro rom m aannonym onym on mitityy – an andd than th anks ks to ra rapi pidd ec econ onom omic ic, cuulttur ural all and nd soc ocia iall gr ia grow owth t h, Shan Sh angh ghai a qui ai uick ckly ly bec ecam amee a cosm coosm smop o ol olit liti an a met etro roopo p lilis, s, thou th ough g stitillll strtron gh ongl glyy gu guar arde dedd by by its currre rent n regim nt eggim mee.. Thee po Th popu pula latition on of Sh Shan angh ghai ai ros osee frf om m 14 mi m llllioon inn 199 9 9 to 19 mi milllio ionn in 200 009. 9. T hi hiss ci city ty, whhic ichh haad be been the imp m or mp or-t nt ban ta a ki k ng cen ente terr of Asi siaa un untitill th t e 19930 30’s ’s,, has haas co come mee bac m ackk to lififee ag agai ain. n. T he org rgan anizizat attio ionn of E xp xpoo 20010 has a hel elpe p d pe Shan Sh a gh an ghai ai to ex e pa pand andd, an andd th this is exp xpan ansi s on has bee e n fifrmly rm mlyy h ldd in th he thee ha hand ndss of o thee Chi hine nese s sup se uper e innte er t ndden ence c . Exxpo ce p 20100, wh w ic ichh wa wass de deve velo ve lope pedd ov pe over er 528 ha, and hadd a bud udgeet of 3 billiion o eur uros os,, a dura duuraatition of 18 1844 da days ys,, a pa ys part rttic icip ipaa aPUDONG business center in Shanghai

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tiion of 19 1922 coouunntrt ie i s an andd 10 1 0 mi millllllio ionn vi io v si sitto tors (955 per erce c nt ce o who of hom m we weree Chi h ne nese see!)) was the bigg ge g st in itss hi h st s orr y. y Alth Al thhouugh thou gh the exhhibbitition ioon diid no nott br brin ingg a lo in lott of new inffor orma ma-tit on on for o Eurrop opee oorr Ame meririr ca ca,, fo forr Ch Chin ines esee vi visi sito tors rs it me m an a t a si s gn g ifific f ic ican can antt di disc scov sc o err y of new ov e ciivvililizizi at atio ioons out utsi side de of Ch Chin ina, a a d th an thee op opeenin eninng off the h res estt off the wor orld ld upo ponn tthhhei e r ow ei ownn ssoooili. Forr the Fo thhe ppuurpos rpposses of th thee Exxpo p , Sh Shan anngh g ai a ‘cl c eaane nedd ou out’t’t 28 squ 28 quar a e ki ar kilo l meete lo ters rrss of laand n s inn the cen ente teer of o the h ciitt yy,, remo re m ve mo v d 27 2700 fa fact ctor ct orie iees, s and als lsoo re remo move vedd 188 tho h us usan a d an faami m lies liiess. Ch Chin inna al a so s use sed th thee Ex E poo foorr the he mannifi esstaatition onn of itt s de desi sire si re to shhow w Chi h na na’s ’s inc ncre r as re a in ingg po powe wer. T he Chi h ne nese see pavi pa v lil on in th vi thee mi m dd ddle le of th thee ar a eaa rea each chhed a hei eigh ghht of 700 met eter ers, s, and n it w waas coons nspi p ccuuou pi uousl slyy hi high g er gh e thhaan ot othe herr buililldi bu ding ngs, s, whi hich ch har a ddlly re reac ache hedd th thee al allo lowe wedd 2200 met e err s. Allth thou ouugh vis isititor o s to Sha or hang nggha hai ha h vee not o had the opp ppor ortu tuni niity too att tten ennd thhe Ex Expo po sin i ce Nov ovem embe berr 20 2010 10, th theyy can stitillll stro st rong ro ngly ng lyy feeeel th thee re resu s lttinng be su b ne nefifits ts,, su such ch as an an imp mpro rove vedd lilivi v ng envir vi nviron nv onme on meent nt, be bett ttter e tra rans nspo port rt,, an imp mpro rove vedd le l ve vell off seervvic ices ess, annd thhe cu cultlttur u e annd aaccceess s to bu busi siine ness sss. GETTING TO KNOW SHANGHAI You cann nnnot avoid vooid the h pro rosp sper sp erou er ous cityy, evvenn on yo your urr way frrom the Hon ongq gqia iaoo Ai Airp r or rp ortt – it is cl c os oser er tha hann th thee Pu Pudo doongg Airp Ai rpor orr t,t, and n you rush ush to us towa w rdd thee cen wa ente teer on thee new ewly lyy ele leva vaated Naanj ted n in ingg Hi H gh ghwa w y. Aloong wa n the rooaad,, the here ree is a unniq i ue oppo oppo p rt rtun u itityy too adm un dmirre co coun untl ntltes esss am amou ount ntss of tho hose s mos se o t m de mo d rn sky kysc scraapeers r tha hatt weere bui uiltlt to th thee pr prej ejud udic ice of of the oldd Sh ol Shan anghhai a . Oc O ca casi s on si onal ally ly, yo youu ca cann fifind ndd some om me Bu Budd ddhi hiist s temp te mpple less or pre rese seervved e per erio iodd bu builldi ding ngss an a d paart r s of his isto toriri-c l di ca dist striricc ts, s, suc uchh as a the h Fre rencch Co C ncces essi sion onn or th the Ol Old Town To wn.. Ev Even entu tual ally lyy, yo y u wi willll f innd yo y ur urse selflf on thhe qu se q ay of thee wide wi de Hua uang ngpu pu Rivveerr, an andd be beyo yoond it th thee vi view ew w of th thee op oppo posi site tee Pudo Pu d ngg, th do thee so so-c -cal a led leed “l“loc ocal al Mannha hatt ttan an”,”,” and you our im impr pres ession si on of th thee ne new w Sh S an angh ghai ai willl be com ompl plet ete. Untill 19998, 8 thher eree we were re no skk ysscr crap aper erss ex excceptt thee Jinn Maoo TV Toowe wer.r. When Wh en Rob ober ertt Kw Kwok ok, th thee owne ow w er of Sha hagr gri-iLa hot otel els, s, bui uiltlt thee fifirs th rstt fifive ve-s -sta t r ho ta hote t l in thee mid te iddl dlee of a pad addy d -f-fie dy ield ldd of th t e Pudo Pu dong ng Disstrtric ictt tw ic t el elve ve yea ears rs ago go,, th therre we were re sig igns ns of do doub ubt bt frfrom om m eve v ryy sidde. At th that at tim me, it wa wass al alreead adyy de deci cide d d thhat de

Seals in Jade market

Pudo Pu ddoongg wou o ldd bec ecom omee th thee nneew fina fiin nc ncia i l me m trtrop opol olis ol is. On is O ne One year ye arr lat ater e , th er the Gr G an a d Hy H at a t Ho Hotte tel wa wass op open ened ed andd it wa wass follllow fo owed ed by te t nss of ul u trt am amod odder ern hii-ris -rrises es.. The ev Th evee of o E xp xpoo 20 2 100 Sha hang ngha haii me meta tamo morp rpho hoose sedd co commplet pl etel e y. T he he opp ppos osititee Bu Bundd, line nedd wi with th ban anki king ng hou ouse sees of of colo co loni nial al arc rchi hite tect ctur ure, e, hass bee eenn gi give venn a ne new w faace c witth a pe ped st de stririan an proome m nade de andd cru ruis isee shhip harrbo b r; new e er and n newe ne werr ho we hote tels te lss hav a e be been e ope peni niingg the h irr gat atees es, annd inn 201 0100 this th is ban anki k ngg qua uayy wa w s gi g ve venn new new im ne mpr pres esssi es sive night sive igght lig ight htin ing. g. Foor th For thee us usua uall Sh ua Shan angh an ghai gh ai vis isitititor or it is i bet ette ter er to lea eave ve the Pudo Pu ddoong bus usin i es in esss di dist striririct st ct and f ind innd so some me acc c om mmooda datitiion o on the opp ppoos osititee ba osit bank n of th nk thee Hu H an angp gpuu Rive gp Rive Ri verr inn the he epo p ny ny-moouss cen e trt al a disstrtric ict,t, for inssta ic tanc ncee at the Pen nc enin insu in suula la Hot otel e or el at thee new Less Sui uite t s Or te Orie ieent Hot otel ell thaat wa wass op open ened en ed in May M ay Ma 20010 10, an a d wh whic ichh of ic offe fers ers a spe pect ctac accul ular a vie ar iew w of o the citity. y In this y. thhiss plac pl ace, ac e, one n cann fee e l th that at the aes e thhet etic ic sid idee of o thi his de his desi sign si gn hote ho tell co com mbin inness the tra raddititiion o s frfrom om thee thi hirt rtties ies wi ie with th con on-temp te mpor orar a y de ar desi sign gn, pr gn pres esen e titing en ngg com mfort foort andd inttim imac acy. ac y. For thee Eu th Euro roopeean ans, s, Sha hang ngha haii hoote tels ls,, se serv rvic ices es and n t ax axis is arree evid ev idden entltlyy ch chea eap, p, mai ainl nlyy be beca c us ca usee of of thee rel elat attivvel elyy weeak Chines Ch e e yu es yuan an.. Si Sinc ncee evver eryt ythi hing ngg con onne nect c ted ed witithh se serv rvic icces iss bra rand nd new and ultltra ramo mode deern rn, th this is sysste t m ha h s wo work rked edd p rfrfec pe ectltlyy un untitill nnoow. w. H we Ho w ve ver,r,r you o r Shhan angh ghai ai vissit mus u t st s ar artt at a the he Sha hang ngha ng haai hai M se Mu seum um, wh w er eree yo y u ca cann fif nd n mag agniififice ceent bronz roonz nze coollec ecctition onss of potte on ott te t ry fro rom m th thee ol o d dy dyna nast stiees, vie iew w uniq ique ue Photos: The Archive of Authors

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EXPO Shanghai

ccaallig call ligra iggra r ph phyy art (t(the he hig i he h st st foorrm off Chi hine neesee art rt),),), exp xplo xplo l ree rir ch col olleect olle ctio ions ns andd coi o ns, or jus ustt bbee ast ston st onnis ishe heed ov over er the er beau be eau auty t y of th thee ja j de d thatt hhaas bbeeen en cha h nngged intoo in inte tere te r sttinng shap sh apes pes anndd forrms. Ch Chines ese paainntiting nggs illu ngs illust straatee the strtonng naatu tura ral pooweer that ral a is signnifific ican a tlty co conn nnnecc ted wi w thh the h Taoisst phhilossop o hy hy.. Ex E x te tenssive collecc tiion onss of o art r tiffacc ts cov o er thee pe-riod odd fro r m th thee Ne Neollitithi hicc Ag A e th through the Ming and Tan angg D naast Dy s ie ies, ss,, up too thee Qinng Dy D nasty. T he h Mus useu eeuum is in the thhe s apee off a bro sh ronz nzze va vase s sta se t and ndinng on o a squ q ar aree ba basee, wh whic icch syymb mbol olizizes oliz ess the he Ear a th t , an a d a ro roun undd grrouund plaan tthhat emmb em bl emizizzess Heaave ven. n. Yoou sh shou o ld not ou o lea e ve Chi h na n wititho hout ho utt tradi raadi d tiion onal a sou ouve vveenirs ni r s suc rs uch a jjeewe well orr jade, ade ide ad deeal a lyy froom th thee Taaippei Jadde Mark Ma rket e , fa et famo moous for o itss nephrites e and ant n iiqquiitit es nt e in geene n raal.. Foorr a forreeiign g err, a vviisi s t too thi h s pllaacce iss a marve veloous ve u e pe ex peririien ence ce thhaaat wi willlll illluusstrat atee thhe cu c lture aannd ttrraddititio ions io n off Chine neese se pop opul ullar ula ar artt. Ho Howeever, you shhooul ou d av avoi o d th thee fake fa kes off nepphr h itee an and ot o heer goood ods, des e ppiite the h fac a t th that thhes e e arre no not ass abe berra berr rant fo f r Ch Chines ese peeopplee as fo f r th thee ‘W Wes e te t rn rn’’ poopuulaatitioon. T e Yu Th Yuyu yuuann Garrde d nss are r thee oas asis is of calm lm in tthhe mi m dd d lee of thhee his of isto toririca c l puulssinng Ol ca O d To T wnn, annd wh when the heree are r not re o crow wds of vviisiito tors rss, it is trt ul u y a un uniq iqquuee placee. Du ique Duririr ng ng the h Minng D na Dy n st styy er era, ra, a one n govver ernm menta t al of of fif ciial a creeat a ed a lar arge gee p acce fo pl forr hi h s wi w fe fe to re r la l x. x T he h Gaarrde d nss whi h ch c evooke a maz ae p ov pr ovid ide de nu nume mero mero me rous us picc tuure resq sque sq u corne ue neers rs, we wellll-c -con o si on side dere de redd re view vi e s an ew a d peers rspe pect c iv ct i es e , roockk gar a deenss, aallco c ve ves, s, wat ater erfa er r fall faalls, s,

