Prague Leaders Magazine Issue 02/2013

PRAGUE

leaders 2/2013 199 CZK

now available in Brussels

MAGAZINE

THE POWER BEHIND OUR ECONOMY www.leadersmagazine.cz incl. electronic version Brno I Ostrava I Plzeň I Liberec I Olomouc I Ústí nad Labem I Hradec Králové I České Budějovice I Pardubice I Zlín I Jihlava I Turnov I Karlovy Vary I Mladá Boleslav

Mirror Gallery This is a very intimate space, decorated in rich colours with wonderful paintings and original Murano mirrors from the private collection of the Italian owner. The Mirror Gallery is the ideal place to hold your private dinner, small wedding or ceremony.

global perspectives

Crystal Ballroom Located on the first floor with capacity of up to 100 people, this room is flooded with daylight and has a summer terrace attached. The inner garden provides a secluded area to take a coffee break, al fresco lunch and drinks. The state-of-art technology 3 will satisfy even your most demanding needs. The space can be easily transformed into a meeting/dining area, or divided to provide secluded areas ideal for private coffee breaks and separate meetings, buffet lunches and welcome drinks.

Alchymist Grand Hotel and Spa Tržiště 19 118 00 Praha 1 T: +420 257 286 005 F: +420 257 286 010 foodandbeverage@alchymisthotel.com www.alchymisthotel.com

Spa & Wellness

Konopiště

NEW OPENED

more information available at www.laznekonopiste.cz

616014-Golf-Inzerat-Image[234x325]_S&W.indd 2

8.2.13 8:28

MARCUS TULLIUS CICERO

“FUNDAMENTUM AUTEM EST IUSTITIAE FIDES, ID EST DICTORUM CONVENTORUMQUE CONSTANTIA ET VERITAS.“ Základem spravedlnosti je důvěra, to znamená stálost a upřímnost ve slovech i v dohodách.

...The Seeing Justice

People cease believing in justice. Their confidence is shaken by its inconsistency and the long path that leads to it. The inability to claim their justice in real time is stressful and displeasing.

The Union for Arbitration and Mediation of Czech Republic, Inc., comes on stage with its offer just in time when the effective enforcement of law in the society is lagging. Contrary to a court, the Union is a commercial subject that is concerned with transparency and legality. At the same time, it seeks speed, expertise and predictability. The arbitration procedures led by the ad hoc arbiters associated in the Union ensure the same independence as court.

...vidoucí spravedlnost

Lidé přestávají věřit ve spravedlnost. Jejich důvěrou otřásá nestálost spravedlnosti a dlouhá cesta k ní. Nemožnost domoci se práva v reálném čase je stresující a nepříjemná.

Unie pro rozhodčí a mediační řízení ČR, a.s. přichází se svou nabídkou právě v době, kdy ve společnosti zaostává efektivní vymahatelnost práva. Na rozdíl od soudu je Unie komerčním subjektem, kterému záleží na transparentnosti a legálnosti. Zároveň vždy usiluje o rychlost, odbornost a předvídatelnost.

Rozhodčí řízení vedené prostřednictvím rozhodců ad hoc sdružených u Unie přitom zaručuje stejnou nezávislost jako soud.

Unie pro rozhodčí a mediační řízení ČR, a.s.

Office: Cejl 91, 602 00 Brno Tel.: +420 545 242 592 E-mail: unie@urmr.cz Web: www.urmr.cz

publishers note & contents

DEAR READERS, We hope by the time you read this publisher’s note, we will be able to smell, feel and see the start of spring. It has been a long, cold winter indeed, with a lot of snow. It’s been difficult to walk on the street, often trying to avoid patches of ice on the pavement, as well as falling snow and ice from rooftops.

With spring comes new hope, optimism and energy and a renewed vitality to face upcoming obstacles and difficulties. Take a moment to watch Mother Nature in springtime bloom, in the variety of her colours and diversity of fragrances. Nature is full of life and is a source renewing inner strength. She helps us feel something much bigger than ourselves and our everyday small annoyances. She gives us the spirit to overcome pettiness, narrowness, greed, envy and other vices that we are all, unfortunately subject to from time to time.

In this issue we are pleased to feature a cover article with Miroslav Kalousek, Minister of Finance of the Czech Republic – he has had an impressive political career and is seen as a very capable political force for years to come. We also have an interview with the Swedish Minister for Trade, Ewa Björling and her optimistic outlook for even better and stronger cooperation in many fields between Sweden and the Czech Republic. Other interviews you won’t want to miss include JUDr Pavel Rychetský, the Chief Justice of the Constitutional Court of the Czech Republic, JUDr Josef Baxa, President of the Supreme Administrative Court, Pavel Bělobrádek, MVDr / PhD, Chairman of the Christian and Democratic Union – Czechoslovak Party (KDU-CSL), Milan Chovanec, Governor of the Pilsen Region and CSSD shadow Minister for Transport , Lea Vivot, the world renowned Sculptress, from our serial ambassadors without diplomatic passport – Radek Špicar and Vladimír Nálevka.

Enhancing these interviews, you’ll find many articles from various sources.

On our photo reportage side, I mention the 13th Annual Gala Benefit Evening of the Trebbia European Awards, the Comenius Society 21st European Banking & Financial Forum and the CFA Society Forecasting Dinner. Further, you’ll find photos of the 12th Czech-Russian Ball, the Czech-Afghan Chamber’s of Commerce New Year Reception, a Club Vivanova wine tasting at the Hilton, President Zeman’s first visit to the Senate and a CE Group Energy Seminar.

Times are a-changin’ as the words go in Bob Dylan’s great song and we have changed as well. We are working with a new printing company and that’s why this issue of the magazine is slightly delayed. Apologies for that, but we feel the wait will prove worthwhile.

Let me close with these wonderful words of advice: Your thoughts and your feelings create your life. It will always be that way.

Benke Aikell ■ benke.aikell@leadersmagazine.cz www.leadersmagazine.cz

events 15 European Banking &Financial Forum 2013 23 A Public Hearing in the Senate Regarding the 2013 New Year Amnesty 24 16th Leaders Magazine Advisory Board Dinner 28 Celebration of Nouwrus – New Day, organized by Czech- Afghan Mixed Chamber of Commerce

Lions Club Prague Bohemia Ambassador

Ing. František Chaloupecký, former President, LC Praha Bohemia Ambassador, Ing. Jaromír Kaulfus, Entrepreneur, and Doc. PhDr. Miloš Mendel, CSc., Arabist f page 34 34 Lions Club Prague Bohemia Ambassador 40 12th Czech – Russian Ball 47

President Miloš Zeman Visited the Senate

50 St. Patrick’s Day at Jurys Inn 52 CFO Club: Forecast of the economic development for 2013 and the year 2012 in retrospect 56 A Round-Table Discussions on the Topic of the Interconnection of the Czech and Austrian Gas Grids within the Mozart Project held by České PLYNOVODY a.s., Member of CE Group 58 Lions Club Prague Bohemia Ambassador 62 11th Annual CFA Society Forecasting Dinner 2013 74

Club Vivanova Australia Waitangi Day at the Hilton Hotel

11th Annual CFA Society Forecasting Dinner 2013

Winners of CFA Society CR Research Challenge f page 62

6 Leaders Magazine II/2013

contents interviews 10 We Need To Diversify Export

diplomatic events 38 Swedish Minister for Trade Mrs. Ewa Björling Visits the CR

A talk with Miroslav Kalousek, Minister of Finance of the Czech Republic

Swedish Minister for Trade Mrs. Ewa Björling

12 Co-operation and Ambitious Vision A talk with Ewa Björling, Minister for Trade of Sweden 32 The Political Parties Bear a Major Proportion of the Total Degeneration of our Political Culture A talk with JUDr. Pavel Rychetský, Chief Justice of the Constitutional Court of the Czech Republic 44 Royal Coffee – a Place Where Different Worlds Merge Into One A talk with René Sion – Managing Director of Dallmayr Vending & Office, k.s.

48 The Basic Problem Of the Czech Health Care System Is Not in its Quality, But in the Financing A talk with Pavel Pafko, Profesor Emeritus of the 3rd Department

From left: Tobias Wennberg, Senior Vice President, Head of CEE Region SAAB AB, Håkan Sigfridsson, Executive Vice President, SAAB Czech…

of Surgery, First Faculty of Medicine, Charles University in Prague and University Hospital Motol

f page 38

60 Creating Is My Life, Not My Livelihood!

An interview with Lea Vivot, internationally renowned Artist 66 Each of us is Responsible for Society A talk with Josef Baxa, President of the Supreme Administrative Court

Co-operation and Ambitious Vision

culture events 72 1st Czech Woman to be in the National Portrait Gallery in London?

86 Art Exhibition: Jan Saudek – The Photography 90 Universal Structures Exhibition in the MIRO Gallery Prague and after party at Lindner Hotel Prague Castle 100 13th Annual Trebbia European Award and Benefit Cheques Trebbia on March 10th, 2013

Art Exhibition: Jan Saudek – The Photography

Ewa Björling – received a University Degree from the University in Dental Surgery at the Karolinska Institutet in 1987. f page 12

84 I Believe In Direct Communication An interview with Michal Donath, General Director

From left: Pavlína Hodková, life partner of Jan Saudek, Deputy Editor in Chief, Harper’s Bazaar, Antonín Francouz, deputy of the company VINO-LOK…

of Donath Business & Media 88 The Need For Change

f page 86

A talk with Milan Chovanec, Governor of Pilsen Region and the Social Democratic Party Shadow Minister for Transport 92 God has a Sense of Humour A talk with Pavel Bělobrádek, Chairman of the Christian and Democratic Union – Czechoslovak People’s Party

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contents & info contributors 51

Master Engineers/Ivan Pilný

55 Intersexual Communication and its Mysteries/ Martin Opatrný 69 Media Training for Leaders and Why it’s not Enough/ Cristina Muntean 70 Peter Kozma 73 Food Waste Saving Valuable Resources/Jonathan Wootliff

Lukáš Bauer – Cross Country

To tell you the truth I value each one of them including the least successful… f page 36

76

Happiness Is the Way/Sanjiv Suri

80 Nigeria; The 21st century Contemporary Issues 83 Internet Literacy Education in the Czech Republic/Martina Vošahlíková 87 Balancing Body & Mind to Succeed/Karin Genton 94 Singapore A Golden Cage?/Joseph Drebitko 96 Vladimír Nálevka/Linda Štucbartová 98 Radek Špicar/Linda Štucbartová 108 Fast Moving Innovation: Technology Is Approaching Another Turning Point/Jan Mühlfeit 122 Cosmic Consciousness – A Journey To Well-being, Happiness, and Success, Part VIII: The Love ForceA,B/James A. Cusumano, PhD

EU matters 126 Europe has to admit the need of more flexible labour market 128 European Citizenship: More than just the right to travel An interview with Milan Cabrnoch, Member of the European Parliament 129 Debate on Quality of Higher Education: Without Information, there isn’t (effective) management 130 Bussiness News

118–119

Leaders Magazine is a member of

116–117

Publisher: Benke Aikell Head of Editorial: Lenka Helena Koenigsmark Office Manager/Head of IT: Michael Serences Office Assistant: Tatiana Fominykh Webmaster: Václav Kocourek EU Matters: CEBRE Czech Business Representation, CESES, Europlatform Contributors: James A. Cusumano, Iva Drebitko, Joseph Drebitko, Karin Genton – L’Epée, European Leadership and Academic Institute, Pavlína Holancová, Martina Hošková, Emil Jimenez, Zuzana Kasáková, Jan Mühlfeit, Cristina Muntean, Ivan Pilný, Sanjiv Suri, Emanuel Šíp, Jaroslav Škrabálek, Linda Štucbartová, Evžen Tošenovský, Jonathan Wootliff Photographers: Roland Hilmar, Anna Chlumská, Martin Janas, Konstantinos Joanidis, Zuzana Jirásková, Ivan Malý, Filip Pokorný, Jan Šulc, Hana Schmerková, Vladimír Weiss Subscription service: 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.

Typos, tiskařské závody, s.r.o., závod Praha tel.: 266 021 230 techno@typos.cz www.typos.cz

Photos from the last Advisory Board Dinner

info ADVISORY BOARD MEMBERS PhDr. Zdeněk Čáp, Managing Partner, Equity Solutions s. r. o.

Josef Drebitko, CEO, D&COMM Prof. Ing. Jiří Fárek, CSc., Professor, Technická Univerzita Liberec and former First Deputy Mayor, City of Prague 6 Mgr. Marta Gellová, Director, Česká pojišťovna and Member of the Board, AFIZ Michal Heřman, General Manager, Star Communications Plk. Mgr. Vladislav Husák JUDr. PhDr. Oldřich Choděra, Lawyer, Law Firm

From left: Jan Malat, M.D., Secretary 2012-2013, Nasa Miri, Neuroradiology, Rotary Club Prague International, Mgr. Alena Kopejtková, and Ing. Vladimír Laštůvka, former M.P.

JUDr. PhDr. Oldřich Choděra & spol.

Prof. Ing. Kamil Janáček, CSc., CNB Bank Board Member and Chief Executive Director Ing. Peter Jusko, MBA, Partner, London Market Ing. Petr Kalaš, Advisor to the Minister, Ministry of Agriculture of the CR and former Minister of Environment Ing. Josef Kreuter, CSc., former Czech Ambassador to the EU Prof. Dr.h.c. JUDr. Jan Kříž, CSc., Partner, Law Firm Kříž a partneři s.r.o.

Genmjr. JUDr. Lubomír Kvíčala, former Director of the Department of Protection of Constitutional Officials, Police of the Czech Republic Ing. Vladimír Laštůvka, former M.P. Ing. Jan Mühlfeit, Chairman Europe, Microsoft Corporation Ing. Jiří Maceška, Chairman of the Supervisory Board, Česká pošta a. s. and former Czech Ambassador to OECD

From left: JUDr. Libuše Schlossbergerová, Legislative Lawyer, Ministry of Finance and Dr. Otakar Schlossberger, PhD., Head of Banking and Insurance Department, Faculty of Economic Studies, University of Finance and Administration

George Parobek, Managing Director, Ifield Computer Consultancy Šárka Parobek, Director, Ifield Computer Consultancy Doc. Ing. Václav Petříček, CSc., Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Chamber SNS Ing. Jozef Piga, Member of the Supervisory Board, Omnipol a.s.

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 Gastroenterology Center, Nemocnice Milosrdných sester sv. Karla Boromejského v Praze and former Senator PhDr. MgA. Miroslav Smolák, Owner, Galerie MIRO Mgr. Albin E. Sybera, Managing Director, Sybera

From left: Ing. Miloš Janů, Promexim, PhDr. Jana Kozmanová, Csc., VŠE Praha, Zora Blümlová, Msc., Head of Director General Office, Český Rozhlas, Ing. Karel Muzikář, CSc., President, Comenius, and RNDr. Ing. Peter Kozma, DrSc., CEO, Securex

Enterprises spol. s r. o.

PhDr. Jaroslav Šedivý CSc., former Ambassador and Minister of Foreign Affairs JUDr. Josef Šesták, Assistant Professor, Vysoká škola obchodní v Praze, o.p.s.

ADVISORY BOARD COMITTEE

Ing. Radomír Šimek, Current Member of Numerous

H.Benke Aikell, Publisher, Leaders Magazine Ing. Petr Kubernát, Director, PEKOS s.r.o. and former Czech Ambassador to the Netherlands Ing. Karel Muzikář, CSc., President, COMENIUS

Jaromír Šlápota, President, Československý

HONORARY MEMBERS ABROAD AND GOODWILL AMBASSADORS

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

H.E. William J. Cabaniss, former United States Ambassador to the Czech Republic Vincent J. Derudder, Secretary General, The European Federation of Financial Advisers and Financial Intermediaries Frank J. Devlyn, Rotary International President 2000–2001 and Rotary Foundation Chairman 2005–2006 H.E. Alexey L. Fedotov, former Ambassador of the Russian Federation to the Czech Republic Ing. Peter P. Formanek, President Emeritus, Canadian Chamber of Commerce in the Czech Republic H.E. Richard Graber, former United States Ambassador to the Czech Republic H.E. Jan Cornelis Henneman, Ambassador of the Netherlands to the Czech Republic Otto Jelinek, former Canadian Cabinet Minister and current member of numerous international boards H.E. Athar Mahmood, former Ambassador of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan to the Czech Republic H.E. 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

International Boards ústav zahraniční Chief of Defence and Special Programs, Tatra Ing. Helena Švédová, HR Director, PSG International, a.s.

Ing. Josef Tauber, Advisor to the President, Czech Banking Association Ing. Jiří Vávra, Vice Chairman, STROJEXPORT, a.s.

JUDr. Petr Vyroubal, Partner,II/2013 Law Firm 9 Leaders Magazine Vyroubal Krajhanzl Školout

interview A talk with Miroslav Kalousek, Minister of Finance of the Czech Republic

WE NEED TO DIVERSIFY EXPORT There is enough money within our economy Miroslav Kalousek – studied at the Institute of Chemical Technology Prague. After his studies at university, he worked in Prague at a manufacturing company as the director of its investment department. During the period of transformation of ownership relations in the Czech Republic, Miroslav Kalousek represented the Government of the Czech Republic in several leadership positions in the economic sphere: In 1991–1992, on a decision by the agriculture minister he was named a member of the supervisory board of Jihočeské pivovary.

In 1994, he was elected to a position as a member of the Presidium of the Lands Fund of the Czech Republic, which he held until 1996. From January 1993 to January 1998 he served at the Ministry of Defence of the Czech Republic as the deputy defence minister, responsible for budget and acquisition processes. In early parliamentary elections in 1998, Miroslav Kalousek was elected to the Chamber of Deputies for the KDU-ČSL party. After his re-election in 2002, he became chairman of the Budget Committee of the Chamber of Deputies (serving until 2005). At the KDU-ČSL party congress in 2003 in Ostrava, he was re-elected as chairman of KDU-ČSL, and defended his position at the 2005 congress in Plzeň. He was the chairman of KDU-ČSL until 2006. From January 2007 to May 2009 he served as finance minister of the Czech Republic. From January 2009 to May 2009 he was the chairman of the EU‘s Ecofin Council, made up of the finance ministers of all EU member states. In June 2009 he left KDU-ČSL. And in June 2009, Miroslav Kalousek, together with Karel Schwarzenberg, founded the TOP 09 party. At the national founding congress of the party, held on the 27th and 28th of November 2009, he was elected first deputy chairman of TOP 09. Miroslav Kalousek has been the Minister of Finance since July 13th, 2010.

We talked to the Minister of Finance about the current status of the Czech economy, his view on the success of the introduction of pension reform, and an economic boost in the time of recession. In his own words: “The government really needs to diversify exports into areas that are more promising than the European Union, as the EU is most likely going to stagnate this year.”

Photo: Veronika Rejmanová, Source: Archive TOP 09

interview The Czech public budgets are conceived to be the most transparent in Central Europe. Yet, critics accuse you of letting the Czech economy become too tied up and underfunded. Isn’t the price too high?

I don’t agree that there was not enough money within our economy. On the contrary, banks have a large surplus of liquidity presently at their disposal. However, it is rather a question of a lack of confidence in the future of the economy, a lack of willingness to invest and to generate precautionary savings. Let me remind you that the government has already decided to set the pace of budgetary consolidation in favor of specific pro-growth measures. These include investment in transport infrastructure, research and development, export promotion and reducing energy consumption.

Yet, neighboring countries are economically expanding in comparison to the Czech Republic...

We cannot rip one parameter of the macroeconomic context and ignore others. Surely, it would be easy to increase the budget deficit, the debt and public debt, „pump“ money into the economy and thus create short-lived artificial growth.

In doing so, we would follow the same path the Social Democratic governments did in the past.

Nonetheless, this didn’t lead to any sustainable growth. We need to have long-term balanced public finances if we want to achieve long-term prosperity, and that’s exactly what the current government is gradually aiming for. Thanks to this we are able to save tens of billions on interest expenses, funds that would otherwise be lacking in necessary areas of the public sector, such as education and healthcare. At the same time, we still have a below average unemployment rate in comparison to the other EU member states.

How does the Government intend to boost the economy in 2013?

I’ve mentioned already many times that the government of a small, open and export-oriented economy has only a small impact on the economy. Much greater influence is represented by foreign demand. What our government can really do is help diversify exports into areas that are more promising than the European Union, as the EU is most likely going to stagnate, and we are extremely dependent on the EU exports at present.

Top 09 has long been pushing for reforms that haven’t been accepted well by citizens.

How do you want to convince voters in the next parliamentary election that TOP 09 policies are the best choice?

TOP 09 was established to promote the necessary reforms. From the very beginning, we were aware that it would be painful and unpopular. But there is no other way. If we don’t take these steps now, future governments will have to do it, regardless of the political affiliation, and then these steps will be even more painful.

How would you assess the people’s participation within the second pillar?

At present, it is still too early to assess the in-

IN COOPERATION WITH LEADERS MAGAZINE

Photo: Archive

terest of citizens. Anyway, pension reform is not only the second pillar, but a lot of other important steps that were made within the other pillars.

I consider it important that people see that state pensions will decline due to an aging population, and that they have to think more about security in their old age. The state offers them the possibilities of the second and third pillar, and does not prevent them from taking care of themselves otherwise, e.g. by purchasing property.

In this context, the Lidové Noviny daily conducted a survey which showed that only every third member of the coalition will enter the second pillar. Is this not rather disappointing at the moment?

No, on the contrary. If the same proportion of the population participated in the second pillar, as declared by coalition MPs at the moment, it would be a major success. It is important to realize that many coalition MPs are approaching re-

tirement, or are already at this age. For those MPs the poll loses its sense and meaning.

What do you think about the statement of the shadow finance minister of the Social Democratic Party, Jan Mládek, who said that entrepreneurs were de facto „parasites“ on the current system?

I consider it a blatant statement. I do appreciate honest entrepreneurs who create jobs and are the driving force of the economy. Yet, it makes no sense to argue about particular statements. The Social Democratic Party introduced a comprehensive program at its Congress, which means more redistribution, higher taxes, less space for freedom, diligence and creativity. This is the path to “real socialism”.

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

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interview

CO-OPERATION AND AMBITIOUSVISION

A TALK WITH EWA BJÖRLING, THE MINISTER FOR TRADE OF SWEDEN

Ewa Björling – received a University Degree from the University in Dental Surgery at the Karolinska Institutet in 1987. She has been a Registered Dental Surgeon since 1988. Ewa Björling received her PhD (in Medicine) in 1993 at the Karolinska Institutet and she has also been an Associate Professor there since 1999. Ewa Björling held several municipal and governmental positions and in 2007 she was appointed the Minister for Trade.

We talked to Ewa Björling about the mutual commercial partnership of both countries, Swedish investments in the Czech Republic and the similarities of the Czech and Swedish health care systems, among other things. It turns out that co-operation of the EU countries, together with ambitious visions are the key synergies to fight the economic crisis.

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interview How important is the Czech Republic as a commercial partner at present, and how do you hope to develop your relationship further?

The Czech Republic is a very important partner to Sweden and we have excellent bilateral relations. Last year, the Minister for Defence and the Minister of EU Affairs were among the high level Swedish visitors to the Czech Republic. In recent years both import and export figures have increased but we see scope for further improvements, not least in the health care sector. My colleagues in the Government and I travel extensively as heads of business delegations. We try to listen to industry wishes and prioritize markets with strong potential for growth, such as the Czech Republic. I am dedicated to doing my best to increase our bilateral trade and to promote Swedish investments in the Czech Republic.

Swedish investment is very important for the Czech Republic as it provides much welcome diversification. Where do you see the future scope for enhancement within this area?

Sweden is one of the world’s leading nations when it comes to life science innovations. I am proud to say that Sweden is among the world’s top five countries in terms of numbers of patents related to pharmaceuticals, medical technology and biotechnology per capita. Life sciences have long been an important Swedish export sector.

Innovators and entrepreneurs here face a far too small internal market. In order to grow they need to expand abroad relatively early. It is also a sector that the Government prioritizes for export promotion with huge potential for increased exports.

Due to the restructuring and reforms being carried out in the Czech health care sector we see an increased interest from Swedish companies, so this would definitely be one area for future enhancement.

What other areas could you mention?

Another area would be to offer solutions in renewable energy, energy efficiency, and sustainable development. Sweden has invested heavily in the search for alternative energy sources and is on the front line as the world embarks on a shift toward more sustainable energy systems.

In the Czech Republic, there is a strong demand for energy efficiency solutions and bioconversion of district heating plants. Therefore we see opportunities for Swedish companies in district heating, electricity production & solid/liquid biofuels. While Swedish companies are perhaps not always the lowest bidders, taking into account life-cycle costs and the environmental aspects of an investment, they offer strongly competitive solutions in a wide range of areas. A third one is the area of child safety where we have a long tradition and where we have noticed a big interest from Czech partners.

The Czech Republic is currently undertaking broad reform of its healthcare system. Where do you see the similarities of both the Czech and Swedish health care systems?

We both have a strong state financing of our

IN COOPERATION WITH LEADERS MAGAZINE

health care systems through public health insurance, and we are both actively developing and improving our health care systems, e.g. in the area of e-health. We also face very similar challenges for the future with an aging population, and hence a growing demand for elderly care solutions. We also face the same challenges with finding the most efficient care and hospital solutions as well as the challenges in modern health care around infection control, and antibiotic resistant bacteria. Those challenges are common for many nations, and we gain a lot from cooperating and exchanging knowledge and experiences in these areas. We also share the ambition to provide the best care possible to our citizens.

In this respect, could you explain the main focus of the SymbioCare project? How can the Czech healthcare system benefit from that pro-

ject? Is it applicable in the Czech Republic as well?

SymbioCare is an approach to health and medicine with a clear objective: to get all parts of the system to interact and provide world class care for everyone, using all resources effectively.

SymbioCare is also a network of Swedish companies, consultants and organisations that is ready to make the journey to implementation effective.

SymbioCare was founded on the initiative of the Swedish government and Swedish industry. It is shaped by Swedish conditions and experiences, but is applicable to other countries’ healthcare systems too – in whole or in part.

What achievements do you have with SymbioCare?

International comparisons show that Sweden has achieved remarkable results at a surprisingly

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interview

low cost. But we still face challenges. However, SymbioCare helps us to address our challenges in an effective way. We believe that this approach has made our healthcare system world leading.

We call our approach. It is called “SymbioCare – Health by Sweden”. I hope that this approach – combining curiosity, efficiency, quality and generosity – can inspire you as well.

One of your main priorities is to double Swedish export. What tools do you want to use to accomplish it?

Sweden, like other trade-oriented economies, has been severely affected by the crisis.

In 2009 alone, exports dropped by 17 per cent and many jobs were lost. Europe mired in a debt crisis means new challenges. The importance of exports for prosperity requires an ambitious vision. It requires strong efforts, ideas and renewal. I have launched an action plan with 40 measures with clear goals to increase internationalization and foreign trade. The action plan identifies measures within the vision’s five focus areas: global free trade, trade improvements that target individual strategic markets, a more open and better EU market, a clearer and more positive international image of Sweden, and better use of export resources at home.

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During your official visit to the Czech Republic, you met the Czech Minister of Trade and the Czech Minister of Health Care. What particular projects have been discussed?

First of all, we discussed how to increase trade between our countries and what sectors that could be of mutual interest for further development. As colleagues in the EU, we also naturally had an exchange of various issues on the current EU agenda when it comes to Trade Policy. Since the Czech Republic is a very important partner to Sweden and our cooperation on the JAS Gripen system is of utmost importance, we also discussed how this cooperation can continue. The Swedish government is dedicated to a long term cooperation and hopes that the Czech Republic will respond positively to our offer in order to give your country the possibility to operate the Gripen System for many years to come.

How is the Swedish Embassy in the Czech Republic involved in cultural promotion in our country? In your view, how can this area enrich the mutual co-operation of both countries?

The Swedish Embassy takes the opportunity to bring Sweden to the Czech Republic in as many aspects as possible. Cultural events is a natural way of presenting our country for the Czech pub-

lic. The Embassy cooperates with Czech festivals and organizers and I am very glad to say that Swedish film, literature, music, design, theatre but also aspects of Swedish everyday life, such as Swedish cuisine, are very popular among the Czechs, which makes the promotion even more exciting. The cooperation also shows how close our countries are in many ways. For example, the glass exhibition that took place in the Museum of Decorative Arts in 2010 has shown how important the influence of the Czech glassmakers was for the development of the Swedish art of glass.

Sweden has a lot to offer when it comes to food culture as well as natural conditions for the production of high-quality food products. In this context, how did you enjoy the traditional Czech dishes?

Just as much as I would encourage Czechs to try some Swedish food specialties, I have enjoyed your Czech cuisine while in Prague – both during this visit and on previous occasions. Svíčková, duck, cabbage… the lot! And I would, of course, include beer in the Czech gastronomy experience, not least the variety of beers produced by the wave of Bohemian and Moravian microbreweries!

By Pavlína Holancová ■

Eva Zamrazilová, Member of the Board, CNB and Karel Muzikář, President, Comenius

Comenius / CNB event IN COOPERATION WITH LEADERS MAGAZINE

OPENING RECEPTION

FOR EUROPEAN BANKING &FINANCIAL FORUM 2013 The European Banking & Financial Forum, organized by Comenius Society in cooperation with Mr. Miroslav Singer, Governor of the Czech National Bank, commonly focuses on economic, financial and banking issues. Already the 21st annual EB&FF was held at the Congress Center of the Czech National Bank on March 26 – 27 and this year the conference was entitled “Drama of European Financially Sustainable Growth” which was a visionary phrase widely reflected upon by the forum participants. The program of the forum was elevated by contributions from wonderful speakers like Mr. Cesar V. Purisima, Minister of Finance of the Philippines, Mrs. Wang Yuan, a significant Chinese economist and the current Special Advisor to the President of the China Development Bank, Mr. Veniamin V. Simonov, Director of Macroeconomic Analysis of the Russian Federation, Mr. Ewald Nowotny, Governor of National Bank of Austria, Mr. Gernot Mittendorfer, Member of the Management Board of Erste Group Bank, Mr. Chris Li, President of Beijing DKI Capital Investment Management, Mr. Pan Weizhi, Deputy Director General for Financial Affairs of the Guangzhou Municipal People’s Government and many others. In addition to a high number of admirable speakers, the forum was attended by a number of top bankers, ambassadors and professionals of the world of finance. This year’s conference compared Eastern and Western European approaches in banking and financial services, it touched upon topics like energy as a key factor of world finance and Hi-Tech as tools for minimizing financial crises. Over three hundred participants took part in the lively and open discussions following each panel of the forum.

From left: Eva Zamrazilová, Member of the Board, CNB, Ing. Stanislava Janáčková, CSc., and Prof. Ing. Kamil Janáček, CSc., CNB Bank Board Member and Chief Executive Director

From left: Dr. Paul Woolley, Senior Fellow, The London School of Economics and Political Science, and Jörgen Hoolmé, Director, Department Head, Commerzbank International S.A.

From left: Karel Dřevínek, Partner, Weil, Gotshal and Manges and Karel Muzikář, Managing Partner, Weil, Gotshal and Manges, v.o.s.

From left: Martin Boruta, Head of the Unit, Ministry of Finance, International Relations Department, Ing. Petr Kubernát, Director, Pekos, Ing. Eva Anderová, Director, Ministry of Finance, Department of International Relations, and Ing. Fawad Nadri, President, Czech-Afghan Chamber of Commerce

15 From left: H.E. Vitavas Srivihok, Ambassador of Thailand and H.E. Aurimas Taurantas, Ambassador of Lithuania

From left: H.E. V. Ashok, Ambassador of India, H.E. Toshio Kunikata, Ambassador of Japan and H.E. Smiljana Knez, Ambassasdor of Slovenia

From left: Chris Li, President, DKI Capital with his wife on the left and Angela Yang, Executive Assistant to Managing Director, Global Projects, DKI Capital

From left: František Piškanin, HOPI and Mr. Petr Schůt

From left: Ing. Zdeňka Indruchová, Executive Director, AČPM, Ing. Petr Kubernát, Director, Pekos, Mgr. Marta Gellová, Director, Česká pojišťovna and Member of the Board AFIZ, and Natali Ruden, Fashion Designer

From left: Gernot Mittendorfer, Member of the Managing Board, Erste Group and Karel Muzikář, President, Comenius From left: Petre Andrei, Economic Counsellor, Embassy of Romania and Wang Yuan, Senior Advisor to the President of China Development Bank

From left: Karel Muzikář, President, Comenius, Ewald Nowotny, Governor, National Bank of Austria, Benke Aikell, your Publisher, and Ing. Fawad Nadri, President, Czech-Afghan Chamber of Commerce

From left: Roman Cabálek, General Director, Microsoft, Gernot Mittendorfer, Member of the Managing Board, Erste Group and Jan Mühlfeit, Chairman, Microsoft Europe

Ing. Jitka Jakubcová, MSc. in SHRM, CEO, EPSI and Dr. Heinz Knotzer, Member of the Board and Deputy of the General Director, Česká spořitelna

16 From left: Alexander Akulinin, Director, Russia and CIS Operations, Comenius, and Ing. Alexander Turov, Trade Representative of the Russian Federation in the Czech Republic

From left: H.E. Ferdinand Trauttmansdorff, Ambassador of Austria and Gernot Mittendorfer, Member of the Managing Board, Erste Group

From left: Jiří Fárek, Professor, Technical University Liberec, JUDr. Helena Kolmanová, CNB, Petr Špaček, Member of the Board of Trustees, GFCP, and doc. Ing. Petr Dvořák, Ph.D., Dean, VŠE, Faculty of Finance and Accounting

From left: H.E. Peter Brňo, Ambassador of Slovakia and Ing. Jiří Weigl, CSc. Jan Wiesner, President KZPS and Soňa van Deelen, General Director/ CEO, SČMVD

From left: Pavel Řežábek, Member of the Board and CEO, CNB, Gernot Mittendorfer, Member of the Managing Board, Erste Group, and Karel Muzikář, Managing Partner, Weil, Gotshal and Manges

From left: Nikolay Tresnchalin, Assistant, Comenius and Daniyar Akishev, Deputy Governor, National Bank of Kazakhstan From left: Ladislav Minčič, First Deputy Minister, Ministry of Finance and Karel Muzikář, President, Comenius

From left: Alexander Akulinin, Director, Russia and CIS Operations, Comenius and JUDr. Vladimir Ermakov, CSc., General Director/Managing Director, Vemex

Ing. Petr Hotovec, Sales Director, Zenova services with his wife From left: Dr. Jan Vinter, Economical and Political Councellor and Dr. Luděk Sekyra, Chairman of the Board, SekyraGroup

17 From left: Jakub Joska, Partner, Law Office Kořán & Fiřt, Karel Muzikář, President, Comenius, and Tomáš Čáp, Executive Vice President, Comenius

From left: Ing. Radek Dohnal, General Manager, TOP HOTEL Praha and Congress Centre and Ing. Arch. Vladimír Dohnal, Chairman of the Board of Directors, Top Hotels

Comenius / CNB event From left: Miroslav Singer, Governor, Czech National Bank, Daniyar Akishev, Deputy Governor, National Bank of Kazakhstan, Karel Muzikář, President, Comenius, Ewald Nowotny, Governor, National Bank of Austria, Alexander Khandruev, Vice President, The Association of Regional Banks of Russia

IN COOPERATION WITH LEADERS MAGAZINE

EUROPEAN BANKING &FINANCIAL FORUM 2013 DAY 1 DRAMA OF EUROPEAN FINANCIALLY SUSTAINABLE GROWTH

Cesar V. Purisima, Secretary of Finance, Department of Finance of the Philippines

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Karel Muzikář, President, Comenius

Mr. Veniamin V. Simonov, Director of the Department of Macroeconomic Analysis, Accounts Chamber of the Russian Federation

Paul Woolley, Chairman, The Paul Woolley Centre for the Study of Capital Market Dysfunctionality

Mr. Kevin Klose, Acting President and CEO, Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty

Ewald Nowotny, Governor, National Bank of Austria

Daniyar Akishev, Deputy Governor, National Bank of Kazakhstan

Miroslav Singer, Governor, Czech National Bank

Alexander Khandruev, Vice President, The Association of Regional Banks of Russia

Gernot Mittendorfer, Member of the Management Board, Erste Group Bank

19 Wang Yuan, Special Advisor to the President and former Chief Economist, China Development Bank

Mr. Paolo Iannone, Deputy CEO and Vice Chairman of the Board, UniCredit Group

Zdeněk Turek, CEO, Citibank ZAO, Russia

Lunch with some prominent guests

Jia Jianping, President, Grand Europe Association

IN COOPERATION WITH LEADERS MAGAZINE

Eduard Pálka, Deputy Chairman of the Board, CE Group Energy Solutions

From left: Karel Muzikář, President, Comenius, Cesar V. Purisima, Secretary of Finance, Department of Finance of Philippines, and H.E. Evelyn Austria – Garcia, Ambassador of the Philippines

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From left: Jan Kohout, President, Czech – Chinese Chamber of Commerce, H.E. Petr Brňo, Ambassador of Slovakia, Karel Muzikář, President, Comenius, and Jiří Maceška, Chairman of the Supervisory Board, Česká pošta

Zhang Shaoyong, Vice President, Capital Group LONGJI Sci.-Tech., China

Martin Novák, Vice Chairman of the Board of Directors and Chief Finance Officer, ČEZ

From left: Vladimir D. Mekhryakov, Managing Director, ExpoBank LLC, Russian Federation, Alexander Khandruev, Vice President, The Association of Regional Banks of Russia, and Karel Muzikář, President, Comenius

From left: Chris Li, President, Beijing DKI Capital Investment Management, China, Assistant to Mr. Li, Karel Muzikář, President, Comenius, Bohuslav Svoboda, Lord Mayor of Prague, Pan Weizhi, Deputy Director General, Financial Affairs, Guangzhou Municipal People’s Government, China, Li Yi Sen, President, SINO-CZECH ECONOMIC TRADE & CULTURAL EXCHANGE ASSO and the Memorandum of Cooperation between the City of Prague and the City of Guangzhou

Comenius / CNB event

EUROPEAN BANKING &FINANCIAL FORUM 2013 DAY 2 DRAMA OF EUROPEAN FINANCIALLY SUSTAINABLE GROWTH

Jiří Devát, General Director, Cisco Systems Czech Republic

Erik Best, Publisher, The Fleet Sheet

Vladimir D. Mekhryakov, Managing Director, Expobank, Russia

21 Zbyněk Pardubský, Deputy General Manager, Huawei Technologies, Czech Republic

Roman Cabálek, General Manager, Microsoft CR

Evgeny Leonov, Chairman, Expert Council Russia & Czech Republic

Zufar Abdulgaleev, Director of Trade, Representation of the Republic of Tatarstan in the Czech Republic

Bohuslav Svoboda, Mayor of Prague, Czech Republic

Aleś Michalevič, Chairman, Union for Modernization, Republic of Belarus

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Jiří Klumpar, Chairman of the Board of Directors and CEO, Czech Export Bank

Pavel Šiška, Banking Leader for Central Region, IBM Global Business Services, Czech Republic

László Szemenyei, Strategic Economic Consultant for Financial Affairs, City of Budapest, Hungary

Pan Weizhi, Deputy Director General, Financial Affairs, Guangzhou Municipal People’s Government, China

Chris Li, President, Beijing DKI Capital Investment Management, China

From left: Zbyněk Pardubský, Deputy General Manager, Huawei Technologies, Czech Republic, Karel Muzikář, President, Comenius, Roman Cabálek, General Manager, Microsoft CR, Jiří Devát, General Director, Cisco Systems Czech Republic, Daniel S. Massey, Commercial Director, W-tec AG, Germany, Pavel Šiška, Banking Leader for Central Region, IBM Global Business Services, Czech Republic

Li Yi Sen, President, SINO-CZECH ECONOMIC TRADE & CULTURAL EXCHANGE ASSO, Pan Weizhi, Deputy Director General, Financial Affairs, Guangzhou Municipal People’s Government, China, Bohuslav Svoboda, Lord Mayor of Prague, Czech Republic, Karel Muzikář, President, Comenius

From left: Jiří Klumpar, Chairman of the Board of Directors and CEO, Czech Export Bank, Erik Best, Publisher, The Fleet Sheet, Karel Muzikář, President, Comenius, Evgeny Leonov, Chairman, Expert Council Russia & Czech Republic, Aleš Michalevič, Chairman, Union for Modernization, Republic of Belarus, Vladimir D. Mekhryakov, Managing Director, Expobank, Russia, Chris Li, President, Beijing DKI Capital Investment Management, China

senate event On February 21, 2013, the Constitutional-Law Committee and the Permanent Committee of the Senate for the Constitution of the Czech Republic and Parliamentary Proceedings organized a public hearing in the Senate on the subject of the New Year Amnesty 2013 – Motives, Circumstances, Consequences. The public hearing was attended, among others, by Milan Štěch, Chairman of the Senate, Pavel Blažek, Minister of Justice, Pavel Zeman, the Supreme Public Prosecutor, and leading Czech experts on constitutional law.