ffoot briridg dgges es andd rar a e ffllorra wi with t a lot th ott of hu h gee G nk Gi nkgo go Biliob o a Tr T ee e s. By foo o t,, you o can reach chh the he oririgi he g naal gi FFrreennch ncchh Coonnce ncesssioon (B (Botth Br B ititis issh an a d A er Am eric iccan a s hhaad theiir ow own co conc nccess sion o s ther th ere) er re)), th t e eexx trrat a er e ririto ito torial al distr isstric icc t that at hadd ititss oow wn ju jurirsddicc tion tiion and n loc ocal a gover ernm men e t liabble l to ititss home homeellaaand ho ndd. Thhe di nd. disttririct ct nat atur urral ural allyy ally a trac at a teed no n t only onnlyy bus usiines iness sm smen enn, bu but reefu fu-gees ge ess and n criimi nd minaals l as we w llll – it wa w s al also the h p ac pl acee w whher eree th t e so s -ccal a leed Gr Gree eeen Ga Gang ng , w icch coonnttro wh rol olledd thee opi p um m bussinness ess s in in thee pa th past st, hhaad ad bbeeenn hid idin inng. g T he he surrro roun undi ding di ng Euro Eu roopeean a sty t yle of caafe fete terias te a , re as rest stau aura rant ra ns annd ba bars iss nowa nowa no wada daays ys mixxedd witth th t e Chin Ch ines esee ennvi viro roonm nment. enntt.. Bui uild ldings g hav gs a e be b en buuililtt inn thee Eur u op opea eaan stt yl ylee frfrom om the om he t weenn tities es of th thee 20 2 tthh cen entu tuury r y. Onne off the hem, m, the he weelll -p - reese serv rvved e Xin T iiaan Di Di,, coomb mbin innes Wesste t rn andd Oririen eennt l ar ta arch c ititec ch e tuure ec r , an andd it iss thhe ppeerfrfec ecc t ex exam a plle of Shi am hiku kuumen men me h us ho uses es thaat weeree ten enan ante tedd by peoopl plee of Sha hang ngha haii af aftte t er ter 1990 19 90.. Thhes esee ho hous uses ess hav avee be b en pre rese serv rved edd and som o e of thhem them e alsso re rene neewe wed. d d. Youu sh Yo shou oulld ld not mis isss thhe cuultl urre off bel e ie i veerss, annd yo y u shou sh ould ldd vis isitit at le leas astt on one of thee Buddddhhis i t Teem mpple plees (JJinng´ g an a ssii or the or h Jadde Bu Budd d ha h Tem mpl p e) if yyoou waant to un u de ders rsta rs t ndd the ta he C ines Ch esse miind and wayy of lilivi livi v ngg, an and inndul duulge inn a hiddde denn poweer of thee Taoois istt at atmo moosppheere m r . Be B a par artt of a loccal a rittuaal,l andd liike an k oth t er e par a tit ci c pa pant nntt s, s, you o muusst beelilievve in in yoouur haapp ppi-i neess s , heeal alth and nd f innan a ci cial a suc ucce cess sss. Itt is inntteere rest st ng th st stin that a for o thee co th conttem mppooraaryy orddin inar ary Ch C innesse peop o lee, ne n ithe heer trtrue ue TTaaoist stt phi h looso s ph p y, y Connfu f ciiuss Exe xege xe gesi s s noor thhe kn si k ow wleedgge off orig or igin inal nal Chi h ne nese s med se edic icin i e ha have ve as im mpoort rtan a t a meean an anin inng inn reeal a lififee as as thhee per e maane nent ntly ly inc ncre r as re asin ingg in i teereest in We W st s er ernn civi ci vililiza zatition on and cul ultu ture uree. We West stter ernn cuulttur u e, witi h al alll off its posi po s titive si ve and n neg egat ativ ivee si s de des, s, has a a hugge in inflflfue uenc ncee on thee lilife fe of yo youn ungg Ch un Chin innes e e. Pro rosp s eerrity sp itit y annd su succ cces cc e s pr es p ev evai aill ov over er wisd isddom o andd spi p riritu t al per tu erce ceeptio pttio ionn of the oldd Chi hine n see worrldd, whic wh icch iiss the sub ubje jeectt of ou o r ad admi dmi mira ratitition onn and n fas asci cina natiton o . Evven e w th wi t inn comme merc rcia iall re ia rela latititon la ons, s the s, here re is th thee la lack ck of reeliliab abiliitityy thhat a we no n rm r al allly exp xpec e t in thi ec hiss pl plac a e. ac e If you aree loooking kiingg for or exc xclu luusi sive ve Chi hine nese ne s cui se uisi s ne ne,, ei eith ther er Sech Se chua ch uann or Can ua a to ton, n, t ak akee a flflig igght to Ta Taiw iwan iw an.. ItI t ak an akes es onl n y tw two h ur ho u s an a d yo y u ca cann en e jo joyy an unf nfor orge g tt ge t tab abble din inne n r at the ne rest re s au st a rraant n of th t e neew Ta Taip ipei ip ei Tow o er e 101 0 Sky kysc sccra rape perr. It iss sai pe aidd

that the he beesst CChhinnesse cuis cuuissin ine is i in Taaiw wan an,, an a d th t at a Taiw Ta iwannes esee ho h spitital a itityy is far ar-f-ffam amed edd. Wh When vissititin inng Shan Sha gg haai,i, try to ta tastee thee beest Beijijngg duc uckk inn Xin inda dall, in th da t e Bu Bund ndd ddiist strriict c , or ent ntter e Lar a iss, a pl p ac acee fa famo mous u mai ainl n y ffoor ititss fif shh sppec e ia ialttiees. s If yyoou ar are wi w thh som o e Ch C ines innese se frf ie iendd, take taake him m too thee “V th “Vie iew” ie w Res w” esta taur uran rannt,t pop opul u ar ul a tha hank nks to the won nk onde ddeerffull sigh gghhts andd attyypiica cal co conc nnccep e tss of pr p iv ivaatte looung ivat unnge ge roo oooomss witithh Euroopeeann theem Eu mees. s. To me m nt ntio ionn aannot o her her ex he e cceept ptio ion onal looca c l esstaabl b isshme hm ment, ent, one en n sho h ul uldd noot mi m sss Vuee Chi hine nese ne ssee Pririva vatee va Dinniing, Di Dini ng si ng sixx pr p ivvat atee loun loounnge ge roo o ms oo m wiitth trtrad a ittiona ad ioona nall deeco coora raatition o i the in h Jap he apannes ap esee sppiriritt, de d si sign gned gn ed by Supeer Poottaatoo, a faamo ed m us T ky To k yo fiirm m forr the Hya yatt t Cor orpo pora po ratition io . AAtt thiis reest stau aura raant n , yoou cann or ca orde d r yo your uurr per e soonnaal m meenuu 24 hour u s in i advvan ance cee thr hrou oouugh ugh g a ‘but utle ut leer’r’.. As a rem e em mbr brannce c of Sh Shannghhai ai,, yyoou ar a e not al alooweed too imp mpor po t an a titiq tiquitie ieess,, the here reefoore do noot im mppoort fak ae valu va lluuabblee pott teery r , ppoorccellai a n orr eveen pe p arrls. ls Ex ls Exce ceepptt nep e hrritte, e, it is re r coomm mmende dedd too imp de mpor t exce mpor c llllen len e t gr g ee e n, whi h te te or bl blac acck tea, te a, the h priricce of whhicch is in thhis cas asee ddiireect c tly pro ropo port rtio ioona n l t its to t qua u lility ttyy. FIVE THINGS YOU SHOULD NOT DO IN SHANGHAI… 1. N Neeve v r op open en a giff t inn fro ront a per e so er sonn wh w o gaavvee it ttoo you o 2. Avooid i thee num mbe b r 4 th that a mea eaans deaath eans 33.. N Neeve verr re r fu f see to ta t astte a me m al tha h t yoou have ha e nev ever er eat aten e beefo fore re 4 If youu inv 4. nvitiitte soome mebo body bo d too a re dy restt auura rant nt,, chooose a meal nott on no o ly for or you ours rsel elf,f,f, but el u alsso fo for everyoone ne,, soo alll of yoou cann sh ca s arre difffer eren ennt mea meeal m als at at the saam me titmee 5 Me 5. M n sh s ou o ld l not o wea eaar a base baase s bbaall cap a or a greeen ha hat – it mean me anns that the heiri par a tnner erss w weere re unf n ai a thfu fuul to t the h m (t( he heyy aree cuuck ar ckollds d) FIVE THINGS YOU SHOULD DO… 1 Do 1. D not for o ge gett ab abou outt th ou thee hierrar arch chyy – Im ch Impo port rtan antt peers r on onss alwa w ys hav wa avee pprriooririty ty ty. ty 2 Usse th 2. the nnuumbberr s 6 (s ( uc ucce ceesss) annd 8 (w weeaaltthh)), fo for in inst s annce st in con onne nect cttio i n wi with t sett titing th ngg dates e s. es 3 If som 3. oom meb ebod o y pa p ys ys you ou com mplimen ennts ts,, do d not thaank hiim m– b extre be r m re meelyy mooddesst aannd itit is bett beetter err to unnde derrrrat atte yo your u ur quual alitititie iees. s 4 A wo 4. woma maan wa w ititss foor a ma m n to sha h ke han ands d witithh he ds her.r. 5 Whhenn vissititin 5. ingg some meeone, meo e ask for a tea ins n te tead ad of a co cofffffeee. By Iva & Jos o epph DR DREEB EBITTKO EBIT K I česk skk ý přř ekkla ladd na nale lezn znnette v el elek e tr ek tron onniccké k verr zi maga ma gazí ga z nu na ww zí w w w..le l ad ader eerr sm maaggaz azine.cz c

Yuyuan garden in Shanghai

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23.11.2010 16:48:02

event

IN PARTNERSHIP WITH LEADERS MAGAZINE

From left: Pavel Kohout, Tomáš Prouza, Radim Lukeš, Jitka Lucbauerová and her husband, Petr Borkovec, and Kateřina Palková

at Žofín Palace

Annual Partners Ball On Saturday 23rd October, advisors, managers and business partners of the financial advisory firm Partners For Life Planning filled the hall of Žofín Palace in the center of Prague. Around six hundred people witnessed the formal opening of the ball by CEO Kateřina Palková, who spoke of the company’s continuing business success: in 2010 the turnover of Partners will exceed one billion Czech crowns. The highlight of the evening was the formal promotion of two new partners of the company: Jitka Lucbauerová and Petr Kroupa have reached the highest position in the career path three years after the founding of the firm Partners. Jitka Lucbauerová was crowned the queen of the evening and the Czech singer Monika Absolonová sang in her honor. Petr Kroupa, who is a big golf fan, was congratulated on his success by Czech golfer Alan Babický who also granted him a game and golf training on the golf field of his choice. Roman Vojtek, Czech singer and actor, guided the guests through the whole evening. After the formal part consisting of welcome speeches and formal promotions into higher positions, the orchestra played for the dancing couples and the whole evening was concluded with a disco dance. Also, Czech top model Renata Langmannová announced the best-dressed stars of the evening and the best dancing couple.

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more photos and electronic version available on www.leadersmagazine.cz

The annual ball of the advisory firm Partners For Life Planning at Žofín

23.11.2010 18:32:35

From left: Petr Kroupa, new partner of Partners For Life Planning, Radim Lukeš, and Alan Babický, Golfer

Roman Vojtek, Anchorman of the evening, Singer and Actor

Roman Vojtek singing musicals hits

Renata Langmannová, Czech Top Model

Petr Kroupa with his team of managers and his son

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23.11.2010 17:53:13

Ing. Jiří Kohouteek, Vice President of ATOK (Association of Textile-Clothing–Leather Industry)

Will the Czech Textile

AND CLOTHING INDUSTRY WIN OVER THE INTERNATIONAL COMPETITION? Photo Pho to Mr to: M . Kooho hooute ouute tekk´ss ar archi ch vee chi

How would you describe the current Czech Textile and Clothing Industry? Despite the decreasing share in GDP, it is still a traditional part of the Czech economy. This sector contains more thhan 500 companies which employ more than twenty employees each, approximately 55,0 000 overall, and produce annual sales of CZK 40 billion. The export share is on the level of 85 per cent. What are its strong and weak points? I would say that the trradition is among the strong points. In this industry, I can continue with a good and expertly flexible work force or the Czech educational syystem structure. From the economic point of vieew, our main competitive advantage is the cosst of wages. We constantly reach the best reesults in this proportional statistic, and thiss makes us able to compete and have succcess. Therefore, our biggest weapon is a good balance between price and service. On the contrary, the weaakness of our segment consists in the perception of it as a segment without perspective, and this perception is far worse than the real situatiion. This is often seen in the approaches of banks, state bodies, young

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Interviews.indd 108

people deciding about the direction of their future professional careers, and many other details. These facts create the atmosphere of scepticism and hopelessness which is, however, not based on a ratio. The change of this perception would help the whole sector in a significant way. What are the perspectives of the Czech or, alternatively, the European sector? This question can be answered from a few points of view: G The world’s population is still growing, which means that the need and ‘hunger’ for the products of our branch will increase. G A number of studies conducted by the European Union confirm that the European textile and clothing industry has one of the biggest innovative potentials. Recently, ATOK has founded the Czech Technological Textile Platform (CTPT) and its first important product ‘The Research CTPT Agenda’ undoubtedly confirms the previous conclusion. G People will always want to dress up nicely and to differentiate at the same time, as well as want to live comfortably. Just consider how many significant changes have come in the area of sleep comfort within the few last years (microfiber fillings, anti-allergic materials and others). G More and more, the products made by textile technologies are being substituted for the products which were made, until today, by other technologies. Nowadays, textile products can be an alternative to concrete, and even metal. A number of medical substitutes are textile products, such as implants, vases, brain diapers, the base of the artificial kidney, and many others. A textile can even be found under every meter of a highway, and the agriculture sector is one of our main customers as well. G A number of professions require a special kind of unique protective uniform, tailor-made products that can come with a price of tens of thousands of CZK.

The microelectronic era is coming and within textile applications, it will be possible to monitor a series of body functions directly through a uniform. This will have an important effect for ill people and seniors, as well as for a whole medical system, which can bring significant savings of treatment costs and so forth. Also, the whole sport world will appreciate this significance. However, these perspectives are only the possibilities; in order to achieve success in business we will have to prevail against our competitors. Is it realistic to win a competitive fight – particularly over Asian countries? G Yes it is, but there is the need to create ’equal’ conditions. The equal accessibility to world markets is a must. However, neither Czech nor European producers have this, because until today the trade in textile and clothing products has not worked liberally. If I am to put it simply, the Asian producers can import anything in any volume to the European Union, while the EU producers import almost nothing towards the Asian markets. You can see this in the customs statistics. Therefore, our first demand upon the Government of the Czech Republic and the EU Council is not a protective one, which is the way we are sometimes wrongly labeled, but it is represented by the equal accessibility to world markets. This is the area where the EU executive has a lot to do within the WTO bodies. Until this process is accomplished, the EU executive should guarantee comparable business conditions towards European producers. G Moreover, we have to remove long-term competitive disadvantages of the whole Czech economic system, for instance the currently frequently discussed flexibility of the labor market. G

Compiled by LM ■

Leaders Maggazine VI/2010

24.11.2010 10:06:35

VĚRA RAŠKOVÁ INTERIOR DESIGN E XPERT In the last issue we introduced the interior design expert Věra Rašková, owner of DISEMO Consulting, and we talked not only about the projects, which she works on with fellow architects. Today she is going to show us two exemples of colors temperance power combined with the dominant feature of the bedroom interior – bed.

„To start a wide variety of colors in the interior is a joy of every interior architect, but it should be borne in mind that the rule „less is more“ holds true. In our case we limit to only three colors. White, brown and black. White wooden floor and subtle drapes on the walls with white stucco reliefs let fully excel the exquisitely carved bed La Scala in natural walnut color combined with black lacquered oval headboard frame and pedestal. Wooden bedside tables of the same collection with an interesting detail of the central inlay, brown padded armchair Memory and a leather rug perfect the uniqueness of this interior.“ „Black wooden floor underlines the dynamic curve of white leather upholstered bed Cristal and oval bedside tables veneered with high quality light walnut. Silver Baroqueinspired foot then added the lightness to the bed. Black wardrobe with sliding doors from unsymmetricaly staked segments of glass and wood corresponds to the black and white ceiling and creates an interesting contrast to stucco wall reliefs. Investing in quality materials did pay off in this case, but it does not always mean high costs. We can advise you with this. We can help you to design and deliver your interior with respect to your budget, your needs, your dreams and desires. I thank all our clients for a pleasant and inspiring collaboration and wish you the success and creativity in 2011. We look forward to meet you in our showroom at Sázavská 30 in Prague, Vinohrady.“

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24.11.2010 10:41:35

networking/charity

From left: H.E. RNDr. Jiří Jiránek, CSc., former Ambassador to Chile and Venezuela, Benke Aikell, your Publisher, MUDr. Jaroslav Barták, President, Poliklinika Modřany and Secretary of Lions Club Praha, Prof. Ing. Václav Havlíček, CSc., Rector, CVUT, Prof. Ing. Jiří Fárek, CSc., First Deputy Mayor, City of Prague 6, Lenka Bartáková, Charter President, Lions Club Praha, and H.E. Jaroslav Bašta, Czech Politician and former Ambassador to Ukraine

LIONS CLUB PRAHA Around the World, Part 1, Asia

From left: Ing. Petr Kynštetr, Secretary General, House of Representatives, Ing. Jan Bláha, CEO, Kobla, s.r.o., and Ing. Tomáš Cikán, Chairman of the Board, ESO Travel, a.s. and President of Lions Club Praha

From left: Col JUDr. Jiří Staněk, Treasurer, Lions Club Praha, former Prague Police Director and Col JUDr. Václav Česenek, Policeman

Mgr. Ondřej Rušikvas, Director, Evropská cestovní pojišťovna with his girlfriend

The audience

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From left: ThDr. Et Bc Eugen S. von Freimann, Ph.D, Grandmaster and Prof. Ing. Jiří Fárek, CSc., First Deputy Mayor, City of Prague 6

24.11.2010 11:13:36

From left: Lenka Bartáková, Charter President, LC Praha and Martina Cikánová, General Manager, ESO Travel, a.s

From left: Libor Kyjonka, Owner of restaurant and Jiří Novák, Owner of Hotel Lesana with his girlfriend From left: H.E. Tahir Takhizade, Ambassador of Azerbaijan and Prof. Ing. Václav Havlíček, CSc., Rector of CVUT

From left: H.E. Jaroslav Bašta, former Ambassador to Ukraine, Prof. MUDr. Václav Kordač, and H.E. Dr. Hynek Kmoníček, Czech Ambassador to Australia

From left: Prof. Ing. Václav Havlíček, CSc., Rector CVUT and Ing. Tomáš Cikán, Chairman of the Board, ESO Travel, a.s. and President of LC Praha

More than 45 members and guests attended a very interesting traveling evening on the 2nd Wednesday of November at Lví dvůr restaurant at the Prague Castle.

From left: H.E. Dr. Hynek Kmoníček, Czech Ambassador to Australia, Tomio Okamura, Spokesman and Vicepresident, Association of Czech Travel Agencies, and Ing. Tomáš Cikán, Chairman of the Board, ESO Travel, a.s., President of LC Praha

more photos and electronic version available on www.leadersmagazine.cz

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24.11.2010 11:15:52

This evening, under the auspices of President Václav Klaus, there was a celebration of the fifth anniversary of the Bohemia Jazz Fest, the international music festival in the Czech Republic founded by world renowned jazz guitarist, Rudy Linka. The very best jazz artists from around the world will perform on beautiful medieval squares in Prague, Domažlice, Plzeň, Brno, Prachatice, Tábor and České Budějovice. All concerts will be in July, open air and free of charge.

jubilee

IN COOPERATION WITH LEADERS MAGAZINE

From left: Prof. Václav Klaus, President of the CR and Rudy Linka, Jazz Musician

BOHEMIA JAZZ FEST th

Celebrates its 5 Year at Rožmberk Palace

From left: Lt. Col. Robert Björklund, Defence Attaché, Embassy of Sweden, his wife Frederika, H.E. Inger Ultvedt, Ambassador of Sweden, Daniel Boestad, Director, Gripen Czech Republic, SAAB with his wife, Rolf Ericsson, Counsellor, Deputy Head of Mission, Swedish Embassy, and Tommy Malkan, husband to the Swedish Ambassador

112

From left: Jiří Oberfalzer, Senator, Martina Lofočíková, and Ing. Roman Štěpánek, Chairman, Management Board, OSA

LM_1006_events___3_pokrac.indd 112

From left: MUDr. Jiří Besser, Minister of Culture of the CR with his wife Blanka Kosinová

Dr. Diana Diamantová and Dr. Robert Neugröschel, Chairman, Business Development Central Europe, Unibail-rodamco

From left: Benke Aikell, your Publisher, Petr Bratský, Senator with his wife, Ing. Helena Leisztner, Fashion Designer, and Roland Leisztner

23.11.2010 10:54:21

From left: MUDr. Jiří Besser, Minister of Culture, Ing. Jan Nedvěd, CFO, Bohemia Jazz Fest, Miloš Štěpanovský, Director, ETE Temelín, ČEZ a.s., and Prof. Václav Klaus, President of the CR

Anna Linková, International Relations, Bohemia Jazz Fest From left: Jakub Hanzl, Managing Director, Královéhradecká provozní, a.s. with his wife and Ing. František Barák, Chairman of the Board, SOVAK with his wife

From left: Kamil Čermák, Chairman od the Board and General Director, ČEZ ICT Services, a.s., Štefan Szabó, Martina Matoušková, and Petr Mádle, Director for Interconnection, Telefónica O2 Czech Republic, a.s.

Petr Hejma, former Mayor of Prague 1 with his wife

Christina Prindle, Singer and Rudy Linka, Jazz Musician From left: Ing. Jan Bauer, Chairman, Committee for European Affairs, Parliament of the CR, Chamber of Deputies with his wife, and Ing. Vladimír Brůha, Chairman of the Finance Committee of the City Council, České Budějovice

more photos and electronic version available on www.leadersmagazine.cz

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23.11.2010 10:57:30

THE BRNO TIMEPIECE STANDS OUT IN ITS DESIGN AND STORY Since the midddle of September the six-meetre black granite clock on náměstí Svobody in Brno has been the centre of atttention not only for the peopple of Brno. The new bullet--shaped “astronomical clock” has both its passionate supporters and also its unyielding opponents. Thhe device is not, however, purrely a timepiece, but also a work of art and in particular a tourist attraction.

Photo: Archive

WITH THE TIMEPIECE THE PEOPLE OF BRNO HONOUR THE MEMORY OF THEIR BRAVE PREDECESSORS The multi-funcc tion clock on náměstí Svobody re-minds the people of Brno and visitors to the city thatt Brno was alwayss proud and strong and, thanks to thee courage of its citizens, never conquered, even whenn the Swedes laid siege to the city in 1645. It is there-fore a memento of the cruel one hundred and twentyy days at the end of the Thirty Years’ War when, accord-ing to legend, thhe Swedish General Torstenson an--

nounced after a four-month siege that if the city did not fall by the time the bells struck twelve midday he would withdraw his forces. The citizens of Brno rang the midday bells one hour early, the Swedish forces led by General Torstenson withdrew, and ever since the midday Cathedral bells have rung at 11 o’clock. The same is true for the timepiece on náměstí Svobody. The granite body symbolises the important participants in the battle. The signature in the form of a dove, which can be seen in the opening under the uppermost section, is reminiscent, for example, of Father Martin Středa. The fissure under the clock carries the name of Torstenson. It is in constant movement and exhorts its contemporaries not to drop their guard against uninvited guests. THE OPINIONS OF THE PUBLIC AND CRITICS DIFFER The discussions surrounding the timepiece show no signs of abating even weeks after its unveiling and one constantly comes across lively discussions between people who are attracted to the clock like a magnet. Whilst experts praise the excellent design and the ingenuity of the clock mechanism driven by a signal sent from Frankfurt am Main, people are particularly concerned by the complexity of the timereading method and the cost of this unique work, and others scoff at the shape of the clock, which they deem at best to be phallic. This unusual clock on

Brno’s main square, náměstí Svobody, which is designed to strengthen civic pride, is therefore hugely audacious in its concept. THE BRNO GLASS BALLS ARE A PRECIOUS SOUVENIR Each day at 11 am the clock iss sues a glass ball in the colours of the city of Brno – known as the Brno glass ball. This ball may fall from m any of the four openings, so as well as dexterity, luuck is also required. This ball which, if not caught as a soouvenir by the lucky finder, falls with a noise back into the machine – into the “abyss of history”. Another talee is attached to the Brno glass ball, which says that the Swedish General Torstenson could only be killeed by a glass ball which was made in a magic ritual and then shot at him at midnight. Each day there is extraordinary interest in the souvenir, and duringg Advent this timepiece will be even more generouus, as it will offer passers-by a special Christmas ball, for example with a comet or Star of Bethlehem, which will be given out every hour from eleven in the morning until eleven at night. In this way the city of Brno is offering its citizens and visitors an entirely neew attraction which is associated with this Brno legeend, and which is well worth seeing with one’s own eyyes. By Roman Onderka I Mayor of the City of Brno

The ﬁrst Brno glassy is stored in the Museum of the city

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IN PARTNERSHIP WITH LEADERS MAGAZINE