Participants at the public hearing in the Meeting Hall of the Senate

IN COOPERATION WITH LEADERS MAGAZINE

A Public Hearing in the Senate Regarding the 2013 New Year Amnesty

From left: Pavel Blažek, Minister of Justice and Pavel Zeman, Supreme State Prosecutor

IN COOPERATION WITH LEADERS MAGAZINE Participants of the public hearing in the Meeting Hall of the Senate

Milan Štěch, Chairman of the Senate and Alena Gajdůšková, First Vice Chairwoman of the Senate

Organizers of the public hearing about the amnesty - Miroslav Antl, Chairman of the Constitutional-Law Committee of the Senate and Eliška Wagnerová, Chairwoman of the Permanent Committee for the Constitution of the Czech Republic and Parliamentary Proceedings

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networking / gourmet event

AT ALCHYMIST GRAND HOTEL & SPA

From left: Benke Aikell, your Publisher, Hannu Kasi, President and Countryy Manager, g , ABB Czech Republic, p , Ira Saul Rubenstein,, Partner,, Trafi Traficon,, Barbora Látalová,, well known Avant-g Avant-garde garde Dancer,, and Boris Zupančič, Director, Czech Green Bulding Council

24 From left: PhDr. MgA. Miroslav Smolák, Owner, Galerie MIRO, Iva Drebitko, President, Triga, Patrons of Art, and Joseph Drebitko, CEO, D&COMM

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

networking / gourmet event

Mgr. Alena Kopejtkova, Lawyer, HK&R and Jan Malat, MD, NASA Neuroradiology Consultant, USA

From left: Benke Aikell, your Publisher and Michal Hrbata, Deputy Minister of Defence

From left: Ing. Petr Kubernát, Director, PEKOS and JUDr. Čestmír Sajda, MBA, former Deputy Minister of Labour and Social Affairs

From left: Ing. Petr Kalaš, former Minister of Environment, Jonathan Wootliff, former Director, Greenpeace International, Jan Malat, MD, NASA Neuroradiology Consultant, and Mgr. Alena Kopejtkova, Lawyer, HK&R

From left: Prof. Ing. Jiří Fárek, CSc.. Technická Universita Liberec and Ing. Vladimír Laštůvka, former M.P.

From left: RNDr. Ing. Peter Kozma, DrSc., CEO, SECUREX, PhDr. MgA. Miroslav Smolák, Owner, Galerie MIRO, PhDr. Jana Kozmová, CSc., Vysoká škola ekonomická v Praze, and Ing. Miloš Janů, Promexim

From left: Ing. Vladimír Laštůvka, former M.P., Milena Horčicová, Director, Ministry of Finance, and Ing. Jiří Maceška, Chairman of the Supervisory Board, Česká pošta

25 From left: Benke Aikell, your Publisher and Ing. Karel Pecka, Sales Representative, Leaders Magazine

networking / gourmet event

JUDr. Libuše Schlossbergerova and Dr.Otakar Schlossberger, PhD., Head of Banking and Insurance Department, Faculty of Economic Studies, University of Finance and Administration

Pavel Jirák, Chairman of the Board and Managing Director at Penzijni fond KB

Ing. Karel Muzikář, CSc., President, COMENIUS, Maureen Chang, Casa Serena, and Mr. Jim Chang

H.E. Alison Kelly, Ambassador of Ireland and Ing. Fawad Nadri, President, Czech-Afghan Chamber of Commerce in the CR

H.E. Aitzaz Ahmed, Ambassador of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan to the Czech Republic

26 Lenka S. Rubenstein and her portrait of Barbora Látalová, well known Avant-garde Dancer

H.E. Lembit Uiba, Ambassador of the Republic of Estonia

networking / gourmet event

Mrs. Maureen Chang and Mr. Jim Chang

From left: H.E. Lembit Uiba, Ambassador of the Republic of Estonia, Mgr. Marta Gellová, Secretary General, AFIZ, and Jaromír Šlápota, President, Československý ústav zahraniční

Mgr. Michal Kadera, LL.M. Director, External Affairs at Škoda Auto a.s.

From left: Eva Anderová, Director, Department of International Relations, Ministry of Finance and Ing. Helena Leisztner, Board Member of FNMWA

Ing. Radomír Šimek, former President, GermanCzech Chamber of Industry and Commerce

27 From left: Michal Donath, Managing Director, Donath Business and Media, Ing. Karel Muzikář, CSc., President, COMENIUS, and Ing. Vladimir Laštůvka, former M.P.

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afghan new year

From left: Daniel Soural, Chairman of the Board, Ariana Capital, Ing. Fawad Nadri, President, Czech-Afghan Chamber of Commerce, and Miroslav Svoboda, Czech-Afghan Chamber of Commerce

Nouwrus means “New Day”. It is the new day that starts the year, traditionally the exact astronomical beginning of the Spring.

Ing. Jiří Čurda, Commercial Director, IKP Consulting Engineers with his wife

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From left: Zdeněk Žák, Mayor, Národní spolek pro elektromobilitu, Ing. Lucie Orgoníková, Executive Director, Orgmedia, and Ing. Jaromír Dušek, Deputy Governor, Pardubice District

From left: Rag. Angelo Barni, Savino & Partners and JUDr. Miroslav Černý, Ph.D., Advocate

From left: JUDr. Ing. Václav Školout, Attorney, Vyroubal Krajhanzl Školout, Lenka Galeoni, Artist, and Václav Irovský, Director, VTU

From left: Roman Doležal, Ing. Fawad Nadri, President, Czech-Afghan Chamber of Commerce, Denisa Puczková, Sales Manager, JIKUMA, Ing. Jaromír Dušek, Deputy Governor, Pardubice District, and Prof.

MUDr. Miroslav Nosek, Academician, Czech Academy

Jan Jedlička, CEO, United Bakeries with his wife Kateřina, Sales Representative, Mary Kay

František Vrabel with his wife

From left: Zdeněk Cvrkal, Commercial Director, Association of Engineering Technology, Mrs. Anife Ismet Vyskočil Hassan, and Marek Nachtman, Sales & Marketing Manager, TIPTV

From left: Dagmar Raupachová, Attorney, ČernýRaupachová and Mgr. Marta Gellová, Director, Česká pojišťovna and Member of the Board, AFIZ

From left: Benke Aikell, your Publisher and Ing. Fawad Nadri, President, Czech-Afghan Chamber of Commerce

From left: Miroslav Svoboda, Czech-Afghan Chamber of Commerce, Ing. Michal Hrbata, MPA, Deputy Minister of Defence of the CR, Hynek Čech, Regi-Base, Chief Warrant Officer , Jiri Schams - alias REGI, Founder of REGI BASE, Ing. Fawad Nadri, President, Czech-Afghan Chamber of Commerce and Moderator

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From left: Jan Machálek, Founder of Maltese Cross, Ing. Jaromír Dušek, Deputy Governor, Pardubice, Mrs. Lucie Petráková, and Prof. MUDr. Miroslav Nosek, Academician, Czech Academy

From left: Jan Černý, Attorney, ČernýRaupachová, Dagmar Raupachová, Attorney, Černý-Raupachová, and Ing. Fawad Nadri, President, Czech-Afghan Chamber of Commerce

Ing. Fawad Nadri, President, Czech-Afghan Chamber of Commerce with his wife (on the right) and Ing. Miroslav Pavelka, Building and Fire Projects with his family

From left: Farad Naderi, and Ing. Fawad Nadri, President, Czech-Afghan Chamber of Commerce with his son

From left: Mrs. Markéta Kovacsova and Petra Kácová, Marketing Director, Original

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30 From left: Mr. Farad Naderi, Ing. Fawad Nadri, President, Czech-Afghan Chamber of Commerce with his wife and daughter and Mr. Sediori Shabab

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afghan new year

From left: Václav Irovský, Director, VTU, Jaroslav Štrupl, Advisor of the Ministry of Defence, Mr. Jiří Staněk, and Miroslav Svoboda, Czech-Afghan Chamber of Commerce

From left: Benke Aikell, your Publisher, Ing. Michal Hrbata, MPA, Deputy Minister of Defence of the CR, and Ing. Fawad Nadri, President, Czech-Afghan Chamber of Commerce

From Left: Haji Abdul Wajed, Director and Chairman of Golden City in Afghanistan, Sedig Shabab, Popular Singer in Afghanistan, Farad Naderi, Vice President, Malek Zada Company, Fawad Nadri, President, Czech-Afghan Chamber of Commerce, Jan Machálek, Founder of Maltese Cross, Prof. MUDr. Miroslav Nosek, Academician, Czech Academy, Photographer, and Hynek Čech, Vice Chairman of the Board, REGI BASE Foundation

31 From left: Benke Aikell, your Publisher, Ing. Fawad Nadri, President, Czech-Afghan Chamber of Commerce, Mr. Jiří Schams, and Mr. Erik Šilhavý

interview A talk with JUDr. Pavel Rychetský, Chief Justice of the Constitutional Court of the Czech Republic

THE POLITICAL PARTIES BEAR A MAJOR PROPORTION OF THE TOTAL DEGENERATION OF OUR POLITICAL CULTURE JUDr. Pavel Rychetský (*1943) graduated from the Faculty of Law, Charles University, Prague (“Charles Law Faculty”) in 1966 and passed both his doctoral and judicial examinations in 1967. He became an assistant professor of Civil Law, Charles Law Faculty, but was forced to leave after the 1968 Soviet occupation. In the “Normalization” era, Pavel Rychetský engaged in civic resistance against the totalitarian regime, was a co-founder and one of the first signatories of Charter 77, and published articles in foreign journals and Czech samizdat. He was a member of the Civic Forum and its Council of the Republic. On January 8th, 1990 he was appointed Czech Prosecutor General. From June, 1990 to July, 1992 he was Deputy Prime Minister of the Government of the Czech and Slovak Federal Republic (CSFR) and Chairman of the Government’s Legislative Council. In 1996–2003 he was a Senator in the Senate, Parliament of the Czech Republic where, until becoming Deputy Prime Minister, he was Chairman of its Constitutional Law Committee and a member of its Mandate and Immunity and Organizational Committees. In 1998–2002 he was Deputy Prime Minister of the Czech Government and Chairman of the Government’s Legislative Council, among other things. From July 15th, 2002 to August 5th, 2003 he again served as Deputy Prime Minister, as well as Minister of Justice and Legislative Council Chairman. On August 6th, 2003, after the Czech Senate had given its consent to his appointment, he was appointed a Justice and the Chief Justice of the Constitutional Court of the Czech Republic by President Václav Klaus.

interiew You were one of the first signatories of Charter 77, and at the same time, its legal expert.

What was this expertise about?

First of all, I definitely was not the only signatory of Charter 77 contributing to the individual expert opinions of Charter 77 documents. It concerned suggestions on both drafts and document assessments prior to its publishing. Unfortunately, my frequent activity soon after the publication of the initial declaration of Charter 77 became taking care of detention signatories, and the flow of information between lawyers, on the one hand, and Charter 77, on the other hand. Invaluable help was provided to us by lawyers Otakar Motejl, Josef Lžičař, Luboš Tichý, Ota Mrňavý, Jiří Klouza and many others at that time.

Do you consider the post-November development in the Czech Republic rather disappointing, or do you find the contemporary political scene as a natural transformation of any posttotalitarian society?

I have to admit that the disappointment prevails. In the first stage, we did not capture the stampede of economists from lawyers, and thus the damages caused by an insufficient legal framework of economic transformation, especially in the so-called big privatization, are irreparable. I feel an even bigger disappointment, however, in recent years, which is typical for the absolute loss of post-revolutionary ethos. It has replaced the rough pragmatism and targeted dismantling of the welfare state, and the privatization of public functions in the spirit of a stupid neo-liberalism, which has already been debunked in the advanced countries of our civilization.

You’ve said in one interview “there has been a decline of democracy and a degeneration of basic functions of the state.“ Can you describe exactly what you associate this with?

The political parties bear a major proportion of the total degeneration of our political culture, which have changed to hermetically closed clubs that have gained a monopoly on access to power.

Political power, however, is too often perceived as a means of gaining personal benefit and not as a service to the public. The most glaring symptom of the general decline is the policy of confrontation, zero tolerance, the total absence of mutual respect, and the ability to listen to each other. Our political scene completely lacks the ability of mutual dialogue and compromise.

The Role of the Constitutional Court as a last resort of constitutional protection has been changing since November 1989. The Constitutional Court has become a place where most opposition representatives solve their relations with the executive. What do you think about this upward trend?

The historically authentic role of the constitutional judiciary is to protect the sovereign status of the basic values of the democratic rule of law, even from his own lawmakers. This role was

IN COOPERATION WITH LEADERS MAGAZINE

assigned by democratic states to their constitutional courts after World War II, based on the bitter knowledge that even democracy is capable of destroying itself, as confirmed by the end of the democratic German Weimar Republic and the rise of Nazi totalitarianism, which resulted in the most deformed period of human history in the form of the Holocaust. Of course, I personally, or any of the other judges of the Constitutional Court, are not happy about the many disputes between the different wings of the political spectrum being transferred to the level of constitutional justice.

Yet, these proposals have not increased in any way in recent years, they are only more visible because of their media coverage.

The Constitutional Court recently refused to discuss the proposal of senators to repeal the second article of the presidential amnesty. You personally wanted to discuss it. Can you describe why?

For such a complex issue, it is difficult to answer briefly. In this case, the two respectable principles, both based on two constitutional paradigms, clashed. They are standing against each other. The first principle states that within a democratic state (which is the definition of the Czech Republic in the Article 1 of our Constitution) there can’t be any decision of state power that can’t be reviewed and that would be above constitutional review. I held this view in conjunction with other “dissent” judges. The second paradigm, equally venerable, advocated by a majority of my colleagues, was based on another principle. It suggests that while the citizen can do everything that the law does not prohibit, the state and its institutions must not do anything that the law did not explicitly vest in them. Thus, in our constitutional and legal system, there is real authority, including the Constitutional Court, with an explicit mandate to review and eventually cancel the president’s decision on the amnesty declaration.

As for the aforementioned amnesty, you yourself consider it very poorly prepared. Do you perceive it to be an intention or negligence?

Who bears direct responsibility?

Amnesty from January this year was really an expression of a sheer amateurism, which is the best case scenario. Otherwise, it was a real crime, but there is no evidence of it. In our constitutional system, our government is responsible for the decision of the president on the amnesty, and therefore the validity of the amnesty is conditional on the signature (countersignature) of the head of the government.

In this context, the President of the Senate and the Chairman of the Constitutional Law Committee of the Senate asked the Attorney General to investigate whether the Prime Minister, by signing the amnesty, has committed a crime. What is your view, in this respect?

The aforementioned government’s responsibility for countersigned decisions of the president is,

according to the Constitution, a political responsibility. Any criminal responsibility is much more complex and it is not for me to comment on.

The Constitutional Court is currently hearing an action for treason of the former President, Václav Klaus. When can we expect the decision of the Constitutional Court on this matter?

According to the Act on Constitutional Court, we must discuss the proposal of the Senate and make it a priority, but so far our discussion depends only on procedural issues, and thus we cannot guess the date of the final decision.

Since the end of January, the Constitutional Court has only twelve judges instead of the usual fifteen at its disposal. The new President, Miloš Zeman, has already discussed with you the appointment of new judges. What have you agreed upon? Also, are you going to announce your candidacy for the next term of office for the post of constitutional judge?

The president has received a wide range of proposals, not only from me but also from many other experts. So far, he has submitted a proposal to the Senate for consent of the appointment of the first four candidates. The question of my potential candidacy is therefore premature.

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

Leaders Magazine II/2013 33

networking/charity

Guest of Honor: Doc. PhDr. Miloš Mendel, CSc. Topic: Arab spring two years after

Members of LC Praha Bohemia Ambassador

LIONS CLUB

PRAGUE BOHEMIA AMBASSADOR

From left in front: Ing. František Novotný, Director, TERRAMET, Ing. Anton Gerák, CSc., President, LC Praha Bohemia Ambassador, Commercial Director, Secretary LCI D122 Czech Republic and Slovak Republic , JUDr. Jan Kotous, Pedagogue, Faculty of Law, Charles University, Doc. PhDr. Miloš Mendel, CSc. , Arabist, JUDr. PhDr. Oldřich Choděra, Lawyer, Charterpresident, LC Praha Bohemia Ambassador and former Governor, LCI D122 Czech Republic and Slovak Republic, and Benke Aikell, your Publisher

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IN COOPERATION WITH LEADERS MAGAZINE

From left: Ing. Tomáš Jadrníček, Project Engineer, Mgr. Kamil Košina, Executor, Ing. Vladimír Páral, Writer, Ing. Jiří Opichal, Executive Head, Allimex Trading and former President, LC Praha Bohemia Ambassador, JUDr. Vojtěch Trapl -Lawyer, former Governor, LCI Czech Republic and Slovak Republic, and MUDr. Václav Poláček, CSc., Plastic Surgeon

From left: Ing. František Chaloupecký, former President, LC Praha Bohemia Ambassador, Ing. Jaromír Kaulfus, Enterpreneur, and Doc. PhDr. Miloš Mendel, CSc., Arabist

From left: Ing. Ladislav Vaško, Commercial Director, Ing. Jaromír Kaulfus, Enterpreneur, and Ing. František Chaloupecký, former President, LC Praha Bohemia Ambassador

From left: MUDr. Karel Stibral, Psychiatrist, MUDr. Václav Poláček, CSc., Plastic Surgeon and RNDr. Jiří Švestka, CSc., Astrophysicist

From legft: Ing. Vladimír Páral, Writer, Ing. Ladislav Vaško, Commercial Director, Ing. Jaromír Kaulfus, Enterpreneur, and Ing. František Chaloupecký, former President, LC Praha Bohemia Ambassador

From left: Ing. Jiří Opichal, Executive Head, Allimex Trading and former President, LC Praha Bohemia Ambassador, JUDr. Vojtěch Trapl , Lawyer, former Governor, LCI Czech Republic and Slovak Republic, and PhDr. Ladislav Říha, Owner, CK RI-Tours and former President, LC Praha Bohemia Ambassador

From left: Jan Budín, Professor, Deylova akademie and Ing. Tomáš Jadrníček, Project Engineer

MVDr. Pavel Hradecký, Health Board Councilor

From left: Ing. Vladimír Páral, Writer and Ing. Ladislav Vaško, Commercial Director

MUDr. Blanka Seifertová, General Practitioner and Ing. Jiří Málek, former President, LC Praha Bohemia Ambassador

From left: MUDr. Václav Poláček, CSc., Plastic Surgeon and Ing. František Chaloupecký, former President, LC Praha Bohemia Ambassador

From left: Ing. Anton Gerák, CSc., President, LC Praha Bohemia Ambassador, Commercial Director, Secretary LCI D122 Czech Republic and Slovak Republic, Doc. PhDr. Miloš Mendel, CSc., Arabist, and JUDr. PhDr. Oldřich Choděra, Lawyer, Charterpresident, LC Praha Bohemia Ambassador and former Governor of LCI D122 Czech Republic and Slovak Republic

35

LUKÁŠ BAUER

Cross Country Skiing Gives You More Freedom

You once mentioned that you would like to decorate your garden in Bozi Dar with guideposts of your winning places. Have you already started?

Not yet ☺. At the moment I am fully focusing on the current season, but I like the idea very much. Such guideposts would be nice reminders.

When you look back, what race do you consider to be your greatest achievement? Torino? Salt Lake City? Or a different one?

To tell you the truth I value each one of them including the least successful, because losses are also part of sport and I’m convinced that despite any failures I did my best and fought. If we are talking about the successful ones, my first victory in the

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Leaders Magazine II/2013

World Championship, that took place in Nove Mesto nad Metuji, holds the unshakable position – to win for the first time is always the most intense and often surprising. The next one in line would be my first victory in the Tour de Ski and overall victory in the World Champs 2007/2008, and the Olympic medals come surprisingly next…I don’t know why, but that’s how I feel.

Aside from sport, what do you consider to be your greatest achievement in life?

Definitely our children, nothing can overcome such achievement…even though medals don’t talk back, still they cannot triumph it ☺.

Apart from perfect physical condition, what other

skills do you necessarily need to have as a cross country skier? How big of a role does the mind play?

Are you a bundle of nerves or can you keep calm even if there is a lot at stake?

The physical condition is essential but the mind plays a great part as well. Success is impossible to achieve without one or the other. There are moments during the season when I’m quiet tense and other times when I can keep myself calm. It also greatly depends on the people around me. When everyone takes their part and aims for the same goal, it goes smoothly.

Do you have close friends among your colleagues from the Czech national team? With whom do you go out for a beer even off the season?

It’s complicated. We get along well, even though we are competitors to each other. We spend so much time together in training camps throughout the season, so we are pretty happy without each other outside these events ☺. The fact that we all come from different parts of the country also plays a great role. When – during these events – there is a rare opportunity, we all enjoy it, but there is not many of such opportunities.

Cross-country skiing is very popular sport in the Czech Republic. If you are to describe it in layman’s terms, what is the best about it? In what way is it better than downhill skiing or snowboarding?

It provides more freedom ☺. All you need is basic equipment. If you have it you can get anywhere you want, even outside the maintained trails ... it’s all up to you. You don’t need lifts (even though one would come in handy sometimes ☺), you don’t wait in queues. In most cases you don’t even have any additional costs.

It’s only up to you how far you go.

How does the winter in Krusne Hory look like? Can you imagine yourself spending the winter in a city?

I can, but I know that it wouldn’t satisfy or fulfill me.

I’m glad that my job allows me to spend most of the winter in the mountains.

Do you also like speed behind the wheel? Do you drive in a dynamic, energetic way or are you more of a relaxed driver?

I would describe my way of driving as dynamic, but I’m not a racer. It sometimes amazes me what I see on the road, the way people behave… in those moments I would definitely fall into the “most relaxed driver” category ☺.

How are you doing with obeying the driving regulations? What is your most frequent offense of the regulations?

Regulations ... I try to follow them, but I have to admit that it is not always 100 % ☺. The most difficult for me is to keep the 30 km/h speed limit on a flat, uncluttered straight, without any obstacles.

What car do you drive? And what does your car necessarily need to have?

Most recently I’ve been driving BMW X5 and X3.

Thanks to the technology used in these cars, I literally enjoy the ride and not only in the snowy mountains.

Reliability is absolutely necessary. I need a car to take me, including other passengers and equipment, where I need to be.

Do you remember your first car?

Yes, it was Skoda Forman with 200 000 km mileage.

I bought it right after I got my driving license ☺ ... good memories, great experience... but that’s quite a long time ago :-).

Where do you see yourself in ten years? You said that you would like to race at the top level for about two more years. What’s next?

I would like to compete at the top level (World Championships) for about two more years. Then maybe switch to Vasaloppet type of races and ones similar to it. Or switch to a standard working mode whether in connection with sport or in a completely different field.

It depends on the situation after I will finish, but I’m sure I won’t be lost ☺.

What are you most looking forward to at the moment?

You may not believe it but even though there is still a month to go till the end of the season (April 7), the thing I’m most looking forward to – after World Championship – is the end of the season. I won’t have to constantly pack and unpack my bag and will be able to stay at home for a while ☺.

By Marie Malá ■

Leaders Magazine II/2013 37

diplomatic event

Special thanks to SAAB for making this reportage possible

IIN NC COOPERATION OOPERATION W WITH ITH LLEADERS EADERS M AGAZINE MAGAZINE

Swedish Minister of Trade

Mrs.

From left: Daniel Boestad, Vice President CEE and Balkans, Group Marketing and Sales, SAAB AB, H. E. Annika Jagander, Ambassador of Sweden, and Ewa Björling, Swedish Minister of Trade

EWA BJÖRLING

Swedish Embassy timely arranged a Breakfast Meeting for invited Czech and Swedish business people to hear Minister of Trade from Sweden Mrs. Ewa Björling’s speech about the increasing and positive trend in the sphere of Business, Health and Culture between the two countries.

Visits the CR

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Guests at the Swedish embassy

From left: Jiří Bláha, Marketing Specialist, Skanska, LtCol. Per Råstedt, Defence Attaché of Sweden, and Gustav Ahlsson Political Advisor, Ministry of Foreign Affairs

From left: George Briford, Head of Financial Services, Capgemini Czech Republic and Mgr. Jiří Lacina, MBA, Country Manager, Maquet Rolf Ericsson, Counsellor, Deputy Head of Mission, Embassy of Sweden and Anna Ekberg, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Sweden, Department for EU Affairs

From left: Marie Passburg, President, Skanska Property CR and Helen Alterius, Trade Commissioner, Embassy of Sweden

From left: Marika Přinosilová, Industrial Cooperation and Marketing Manager, SAAB Czech and Dan Tok, CEO/ Chairman, Skanska

39 From left: Tobias Wennberg, Senior Vice President, Head of CEE Region SAAB AB, Håkan Sigfridsson, Executive Vice President, SAAB Czech, and Ulf Landeberg, General Manager, Lindner Hotel Prague Castle

@

MORE PHOTOS AND ELECTRONIC VERSION AVAILABLE ON WWW.LEADERSMAGAZINE.CZ

gala evening

12th Czech – Russian Ball at Žofín – organized by Chamber of Trade and Industry for CIS countries under the auspices of Petr Nečas, Prime Minister of the Czech Republic and H.E. Sergey B. Kiselev, Ambassador of the Russian Federation to the Czech Republic

From left: H.E. Sergey B. Kiselev, Ambassador of the Russian Federation to the Czech Republic, Doc. Ing. Václav Petříček, CSc., Chairman of the Board, Chamber of Trade and Industry for CIS countries, and MUDr. Přemysl Sobotka, Vice Chairman, Senate of the Czech Parliament

th

12 CZECH – RUSSIAN BALL

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40

From left: Ing. Jan Joska, Loans Manager, Czech Export Bank, Doc. Ing. Václav Petříček, CSc., Chairman of the Board, Chamber of Trade and Industry for CIS countries, Jana Kordačová, Deputy Executive Director, Chamber of Trade and Industry for CIS countries, Karel Gott, Singer, and Ing. František Masopust, Executive Director, Chamber of Trade and Industry for CIS countries

gala evening

Ing. Petr Bendl, Minister of Agriculture of the CR with his partner

From left: Doc. Ing. Václav Petříček, CSc., Chairman of the Board, Chamber of Trade and Industry for CIS countries and Benke Aikell, your Publisher

From left: Jana Kordačová, Deputy Executive Director, Chamber of Trade and Industry for CIS countries, Dr. Andrej Halaszi, Mrs. Zuzana Poláčková, and Peter Závodský, Advisor to the Minister, Ministry of Agriculture

From left: Ing. František Masopust, Executive Director, Chamber of Trade and Industry for CIS countries and Ing. Miroslav Kostelka, former Ambassador of the CR to the Russian Federation

Silvia Patrová, Managing Director, Bulgari, and JUDr. Mgr. Pavel Škvára, Ph.D., MBA

Ing. František Masopust, Executive Director, Chamber of Trade and Industry for CIS countries, Martina Kociánová, Moderator, and Dr. Luděk Sekyra, Chairman of the Board, SEKYRA GROUP

Doc. Ing. Václav Petříček, CSc., Chairman of the Board, Chamber of Trade and Industry for CIS countries, H.E. Sergey B. Kiselev, Ambassador of the Russian Federation to the Czech Republic, Ing. Mirek Topolánek, former Prime Minister with his wife Lucie Talmanová

Ing. František Masopust, Executive Director, Chamber of Trade and Industry for CIS countries with his wife

41 From left: H.E. Vasily Markovich, Ambassador of the Republic of Belarus and Vladimír Laštůvka with his wife

gala evening

From left: Anna Ponomareva, Senior Counsellor, Russian Embassy and Jiří Klapka, President of ČAR with his wife

Ing. Juraj Surovič, PSG International and Ing. Dagmar Kuchtová, Director, SPČR

From left: Ing. Rostislav Žoudlík with his wife and Jan Hroník, Ministry of Industry and Trade with his wife on the left

Viliam Ďuriš, JVS Group and Mrs. Aneta Faitová

Doc. Ing. Václav Petříček, CSc., Chairman of the Board, Chamber of Trade and Industry for CIS countries in his welcoming speech

42

Dancing

Ing. Jan Šíp, CEO, MAVEL and Luboš Černohouz, General Director, Sigma Group

From left: Jan Hamáček, Vice Chairman, Parliament of the CR and H.E. Tigran S. Seiranian, Ambassador of Armenia with his wife H.E. Sergey B. Kiselev, Ambassador of the Russian Federation to the Czech Republic

Ing. Martin Sankot, Ph.D., Deputy Minister, Ministy of Culture with his partner

Miroslav Provod, Member of the Board of Directors, ŠKODA JS with his wife

From left: H.E. Sergey B. Kiselev, Ambassador of the Russian Federation to the Czech Republic with his wife on the left and Doc. Ing. Václav Petříček, CSc., Chairman of the Board, Chamber of Trade and Industry for CIS countries

Tomáš Dub, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs with his wife

From left: Ing. Miloš Janů, Managing Partner, Czech – Kuwait Trading Ltd., Ing. Lucie Lamačová, Ph.D., Managing Director, Akoya Pearl, Cyril Svoboda, Director, Diplomatic Academy with his wife on the left, and MUDr. Viera Frantlová, MBA, Managing Director, Akoya Pearl

From left: Petr Kužel, MBA, President, Chamber of Commerce of the CR, Doc. Ing. Václav Petříček, CSc., Chairman of the Board, Chamber of Trade and Industry for CIS countries, and Vladimir Ermakov, General Director, VEMEX

43

interview A talk with René Sion – Managing Director of Dallmayr Vending & Office, k.s.

ROYAL COFFEE A PLACE WHERE DIFFERENT WORLDS MERGE INTO ONE

44

Photo: Vladimír Weiss

interview We talked to the managing director of the Czech subsidiary, René Sion, who was at the birth of the brand launch in the Czech Republic and keeps developing it greatly until today.

In 2001, Dallmayr House expanded into Central and East Europe. How was it accepted in the Czech Republic at first?

We became one of the latest significant brands actually launched in the Czech market, which, although already very occupied, has not been such a big challenge for us in the end.

Why? The product’s quality of our competitors was very questionable at that time. You have to be aware that the Dallmayr brand belongs to the four most luxurious delicatessens in the world. Here, it is still of marginal importance to provide coffee catering in general. Of course, our competition doubted that we would be able to break in with such a high-quality product. However, I am happy to say that they had to adapt to our level after about a year of our operation in the Czech Republic. Hereby, we succeeded in educating the market and at present, having Dallmayr coffee at a catering belongs to the standard etiquette. Finally, we were so successful, we even had to expand and build our own building...

What was the key strategy for the Czech market?

Since the very beginning, we mainly focused on the B2B segment with an extended portfolio comprising self-service and vending machines, office coffeemakers and office coffee systems, among many other things. In short, any use of technology devices for professional use in facilities. It can be businesses, institutions, law offices, state organizations, in short any place where coffee is wanted. To sum it up, we specialize in caterings and various blends of coffee that our clients can order together with our professional service.

Why do you think coffee has been globally such a popular drink for centuries?

Although several inconvenient myths circulate around coffee, this drink brings many positives for our body. And mainly, it is a great “ice breaker” during negotiations and official visits. In this respect we have, in particular, a great reputation at the Prague Castle. When Václav Havel unexpectedly died two years ago, we made coffee for 1400 statesmen from around the world at his funeral.

There were so many heads of states which we could have last seen here perhaps during the period of Charles IV. It was a surreal experience when in line for your coffee stood Bill Clinton, Madeline Albright, John Major, James Cameron or Karel Gott. We have also provided Václav Klaus and his spouse with our coffee and vending machines, and this tradition continues with the new president, Miloš Zeman, as well.

Now you are in your own building in Jesenice.

Why did you choose to go outside of the city?

Well, we are equipped there not only with administration but also a storage space with technical background aimed at machinery and other necessary technology settings, where eventually

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the clients may be trained or where people interested in coffee culture can meet and enjoy themselves. To be honest, our most difficult decision concerned how to decorate it. We originally wanted to have business posters on the walls...

Why have you changed your mind?

Well, coffee logically belongs rather to the cultural world. At the same time, we’ve begun exploring many different cultural events, whether it be opera days, exhibitions or openings, among other things. As fate would have it, I met with Katerina Bohac Linares at one of them. She has already represented her collection of Latin American art.

I liked the images very much; they were positive, cheerful, and especially resonated to the world of coffee. In the beginning we just rented a couple of pictures which finally resulted in the entire gallery.

Thus, we’ve established the Latin Art Gallery within our company building, and about 120 people came to the first opening. Hereby we unwittingly laid the foundation of a tradition, which now has taken place for more than a year.

“We are serving kings, princesses, prime ministers, presidents and all those who love perfect coffee service.”

Who can come to visit you?

People interested in coffee, art, Latin America, and other cultural issues can more or less regularly meet here. In the very beginning, I was really surprised that our visitors were not only near friends but our real clients, for we don’t invite just anyone to show their faces here. Thanks to all of them, we are still learning how the events can be done differently.

How do your gatherings differ from traditional business events? In your view, what attracts the clients most?

As we see it, there is a big wave of interest in Latin America in the Czech Republic at the moment. Somehow, Latin America was not particularly affected by the crisis. For many people it‘s just a market that is very interesting both culturally and economically. There is also a great Latin

& Hispanic minority that lives here too, of a few thousand people. And people do teach Spanish here, have a lot of friends here, so this has naturally generated interest in the culture. However, people come here not only because of the paintings. It is rather a meeting of friends for coffee, wine or Swiss cheese tasting. We have also introduced some significant sponsors of other high-quality brands here, like wine, food, etc.

And the world of art within is kind of uplifting for our clients.

Could you explain this relation of art with business? Why do you support it?

People come here and see paintings, and wonderfully relax and recharge their energy. Last but not least, the natural connection of corporate culture and the world of art generate the notion of a social engagement. In short, we can inspire a lot of people with our events. They come, buy a painting and thus can cultivate their working environment as well. All at once, they realize that their life has changed a little, as they can see their art in their own environment. It might look like an insignificant step at first sight, yet believe me, it is like an avalanche. And we are very proud that the customer has something extra in his conference room with his coffee.