BRNĚNSKÝ ČASOSTROJ OSLOVUJE SVÝM PŘÍBĚHEM A DESIGNEM Šestimetrové hodiny z černé žuly na náměstí Svobody v Brně již od poloviny září přitahují pozornost nejen Brňanů. Nový „orloj“ ve tvaruu náboje má jak své nadšené příznivce, tak i zaarputilé odpůrce. Stroj však není jen ukazatelem času, ale i uměleckým díllem a zejména novou turistickkou atrakcí. MĚSTO BRNO UCTÍVÁ HODINOVÝM STROJEM PAMÁTKU STATEČNÝCH PŘEDKŮ Multifunkční hodinový stroj na nám městí Svobody připomíná Brňanům a návštěvníkůům města, že Brno bylo vždy hrdé a silné a díkky statečnosti svých obyvatel nebylo nikdy dobytoo. A to ani při obléhání Brna Švédy v roce 1645 5. Je tak mementem krutých sto dvanácti dnů na sklonku třicetileté války, kdy podle pověsti ššvédský generál Torstenson po čtyřměsíčním obléhání vyhlásil, že pokud město nepadne, než odbijee poledne, odtáhne celé vojsko pryč. Brňané oodbili poledne o hodinu dříve, švédské vojsko pod vedením generála Torstensona odtáhlo a od té doby se na Petrově zvoní poledne v 11 hodinn. A stejně se to nyní děje i na hodinovém strojji na náměstí The ofﬁcial unveiling of the time-machine on náměstí Svobody on Saturday 18th September was followed by hundreds of people

Svobody. Těleso ze žuly tak symbolizuje významné účastníky bojů. Signatura ve tvaru holubice, která je patrna v otvoru pod vrchlíkem, vyvolává např. vzpomínku na otce Martina Středu. Spára pod hodinovým strojem nese název Torstenson. Je ve stálém pohybu a současníky nabádá, aby neztráceli ostražitost před nezvanými hosty. NÁZORY VEŘEJNOSTI A ODBORNÉ KRITIKY SE LIŠÍ Diskuse kolem hodinového stroje neustávají ani po týdnech od odhalení a v každou dobu se zde nachází skupinky živě diskutujících lidí, které orloj stále přitahuje jako magnet. A tak zatímco odborníci oslavují skvělý design a důmyslnost hodinového mechanismu řízeného signálem z Frankfurtu nad Mohanem, lidem vadí zejména složitější

Photos: Marie Schmerková Mayor Roman Onderka hands the ﬁrst glassy to the director of the Brno City Museum, Pavel Ciprian

odečítt ání času a cena za unikátní díloo. Posměváčci také označují tvar hodin v lepším m případě za falus. Netradiční hodiny na dominanttním náměstí Svoboody v Brně, které mají posilovaat občanskou hrdosst, tak svým pojetím reprezentuují i obrovský kus oddvahy. BRNĚNSKÁ SKLENĚNKA JE VZÁCNÝ SUVENÝR Kažždý den v 11 hodin vydává hoodinový stroj skleněěnou kuličku v barvách městaa Brna – tzv. brněnnskou skleněnku. Kulička můžže vypadnout z kterréhokoliv ze čtyř otvorů, takže kromě zručnosti je nezbytná i dávka štěstí. Kuličkka, která není zachyycena na památku šťastlivceem, propadá doproovázena zahřměním zpět do strroje, do „propadlišště dějin“. K brněnské skleněěnce se váže další pověst, která vypráví o tom, že švédského generr ála Torstensona mohla zabít jen skleněná koule odlitá za magického rituálu a vystřelená o půlnnoci. O památný suvenýr je každý denn mimořádný zájem m, a o adventu bude proto časostroj ještě štědřejší. Nabídne kolemjdoucím dokonce speciálníí vánoční kuličku, například s kometou nebo betlémskou hvězdou, a to kaaždou hodinu jednuu, od jedenácti ráno až do jedenácti hodin večerr. Město Brno tak nabízí občaanům i turistům zcela novou atrakci spjatou s brněnskou legendou, kterou rozhodně stojí za to vidět na vlaastní oči.

Roman Onderka I primátor statutárníhoo města Brna

Leaders Magazine VI/2010

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THE 10 JUBILEE OF NATO DAYS IN OSTRAVA Photo: Archive

Thee la Th larg rgeestt aiir fo rg forc rrcce, ce,, arm rmyy aannd nd seecu c ririty tyy dis i pl p ay a in Cen entr t al tr a Eur urop opee to op took okk pla lace ce on th ce t e 155thh to 199thh of Sept Se p em mbe ber 20 2010 100 in Os Ostr trav tr a a. av a The h mai a n or o gaani nise seerss sers o the eve of vent n , th thee Ja Jage gelllllo 20000 Ass ge ssoc ocia oc iaatiioonn, th thee Ar A me me d Forc Fo rces rc e of th es thee Cz Czec ecch Re R pu publ b icc, th bl the he Cz Czec ecch Re Repu publ pu blic bl ic PPoolliice ce,, th t e Mooraavi vian a -S an -Silili es esia iaan Reegi gion o Firiree annd Re Resc scue sc u ue Brig Br iggadde an and thee Mo Mora raavi vian ann-SSililes esia es iann Re ia Regi g on gi on,, puut to to-geth ge t er th e a veerr y att tr trac a titvee pro ac rogr gram gr amme am me for the h tennth j bi ju bile leee ye year a viaa Let ar ettiš iště tě Ost stra raavaa a.ss.,, cul ulmi mina mi naatit ng ove verr thee we th w ek e en e d of the 18th 8tth an a d 199th of Se Sept ptem pt embe em beer ber 2 10 at Le 20 Leoš oš Janáč á ek e Airrpo port r in Mo rt M šnnov ov.. M re thaan 70 Mo 7 air tec e hn h ol olog ogg y ittem emss frrom the h arm rmie i s ie of ele l veen co c unntrrie iess weeree preeseent n edd to vi visi sito si ttoorrss in dydyyn m na miiicc an a d sttat a ioonnaary r y disspl play ayys. s The greeat ates estt att tr es t acacctition onss of thiis ye on y ar ar’s ’s shoow inncl c ud uded e for ed or the verr y fif rsst tit me the U.SS. Ai A r Foorcce BB-52 52 H Str t atofor ortr trres esss st s raateegicc bo gi bomb mber mb er and the h las he a t Ha H wk wkeer Hurrricane nee Mk 1 fiighhte t r

that th at par artitit ci c pa pate ted inn thee Bat ted attltlt e off Britain sevven e ty t year ye arr s ag ago. o Itss flyypa past stt witithh th thee Br Britititis issh Toorn r addo F3 F andd thhe Cz C ec echh JAASS-39 39 Griipe p n an and Sl and S ov ovak a Migg-229 wa ak w s onne of thi h s ev e en e t’t s unnfo forg rget etta et taabl tabl blee ex e peerir en ence ces. ce s.. The he aiirp rpor o t att Moš ošno noov al also so saw its so t s f irr st s dynam ynnamic amicc dis am i pl p ayy of the Briti riitit sh s ver e titcal caa take takeeoff f an ta a d laanddinng Ha Harr rrriieer,r, whic wh i h wa ic wass on only lyy disspl play ayed edd stati tatitoonnar ta a y in in the pas ast.t.t Seent n ry r y ear a ly war arni n ng airrcrraf aft,t, bot othh tyypees off whi h ch c paarttic icip ippat a edd. Lo L gi g caalllly, y,, the h Czeecchh Air For o ce was a thee larg la rges estt re es r pr preesennta tatititive v at th ve thee evven e t, witithh al a l of the h mai an tyype pess of aircraff t an andd heelilico coopptters er s thhat er a it us uses e . es Seve Se veeraal im vera i po porttannt pe pers rson rs onnal alitittiees ca c m mee to th the even e t, inncl clud udinng th ud thee Cz Czec e h Mi M niist ster of Deefe f nc nc Ale nce, l xa x ndr Voonddraa, leeaddin ingg re r pr p es esen enta tatitiive v s of staate admin i istratiion on andd loccal a gov overrnm nmennt e. e.g. g. the Reg e ioona n l Presiddent, Jaro Ja r sl ro slav av Pal av alas as,, too com as omma maandder erss of the air forcees of o paart part rtic icip ic i at ip a in ingg cooun untr trie tr ies, ie es, s ledd by th thee co comm m an mm a de derr of o thee RAFF Ai RA Airr Ch Chie ieff Ma ie M rsshal haal Si S r St S ep ephe henn Da Daltltlton on.. Th on The co commmaander m ndder erss of airr for orce cess of couunt ce n rir es e in th thee “VVisseggrá r d Foour Four ur”” siign gned ed a “Mu Mutu tual tu all Coo oope peera ratitition onn Memorandum” forr thhe NA fo NATO TO O Day a s. s. Thee pr Th prog ogra og ramm ra mm me ga gave v vis ve issitiittorr s thhe opppo port ort rtun uunnity itt y to seee a wi wide de rannge of eq de equi u pm ui pmen e t, whi en h ch thee Cze zech chh Repub eppub ubllic li c and an nd ititss al allilil es e hav avee foor th thee pr p ote ottec ecti ct on off theiir se securirity ty. It incl in clud cl uded ud ed staatition onnar aryy annd dy dyna nami micc exxamplles es of mo more re thhan a 1000 whe heel eled el ed and tra rack cke ck ked ed machi hine n s ussed ed byy el elititee

unniti s. Durrinng th thee eevven ent,t, the h orggan anis iser e s em er e ph phas asis as issedd eexxaam mpl p es e whi hile le shoowi wing ngg intteerrna natitition oonnal nal coo o pe pera raatiionn. T erref Th efor o e, vis or isitittor o s cooul uldd seee un unitititss of o thee Cze zech ch andd Poolil sh for orei eiign polic eign olliccee,, mou ount nttai a n reesc s ue ser ervi v ce vi c s, f irre brrig i addes e and n Czeech c anndd Sloova vakk cuust s om o s of o fifici cial as al s de by si si s de. dee. TThhe sppeccia iall rreesc scuue ue uni nitt of the h Slo lova vak fifire va ree brig br igad adde frf om om Žililin inna al a ssoo expper erie i nc ie n ed e the heirir f irr stt NAT ATO O Daays in Osstrtrav a a. A speeciial teeaam frfrom av m the U.SS. AR A MYY thhat hanndl d ess criritticaal situ t attio ions ns arisi sing ng froom th t e usee of wea eapo pons nss of mass destructionn, th t e “Eme merg rggen e cy c Manaage geme ment nt Ass s essment” t , wa w s al a so preese sent nted ed to the Czecch puubl blic i for o thee f irst tim i e. Appprox oximately 185, 5,0000 peop ople vissitted e the h wee e ke k nd disp splay, andd all local and nat atioona n l me medi dia sh show ow wed e greeaatt i tere in r st. A picture of the histooriricc fiirs rstt laand ndin inng of o the h B-552 in the Cze zech ch Reppub ublilic, c whiich was als lso only the second p blic disspllay pu ay of thhis is aiircraft in former Warsaw Pact c unntrtrie co riees, s appeared on the front pages of all national dailies in the Czech Republic. The event was held unnde d r the auspices of the Minister of Defence of the Czechh Republic, Alexanndr Vondra, with support frfom the h Mora Mo r vi ra vian ian an-S -SSililes esia es iann Re ia Regi gion on,, thhe St on Stat atut at utor ut o y Ci or City ty of Os Ostrttrrava avva and an nd ma many nyy oth ther er imp m orta orr taantt coom mpa p nies niiess and ins nstitittu tutition ons. s. By Jaaroslav lav Palas I Pressident of the Moraviann-SSilesiann Region

Alexandr Vondra, Minister of Defense of the CR with the B-52 crew members and the KPM Sázava clay-modelling club, who gave the B-52 crew a model of the same aircraft

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From left: Col. Keith Schultz, Commander , 917th Operations Group, 917th Wing, Barksdale Air Force Base, LA, Mr. Zbyněk Pavlačík, Chairman of Jagello 2000 Association and Main Organizer of the NATO Days, Lt. Col. Bruce Gootee, Assistant Director of Operations, 93rd Bomb Squadron, Lt. Col. Joseph Jones, Commander, 93rd Bomb Squadron, and Brig. Gen. Jiří Verner, Air Force Commander in Chief of the CR

MiG-29 Filcrum

Gene Ge ene nera ral ra al PPaart r ttne nneeerr off Mor or av avia iania an-Si Sile leesi sian iann Reg egiio ion:: ion:

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Special Rescue Unit of the Slovak ﬁre brigade from Žilina

24.11.2010 11:24:27

V OSTRAVĚ SE KONAL JUBILEJNÍ X. ROČNÍK DNŮ NATO Photos: Lubomír Světnička

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i sp spec eciá iáln lnní týým U. S. ARMY ke zv zvlá l dá dání ní krir titicck ých siitu tuac acíí vy v pllýv ý ajících z riizi z kaa pou oužitítí zbr bran anní hr h omadn dnéhho niičeníí t zv. Emergeenccy Ma Mana nage geme meent Ass se s sm men e t. t V kenddov Ví o é show w navšt štívvili o zdarrma m asi 185 8 .0 .000 000 o ob a všše proběhl os h o za vel e ké kého ho záj ájmu m lok mu okál á ních i ce celoost s át átní n ch médií vše šech druhů. Snímek z hisšech še t rick to ckyy pr p vn v íh íhoo přistání B-52 v České republice a současně teprve druhé veřejné prezentace tohoto stroje v zemích bývalé Varšavské smloouv u y, se objevil na titulních stranách všech celostáátt ních ní ch den eník eník íkůů v Če Česk skéé re sk repu publ pu blic bl iicce. e Akc kcee se kon onal ala la podd pa po patr atr tron o ac ací Mi Mini nist ni sttra obr stra b aanny ČR Č Aleexaandra nddra Vond Vo ndrr y, za pod nd o po p ryy Morav a sk skossle lezs zskééhoo kraje, Stat St atuuutt ár ární ního hoo města Ostravy a řad a y daalších význam zn amnný ných firem a institucí. JJaarosl slav avv Pal a aass I h jtman Moravssko he k sl slez e skkéh é o kraj aje aj