Could you explain what the coffee culture is about in more detail? How is it related to your concept?

The birthplace of all coffee is East Africa, specifically Ethiopia and its province Kaffa. Dallmayr coffee is mainly based on the Ethiopian coffee, which is very characteristic. However, in all of our ranges, a very substantial quantity of coffee comes from Latin America. And mainly specialities and rarities come from there. Therefore, it is very logical that there is a very strong relation between Latin American culture and the Latin American Art on one side, and the Dallmayr brand on the other. There are, of course, different elementary kinds of coffee, like Robusta, Arabica, etc.

Moreover, each Latin American country has a different way of preparing coffee, and the most typical is the Italian style. Coffee colado represents an old style of making coffee, not in the cities but in the rural areas. It has a very special taste, and I could go on…

Talking about a prosperous brand whose foundation dates back to the early 18th century (In 1700 the first Dallmayr House was opened in Munich) is almost a rarity. This family business received its name in 1870 from its founder Alois Dallmayr. In 1900, Dallmayr belonged to the leading delicatessen houses in Europe, proudly displaying its renomé of the “main supplier of the Royal Bavarian Court”. Its evolution came in the sixties, when Dallmayr launched the first coffee machines at BMW in Munich. At present, Dallmayr coffee represents a high-quality brand, which has been developing its coffee blends for 70 years, and created a typical Dallmayr coffee flavour…When you visit its Czech branch, apart from the coffee, a special blend of Latin American art, various coffee machines and gadgets impresses you as well. The facts here speak for themselves. Its present turnover is one billion euro and the company controls 13% of the German speaking market.

Leaders Magazine II/2013 45

interview

Photo: Vladimír Weiss

KATERINA BOHAC LINARES FIRST LADY OF THE LATIN AMERICAN CENTER AND ART GALLERY The name Bohac, means “rich” in the Czech language, and so can be described the life journey of the young Latin American Artist, Katerina Bohac Linares. She was born in Venezuela and since her very childhood she showed a great affinity and talent for art. She completed her studies at University of Los Andes, in Venezuela. “It was very practical”, says Katerina. “We studied everything: photography, paints, drawing, ceramics, Venezuelan history and theory of Art, etc.” Hand in hand also goes her adoration for the Mexican artist, Frída Kahlo. “She was my first inspiration, she was a strong woman and a teacher for all of us. Thanks to her, I can understand much better that if you want to do something, you can do it!”

In her father’s footsteps Surrounded by traditional Czech customs and art, Katerina soon followed the vision of her path – looking for her roots in the Czech Republic. Firstly, however, she arrived in Ostrava in 2007 to learn Czech language and culture. “The beginnings were not as I always dreamt,” confesses Katerina, who made her living on teaching arts and Spanish at that time. Slowly, she began with the promotion of her own pieces of art, with her first exhibition in Olomouc. Yet, she felt that there is still something more for her here. “I always wanted to visit Prague, as my father was born here.” At that time, she finally took courage in her hands, and her life project – the idea of establishing the Latin American Cultural Centre here in Prague – began to emerge. “The overall idea was to create a place where all Latin American Arts can be exhibited. Actually, it regards not only painting, but it is about customs, habits, dancing, music, just everything that involves culture.”

The right place at the right time The lucky stars were on her side in every way. She started approaching people at Embassies, and told them about her project. She knew that they might have the “right budget” to cover her dreams and she finally succeeded. The first exhibition was from Venezuela, because Katerina, among other skills, disposes of a great artistic network from her homeland. Hereby, her artistic friends were happy to send their paintings to the Czech Republic. It was just at that time that she inescapably connected with the Dallmayr Kaffee brand in the Czech Republic. “It was not a coincidence, it was destiny that brought me to meet René Sion. We were very lucky. I had a lot of art in my place and he, on the contrary, an empty building at that time. Thus our co-operation started.’”

What to show The Latin American Gallery is actually only a part of the big project of the Latin American Centre in Prague. “We want to promote artists and their art with exhibitions from Honduras, Spain, Venezuela and from Peru. We also plan to involve Ukrainian and Italian art here, and last but not least, I plan to launch the Latin American Art collection in 2013 here.” And this project is really far from a small one – there are several internationally very recognized names on the list, including Oswaldo Vigas, Angel Peña from Venezuela. Moreover, the Latin American Centre involves education, workshops on Spanish language, and Latin American art classes, providing for specific information on travelling to Latin American countries, and the organization of conferences on politics, art and culture. “So this is the first step, says Katerina with a smile, and the other steps are going to follow soon.”

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Leaders Magazine II/2013

What can we typically encounter in the Latin Art Gallery?

We promote Latin American Culture and the events are not aimed at just sitting and drinking coffee. At present, we have here an exhibition of Peruvian culture. You can taste the Peruvian wine or typical Peruvian food in the Gallery, or see dancers from Peru with folklore. I definitely should not forget the Ambassador from Peru excelence Marita Landaveri – Porturas, who opened and strongly supported the exhibition. Last but not least, our walls are covered with pictures of Pilar Suárez, the internationally renown Peruvian artist.

Can you expand on that?

Her work is inspired by El Señor de Sipán, a king in the Moche culture, which is a very old pre-Hispanic culture. What is really amazing about this art is the fact that it encompasses the colours of the ground, the coffee itself, and uses the typical Latin American material Jute. Annually, we plan to do a cycle of four events a year.

So, it almost seems like profit is not the main incentive anymore?

Of course, profit is always the main goal. Yet, we are living in a turbulent time of boom and crisis moments. You work really hard from morning to evening, and if you are lucky you may realize why I am taking the business in a different direction. Hence, you might get the feeling of receiving greater value for the money you gain. We actually want to make a conference on this topic.

However, philanthropy doesn’t work in our country well thus far. What do you see as the reason for this?

In my view, people, including businesses, still don’t know how to do it properly. One must simply see life around them! People in our country are lacking this viewpoint and are not willing to add anything to the community. In this respect, Dallmayr is already taking some practical steps, as well aiming to provide a way for others to enrich their lives.

Pavlína Holancová ■

senate President Miloš Zeman in the Senate meeting

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PRESIDENT MILOŠ ZEMAN VISITED THE SENATE On March 21, 2013, President Miloš Zeman participated in a meeting of the Senate of the Czech Republic Parliament.

The Chairman of the Senate, Milan Štěch, welcomed the President in the Wallenstein Palace, then the President and the Chairman met with the Vice Chairmen of the upper chamber of the Parliament.

Accompanied by the presidential fanfare from the Libuše opera, President Zeman then entered the Meeting Hall of the Senate, where the plenum hold meeting and delivered his speech.

The President and Chairman of the Senate then held a joint press-conference and participated in an informal meeting with the Senators.

President Miloš Zeman and Alena Gajdůšková, the First Vice Chairwoman of the Senate

Přemysl Sobotka, Vice Chairman of the Senate, President Miloš Zeman, Miluše Horská, Vice Chairwoman of the Senate, and Zdeněk Škromach, Vice Chairman of the Senate

47 Press conference in the Senate: President Miloš Zeman, Milan Štěch, Chairman of the Senate, and Pavlína Heřmánková, Spokeswoman of the Senate

President Miloš Zeman, Senator Dagmar Zvěřinová and Senator Eva Syková

interview

48

interview A talk with Pavel Pafko, Profesor Emeritus of the 3rd Department of Surgery, First Faculty of Medicine, Charles University in Prague and University Hospital Motol Prof. MUDr. Pavel Pafko, DrSc. (*1940) is a Czech surgeon, who from 1992 to 2010 served as the Head of the 3rd Department of Surgery, First Faculty of Medicine, Charles University in Prague and University Hospital Motol. He was born in the Slovak Republic.

He is the leading surgeon dealing with lung transplants. He has trained many skilled surgeons. In 1997, his team made the first lung transplant in the Czech Republic. He operates in the field of thoracic and abdominal surgery. Pavel Pafko gained greater recognition for his surgical removal of the lung tumor of the former President Václav Havel. He is the author a book „Šlo to skoro samo“ (Pavel Pafko, Jan Králík, Paseka, 2012).

You once said that there is only one true medicine. Can you explain that?

It is very modern today to practice so-called “holistic medicine”. It gives the impression that thus far no holistic medicine ever existed. Its proponents argue that today individual specialists see only your body, and do not perceive the human body as an integral system. But medicine has always been holistic. In ancient times doctors had the opportunity to influence the patient more or less by psychological means, because many practices in the field of physical medicine were not yet known. Gradually, the importance of surgical procedures arose, but that does not mean that the “spirit” faded away from the healing process.

Moreover, modern medicine is whole without someone having to give it special names, and making a whole big deal out of it. A good doctor can see both the body and spirit of the patient equally. Many common diseases begin in the mind and end in the body, such as high blood pressure. In the bush in Africa, I think there are very few hypertensive patients there.

Where do you see the biggest problems in contemporary Czech health care?

Czech health services provide citizens with a quality of care equal to what patients receive in Germany, France and Great Britain. In many segments they provide an even greater level of quality. The basic problem of the Czech healthcare system is not in its quality, but in its financing. Developed European countries provide health care for about nine per cent of their GDP. However, the problem is that our state is not able to create as large an amount of GDP as those advanced countries of Europe and the US. So what are our spendings, in this respect?

Our expenditure on health care is around 7%, Germany’s is 10.4%, France’s is 11% and the U.S. spends about 15% of its GDP on health care.

In addition, one percent of the Czech GDP is not the same as the English or German GDP. Thus far our society doesn’t generate sufficient funds to smoothly ensure for health care provisions similar to Western countries. Given that health care is a manufacturing process, the materials are available for global prices.

Can you be more specific?

Today, anyone will sell an ambulance to Prague for half the price of what they sell it for to Vienna. In addition, the price per liter of pet-

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rol in Austria and in our country is practically the same. These are material inputs. Then, there are some personal inputs, which are to some extent influenceable. Now this, however, concerns not only the salaries of health care professionals, but the whole Czech healthcare system. The expenses of the insurance companies have been falling for three years in a row. They dropped from 291 billion CZK to 288 billion CZK last year.

In addition, the state sucks money from the health care system in general. By increasing VAT, the drug prices, food prices for hospitals, etc., the prices have increased as well. Thus, financing of health care has already reached its limit.

On top of that, the insurance companies have recently declared that this year they will only put 98% into health care compared to what they put into the sector in 2011. However, between 2011 and 2012, insurance companies collected 10.4 billion CZK more.

What is it due to?

Of course the collection is higher, for the average wage has been increased, and one needs to pay 13.5% tax. Nobody, however, can understand how it is possible that the selection is higher, yet objectively decreases. Thus, the Ministry of Health admits that there is a “black hole” in our country – in the police force, the army, many places that the state administers. But even if we sealed all of the black holes, there’s probably about only half of the expenditures per citizen compared to expenditures in Austria. And we want the same treatment at the same time.

Is transplantation and reconstructive medicine going in the right direction that research and development in medicine should take?

In medicine you have both trends (research and development), as in every human activity, and meanwhile you have to help people who are sick and need to survive. This type of medicine is obviously attractive to the media, but it is also the only solution available to patients in the final stage of their disease. These patients have already exhausted all other resources and transplantation is the last option. Otherwise, of course, the function of the body’s stem cells, which are unfortunately still in development, may improve.

You carried out a daring operation for the former president Václav Havel. Was it for you in any way different? Were you a little bit more afraid?

You need to have a certain confidence. I was 57 years old at that time, I had already performed many operations, and I certainly believed in myself.

Surgery is the royal discipline, and often the surgeon is supposed to save a person’s life.

Should a surgeon have some special attributes?

I think so. At the least we are very rational people, who are not open to some emotions that artists are open to. The surgeon simply sees a problem that must be solved, ie. he needs to be a good decision-maker, although not to the extent you see on TV shows such as Chicago Hope or the MASH series. Thus people can see surgery is associated with big drama. It is true that unlike internal medicine, or neurology, we decide on crucial matters during life-threatening experiences. Surgery therefore requires some determination and certainly manual skills.

What inspires you, what gives you strength?

Currently there is a new book about “burnout syndrome”. In this respect, I was asked my opinion about this phenomenon. I believe that one needs to do just what he likes. I feel sorry for people who work eight hours a day and look forward to going home after four o’clock, to enjoy themselves in their garden. These people should be gardeners. I recognize that a certain percentage of people nowadays cannot choose freely due to the unemployment crisis. On the other hand, it is necessary that one goes his own way, perhaps not in Prague, but somewhere else for half the salary he would get in Prague. Many people who are suffering from burnout syndrome go to jobs that don’t suit them well. They are angry, do not like going to work, and yet they don’t have the courage or strength to say no, and finally quit. In this respect, I was lucky in my life that I could, and still can, do just what I like. On the other hand, I know some Ukrainian people who spend all their time just drinking alcohol at home, remaining unemployed in Ukraine. However, I also know about people who had the balls leave their poor living in Ukraine and come here to work for a cleaning company, here in Motol, and live quite a successful life here. We always have choices in life.

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

Leaders Magazine II/2013 49

gala evening

Jurys Inn

Eva Stránská, Sales Executive, Jurys Inn and Wolfgang Teufl, General Manager, Jurys Inn

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The chef with his team

From left: David Prchal, Director of Sales, Eva Stránská, Sales Executive, Olivia Adenubiova, Sales Representative, and Wolfgang Teufl, General Manager, Jurys Inn

Entertainment

David Prchal, Director of Sales and Jindra Litomiská KPMG

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Great selection of wine and food

Prestigious award given to Jurys Inn by Holiday Check

analysis

Master Engineers it’s a platonic membership. The times when I used to be at least a specialist for computers and their peripherals are long over. I corrupted myself into something, which these days is undoubtedly more “sexy,” the work of a manager. As my wife sometimes notes – I’m looking for people who will do the work instead of me.

As a witticism tells us, in professional life, there are two options. Either specialize and slowly decrease the scope of your interest until you end up someone who knows everything about nothing. ☺ We drive over beautiful and impressive bridges, admire interiors and exteriors of buildings we enter, where we work or play computer games.

The list is not complete. We could mention dams, ski lifts, cars and their equipment, all having one thing in common – they were invented, designed, and constructed by engineers.

I am a member of this currently overlooked and forgotten guild and have to admit that

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Or, gradually increase your scope of vision, until you reach a point when you know nothing, but about almost everything. I walked both paths.

But enough quips, I’m here to defend the engineers. I have three main reasons for this. The first is based on need – if it wasn’t for builders, chemists, architects, computer engineers, mechanical engineers, the MBAs would have no one to lead, the ecologists no one to fight with. The humanists couldn’t keep “restructuring” the lists of values. Sociologists and political scientists would have no way to explain how human society works.

In tribes and caves, all these values take a back seat.

The second reason is a need for the professions. Engineers and technicians don’t stand in lines at the Labor Office. Companies fight for them. There are fourteen MBAs to a dozen

and when economies limp along, there is no money for the humanists.

The third reason is tradition and the pride of a tradition. Do you know how many of our engineers built daring constructions around the world? Do you know the names of designers of textile machines, turbines, cars, and trams? Do you know that our specialists were involved in the construction of the first computer in the world? Even today such people live among us, but don’t belong to the ranks of high-society or five-minute celebrities.

Mathematics, mechanics, electrical engineering and chemistry aren’t ‘in’. Not only did the elements of fame disappear from them, so did the adventure they contain. Nonetheless, you students and parents out there, popularity won’t provide a living, one must look for something practical that is missing in the job market. And rest assured that the feeling of satisfaction from the fact that something worthwhile, useful and well paid will be left behind you, is well worth it.

Let’s occasionally remember the faded glory of our engineers in our media. We owe it to them.

Recently the Association of Graduates and Friends of the Czech Technical University in Prague (Spolek absolventů a přátel ČVUT) renewed its activities. Our goal is to connect its tens of thousands of graduates with its long and honorable traditions, to share experiences and contribute to the recovery of esteem for the engineering vocation.

By Ivan Pilný ■ President of Tuesday Business Network Former Chairman of Czech Telecom český překlad naleznete v elektronické verzi magazínu na www.leadersmagazine.cz

Leaders Magazine II/2013 51

discussion event

Miroslav Singer, Governor, Czech National Bank

It took place in the splendid premises of the Grand Hotel Bohemia on February 20th.

The only speaker of this evening Miroslav Singer, Governor of the Czech National Bank, presented the latest report on the economic development in the Czech Republic. Hope for the moderate growth was expressed for the year 2013. A lively panel discussion moderated by Pavel Páral, Editor in Chief of the Euro weekly, touched varied topics including the possible implementation of Euro in the Czech Republic.

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FORECAST

of the economic development for 2013 and the year 2012 in retrospect was the topic of this year’s first CFO Club session

From left: Sébastien Durrmeyer, Deputy Head of the Economic Department, French Embassy in the Czech Republic and Patrick Erbs, Head of the Economic Department, French Embassy in the Czech Republic

From left: Jiří Jiroušek, CFO, Tepelné hospodářství Hradec Králové and Marek Čepela, CFO, HOCHTIEF CZ

52 Pavel Páral, Editor in Chief, Euro weekly and Alena Seoud, Managing Director CR & SR, Dun & Bradstreet

Eva Vašková Čejková, Partner, ConPro and Zbyněk Hutar, Editor in Chief, CFO World

Patrik Choleva, Council Member, CFO Club and Vice Chairman, Board of Directors, CFO, Skanska

From left: Jiří Klumpar, CEO, Česká exportní banka, Václav Slovák, CFO, Zdravotní pojišťovna ministerstva vnitra České republiky, and Jiří Hron, Sales Director, M.B.A. Finance

From left: Pavel Páral, Editor in Chief, Euro weekly and Miroslav Singer, Governor, Czech National Bank

Kamil Ziegler, Vice President, Council of the CFO Club, Member of the Board of Directors, SAZKA sázková kancelář

Jiří Klumpar, CEO, Česká exportní banka

Irena Prášilová, Senior Manager, Accenture Central Europe B.V.

Pavel Makovec, CEO, Arca Capital CEE,

Setkání se konalo v krásných prostorách Grand Hotelu Bohemia 20. února.

Host večera pan Miroslav Singer, guvernér České národní banky, přednesl čerstvou zprávu ČNB o ekonomické situaci v České republice. Pro rok 2013 byl predikován mírný růst. Následovala živá panelová diskuse moderovaná Pavlem Páralem, šéfredaktorem týdeníku Euro. Diskutovalo se na rozmanitá témata a nechyběla ani otázka na představu ČNB o zavedení eura.

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From left: Jiří Hron, Sales Director, M.B.A. Finance and Štěpán Pitra, Finance and Administration Manager, CALPRA

From left: Benke Aikell, your Publisher and Petr Kubernát, CEO, PEKOS

From left: Július Kudla, CEO, Euler Hermes Europe SA and Jan Vinter, Independent Finance Consultant

From left: Aleš Barabas, Vice President, Council of the CFO Club, Member of the Board of Directors, UniCredit Bank Czech Republic and Pavel Páral, Editor in Chief, Euro weekly

From left: Jakub Minařík, Manager, Arthur D. Little and Martin Kašák, Head of Department Corporate Services, ČEPS Invest

From left: Martin Novák, Council Member, CFO Club, Member of the Board of Directors, CFO, ČEZ and Jan Žůrek, Managing Partner, KMPG Česká republika

Discussion at the main table

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@

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analysis

Intersexual Communication AND ITS MYSTERIES

Martin Opatrný is a Communication expert and advisor on Meida and Crisis Communication. He gained his present experience both in the private sector and in civil service. Before his previous engagement, as spokesperson and advisor for the Prague City Hall Opencard project, Martin worked at Interel – the European strategic communications group that offers an integrated approach to top level public relations and affairs, as well as association management. He also worked as press secretary and spokesperson for the President of the Chamber of Deputies of the Czech Parliament. He obtained most of his professional experience and skills in the Public Relations Department of the Ministry for Regional Development, where he worked as acting departmental head, spokesperson and the Editor-in-Chief for their official website. Martin further acquired practical work skills as a journalist for Czech Television, a PR agent at a private PR agency and a professional freelance writer. He now teaches Media and Crisis Communication at Charles University in Prague, conducts courses and trainings in communication and gives freelance advice covering his field of expertise. Martin graduated from the Philosophical Faculty of the Charles University in Prague, where he obtained his PhDr. degree in cultural studies, with a specialization in mass communication and psychology. He had also studied management and marketing. You can find more on: http://cz.linkedin.com/in/martinopatrny and reach him at: martin.op@centrum.cz.

Why do men and women not understand each other? Simply because they do not really want to, as both sexes are mainly focused on their native and inherent style of communication. Men and women are socially equal, although male and female are not biologically equivalent. Neurophysiological differences lead to the fact that men and women perceive the world differently – including verbal and nonverbal communication.

Women usually speak to maintain relationships, men communicate data and facts. Mostly, men speak in order to solve a problem. Women often talk about a certain problem and its possible solutions. Men formulate thoughts into simpler and more structured sentences. They choose a more direct communication. Women work with indistinctual hints, sensitively read nonverbal communications and expect empathy from their counterparts. This is the crucial issue.

If a woman wants a man to understand something, it must not rely on the fact that the man should find a deeper meaning that is not said aloud at all. It is always necessary to clearly articulate specific information and, if possible, even more preferably on more than one issue.

Women, unlike men, can quickly switch between varied activities as well as topics of conversation. Yet communication problems are the cause of more than 70% of all separations and divorces.

The English philosopher, Bacon, said that a man and a woman can never understand each other, because they both want something else.

Man wants woman and woman man. But if women understand that it is necessary to speak clearly and specifically and men are better in listening what women say to them, mutual understanding will be much improved…

By Martin Opatrný ■ český překlad naleznete v elektronické verzi magazínu na www.leadersmagazine.cz

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Leaders Magazine II/2013 55

discussion event Discussion at the main table

A Round-Table Discussions ON THE TOPIC OF THE INTERCONNECTION OF THE CZECH AND AUSTRIAN GAS GRIDS WITHIN THE MOZARTT PROJECT HELD BY ČESKÉ PLYNOVODY A.S., MEMBER OF CE GROUP On February 26, 2013, an important round-table negotiation took place under the auspices of Petr Nečas, the Prime Minister of the Czech Republic.

The discussion concerning the connection of Czech and Austrian gas-line systems in the Mozart Project took place at the residence of the Austrian Ambassador to the Czech Republic, Mr. Ferdinand Trauttmansdorff. It was attended by representatives of the Czech and Austrian ministries of industry and trade, professionals from the gas industry of both countries and representatives of financial institutions.

This new high-pressure gas-line for transporting natural gas would connect the Czech and Austrian gasworks. The main goal of the connection is to provide more secure and reliable supplies of natural gas to the Czech Republic and Austria.

From left: Dir. Mag. Dr Harald Stindl, CEO, Gas Connect Austria and H.E. Ferdinand Trauttmansdorff, Ambassador of Austria

From left: Ladislav Dráb, CEO/Chairman, České plynovody a.s. from CE GROUP and H.E. Ferdinand Trauttmansdorff, Ambassador of Austria H.E. Ferdinand Trautmansdorff, Ambassador of Austria and Mgr. Daria Šťastná, PR Director, Česká energie, a.s. from CE Group

56 From left: Eduard Pálka, Vice Chairman of the Board, České plynovody a.s. from CE GROUP and Miroslav Ivan, Consultant, Anderson

From left: Dr. Heinz Knotzer, Member of the Board and Deputy of the General Director, Česká Spořitelna, H.E. Ferdinand Trauttmansdorff, Ambassador of Austria, and Ladislav Dráb, CEO/Chairman, České plynovody a.s. from CE GROUP

From left: Alexandr Vondra, former Minister of Defence of the CR, H.E. Ferdinand Trauttmansdorff, Ambassador of Austria, and Ladislav Dráb, CEO/Chairman, České plynovody a.s. from CE GROUP

From left: Nikolaus Seiwald, Commercial Counsellor, Austrian Embassy and Alexandr Vondra, former Minister of Defence of the CR

From left: Jiří Šimek, Vice Chairman of the Board, E.ON Energie and Thomas Kleefuss,CEO, NET4GAS

From left: Ladislav Dráb, CEO/Chairman, České plynovody a.s. from CE GROUP and Tomáš Gürtler, Executive Director, Real Estate and Structured Finance, Raiffeisen Bank

From left: Martin Pecina, MBA, General Director, Vitkovice Machinery Group and Nikolaus Seiwald, Commercial Counsellor, Austrian Embassy

From left: Jiří Šimek, Vice Chairman of the Board, E.ON Energie and JUDr. Vladimir Ermakov, CSc., General Director/Managing Director, Vemex

From left: Ladislav Dráb, CEO/Chairman, České plynovody a.s. from CE GROUP and prof. JUDr. Ing. Roman Makarius, CSc.

57 From left: Charles Peake, Věda nás baví, o.p.s. and Ing. Josef Hais, Commercial Director, Pražská plynárenská, a.s.

From left: Ing. Martin Pecina, MBA, General Director, Vitkovice Machinery Group, Ladislav Dráb, CEO/Chairman, České plynovody a.s. from CE GROUP, and prof. JUDr. Ing. Roman Makarius, CSc.

networking/charity Guest of Honor: Ing. Kamil Jankovský, Minister of Regional Development Topic: Regional Development IROP

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From left: Ing. Ladislav Vaško, Commercial Director, Ing. Petr Kučera, CSc., Authorized Expert for the Construction Field, Ing. Antonín Novotný, CEO, CSI, Ing. Jaromír Kaulfus, Entrepreneur, and Ing. František Chaloupecký, former President of LC Praha Bohemia Ambassador

LIONS CLUB PRAGUE BOHEMIA AMBASSADOR From left: Ing. Antonín Novotný, CEO, CSI, Ing. Petr Kučera, CSc., Authorized Expert for the Construction Field, and Ing. Ladislav Vaško, Commercial Director

From left: PhDr. Ladislav Říha, Owner, CK RI-Tours and former President of LC Praha Bohemia Ambassador and Prof. MUDr. Aleksi Šedo, Vice Dean, 1st Medical Faculty of Charles University

58 From left: Ing. František Chaloupecký, former President of LC Praha Bohemia Ambassador and Ing. Josef Čekal, former President of LC Praha Bohemia Ambassador

From left: Mgr. Jan Haur, Managing Director, Platar s.r.o. and IS Administrator and Ing. Jiří Nejezchleb, Tax Advisor

From left: Ing. arch. Petr Bílek, Architect’s Studio Bílek Associates and JUDr. Jan Kotous, Pedagogue, Právnická fakulta UK

Mgr. Jan Haur, Managing Director, Platar s.r.o. and IS Administrator

From left: Prof. MUDr. Aleksi Šedo, Vice Dean, 1st Medical Faculty of Charles University and Ing. Vladimír Páral, Writer

From left: Ing. Ladislav Bouček, CSc., Entrepreneur, former Governor, LCI D 122 Czech Republic and Slovak Republic and PhDr. Ladislav Říha, Owner, CK RI-Tours and former President of LC Praha Bohemia Ambassador

From left: MUDr. René Vlasák and MVDr. Pavel Hradecký, Health Councellor

59 From left: Ing. Kamil Jankovský, Minister of Regional Development and JUDr. PhDr. Oldřich Choděra, Lawyer, Charterpresident of LC Praha Bohemia Ambassador and former Governor of LCI D122 Czech Republic and Slovak Republic

Miroslav Hříbal, Entrepreneur

interview An interview with Lea Vivot, internationally renowned Artist

CREATING IS MY LIFE, NOT MY LIVELIHOOD! You have Czechoslovak roots. How has that influenced your artistic views?

The birth-cradle and its environment influence every person’s development, expression of their talents or abilities and at the same time create limits to be overcome, in order for talent or ability to find application. The country of my birth was powerfully christened by culture. There was a lot to eat, perhaps even pure water to drink...

How does your difficult life experience reflect in your work?

It’s apparent from the primary expression of humanity present in both the motives and details of my works – motherly love, love as the expression of a positive world-view, with all its pains and ill-

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nesses, belief in the human being and its spiritual transformation.

Your birth name was Drahomíra. How does Lea differ from Drahomíra?

They are communicating vessels filled with love and emotion, as well as tears, sweat, sacrifice, pain and compassion.

In your view, what should art attempt to awaken in people?

The internal view of the world, in a somewhat wider dimension and context. It should bring light to the fog of every day, cheer up through the warmth of hope and love. Art is a universal language and refines the consciousness of humanity.

What do benches embody in your work?

At certain levels, a theater stage, where the images of human lives reveal themselves in full breadth and natural reality, from birth to death, with all their emotional expression. If we’re lucky, we are born in a bed, a form of a bench and die in it too...

Why do you include erotic themes in your work?

It’s a reality that accompanies people their whole lives through varied levels of imagination, a reality none of us can escape from. The erotic is the significance of life.

It’s the salt of life, with us from birth to death in various latent forms and expressions, in pleasure

interview as well as pain. It’s an exciting mystery, a root of life that dies with the fate... or that endlessness and uncertainty of the origins of life. Are we merely some game and whimsy of some movers of the universe, or of God? Without the existence of these tensions we wouldn’t be here writing and reading these lines.

Do you believe in fate? Do you believe you were destined to be a sculptor?

That’s a very interesting question to ponder, but life is so colorful already, nothing is monotone nor entirely accidental. There are interplays of circumstances that decide upon the creation of life, its fulfillment, as well as individual desires, wishes and the hard, tenacious and focused work.

Where do you get inspiration for your particular works?

From life, from fates, famous people and history... I’m just an instrument of creation and during that creation, I’m part of the past, present and future.

When and how did you come up with the idea of creating life-sized bronze sculptures?

My life-sized and larger-than-life sized sculptures are monuments for the public. They express the life stories and events that identify themselves with the vision of an artist. I also offered an original theme of creating a bench as a story line in a set of sculptures. Through interaction, anyone who passes by can sit down and become a part of the sculpture. In the swirl of today’s life, benches offer quiet contemplation, emotional relaxation and harmony.

Your unique work has been displayed in several countries, including the Czech Republic.

Which of your works exhibited in the Czech Republic do you like most and perhaps why?

They are all close to my heart, because they are all like my children. I breathe life into them and leave a part of my life in them. As a mother, naturally, the theme of mother and a child is something close to me and this is also true in the context of my exodus and the return to the beautiful country of my birth.

Do you feel development within your art work? Can you tell us what exhibitions you prepare at present?

Thy streets of the world are my exhibition grounds and galleries. The sculptures breathe like

people, in various conditions of our civilization – in front of skyscrapers, interiors of houses, in the deserts, as well as forests.

The next unveiling of my sculpture ‚Yo The Picasso‘ will take place in Toronto, in front of a 55-story skyscraper named Picasso.

WWW.LEAVIVOT.COM BIOGRAPHY Lea Vivot is a internationally renown artist who resides in Kleinburg, Ontario, Canada. She was born in Šumperk, Czechoslovakia and is active in sculpture, drawing and printmaking. Presently she creates in Kleinburg, New York, Acapulco and the Czech Republic.

She has studied at the Prague School of Stage Design in Czechoslovakia, the Academia di Brera in Italy, the Ontario College of Art in Toronto, and the Art Student‘s League in New York. Her career as an artist began in the seventies when she began working on bronze sculptures. She quickly became internationally known for her over lifesize bronzes, such as the „Lover‘s Bench“. Lea has made benches as her trademark.

Her sculptures are always full of humanity and she often depicts families, couples, mothers and children. The large scale of her work calls for the interaction with the public who

naturally enjoy to occupy the same space as the bronze figures. On the benches, Lea Vivot likes to include inscribed messages by people from all walks of life. The various additions of the Secret Bench, Lost Paradise, which are found in Montreal, Toronto and New York, all have handwritten messages expressing the hopes and fears of children.

The Secret Bench of Knowledge, which is in front of the National Library of Canada, in Ottawa, bears a message of the joy and value of reading.

Writers from Canada and abroad, as well as the general public have inscriptions on the bench.

Lea Vivot‘s interest and involvement of others in her work eloquently demonstrates the importance of sculpture and its role in society. The Secret Bench of Knowledge, like all her sculptures, tells a story. She once said „knowledge belongs to all, and what is not written is forgotten.“ It seems appropriate, therefore, to have The Secret Bench of Knowledge at the National Library, where published heritage is gathered and preserved for the use of Canadians and other international guests for now and in the future.

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

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forecasting dinner

Miroslav Singer, Governor, CNB

th

11 ANNUAL CFA SOCIETY

FORECASTING DINNER 2013 Prague, 1 March 2013 – The current state and future development of the Czech economy were the focus of yesterday’s 11th Annual CFA Society Forecasting Dinner 2013. This annual gathering of top financial professionals hosted by the CFA Society Czech Republic takes place every year under the auspices of the Governor of the Czech National Bank. About 220 representatives of banks, other leading financial institutions and corporations from the Czech Republic and Slovakia participated in this year’s gala evening.

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62 From left: Tomáš Sedláček, Economist, Chief Macroeconomic Strategist, ČSOB and Marek Jindra, CFA, Ernst & Young

From left: Jaroslav Horák, Investment Committee Chairman, ARX and Luděk Palata, Vice President, Riverside Europe Partners

From left: Lubomír Vystavěl, Manager, Transaction Advisory Services, Ernst & Young and Ing. Rudolf Rabiňák, Executive Director, Member of the Board, Raiffeisenbank

Emília Mamajová, Country Representative, PineBridge Investments and Michal Mareš, CFA, NB Financial Advisors

From left: John Vax, CFA, Independent Capital, Juraj Černička, LBBW Bank CZ, and Radek Mixtaj, Deutsche Bank Österreich AG

From left: Kevin M. Capuder, M.A., Chair of the Business Department, University of New York in Prague and Ira Saul Rubenstein, Partner, Traficon

From left: Tomáš Krčil, Legal Services Manager, Plzeňský Prazdroj and Andrew Bailey, Finance & IT Director, Plzeňský Prazdroj

63 From left: Petr Zlámalík, Associate Director, CORPIN, Ing. Tomáš Krsička, CFA, Chief Investment Officer, Accredio, and Tomáš A. Matějovský, Chairman of the Supervisory Board, Accredio

From left: Bc. Josef Tesařík, MBA, Deputy Chairman of the Managing Board, TESCO SW, Michal Donath, Donath Business & Media, and Julie Stejskalová, Managing Editor, Czech News Agency

From left: Karel Ježek, Rada Evropské Unie, Jan Žižka, Editor, Českápozice.cz, Petra Wendelová, Ernst & Young , and Vít Bárta, Advisor to Vice Governer of CNB

From left: Jiří Rusnok, ING, and Mojmír Boucník, AXA CR

From left: Tomáš Klápště, Managing Director, Head of Corporate Finance, PATRIA and Alan Svoboda, Executive Director Sales and Trading, ČEZ

From left: Miroslav Singer, Governor, CNB and Jesper Berg, Senior VP, Nykredit Realkredit

Tomáš Sedláček, Economist, Chief Macroeconomic Strategist, ČSOB

Jesper Berg, Senior VP, Nykredit Realkredit

Jan Herzmann, Managing Partner, ppm factum research

Winners of CFA Society CR Research Challenge

From left: Marek Jindra, CFA, Ernst & Young, and Petr Rieger, University of New York in Prague

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infrastructure analysis

Introducing Renewable Energies We often hear sombre prophecies on “oil peak”, “oil break point” or even on “oil catastrophe”, or more precise estimates that, given the present volume of crude oil output the known deposits are to suffice only for some decades or a hundred of years of drilling. Come what may, it is generally felt that our civilization is to prepare for the necessity to gradually switch to other sources of energy, which means beside more use of natural gas also renewable ones. Therefore the EU also marked out an ambitious target to double the share of renewable energy on the overall European energy consumption from today’s 10% to about 20% in 2020. This was also embodied in the European Directive 2009/28/EC on the promotion of the use of energy from renewable sources. For the Czech Republic the preset target is to increase the share of renewable energy from 6.1% in 2005 to 13% in 2020.

The existing portfolio of potential “clean” energy sources is very broad: it reaches from inland, onshore and offshore wind power through solar power (even concentrated one), hydropower, bioenergy, ocean wave energy, geothermal energy, hydrogen power, firedamp up to landfill gas. This would impute an idea that we have a good choice how to replace the potentially deficient oil or coal by something more hopeful. But the situation is not so as one could deduce from paper concepts.

The introduction of renewable energy hits many practical snags. Some of its sources are irregular by nature and cannot be efficiently regulated.

Wind, sunshine or ocean waves govern by their own caprices and not by energy regulation plans.

The situation with fluctuating German wind energy that runs over to Czechia and Poland and endangers their energy distribution systems is very well known. Wind farms create in some European regions spectral landscapes that the authors of science fiction would dare to locate only to extraterrestrial worlds some decades ago. Growing of biofuel plants competes with foodstuff in the world where a considerable part of the population still lacks in sufficient food. And after all, many of new energies are much too expensive to be introduced in an efficient manner. Would you e.g. buy an electric car that would cost you a half more than a conventional petrol-driven car if you knew that it would allow you travel only 100 – 200 km

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without uncomfortable recharging? This may do for daily commuters, but not if you travel for a holiday.

The Czech public is now scared by giant costs introduced by excess subsidizing of solar energy.

The root of the problem originated in 2005 by the approval of Act No. 180/2005 Coll. on Promotion of Use of Renewable Sources (repealed in 2012) and the subsequent purchase price decision for 2006 by the Energy Regulatory Office (Energetický regulační úřad, ERÚ) that more than doubled the former purchase prices of renewable energy to be newly subsidized from the state budget with long-lasting guarantees of the initial price level.