Ms. Barbora Špotáková, Javelin Thrower, Olympic Champion and World Record Holder and Col. Keith Schultz, Commander, 917th Operations Group, 917th Wing, Barksdale Air Force Base, LA

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legal affairs Produced in partnership with the PRO BONO association

TWENTY YEARS OF THE CZECH

Independent Advocacy Within a human life, the age of twenty is usually associated with power, energy and maturity. But it is also the age of searching one’s own journey in the real world, self-sufficiency and responsibility strengthening. Recently, also the Czech Advocacy has celebrated its twentieth anniversary. Let’s remind at least a few cornerstones of its modern history. It all started in 1990, the first year after the Velvet Revolution. Attorneys, as a part of the first legal profession, extricated from the ideological and collectivist perception of the previous era. The adoption of a new Legal Profession Act that has adopted all the basic attributes of the modern advocacy such as freedom, independent approach to a profession, professional cooperation and disciplinary responsibility, was a meaningful step. Unlike a lot of previous legal acts, the Act has not drawn solely from historical Czech Advocacy sources, but it has been inspired mainly by a professional Western Europe legislation. Therefore, the Czech Advocacy has been interlinked with European and foreign advocacies since the beginning, which enabled its incorporation among prestigious foreign professional organizations, namely IBA and CCBE. The year 1996 was another significant milestone. After long and difficult discussions, the fusion of attorneys and commercial lawyers was negotiated and both of the professions were joined into the attorney profession. By this step, the confusion in the eyes of lay and also expert public has been removed. A notable attorney profession strengthening and a formulization of new claims and demands on a professional selfadministration was another step forward. Another breaking moment came in 2004. The Czech Republic, altogether with the Czech Advocacy, entered the European Union as its full-fledged member. The conditions for the activity of foreign attorneys and attorney offices were formulated already in 1990; however, it was not until the 2004 when the possibility for the Czech attorneys to work also in different countries of unified Europe came. In the beginning I already mentioned that in the age of twenty, one is invested with power,

Photo: Archive

energy and maturity. At some point, we can tell the same about our advocacy. Its power consists particularly in individual and personable qualities of its members and the number of them. Nowadays, the advocacy is represented by more than ten thousand attorneys working either individually, in associations or law firms. This figure represents the biggest legal inland profession that prevails over judges, prosecutors, notaries or other legal professions. No wonder that thanks to their qualities, attorneys are engaged in elected state bodies, local selfgovernments and they are also active in cultural or social organizations’ alliances, foundations and international institutions. The advocacy takes its energy from the mixture of traditional values, rich history and new trains of thought, but also from the accession of a new young generation of attorneys and articling attorneys. There are currently more than three thousand of them and this number is still rising. It would be too optimistic to allege that after twenty years, the Czech Advocacy is already fully

matured and there is nothing to improve. It is necessary to constantly search for its further development, especially regarding its relation to other professions. The advocacy deals with the possibility of its joining with other expertises – tax consultants, accountants, etc. Lifelong education of attorneys, organizing Bar Exams, resolution of conflicts of interests or a competition regulation – all of these constantly bring new impulses. In the end, let me congratulate the honoree and wish it to maintain its earned positions, the power necessary to keep and enlarge them, quality member base with a determination to represent its organization only in that best way and a proverbial piece of luck in order to perform all of its intentions and plans. JUDr. Roman Jelínek, Ph.D., Lawyer, Association of Lawyers PRO BONO český překlad naleznete v elektronické verzi magazínu na www.leadersmagazine.cz

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NATO days

A SPECIAL THANKS TO SAAB FOR MAKING THIS REPORTAGE POSSIBLE

Photos: Libor Bukovanský and Ondřej Peterka

From left: MG Anders Silwer, Chief of Air Force Sweden and BG Jiří Verner, Chief of Air Force Czech Republic

OSTRAVA NATO DAYS Welcomed the Elite in Military, Aerospace and Security The greatest event in the field of aviation, military and security in Central Europe, entitled NATO Days, was held in Ostrava between the 15th and 19th of September. Saab was the general partner of this event.

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From left: MG Zoltan Pinter, Chief of Air Force Hungary with his spouse, Lieutenant Ing. Denisa Smítalová, Čáslav Base Spokeswoman, BG Jiří Verner, CZ Chief of Air Force, MG Martin Babiak, Chief of Air Force Slovak Republic, and MG Anders, Silwer Chief of Air Force Sweden with his spouse

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From left: MG Bo Waldemarsson, MoD Sweden and LtCol Robert Björklund, Swedish Defence Attaché to the CR

Anna Lindh, Communications Manager, SAAB AB and Bengt Littke, Program Director, Gripen From left: MG Anders Silwer, Chief of Air Force Sweden and BG Jiří Verner, Chief of Air Force Czech Republic

From left: Petr Kajnar, Mayor of Ostrava and Ing. Jindřich Springl, CEO, SAAB Czech s.r.o.

From left: Bengt Littke, Program Director, Gripen, BG Bohuslav Dvořák, MoD Czech Republic, and Daniel Boestad, Director, SAAB Czech s.r.o.

According to event organizers, more than 150 thousand people attended the event over the weekend. Most of the attendees were families and aviation and military fans, nevertheless the show was also attended by a number of major delegations, representatives of the State, the Air Force of the ACR, and other institutions. “Saab is one of the leading suppliers in defense technology to the Czech Republic and the region is very important to us. This is also true about other branches in which Saab actuates, especially in security. It is important to us to be visible during the NATO Days – not only to demonstrate our products, and for the establishment or strengthening of contacts, but also to express our support to the Czech Republic’s Army Air Force, which uses Gripen to its full satisfaction,” commented Daniel Boestad, the campaign manager of Gripen in the Czech Republic.

more photos and electronic version available on www.leadersmagazine.cz

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IN PARTNERSHIP WITH LEADERS MAGAZINE

An interview with Jan Zahradil, MEP

THE EUROPEAN TRADE POLICY SHALL BE AN ECONOMIC,

NOT A POLITICAL TOOL

Photo: Mr. Zahradil´s archive

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Jan Zahradil (1963) graduated from the Institute of Chemical Technology, Prague (ICT) and worked as a researcher. In the years 1990 19 90–1 199 992 2 he was ele lect cted ed to th thee Fe Fede dera rall Assembly. He worked as an advisor to the Prime Minister on foreign policy issues. Since 1998, he was a Member of the Parliament, where he served as Deputy of the Foreign Affairs Committee. In 2001 he was elected ed the Vice-Chairman of ODS; in the years from 2002 to 2004 he became the 1st ViceChairman of ODS (the Civic Democratic Party). Once elected to the European Parliament in June 2004, he became the Chairman of the National Czech parliamentary delegation in the EPP-ED Group and Chairman of ODS in the EP. As an MEP, he worked in the Development Committee, the Temporary Committee on Policy Challenges and Budgetary Means of the enlarged Union 2007–2013 and as an alternate member of thee Co th Comm mmititte teee on Civ ivilil Lib iber ertities es, Ju Just stic icee an andd Home Affairs. Jan Zahradil was also a full member of the delegation for relations with the Mashreq countries, a member of the delegation for relations with India and in his new mandate, he is a member of the Delegation to the EU-Turkey Joint Parliamentary Committee. In the European elections in June 2009 he defended his mandate as a leader of ODS candidates. He was elected Vice Chairman of the newly created faction of euro-realistic European Conservatives and Reformists Group (ECR). He works as a member of the Committee on International Trade and is a substitute in the Committee for Development. He speaks English and Russian, as well as Polish and German passively. He is married and has two children.

Amsterdam Athinai Berlin Bratislava Bruxelles Bucureşti Budapest Dublin Helsingfors Kobenhavn Lefkosia Lisboa Ljubljana London Luxembourg Madrid Paris Praha Rïga Roma Sofia Stockholm Tallinn Valletta Vilnius Warszawa Wien

23.11.2010 16:53:55

Mr. Zahradil, you are currently executing your second parliamentary mandate (2009–2014). What is different from the first one (2004–2009)? My first parliamentary mandate differed from today’s in two main aspects. Firstly, we were part of the EPP, the European People’s Party, which is a juggernaut of opinions, without a single direction. At the start of the second period, we founded the conservative faction of the European conservatives and reformists Group (ECR) together with our British and Polish colleagues. Secondly, during the time of our accession to the EU and the beginning of my first mandate, Europe convulsed in discussions about its future direction and about the structure of its former Constitutional Treaty. When we started the second manddate t in 200 009 9, thi his di discus sion i was allreaddy termii nated, waiting only to complete the ratification of the Lisbon Treaty. It was a different European uro an Parliam Parliament and another political constellationn. Many people in the Republic questioned the importance of creating the new political party – the ECR. They feared the loss of influence of ODS’ representatives on the creation of the “big politics”. Would you agree they are right after 18 months of ECR’s operations? I have never listened to such c opinions, and I have not shared them either. I do not think that the only key to success is to stick to a strong partner. Likewise, I have never shared the opinion according to which the CR should be a part of a hard core of the Union’s integration. We have always contradicted this vision. Creating a new political tical faction ena enabled us to create a certain opposition on to the Eur European Parliament’s opinions, which was as previously previous lacking and which is necessary forr any political politica debate. The European People’s Party arty has, contrary to uus, a federalist vision of Europe. Thee ECR is a smaller fact faction, in which we have more similar opinions. nions The influence of our members has also certainlyy not n decreased. We were one able to occupy the samee number of parliamentary functions; our members are more likely to have a say and we have the opportunity to nominate shadow rapporteurs to participate during the debates. s. Don’t you feel that the creation of a small ECR fraction might have lowered your expert background due to the limited number of mandates proportion? I certainly do not ot have this feeling. We managed to recruit high quality staff at the ECR. Quality is often more important than quantity. uant In the past, I have often thought about thee real function of the more than 250 EPP employees and about the fact if it not ot an artificial creation of jobs. I can say personally sonally that the ECR is definitely not malnourished and that our experts are real experts. You are a member of the Parliamentary Committee for Foreign Trade (INTA). What interesting points are you discussing there at the moment? The main topic is the new wave of free trade agreements with the third countries. The first example is the pending FTA with South Korea. If this concept proves to be successful, then future agreements will be created upon this model. I must say that we are fortunately a very rational Committee. Even so, there are efforts, especially from our colleagues from the left, to use international trade as an instrument of political struggle. When they are not in agreement with some scheme or too supportive of some establishment, they will be trying to discourage it even on

the economic level. Yet, one should not o politiici cize ze foreign trade. Currently, the big strategic topic is the future of the common trade policy. Trade Commissioner De Gucht should publish its proposal by every day. Will you deal with it? We had ad the strate strategy of trade policy in our program already dy during the last Committee meeting. Yet we do not have the document docum itself. We had to postpone the debate. Again, gain, for us, us at least for the greater part of the committee, omm the main principle will apply – that is not too tr try to politicize international trade instruments. International rn trade supports the economic growth and creates wealth, which is partially redistributed to the poorest areas. But this is probably the major disputte between t the left f t andd th the righ ightt, andd there wililll certainly be great debates about this topic. Trade policy and export are supported by many tools on the national and the European level. In the CR there are debates on streamlining the management of economic diplomacy while Europe establishes its offices in India or China. How do you rate this? For each country it is good to have all of its tools under one roof. I have always supported the concept that the minister responsible for the presentation of the CR abroad, should have the possibility to be in charge of all the organizations that are supposed to help him. But I must recognize that this area is gradually meliorating and there are major changes in the right way. For example, the provision of foreign development aid has been unified. In the case of instruments of trade policy, disputes between the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Industry and Trade are dating since a long time. There is still a sort of “resortism” ruling. There was a rivalry, even if the two ministers came from the same political party. The party colors were suddenly secondary and everyone dug on behalf of their own institution. In my opinion, the CzechTrade agency is doing its best at the moment and I have nothing against it. But I think there is a need to engage the services of a larger systemic whole. We need to link the defense of interests of the Czech Republic, the promotion and the marketing with the promotion of exports, but also cultural and touristic “diplomacy”. As far as the European Union is concerned, cerned, I am a a bit skeptical about the instruments of trade policy. According to m me, Member States need to keep the their ownn tools, nnotwithstanding the existence ence of Europe European instrumen ents. Even the best European opean agency does no not promotee national interests as well ass the Member State does. s. And not always will all Member mbe States be measured in an equal way. In this context, me nte I appreciate the recent statement of CzechTrade d CEO Ivan Jukl that the Germans are afraid of us and are therefore helping themselves through nepotism. Finally there is someone, who is not afraid to say it to the fullest, without any political correctness. These are efforts that we have to avoid. In addition to international trade in the Parliament, you also address yourself to the Committee on Development (DEVE). Which debates take place there? When I started with the Committee on Development more than 6 years ago, I was rather skeptical to its work. The Committee on Foreign Affairs is a Committee of statements, resolutions and opinions, but the DEVE Development Committee has a budget and