As the prices of photovoltaic technology underwent in the next years a considerable reduction, the business became a true gold-field for the initial investors at the expense of taxpayers. This became a huge caveat for the public sector in respect of future unreasoned ideas and aggressive lobbyism to cope with.

This may be an extreme case but the impact of renewable energy support on consumers is broadly felt in Europe. Energy prices grow considerably in Germany, France, the United Kingdom and more other countries. The upsurge of energy prices for this reason recently led even to vast political turmoil in Bulgaria, causing the resignation of the incumbent government and also public accusations of the distributors including Czech ČEZ of allegedly cheating the consumers.

In spite of high EU ambitions for the future it still appears that decentralized solutions have worked best so far. If you live on “wuthering heights” it is easy to cover your consumption from wind energy.

When you operate a larger animal farm it is advantageous for you to convert its biologic waste into electricity. The same advantage is for those who live at a sunny side of a hill. A delicate matter is to apply these technologies large-scale. This should require, inter alia, very costly investment into reinforced high-voltage grids as well as into available storage facilities (such as pumpedstorage plants). It might be more reasonable for the governments to invest more instead into purchase prices of new energies into a research that would make them subsidy-free and efficient. Of course, a much simpler way is to invest in technologies allowing more effective power savings anywhere, in business as well as in households.

The Czech strategy must be based on the fact

that the Republic is a landlocked country that cannot profit from such energy sources like sea wind power or ocean wave energy.

The Czech Government took note of the draft of a new State Energy Policy in November 2012. The Policy counts with greater emphasis on nuclear energy and increase of the share of renewable energy, but without a significant extension of support from public funds. The aim of the Policy is also to keep energy prices at an acceptable level for both industry and households. The new concept does not wish to make the Czech economy paying excessively high prices for energy from renewable sources, as was the case in previous years. In 2020, it wants to increase the share of renewable energy from the current 13.5 percent to 14 percent, still keeping the national EU target.

The concept underlines the intention that 80 percent of electricity is to come from domestic sources. Other important steps will lead to reduction of the share of coal in energy production from 60 percent to 20 percent, thus by two-thirds until 2040.

Emanuel Šíp ■ Partner, Allied Progress Consultants Association český překlad naleznete v elektronické verzi magazínu na www.leadersmagazine.cz

Leaders Magazine II/2013 65

interview A talk with Josef Baxa, President of the Supreme Administrative Court

EACH OF US IS RESPONSIBLE FOR SOCIETY 66 Photo: Vladimír Weiss

interview JUDr. Josef Baxa (*1959) was appointed the President of the Supreme Administrative Court in 2003 by Václav Havel. He graduated from the Law Faculty of Charles University in Prague, and at the beginning of 1984 he worked as a county criminal court judge, and later at the Regional Court in Pilsen. He became its vice chairman in the spring of 1990. He participated in the establishment of the Law Faculty, University of West Bohemia in Pilsen, where he teaches criminal law up to the present day. From 1998 to 2002 he was the first deputy minister of justice (for ministers Motejl, Bureš and Rychetský). He participated in the preparation and enforcement of a major amendment to the Criminal Procedure Code and the creation of a new institutional and procedural framework of administrative justice.

In 2009 he became a lawyer in the field of administrative law. Last year in early November, the Union of Czech lawyers appreciated his merits with its highest award – the Silver Medal of Antonín Randa.

“There is a great tolerance for corruption in our country, and people in their routine matters don’t regard it as something immoral.”

Why did the Supreme Administrative Court (NSS) not operate until 2003? Was there a political purpose?

We are perhaps one of the last institutions that emerged after the establishment of the independent Czech Republic under the Constitution.

I do not think that it was deliberate, rather it was not a priority. Of course, there was some legislative work on the implementing law with regard to the NSS taking place, but this mostly focused on where it would be located. Yet in reality, does the executive branch ever rush to establish an institution aimed at its own supervision and restriction?

How did our society cope with this?

The absence of the NSS was filled by the Constitutional Court to some extent. Thus, the Constitutional Court laid a foundation for modern administrative justice in our country and established the initial case-law. Thereby, it set up standards stating what the administrative justice should truly look like. NSS also originated in Brno, and not exactly under ideal material and personal conditions. However, everything bad is good for something. Great things are usually born in emergencies. Thus, we were actually blessed with a gift of something positive.

So, can you do a short recap of the last ten years? What is the NSS’s greatest strength at present?

It has emerged a very competent authority, also very technically competent, independent and impartial. Sometimes the administrative courts arise so that they are a clone of a public administration; an institution acting as a court reviewing an administrative decision, yet not a real court.

We are a real court.

Can you explain that?

The fact that there is an independent body which can review and even abolish a decision was a great thing for citizens, legal persons, but also for the public administration itself. In a way, the administrative justice has not been quite recognized by our society thus far. However, especially in the early years, the public administrations had to get used to the NSS. The official considers himself to be in the superior position when dealing with citizens, and may consider decisions his right and obligation. However, if you bring an action against an administrative body you are in an equal position, because the “state” is the defendant, while you are the applicant. And a third inde-

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pendent and impartial body will decide the case.

Thus you have more influence on the executive branch...

Yes, the executive branch is watching out for our case-law. Now we have a situation where the executive branch sometimes carefully, sometimes carelessly, analyzes our decisions and adapts its procedures. Of course this is not to say that everyone who turns to the NSS succeeds, that’s not true. However, the public administration cultivates carefully and our decisions are respected.

We all complain about overload with the new regulations in the long-term. Is it really an extreme in our country?

The question is not whether there are many or few rules. It is a matter of quality. Given that the legislative process here is not very good, the insufficiency itself generates the need for change.

If the law was good, there would be greater legal certainty, greater respect for the law, higher legal awareness. Moreover, an artificial demand for legal changes wouldn’t be induced. It is de facto a vicious circle.

In your view, is there a dislike of political parties that has something to do with this process? Is it purposeful?

Sometimes it is possible to consider such things. Some prefer order and some disorder.

Some can, amazingly, live or do business in a mess. I definitely don’t say that the legislators have always had low and dishonorable goals. Yet, of course they may have, and the law has been consciously left in such a state. Or the Chamber of Deputies creates such notorious affixes that no one can understand them. The result is so often a “mix” of incompetence, poor quality, hidden naive ideas, and interventions of various interest groups. Thus the new standards do not correspond to the statements in the explanatory report - simplification, refinement, technical amendments, without adverse economic impacts, etc.

So, where do you see possible improvement?

I see it as a great frustration. It is not just about growing demand for legal services, but an overall decline in the respect for law. The state churns out newer and newer responsibilities aimed at citizens, without actually being able to guarantee their compliance or enforcement in the field of public law. However, the law should help us.

Citizens should be confident that if they follow the rules, everything will be fine. On the other hand,

if someone breaks the law, there are institutions that can effectively restore the rule of law. However, in today’s covert there is big potential for corruption! In this respect, I’ve recently read that Czech goods, services, and sports are competitive in the world, but our politics are not. We are really missing our place in the world!

Do you think that the fundamental change might bring about electoral reform?

There is always a question of whether there should be an electoral system, so that the elections turn out clear and unambiguous. Yet, the very uniqueness of electoral victory has its pitfalls as well. It’s very dependent on the current state of political and legal culture in the country. Bearers of the power should finally realize that when they have the power, they do not have to apply it to the limit, after all. The winner shouldn’t immediately run a “blanket bombing” of the landscape and society. He should wisely and generously promote solutions to social problems and care for the welfare of the country soon after the elections. Moreover, he should think more about the times when he won’t be in power. In short, social development shouldn’t resemble a rogue pendulum dividing society into extreme positions, accompanied by constant conflict and turmoil.

An ideal example is the family; one cannot vote there and both must agree on things, even though the members often have very different opinions.

Consistency is of much greater value. Similarly, it should be this way at the level of municipalities, regions and the state.

So, the electoral reform won’t help us at all?

It’s been said that where there is a will there is a way. The point is to get people who are factual, who have a respect for rules, into politics. So far, unfortunately, politicians demonstrate their diligence on how much money they can get and how many acts they present and adopt. I am missing a reform program here, (serious much like the public finance reform and the reform of the pension system) that would deal with a general revision of the legal system. Substantive law and procedural rules and institutions of all kinds are used for protection or law enforcement. This of course has to be a big and strong program, the implementation of which cannot be a partial issue in the government program delineated within one election period. It needs to be a long-term task of all the relevant actors who can change the law.

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interview

Cleaning, slowing, improvement, stabilization in terms of the creation of law, strict compliance and enforcement, etc..

And how can we increase the quality of the legislative process?

Lawmaking has been affected by departmentalism. Given its principle, which we quote in our judgments very often, the law should be uniform and without contradictions as a system. Nobody follows this, however. Neither the Government Legislative Council, or the Government itself; in Parliament various lobbyists even step in, and the

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Senate has usually unfortunately only little space for improvement. On the other hand, the demand for changes in our society is great, which has been reflected by the interest of the people in the last presidential election.

Can you expand on that?

The first direct election of the president drew the attention of a large part of society, a really big turnout. Such attention had not been paid to any parliamentary elections in 20 years. What I find even more essential, however, is the great deal of attention from the younger generation. Moreover,

the direct election, among other things, has surprisingly opened up a discussion of historically unresolved issues. All of a sudden we’ve realized that our society not only has not come to grips with its communist past, it has not even dealt with all of the events of World War II. After all, we are the winners of World War II...

Well, that’s the point. Suddenly there began to emerge uncomfortable questions about our role during the War, we who won on occupied territory. How have we behaved as individuals, what did we do right after the War? How did collaborators, sometimes overnight, become resistance fighters; these are very difficult issues. I think that currently Germany, even though it was very affected by Nazism, is doing much better. We have not been asked questions similar to those that the German children asked their fathers and grandfathers years ago. And I hope that this topic won’t disappear from our public sphere.

This, of course, is closely related to searching for elites within the public space. In this respect, how do you perceive the presidential election results?

I think there has been a phenomenon of a growing cult of mediocrity for a long time. Over the last hundred years our society has rather failed. We do not have many heroes; there is a number of moral failures, adaptation, the bowing of heads.

I see clearly that we feel inadequate. And in this sense, Czech society went against the elites. We have forced them to both external and internal exile. On the other hand, it would be a great illusion to think that the election was a battle between decency and indecency, and if Karel Schwarzenberg had won, that our society would be suddenly respectable or less corrupt. The President is indeed an important symbol, but no savior will help us.

Everyone must start with himself. The reality is not that people are rude at the top, and at the bottom there are decent people. Finally, it just varies in the opportunities one has. There is a great tolerance for corruption in our country and people in their routine matters don’t regard it as something immoral.

So it’s not just a question of elites?

An elite is someone who honors a greater share of duties than is his own rightful share. And I’m not just talking about the philanthropy of the rich, but also about the behavior of the state and its crucial representatives. It concerns the question of how the state can deal with people in need, the socially disadvantaged, those who need it, without ideological clichés. Each person must retain their dignity, and this cannot be modified by any law. What we can do is talk and write about it, for indifference to poor leadership cannot prevail.

It is a civic consciousness of every man, that we shouldn’t rely on the people in top positions, because each of us is responsible for society to the same extent.

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

media power

Media Training for Leaders AND WHY IT’S NOT ENOUGH When people ask me why I decided to leave journalism in order to become a media trainer and coach, I admit it’s not easy to answer. Journalism has been the love of my life, and I still believe in the society-changing power of the media. This profession taught me so much.

Then, why did I leave? Diplomatically I would say I felt I could make a bigger difference somewhere else. In truth the answer is much simpler: depth. As digitalization has been taking a bigger toll every day on the quality and depth of media coverage, my need for work with a higher purpose was less and less fulfilled in the newsroom. On the other side, people on our post-communist markets are just beginning to get closer to themselves and discover the opportunities that good communication can bring into their lives. An increasing number of leaders are starting to glimpse the infinite possibilities of self-awareness. This is my place, I told myself; using my journalistic skills to assist such people on their path to self-discovery is my greater goal and my higher purpose.

COMMUNICATION – THE TIP OF THE ICEBERG When I started training people in media skills, I had numerous tips and tricks to share with my clients. However, I often reached a limit that surprised me: my client would ask me why should they talk to the media in the first place. Why should they develop skills for something they dread in the first place? To me, a former top-dog business reporter, this question was outrageous: how can you, in a leadership position, not talk to the media? Yet, getting to know them better, I reCristina Muntean is a professional communications adviser, media trainer and coach.

She has more than 12 years’ experience in the Czech, Romanian and international media. In August 2010 Cristina founded Media Education CEE, a Prague-based premium PR advisory and training agency. Her clients are top managers, diplomats and public officials who aim to make their voice heard in their community. In June 2011 Cristina was elected president of the Czech PR Klub; in January 2012 she was elected chairwoman of the Marketing Committee of the American Chamber of Commerce in Prague. Cristina speaks Romanian, French, English and Czech and can be reached at cm@mediaed.cz.

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alized communication was just the tip of the iceberg. These people who are permanently under the pressure of KPIs and stumbling clientele have often difficulties to see the forest for the trees.

In order to conduct media training that works, I needed to learn to go deeper – to plunge into the waters beneath the iceberg, there, in those dark spaces of personal motivation, dread and fear.

What I found there was totally worth the ice-cold plunge.

WHAT DO LEADERS FEAR MOST IN COMMUNICATION? 1. Making mistakes Everybody is afraid of making silly mistakes that could ruin their careers. However, the possibility of making such mistakes in front of the camera that would be immortalized forever can turn the most skillful public speaker into a resistant communicator.

2. The superficial fraud Many leaders analyze their media performances through the eyes of their industry peers. What if someone in my rank would perceive me as a superficial phony? How is that going to impact my business?

3. Paralysis Sometimes going to speak in front of a camera at 10 p.m. after a day of managing a crisis – and still looking fresh and self-confident – can be quite a challenge. The prospect of becoming paralyzed and unable to articulate comprehensible messages in front of millions of viewers can be an inhibitor for many communicators, particularly for those who overreact when pushed to the corner.

4. Losing control For someone who’s permanently in charge and has an army of respectful employees at his command, dealing with an unpredictable journalist can be quite confronting. The fact that somebody else has control over your message and there isn’t much you can do about it can benumb many gifted leaders.

5. Failure Very few people in Central and Eastern Europe have been trained to see opportunity in breakdowns. Yet, for all of us being praised for our achievements is nurturing. So, why face failure when it can be avoided?

6. Ruining reputation Many people put dozens of years into building the image of an impeccable manager, husband, wife, politician or athlete. Yet, it takes up to 30

Photo: Jakub Stadler

seconds to ruin that – Tiger Woods, Lance Armstrong or Oscar Pistorius could tell you their share on that one. What if under stress and the unforgiving lights of the camera your mask would fall off and the world would see you for who you really are? Could you withstand that fact?

7. Losing material well-being At the end of the day, many leaders would join the media game and face their fears if only there was no material loss involved. Yet, if a mistake on camera could lead to losing their job, the pressure of having to explain it to their families is simply too much to bear. Endangering the source of income for a nice, easy family life and good education for children in the future is simply too much to bear.

This is the moment when many people in charge prefer to say no and move on without the risks open communication could bring upon them.

It looks quite dark down there under the water, doesn’t it? We can train for smiling in front of a camera and articulating memorized sentences as much as we please – we would only polish the tip of the iceberg. Powerful authentic communication comes only when you dare to plunge under the water with an open spirit. Along the way, you may discover a higher purpose for what you do that will hold you and back you up in the most stressful circumstances. This goes way beyond media communication – this takes you back to yourself. Ready for the ride?

By Cristina Muntean ■ český překlad naleznete v elektronické verzi magazínu na www.leadersmagazine.cz

Leaders Magazine II/2013 69

presentation

Peter KOZMA RNDr. Ing. Peter KOZMA, DrSc., the director of the successful high-tech and engineering company I.T.A. – Institute of Technological Applications, Ltd., Prague, awarded among Czech Top 100 in 2009 as the best company in the category of Dynamic Growth (see Prague Leaders Magazine No.1/2010), is well known as the photographer of the ART-TECH style. In his photographic career he displayed his art-tech photos over the world (photographical exhibitions in the USA, Switzerland, Germany, etc.) and the Czech Republic (prestigious Photo Gallery G4 in Cheb, A+A Gallery in Prague, Photo Gallery Škoda in Prague, etc.), as well, and also published his photos in journals as Lasers & Optics, Nuclear Instruments & Methods, Magazín Fotografie, PhotoArt, Be the Best, Prague Leaders Magazine, AUDI Magazine, etc., his pictures are owned by private collectors, banks and research institutions. In his scientific career he has also focused on making photos of world personalities in nuclear science (Nobel Prize Laureates Prof. G.T.Seaborg and Prof. S.C.C.Ting, Prof. J.H.Hubbell, etc.). In his career of entrepreneur, he is particularly interested in Czech personalities (see also Prague Leaders Magazine No.3/2007). Enclosed, please find some of his pictures from the serial of Czech celebrities.

Contact: Peter.Kozma@seznam.cz, GSM: +420 606 322 252

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presentation

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Leaders Magazine II/2013 71

event

st

1 Czech Woman TO BE IN THE NATIONAL PORTRAIT GALLERY IN LONDON? As we go to press for this issue, Leaders Magazine awaits the results of the annual competition among portrait artists for the BP Portrait Award, held by the National Portrait Gallery in London. Czech artist Lenka Rubenstein(ová), the only woman Czech painter to have been a semi-finalist in the competition (twice in the past four years!) has just submitted her most recent portrait to compete for this year’s prestigious prize.

Lenka Rubenstein.

Self portrait II

Ms. Rubenstein, a US permanent resident, is fortunate to be able to paint at her vacation home on Nantucket, Massachusetts, at her husband’s family’s home and Mr. and Ms. Rubenstein’s residence at Hanford Bay, on the shore of Lake Erie in Upstate New York, and at their Czech home in Skochovice/Vrané nad Vltavou, just south of Praha. A Czech citizen (born in the former Czechoslovakia), she earned a PhD in linguistics from Charles University. She started her career in broadcasting, then switched to print journalism, and since the 1990s has lived in the United States and the Czech Republic and worked, first in the media, later as a free-lance translator and now as an artist.

Barbora Látalová “Baruna”, a semi-finalist work in the 2012 competition of the National Portrait Gallery in London

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Ms. Rubenstein has painted for over a decade and had her first art exhibition, held in Prague, in 2000. A self-taught painter with no formal schooling, she has had two helpful tutors, Marek Meduna and Silvia Malová, both graduates of the Academy of Fine Arts in Prague.

“After completing several commissioned portraits, I began to enter artistic competitions – which has been a rewarding experience for me, as my paintings have been selected for display in juried exhibitions across the United States, in places as diverse as Colorado, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Tennessee, Wisconsin and Wyoming,”, Ms. Rubenstein noted.

While Ms. Rubenstein most often paints portraits, she recently returned to landscapes to complement her portraiture. A number of her landscapes can be viewed and purchased at the Nantucket Artworks Gallery in Massachusetts, which represents Ms. Rubenstein for her landscape art in the United States.

Ms. Rubenstein is also an accomplished photographer and potter; some of her pottery has been exhibited at a gallery in Chelsea, in New York City.

Ira Rubenstein

sustainable development

Food Waste SAVING VALUABLE RESOURCES A recent news report caught my attention about socially-minded Prague students rummaging in dumpsters behind a major supermarket for discarded food that was still usable. Tereza and Barbora are part of a group of young people who take turns to retrieve still-edible produce that’s been thrown away.

In Prague 3-Žižkov, the Ježek & Čížek organization helps homeless people survive and find jobs.

The valiant efforts of these volunteers saves all kinds of nutritious foods that they use for making tasty meals for the needy.

There are no precise statistics in this country, but Miroslava Egerová of Pražské služby (Prague Services) says that the capital’s hotels and restaurants alone throw out 3,000 tonnes of food every year, which is around eight tonnes per day.

Supermarkets throw away considerably more.

If we add in Czech households, much more food ends up in the garbage with estimates that an average family throws away more than five tonnes per year.

As the world’s population is expected to reach 9.5 billion by 2075, we need to ensure there are sufficient food resources available to feed all these people. With current practices wasting up to an astounding half of all food produced, we must surely act now and promote sustainable ways to reduce waste from the farm to the supermarket and to the consumer.

Today, we produce about four billion metric tonnes of food per annum. Yet due to poor practices in harvesting, storage and transportation, as well as market and consumer wastage, it is estiJonathan Wootliff – a former Director of Greenpeace International, he lives in Prague and works throughout the world as a sustainability consultant to business. He has advised many large corporations including British Petroleum, McDonald’s, ColgatePalmolive and Whirlpool. With particular expertise in climate change, energy policy, forestry, and supply chains, he helps companies to develop sustainability strategies that benefit the environment, society and business. Among his many activities, he advises companies on stakeholder relationships, resolves conflicts between companies and non-governmental organisations and develops sustainability reports. Jonathan is a special advisor to the Czech Business Council for Sustainable Development. He can be contacted at jonathan@wootliff.com.

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mated that 30–50 percent of all food produced never reaches a human stomach.

And this figure does not reflect the large amounts of land, energy, fertilisers and water lost in the production of foodstuffs which simply end up as rubbish. Surely that cannot continue if we are to succeed in the challenge of sustainably meeting our future food demands.

In developed countries such as the Czech Republic, more-efficient farming practices and better transportation, storage and processing facilities ensure that a larger proportion of the food produced reaches markets and consumers.

However, characteristics associated with modern consumer culture mean produce is often wasted through retail and customer behaviour.

Major supermarkets will often reject entire crops of perfectly edible fruit and vegetables at the farm because they do not meet exacting standards for their physical characteristics. It’s estimated that some 1.6 million tonnes of perfectly edible food is discarded each year simply because it doesn’t look pretty enough.

Of the produce that does appear in the supermarket, alluring sales promotions frequently encourage customers to purchase more than they need. In the case of perishable foodstuffs, this inevitably creates waste and contributes to up to half of the food we buy ending up in the bin.

Reducing wastage is frequently beyond the capability of the individual farmer, distributor or consumer, since it depends on market philosophies, security of energy supply, quality of roads and transport hubs. These are all related more to societal, political and economic practices, as well as better-engineered infrastructure, rather than to agriculture. Sustainable solutions that bring together all parts of the food change are urgently needed to stop this futile loss.

In less-developed countries, such as those of sub-Saharan Africa and South-East Asia, wastage tends to occur primarily at the farmer-producer end of the supply chain. Inefficient harvesting, inadequate transportation and poor infrastructure mean that produce is frequently handled badly and stored under unsuitable farm conditions.

The growth in world population and increasing demand for food is placing significant stress on our land resources. We are running out of places where crops can be grown and are already seriously threatening the wellbeing of our eco-systems. With agricultural areas having increased by 12 percent over the past 50 years, efficiency is vital. Forests and other ecologically-sensitive land is being cleared for farming at an alarming rate.

Water is also wasted when food is thrown away.

Former Greenpeace International director, Jonathan Wootliff, is now a sustainability consultant living in Prague.

Photo: Archive of Autor

In the past century, the use of water increased at more than twice the rate of increase in population. Incredibly, over 15,000 litres of water is required to produce just 1kg of beef, 280 litres for a kilo of potatoes and nearly 200 litres for a single egg. And energy is wasted in food production, which accounts for over three percent of world consumption, with roughly 7-10 calories required to manufacture a single calorie of food.

It’s bad enough that discarded items take up space in landfills. But rotting food also releases methane, a greenhouse gas 25 times more potent than carbon dioxide.

In financial terms, using our food more efficiently would have a dramatic impact of prices.

So, in addition to environmental protection, reducing food waste will save us money.

Government should be working with farmers, food giants and multinational retailers to stem this terrible wastage. Major companies that promote impressively-worded corporate responsibility strategies, need to translate these into concrete sustainable actions.

But there is also much that ordinary consumers can do. One valuable step is to differentiate between “sell-by” and “use-by” dates printed on packaging. It is quite possible to determine for ourselves whether something has actually gone off or is still fit for use. Common sense and instinct should rule.

Households need to have a better understanding of how much food is purchased, consumed and discarded. More awareness of exactly how much food is wasted will inevitably help. Leftovers should be kept for future meals. And we need to improve the way in which we store our food, keeping it properly in sealed containers, refrigerating perishables and freezing items that can be used some time later.

Food waste is undoubtedly one of the world’s biggest sustainability challenges. Government and the private sector must acknowledge their responsibility to find solutions, with consumers also playing a role in treating our food more sensibly, more respectfully and more efficiently.

By Jonathan Wootliff ■

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gourmet event

From left: Bradley Mitton, Owner, Mitton International Wines, Petr Vodvarka, Australian Trade Commission, Czech Republic, Melanie Davis, Deputy Ambassador, Australian Embassy Warsaw, and Steve Rank, Australian Trade Commission Warsaw

CLUBVIVANOVA

Australia Waitangi Day at the Hilton Hotel Spellbinding performance given by “Nervous Doll Dancing” Francesca Mountfort.

Hannu Kasi, President and Country Manager, ABB with Abigail Lišková, Model

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From left: Mrs. Nataliya Khaustova, Mrs. Marina Garipova, and Mrs.Svetlana Khaustova

Bradley Mitton, Owner, Mitton International Wines with the Hilton Hotel CzecHouse food and beverage team

Benke Aikell, your Publisher and Eva Anderová, Director, Department of the International Relations, Ministry of Finance

Mrs. Iveta Huvarova and Jonathan Angel, Devere Group

From left: Jon Mortimer, Director, CME Services, Group Financial Controller, Central European Media Enterprises, Chris Harding, Head of Accounting, Honeywell Aerospace, and Andy Newman, Director of Partner Services, Deloitte Central Europe

From left: Cyril Šajch, CzecHouse Sommelier, Bradley Mitton, Owner, Mitton International Wines and Melanie Davis, Deputy Ambassador, Australian Embassy Warsaw

A multi-national crowd of over 80 guests helped Club Vivanova and the Australian and New Zealand communities in the Czech Republic celebrate Australia Day and Waitangi Day in style at the Hilton Hotel Prague on Thursday 31st January. Highlights included presentations

by Mitton International Wines owner Bradley Mitton, New Zealand Second Secretary James Anderson, Australian Deputy Ambassador Melanie Davis and Australian Senior Trade Commissioner Steve Rank who presented a very special Australia Day award to our Austrade representative and Honorary Consul Petr Vodvarka.

Mrs. Karen York and Mr. Richard York

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Great wines from Australia were served during the evening

thoughts about alternative ways...

HAPPINESS Is the Way Six months ago, I shared with you about how I fainted in the South of France due to three severe slip discs in my lower back, the need for immediate surgery and how I should be walking around with 2 Titanium rods in my lower spine ever after.

Well, six months later I would like to report back on my progress. I refused to go through the surgery. I also refused the heavy cocktail of pain killers and steroids to overcome the severe pain.

Pain has the wonderful ability to bring you to the present moment and the mind stops to wander in the past or in the future. I chose to use this peace of mind on a path of diligent physiotherapy and exercise (45–60 min a day), meditation (not medication) at least 30 min daily & regular WALKs (30–45 min a day). I actually found the meaning for walk – Witness Accept Love and Know thyself ☺ Eight months after I started, my backache is much better & I have come to realize that: a) My body can make and administer the precise balance of neurochemicals that can reverse illness and cure any disease. b) My body possesses the inate capability to heal itself. c) I can consciously influence & direct the body’s output of healthy chemicals through meditation.

“Whether you believe you can, or you believe you can NOT, you are RIGHT“ because of the neurochemicals your body can produce in either case. ☺ “Our body is composed of 50–100 trillion cells working in syncronicity (co-ordinating with each other in real time without any channels of communication) fighting disease, making a baby, digesting food, excreting waste, converting air into energy, doing physical activity and thinking thoughts, all at the same time. How can we take a few of these cells and try to do something to them without affecting the others ?”

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In a similar fashion I have come to realize that the Universe also functions in complete Synchronicity. I was once confronted with the question ”Do you think that you can actually take over the Universe and improve it ?” Maybe at one time I thought I could but not any more. It is now perfect as it is and I am happily enjoying all the miraculous things happening around me all the time with the completeness of my natural being and absolute peace of mind. ☺ Einstein once said “You have to decide whether you live in a Universe that is supportive of you or is hostile to you. Once you have decided, the Universe will behave accordingly”. This is no surprise as the contents of our thoughts and emotions directly and immediately effect our biochemistry and scientifically the mind n memory exists in all the cells of our body, not just in our brain.

Once I started to live in a Universe that was supportive of me, I could TRUST again just like I did when I was in the womb. At that time I did not worry about not getting the nose or the fingers or the heart or anything else for that matter. I just TRUSTED and now as I start to trust again, I have started on a spiritual journey (if it can be called a journey at all because I am only exploring inside myself) and the realization has dawned upon me that I have spent a lifetime trying to get to happiness thru accumulation and enjoyment but there is no way to happiness, HAPPINESS IS THE WAY. ☺ So when you change the way you look at things, things begin to change. ☺ I have now realized that I can love but in a very different way than before ie without any attachment or self interest. Swami Parthasarthy has come up with an equation:

LOVE + SELF INTEREST = ATTACHMENT. ATTACHMENT – SELF INTEREST = LOVE

I wouldn’t coax the plant, such watchful nurturing may do it harm, Let the soil rest from so much digging & wait until it is dry before watering it, Let the leaves incline to find their own direction & give them a chance to seek the sunlight for themselves, Much growth is stunted by too careful prodding, too eager tenderness, The things we love the most, we have to learn to leave alone.

Tao Te Ching

“The beginning of LOVE is to let those we love be perfectly themselves & not to twist them to fit our own image. Otherwise we love only the reflection of ourselves we find in them.“ said Thomas Merton.

I have also realized that ”MORE is the slogan of the EGO” so I can be living in contentment with whatever I have. I have no entitlement and am humbly grateful for whatever I get. More importantly what anyone says or does has NO impact on my happiness. So I have taken control of my life & decided to be happy irrespective of any events in my life. I have also realized that I have much more than what I need and I can share – and as I share, that enhances my happiness immensely. ☺ And then the question arises “If I am not what I do or what I have accumulated ( that includes my body, mind, intellect & knowledge as well as material wealth ) then WHO AM I ? WHY AM I HERE? Aren’t these the only two ultimate questions”?

I hope to answer them in this lifetime. ☺ Sanjiv Suri ■ suri@zatisigroup.cz

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thoughts about alternative ways...

Sanjiv Suri Photo: Archive of Author

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th

JUBILEE

The organizers of the competition

ANNUAL Česká manažerská asociace

.

MANAGER OF THE YEAR 2012

Konfederace zaměstnavatelských a podnikatelských svazů ČR

Svaz průmyslu a dopravy ČR

Appreciated by category

25/4/2013 - Palace Žofín Prague

• MANAGER OF THE YEAR • LADY MANAGER OF THE YEAR • TOP 10 • Excellent Manager of Medium Sized Enterprise • Excellen Manager of Small Business • Young Talented Manager • Manager of the Ekonomy Sector • Finalist lis of the MANAGER OF THE YEAR´S Contest The • Th he h e Ha Hall of Fame

THE DAY OF SUCCESSFUL MANAGERS AND FIRMS Program • International conference ČMA titled: NENECHME UJET VLAK - úloha manažerů ve 21. století • Panel Discussion with Politicians • Awarding ceremony of the 20th Jubilee Annual MANAGER OF THE YEAR • Performance at the National Theatre

YEARS OF PRESTIGE - INSPIRATION – SUCCESS Y General Partner Genera

Main partner

Major partners

Media partners

+420 241 087 325, e-mail: lukovic@cma.cz, www.manazerroku.cz, www.cma.cz

THE 20TH JUBILEE OF THE ANNUAL MANAGER OF THE YEAR COMPETITION WILL AWARD THE BEST

In April, We Will Deliver “Managers’ Gold“ Most managers nominated to the 20th Jubilee of the annual Manager of the Year competition comment on their participation as a „chance to test their qualities, compare with colleagues from the field, meet the best managers in the Czech Republic and improve the prestige of their profession.“ They perceive it as an exact and sophisticated project, with tens of parameters and criteria, incomparable to other competitions and opinion polls.

Evaluating the conclusion of the recent nomination period, Rastislav Lukovič, from the Project Office of Czech Management Association, the guarantor and organizer of the whole project, said „Over the last three years, the number of nominations gradually increased and this year we reached 200.

We established about 300 nomination places for the competition, all across the Czech Republic and we had to competently and understandably evaluate why they granted the nomination to a particular manager.

As usual, this year most of the nominations came from Prague and the Central Bohemia Region. But other regions weren’t far behind, including South Moravia, Hradec Králové and Moravia-Silesia, as well as Pardubice and Vysočina. Even the fact that a manager succeeds in the nomination and then the multi-level evaluation, becoming a finalist in the competition adds to his or her trustworthiness and prestige. It puts them among the league of the best in the country,” said Mr. Lukovič.

THE GRAND FINALE OF THE INTELLECTUAL CAPITAL It is an open competition and the interest comes from foreign managers as well, who work here long-term. The winners of the individual categories MANAGER OF THE YEAR – MALE, MANAGER OF THE YEAR – FEMALE, TOP 10, EXCELLENT MANAGER OF A MEDIUM-SIZED COMPANY, EXCELLENT MANAGER OF A SMALL COMPANY, YOUNG MANAGEMENT TALENT UP TO 35 YEARS or FIELD MANAGERS, will be announced on the DAY OF SUCCESSFULL MANAGERS AND COMPANIES, on April 25th at Prague’s Žofín Palace.

The main argument for the trustworthiness of the project is the fact that that managers are not judged based on nominations or numbers, reasoning or results on the application, but that their stated achievements are verified through practice – in the form of a direct management audit within the company. „Each finalist goes through multi-level, demanding evaluations and one of its areas is the audit,“ says Jan Preclík, the Chairman of the Evaluation Committee „For example, when the expert committee walks through the premises with a manager during evaluation and notices that he or she knows most colleagues and employees by name, it indicates not only a positive atmosphere in the company, but also something about their management approaches and methods – and that these aren’t just phrases on the paper.”

“Naturally, the committee conducts an interview in the manager’s workplace, in order to verify the validity of data from the nomination and application for the competition. They process a verbal evaluation and quantify-specific indicators, such as

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revenues, EBITDA, economic results, investments, added value and others.

“Overall we processed up to 30 criteria with each competitor which then result in six that are critical: 1. Personality and aptitude of the manager and their personal contributions to the company, 2. Business results and competitiveness of the company, 3. The ability to face crises, 4. Society-wide contributions of the company, 5. Labor, social and educational activities and 6. Environmental approach.

“The manager may receive up to 100 points in total. But nobody ever received the full total in the history of the competition, perhaps so that a new Steve Jobs or Jack Welch will get their chance,” Mr. Preclík concludes, with a bit of exaggeration.

THE DAY OF SUCCESSFULL MANAGERS AND COMPANIEWS Over the long-term, the day of the ceremonial announcement of the results of the MANAGER OF THE YEAR competition is considered by the expert public to be a festive day for managers. Traditionally, there is an attractive professional host, as well as a prestigious program prepared for them in the Žofín palace.

“This year, Managers Day starts on April 25th, with an international conference of the Czech Management Association: DON’T MISS THE TRAIN – with the subtitle, The Role of Managers in the 21st Century,” explains Pavel Kafka, President of the Czech Management Association. “Top local and international experts on management will present at the conference. Also, professor Hedwikovsky, of the Helsinki Metropolia University of Applied Science, will introduce the Finnish path to success, as part of the so-called Nordic miracle. The General Director of BUSINESSEUROPE, Markus Beyrer, will present his concept of European integration.

Lance Knowles, of Assisted Language Learning in the USA, a leading world-wide expert on the development and use of neuroscientific fields in the educational process, will be presenting as well.

Pavel Kafka concludes, “As for the local scene, speakers taking the stage will include Petr Fiala, the Minister of Education, Youth and Sport; Pavel Kysilka, General Director of Česká spořitelna; Lubomír Stoklásek, the current MANAGER OF

THE YEAR 2011 and General Director of Agrostroj Pelhřimov. The conference will be hosted by one of the most successful Czech managers now working at the top international level, Jan Mühlfeit of Microsoft Corporation, winner of the title MANAGER OF THE YEAR, 1999. The program will then continue with a panel discussion among politicians, aiming to transpose the results of the conference into the awareness of the Czech political scene, as well as presenting to politicians what managers expect from them in the development of the economy and competitiveness”.

THE COMPETITION MOBILIZES RESOURCES The MANAGER OF THE YEAR project informally mobilizes resources and forms a league of successful Czech male and female managers, who often approach both positive and negative aspects of society in a pioneering manner. For example, this year’s nominees have a highly critical opinion of corruption in this country. As apparent from some of their answers, they introduce ethical codes to their companies, participate in the movement of PodnikameBezKorupce.cz (We Do Business Without Corruption) and the Coalition for Transparent Business, refusing to accept orders for so-called „provisions.“ In some fields, a standard procedure for tenders via electronic auction has been utilized for several years, where suppliers from around the world participate. This system eliminates corruption. On the other hand, many Czech managers encounter corruption on nearly a daily basis. „You give them a finger once and you are no longer free,“ says one of the evaluated nominees. And in another breath he adds that he rejects corruption, because he wants to be free in order to be competitive.

The MANAGER OF THE YEAR project is organized by the Confederation of Industry of the Czech Republic, Confederation of Employer and Business Associations of the Czech Republic and the Czech Management Association. Its main goal is to appreciate and highlight excellent managerial leaders as examples for others. Today, the MANAGER OF THE YEAR is the most systematically handled management competition in the Czech Republic, as well as Central Europe. Over the course of its existence, – that is over the last 19 years – a total of 1,112 excellent managers (140 women and 972 men) from all over the Czech Republic reached the finals.

“The imaginary Trophy Cup of this competition shines with exceptional names and successful management leaders, such as: Lubomír Stoklásek of Agrostroje Pelhřimov, Eva Syková of the Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, Senta Čermáková of Hewlett Packard, Zbyněk Frolík of Linet, Jiří Cienciala of Třinecké železárny, Jan Mühlfeit of Microsoft, the legendary Štěpán Popovič of Glaverbel Czech, Zdeněk Pelc, Jana Kozáková and Vladimír Feix. „It’s becoming apparent how important a role managers fulfill and how their performance effects the competitiveness of their companies, as well as the whole country,” sums up Pavel Kafka.

More information at: www.manazerroku.cz ■

Pavel Kafka, President, CMA

Photo: Jadran Šetlík

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

Leaders Magazine II/2013 79

Nigeria

st

NIGERIA; THE 21 CENTURY

CONTEMPORARY ISSUES The undeniably view here is that, looking from a different dimension, if not from the entire world view about Nigeria as a nation, the majority of the public would agree on these questions as ‘ how could Nigeria survived to live together as a sovereign nation given her complexity and uncertainty to assess 100 years advisory as a sovereign nation? Even so, many nations would wonder how this could be possible. Specifically, on how Nigeria could smuggle herself into 100 years of existence coming in 2014 is quite striking. Not, perhaps, even the British would have agreed that the baggages of Abyssinia there left as a country could survive after decolonization. It could not have been accomplished quickly too many people, notwithstanding to Nigerians, but that is the nation winnings and losses because there’s a permanent solution to the country’s complexity if fairness and justices get the attraction of government policies. No doubt, it works! What should Nigerians people think about themselves as a sovereign nation after near the better track of their survival were overwhelmed with a struggle against tolerance and acrimonious dispute between the politics of violence and democratic transition without noticeable replacements?

On an individual reflection, how do we see Nigeria as a country? Did Nigeria consider any risk to question her determination theory, which has become the predominant business of the country’s politics? An opportunity to adopt a fair attentiveness to cultivate what could look like realistic institutional structures for the citizenry seem quite an encouraging sign if carefully looked from the 1st January 2014, atmosphere when Nigeria de-

Shaibu Da Sunday As.M. (NIM)

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termines ‘what precisely’ does 100 years of Nigeria’s existence should propose to her citizenry. The situation in Nigeria is critically alarming yet neither the previous institution nor the contemporary governance has signalled this hot pot. However, what could finally build the confidence of Nigerians as one key pledge to the contemporary problems in the country is one staggering meditations in the country. Even so, the Nigeria governance may have secured for themselves unique solutions to the current predicaments in the country’s political affairs. Conversely, such a rapid object may or will only expose less impact on a universal level beyond the individualistic grasp. Indeed, many Nigerians may have professed to have seen a rising posterity different from the current ideas on the ground. Obviously, the process of sustaining a fascinating destiny for the increasing population in Nigeria is quite worrisome. For all that if carefully, traced from the previous survivalist struggle between 1960s to date, in what I will argue as “scramble for wealth and personality in Nigeria’s political exit post. This situation, however, making the future of the country often appears as a dynamic metaphor. Which way to exist?

THE NIGERIA PARADOX IN THE 21st CENTURY It is an accepted fact that Nigeria had experienced a recommendable opportunity continually to escape from the nation’s hot pot of uncertainty over the years. Even so, it is safe to pause and wonder at how the country could succeed in accommodating her ever increasing state of uncertainty. In contrast, the country Nigeria earned for herself a genuine authority as the giant of Africa, given her ample human and material wealth. In Africa, her skilful diplomacy toward shifting the country along the democratic shape possible and the professional practice endures by the country’s diplomats, academicians, journalist, the military services and many other qualified Nigerians all over the world have to contribute significantly toward ensuring that Nigeria pulls through

as a sovereign nation. Despite this pillages, My worrying concern in this article is that, at what speed does the prospect of Nigerianscontinued survival on the platform of continuity without change infrastructure systems, attitude, mistrust, and Gangsterisms-politics-water drops politics by militarizing society! The country with abundant resources, yet, a little contribution to eliminate the ugly misery of the country’s young generations by politicians seems to have skyrocketed beyond the national rescue. Undoubtedly, is there any prospect for the youth’s survival from the inequality theory delaying the country’s progress? Indeed, the issues of Poverty, security situation, state of uncertainty and the growing state of the politics of elitism! Obviously, the youth posterity is highly significant. Which I guess is quite beyond the mainstream political orientation of negligence toward their progression.

Amazingly, many Nigerians have been placed on a ‘compulsory distance’ from their government and the government failing to understand the situation, examine them carefully from the various political misinterpretation of the country’s past and present uneasiness. Accepting the reality of idealism from the psychological perspective.

This basic architecture has been left un-turned with a vital democratic forecast over the years.

Indeed, the government often claims to have acquired a civilized certificate for the Nigerian’s entanglement as ‘Mission possible’. Nevertheless, sustainable democratic paths to nourishing her super supremacy of her possessions in fostering the needed structures seem been left outside the public reach. Put it differently, from a reasonable intelligent diagram, Nigeria in Africa has no 14/04 contenders to question her dominance in the Africa sub-regions. However, the Nigeria still needs a pause!

Take, for example, Nigeria does not only claim superiority in population, wealth, military, oil, gas, expertise in academician, diplomatic, investment opportunity alone but in Africa and in international affairs, Nigeria has kept history around with her brilliancy when it comes to football. In 2006, the golden cup of the whole Olympic was converted, and captures by Nigeria when there turn-back the ‘Big’ rated Brazil home, also. The Argentine sends parking from Olympic without ‘Golden Cup’. Nigeria Super Eagles arrange another class status to win the gold medal for the first time in history.

Again, just about a few days ago back in African continental football tournaments, the same Nigeria paraded with almost all ‘ Home-based profes-

Nigeria

sionals sent the ‘over-rated Ivorian’s home before demolishing the Malian counterpart 4-1 to book their place in the final competition.

Obviously, as one best practice in Nigeria, the country has to suffer severely from under-estimation from almost every human sphere, yet… at the end of the final battle, the African Continental Cup, is now resting in Nigeria as the Super Eagles nominated themselves based on skills to claim the Winner of the continental tournament played in South Africa in 2013.

Thus, the Nigeria exaltation of wealth, investment opportunity, football history and various other competent boldness of her talented experts are often left out at most from the global interest.

Despite all, looking toward 2014, Nigeria will be 100 years of existence to be observed by millions Nigerians in both home and abroad. Insight-fully, what could Nigeria as a sovereign and democratic nation account for her citizenry as a reliable and

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a brilliant breakthrough to be comforting her ever increasing population, unemployment, packaged uncertainty and citizen’s liberties? The country with high abundance of resourceful assets donated by nature has to keep chasing progress with weapons for survival. What a demonstrated track record in Nigeria! We may even think. It is just a manifestation of strength to democratic practices. What a paradox!

Thus, before the struggle for independence, the entire Nigerians were made to believe that imperialism where the prime suspect of the country adversity in their motherland. Then, after the independence, the ringing tones of the nobility changed entirely to the directions of power infrastructures left by the British as the losses for the country’s predicaments. No one among elites ever listens to the voice of the Nigeria broken journey, the ‘traditional uniqueness’’ and the culture of different regions within the country before the advent of ‘’imperialism’’. Today, what genuinely changed from the past pre-colonial, post-colonial and post democratic transitions in Nigeria since 1999?

IS NIGERIA TURNING OVER: POLITICS & POLICIES – WHAT AN EPISODE’S? The critical examination of the current trends within Nigeria as a country reveals a serious constitutional problem more than have ever existed before the above-mentioned period of 1914. For

example, the value of liberty as a citizen of Nigeria is divided into different playing cards as top-class elite, those in government, second class elites, those who are left out of government, now, working behind the closet doors. A set of traffic Nigerians, the pioneers, those who verify any existing government to exploit the public for their own benefit at the expense of the citizenry- this group includes the privilege and last groups those who struggle for survival at the lower grade with the masses. How can Nigeria examine this syndrome, which has navigated the country into peril?

So much amendment has been made on different occasions to the countries existing constitutions but few ever saw the brightness of the

Leaders Magazine II/2013 81

Nigeria day in Nigeria. Who is hiding the current Nigerian imbalance? How Truth is the former imperial interceptions? Neo-black man imperialism in Nigeria? Self-style-Selfishness politics? Or the new portfolio transaction politics employed by groups as a mechanism for ‘reforms’ into the country politics? What is terribly wrong with the Nigeria as a nation? (a) the politicians (b) the 1914 amalgamation of Nigeria. Nevertheless, from my personal intellectual value, both sides of the coins have their duty to determine whether Nigeria must avoid the trap of the flood coming from the far hills along ecstasy of history. The fact, however, remains that, both the imperial decoration of Nigeria as a federal state and the current political attitude toward issues of Nigeria’s amalgamation in 1914 and their own vision of extraordinary sympathy with much or less in an attempt to fix the nation’s peril. From my intellect calculations, this article is only ‘out’ to unveil what should Nigeria want to accomplish in 2014. Either to “Observe, Mark, Celebrate or even to transform it as a Public Holiday!!! Yes, Nigeria will be 100 years of existence as one Nation, what is genuinely matter here is how these innocent people are allowed to live with their liberty, food, employment, security free, accommodation? Etc., I’m also, quite sure!! It is.

No quick fix to the understanding of the issues of the current developmental strategies for the Nigerian, but the pains, the wealth & the uncertainty of what tomorrow will make matters seriously too many Nigerians existences. Then, what principle seems necessary to be cultivated into making the country effective from her spiritually uncertainty over the years is what actually linger deeply in the heart of millions Nigerian inhabitants. Nevertheless, the possibilities and causes of the country set-back are reasonably necessary for several Nigerians and to the global wisdom to understand.

ALTERNATIVE BRIDGE; THE NIGERIA POLITICAL VIEW The country Nigeria is one of the extraordinary blissful Nations in Africa, and this has to identify her as a top priority in international affairs given her ample gas-energy security and other mineral resources in the land which account for nearly 97% of her federal budget.

YET, the on-going exploitative abuses becomes another magic tripling the country her role in the global arena. Nevertheless, it is a fact that the

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country was left by the British nearly as difficult or even invisible to remain as one country, but many things could be done to preserve the battlefield cultivated by the departing imperialist in the 60s.

It is only a taste of adherence to natural law by the Nigerians, who could reproduce their unpredictability. Not even the best politicians could obtain a ‘Single Peace’ for the country, but it is as painless as to simply agree on what truly matters when it comes to the clues of building a ‘New-Nations’ not republishing by amendments. This unmistakable reality has also left Nigeria with the current anarchy as a chess-board between inequality and justice. For example, we are now witnessing how China strategically managed ‘’just’’ 50 years to become an excellent economic hub of the world politics. How does this happen? What response can justify Nigeria’s failures to account for her bountiful resources after 100 years in 1914 for her existence? Indeed, some tricky political wrap up making Nigeria impossible to stabilize her environments are put forward here for inspection as the ‘actual suspect of her uncertainty’. (a) The militarization of the current Nigeria federal constitution in a democratic society. (b) Lack of wisdom in the Nigerian governance “Lack of decent political practices” (c) Political outlook of party authority over the governance. (d) Individualism legitimacy above that of the country existing constitutional legitimacy of the country. (e) The creation of private sector syndrome as part of government.

Conclusion On this solidarity, the detrimental of the festive Nigeria safety matter, the most and luxurious lifestyle of transparency, justice, constitutionalism, accountability deserving re-assessment in the real context of what make a good nation state Liberal. Nigerians 100 years of existence in 2014 are worth acknowledging. However, I should suggest that the Nigeria ‘Elites” should re-trace, re-visit to

some of the critical contemporary problems examined above as one smart pointer to generate political solutions to the nation entanglements.

The delay in blowing the whistle of cooperation under a corporate arrangement had to snatch the presence of justice and change to Inequality in Nigeria.

Finally, Nigeria with her incredible uniqueness of culture, regionalism, linguistic, wealth and traditions donated by nature of the nation’s historically could survive as Hegel characterized it’s ‘the March of God on earth’. Nigeria a country which needs a degree of political, sentimental, morally dialogue as one specific concept to its sustainability must look beyond today’s wealth.

For example, by the 1960s Nigerian independence speech, the Nigeria Prime Minister at the time put it: “This is a glorious day, and it is all the more magnificent because we have awaited it with increasing impatience, compelled to watch one country after another overtaking us on the road when we had so nearly reached our goal. Even so, now we have acquired our rightful status, and I feel sure that history will show that the building of our nation proceeded at the wisest pace: it has been through, and Nigeria at this moment in time stands well-built upon firm foundations.”

Thus, 52 years after this celebrated encouraging speech, Nigeria yet to fulfil its strategic standing in both domestic prosperity and at the international stages. What is the problem with Nigeria?

Where does Nigeria’s posterity being caged?

By Shaibu S. Dan, Ph.Ds. Associate Member, Institute of Strategic Management Nigeria & (Hold’ Certificate as ‘Professional Manager) In the Nigeria Institute of Management.

(NIM) ■

analysis

INTERNET LITERACY Education in the Czech Republic Starting in May 2013, the IN-Generation Project (www.in-generation.cz) will strive to involve children, teachers and parents in joint effort to increase their internet and digital literacy. The project will be realized under the auspices of the Minister of Education, Youth and Sports. Minister Petr Fiala commented: “I think this is an interesting and challenging activity for enhancing internet literacy of students in elementary education.”

The project has already been supported by Rudolf Haňka, chief scientific adviser to the Prime Minister, Michal Mejstřík, Pavel Kohout and Tomáš Sedláček, members of NERV and David Marek, chief economist at Patria Finance.

The IN-Generation project provides children aged 9-15 with knowledge, skills and abilities in the areas of internet literacy education, especially the impact of digital media on their lives and their digital footprint, recognizing “on-line” and “off-line” identity, responsible and ethical use of the Internet, efficient Internet search or safety online.

According to recent studies, the Czech Republic is in need of a complex internet literacy education. While some of us may believe that using information technologies and partaking in the digital world is as simple as peeling an orange, most of us realize that development of new technologies and every day contact with online environment brought us to a reality where we need complex knowledge and skills in order to use internet, computers, smart phones and other digital devices in rational, safe and appropriate way.

Studies and recent statistics have shown that the number of internet users increases every year not only in Europe as a whole, which, at the moment has already reached 63.2% of the whole population, but also here in the Czech Republic – from 26.4% of population in 2003 to 73% of population in June of 20121. Naturally, a large part of these users are children under the age of 16, who spend time online every single day or at least few times per week, but who are often not too familiar with possible risks and proper digital behavior2. Millward Brown (MB) studies confirm that there is a problem with safe and effective use of the Internet, especially when children gather information online themselves.

Policies and level of awareness varies between countries. There are three types of countries according to how they address digital literacy policy tools.

European countries tend to make policy measures with combinations varying according to risk categories.

Most common measures are related to content-related risks and obligation for service providers to prevent children from accessing inappropriate content. Often, technical filters and other safeguards are implemented on basis of voluntary initiatives between private and public sectors. In researches of Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) it is not-

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ed that educational and awareness-raising measures vary between countries from north to south and east to west, as the integral part of national policies3. No need to mention that the scope of implementation depends on the use of internet. According to recent study prepared by EU Kids Go Online programme, the Czech Republic is one of the countries where ratio of internet use among children and possible risks is the biggest, together with countries such as Bulgaria and the Baltic states, while in Austria, Denmark or Italy these factors are the lowest4. The same fact is confirmed by the studies of the London School of Economics, which reveal that although the Czech Republic rate of Internet use in the age group is generally high (i.e. 60% of children between 9-15 years have a profile on one or more social networks), the level of education and awareness on the proper and safe use of internet is minimal. According to research by Millward Brown, (MB), only 30% of pupils (10-18 years) receive teaching related with the Internet more than once a week (younger pupils 1.4 times per week in average).

It is therefore essential to raise awareness of issues related to internet literacy in the Czech Republic, both at institutional level as well as by implementing educational projects on different levels of society, including especially elementary as well as pre-elementary pupils, their teachers and parents. „So far, the Czech Republic has not implemented any conceptual approach to internet literacy of children, not even from the EU operational programs” says Lukáš Sedláček, founder and director of the European Leadership & Academic Institute, which is momentarily, preparing a comprehensive project in the field of internet behavior and children’s education from 9 to 15 years in cooperation with a team of experts and Google CR.

PROJECT IN-GENERATION: • is the first comprehensive project involving children, teachers and parents in collaboration on topics of Internet behavior and education, • brings examples and basic methodology and tools with teaching materials for teachers, • offers interactive tools for home schooling children and plenty of advice for parents, • includes interactive materials on the project web portal where they can acquire the necessary skills and knowledge, • children are actively involved in the development of tools and the web portal and their involvement will continue in peer teaching and sharing experience.

By Martina Vošahlíková, Project Manager, European Leadership & Academic Institute (ELAI) ■

1

http://www.newmediatrendwatch.com/markets-bycountry/10-europe/43-czech-republic 2 EU Kids Online: Risks and Safety on the Internet. http://www2.lse.ac.uk/media@lse/research/EUKidsOnline/Initial_findings_report.pdf 3 The Protection of Children Online: Risks Faced by Children Online and Policies to Protect Them, by OECD. http://www.oecd-ilibrary.org/science-and-technology/the-protection-of-children-online_5kgcjf71pl28-en 4 EU Kids Online: Risks and Safety on the Internet

Leaders Magazine II/2013 83

interview

An interview with Michal Donath, General Director of Donath Business & Media

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Michal Donath began working in public relations in 1991 as the General Director of the Burson-Marsteller agency. In the middle of 1998, he took over the Prague office of BM and founded Donath-Burson-Marsteller. After January, 2011 the company changed its name to Donath Business & Media.

During his career in PR, Michal Donath established himself as a renowned consultant in the area of crisis communication. He played a part in the birth of the Association of PR Agencies (APRA) and teaches at the London School of Public Relations. During his extensive career, he worked in positions of planning, international and local trade, agriculture, transportation and health care. As the Prague correspondent of the American Time magazine and the UPI agency, he created his first working contacts with international and local media, as well as Czech politicians.

His excellent knowledge of English and German enabled him to become an interpreter for leading figures in our politicial scene, including the former President Václav Havel. He graduated at the Faculty of International Trade of University of Economics in Prague in 1973 and completed a year-long scholarship at the Vienna Journalism Institute. The history of the agency goes back to 1991. DBM is one of the oldest public relations agencies in the Czech and Slovak markets. It offers consulting, participates in organizational activties and, together with its suppliers, provides other marketing services. Since 2012, it has been a member of a network of the IPREX independent PR agencies and communication companies. IPREX was founded in 1983 and consists of 74 partner agencies with more than 110 offices worldwide.

interview

CLIENTS COME TO US BECAUSE THEY KNOW WE HAVE THE COURAGE TO STAND BEHIND THEM What’s the foundation of good PR? Information value. It’s more important than the value of our contacts. Sometimes it’s difficult to explain this to clients. Good PR is not just about friendly journalists, as everyone assumes.

It’s based on more complicated projects than badly translated press releases. The foundation always has to offer interesting, truthful and verifiable information. On the other hand, PR communication is not just a cheap replacement for advertising. These days, most media is under ever-increasing pressure and, naturally, looks for ways to monetize their operations. The idea that people from PR simply pick up the phone because, after all, they know everyone and the papers will print, is false.

The pressure of economics – not only in media – is enormous. The classic statement that ‚who buys a woman is devil’s man and slaveowner‘ is true in PR as well. Random purchases of space simply don’t belong in the arsenal of effective PR agencies. And it shouldn’t be offered by media who care about their professional reputation.

The competition in PR is considerable, but the idea that large media houses are capable competitors of even the largest PR agencies, quite concerns me.

When did PR start? Is it an offshoot of the globalization process?

In fact, it was founded when Moses brought his nations from the land of Egypt and they arrived on the shore of the Red Sea. He called in his PR man and asked about the boats. Which boats, asked his PR man, that’s the responsibility of the transportation department. And Moses told him PR is responsible for everything. What do you mean? I will kneel here, hold my staff out and the sea will separate. We will cross on dry ground! And his PR man said: If you can do that, I will ensure at least two pages in the Old Testament entirely for free. So that’s an old PR joke, but the real development of PR occurred in the United States sometime in the 50’s and in the 60’s it expanded to Europe.

Your career began in the 1990’s. You must have been one of the first in the Czech market.

Yes, I had no idea what I was doing back then.

(Laughter.) I was in touch with Western journalists before the revolution and I had learned to organize, manage, edit articles, etc. Of course back then we knew nothing about the internet.

What I can’t imagine these days, was how it was possible to run a company without a cell phone.

The truth is, I used to sit in the office every day until seven or eight and didn’t dare leave, just in case my bosses from London might call. This

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field certainly went through some interesting changes here after the revolution.

What changes?

In the early 1990’s, there were a number of expatriots here running multinational companies.

Back then, the Burson-Marsteller presumption was to offer services in markets where they thought all multinational companies were headed. The guiding principle was that whether you come to New York, London or Prague, you would receive their services at an equal level. International managers of these companies were willing at the time, knowing that PR costs something and had added value for their companies. That’s how it worked for a few years.

What changed?

Over time and mostly for financial reasons, foreign managers were replaced by Czechs and their US based corporations began pressing them to save. In about the mid 1990’s, these corporations began to realize that doing business in Central and Eastern Europe was not exactly a walk through the rose garden. Competition increased and costs began to significantly decrease. And, of course, over the years, the portfolio of services offered notably changed as well. Although we do many other interesting things, our agency became recognized for socalled ‚crisis cases.‘ These are always more visible than the even the greatest product PR. We also did that and knew how to do it well.

So, the question naturally arises of whether you would represent any client?

I’m convinced that the position of PR is exactly the same as that of lawyers, except our court room is the media. When a person does something, needs a divorce, or fights with coinheritors, they find a lawyer to represent them.

Our job is to represent companies that have to or want to communicate something to the public. And the same principles apply as in the legal playground. Until everything is investigated, until the ‚court‘ decides the client is or isn’t guilty, I depend on clients telling me the truth and have no qualms about our agency representing them.

But there are things over which I have an internal struggle.

Can you specify?

We worked with companies that loan money under rather tough conditions. Back then, I took a long time to consider whether to take on their media representation, because I generally do not approve of these business principles. But I’m of the opinion that the people borrowing the money have a contract that they should have read. And if they signed it, including the relevant conditions, then they should fulfill their obliga-

tion. In the end, I did represent them. I have to be morally convinced that what I do is not in conflict with my own beliefs. In any case, clients come to us particularly because we are able to provide 24/7 services and because we dare to have a different opinion than their own. A consultant without a personal opinion is of no use to the client, even though that client may represent the best commission ever.

Can you mention a particularly crucial one?

The matter of CME versus Vladimír Železný in the TV Nova case comes to mind. We represented CME. When we met with Fred Klinkhammer, then boss of CME, for the first time, he handed me a press release, asking me to publish it the next day. I suggested I’d rewrite it and at first he was upset, because it was written by his lawyers in New York. Then I wrote my own version and he called me the next day, asking that I publish it!

I think has much to do with the courage to be a true consultant to the client, rather than just an addition to their administration.

Do you feel this field is still developing?

Yes, certainly. In the beginning of our PR career, all companies organized events, including us. The days of parties are behind us, as is the time when the media was hungry for every new product, such as when cell phones or home appliances were introduced. These days, pretty much everyone has a smart-phone and nobody is impressed by that. I think the introduction of new technologies over the last twenty years have most influenced our business. Despite that, I personally believe most in direct communication. And that’s also where I see our most powerful current contribution to the field.

Do you have a special methodology?

One of our forms of direct communication is our communication surveys. I consider interaction with the potential respondents to be highly important. And that begins with personal contact, which does wonders. When it comes to a specific methodology, we do various surveys, along with PPF Factum Research, on subjects that help our clients find their niche in the media, as well as in the political scene. We call it communication survey. That’s probably one thing that really makes us different. We show all surveys on the DBM website, including final reports. Of course, that’s a very specific method of PR, but we are not so focused on ‚How many cats would buy Whiskas.‘ We would like people to think about what we ask on behalf of our clients.

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

Leaders Magazine II/2013 85

event IN COOPERATION WITH LEADERS MAGAZINE

Jan Saudek, Artist

First row from the left: Miro Smolák, Owner and Director, MIRO Gallery Prague, Jan Saudek, Artist, Pavlína Hodková, the life partner of Jan Saudek, Deputy Editor in Chief, Harper’s Bazaar, and Konstantin Kinol, Owner and Director, KinolArt Studio Moscow; Second row: Miloš Jaro, Embassy Counselor of the Czech Republic in Moscow and Director, Czech House Moscow, and the Czech House Moscow staff

March – May 2013 Classic Photo Gallery, Moscow, Russia Organizers: Czech House Moscow MIRO Gallery Prague KinolArt Studio Moscow Press-conference to the exhibition. From left: Mark Kobert, Art Director, Classic Photo Gallery, Interpreter, Jan Saudek, Artist, Miro Smolák, Owner and Director, MIRO Gallery Prague, Konstantin Kinol, Owner and Director, KinolArt Studio Moscow, and Miloš Jaro, Embassy Counselor of the Czech Republic in Moscow and Director, Czech House Moscow.

From left: Martin Klučar, Chargé ď affaires a.i. during his opening speech, Jan Saudek, Artist with Interpreter, and Mark Kobert, Art Director, Classic Photo Gallery

Jan Saudek and Ernest Makarenko, Head of the Administrative District Novo-Peredelkino, Moscow Karina Ritz, Poetess, Writer and Journalist, Moscow

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From left: Pavlína Hodková, life partner of Jan Saudek, Deputy Editor in Chief, Harper’s Bazaar, Antonín Francouz, deputy of the company VINO-LOK, Russia, and Jan Saudek, Artist

From left: Dana Brabcová, Director, Czech Center Moscow and Alexey Vladimirovich Korlyakov, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation with his wife

the coach’s corner

Balancing Body & Mind

TO SUCCEED

“Just as great athletes make huge gains with the help of their coaches, people at all levels of organizations are seeing phenomenal results through support from business coaches.”

-- Ken Blanchard, The One Minute Manager.

When business coaching emerged some twenty years ago, only a handful of mostly senior executives enlisted the help of coaches to guide them to greater success in their professional and personal lives.

Since then, the reputation of professional coaching has become so established that one can find coaches helping people at every level of the corporate world. Professional coaches have since helped hundreds of thousands of people maximize their potential, productivity and success in countries around the globe.

While most people generally associate the term coaching with the world of sports, the guidance a business coach provides his or her corporate clients isn’t quite the same as that of a coach who helps a tennis player win the Grand Slam.

In sports, coaching is very much a hands-on activity that involves giving feedback, suggestions and direction on how to best leverage one’s talent through regular, ongoing physical training.

In business, coaching is more about listening and asking questions, providing a relevant sounding board and a safe environment in which to reflect, plan and commit to goals. The value a coach brings to this relationship is in providing a supportive environment for the coachee so that he or she can develop an action plan and prepare for future successful results.

Having noted this difference, it is also important to highlight some of the areas where sport and business overlap, and where business leaders, who use a professional coach to overcome the psychological hurdles of the workplace, could learn from the experience of top athletes in gaining a greater understanding and control of their physical bodies.

Karin Genton-L’Epée is a business coach with 31 years of extensive professional experience in the United States, France and the Czech Republic.

Based in Prague since 1995, for the past 15 years she has developed a range of coaching and training programs for mid- and top-level managers, focusing on leadership development, cross-cultural understanding and effective communication in a global environment. By providing a structured environment that supports people in clarifying who they are and what they want, Karin enables her clients to devise more effective strategies to achieve their personal and professional goals. Thanks to her knowledge, skills and range of international experience, Karin is in demand as a speaker at business conferences and educational institutions on both sides of the Atlantic. She is also a regular contributor to business journals and magazines. She works in English and French and can be reached at karin@coaching.cz.

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Athletes have long known the importance of positive mental attitude for achieving great physical accomplishments. However, business people, in my experience, are far less aware of the importance of balancing their spirit, mind and body.

To illustrate this point I will use a former client as an example of someone who was able to benefit from a combination of intensive coaching and physical activity, namely yoga.

Not long ago I worked with a young professional named Jana, whose impressive list of accomplishments had recently helped her land a promotion to a managerlevel position, in charge of a team of ten people. She owed her promotion as much to her intelligence and analytical skills as her own personal ambition and hard work.

Moreover, having been identified as one of the company’s rising stars, Jana’s drive and determination was encouraged by her director. None-the-less, her boss was very aware of challenges that Jana would face on her path to success.

Based on what the manager told me about Jana, I was expecting to see a confident and poised young woman when we met for the first time. But the person who sat across me didn’t convey any of the qualities her boss and HR manager had described to me. Her shoulders were slouched, her breathing shallow and her eyes continually seemed to be avoiding mine.

While Jana’s technical and analytical skills were acknowledged and praised throughout the company, her weak interpersonal skills and an uninspiring physical presence were undermining her role as a future leader.

It is well known that our body is our main vehicle for communication and that 55 percent of our communication is conveyed through the way we stand, move and behave. Yet it is amazing how few people pay attention to what their bodies are telling others.

Jana, for example, would find it very difficult to inspire confidence in her team when her body language showed a clear reluctance to communicate and an even clearer lack of self-confidence.

As our dialogue continued, I asked Jana some questions to discover what was behind this chasm of what she was telling me verbally and what she was expressing physically. Her body seemed to be surprisingly oppressed when she described her current professional situation. When she talked about her past achievements, her body eased slightly and her breathing became more relaxed, but an underlying impression of anxiety was clearly palpable.

When I eventually shared my impressions with her, she looked me in the eyes and with a surprised tone asked, “What do you mean my body communicates my stress and emotional turmoil?”

While Jana did not need much help in clarifying her goals and establishing an action plan to achieve them, she needed a lot of coaching to realize the great importance that one’s physical presence has in producing an impression of confidence and competence. Learning to manage our body posture and gestures to create a posi-

tive impression under times of stress and uncertainty is almost as important as mental control in such situations.

As with other clients, I recommended that Jana try to find balance both physically and mentally through sport and physical activity. Not only does sport provide an excellent physical outlet for stress, but it can often help people improve their mental focus, find more energy and become increasingly open and receptive.

As part of her coaching program, I strongly suggested that Jana attend a weekly yoga class. After a few short weeks, Jana and her coworkers noticed a remarkable difference in both the way she carried herself and in her more relaxed overall attitude. Jana’s posture quickly improved while she learned breathing techniques that kept her aligned physically and mentally.

Coaching and yoga share an emphasis on the process of fostering inner awareness. As a result, yoga is often an excellent complement to professional coaching. Both activities place great value on the path of self-discovery and share the belief that the inner journey begins by shifting our external focus to our inner focus. Like coaching, yoga encourages its students to pay more attention to external events and circumstance in life, while at the same time focusing on internal factors.

Concretely, here are some of the benefits that yoga can offer: • Various approaches/routines to manage stress and reduce fatigue •Movements/exercises to increase flexibility and strength • Relaxation and breathing techniques that allow one to find balance, both physically and mentally The mind and the body are closely interconnected.

Therefore, whatever you do for your mind is almost always reflected by your body. Learning to balance the body and the mind will help you be more aware and engaged in the present moment. Whether it is by consciously taking one breath at a time to reach maximum physical extension or by identifying the strategy to help you achieve your goal, the emphasis is on being open and receptive.

Like coaching, regular yoga practice encourages a person to look both inside and outside of his or her self to find happiness and fulfillment. As a result, I strongly believe that balancing our mind and body is the key to achieving professional success as well as physical and ■ mental well-being.

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interview

A talk with Milan Chovanec, Governor of Pilsen Region and the Social Democratic Party Shadow Minister for Transport

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interview

“Investment in transport infrastructure helps to pump up the economy” Milan Chovanec (1970) has been a Governor of Pilsen Region since autumn 2010. He has been serving as a Shadow Minister for Transport since May 2011, and since March 2013 he has been the Vice Chairman of the Social Democratic Party (CSSD). Milan Chovanec became a member of the CSSD in 1997. Prior to the governor´s position he worked as first deputy governor of the Pilsen Region. From 2002 to 2010 he served as a member of the Town Council of the City of Pilsen, and at the same time as the Chairman of Audit Committee of Pilsen. Milan Chovanec is married and has two kids. His hobbies include fishing, politics and history.

CSSD has recently presented the Orange Book on Transport. In this respect, what are its priorities with regard to this sector?

The priority is to stabilize the system, the completion of key buildings and an increase in efficiency. The Orange Book on Transport summarizes the basic transport problems within the transport sector and offers a systemic solution as well. The next step should be an articulated form of proposed legislative changes and professional public involvement in the debate over the priorities of the resort.

However, The Orange Book on Transport has been founded during the last year and thus, it does not reflect recent changes coming from the new management of the Ministry of Transport and the European Commission. Therefore, specialized mini-teams should be established in order to propose particular solutions, especially for rail and road holding.

So, what are the system solutions within the transport sector? What, in particular, do you reproach the present Government for?

Mr. Stanjura is the fourth transport minister of this government. Every new minister bombastically announces new priorities, and changes the key people in the whole resort. Not by chance is there a personnel carousel symptom of protracted crisis in the field of transport. Consequently, there is the real threat that we won’t be able to draw the EU subsidies of tens of billions in CZK. At the same time, the backbone motorway and the rail network has been far from finished. Moreover, development of new projects has been culpably neglected, so for the next two years no major traffic construction can be initiated. This goes against common sense. In fact, there are only two key things essential for transport funding.

What are they?

The national resources and the EU subsidies.

So far, we are proceeding very illogically, because we are reducing national resources and replacing the deficit with money from Brussels. This means in brief that we relegate finding a solution and thus we might have a great problem in the future.

The Orange Book on Transport reveals, among other things, that you don’t agree with the “Superministry” which will emerge by

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merging the Ministry of Transport with the Ministry of Trade and Industry. Can you explain it?

Well, I haven’t seen even a single relevant document or a single analysis of how the merger should look, and what savings it would bring. It seems to me like trying not to solve the fundamental problems which have accumulated over the period of the past seven ministers. Instead, unnecessary activities are invented and problems are swept under the carpet under the guise of an effort to merge. To me, government politicians woke up one day and said: “We have an idea, let’s publish it.”

So, what are your key priorities?

First of all, stabilization of the system and establishing a transparent way of funding. Then it is possible to plan the completion of the railway corridor and the backbone of the network. The Ministry of Transport should make serious and crucial decisions soon. The question is whether to support public transport, whether the state has to have a strategy for freight and passenger rail transportation, whether to invest heavily in highways and whether we have the money for these investments?

Thus, can you describe where you want, at this time of reduction of budget expenditures on infrastructure, to raise sufficient funds to complete the construction of rail corridors and trunk road networks?

Primarily, it is necessary to maintain costs rather than to reduce them, which this government promised in its policy statement and failed to do.

The State Transport Infrastructure Fund had at its disposal over 90 billion CZK. The current situation is such that the national budget resources are 43.6 billion CZK. This dramatic cut of spending practically means that we won’t be able to complete the drawing of EU funds. The cuts also have a multiplier effect, which is reflected in other segments such as construction and engineering.

Primarily, it concerns the fact that the investment in transport infrastructure can help everywhere in the developed countries to pump up the economy.

Thus, the aim of the measures that we propose is to increase efficiency while legally modifying and clarifying the method of funding transportation projects. This can be achieved, for example, by

a gradually increased share of excise duty on mineral oils to 25% in favor of the transport sector.

One of your priorities is the introduction of tolls on the first-class roads. The operation of the electronic toll system in the Czech Republic, however, according to the findings of the Supreme Audit Office from last year, seems to be more expensive than in neighboring Austria and Germany. Therefore, is the system really so beneficial for the Czech Republic?

First of all we need to work conceptually. Given that the costs of operation of the toll system in our country are much higher than in neighboring countries, it is inconceivable that the current operator further expands his activities. So it is absolutely necessary to prepare transparent conditions of the new tender for its users in the near future, including a satellite toll system or combined system. Only then is it possible to consider the introduction of tolls on lower-classes of roads.

Moreover, you are, along with others, a critic of the recently launched vehicle register. What exactly would you like to do with this system in case you become the Minister of Transport after the next parliamentary election?

Apparently the register will never function. In my view, they bought an inappropriate system.

Meanwhile, the present Minister of Transport, Mr. Stanjura, said that the registry was working on three minus. The question is whether we are able to improve our mark to two in six months, and the next year to one with an asterisk. If not, then let’s leave it, apologize to the public, make a tender aimed at the new system and punish those responsible.

Do you have time for your hobbies? How do you manage to relax?

With the onset of this winter, I completely changed my lifestyle. I am on a diet, I have lost weight, I try to regularly walk in nature, or at home on a conveyor belt. Sometimes I even visit a gym, where I had not even been once over the last fifteen years. I enjoy it and I also live better.