di ectly decides on its allocation. direc on. YYet, I do not have the ffeeling that the activity of th the DEVE Committee has somehow significantly contributed o to a more effective use of means of development assistance, or that it should establish clear criteria on how eachh country uses these resources. During the seminar we co-organized in spring in Prague, someone raised an interesting idea – in many developing countries, there is the gray economy, which feeds many people. The gray economy does not appear in any statistics. Therefore, critical voices say that if no sufficient law enforcement, adequate legal framework and effective government are ensured, then “pouring” money into these countries is by no means a solution. Europe should rather focus on the gray gr ay eco cono nomy my and str tren engt gthe heni ning ng the rul ulee of law and functioning of public administration in the Third World countries. This will help to reverse the gray economy into the official sphere of measurable economy. Do you have any favorite territories? I think that the priority areas of Czech foreign policy interest were carefully selected. In order to better priorirititize ze our are reas as of in inte tere rest st, of cou ours rsee, oth ther er one ness dr drew ew off and it will affect the closure of several embassies – for example in Nairobi and Kinshasa. European partners are pushing us into the role of experts on Eastern Europe. I’m not saying that we are not able to cooperate well with Ukraine, Moldova, Central Asia and Transcaucasia. But historically we have good relationss with some African countries. We are, of course, no former colonial power, but we have a good basis for cooperation in some territories, such as Ethiopia and we have already had some concrete results. The Czech non-governmental sector is doing a great job in the developing world, and we can ground on this fact. Last question – how do you cooperate with Czech entrepreneurs? Do you have good input from them for your work? We have established a close cooperation cooperat with business organizations during ng the beginning beginn of the first mandate in 2004. It is obvious that tha the Czech influence is gradually increasing ncreasing in the EEuropean umbrella organizations, which are associating car producers (ACEA), the coal industr try (E (EURACOAL), yet individual companies such as CEZZ an and the umbrella organization off busiiness andd empl pployer l s’’ associiatitions suchh as CEBRE are also well represented. I believe that such cooperation is of mutual benefit. Czech entrepreneurs have the opportunity to share with us the data, analysis and studies. In return, better defend the interests of the specifics of Czech interests through reasoned arguments during the policy discussions. I think that no party can complain about our cooperation. In mid October we held a discussion with the ECR and 22 businessmen from the Czech Chamber of Commerce. We talked about reducing administrative burdens, obstacles in business and trade, etc. The delegation of businessmen, as numerous as the delegation of Czech deputies in the European Parliament, then sat in the plenary room and voted on current issues and proposals within the Entrepreneurs European Parliament. This latter is composed of 750 business entrepreneurs across the EU. This is how I would imagine cooperation between Czech and European entrepreneurs with business-friendly political parties represented in the EU.

By Michal Kadera I CEBRE

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EU matters

From left: Mr. Jan Zahradil, Member, European Parliament and Ms. Lucie Šestáková, Head of Internal Market Unit, Czech Permanent Representation to the EU

IN COOPERATION WITH LEADERS MAGAZINE

THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT nd OF ENTERPRISES – 2 EDITION! Twenty-two Czech companies attended the European Parliament of Enterprises in the Brussels Hemicycle on October 14, 2010. The event, gave them and more than 700 other businessmen from all sizes and sectors of business, and from 27 EU countries, the opportunity to decide their future. Together these businesses called upon EU policy-makers to remove the obstacles hindering their access to both the internal and global markets. They also pledged for ‘more Europe’ in businessrelated political decisions. A Czech delegation headed by Petr Kužel, the President of the Czech Chamber of Commerce, had the opportunity to meet with the MEPs Jan Zahradil and Evžen Tošenovský, as well as representatives of the Czech Permanent Photo: Zbyněk Prokop Representation to the EU Lucie Šestáková and Věra Knoblochová, and Radek Malý from the European Commission. The delegation was accompanied by CEBRE-Czech Business Representation to the EU.

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From left: Petr Kužel, President, Czech Chamber of Commerce, Evžen Tošenovský, Deputy Chairman, Committee on Industry, Research and Energy of the European Parliament, and Radek Malý, Head of Unit of the Employment Analysis of the European Commission

Ivan Voleš, Member, Employers Group, EESC

more photos and electronic version available on www.leadersmagazine.cz

23.11.2010 16:55:03

THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT OF ENTERPRISES The European Parliament of Enterprises was opened by Jerzy Buzek, President of the European Parliament, and Herman Van Rompuy, President of the European Council, together with the President of EUROCHAMBRES Alessandro Barberis. Vincent Van Quickenborne, the Belgian Minister of Economy and Reform closed the event. During the three voting sessions, numerous MEPs and Commissioners were present. Source: www.Befocus.be

Karel De Gucht, EU Commissioner in charge of Trade

From left: Herman Van Rompuy, President, European Council, Arnaldo Abruzzini, Secretary General, EUROCHAMBRES, and Alessandro Barberis, President, EUROCHAMBRES

From left: Herman Van Rompuy, President, European Council, Jerzy Buzek, President, European Parliament, Alessandro Barberis, President, EUROCHAMBRES, and Arnaldo Abruzzini, Secretary General, EUROCHAMBRES

Jaroslav Vlach, Chairman, Arator a.s. speaking in the European Parliament

From left: Pervenche BerĂ¨s, Member, European Parliament and Chair, Committee on Employment and Social Affairs, Peter Woodward, Moderator, and Antonio Tajani, Vice-President in charge of Industry and Entrepreneurship, European Commission

Vincent Van Quickenborne, Belgian Minister of Economy

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IN PARTNERSHIP WITH LEADERS MAGAZINE

BUSINESS NEWS N

DID YOU KNOW THAT… …the deadline for the REACH registration is approaching? REACH, the Regulation on Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction of Chemicals, went into effect on June 1st, 2007. The deadline to register the most widespread and the most dangerous chemicals is on November 3, 2010. However, the deadline to anno an noun unce ce t he Cla lass ssifific icat atio ionn an andd La Labe beliling ng of th thee Packaging of chemicals (CLP) is on January 3, 2011 at the latest. The European Chemicals cals AAgency (E ((ECHA) C invites the companies to carry out the registration regist procedures as soon as possible. …Hungary and Poland presidencies unveiled priorities for 2011? Representatives of Hungary and Poland presented pre their priorities for their next year’s ear’s Presidency to the Council of the EU. Hungary will take ake charge of the Council agenda in the first half of 20111 in accordance with its targ ta rget et – to fo focu cuss on the pro romo motition on of in inte tere rest stss of the whole EU and on long-term problems that the EU currently faces. The Polish presidency will focus on areas such as the Internal market, Eastern Partnership and Energy security. … the EU register of lobbyists may be a reality? The plan to createe a co common m n register mo re of lobbyists to the EU institutions has made sig significant i progress after the Council’s representatives epresentatives announced their future involvement nt in talks concerning this issue. Only representatives es of the European CCommission and the Euro Eu rope pean an Par arliliam am mentt ha have ve con ondu duct cted ed neg egot otia iatition onss so far, and the involvement vem of the Council in the talks would make the whole process more transparent. According to the original plan, a common register of the three EU institutions should be working from the beginning of June 2011 on a voluntary basis. ...Plzeň was chosen to be the European city of culture in 2015? On September 17, 2010 010 Plzeň w was chosen as a European city of culture for 2015. It succeeded in competition withh another Czech candidate candida – the City of Ostrava. The candidate te cit cities were supposed to prep pr epar aree cu cultltur ural al pro rogr gram amm mes me es re rela late tedd to Eur urop opea eann un unitityy, which should have a long-term g-t impact on cultural and social development of the city. The official award rd should take place in May 2011. ...entrepreneurs voted in the European Parliament? Entrepreneurs from all over Europe had a chance to try the role of a Member of the European Parliament for the second time in the history of the EU. On October 14 more than 700 European entrepreneurs had the opportunity to express their vote about their future in the European Parliament´s building. The Czech Republic was represented by a delegation of 22 Czech entrtrep en epre rene neur urss he head aded ed by Pe Petrtr Kuž užel el,, th thee Pr Pres esid iden entt of the Czech Chamber of Commerce. ...the European Commission reviewed the EU budget? On October 19, 2010 the European Commission introduced a Communication on the Revision of the EU budget. The Council of the EU asked for the budget review in 2005. The communication claims that the contemporary rules of the European budget do not allow

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the EU to react flexibly fle to unexpected situations while tooo ma m many ny complexities com o plex threaten its efficiency and transparency. Thatt is why it is necessary to find new rules and principles for the upcoming budgetary period 2013–2020. 3–2 At the same time it is absolutely essential to decide e about the budgetary priorities and expenses connected to them. ...the European Parliament adopted the Late Payments Directive? On October 20, 2010 the European Parliament adopted amendments to the Directive on Late payments. The revised directive introduces a standard 30 day payment period for invoices. The aim of the directive is to prevent long delays in payments, particularly made by public authorities. The standardized 30 day period applies both to the public and private sector. However, contrary to the public sector, the private sector can contractually prolong the payment period to more than 60 days. EU IN THE WORLD Two thirds of Icelanders want to enter the EU Public opinion of Icelanders on accession to the EU has been changing considerably for several months. While in June 60 % of respondents were strongly opposed to the accession to the EU, recent surveys show that almost 65 % of Icelanders want the accession negotiations to continue. According to Icelandic political analysts, more and more people realize that the accession negotiations are too far along to be broken off. Nevertheless, for eventual approval of the accession thee re th refe fere rend ndum um mus ustt be hel eldd. Serbia is on the best way to the EU Štefan Füle, European Commissioner for Enlargement and European Neighbourhood policy, announced during his visit to Serbia that the country is on the best way to start accession negotiations with the EU in a short period of time. According to Füle, the EU approves the Serbian attitude towards Kosovo, as well as the overall transformation of Serbian society and the effort to fight against corruption and organized crime, which hich is a very important problem in all of the countries in this area. FTA agreement with South Korea is approved EUU Memb M mbe berr St Stat atee Re Repr pres esen enta tatitive vess approved the signature re of the FTA agreement nt between the EU and South Korea. Kor The agreement was finally supported even by Italy, Ita , which wh was afraid of Korean com competition in the car industry. According to estimations, th mat the FTA agreement should increase EU exports by 20 billion EUR a year. Additionally, European companies will have the opportunity to enter the Korean market. FTA talks with Mercosur may be successfully completed next year EU Commissioner for Trade Karl de Gucht announced that the FTA agreement with the regional integration of Merc Me rcos osur ur wililll be con oncl clud uded ed nex extt ye year ar if th thee ta talk lkss wi with th Mercosur representatives go well. Member states of Mercosur are Brazil, Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay. If negotiations are successful, the largest free trade area with 750 mil inhabitants would be created. The negotiations between the two regional integrations have lasted for 6 years and the most difficult issue of the talks involve the import of agricultural products to the EU.

LET’S TALK NUMBERS Thanks to external demand Czech industry has grown In August 2010, Czech industrial production encountered a 16.3 % increase compared with August 2009. The most important credits for the improvement are claimed to be the faster production of cars and the production of metal and metalworking. Additionally, industrial orders grew altogether by 22.1%. The increase in tot otal al rev even enue uess of 14.4% 4% com ompl plet etes es the pos osititiv ivee re resu sultltss of the Czech industrial market. Acceleration of agricultural and industrial prices Due to an increase in energy prices caused by high purchase prices, the costs of industrial production may increase at the beginning of next year. This will probably lead to an increase in production prices by 3%. In comparison to August 2009, prices of industrial products have risen year-on-year by 1.8%. Agricultural products will certainly see an increase as well. Prices in the agricultural sector increased year-on-year by 16.4%. Thiis was causedd maiinlly by an increase in cereall priices, Th affected by a poor crop in 2010. GDP in the EU grows moderately According to Eurostat data the EU GDP increased sed by 1% in the second quarter of this year in comparison with the first quarter. This result was seen in the euro zone area as well as in the EU-27. Compared with 2009, 2% of growth was achieved in the euro zone and the whole EU. The most substantial growth was witnessed in exports and imports: 4.4% in the euro zone and 4% in the whole EU. The investments increased by 2%. EU’s new research project On September 14, 20100 the European Commission launched a new project through which scientists and research workers in moree than than 300 European E countries will have the opportunity rtunity to use 200,000 20 computers for research purposes. The Commiss Commission will donate 25 million Euro in next 4 years. years Member States still slow in the implementation of EU directives The European Commission published the results of a survey on the functioning of the EU internal market. According to the survey, EU Member States achieved good go o res esul u ts inn th t e pr proc oces esss of o imp mpleeme ment ntat atioon of o thee new directives related to the Internal market. However, the share of directives transformed into national legislation was 0.9% compared with 0.7% in March. This number is very close to the maximum of 1% set for the Member States. 9 countries are currently exceeding the limit of 1%, including the Czech Republic. I

Brought by CEBRE – Czech Business Representation to the EU (kindly supported by CzechTrade), www.cebre.cz

23.11.2010 16:57:27

EU BUDGET TALKS

COLLAPSE EU finance ministers failed to reach a compromise with the European Parliament over the h 20 2011 11 budget d yesterdday niight h (1 (111 November) b ). If they fail to find a mutually acce acceptable le soluso tion by Monday, the 2010 budget get will roll ov over to 2011, raising questions as to how the European Eur Union will finance ambitiouss new proje projects such as the European External nal Action Service. Polish MEP Sidonia ia Jędrzejewska (European (Euro People’s Party; EPP), the European rope Parliament’s rapporteur on the EU budget, et, Parliament budget committee chairman Alain Lamassoure (France; EPP) and Parliament President Jerzy Buzek signalled their readiness to accept member states’ demand to increase the budget by just 2.91% for 2011, spearheaded by the UK. In exchange, however, owever, Parlia ow Parliament representatives asked for a stronger s nger llanguage on their institution’s say in negotiations negotiaat over the next financial perspectives, spectives, in including by providing for a “contingency ntingency fund” and supplementing the budget with EU “own resource resources,” such as a possibl ible new t ax to t help l fundd the Union’ i ’s budg dgett after 2013. Last week, German Chancellor Angela Merkel strongly rejected the idea of such an EU valueadded tax (VAT), a tax on airir transport or a share of new financial, corporate ate or energ energy taxes. Several other EU countries es see suc such taxes as unfair, as they would see some countries pay more than others. Member statess rejected the Parliament’s Pa proposal for guidelines es on negotiating the 2013 20 13–202 2020 0 fifinanciiall pe perspectiives andd dipllomats blamed MEPs for what they said were unacceptable demands. In return, Parliament ment representatives blamed richer states, who h iin their words do not want to pay for policies which benefit their neighbours as well. Melchior Whatelet, the budget minister for Belgium, the country holding the rotating EU presidency, said the procedure for seeking an agreement was still ongoing, with a final meeting scheduled for Monday 15 November. Budget Commissioner Janusz Lewandowski warned that there would be consequences if the Union was forced to resort to the same amounts for 2011 as the previous year. He said that projects such as ITER, an international project to design and build an experimental fusion reactor in France, or the European External Action

Service, expected to be launched on 1 December, may become victims of the dispute. He allso describ ibedd as “catastrophi hic”” the h message that the EU would send to the world by failing to adopt a budget. Positions In a published statement, European Parliament President Jerzy Buzek said: “Differences still exist between the European Parliament on one side and the Council on the other. Parliament is ready to accept the modest increase in payments in next year’s budget as proposed by Council. We are not asking for one euro more on condition that our political expectations are met. I am confident that we will manage to iron out these differences in following meetings.” “The Parliament is ready to have a deal on figures if there is an agreement on our political demands. We do not want to change the Treaty, we want a serious agreement on how we will work together in the future on EU financing including a new system of own resources, whi hichh could ld be t he bestt way to reduce d natitionall contributions to the EU budget. The EP wants to have clear guarantees that next budgets will be put together in a serious and rigorous way. We need to put more order in European finances,” Buzek added. French European People’s Party MEP Alain Lamassoure, chair of the Parliament’s budget committee, also voiced his disappointment: ntm “In order to finish negotiations, you have to to start them first. f In spite of the Belgian elgian PresiPres dency’s nc s eeff f forts, in spitite off thhe he aagreement eement off a largee majority of governments, ments, some ten countries refu fused any negotiations. Inn the talks on the he EU 2011 201 budget, Parliament isn’ isn’t asking for a single euro more than the Council. nc Parliament is not asking for a Treaty change. We are proposing a political agreement on working together to avoid future budgetary crises and to ensure sustainable financing for future policies,” Lamassoure said. “Today’s failure confirms what everyone already knew: how difficult it is for states to finance future policies in a sustainable manner. Last year everyone tried to spend as much as possible in an attempt to support economic activity. This year, everyone is trying to spend as little as possible in an attempt to fight the debt crisis” he said.

Jerzy Buzek, European Parliament President and Angela Merkel, German Chancellor Photo: Archive

“This failure shows very clearly the deep division between European countries regarding thee fifina th nanc ncin ingg of com ommo monn po polilici cies es whi hich ch all hav avee agreed to. All states want to profit from the European budget, but some richer states do not ott want to pay for policies which benefit their neighbours as well. It is incomprehensible, this refusal to work towards safeguarding the future of Europe as well as solidarity between European countries,” Lamassoure concluded. Polish MEP Sidonia Jędrzejewska (European People’s Party), the European Parliament’s gene ge nera rall ra rapp ppor orte teur ur on th the hee 20 2011 11 EEU U bu budg dget et,, sa said id that the Parliament is ready ead to comp compromise with the Council but only iff member states st agree to discuss future EU financing anc ncin ingg – a request justified under the Lisbon on Tr Treaty. ‘’We are consideri onsidering to agree to large cuts in our project for thee 20 2011 EU budget in order to accommodate the he maximum 2.9% increase in payments as requested by twelve member states. In return, we invited the Council to open a real discussion on the future financing of EU polilici po cies es. By rej ejec ectiting ng thi hiss in invi vita tatition on, a co coup uple le of member states created taboo subjects such as the Parliament’s role in the negotiations of the next Multiannual Financial Framework or the own resources’ issue. These expectations of the European Parliament are justified by the Lisbon Treaty and the Parliament expects a discussion only on the precision and interpretation of the Treaty,” she stated. “We cannot accept a situation where the Council agrees to take on board more and more comm co mmititme ment ntss an andd ta task skss, but doe oess no nott wa want nt to finance them,” she added. By www.euractiv.com

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diplomatic event

IN COOPERATION WITH LEADERS MAGAZINE

The embassy of the Czech Republic in Madrid organized, in cooperation with the Czech Tourism and the Czech Centre, a presentation of traditional Czech products and Czech cuisine during the gastronomic days, which took place from the 25th to the 29th of October 2010 at the InterContinental Hotel Madrid.

Czech companies introduced themselves to Madrid during the gastronomic days. The show culminated during the celebration of the National Day of the Republic with the participation of prominent politicians, managers and personalities from the cultural sphere.

Czech companies were represented by (in alphabetical order) Becherovka a.s., Moser a.s., Pilsner Urquell, Škoda Auto a.s., Tescoma Ltd., and THL-LUNA cooperating with OHL in construction. The same option was offered to some Spanish companies operating on the Czech market and cooperating with Czech companies such as Telefónica, OHL and Airbus Military. The chefs Daniel Beneš (who received a silver medal in this year’s Gourmet Challenge) and Jan Horký (who received the Czech title of Chef of 2008) from the Zlatá Praha restaurant in Prague’s Intercontinental Hotel prepared menus. President Barack Obama tasted their dishes during his visits to Prague. During the gastronomic days celebrities, such as a member of the royal family of H.E. Princess Elena, could taste Czech specialties.

From left: Ms. Věra Zátopková, Manager, Czech House in Madrid, H.E. Karel Beran, Ambassador of the Czech Republic to Madrid, and Mgr. Markéta Lehečková, Foreign Representation to Madrid, ČCCR – CzechTourism

The Embassy of the CR in Madrid Presented Czech Products During the National Day

From right: H.E. Karel Beran, Ambassador of the Czech Republic to Spain and H.E. Raphael Schutz, Ambassador of Israel to Spain

H.E. Karel Beran, Ambassador of the Czech Republic to Spain with his wife and daughter Mr. Lamela with his wife

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From left: Rodriguez Fernandez and Enrique Cerezo, Prezident, Football Club Atlético Madrid

more photos and electronic version available on www.leadersmagazine.cz

From left: Christophe Laure, General Manager, InterContinental Hotel Madrid, Marisa de Navascués, PR Manager, Ritz Hotel Madrid, and Enrique Cerezo, Prezident, Football Club Atlético Madrid

23.11.2010 18:05:34

IN PARTNERSHIP WITH LEADERS MAGAZINE

ČSÚZ

Fellow Countrymen In Croatia Value Cooperation with the Czechoslovak Foreign Institute The fellow countryman’s week entitled “Countrymen and Culture” was held in Prague at the beginning of September, where representatives of 120 compatriot clubs from 17 countries from all over the world had a chance to introduce the activities of foreign Czechs. A detailed and very interesting review of the activities of the Union of Czech nationals in the Republic of Croatia was presented by Zdenka Čuchnilová, a deputy elected to represent Czech and Slovak minorities, and by Leonora Janotová, a Chairwoman of the Union, who stated that Czech countrymen’s schools in Croatia would not be able to realize a number of their educational programs without support from the Czechoslovak Foreign Institute. “We cannot imagine modern education without computers nowadays. The Czechoslovak Foreign Institute gave us a new beautiful computer lab including an interactive board; it is a set of 21 computers operated from one spot. We are using it to teach all of the subjects according to the programs that our teachers prepare for the class,” said Mrs. Janotová. She had replied, without hesitation, to the question of how classroom conditions have been changed for pupils in Czech schools and kindergartens in Croatia, thanks to the pprojects j realized with support pp from the Czechoslovak Foreign Institute. “Without the material and moral support from the Czechoslovak Foreign Institute, we could not develop or improve our activities. It is an invaluable help for us,” emphasized the chairwoman of a Union of more than 10 thousand Czechs living in Croatia. She remembered the years’ long tradition of cooperation with the Czechoslovak Foreign Institute, thanks to which Czech countrymen’s schools and kindergartens were substantially modernized within the past ten years in the Bjelovan region, where the largest concentration of citizens of Czech nationality is living.

Cooperation between the Czechoslovak Foreign Institute and the Union of Czechs in Croatia started many years ago. One of the first projects realized after 1990 was a bust of J. A. Komenský by academic sculptor Josef Vajce, which the Czechoslovak Foreign Institute gave to the school in Daruvar. At that time, when the statue was unveiled in a festive ceremony, the chairman of the Czechoslovak Foreign Institute Jaromír Šlápota and other members of the Institute leadership agreed on a permanent cooperation with Czech schools and kindergartens, and started to prepare adequate projects. These projects were realized as quickly as the necessary financial means were collected from sponsors, and as the producers did their work. The price of the projects realized in Croatia until now lies in the range of millions of Czech crowns. An elementary school in Daruvar was equipped with computing technology and programs for a videolibrary, and over the past years modern technical conditions have been created for teachers. Twelve computers and a printer were given later to the school in Končenice. That school obtained perhaps the best equipped cabinets of informatics in the region, valued at about 2,300 thousand Czech crowns. The kinderggarten in Končenice was completely p y restored for 450 thousand Czech crowns by the Czechoslovak Foreign Institute. Modern furniture was delivered in the playroom, including beds and bed-sheets, books, materials for the arts training classes, and complete equipment for a kitchen – both furniture and stoves, a refrigerator and electronic devices, tableware etc. “As if a goodwill fairy finally entered the Končenice kindergarten with a magic wand,” the director of the kindergarten Gordana Tomášková said about the change at that time. The Czechoslovak Foreign Institute bought musical

instruments and dancing shoes valued about 1,200 thousand Czech crowns for the folklore ensembles of Czech Clubs and Unions of Slovaks in Croatia. The Institute also financially supported participation of the arts ensembles at the festivals in the Czech Republic, and participation of the ensembles from the Czech Republic at countrymen’s festivals in Croatia. In past years, the Czechoslovak Foreign Institute also provided Czech schools and kindergartens in Croatia with modern equipment for teaching arts courses. Every classroom in the school thus has its arts cabinet with all of the materials and didactic tools. “Since 1972 up until last year, our kitchen has been equipped like any other ordinary kitchen at home. Now, we have the most modern equipment made of stainless steel, all the necessary cooking devices and instruments allowing easy and qualitative preparation of a large number of dishes. The Czechoslovak Foreign Institute contributed 130,000 kunas (about 440,000 Czech crowns), the chairwoman of the Union of Czech nationals says, continuing: “We have got a new playground for the kindergarten, valued about 1,300 thousand Czech crowns, and equipment with different modern things without which we cannot even imagine g our work with children nowadays.” At present the Czechoslovak Foreign Institute is preparing another complete modernization, this time for six kindergartens in Daruvar. “It is another one of many important projects,” Lenka Janotová concludes. Realizing these projects, the Czechoslovak Foreign Institute follows and fulfils point 14, article II of its Regulations, helping countrymen’s schools of all levels to develop Czech and Slovak education and to support spreading Czech and Slovak culture abroad. HEBR I

Computer lab used for teaching in Daruvar Photo: CSUZ

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culture event

Jana Lahodná, Clarinettist, Laureate of Prague Spring Competition

IN COOPERATION WITH MICHAEL HAAS GALLERY BERLIN AND LEADERS MAGAZINE

MIRO GALLERY PRAGUE Opening Ceremony of the Exhibition:

RICHARD JORDAN (*1957) USA NOTES OF MY THOUGHTS

From left: Jens Kunath with daughter Lillith, Curator, and Michael Haas, Owner and Director, Michael Haas Gallery Berlin-Zurich

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From left: Ing. Jaromír Schling, former Minister, Government of the Czech Republic, Mrs. Dohnalová, and Ing. František Mach, Protocol, Ministry of Agriculture