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

Leaders Magazine II/2013 89

event

Vasarely Victor (1906–1997) Reyle Anselm (*1970) Conrads Michael (*1977)

From left: Jürgen Vorrath, Owner and Director, Produzentengalerie Hamburg, Pavel Smetáček, Clarinet Player, and Miro Smolák, Owner and Director, MIRO Gallery Prague

March 15th – April 30th 2013

MIRO Gallery in the Church of St. Rochus

EXHIBITION IN THE MIRO GALLERY PRAGUE AND AFTER PARTY AT LINDNER HOTEL PRAGUE CASTLE

From left: Maricarmen Landaveri, Graphic Designer and H.E. Marita Landaveri Porturas, Ambassador of Peru

From left: Ing. Jaromír Schling, former Minister of the Czech Government and Michal Donath, Donath Business & Media Mgr. Petr Štěpán, Art Historian

90 From left: MUDr. Martin Papáč, Military Hospital in Střešovice with his wife Erika Papáčová and Pavel Marinič, Auto Škoda

From left: Katerina Bohac Linares, Owner, Latin Art Gallery, Ing. Jana Vichrová, Marketing, AUDITOR, and Ulf Landeberg, General Manager, Lindner Hotel Prague Castle

event

From left: Michel Haas, Collector, Gallery Owner and Curator with Halina Nowak, Art Consulting, Galerie Michael Haas Berlin, JUDr. Dagmar Raupachová, Attornay at Law, AK Černý – Raupachová, Michael Conrads, Painter, and Jürgen Vorrath, Owner and Director, Produzentengalerie Hamburg Rudolf Netík, Architect

From left: Ing. Helena Leisztner, Design - Living Art with her husband Ing. Roland Leisztner, General Director, LINEA ÚBOK and Yvona Hartlová, Senior Consultant

From left: Jozef Gáfrik, Journalist with his wife Iveta Demianová, KA Contracting ČR s.r.o. and Georgi Stojanov, Painter Dr. Jiří Karbaš, Art Historian with his wife

From left: Ing. Vladislav Stanko – CEO, CZECHOSLOVAK REAL, Petra Plachá, PR Manager, CZECHOSLOVAK REAL, and Dominik Biľo, Graphic Design Department Director, MIRO Gallery

91 From Left: Jurdegu Kočak, Euro Gold Centre, Ing. Jana Vichrová, Marketing, AUDITOR, and Irma Mangaládze, Artist

interview

A talk with Pavel Bělobrádek, Chairman of the Christian and Democratic Union – Czechoslovak People’s Party

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interview “I can understand the worlds of both the religious and the atheists.”

Pavel Bělobrádek – graduated from the University of Veterinary and Pharmaceutical Sciences Brno, the Faculty of Veterinary Hygiene and Ecology (he obtained the degree MVDr. in 1995–2001 and Ph.D. in 2004–2008). He worked at the State Veterinary Administration of the Czech Republic in 2003 (attestation of the I. grade). Pavel Bělobrádek also graduated from the CEVRO Institute, a Liberal-Conservative Academy (he studied economy, politics, law, international relations, political marketing and public presentation in 2009–2010) and also a Postgraduate programme MPA – Defence and Crisis Management in 2011–2013, where he obtained the MPA degree. In the years 2001–2009 he worked at the Regional Veterinary Administration of Hradec Králové Region as a veterinary inspector.

He was a Regional Secretary of the Pardubice Region. Pavel Bělobrádek was elected the Chairman of the Christian and Democratic Union – Czechoslovak People’s Party (KDU-CSL) in 2010.

You are one of the younger chairmen of the parties on the current political scene. In your view, why did KDU-CSL have confidence in you?

KDU-CSL realized that a traditional political party needs a new mind. I come from East Bohemia, thus I can understand both Bohemia and Moravia to the same extent. I started to go to Church as an adult; I was not raised in a traditional Christian environment of religious practitioners. My mother is a Protestant. Thus I can understand the worlds of both the religious and the atheists. I worked for the Party as a professional. All this with my energy and good reputation of a skillful regional manager fit with my vision, as well as my suggestions of the KDU-CSL’s future path as a centre-right subject with a social accent.

So, what path should KDU-CSL take?

It should definitely follow the Christian Democratic path, i.e. the path of the German CDU, the Austrian People’s Party or the Slovak KDH. We are a conservative Party that professes hard work, freedom, family, responsibility for yourself and for the whole of society; a subsidiary of principles encompassing a non-collectivist solidarity and Christian values based on the Ten Commandments’ and the gospel of love. We are neither Socialists or the ODS members going to church. We are a sovereign Party which has roots going back to the Old Czechs. Our Party has been established by the merging of several subjects more than ninety years ago. We must draw from the consequences of our mistakes in the past, yet look forward as well.

In this context, could you assess the actions of TOP 09 as a party which has emerged partly from previous KDU-CSL members? Can you possibly imagine future co-operation with this party?

I expected from ODS and TOP 09 that they would fulfill their proclamations with which I mostly agreed. Unfortunately, the implementation of the statement of purpose is nothing short of a bummer. Do you remember the words of the Minister of Finance, Miroslav Kalousek, that during a crisis there won’t be a tax increase? The pension reform, which does not address causes but only consequences, would be wrong. A health

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care reform which basically has not taken place yet? Streamlining and efficiency of the state? Ridiculous! Stability and predictability of the business environment? Rule of law? The fight against corruption? Nothing turned out good. There have already been arrests of the Deputy Minister at the Ministry of Social Affairs, and nine other people were charged, and it turns out that this is just the beginning of leakage of the public money. Surely we can find some positive steps that were taken, yet they are in a real discrepancy with their unfulfilled hopes. At the moment, I can hardly imagine a government collaboration with any party in the Chamber of Deputies.

Do you have a strategy to return the KDU-CSL to the Chamber of Deputies? How do you want to convince your voters?

Yes, we are working on the strategy at present.

We are seeing 9% regional mandates, i.e. we’ve experienced an increase in the number of regional representatives in the last year compared to 2008. It represents both encouragement and instruction at the same time. However, we need to take into account our financial situation as well, as we still pay off our debts; we released 60% of our employees, and we have paid off election debts left by our predecessors last July. On the other hand, we are going to start with a campaign as the parliamentary election gets closer. We are preparing everything, so let us surprise you. We definitely want to become a non-left-wing and non-socialist alternative for the current government politics, which has been embarrassing with regards to right-wing politics. The ODS government is neither a government fighting corruption nor delivering budget responsibility, it is a government which caused increasing preferences for the Communist Party, unfortunately.

Can you explain the KDU-CSL’s new political vision – “Vision 2020 – the Czech Republic as a Decent State for Decent People”? What is its essence?

Many citizens do not identify with our state; they take it as a subject which only requires something from them without giving back in return. There are those “above” and those “below”. We want our state to be “slim” and effective. We want

a state that is friendly to the decent citizens, and to those who are “impolite” we will be hard and firm. Moreover, we want a state that will intervene in people’s lives only when it is reasonable and in their favour. However, even within intervention the state needs to be stable and reliable.

Does KDU-CSL feel that with the new pope comes hope for reform of the Church?

KDU-CSL does not deal with the internal affairs of the Church, as this is obviously not a political issue. I personally as a practicing Catholic welcome the election of Pope František. The Church does not need revolutionary reforms, yet to rather truly proclaim and show why it exists. Minor changes brought on by life are definitely going to take place. This happens no matter which new pope we elect. The Church can, nonetheless, address a return to a greater modesty and humility, to solve social and ecological problems much better, and find more effective solutions than any neo-Marxist, social-left or green activists.

Is politics your mission?

I would not call it a mission exactly. It is rather a stage of life where I have a clear task, i.e. I want the KDU-CSL to be a center-right-wing, conservative subject that is not fighting solely for some social group (rich, poor) but creating a real welfare, stability and prosperity for all society. The return of KDU-CSL into the Chamber of Deputies represents the fulfillment of my mission within top politics. I don’t know what will be next. God has a sense of humour, and thus I’ll see what other challenges will look like, be it my continuation within or leaving for the private sector. However, I definitely see my continuation with work at the local and regional level where I am a representative.

How do you relax? Do you have time for your hobbies?

I am very happy that I can at least devote some time to my family, because for me politics is not just a service to others, but a hobby at the same time. Thus, I have only little time for other things.

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

Leaders Magazine II/2013 93

the good things in life

Singapore A GOLDEN CAGE? Singapore is a city, a country and an island in one. It’s known for its prosperity, order and luxury. More than two hundred years ago, its strategic location at the Southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, predestined its significance and exceptionality as one of the most important traffic intersections on the planet. It’s the node between Eastern and Western civilizations, belonging to the most advanced economies in the world, as the business, financial and transportation connection between Europe, Asia and Australia.

Despite being one of the most populated states in the world, today’s Singapore is considered the cleanest and safest of countries, with the highest standard of living. This also increases population growth, due to burgeoning immigration. It’s very difficult to obtain either citizenship or long-term residency in Singapore. But at first glance, you probably won’t realize there are 5 million people living in Singapore within an area of 710 km2. The clean, green-laced city, unencumbered by traffic jams and smog, offers comfort and pleasure at every step. Among the first in the world, in 1975, Singapore introduced a „congestion charge“ toll system in the form of issuing licenses for entry into the city center. Singapore is carefully designed from an urban design and architectural point of view.

Locals are always friendly, shops and services at a top level and the tempo of life is pleasant.

Singapore’s obsession with its own perfection is

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well known and in the forefront of the citizen interest. The basic principles of Singapore are based upon economic growth, appropriate remuneration for results and friendliness toward foreigners. Its strategic location always attracted skilled businessmen of many nationalities and, even today, the country is a blend of many nationalities, cultures, ethnic groups and religions.

In 1390, in the jungle beyond a small fishing village on the island of Temasek, Prince Iskandar Shah came across a lion and, according to legend, called the island Singaporea – The Lion Island. Prosperity was eventually boosted by Sir Thomas Stamford Raffles of the British East India Company, who managed to convince the local government in 1819 to allow him to acquire the city for British business purposes. From the start, he set very liberal business rules and implemented a duty-free zone, which quickly helped expansion. In 1867, the city became a British royal colony and again prospered. Despite Brits maintaining a sizable military garrison in the port, it was conquered by the Japanese during WWII. At the end of the war and with the approaching defeat of Japan, the Brits repossesed their port.

In 1963 Singapore was accepted into the Federation of Malaysia, but because of various disputes, was expelled in 1965 and remained an independent republic until today. The ‚Father of the State‘ was (and is) Lee Kuan Yew (aged 89), a skilled negotiator of independence. He is still alive and in the background of the singlechamber parliamentary government, which gives the impression of an ‚enlightened central power‘.

The leading party, the ‚People´s Action Party,‘ has won election ever since 1959 and promotes the ‚general interest of a strong state‘ ahead of individual interests and the democratic rights of individuals, such as freedom of expression. An example might be the recent strike of several train engineers for a pay increase, which was punished by jail, as was the last one, which took place 25 years ago. Corruption is considered to be the highest risk and is severely punished, as is thievery, drugs, violence, or any other illegal act.

However, the economic growth of the state since its independence over the last half-century is admirable and Singapore sustains its reputation as one of the most advanced economies in the world. The country is oriented toward export and the state plays a significant role in trade,

owning majority shares in companies and creating up to 60% of the GDP. But the state isn’t usually represented directly in companies, but rather through other entities, such as investment funds.

The country is notable for its low level of unemployment (around 2–3%) and, as mentioned, its exceptionally high living standards. Despite its already high economic advancement, Singapore continues to show an unusually rapid rate of economic growth.

Even with its small land area, Singapore has a considerably strong army. Military expenditures represent 4,9 % of the state budget and, in per capita calculation, are the 4th highest in the world.

Singapore spends more on armaments than its considerably more populous neighbors, Malaysia and Indonesia. The reason is that Singapore, as a secular state, is surrounded by Islamic states – Malaysia in the North and Indonesia to the South. When Singapore separated from Malaysia in 1965, it recognized this fact and asked Israel for collaboration. Israel was and today remains in a similar situation and provided Singapore with military advisers. Given that Singapore is a very small island, its only defense against outside attack is a preventive strike to the territory of an adversary. Should those adversarial forces get all the way to Singapore, its chance of defense is minimal.

The British colonial district in the center of the city is, therefore, today’s established face of Singapore and the core of its modern history. The composition of official residents is very diverse, with more than 70% ethnic Chinese, originally from the Fujian Province and from Canton. Then there are Peranakans, so called Straits-Chinese (father Chinese, mother non-Chinese), ethnic Malays (not to be confused with Malaisians, the nationality of the northern neighbors), Indians and Arabs. Almost 20% of the population are expatriots, be they workers, service industry employees or highly placed businessmen from North America, Europe, Australia, India and China.

In terms of religion, the majority is Buddhists (55%), then Muslim (5,5%), Christian (12,5%) and Hindu (5%). The official languages are English, Chinese, Malay and Tamil. The easy and harmonious coexistence of all communities is exemplary and comes from experienced tolerance, trained even in the new generation and arising primarily from Buddhist teaching. Singaporeans

the good things in life are proud of their honesty, hard work and trustworthiness.

Thanks to these successes, the Singapore government can afford to be rather autocratic. Their route to perfection occasionally brings unexpected ‚novelties‘ such as the ban on import of chewing gum, a ban on drinking and food consumption in the metro and littering waste or cigarette-stubs anywhere in public spaces. The question of Singapore‘s difference, when we have similar bans as well, is answered in their consistency of punishing the culprits and the amount of fines. These are not tens of dollars. The most common fines begin at $300 and rise from there, sufficiently motivating obedience.

Singapore is also generally recognized as having one of the most successful health-care systems in the world, both from the perspectives of financing effectiveness and achieved results. Singaporean philosophy stresses the importance of building a healthy population through preventive programs of health care and supporting healthy lifestyles. People use outpatient services in the private sector, because the charges are rather low and take into consideration a person’s income.

However, the government-established a primary health sector is used by people who cannot afford private sector charges. A number of elementary schools, called ‘Health Clubs,’ were established

where membership is mandatory for obese children. They perform special exercises according to given curriculum and each month teachers monitor both their weight and height.

The selection of hotels for visitors is unbelievably diverse and high-quality. The unique Raffles Hotel, built in 1887 and located in the very center of the Shenton Way colonial financial district, is a legend and one of the symbols of Singapore.

You can spend a night in suites named for Winston Churchill, John Wayne, the Prince of Walesu or Laurence Olivier. In the Long Bar, you must try the famous Singapore Sling cocktail. Even Sebastian Vettel learned to prepare it here after the Formula 1 race in 2008. All rooms are actually spacious suites, most leading to an open arcade with a view of the interior gardens. Its central location offers a pleasant walk both to the Chinese quarter and, alternately, toward the Indian and Arab quar-

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ters. All ethnic quarters sustain their authenticity and atmosphere. They‘re full of life and witnesses to traditions, a necessary antidote to the surrounding ultra-modern development of the city.

Each year brings another opening of a new, supermodern hotel of top design, such as the Fullerton Bay ( 2011), which provides a stunning view of the bay and the panorama of its surrounding and daring architecture. Or another new hostel, Saint Regis, located at the head of Orchard road, the largest shopping avenue in the world, satisfying even the most demanding shopper. Our Singaporean friend, John (originally a Brit), dryly remarked that „Singapore is one big shopping mall and one big construction site.“ Any building that has no historic heritage and is older than 20 years, will undoubtedly be torn down and a new, more modern one, built in its place.

Every European should be obliged to visit the famous food market, a multiple complex of extensive buildings that originally served military purposes, located in a forest-park near the city center. Here can be found inexhaustible amounts of exotic fruits and fresh produce, including foods from around the world (unpasteurized French cheeses, wines, Italian ice-cream, Swiss chocolate, etc.), as well as local culinary specialties prepared on-spot. We must taste durian, a local fruit that has such an unpleasant odor it’s not allowed to be carried into the underground or public buildings, but otherwise has a very pleasant taste. They say that if you taste durian, you begin to understand the Far East. We fall in love with mangostan, a fruit combining the sweet flavor of litchi and mango, often served as an after-dinner dessert.

We also mustn‘t forget to visit at least one of the many legendary food courts in the Chinese quarter, a huge roof-covered market where Singaporeans go for lunch. But for a business lunch, you are better off heading to Paradise for some Peking duck or to TongLok Seafood for chilli crab or hairy crab, a local delicacy. Luxury restaurants are usually found on the upper floors of skyscrapers, offering stunning views of Singapore, its bay and the sea. The Singaporean climate is tropical, essentially very wet year-around with high rainfall.

It is best to plan visits to orchid gardens, parks, sightseeing, golf or sea-trips for mornings. Downpoars begin almost daily and nearly exactly at 5 p.m., yet suddenly stop about an hour later. It is rumored this is why Brits in Singapore encouraged the 5 o’clock tea.

Typical Singaporeans are wealthy competent businessmen, educated specialists, lawyers and doctors, many of them avid collectors or art and fine wines. Antique shops offer treasures, mostly from ancient China and India. Private wine-tastings for members of numerous wine connoisseur clubs are organized almost daily. From November through February, the representatives of famous European wineries such as Margaux, Pauillac, Pomerol, Vega Sicilia, etc., treat their local clientele to wine-tastings and accompanying evenings of fine-dining.

Also, our friends, the famous surgeon N.K.Yong and his wife Melina, are significant wine connoisseurs. He is famous for transforming the pool in his house into a wine cellar, so he could store his 40.000 bottles of wine. He is not only a great expert, but a generous philanthropist, who blended the pleasant with the useful. Several times a year he organizes fine dinners with tastings of wines from his private cellar and the proceeds, along with financial donations of approximately 1 million SD per year are donated to local children’s hospitals and institutions. Individual participation by wealthy Singaporeans toward the prosperity of the state is commonplace.

It is said that, in many ways, we could learn from the Singaporeans to avoid the mistakes Europe keeps repeating. Singapore handled the Asian economic crisis in 1997 by a temporary tightening of belts and a vision for long-term growth. People voluntarily gave their state and government money and gold to improve the financial situation. Everyone saved money meticulously, worked hard and settled for managing on their own available means. A Singaporean conviction holds that all rights are necessarily followed by related obligations. Individuals are responsible for their families, parents, grandparents, society and the country at large.

This optimistic vision of the future shared by most citizens, yet doesn’t come without problems. There is a fear of loss of identity within an ever-modernizing state with a large migration of citizens. It requires a constant maintenance of balance between traditions and the modern world, much like that between yin and yang. The country is so self-centered that, its daily life might slowly lose contact with the surrounding world and its changes. They say that a weakness may come from too much power. What’s important is that the young are convinced of an interesting, stable and rich future, sharing the high morals acquired in families and schools, as well as the belief that with determination, it’s possible to overcome many obstacles and achieve success.

By Iva and Joseph Drebitko Photos: authors’ archive ■ český překlad naleznete v elektronické verzi magazínu na www.leadersmagazine.cz

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Vladimír Nálevka I met Vladimír Nálevka at the Diplomatic Academy, where he led negotiation, communication and management skills courses for both junior and senior diplomats. I personally see Vladimír as an incredibly hardworking, fair and conscientious man. He says that he came to the training profession by chance, having been approached by a friend. And so – quite by chance – he found that it was what he really wanted to do. However, it is not a coincidence that Vladimír is a leading Czech expert on negotiation. He is co-owner and head consultant at Interquality, a company whose clients include more than half of the TOP 100 Czech corporations. As a consultant and trainer, he worked in dozens of Czech and foreign companies from various sectors – banking, telecommunications, information technology and the pharmaceutical industry. He also leads negotiation skills courses in state administration bodies; e.g. the Ministry of Defense, Ministry of the Interior and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. As an external trainer, he lectured on negotiation strategies in international relations at the Faculty of Social Studies of Masaryk University in Brno.

Based on his professional contacts, he is linked to Harvard’s Program on Negotiation. He collaborates with Professor William L. Ury, a co-founder of this program and leading expert on negotiation. Together with Professor Ury, he led the Negotiation seminar in Prague in 2007. Vladimír also writes on negotiation for professional journals and cooperates with Czech Radio and Czech Television. He is a member of the American Society for Training and Development (ASTD).

Vladimír graduated from the Faculty of Business at the University of Economics in Prague. While staying in the USA, he completed long internships at Innovative Consulting Services and at Process Management International in Minnesota, as well as at Strategy Associates in Florida, focusing on HR development and Total Quality Management. He also participated in a negotiation training course in the UK (Karrass Effective Negotiating Seminar – KENS) and completed the Program on Negotiation at Harvard University Law School.

If you participate in his negotiation courses, you will better understand what has changed within the technique and tactics of negotiation since the first “textbook” of diplomatic negotiation, De la manière de négocier avec les souverains, by François de Callières, published in 1716.

Negotiation, previously the domain of diplomats and powerful statesmen hidden from the public, has nowadays become a key interpersonal skill. The current practice does not accept intuitive approaches to negotiation, nor does it leave its processes to chance.

How do you perceive today’s world?

I like to paraphrase the words of one of my teachers of negotiation, Dr. Chester L. Karrass: Today’s world is a world where you don’t get what you deserve, but what you negotiate.

How good are Czechs as negotiators? Are they able to assert themselves and their interests adequately?

I hate to generalize, but if I have to, I’d answer that it’s getting better and better.

They have more experience and training available. The beginning levels of negotiation skills of both our clients from the business sector and government participants in our courses are better each year. And I think this is also related to the increasing self-confidence in self-assertion, that brings greater success in asserting their interests.

If I may mention what we sometimes miss during negotiations, it is perhaps playfulness. Negotiation is a kind of game. Newsweek once called negotiation the Game of Life. Negotiation doesn’t accept a black and white view of the world. It requires flexibility and creativity in developing proposals, in search of mutually beneficial alternatives for solving the negotiated circumstance.

You came to your current profession by chance. But can you rely on chance when building a career and can you rely on chance in negotiation?

Not a chance (laughs). With respect to a career, the golden age of the early 1990s, when everything was possible, is gone forever. Rather than chance, success in the standard competitive environments certainly depends more on knowledge, skills, experience and diligence. So I wouldn’t rely on chance in negotiation either.

A critical success-factor is careful preparation. Important aspects also include conscious structuring of the negotiation process into separate phases, appropriate implementation of the chosen strategy and use of relevant tactics and tools.

You took over your motto from the first U.S. President, George Washington.

Agreements which are not based on the principle of mutual benefit do not last long. This is easy to say, but hard to do.

Well, it’s not that complicated. A strategy to reach a mutually beneficial agreement is offered by the principled negotiation approach, which was developed within the Harvard negotiation program. This approach advocates four fundamental principles: 1. Focus on interests, not positions.

If two people share an orange, the more one of them gets, the less will be left to the other. But we can also consider the interests of the parties. Why are they interested in the orange? If we find that one of them simply needs the pulp to get the juice and the second needs the skin for baking, there is a more elegant solution than to talk about who receives the bigger half.

Our interests are related to what we really want, to our needs, desires, fears and hopes. If I want a house, it is important to realize why I’m interested in it. Do I want to live in it? Do I want to use a part of it? Is it a form of investment? Am I going

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ambassadors without diplomatic passport to rent it to someone? Identifying interests is a way to offer creative, mutually beneficial alternatives. It’s also always worth considering the interests of the partner, especially if it’s not just about achieving the best possible outcome within a single agreement, but concerns building and cultivating long-term relationships.

2. Insist on using objective criteria.

People want to feel they are treated fairly. And objective criteria are standards of fairness. At the beginning of a negotiation, it’s useful to define standards both parties can agree on. These standards don’t give us a direct answer to the question of how to solve the problem, but they are fixed points that the negotiating parties can rely on.

When buying and selling a used car, the negotiators should first agree on what is acceptable to both parties as a starting point for calculating the price. Whether to start at the original price less the depreciation, the price in a used car lot, the price in an advertising paper or the price on a website, the price specified by a court expert, etc. This starting point then enters their negotiation as an objective criterion. It is definitely better to start like this than if the seller simply says, Seven thousand euros and the buyer replies, are you crazy?

I won’t pay more than five thousand and that is a very generous offer.

Another example of the use of objective criteria is a ‘pre-agreement’. A divorcing couple – before the court begins to decide who will be awarded custody of the children – agrees on the rights of the parent who will not be awarded custody by the court. This creates an interest in both parties to ensure that the agreed rules are fair, in their individual view.

3. Invent options for mutual gain.

Bulat Okudzhava sings in one of his songs, when people start shooting, the bullet will always find a hole.

If negotiators don’t insist upon a single ‘correct’ solution to the situation, but create a number of different alternatives over the course of negotiation, they substantially increase the chances that one of them will be accepted.

These are options that satisfy the interests of negotiating parties. It is useful to combine these options with objective criteria. Creating alternatives is the creative part of the negotiating process, so you best take your time. The mutual benefit of proposed alternatives is very important. A proposal that is only advantageous for the proposer doesn’t have a chance of success in negotiation. You can’t order anyone to reach an agreement with you. The counterparty will only agree to the proposal if it’s advantageous for them as well.

Instead of hard negotiation on whether to open or close the window in the room, the partners should first find out what interests are at stake. If they find that the interest of one of them is fresh air and the interest of the other is to not catch a cold, then they can begin to create alternatives that will lead to the satisfaction of both of interests (opening a window in the next room, giving a sweater to one of them, ventilating the room intensely and then closing the window, meeting someplace else, making a hot cup of tea, sitting away from the window, etc.). If they don’t think about creative alternatives, they will lock themselves up in the cycle of positional negotiation on whether to open or close the window, or what the angle of the opened window should be.

4. Separate the people from the problem.

This recommendation should be reformulated as be hard with the problem, but soft with the people.

Because if a conflict of interest evolves into personal conflict, the probability of agreement is dramatically reduced. But different or conflicting interests don’t exclude politeness and decency on the part of negotiators. It is also important that during and after negotiation, nobody feels treated unfairly.

The principled negotiation approach is the content of our negotiation courses, and participants actively acquire it.

What has been the most difficult negotiation in your life?

It was a business negotiation. It was about the conditions concerning cancellation of the consortium that we established with another entity, in order to offer the widest possible range of services for a certain project. However, the client chose only our part. Finally, we managed to reach an agreement that satisfied the main interests of all stakeholders. The key to solution was a proven negotiation precept: Replace concessions that don’t cost you too much, but have great value for partners, with concessions for which the opposite is true.

You consider long-term interest in your negotiation courses as your greatest achievement. Can you say why there is such an interest in negotiation?

In my opinion, there are at least three reasons: • Negotiation is the most effective mechanism to assert and balance interests of both individuals and groups, allocate resources within the organization and resolve conflicts.

• Intuitive approaches to negotiation can lead to great losses for individuals, organizations and countries.

• Surprisingly often, we negotiate (at work and elsewhere).

Do you like traveling? Where have you taught?

I do. I am ready to teach wherever clients want me.

I have taught in Brussels, Prague, Bratislava, Košice, Munich ... I have taught Czechs, Slovaks, Germans, Poles and Iraqis, as well as members of the Shona and Ndebele tribes of Zimbabwe. Negotiation knows no boundaries. Boundaries separate people, but negotiation brings them together.

Can you say more about how you taught Zimbabweans to negotiate?

In November, 2009, at the Diplomatic Academy of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, I led a negotiation workshop for six Zimbabwean diplomats. They were five nominated ambassadors and the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs.

From September, 2008, when a power-sharing agreement was signed in Harare, the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) was a factor in Zimbabwe’s government. The diplomats who came to Prague were members of both factions of the movement, the MDC-T (Tsvangirai) and MDC-M (Mutambara). There was also a co-founder of the Movement for Democratic Change, the first white woman in the party leadership and Zimbabwean parliament, currently Zimbabwe’s ambassador to Senegal, Her Excellency Trudy Stevenson. By the way, it wasn’t the first time Trudy Stevenson had come to Prague. She visited the Czech Republic several times as a guest of the Forum 2000 conference.

Meeting those brave and nice people was an interesting and inspiring experience for me. They found the seminar very useful and I’m still in touch with some of them. I appreciate the fact that I could give them at least some degree of help in their struggle for a better future for one of the most beautiful countries in Africa.

The media image of a successful mediator is often a poker player who lies through his teeth. Is negotiation connected with emotions and falsehood? And what is the profile of a successful negotiator?

People who bring a great deal of emotion to negotiation and try to prove their point at all costs are poor negotiators. But negotiation is not about who is right, it’s about reaching an agreement. Everybody, as a matter of principle, asserts their position. But when people bring one argument after another to prove their point, the other party does the same thing. This is wrong. In such a case, the negotiators should abandon the unproductive fight of arguments and move on to proposals.

You should be economic with emotions in negotiation. If you want to express them, then you must plan it as part of your prepared strategy.

Unfortunately, it’s quite common that someone lies in negotiation. It’s good to construct an agreement so that lying or unfair conduct doesn’t pay. That can be arranged by imposing specific, enforceable sanctions in the agreement if this kind of behavior occurs.

If you’re asking about what personality traits are desirable for negotiators, then they are definitely patience, perseverance, ingenuity and creativity.

What else would you like to tell our readers?

Negotiation is an important part of our lives. What will the new government look like? Who are we going to support in voting about fishing? How many hostages will be released? What budget are we going to have for next year? Who is going to be in the project team of our company? What will the final cost of the building be?

Under what conditions are we going to make a ‘truce’ with our partner? Where are we going to go on vacation? Who will take out the trash today?

The answers to all these questions are likely to be the result of negotiation – the output of the negotiation process. It is the level of a negotiator’s skills that will decide whether the outcome will be a success or failure. Negotiation is a game which is not just about what cards have been dealt. What makes a difference is how you play them!

But these skills can be learned and it is possible, indeed it is necessary, to improve them.

Written by Linda Štucbartová ■ český překlad naleznete v elektronické verzi magazínu na www.leadersmagazine.cz

Linda Štucbartová graduated from the Institute of International Territorial Studies. After a one year scholarship at the Oxford Centre for Hebrew and Jewish Studies, she obtained a Diplome d´études supérieures from the Graduate Institute of International Studies in Geneva. Between the years 2002 and 2006, she worked in senior positions at the Diplomatic Academy of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Since 2006 she has functioned in the private sphere, and lectures at the Anglo-American University, where she was named the Chair of the Department of Diplomacy.

In addition to training in negotiation and communication of clients from the private, public and non-profi t sector, she regularly collaborates with Photo: Archive NGOs in the projects of the International Global Young Leaders Conference and the Women and Leadership Programme. Linda Štucbartová is a member of the Rotary Club Prague International. She currently works for ŠKODA AUTO a.s. as a Learning and Development Specialist. Articles are extracts from her book Velvyslanci i bez diplomatického pasu (Eng. “Ambassadors without a Diplomatic Passport”).

TO BE CONTINUED WITH OTHER AMBASSADORS WITHOUT DIPLOMATIC PASSPORT

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Radek Špicar Radek Spicar and I have known each other since our days at university. Over the years I have come to admire his hard work, excellent analytical skills, and – last, but not least – intellectual curiosity. Radek is never one to brag about his accomplishments, however. He has feet firmly planted in the ground and is also a great friend with a wonderful sense of humor. I recommend looking for Radek’s inspirational blogs at: http://blog.aktualne.centrum.cz/blogy/radek-spicar.php.

Radek started his studies at the Charles University of Faculty of Socials and then went on to study at the University of Cambridge. After studying in Europe, he went to America and attended two of the country’s most prestigious universities, Georgetown and Harvard. Over the course of his academic career he earned several scholastic awards: Hlavkova Foundation Scholarship, Sasakawa Young Leaders Fellowship, Trinity College European Bursary and Fulbright Scholarship.

Between 2004 and 2006, Radek was a Deputy of Vice-Prime Minister for economy, Martin Jahn. From 2006 until 2011 his responsibilities were with public institutions--on both the national and European-wide level--and the execution of the Corporate Social Responsibility concept. In 2012 he was appointed Executive Director of a high-profile think tank, the Aspen Institute Prague, and continues to serve in that position today. He is simultaneously engaged in following companies and supervisory boards: Confederation of Industry and Transportation of the CR and Supervisory Board of the Academy of Arts, Architecture and Design. He lectures at the Institute of Economic Studies at Charles University and Diplomatic Academy of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

First traditional question – how do you perceive today’s world?

I am afraid I’m too influenced by my frequent travels to China, but the phenomenon I consider the most interesting at this moment is the new balance of powers within the international system. It is especially obvious when you look at the continuous decline of Europe´s competitiveness and rise of Asia.

In other words, it seems that 21st century will belong to Asia and it will be very difficult for us to keep our competitiveness and also standard of life we are so far used to.

You yourself studied politics and humanities; however, today you are promoting technical education. Would you decide differently today?

I wouldn’t, because I myself studied a field I enjoyed and which I considered to be valuable. However, it is true that even during my studies I started paying attention to a bit more exact science, like economy. The reason wasn’t contempt for humanities or fear of unemployment – although these factors were important too. The main reason was my feeling that political science in last decades was rather exhausted and didn’t offer sufficient device for analysis of today’s world. In other words, if you devote to a theory of international relations, at some point you will start studying economic theories like a prisoner’s dilemma, game theory and others, because it simply offers better tools for understanding of today’s world. Moreover, I’m convinced that political scientist who doesn’t understand economy is useless; and that applies vice versa.

You said entering the state administration was the most difficult decision you made. Can you compare your work in such different spheres as enterprising and state administration?

It was a tough decision because I had to prematurely come back from the United States where I was working on my dissertation and I had prejudices towards the state administration similarly as other people. I need to say that I realized I had made a terrible mistake my first day at work, when I decided to increase the amount of state officials. I still remember until today how I arrived to the Government Office and people there were wearing slippers, nobody greeted anybody and everybody talked in abbreviations like FKSP, RHSD, VECU to which I did not understand.

The way life usually works, it turned out to be a fantastic experience which I often and like remind to myself. I met great people, like Deputy Eduard Janota and Mirek Petříček, from whom I had learnt a lot. I also understood that apart from people who do not do anything there, state administration is full of real experts who stay in this sphere not because of necessity but because they actually enjoy the work and they want to change things, in which they often succeed. And even though many things did not turn the way we wanted it, we managed to push through many of thing we had considered to be important – such as the law of bankruptcy or tax exemption on science and researching. Of course, the sphere of business is completely different. It gives you a huge and direct responsibility, not as blurry as in the state administration. Moreover, private firms have less staff. It is a meritocratic environment where you are ranked for what you do, not who is your friend and what your political affiliation is which is quite common in state administration.

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ambassadors without diplomatic passport You were part of the top management in Skoda Auto, where there are both Czechs and Germans. How were you affected by being Czech?

To be honest, I don’t think it affected me at all.

My first job was in a French bank Société Générale, then I spent quite some time studying abroad, so I’m used to contact with foreigners. Besides, nobody really cares where you are from in business – important is what you can do. Cultural differences between Germans and Czechs exist, but if the personal relations are based on mutual trust and respect, they can contribute to better performance.

Certain mixture of nationalities that works together in Skoda is one of the main reasons this company is so successful.

What skills are the most important for you?

What I benefit most from is that I went through three specific surroundings, which is quite a unique opportunity most people in the Czech Republic don’t have. It was the academic sphere, state administration and business. The opportunity to connect and benefit from experience and contacts from the three surroundings is very important for my job. Then of course, it is the working with people who work for me; I enjoy that the most. Putting together a good team, persuading high-quality experts to work for you, leading the team and promote the results of their work, those are the activities I like. Because from certain point you can’t understand everything you work on and you are just as successful as how good your team and it doesn’t matter if there are tens of people in the state administration or just couple of individuals as in business.

What do you think was the most important moment of your career?

The breaking point for me was definitely studying abroad. I used to be an average student in the Czech Republic; however, when I was abroad I realized that unless I want to live a useless life and I want to achieve something and affect things, I need to try real hard. In a retrospective I realized I hadn’t had a sufficient motivation. I hadn’t had to prove anything to anyone and I lived easily and comfortably. Besides, schools in Prague were easy to graduate with reasonable grades and minimal effort. Only abroad, where I had to show that I can keep up with my classmates and at the same time I had to take care of job and material security, I finally began working really hard. The experience from state administration is also very important.

Especially because I learnt how to work with people of all age categories who I couldn’t motivate with neither financial nor career promotion. I learnt a lot in business and I slowly tend to realize that it is endless process because the world changes so dynamically that it is necessary to adapt and learn almost the whole life.

According to long-term statistics, majority of Czech export (over 85%) goes to countries in EU and only 8% go out of OECD countries. Is promotion of Czech entrepreneurship part of traditional diplomacy, or should other resort get involved as well?

The Czech Republic is absolutely dependent on export. It is almost 80% of our GDP and this fact makes us the third most open economy in the world. Supporting export therefore has to be a priority for the whole government and all Minis-

tries which can help should help with promotion of Czech business. It concerns especially the Ministry of Industry and Foreign Affairs. Both Ministries are responsible for economical diplomacy but their mutual cooperation isn’t always optimal. The whole system should reform soon. However, unfortunately we all know how reform efforts look like in here.

You are a huge supporter of the so called economical diplomacy and strengthening of the role of the state under the terms of the support of export to countries out of EU. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs is saving money and canceling positions of economic councilors during contemporary economic situation – you consider this fact unfortunate. How do you perceive economic diplomacy and support of enterprising from the point of view of private sector?

Czech public finances are not in the best condition, so saving by Ministries is absolutely understandable and it will affect the web of Czech embassies. Nevertheless, canceling of Embassies should be consulted with private sphere so that we can prevent such nonsense as canceling consulates in Bombay or Sydney. Our government recently established several counseling authorities and platforms for communication among states administration and business, so I hope that we will manage to agree on some compromises.

You suddenly left a top position in SKODA AUTO for the sector of non-governmental organizations in the end of 2011. What motivated you towards this step and how did you cope with such a change?