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From left: Ivan Licharsky, Chairman, Czech-Turkish Committee, Jurdegu Kočaková, Artist, Euro Gold Centre, Prague, and Irma Mandzgaladze, Exclusive Jewellery Designer, Euro Gold Centre, Prague

more m mo ore r e photos pho hoto tos and and electronic an eelleecctr tr oon tro nic ic version v er er si sion on available aav vai aila labblle on on www.leadersmagazine.cz w ww. w w.l ww .leeaade ders r smaga maggaazi ma zine ne.c .cz

From left: Danielle Suh, International Marketing Manager, Miro Smolák, Owner and Director, MIRO Gallery, and Alena Miro, Soprano and Soloist, State Opera Prague

From left: Juan Braun, Writer and President, Journalists without Borders in the CR, Lenka Vácvalová, Actor, Ta Fantastika Theatre, Prague, and JUDr. Jan Černý, Law Office Černý-Raupachová

24.11.2010 12:43:54

From left: Petr Chromčák, Conductor, Leoš Svárovský, Conductor, and Jakub Svárovský with his mother Martina Svárovská, Reiffeisen Bank

From left: Jurij V. Kirillov, Cultural Affairs, Russian Embassy in the Czech Republic and Miro Smolák, Owner and Director of MIRO Gallery From left: Eduard Hrubeš, Moderator and Musician with his wife and Josef Rakušan, Photographer

From left: Benjamín Szakál, Advisor of Audit Committee, Parliament of the Czech Republic and Marián Hodoš, Art Collector

From left: Ing. Ivo Janoušek, Art Critic and Collector with wife and Ivo Medek, Artist From left: Prof. MUDr. Jan Betka, DrSc., Head, ORL, University Hospital in Motol and Georgi Stojanov, Artist

Dr. Bruno Giambagli, Businessman and Linda Chárová, Model and Art consulting

From left: Prof. Ludvík Feller, Artist, Berlin University of the Arts, Juan Braun, Writer and President, Journalists without Borders in the CR, Alena Miro, Soprano and Soloist, State Opera Prague, and Rossano B. Maniscalchi, famous Art Photographer

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24.11.2010 11:04:11

culture event The new, 128th season at the National Theatre started with a performance of operas concert of two masters of modern opera: Ariadne by Bohuslav Martinů and the Nightingale by Igor Stravinsky. Tomáš Netopil, the Chief Conductor of the National Theatre was conducting in both cases. The main act was performed by Simona Houda-Šatnová and Olga Tritonova.

Simona Houda Šatnová (Ariadne)

IN COOPERATION WITH LEADERS MAGAZINE

Ariadne and Nightingale

Tomáš Netopil, Principal Conductor, National Theatre Orchestra

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Mr. David Radok, Director, PhDr. Ingeborg Žádná, ViceDean, and Doc. MgA. Ivo Mathé, Producer and Scripter

From right: PhDr. Ondřej Černý, General Director, National Theater and Prof. Milan Knižák, Director, National Galerry

From left: PhDr. Ondřej Černý, General Director, National Theater, Ing. Jiří Maceška, Chairman of the Supervisory Board, Czech Post, and Mr. David Pospíšil, Head of the Sponzoring, National Theater

23.11.2010 12:20:21

culture event In early October, Komerční banka a.s, the general partner of the National Theatre invited its major corporate clients to tour the National Theatre. The guests had the opportunity to view the “Golden Chapel” made of original stones, through the backstage, up to the bronze horse unicorn Trig on the roof of the National Theatre.

MEETING

End of the tour by the Trigs

of Komerční Banka Clients at the National Theatre On the roof of the National Theatre

From left: Henri Bonnet, CEO and Chairman, KB, Jana Musilová, Head of International Desk, KB, and Ondřej Černý, General Director, National Theatre

more photos and electronic version available on www.leadersmagazine.cz

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IN COOPERATION WITH LEADERS MAGAZINE 24.11.2010 12:32:18

culture event

At the end of October, the members of the Patrons’ Club visited the studios and workshops of the National Theatre. They had the opportunity to look into areas that remain inaccessible to ordinary viewers and become witnesses to the adjustment of dance dresses for The Nutcracker ballet or the production of scenes for the upcoming The Elixir of Love opera. This experience was truly memorable for all.

Photo: Dominik Matouš

Patrons in the Ateliers of the National Theater

Manufacturing of the scenes for the National Theatre productions

Props Warehouse

Adjustment of costumes for the Nutcracker ballet

In the tailor’s shop

Shoe shop

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23.11.2010 12:22:57

GROUPS AND BENEFITS BASIC PACKAGE OF BENEFITS: • A Donor Certificate from the National Theatree. • The Theatre-Goer Loyalty Card, allowing forr up to 50% discounts on performances. • Free visits to all public dress rehearsals. • Exclusive National Theatre news service in email form. • The possibility of participation in the prograammes of the clubs of friends of the artistic ensembless. • Mention of your name in acknowledgments in the National Theatre Almanac and everyy year in the January issue of the National Thheatre Magazine.

FRIEND Level of contribution from CZK 1,500 annually • Basic package of benefits.

PATRON Level of contribution from CZK 10,000 annuaally • Basic package of benefits and more: • The priority right to ticket reservation. • Free monthly delivery of the National Theatre Magazine. • A guided tour of the backstage upon requesst with a week’s notice. • A Christmas gift package with acknowledggments from the General Director of the National Theattre. • A present upon joining the National Theatre Patrons’ Club. • Programme of the attended production free of charge upon presentation of the card of the Naational Theatre Patrons’ Club. • A percentage discount on a ticket commensurate to the patron’s age on his/her birthday. • Free change of the date for the given title.

BENEFACTOR Level of contribution from CZK 50,000 annuaally • Basic package of benefits, benefits of the Patron group and more: • Two tickets to one National Theatre premierre performance selected by the National Theatre, inccluding an invitation for two persons to the subsequentt glass of wine. • Two tickets to the gala concert marking Moozart’s

birthday at the Estates Theatre with an invitation to the subsequuent party. • Invitation to the gala conclusion of the season held by the Geneeral Director of the National Theatre. • A free glaass of champagne during the interval of a performannce upon presentation of the card of the National Theeatre Patrons’ Club. • Invitationn to the press conference marking the start of the new theatre season. • Mention of your name in acknowledgments in the premises off the National Theatre historical building and in all programmes for productions.

SILVER BENEFACTOR Level of conntribution from CZK 100,000 annually • Basic pacckage of benefits, benefits of the Patron and Benefacc tor groups and more: • Two tickeets to every National Theatre premiere at a 50% disccount including an invitation for two persons to the subsequent glass of wine. • Compreheensive care during ticket reservation. • Consultancy during selection of a suitable performance andd subsequent provision of tickets (for example, onn the occasion of a working meeting, visit to the theatre with children, etc.). • Upon reqquest, the possibility of a guided tour of the National Theatre Studios and Workshops. • Free parking in the National Theatre garages during the time of the performance.

GOLD BENEFACTOR Level of conntribution from CZK 250,000 annually • Basic pacckage of benefits, benefits of the Patron, Benefactor and Silver Benefactor groups and more: • Two tickett s to every National Theatre premiere, including an invitation for two persons to the subsequent glass of wine. • Two tickeets to the gala concert marking Mozart’s birthday at the Estates Theatre and the Gala Opening Concert at the National Theatre, including an invitation to the subsequent parties. • Two tickeets to performances of foreign guest ensembles acccording to the offer of the National Theatre. • Invitationn to a gala evening for benefactors organised by thee National Theatre’s General Director.

THE NATIONAL THEATRE PATRONS’ CLUB Patronage was a functioning principle of Czech society for centuries. Today, we are striving to continue this splendid tradition, interrupted by the period of the totalitarian regime, to re-awaken philanthropy and the desire to help, contribute to the wellbeing of the National Theatre, one of the symbols of national identity and part of the European cultural space. In December 2009, the National Theatre Patrons’ Club launched its activity with the aim to revive the tradition of patronage in the Czech Republic and afford the general public an opportunity to support the National Theatre. Just as in times past, today too we should not view patronage and sponsorship as the privilege of the wealthy, but rather consider it generosity, enlightenment and civic consciousness. We should not understand patronage as being related to the contents of one’s wallet but as a state of mind. The National Theatre Patrons’ Club is a community, open to the general public and all theatre-lovers, connected by the common desire to help and live closer to our prime stage. The National Theatre Patrons’ Club was founded with the aim to create within the National Theatre a stable community that, on the one hand, would support the theatre itself and, on the other, be a unique fellowship enriching its members. Our objective is for the Club’s members to gain special comfort and a real feeling of belonging to the National Theatre, for them to have the opportunity to feel a living connection with the world of the theatre and in the maximum comfort visit the greatest drama, music and ballet events in Prague. An individual approach and attractive benefits, including the priority right to ticket reservation, invitations to premieres and gala concerts, free programmes for the attended productions, as well as the possibility of a guided tour of the National Theatre backstage areas, are a guarantee of your special relationship with the Czech Republic’s prime stage. All these benefits, which are our acknowledgments of your support, have been prepared in such a manner as to offer you exclusive comfort and an exclusive position in the National Theatre auditorium. www.national-theatre.cz

český překlad naleznete v elekktronické verzi magazínu na www.leadeersmagazine.cz

Leaders Magazine i VI/2010 I

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prague castle event

A special thanks to Philip Morris ČR a.s. IN COOPERATION WITH for making this reportage possible

LEADERS MAGAZINE

IN COOPERATION WITH LEADERS MAGAZINE

Richie Cole: Alto Saxophone Ted Hogarthe: Baritone Saxophone Emil Viklický: Piano Robert Fečo: Contrabass Ernie Adams: Drums

with Richie Cole Q & Emil Viklický

Richie Cole, Alto Saxophone with his Quartet

Jazz at the Castle From left: Naďa Nosková, Multisonic, Ing. Josef Starenko, Chairman of the Board, Star Group Czech a.s., Nora Stříbrná, Senior Stewardess, VP – BKS, Ing. Miloš Janů, Karel Vágner, Music Publisher, and Peter Baláš

From left: Vladimír Valovič, Prof. Václav Klaus, President of the CR, and Jana Tomková, Director, Department of Cultural Diplomacy, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Slovak Republic Ing. Jitka Vaculíková, Public Relations Prague 1 with her son

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From left: Prof. Václav Klaus, President of the CR and H.E. Enrigue Krauss, Ambassador of Chile with his wife

From left: Taher Al-Qattan, Businessman, Ernie Adams, Drummer, H.E. Karel Dyba, Czech Ambassador to OECD, and Ing. Miloš Janů

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From left: Veronika Wolf, Director, The Lobkowicz Collections, Benjamin Kuras, Anglo-Czech Writer and Journalist, and Vladimíra Václavíková, Marketing and Editorial Director, Leaders Magazine

MUDr. Michael Vít, Deputy Minister of Health and Chief Public Health Officer, Ministry of Health of the Czech Republic with his wife From left: Prof. Václav Klaus, President of the CR and Ing. Josef Starenko, Chairman of the Board, Star Group Czech a.s.

From left: Milan Ganik, Managing Director, CPP Development, s.r.o., Ing. Alexandra Rudyšarová, Deputy CEO, CzechInvest, and Jan Turčan

From left: Přemysl Čech, Presenter, News Department, Czech Television with his wife Hana and Ivo Velíšek

From left: Jaroslav Jurečka with his wife and Ing. Stanislava Janáčková, CSc., Advisor to the President, Office of the President

more photos and electronic version available on www.leadersmagazine.cz From left: Karel Vágner, Music Publisher, Josef Vejvoda, Drummer, Prof. Václav Klaus, President of the CR, MUDr. Pavel Stodůlka, Ph.D., Head of the Ophthalmic Clinic Gemini, and Zdeněk Pelc

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A special thanks to Philip Morris ČR a.s. for making this reportage possible

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From left: Natali Ruden, Fashion Designer, MUDr. Jan Lešták, and Pavel Číčel, Sales Representantive, ZFP Akademie with his wife

From left: Prof. Václav Klaus, President of the CR, Ernie Adams, Drums, Ted Hogarth, Baritone Saxophone, Richie Cole, Alto Saxophone, and Emil Viklický, Jazz Pianist

Richie Cole, Alto Saxophone – anything goes with music From left: Marek Skolil, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the CR and František Uhlíř, Jazz Musician with his wife

From left: Ondřej Štajnochr with his wife and Josef Vejvoda, Drummer with his wife

From left: H.E. Vicente Espeche Gil, Ambassador of Argentina with his wife, and Jiří Slíva, Artist

From left: Prof. Václav Klaus, President of the CR and MUDr. Pavel Stodůlka, Ph.D., Head of the Ophthalmic Clinic Gemini

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H.E. Johannes Haindl, Ambassador of Germany on the left with his wife (far right) and H.E. Mrs. Renilde Loeckx, Ambassador of Belgium in the middle

From left: Candace J. Wilkinson, Ph.D., Director, Operations and Outreach, UCLA Center for Autism Research and Treatment, Richie Cole, Alto Saxophonist, and Joseph Pennington, new Chargé d’affaires, Embassy of the USA with his wife

23.11.2010 12:09:29

Předplatné

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