I had been considering change after six years at the same position. At first I wanted to stay in the VW Group and work for it in China but then I was offered leading a Central-European branch of American Aspen Institute. I have liked the world of American think tanks ever since my studies in the USA where I worked in one in Washington and having chance to build Aspen Institute in Prague was one of the offers you can’t refuse.

How do you evaluate your performance in Aspen Institute after one year?

Although we have existed for less than a year we managed to put in practice many things we had planned. Opening of our activity with Madeleine Albright, who brought 23 former Ministers of Foreign Affairs together with her, turned very well.

We successfully started our cooperation with MF DNES newspaper, with which we will hold regular

discussion panels. I have already sent many very interesting young people to Aspen in Colorado. In couple of days we leave on a few-day-long seminar for young leaders from Central Europe where we will meet people such as vice-chairman of the European Commission Ševčovič or legendary racer Ari Vatanen, who will lecture about leadership, motivation or ability to overcome defeats.

In what way is the position of think tanks in the Czech Republic different and can we estimate when are these institutions going to be a common part of public life, like for example in the USA? Czech think tanks will never be as influential in the public sphere as the American are, which is connected with differences in political, culture and economic environment of both countries. However, their significance could be great and some of them already are. Similarly to America, they are often politically profiled as for example CEVRO or Masaryk’s democratic academy. There is nothing wrong with this fact itself, but our effort will be to behave like real non-party and non-ideological institution, which I think we have accomplished from the very beginning. Our board of directors represented by almost entire political spectrum and people from state administration and business deserves is a good evidence of that.

As already mentioned, in quite early age you went through the state administration, the biggest export company in the Czech Republic and academic sphere. Now you work in non-profit sphere... Do you have any more career ambitions?

I think my biggest handicap is that I don’t have any career ambitions. My whole life I have been following Schwarzenberg’s “Request nothing, refuse nothing” and when deciding whether to accept or decline offers, I only care if the offer would enable me to use my past expertise and experience or if I could learn something new and something I like, because only then am I able to devote myself fully to a job.

What would you like to say in the end?

I wish everyone to have the opportunity to do things they enjoy in their lives, because then success is guaranteed.

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

Linda Štucbartová graduated from the Institute of International Territorial Studies. After a one year scholarship at the Oxford Centre for Hebrew and Jewish Studies, she obtained a Diplome d´études supérieures from the Graduate Institute of International Studies in Geneva. Between the years 2002 and 2006, she worked in senior positions at the Diplomatic Academy of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Since 2006 she has functioned in the private sphere, and lectures at the Anglo-American University, where she was named the Chair of the Department of Diplomacy.

In addition to training in negotiation and communication of clients from the private, public and non-profi t sector, she regularly collaborates with NGOs in the projects of the International Global Young Leaders ConferPhoto: Archive ence and the Women and Leadership Programme. Linda Štucbartová is a member of the Rotary Club Prague International. She currently works for ŠKODA AUTO a.s. as a Learning and Development Specialist. Articles are extracts from her book Velvyslanci i bez diplomatického pasu (Eng. “Ambassadors without a Diplomatic Passport”).

TO BE CONTINUED WITH OTHER AMBASSADORS WITHOUT DIPLOMATIC PASSPORT

Leaders Magazine II/2013 99

culture event

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13 Annual of the Trebbia EUROPEAN AWARD AND BENEFIT CHEQUES TREBBIA ON MARCH 10th, 2013

General Partner

Main Partner

Partner

Patron

Patron

From left: Eliška Coolidge-Hašková, Owner, Coolidge Consulting Services and former Assistant of five American presidents and Grażyna Kulczyk, Laureate of the European Trebbia Award 2013 for Support of the Culture and the Arts

From left: Klaus von Trotha, former Minister of Science, Research and Culture of Baden-Württemberg and President of International Hermann Hesse Society and José Antonio Abreu, Laureate of the European Trebbia Award 2013 for Support of the Culture and the Arts

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From left: Vladimír Železný, Collector and Patron of Art, Media Businessman and Politician, Jiří Anderle, Laureate of the Trebbia European Award 2013 for Creative Activities, and Jitka Novotná, Moderator, Czech TV

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The bronze TREBBIA sculpture was created in 2000 by Amri Aminov (*1966), an artist of Tajikistan origin living in Paris

From left: MUDr. Ján Lešták, CSc., Owner of the Eye Clinic JL Prague and Jiří Anderle, Laureate of the Trebbia European Award 2013 for Creative Activities

Supported by

culture event

The Gala Evening was held under the auspieces of Dominik Duka OP, Archbishop of Prague and Czech Primas Alena Hanáková, Minister of Culture of the Czech Republic Laureates of the Trebbia European Award 2013 for SUPPORT OF CULTURE AND THE ARTS: José Antonio Abreu (*1939), Economist, Politician and Pianist (Venezuela) Grażyna Kulczyk (*1950), Art Collector, Entrepreneur and Patron (Poland) Laureates of the Trebbia European Award 2013 for CREATIVE ACTIVITIES: Vladimir Ivanovič Fedosejev (*1932), Chief Conductor (Russian Federation) Jiří Anderle (*1936), Painter and Graphic Artist (Czech Republic) Jan Saudek (*1935), Photographer (Czech Republic) Laureates of the Trebbia European Award 2013 for CONTRIBUTION TO NATIONAL DIALOGUE OF CULTURES: Sir Nicholas George Winton, MBE (*1909), Humanitarian (Great Britain) Jiří Bartoška (*1947), Actor (Czech Republic) Miloš Zeman, President of the Czech RepubLaureate of the Trebbia European Award 2013 for the LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT lic during his video speech to the Trebbia Anton Hykisch (*1932), Playwright, Politician and Diplomat (Slovakia)

From left: Roman Jakubovic Popov, Chairman of the Board, Evropsko-ruská banka, H. E. Sergey B. Kiselev, Ambassador of the Russian Federation in the Czech Republic, Vladimir Ivanovič Fedosejev, Laureate of the Trebbia European Award 2013 for Creative Activities, and Leoš Svárovský, Conductor

From left: František Mikeš, First Deputy of the Minister of Culture, Mohammed Al-Qadiri, Businessman, Diplomat and Patron of Art, and Anton Hykisch, Laureate of the Trebbia European Award 2013 for the Lifetime Achievement

From left: Karel Gott, Singer and Jan Saudek, Laureate of the Trebbia European Award 2013 for Creative Activities

From left: Sergey Mayzus, Owner, MAYZUS Investment Company with his wife Anna, Karel Gott, Singer, Jan Saudek, Laureate of the Trebbia European Award 2013 for Creative Activities, Jitka Novotná, Moderator, Czech TV, and Ľubomír Bajaník, Moderator, Slovak TV

From left: Alena Miro, Soloist of the Prague National Theatre and Chairman of the Trebbia Foundation Board of Directors, H. E. Peter Brňo, Ambassador of the Slovak Republic in the Czech Republic, and Jiří Bartoška, Laureate of the Trebbia European Award 2013 for Contribution to National Dialogue of Cultures

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Sir Nicholas George Winton, MBE, Laureate of the Trebbia European Award 2013 for Contribution to National Dialogue of Cultures From left: Walter Hofbauer, Trumpet and Jiří Bělohlávek, Conductor, the Prague Philharmonia

From left: Miroslava Němcová, Chairwoman of the Chamber of Deputies of the Parliament of the Czech Republic, Barbara Winton, daughter of Sir Nicholas Winton, Honzík and Esterka, and Jitka Novotná, Moderator, Czech TV

From left: Miroslava Němcová, Chairwoman of the Chamber of Deputies of the Parliament of the Czech Republic and Barbara Winton, daughter of Sir Nicholas Winton

Svatopluk Sem, Baritone

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From left: Ing. Daniel Horský, Trade Director, KOVOSVIT MAS, Miroslava Němcová, Chairwoman of the Chamber of Deputies of the Parliament of the Czech Republic, and Barbara Winton, daughter of Sir Nicholas Winton

Jiří Vodička, Violin, the Prague Philharmonia

culture event

From the middle: Miro Smolák, Auctioneer, Founder of the TREBBIA Foundation, Chairman of Trebbia INC (Czech Republic), Director, MIRO Gallery, Prague, Jitka Novotná, Moderator, Czech TV, and Ľubomír Bajaník, Moderator, Slovak TV

From left: Sergey Mayzus, successful bidder of the Aquarelle by Josef Wagner, which was auctioned for 200.000 CZK and Miro Smolák, Auctioneer, Founder of the TREBBIA Foundation, Chairman of Trebbia INC (Czech Republic), Director, MIRO Gallery, Prague

Karel Janeček, successful bidder of painting by Karel Gott, which was auctioned for 260.000 CZK

Auction of paintings made by world-famous personalities, who are not professional artists

103 Dagmar Vítková, successful bidder of painting by Petr Čech, which was auctioned for 110.000 CZK

Halina Nowak, successful bidder of photo by Bob Geldof, which was auctioned for 110.000 CZK

culture event

From left: Paulina Kolczynska, PK Fine Art Appraisals Inc., New York, Grażyna Kulczyk, Laureate of the Trebbia European Award 2013 for Support of the Culture and the Arts, Founder of the Art Stations Foundation, Maciek Chorazak, Architect and Businessman, and Štefan Čemický, DriART, Zürich Ing. Hynek Chudárek, Business Director, Czech Television with his wife

Members of the Black Theatre of J. Srnec

104 From left: Benke Aikell, your Publisher and Ing. Helena Leisztner, Board Member of FNMWA with her husband Ing. Roland Leisztner

Deana Jakubisková, Film Producer, J & J Jakubisko Film s.r.o. and Bořek Šípek, Architect and Glass Designer

From left: Alena Miro, Soloist of the Prague National Theatre and Chairman of the Trebbia Foundation Board of Directors, Hana Medková, Opera Singer and Teacher with her son Honzík Pospíšil, and Vladimír Železný, Collector and Patron of Art, Media Businessman and Politician with his wife Konstancie Železná and their daughter Esterka

From left: Ing. Radomír Šimek, former President, DTIHK – ČNOPK with his wife, Karel Nováček, Private Banker, UniCredit, and Marina Votrubová, Private Banker, UniCredit

From left: Benke Aikell, your Publisher, Mrs. Zuzana Migdalová, and Michal Donath, Managing Director, DBM

From left: Karel Janeček, Chairman of the Supervisory Board, RSJ and MUDr. Martin Jan Stránský, Member of the Trebbia INC, Doctor, Pedagogue, Publisher and Publicist (USA/Czech Republic)

Radovan Bucher, Private Banker, Managing Director, UniCredit and Kateřina Matoušková, Private Banker, UniCredit

From left: Jan Kříž, Law Office Kříž & partneři with his daughter Veronika Křížová, Mrs. Růžena Nechanská, and Eliška Coolidge - Hašková, Owner, Coolidge Consulting Services and former Assistant of five American presidents

From left: Mr. Alex Věrnik, Nina Popová, Director, Prague Exclusive, and Sergey Mayzus, Owner, MAYZUS Investment Company with his wife Anna

From left: Jan Vodňanský, Writer and Actor with his wife and Deana Jakubisková, Film Producer, J & J Jakubisko Film s.r.o.

From left: René Sion, General Manager, Alois Dallmayr Automaten - Service with his wife on the left, and Asmat Shanava, Managing Director, Pirosmani Georgian Restaurant

From left: Jiří Menzel, Film Director with his wife Olga and Varhan Orchestrovič Bauer, Conductor and Composer with his wife

Gabriela Šetlíková with Jadran Šetlík, Art Photographer

105 Amri Aminov, Sculptor, Author of the Trebbia statue, Leiko Ikemura, Artist, Berlin with her husband

From left: Vladimir Ivanovič Fedosejev, Conductor, Laureate of the Trebbia European Award 2013 for Creative Activities, Leoš Svárovský, Conductor, and Jiří Bělohlávek, Conductor

culture event

From left: Anton Hykisch, Laureate of the Trebbia European Award 2013 for the Lifetime Achievement with his wife, Andrej Smolák, Artist, and Mohammed Al-Qadiri, Businessman, Diplomat and Patron of Art

H. E. Cihad Erginay, Ambassador of Turkey with his wife and H. E. Lembit Uibo, Ambassador of Estonia

Dagmar Vítková with her husband

From left: Ilona Kondratěnko, Fashion Designer, Alena Miro, Soloist of the Prague National Theatre and Chairman of the Trebbia Foundation Board of Directors, and Irina Kondratěnko, Pianist and Piano Teacher

From left: Olga Menzelová, Jiří Menzel, Film Director, and Meda Mládková, Collector, Art Patron, and Founder of Jan and Meda Mládek Foundation and Kampa Museum

Egon Krák, Composer, Author of Sarabanda / Trebbia 2013 Symphonic Prelude with his wife

From left: Leoš Svárovský, Conductor and Mgr. Martin Otépka, Prague Philharmonia with his wife

Ivo Toman, TAXUS Publishing, and his wife

Prof. Ing. Ivan Stadtrucker, CSc. and Anna Ondrušeková, Director, Tatranská galéria

106 From left: Martha Gellová, Jaromír Šlápota, President, ČSÚZ, and Natali Ruden, Fashion Designer

From left: Bernard Bauer, Executive Member of the Board, Czech-German Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Alena Miro, Soloist of the Prague National Theatre and Chairman of the Trebbia Foundation Board of Directors, Ing. Radomír Šimek, former President, DTIHK – ČNOPK, and Héctor Castillo, Attaché for Cultural Relations, Embassy of Venezuela

From left: Jaromír Schling, former Minister of the Czech Republic with his wife and Ing. Miloš Janů, Managing Partner, Czech – Kuwait Trading Ltd.

From left: Ing. Pavel Štefka, 4-star General (ret.) and Director, TATRA, JUDr. Dagmar Raupachová, AK Černý-Raupachová, and Jan Černý, Attorney at Law, Černý - Raupachová

Jana Bobošíková, Politician with her husband

From left: Nina Popová, Director, Prague Exclusive, Ulf Landeberg, General Manager, Lindner Hotels & Resorts, Zuzana Tančáková, Restaurant and Bar Manager, Hilton Prague Old Town, Beata Csazar, Managing Director, Sante Wines, and Petros Papadopoulos, Director, RIM International

From left: Petr Bratský, Senator, PČR, Senate with his wife, Alena Miro, Soloist of the Prague National Theatre and Chairman of the Trebbia Foundation Board of Directors, and Mgr. Daniel Herman, Director, Institute for the Study of Totalitarian Regimes

Doc. Juraj Filas, Composer with his wife

Ing. Vojtěch Vecán, Chairman of the Ján Kollár Company, Lucie Smatanová, Model, PharmDr. Jana Doleželová, Miss Czech Republic 2004, MUDr. Ján Lešták, CSc., Owner of the Eye Clinic JL Prague

From left: Mrs. Barbara Winton, daughter of Sir Nicholas G. Winton, Amri Aminov, Sculptor, Author of the Trebbia statue, Vlasta Brtníková, Prague Writer’s Festival, and Michael March, President, Prague Writers Festival

Ing. Vladislav Stanko - CEO, CZECHOSLOVAK REAL and Petra Plachá, PR Manager CZECHOSLOVAK REAL

Mrs. Šuvarská, wife of the ThDr. Jaroslav Šuvarský, Eva Blahová, Member of the Trebbia International Nomination Committee, Vlastimil Harapes, Ballet-Dancer, and ThDr. Jaroslav Šuvarský, Director of the Office of the Eparchial Board, The Orthodox Church of Lands

107 Alena Miro, Soloist of the Prague National Theatre and Chairman of the Trebbia Foundation Board of Directors and Stanislav Vaněk, Director, Czech Television

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Jan Mühlfeit, Chairman, Europe Microsoft Corporation Photo: Paul Pacey

global perspectives I envision a future where I should be able to sit in my office, send my avatar to a business meeting anywhere in the world, and when I speak in Czech or in English, the avatar will translate and speak the respective language in real-time. Maybe not this year, but soon.

Microsoft Research is working on technology that can be a simultaneous translator. In 2012, Craig Mundie, Microsoft’s chief research and strategy officer, demoed for the first time in history a real-time translation from English to Mandarin. He spoke English and through a software program called Monolingual TTS, his words were translated into Mandarin and spoken in his own voice by a 3D image of his face.

He came to Brussels this January, and talked about the technology’s performance and accuracy. Even back in 2012 his demo yielded a 93% proper translation, more accurate than most live translations by a person. This emphasizes an important point. Technology is advancing very fast, and it will continue to change industries and be an enabler of business and of improvements in our everyday lives.

ICT (information and communications technology) differs from other industries in a fundamental way. The output of the improved capacity and capability of the latest computer rapidly enables the development of the next improved device. Unlike the automobile industry for example, that underwent rapid innovation a few times in 150 years and mostly settled in a slow and predictable rate of change, ICT keeps advancing at a fast pace.

The industry started with room size computers for governments and corporations, and evolved to producing small gadgets for consumers in only four decades. The seed of this evolution is the scaling down and multiplication of transistors on a chip, driving the computing power. With the transistors, the size of devices also decreased.

Moore’s Law has often been employed to predict and determine the development of new technology. Proposed in 1965 by Gordon Moore, a cofounder of Intel, the “law” is a prediction of the technological evolution pattern. It predicted that as more transistors are packed onto a silicon chip, the performance of a device will double every year. The evolution pattern was then predicted to two years, and is now usually estimated as double performance every 18 months.

As technology accelerates, some people may feel that they are tired of keeping up with the latest new device. However, everything we do is touched by technology in some measure, and we must not underestimate the enabling impact and influence it has on our businesses and our lives.

Part of the challenge that people face is that most computers have user interfaces that use controls whose operation has to be learned linearly in a step by step process. Some people feel this process may not be intuitive or easy enough to be learned and then ‘keeping up with technology’ becomes a chore rather than a pleasure.

Perhaps the answer to this challenge is not to change how people learn to use technology, but

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make computers that behave more like human beings; make computers that can listen, talk, see, and learn. If the controls of an interface are so intuitive to a user that they are effectively invisible as such, or at least become invisible with successive learned interactions, then people can quickly transition from novice users to experts.

Devices are currently still largely based on GUI (graphical user interface) but we are accelerating to NUI (natural user interface) – an interface that interacts with users organically. With a transition to NUI, the enabling aspect of technology in our lives could be amplified. The real-time translation technology Monolingual TTS that I mentioned earlier is an example of a natural interaction with a computer that can be used to break down language barriers anytime anywhere in real-time.

Computers that will interact naturally with users and predict how users will act and react, will be able to learn, relearn, continuously write and rewrite programs and algorithms. These computers will also need to leverage large amounts of data and sophisticated data analyses tied to the Big Data phenomena. As we double the performance of our devices according to Moore’s Law, we are also increasing the amount of collected information. In the present day we can gather, keep and store any data we want, which was not possible in the past. But storage of data is not an issue anymore, we have unlimited storage through cloud computing. This has led to Big Data – large and complex data sets that are difficult to process using regular database management or processing tools.

The industry moved from computers for a small market to computers for anyone, and with NUI it could move to computers for everyone. Big Data needs a similar democratization. Today, only a few people really understand what it is. When I first started in the industry, there was a similar situation with computers. They were mainly for programmers, and most people believed this will not change. But Microsoft saw the opportunity to extend computers to a larger market and commercialized Word and Excel and other tools, which allowed people to benefit from using computers without requiring programming skills. We need this type of democratization of Big Data.

Business intelligence or analytics can be used to sort through and analyze information. However, Big Data requires more sophisticated tools. In the near future we will need new professions around Big Data such as sophisticated data scientists that can transfer the benefits of Big Data across industries. An example of an industry that can make major improvements in efficiency and drive innovation through the use of Big Data and technology is the healthcare system.

Healthcare costs form a key expenditure for most governments in the world. In Europe we spend 6.8% of GDP only on chronic diseases because we are not able to connect the health system and services with the wellness and lifestyle of people. There is little done on the prevention side.

Leveraging Big Data for better prevention, and not

just for projects like mapping the DNA in the human genome project, could save Member States millions of euros. Technology can be a bridge that better connects people with their health by enabling them and their doctors with better information and timely access. For example, personal health records could be stored safely on the cloud instead of the file cabinets or computers of doctors. With digital health records accessed anytime anywhere, people can travel across Europe and receive quality treatment in any hospital because the doctor will have access to the medical history of their patient. The successful expansion of the uses of Big Data across industries and functional areas will be of key importance in the future. Kinect underwent such a transformation successfully.

Kinect, a touchless gaming technology tied to NUI originally brought to consumers for entertainment, was extended to a broader market and is now heavily used in the healthcare industry in areas like surgery and rehabilitation, and also in education.

Technology has made our world more convenient and efficient in many ways and will continue to do so, but there are also issues that have arisen.

Cyberspace has been described as the fifth domain of warfare that the U.S. recognizes as critical to military operations as land, sea, air, and space. Cybercrimes and exploitation of the internet are also high-profile threats. We are growing more and more interconnected and there is an increasingly vast amount of digital data, therefore it is very important to regulate and protect it from the dangers of unlawful or other misuses. Cyberspace is still a new domain defining its security and privacy parameters, and not all governments are focusing their attention to it.

As ‘the right to be forgotten’ framework continues to push the debate between what is truly private and what is public information in the EU, we should also consider what we post on social media sites like Facebook and Twitter. We also need to teach our kids – heavy users of social media – to be careful with personal information for security and also privacy reasons. Nothing is forgotten on the internet – just try un-searching yourself. Once in the public digital domain, it will likely remain there, unless EU data protection laws change.

The challenges related to the internet and technology require our attention, collective decisions and enforcement. However, technology and its outputs are very exciting because they already enable and improve processes in our lives, from business meetings to surgeries. Whether we will continue to double the power of our computers every 18 months according to Moore’s Law; or we will leave silicon chips behind and adopt new technologies that allow for more natural and intuitive user experiences, technology will certainly continue to drive innovation across industries.

By Jan Mühlfeit Chairman Microsoft Europe ■ český překlad naleznete v elektronické verzi magazínu na www.leadersmagazine.cz

Leaders Magazine II/2013 109

Miroslav Vitouš – Double Bass Jan Garbarek – Saxophone Trilok Gurtu – Drums

prague castle event

From left: Miroslav Vitouš, Double Bass Player and Prof. Václav Klaus, departing President of the CR

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WITH VITOUŠ, GARBAREK AND GURTU

Jazz at the Castle From left: PhDr. Radovan Čaplovič, Member of Government Council of the CR, Pavel Číčel, Presbyter, Evangelical Church of the Augsburg Confession in the CR, MgA. Oleg Slepcoff, Slepcoff Hraniczky Design, and Juraj Jariabka, Prague Networking Group

From left: Prof. MUDr. Luboš Petruželka, CSc., Head of Oncology, Všeobecná fakultní nemocnice Praha and Ing. Oldřich Lomecký, Mayor, Prague 1

From left: Martin Šulc, Artistic Consultant and Ladislav Mravec, Director, Foreign Affairs Department, Office of the President of the Czech Republic

110 From left: Jan Garbarek, Saxophonist, Miroslav Vitouš, Double Bass Player

From left: Josef Dráb with his wife, ak. mal. Vladimír Suchánek, President, HOLLAR, and Miloš Janů, PROMEXIM with wife of Mr. Suchánek

Prof. Václav Klaus, departing President of the CR and Sabina Slavičková, Branch Manager, Dietplus

From left: Eva Lorencová, Editor, Jeff Goldblum, Actor, and H.E. Norman Eisen, Ambassador of the USA

Jiří Zavadil jun., Director, Rezidence Golf and wife of H.E. Ferdinand Trauttmansdorff, Ambassador of Austria, Margrit

From left: Jaromír Helešic, Jazz Musician, František Uhlíř, Jazz Musician, and Karel Vejvoda, Musician

Alena Veliká, Moderator of the evening and Karel Vágner, Producer and Composer, MULTISONIC

From left: H.E. Cihad Erginay, Ambassador of Turkey, Jeff Goldblum, Actor, wife of H.E. Cihad Erginay, H.E. Norman Eisen, Ambassador of the USA, and H.E. Ferdinand Trauttmansdorff, Ambassador of Austria

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From left: H.E. Ferdinand Trauttmansdorff, Ambassador of Austria with his wife and H.E. Cihad Erginay, Ambassador of Turkey with his wife

From left: Pavel Číčel, Presbyter, Evangelical Church of the Augsburg Confession in the CR, Josef Vejvoda, Musician with his wife, and Ilona Müllerová, Optician

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Trilok Gurtu, Drummer

H.E. Jaakov Levy, Ambassador of Israel and H.E. Marie Chatardová, Ambassador of the CR in France

Christening of CD by Štveráček and Fečo Family – from left: Ondřej Štveráček, Saxophonist, Milan Teplý, Sponsor of the CD, Chairman of the Board of Directors and Managing Director, Madeta, Prof. Václav Klaus, departing President of the CR, Karel Vágner, Producer and Composer, MULTISONIC

prague castle event Band: Emil Viklický, Jaroslav Jakubovič, Miroslav Hloucal, Josef Fečo, Tomáš Hobzek

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Ondřej Hejma, Musician

Lucie Bílá

Boris Urbánek

Štěpán Markovič

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Jaromír Halešic

František Uhlíř

From left: Josef Fečo, Jaroslav Jakubovič, Miroslav Hloucal

prague castle event

Martin Kuba, Minister of Industry and Trade

From left: Michal Žáček, Jaroslav Jakubovič, Štěpán Markovič

Jiří Weigl, Chancellor, Office of the President of the CR

Jiří Zimola, Governor of the Region of South Bohemia with his wife

Prof. Václav Klaus, departing President of the CR dancing and rocking

Jaroslav Kubera, Senator, Mayor of Teplice and Livia Klausová, departing First Lady

114 Lucie Bílá and Prof. Václav Klaus, departing President of the CR

From left: H.E. Ing. Karel Beran, Ambassador of the CR in Spain and PhDr. Michal Lukeš, PhD., Director General, National Museum

prague castle event

Jana Bobošíková, Chairwoman SBB, Suverenita and Pavel Bobošík, CEO, BCM, a.s.

From left: Karel Vágner, Producer and Composer, MULTISONIC, Prof. Václav Klaus, departing President of the CR, and Ing. Zdeněk Pelc, CSc., President & CEO, GZ Digital Media

From left: Mr. Michal Doktor, Ing. Věra Kudynová, Writer, and Vlastimil Tlustý, Politician

Plk. Mgr. Vladislav Husák with his mother

From left: Aleš Brichta with his friend to the right and Mirek Topolánek, former Prime Minister of the CR

From left: doc. RNDr. Petr Řepa, CSc., RNDr. Jana Řepová, Director for Special Activities, National Gallery, Ing. Jan Zahradil, and Mgr. Vladana Rýdlová, General Manager, Taktika Muzika

115 From left: Vladimír Suchánek, President, HOLLAR, Iva Janžurová, Actress, Vladimír Suchánek´s wife, and Jan Světlík, Director General, Vítkovice Holding, a.s

Petr Bendl, Minister of Agriculture of the CR with his partner Petra Filipová, Psychologist

south moravian region

VILLA TUGENDHAT LIVES

ITS LIFE TO THE FULL

Villa Tugendhat was inaugurated on the exceptional date of 12 December 2012. In the photo Mayor of Brno Roman Onderka and Director of the Villa Tugendhat Iveta Černá.

At the beginning of March last year the Villa Tugendhat, a principal piece of functionalist architecture, was re-opened for the public.

Greta Tugendhat’s wish that the house be alive and opened for the public has been fulfilled after the renovation.

Brno between the wars is a synonym for functionalism. During that period an exceptional collection of buildings were erected there; some of them are mentioned in the textbooks of world modern architecture. There is one, however, which is not missing in any of these textbooks.

In 1929–1930 Greta and Fritz Tugendhat had a house built in Brno to the design by Ludwig Mies van der Rohe. Thanks to the innovative design, spatial layout, interior design, technical excellence and connection with the surrounding nature the house became famous as one of the most significant villas in the world. This unique work of art designed by a leading world architect of the 20th century has gone through a complex structural and socio-political development in the eight decades of its existence.

The fate of the villa and its owners is practically

a mirror image of the European and Czechoslovak history, namely in the period after the outbreak of World War II. It drove the villa residents into exile from which they were unable to return after February 1948. Following this the house was used as a children’s physiotherapeutic facility for many years. In 1980 the house ownership was transferred from the state to the city and its first renovation took place. In 2010-2012 it was renovated again with the aim to restore the original condition of the house from the period when the Tugendhat family was occupying it. The restoration involved not only the structure itself but also the utilities, technical equipment and garden. All this took place in cooperation with an expert panel for the supervision of the villa renovation and in line with the THICOM conservation regulations. After two years of restoration work the Villa Tugendhat was opened during a ceremony on 29 February in the presence of the family’s descendants, many personages of the political and social life, experts in the field of architecture and monument conservation and also with unprecedented interest of the local and international media. The Villa as an installed monument of modern architecture opened for the public on 6 March 2012.

THE VILLA IS NOT ONLY A FULLY FUNCTIONAL MUSEUM EXHIBIT; IT IS ALSO A CULTURAL VENUE Greta Tugendhat during her visits at the end of the 1960s spelled out her wish that the Villa went on with its life. After the restoration her wish is being granted and the “living Villa” is being admired

by the whole world. In the first year after re-opening the monument was visited by three times as many people as in 2009 and there are so many interested visitors that weekend tours are as good as sold out until June. A majority of visitors come to the Villa with previous knowledge which they want to confirm through personal experience. The Villa Tugendhat offers standard and extended technical tours during which you can peek into the “guts of the house” and admire the technical excellence of air conditioning or electrical window control unique at the time of construction. As well as that it also serves as a venue for cultural events and educational programmes. For example, everybody has surely seen the famous films Kristian (Czech) and Casablanca. The screening of these period films in the Villa brings an overall new experience. Lectures and concerts are held here in regular intervals. Last year, the world was successfully reminded of the Villa Tugendhat through exhibitions and lectures given in Chicago (January 2012), Tel Aviv (March 2012), London (June-September 2012), Helsinki (August 2012), and New York (October 2012). Representative publications mapping the Villa Tugendhat’s history from its origin to the restoration completed in 2012 appeared in bookshops. However, no photographs can replace a personal experience in a place where less means more, a place that commands the most splendid view of the city skyline.

In short, you should not miss this chance.

Roman Onderka ■ Mayor of Brno There are three armchairs in front of the onyx wall, a Barcelona stool in emerald green leather and three Tugendhat armchairs in fabric upholster. The conservatory was used as a greenhouse for growing blossoming flowers.

116 The book Mies in Brno. Villa Tugendhat follows up on the generous publication projects summarising the work of Ludwig Mies van der Rohe in the USA and in Germany (Mies in America and Mies in Berlin).

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VILA TUGENDHAT UŽ ŽIJE

PLNÝM ŽIVOTEM Počátkem loňského března se veřejnosti po dvouleté památkové obnově znovu otevřela vila Tugendhat, stěžejní dílo funkcionalistické architektury. Přání Grety Tugendhatové, aby dům byl znovu zpřístupněn a žil, se po památkové rehabilitaci naplňuje vrchovatě.

Meziválečné Brno je synonymem funkcionalismu. Tehdy zde vznikl výjimečný soubor staveb, z nichž některé jsou zastoupeny v učebnicích světové moderní architektury. Alespoň jedna však nechybí v žádné z učebnic.

V letech 1929–1930 si dali manželé Greta a Fritz Tugendhatovi v Brně postavit rodinný dům podle projektu Ludwiga Miese van der Rohe. Díky originální konstrukci, prostorovému uspořádání, interiérovému vybavení, technické dokonalosti a propojení s okolní přírodou proslul dům jako jedna z nejvýznamnějších vilových staveb na světě. Toto unikátní umělecké dílo, navržené jedním z největších světových architektů 20. století, prošlo za osm desetiletí od svého vzniku složitým stavebním i společensko-politickým vývojem.

Osudy vily i jejích stavebníků jsou v podstatě obrazem evropských a československých dějin, zejména v období po vypuknutí druhé světové války. Ta vyhnala obyvatele vily do emigrace, ze které už pro ně po Únoru 1948 nebylo návratu.

Dům pak řadu let sloužil jako dětské rehabili-

tační středisko. V roce 1980 byl z majetku státu převeden do vlastnictví města a proběhla jeho první obnova. V letech 2010–2012 se uskutečnila druhá památková obnova a restaurace vily s cílem maximálního návratu k originálnímu stavu domu, kdy zde žila rodina Tugendhatových. Památková obnova se přitom týkala nejen stavebních konstrukcí, ale také inženýrských sítí, technického vybavení a zahrady, to vše ve spolupráci s Mezinárodním poradním sborem expertů pro odborný dohled na provádění obnovy vily v souladu s požadavky památkové péče THICOM. Vila Tugendhat byla po dvou letech památkové obnovy slavnostně otevřena 29. února 2012, a to za přítomnosti potomků rodiny, řady osobností politického i společenského života, odborníků z oblasti architektury a památkové obnovy a také za nebývalého zájmu domácích i zahraničních médií. Pro veřejnost se vila jako instalovaná památka moderních architektury znovu otevřela 6. března 2012.

VILA JE NEJEN PLNĚ FUNKČNÍ MUZEJNÍ EXPONÁT, ALE TAKÉ KULTURNÍ STÁNEK Greta Tugendhatová při svých návštěvách na sklonku šedesátých let vyslovila přání, aby vila dál žila. Její přání se po památkové obnově již naplňuje a „žijící vile“ se obdivuje celý svět.

Během roku po znovuotevření navštívil památku téměř trojnásobek lidí oproti roku 2009 a zájem je tak velký, že víkendové prohlídky jsou

již téměř vyprodané až do června. Větší část návštěvníků přitom přichází do vily již se znalostmi, které chce potvrdit osobním zážitkem. Vila Tugendhat přitom kromě standardních a rozšířených technických prohlídek, kdy je možné nahlédnout do „břicha domu“ a obdivovat na tu dobu technickou vyspělost instalované klimatizace či elektrického spouštění oken, nabízí také bohatý kulturní a vzdělávací program. Například známý film Kristián či Casablanca viděl snad každý, promítání dobového snímku v domě však přináší zážitky zcela nové. V pravidelných intervalech se zde konají odborné přednášky a koncerty. Vila Tugendhat se také v loňském roce s velkým úspěchem připomněla světu prostřednictvím výstav spojených s přednáškovou prezentací, a to např. v Chicagu (leden 2012), Tel Avivu (březen 2012), Londýně (červen–září 2012), Helsinkách (srpen 2012) a New Yorku (říjen 2012). Na knižních pultech se objevily také reprezentativní publikace mapující historii vily Tugendhat od jejího vzniku až po obnovu s restaurací stavby dokončenou v roce 2012. Žádná fotografie však nemůže nahradit osobní zážitek z místa, kde méně znamená více a které nabízí mimo jiné jeden z nejkrásnějších pohledů na panorama města.

Zkrátka, nenechte si tuto příležitost ujít.

Bc. Roman Onderka, MBA ■ primátor města Brna

117 Mayor of Brno Roman Onderka at a press conference held on 29 February 2012 during the re-opening ceremony.

He presented journalists with the official document from 2001 on the inscription of the Villa on the UNESCO Heritage List.

Photos: Marie Schmerková

The Moravian-Silesian Region

A COMPETITIVE REGION OF SUCCESSFUL AND SATISFIED PEOPLE

The Moravian-Silesian Region ranks amongst those regions which have undergone dynamic development in recent years. It is succeeding in progressively improving all the problematic areas which relate to this industrial region. In its mission statement, the Regional Council has set itself the fundamental targets which it aims to fulfil over the course of the next four years.

With regard to its economic situation, the region shall endeavour as far as possible to approach the average economic standard of the

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Czech Republic and the European Union. Fundamental measures to support economic growth and improvements in the overall standard of living include individual activities directed towards reducing unemployment. For this reason the region shall support export and investment, as well as the creation of new jobs. At present the Moravian-Silesian Region collects the lowest amount from the budget designation of taxes per capita of all the regions in the Czech Republic. The regional administration wishes to change this, and attain a new distribution of incomes from shared

taxes. The region has a similar approach to the problem of improving the condition of the environment, in such a manner that the locations where the pollution occurs are always prioritised when directing the financial resources obtained from polluters of the environment on the basis of selected charges. The region is endeavouring to bring about a further progressive improvement of the environment by means of systematic, effective measures on a local, regional and international level, for example within the newlyemerged EGTC TRITIA. In the field of healthcare the priority is to maintain the vertebral network of hospitals established by the region, and to intensify their co-operation.

The fundamental orientation shall be the professional standard and quality of the provided public healthcare.

In the education sector the aim is to continue to ensure a modern, accessible and well financed public network of schools and educational facilities, to endeavour to attain a constant improvement in the quality of the system and to provide future opportunities for school leavers and university graduates on the labour market. The region is concentrating on supporting disadvantaged sections of the population and guaranteeing equal opportunities for all citizens of the region.

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Moravskoslezský kraj

KONKURENCESCHOPNÝ REGION ÚSPĚŠNÝCH A SPOKOJENÝCH LIDÍ

Moravskoslezský kraj patří mezi regiony, které se rozvíjejí v posledních letech velmi dynamicky.

Daří se postupně zlepšovat všechny problémové oblasti, které se k tomuto průmyslového regionu váží. Rada kraje ve svém Programovém prohlášení vytýčila základní cíle, na které se chce v příštích čtyřech letech zaměřit.

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Kraj by se měl z hlediska ekonomické úrovně přiblížit co možná nejvíce průměrné ekonomické úrovni České republiky a Evropské unii. Zásadním opatřením k podpoře růstu ekonomické úrovně a životní úrovně v kraji jsou jednoznačně aktivity vedoucí k poklesu nezaměstnanosti. Kraj bude proto podporovat export i investice stejně

jako tvorbu nových pracovních míst. Moravskoslezský kraj v současnosti inkasuje v přepočtu na jednoho obyvatele nejnižší částku z rozpočtového určení daní ze všech krajů. To chce vedení kraje změnit a dosáhnout nového přerozdělení příjmů ze sdílených daní. Obdobně přistoupí k problematice zlepšování stavu životního prostředí tak, aby se finanční zdroje získané na základě vybraných poplatků od znečišťovatelů vždy přednostně realizovaly tam, kde zátěže vznikají.

Kraj usiluje o dosažení dalšího postupného zlepšování životního prostředí, a to systematickými účinnými opatřeními na lokální, regionální i mezinárodní úrovni, například v rámci nově vzniklého ESÚS TRITIA. V oblasti zdravotnictví je prioritou zachování páteřní sítě nemocnic zřizovaných krajem a prohloubení jejich spolupráce. Základní orientací bude odbornost a kvalita poskytované veřejné zdravotní péče.

Na úseku školství je cílem pokračovat v zajišťování moderní, dostupné a dobře financované veřejné sítě škol a školských zařízení, usilovat o trvalé zvyšování její kvality a budoucího uplatnění absolventů na trhu práce. Kraj se soustředí na podporu ohroženým skupinám a garanci rovných příležitosti pro všechny občany kraje.

Leaders Magazine II/2013 119

ČSÚZ

More than hundred of members and friends of the Czechoslovak Foreign Institute including Czech and Slovak speaking diplomats started together the year 2013 by a friendly meeting in the Strahov Monastery – the jewel in the cultural treasury of the Czech Republic.

From left: Ing. Ludmila Müllerová, Minister of Labour and Social Affairs and Member of the Czechoslovak Foreign Institute, accompanied by her secretary (on the left), Ing. Josef Miškovský, and Jaroslav Kalát, Member of the Czechoslovak Foreign Institute

THE CZECHOSLOVAK FOREIGN INSTITUTE th

Opened the 85 Year OF ITS EXISTENCE BY MEETING IN THE STRAHOV MONASTERY For the fourth year already, such meeting happens thanks to the Czechoslovak Foreign Institute member, abbot Josef Michael Pojezdný, who offered beautiful rooms of monastery refectory again and allowed the guests to visit unique halls of the Strahov library. The opportunity to look closely at thousands of historical volumes, at amazing ceiling paintings or richly decorated bookcases made of walnut wood has been enjoyed by ambassadors, counsels or chargé d´affaires from American, Chinese, Slovak, Slovene, Venezuelan and Korean embassies. Some of them had that chance for the first time. Those who had already visited the library as tourists, appreciated guiding and explanation by the 70th abbot of the Strahov Monastery himself. This year meeting had double meaning since the Czechoslovak Foreign Institute has entered the year in which it reviews 85 years of its activity as the chairman of the Czechoslovak Foreign Institute Jaromír Šlápota mentioned over the glass of wine in the summer refectory.

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Abbot engaged attention by his talk about ceiling paintings in the Philosophical Hall of the Strahov library

global perspectives

Ralan L. Hill, the Second Deputy of the USA Embassy, and Jana Kernerová, Political Analyst, offered an interview for the Institute Bulletin to PhDr. Helena Briard, Member of the Managing Board, Czechoslovak Foreign Institute

From left: Mgr. Martin Plíšek, Member of the Czechoslovak Foreign Institute, Deputy Minister of Health, Jaromír Šlápota, Chairman, Czechoslovak Foreign Institute and Michael Josef Pojezdný, Abbot, Strahov Monastery From left: Ing. Simona Šenkýřová from the Embassy of Saudi Arabia and members of the Czechoslovak Foreign Institute: judge JUDr. Alexandra Jiříčková and Hana Hlaváčková

From left: Hana Bilavčíková, Academic Painter, H.E. Víctor Julián Hernández León, Ambassador of the Bolivarian Republic Venezuela, Member of the Czechoslovak Foreign Institute, and Jaroslava Jebavá, student

From left: JUDr. Eva Dobrohrušková, Member of the Managing Board, Czechoslovak Foreign Institute, PhDr. Michael Zachař, Director, National Trust in Prague, and Miroslav Jandura, Director of the Department, Czech Statistic Institute

He took the opportunity to thank those who supported and still support the Institute financially which allows to guarantee children of fellow countrymen in the world good education, especially in Czech and to improve teaching Czech abroad. „It is the tradition to wish each other well at the beginning of the new year. I wish all of us three S – sanitas, sanctitas et scientia – good health, holiness and wisdom. To be healthy enough to overcome all life hardship. To have a norm for life and clear goals. Wisdom so that we can orient ourselves and based on that we can decide freely,“ abbot Josef Michael Pojezdný wished to everybody in his toast. Participants of the meeting then continued talking in friendly atmosphere tasting good Moravian wine…

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All participants listened very carefully

@

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personal enlightenment

COSMIC CONSCIOUSNESS – A JOURNEY TO WELL-BEING, HAPPINESS, AND SUCCESS

James A. Cusumano, PhD

PART VIII: THE LOVE FORCEA,B

There is only one happiness in this life, to love and be loved.1 George Sand KEY CONCEPTS: ■ It has been experimentally demonstrated by many researchers that all living things are intimately connected by a force field currently unknown to contemporary physics.

■ Intimate mutual caring and concern are expressed through this force field among all species on Earth and probably throughout the universe. The extent of caring and concern appears to be related to the level of consciousness in a given species.

■ This caring is not simply a sentimental connection. It is caring and compassion based on a common interest among species. That common interest implies, “When I help you, I help me, and conversely.”

■ It is the most powerful driving force on Earth and probably in the universe, and is responsible for physical and consciousness evolution.

LOVE IS THE MOST POWERFUL FORCE IN THE UNIVERSE.2 This law applies everywhere in every situation, without exception – families, marriages, friendships, nature, and yes, even in business. I have often made this statement, and some of you have challenged me to prove that this is in fact true. So here are some thoughts and data for your consideration.

WHAT IS LOVE? “Use the word ‘love’ in a business environment – are you crazy?” That’s the normal reaction of executives schooled in classical uninspiring leadership models.

The problem emanates from the fact that in the English language, we use one word for love to serve many meanings, while in Sanskrit there are ninety-six words, eighty in Persian, and three in Greek that define different kinds of love. So, in English, “love” can mean a broad spectrum of feelings and attitudes ranging from simple pleasure such as “I loved that meal,” to platonic admiration, “I love the way she dresses,” to intense attachment such as, “I love her with my whole heart and soul.”

From a philosophical point of view, love can also be seen as a virtue, where one extols a sense of compassion, caring, and kindness. Consequently we find that

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in much of the Western world, this diversity of meanings for the word “love” often causes confusion and makes it difficult to define and communicate what is meant in a given situation. However, love is perhaps the most important psychological concept and force in any culture (Figure 1). In its various forms, it is the prime facilitator in all interpersonal relationships and has the most significant power to make things happen. It matters not whether the relationship is a compassionate one based on business, or a passionate connection with your lover.

Therefore, it cannot be eliminated from the business arena if one expects to inspire oneself and others. In business the word love equates to a sense of caring, compassion, kindness, understanding, and commitment. If you have ever been inspired by a person, you may recall that even though that person may have been demanding, he or she also had a deep, sincere interest in your well-being and demonstrated the caring and compassion that supported that commitment.

However, let’s drill down a bit and see why love is the ultimate force in the universe. We begin by looking at the definition. The Merriam Webster dictionary states the following: (1): a strong affection for another arising out of kinship or personal ties (2): attraction based on sexual desire (3): caring and concern based on common interests. It is definition (3) that is important for the effective functioning of the universe – caring or concern based on common interests. Everything in the universe is connected through common interests (Figure 2).

THE CONNECTIVITY CONJECTURE This dependence and common interest is communicated through and based on what quantum physicists call non-local correlation, coherence, or connectivity.

It raises its head as synchronicity everywhere, e.g., in your body. You are constructed of some 100 trillion cells, a number that is more than all of the stars in the Milky Way galaxy, celestial home to our solar system and planet Earth. Each of your cells, measuring less than 1 micron (one-millionth of a meter) in diameter, contains instructions within the DNA in its nucleus that would fill one thousand 600-page books. Each cell performs some 100,000 functions every second, and every cell instantly harmonizes and correlates its activities with every other cell in your body. And it does so with clockwork precision, otherwise it means illness, and in some cases, death!3 How do your cells do this – every second of the day, every day of the year, year after year for some 80 or so years? As my friend, Deepak Chopra likes to say, “How does a human body think thoughts, play piano, kill germs, remove toxins, and make a baby all at the same time?” It works because of non-local correlation, which through means of an invisible, as yet unidentified force field – a “love” force – orchestrates the optimal function of all 100 trillion of your cells in perfect harmony. At the

cellular level, there is no hoarding of assets, only cooperation and a “concern” for the other cells. As you ingest nutrients, they are shared among all cells. If there is a cell in need of more nutrients than others, all of the other cells cooperate to be sure that this occurs. There is never any hoarding, only sharing and unmitigated “concern” for the whole.

This connectivity was predicted decades ago by the fundamental basis of quantum physics. Because of bewildering philosophical implications, most scientists disregarded this prediction until it was demonstrated experimentally in 1985 by physicist Alain Aspect in France.4 Since then, non-local correlation or interconnection has since been confirmed by numerous investigators. The primary requirement is that at some point in time the matter and energy that make up two connecting bodies must have been in intimate contact.

Thereafter, even if the bodies are separated galaxies apart, anything that happens to one body is immediately – faster than the speed of light – felt by the other.

The reason then that all things in the universe are interconnected is that 13.7 billion years ago, all of the mass and energy that currently exists in the universe was contained in a miniscule singularity, a micro-entity smaller than the smallest subatomic particle you can conceive of. It expanded rapidly in what we have termed the “Big Bang” – the creation of our universe (Figure 3). So at one point everything in the universe was ONE. In fact, it has been proven that nearly every atom in your body was created in the stars of distant galaxies and then spewed throughout the universe after the explosion of these stars as supernova events.

Therefore, all is connected; all is coherent; all is non-local. But let’s leave the esoteric realm of quantum physics and cosmology and demonstrate reliable, valid, down-to-earth, easy-to-understand, experimental proof for this connectivity and mutual concern for the common interest of the whole.

PROOF POSITIVE Here we visit the research laboratory of Dr. Cleve A

EDITOR’S COMMENT – This is the eighth article in a series based on the author’s book, “Cosmic Consciousness – A Journey To Well-being, Happiness and Success.” In this book, published in both the Czech and English languages within one volume, and with an introduction by internationally-acclaimed author, Dr. Deepak Chopra, Dr. Cusumano explains in simple terms, the connection between Eastern Philosophical Wisdom, consciousness and quantum physics. His new book, BALANCE: The Business – Life Connection is based on three decades of personal experience on how to achieve success and fulfillment in both your personal and professional lives, and will be published in April by SelectBooks in New York City.

B The author may be reached at Jim@ChateauMcely.

Com.

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personal enlightenment FIGURE 1: Love appears to be the most important psychological concept and force in any culture on the planet.

Backster, who during the 1940s and 50s was a member of the U.S. Counter-Intelligence Corps., and then worked for the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency (CIA). Backster was one of the earliest authorities and pioneers of polygraph testing. In 1960 he left the CIA to start his own commercial polygraph business in New York City, which he later moved to San Diego as The Backster School of Lie Detection. In 1966 he carried out what was to become a landmark experiment that would be the basis for what is now called the Backster Effect. It demonstrated that the connectivity principle and “love” concern for the whole.5 On February 1, 1966, Backster’s secretary bought him a dracaena cane plant for his office. The next day, after having worked through the night in his laboratory, Backster decided during the wee hours of the morning over a cup of coffee to try something “crazy.” He attached the electrodes of his polygraph machine to the dracaena plant to see what would happen. Much to his surprise the plant did not have a smooth electrical signal as he would have guessed for a non-human being. It exhibited the dynamic response similar to that for a human subject sitting at rest. He tapped one of the leaves on the plant, but there was only a minor response. Then something amazing occurred.

Backster walked over to his desk about 5 meters away. He was exhausted from no rest for more than 30 hours, and in his sleepless, hypnotic reverie he thought, “I wonder what would happen if I struck a match and put fire to one of the leaves?” As he sat at his desk across the room from the plant which was still attached to the polygraph instrument, he noticed that instantaneously, the signal output went to a maximum and then off the chart. It was as if the plant “read Backster’s mind” and went into a frantic state of fear!6 Subsequently, Backster and numerous other scientists conducted thousands of experiments and demonstrated that all living things are connected and in constant communication. For example, he was able to take samples of a person’s blood cells and having invented a means to connect the cells to an electrode on the polygraph machine, he observed instantaneous communication between the blood cells and the donor person, even when that person was hundreds of miles away from the blood cells.

This is demonstrated by a well-publicized experiment carried out in 1988 with NASA astronaut Dr. Brian O’Leary. In addition to his position as an astronaut, Dr. O’Leary served on the faculties of Cornell University and the California Institute of Technology. He provided blood cells to Dr. Backster who attached them to a polygraph machine located at his laboratory in San Diego.

Dr. O’Leary then flew to Phoenix where for the next several days he kept a precise time record of any stress- or anxiety-inducing activities which he encountered. This

TO BE CONTINUED...

included, for example a near miss car accident, his son’s failure to meet him at the airport and a number of other anxious moments. The correlation of times when the polygraph jumped up the scale with Dr. O’Leary’s anxiety experience was one-to-one. Every time he experience anxiety, his blood cells, located more than 300 miles away, sensed it instantly. They were “connected” in some way to Dr. O’Leary and “concerned” about his anxious moments.7 In a well-documented and humorous experiment, Backster’s research assistant mentioned to him a controversial article that appeared in the then current month’s issue of Playboy magazine. The article concerned Nobel laureate William Shockley and his views on racial intelligence. Backster connected his assistant’s blood cells to the polygraph machine as the two of them began to discuss the controversial article. The needle swiveled back and forth depending upon the intensity of the discussion. Then Backster suggested that his assistant page through the magazine. Not much happened until he came to the centerfold which showed a sensual photo of actress Bo Derek. The needle went off the chart.

His blood cells in contact with the polygraph machine stationed completely across the room responded immediately as the assistant became stimulated by viewing the photograph. As soon as he closed the magazine the needle returned to normal.8 These signals which propagate between plants, human cells, insects, animals and numerous other living systems are not part of our normal electromagnetic spectrum. The range of the latter spectrum extends from gamma rays to x-rays to ultraviolet to infrared to visible light to radio waves and beyond. Any signal from the electromagnetic spectrum can be blocked by what is called a Faraday cage, which is simply a metal box or a box fabricated from an electrically conducting metal screen. If the human subject and his or her cells connected to polygraph machine are contained within separate Faraday cages, the communication still occurs with no impedance. This is impossible with signals from our normal electromagnetic spectrum. Therefore, although these experiments and numerous others like them have been replicated all over the world, our current technical knowledge cannot detect the physical means by which they occur.

IMPLICATIONS If you analyze the above experimental evidence carried by well-known scientists on credible people, and you combine them with the laws of quantum physics on non-locality you can construct the following conclusions: • All living things are intimately connected by some force field not yet known to modern physics.

FIGURE 2: Caring, compassion and concern based on common interests permeate the universe. All is connected in what quantum physics refers to as nonlocality.

FIGURE 3: About 13.7 billion years ago all matter and energy in the universe was contained in a tiny singularity, smaller than any subatomic particle you can conceive of. This is the basis for non-locality and why everything in the universe is connected.

• There appears to be an intimate caring, compassion and concern expressed through this force field among all species.

• This caring is not a sentimental connection. It is caring and compassion based on common interest and cooperation among species. That common interest suggests that, “When I help you, I help me, and conversely. We are connected. We are ONE.” It is a true form of love, without which the universe could not function.

• It appears to be a dominant and powerful driving force in the universe.

Careful how you treat your pets and plants!

Namaste!

James A. Cusumano, PhD ■ 1 George Sand, pseudonym for novelist Amantine Lucile Dupin, Encyclopedia Britannica, personal letter, 1862.

2 James A. Cusumano, Cosmic Consciousness – A Journey to Well-being, Happiness and Success,” Fortuna Libra, Slovakia (2011).

3 James A. Cusumano, Op. cit.

4 Alain Aspect, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alain_Aspect.

5 David Wilcox, The Source Field Investigations, Penguin Group, Inc., New York, 2011.

6 Ibid.

7 Ibid.

8 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V7V6D33HGt8

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 environmentallybenign, low-cost, catalytic technologies. While he was Chairman and CEO, the latter – Catalytica Pharmaceuticals, Inc. – grew in less than 5 years, to a $1 billion enterprise with 2,000 employees. He is coauthor of Freedom from Mid-East Oil, released by World Business Academy Press (www.WorldBusiness.Org) and the author of Cosmic Consciousness – A Journey to Well-being, Happiness and Success, published in English and Czech by Fortuna Libri, 2011. His new book, BALANCE: The Business – Life Connection will be published in April by SelectBooks in New York City.

Leaders Magazine II/2013 123

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politika • ekonomika • byznys

UDĚLÁME vám v tom JASNO

IN COOPERATION WITH LEADERS MAGAZINE

marketing analysis

YOU’RE DOING IT WRONG

‚LIKES‘ AND ‚SHARES‘ ARE NOT A SOCIAL STRATEGY

Social media proponents are getting a lot smarter at enumerating why brands should have a social media strategy. After all, approximately 1/6th of the global population has an account on Facebook, 23 % of whom log on more than 5 times a day. According to a study by Hubspot, upwards of 80 % of social media users prefer to connect with brands through Facebook and the number of businesses that say Facebook is critical or important to their business has increased by 75 % in the past three years. Clearly, social media is great at generating engagement and exposure.

However, participation on a page does not necessarily equal sales and many brands still struggle to justify expenditure. ‚Likes‘ and ‚shares‘ are not a social strategy, and convincing your management to invest into one without direct proof of ROI is, and should always be, an impossible task.

At Passion, we tell clients that social media consists of ‚dual stream‘ activities – one stream focusing on fan acquisition and engagement, and the other on converting fans to customers. So many brands make the mistake of focusing on fan acquisition and believe that ‚engaged fans‘ are the primary objective.

They are wrong.

Social media is a channel like TV, print or online. You could hardly imagine shooting a TV commercial without a Call to Action, so why invest into a social strategy if you have no plan for eventually monetising on it?

Fortunately, ‚Dual stream‘ is a simple way to reorganise the way you think and plan.

Stream 1: Building Brand Awareness – meaning developing compelling, contagious content that fans want to engage with and share. Increasing your social presence in this way means that you can reach out to and influence more potential customers in the future. Building brand awareness can be accomplished organically or via ads. The

key question to ask is: ‚what am I going to do with the fans once I have them?‘ Steam 2: Social Sales Tools – so often left out of social strategies is the equally important development of tools and/or content that is specifically designed to SELL. These tools could be applications on facebook that link you to an e-Commerce platform, specific widgets developed to be embedded on host sites or even just promotions specifically designed to drive sales.

Social Selling I remember speaking with Dutch social media expert Polle de Maagt at the Prague Social Media Summit late last year. We spoke about some of the great work Dutch airline KLM has been doing in the social space. One Social Sales Tool they recently launched was a ‚Facebook Trip Predictor‘ which looked at fan profiles and recommended a holiday for them. Thanks to the tool, the user could imagine themselves on a beach somewhere and click through the application to check flights directly.

Sales through this tool have increased dramatically.

Closer to home, Easy Optic (a new online company focusing on eye care and eye wear) has developed a Social Sales Tool on their Facebook profile that allows users to try glasses online via webcam and share the result with friends. Everyone who participates is given a discount code and directed to an e-Commerce platform where they can purchase the glasses.

New crowdfunding platform Dream Gift (a platform for funding the gifts you’ve always wanted) has launched a tool that helps people to identify their dream gift through an interactive game environment. Once users have chosen their dream gift, they are taken to the Dream Gift website where their gift project is part-completed and they are prompted to finalise the purchase.

Building brand awareness and fan acquisition activities will remain an important component of any social strategy but unless supported by tactics designed to monetise on the fan base, management will rightly never buy into it. It doesn’t take much, but shifting thinking even a small bit can make your social strategy a viable commercial investment, instead of a failed loss-making experiment.

You can follow Emil Jimenez on twitter @passioncomm or on Linkedln at http://www.linkedin.com/in/emiljimenez1

The Loyalty Loop All of this is backed up by the way that people today consider, evaluate, purchase and feedback about products. At Passion, we call this the Loyalty Loop.

Sales and marketing folk have used the idea of the sales funnel for decades. It works under the premise that a consumer on a ‚path to purchase‘ will first become aware of a product, before considering it, making a decision and ultimately buying it.

The obvious issue with this, accentuated by the growth of the web and new communications channels, is that this ignores the opportunity to develop loyal customers who will also deliver the most powerful brand message of all: a personal recommendation. The Loyalty Loop defines the new ‚path to purchase‘ and incorporates many of the ‚dual stream‘ thinking I was referring to earlier.

The Loyalty Loop works like this: the consumer first becomes aware of the product or service and begins to think about purchase. The consumer then evaluates the product or service based on a number of sources: personal recommendation, a good digital experience with the brand, information they have found online in reviews etc. If satisfied, the consumer makes the purchase. Now the magic of social media comes into its own. If the consumer has a positive experience with the product (including after-care) they will bond with the product. If they have bonded with the brand and trust it they will recommend to it their friends.

At this point, if they decide to make a repeat purchase or a similar item or service they are likely not to go back out to look for alternatives.

What it means for marketers The Loyalty Loop model and Social Sales Tools I described above present a challenge for brands today. The new notion of the consumer decision journey allows us to re-balance our resources (and focus) in marketing to ensure that we are spending time and money in the ways that maximise return.

Social media is growing increasingly sophisticated and is providing all the tools necessary to develop smart strategies.

If marketers play their cards right, very soon the manager blind to the ROI of social media will belong to a very small – and swiftly shrinking – club.

By Brendan Donnellan, Managing Director of Passion Communications, co-author Emil Jimenez CEO/ CCO ■

Leaders Magazine II/2013 125

EU matters interview

IN COOPERATION WITH LEADERS MAGAZINE

An interview with Milan Cabrnoch, Member of the European Parliament

Europe has to Admit THE NEED OF MORE FLEXIBLE LABOUR MARKET Milan Cabrnoch is a Member of the European Parliament since 2004. He is a Member of the European Conservatives and Reformists Group (ECR) and he focuses, among other things, on the area of employment and social policy.

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EU matters interview Mr. Cabrnoch you are a Member of the Committee on Employment and Social Affairs of the European Parliament, which is an area, where you cooperate closely with employers’ and employees’ representatives. Don’t you think that your efforts focus more on “damage limitation” rather than on achieving any bold goal for employers?

I am a Member of Employment and Social Affairs Committee since my first days in the European Parliament. In my second parliamentary term, I am also a spokesperson of ECR for this area and I have to admit that my work partly consists in preventing from excessive regulation, or we can say some kind of damage.

I think that a major part of the legislative proposals - and these are not entirely proposals coming from the European Commission, but rather those that originate from the left-wing parties of the European Parliament or from the European trade unions organizations, have a negative impact on competitiveness of European businesses. The question is who the left-wing is and who is the right-wing in the European Parliament. If we look at formal definition of political parties, then there is a majority of right-wing parties both in plenary sessions and in the committee, where we have 26 right-wing members out of 50. But the reality is that left-wing parties win most of the voting because the other parties are either inconsistent or some members have different views on the discussed topics.

You are shadow rapporteur for the proposal of the European Commission that aims to better enforce the Posting Workers Directive. Do you agree with the Commission that the responsibility should be shifted to employers?

This is one of the most important points of the directive. The situation concerning the directive is very confusing, because the Posting Workers Directive is already in place. Now we have a new proposal aiming at ensuring its proper enforcement. Though it should clarify certain matters, it introduces new principles. One of them is the principle of a joint and several liability which simply says that the main contractor should hold responsibility for its subcontractors and ensure that all the rules on social and legal protection of workers are respected.

We strongly disagree with this principle and we request deleting the respective article from the proposal. So does the rapporteur Mrs. Jaz owiecka. The question is whether she will be able to maintain her position under pressure from various interested groups. In general, ECR supports reduction of administrative burden related to posting of workers, or let’s say we are against its increasing, especially for businesses. We consider posting of workers one of the main pillars of EU membership, because it enables businesses and workers to successfully enter the European labour and services market. In the long term, we protest against hidden protection of national markets under the pretence of protecting social safety of posted workers. Paradoxically, sometimes the efforts to protect posted workers are so strong that they are never posted abroad. Apart from that, we also advocate to delegate no responsibilities on businesses from the Member States. The function of the State is to create business-friendly environment and not to make it more confusing. If it is inevitable to increase the administrative burden, the State should carry out duties related to it, not the employers.

This question leads me to ask you about your opinion on the withdrawal of the draft Monti II leg-

islation on the right to take collective actions in the EU. The Commission proposal was blocked by “yellow card” raised by national parliaments. Was it right to use this mechanism to protect subsidiarity?

It certainly was. I think that this directive proposal was a clear attempt to strengthen the position of the European trade union organisations at the expenses of employees, whom they should represent, and to further increase the imbalance between rights and duties of employees and employers. I am glad that national parliaments have rejected this proposal and used the “yellow card” system. I have participated in the discussions of the Czech Senate on this topic and its position was also negative. Nevertheless, in general, the mechanism of “yellow card” is not used often enough, especially in the area of labour-law relations and we should aim for more subsidiary solutions. The effort to unify labour law on EU level is a step heading in the wrong direction.

The European Parliament is preparing a report on the proposal for gender quota among non-executive directors of companies listed on stock exchange.

Employers undoubtedly support development of women potential, but rather on voluntary basis.

What are the chances to reverse such proposal?

I have a feeling that the idea to administratively impose a certain share of women in companies or authorities will be rejected by every reasonable person. We have always supported balanced rights of women and men. As a paediatrician, I am used to working in groups with majority of women and I have never felt limited by that in any sense. I find it discreditable and rude to introduce women quota. I know many women who obtained their positions in natural competitive environment, simply because they are better, hard-working, and more sensitive and they don’t need any quotas. I am convinced it is unnecessary to regulate this area and I will not support such a regulation. What will be the result in the European Parliament? We might be surprised, because this is a very populist topic and that is what many Members of the European Parliament look at first. However, from my point of view, this is a senseless and needless regulation which might, on the contrary, be harmful for qualified and capable women.

Negotiations between European social partners on the revision of Working Time Directive have failed. Now it is up to the Commission to present new legislative proposal. Do you think the new proposal might succeed? And is it good to regulate working time on European level?

In fact, some aspects of working time, like for example working break requirements, have been regulated on European level for a long time. From my point of view, it is an excessive regulation. The directive is very rigid and complicates creation and continuity of quality working positions. It seemingly protects workers, but in my opinion this directive looks like being prepared for the beginning of the last century when evil capitalist exploited powerless worker. Today the situation is completely different. Employee is as dependent on its employer just as employer is dependent on its employee. In addition, the directive hinders better flexibility of labour relations and does not allow adjusting contracts on the basis of mutual agreement between the two. I don’t see any reason why such an agreement between employer and employee should be blocked by European or national rule. In the Parliament, we managed to reject the proposal and I do not expect that the Commission

would come up with a new one by the end of this mandate, which is by June 2014. Negotiations related to this directive reflect the general unwillingness to admit the indispensable need for better flexibility of labour-law relations in Europe these days, which creates a serious disadvantage for Europe compared with rapidly developing economies.

The EU needs to tackle increasing unemployment. One of the ways how to deal with the situation is to make better use of flexible forms of employment. How shall we combat the unemployment in Europe?

As I have already mentioned, flexibility is what we are missing today for being competitive compared to nonEuropean economies. The State should set such labourlaw conditions so that it is easy to hire new workers, but it should also enable to fire them easily if necessary. As for particular forms, there are always some new models.

In the Czech Republic, we usually use agreements to complete a job, partial employment or flexi-time. But we still forget about people taking care of seniors, elderly workers or parents on maternity or paternity leave, which would very much welcome more flexible forms of employment. It is naive to think that if we won’t offer someone a flexible form of employment, he/she will agree to take a full-time job. I am afraid it is the contrary.

Do you think that there is a country which the Czech Republic could use as an example when it comes to effective use of flexible forms of employment?

When we look at percentage, the Czech Republic uses these modern forms of employment very little compared to Germany, Ireland or others. Each country has its specific historical and demographical specifics and I think that there is no reason for coordination of labourlaw relations at EU level. Of course, we can learn and get inspired by other countries, but it is not necessary to look for “one-size-fits-all” solution.

What is your opinion on introducing traineeships in companies for young graduates? Could this measure help to reverse the negative trend of increasing youth unemployment?

The percentage of youth unemployment in the Czech Republic is not as high as in other EU countries like Spain for example. Firstly, we have to ask ourselves why does this happen? I think it is because of the rigidity of European labour market. Of course, one of the reasons is also the current public budgets deficits and in some countries, the number of job vacancies was too dependent on public budgets. However, I am against using a youth guarantee programme which ensures that all young people up to age 25 receive a quality job offer, education or internship within four months of leaving formal education or becoming unemployed. This measure will only generate artificial jobs and of course, it will also create another burden for national budgets.

On the other hand, it is very important for young people to gain working experiences because without it, it is very difficult to find a job as most of the companies require it.

Therefore, I support the idea of allowing graduates to go for a traineeship; on the other hand, we will oppose any binding regulation on EU level directive.

Thank you for the interview and I wish you a lot of success in your wok!

By Tomáš Hartman, Deputy Director of CEBRE – Czech Business Representation to the EU ■

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IN COOPERATION WITH LEADERS MAGAZINE

EU matters debates

European Citizenship: MORE THAN JUST THE RIGHT TO TRAVEL

From right: Andrea Matušáková, Representation of the European Commission in the Czech Republic, Vít Samek, Head of Legal Department, Czech-Moravian Confederation of Trade Unions, Michaela Suchardová, Representative, „Your Europe Advice“, Jan Durica, Section for European Affairs, Government’s Office of the Czech Republic, Jan Havlík, Director of European Affairs and Internal Market Dept., Ministry of Industry and Trade of the Czech Republic, Miroslav Fuchs, Director, EU and International Cooperation Dept., Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs of the Czech Republic, and Tomáš Hartman, Deputy Director, CEBRE – Czech Business Representation to the EU

SOLVIT offers free out-of-court settlement of disputes related to the EU internal market. SOLVIT deals with approximately 1,300 cases annually and its success rate is about 90%. Besides the right of free movement, European citizens also have the right to vote and to be elected as well as the right to receive consular assistance from another Member state embassy in the place of their stay, where their home state is not represented. A new instrument to enforce the rights of EU citizens is the European Citizens’ Initiative, which allows 1 million EU citizens from at least 7 member states to suggest to the Commission new legislative proposal focused on a specific area. The debate was organised by CEBRE – Czech Business Representation to the EU, Confederation of Employers’ and Entrepreneurs’ Associations of the CR in cooperation with Representation of the European Commission in the Czech Republic and European Parliaments’ Information Office in the Czech Republic on 8th January 2013 in the European House in Prague.

This year, the European Union celebrates 20th anniversary of the creation of European citizenship. This is one of the main reasons why the year 2013 was selected as a European Year of Citizens.

The goal of the European Year of Citizens is to raise awareness among general public about its rights and also to increase participation in the next European Parliament’s elections taking place in mid-2014. Free movement is one of the four main freedoms of EU citizens though the level of migration of workers in Europe is very low. Insufficient awareness of workers’ rights, complicated recognition of professional qualifications, limited access to job vacancies in public sector, discrimination of cross boarder workers and, of course, the language barrier can be the reasons for low mobility. EURES and SOLVIT are two tools that can help to change this situation. EURES offers easy access to information about jobs in different member states and currently over 1 million job vacancies are available in this network.

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Pavel Trantina, Member of the European Economic and Social Committee

Andrea Matušáková, Representation of the European Commission in the Czech Republic

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In the Country-specific Recommendations from June 2012, the Council called on the Czech government to make better use of human capital and create innovation-based growth. The Czech Republic was invited to establish a transparent and clearly defined system of quality assessment in higher education and research institutions and also to ensure sustainable funding interlinked with results of quality assessment. These reasons stand behind the recast of the Czech Higher Education Act. At a debate organized by CEBRE – Czech Business Representation to the EU, Confederation of Employers’ and Entrepreneurs’ Associations of the CR, Representation of the European Commission in the Czech Republic and European Parliaments’ Information Office in the Czech Republic on18th December 2012 in Prague.

From left: Daniel Münich, Member of the government’s National Economic Council (NERV), Pavel Hnát, Vice-dean, Faculty of International Relations, University of Economics in Prague, Karel Havlíček, Dean of the Faculty of Economic Studies, University of Finance and Administration and Chairman of the Board of Directors, Association of SME’s of the Czech Republic, Karolína Gondková, Director, Department of Higher Education, Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports of the Czech Republic, Christele Duvieusart, Country Desk Officer for the Czech Republic and Slovakia, Directorate General for Education of the European Commission, and Zdeněk Čech, Economic Counsellor, Representation of the European Commission in the Czech Republic

Debate on Quality of Higher Education: Without Information, there isn´t (Effective) Management Speakers agreed that “The way towards improving the quality of higher education leads primarily through better information about quality of courses, transparency of the evaluation process and improved management of universities and quality of academia staff”. Information on quality of universities and various programmes should be available online on a single webpage. Furthermore, the changing rules should set the ground for creation of profiles of individual universities by increasing their autonomy and accountability, setting up transparent funding rules and reducing administrative burden.

The participants of the debate

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IN PARTNERSHIP WITH LEADERS MAGAZINE

EU matters business

BUSINESS NEWS MARCH 2013

130

DID YOU KNOW THAT…?

LET S TALK NUMBERS…

IN THE WORLD

...there was a new European driving license?

All newly issued driving licenses in the EU Member States have a standardized European format with higher protection measures since 19th of January, 2013. The aim is to support freedom of movement, improve road safety and prevent fraud. New licenses contain a number of safety features. Furthermore, a new electronic data exchange system will be introduced together with compulsory regular renewal of driving licenses. Each member state will set its own period for renewing licences. ...the European Cyber Crime Centre was opened?

European Cyber Crime Centre, located in the European Police Office in The Hague, was opened on 11th of January, 2013. It will focus on combating illegal activities committed by organized criminal groups via Internet, on attacks focused on e-banking and other online financial activities, sexual abuse of children through Internet and crimes that affect critical infrastructure and information systems in the EU. ...chemicals in Europe were safer?

According to a report published by the European Commission, the use of chemicals is safer since the REACH regulation entered into force.

Information on registered chemicals are better available now and better targeted risk management measures have been introduced. According to the report, 61% of Europeans believe that chemicals are safer than 10 years ago. The Commission plans further boost competitiveness of chemical industry by lowering chemicals registration fees for SMEs. ...there should be new rules regarding tobacco products?

Proposal for a review of the Tobacco Products Directive introduces stricter rules for ways how tobacco products are manufactured, presented and sold. New rules would prohibit the use of certain types of cigarettes, roll-your-own tobacco and smokeless tobacco products with characterising flavour and introduced the obligation to dedicate up to 75% of the package surface to health warnings. The proposal also introduces new measures for electronic cigarettes. The aim of the proposal is to make tobacco products less attractive to young people and it should be adopted in 2014.

…trading with Brazil in 2012 According to data published by Eurostat on the occasion of 6th EU-Brazil Summit, mutual trade has increased in the first nine months of 2012 compared to the same period of 2011.

EU exports to Brazil rose from €26.2 billion in 2011 to 29.6 billion in 2012. In the same period, imports fell from €29.9 billion to €28.5 billion. Trade with Brazil represented 2% of international trade of the EU and Brazil was the 8th largest trading partner in the first nine month of 2012. The biggest EU exporters of goods to Brazil were Germany (30% of EU exported goods) and France (13%). On the contrary, the largest importers of goods from Brazil were the Netherlands (22% of EU imported goods) and Germany (18%). …37% of Europeans would like to start their own business New small and medium-sized enterprises create the most new jobs; approximately 4 million per year. European Commission introduced an action plan aiming at supporting entrepreneurs and changing the entrepreneurial culture in Europe. Proper education and vocational training are crucial for the new generation of entrepreneurs. Therefore, the purpose of the plan is to remove entrepreneurial barriers, improve access to finance, facilitate transfer of ownership of companies and make the best use of new business opportunities of the digital age. …EU wants to reduce pollution from new types of trucks and buses The new legislation aims at reducing emissions of nitrogen oxides by 80% and dust particles by 66%. It applies to new types of trucks and buses and should have a positive impact on health of EU citizens and the environment. …the Commission gives 1.2 billion EUR on innovative projects The European Commission allocated over €1.2 billion EUR funding to 23 highly innovative projects that focus on renewable energy sources. Further financing come from the sale of 200 million emission allowances from the reserves for new entrants of the EU Emission Trading System. The projects focus on bio energy, concentrated solar power, geothermal energy, wind energy, energy from oceans and distribution of renewable energy.

FTA between the EU and Singapore concluded EU Trade Commissioner Karel De Gucht and Singapore´s Minister of Trade and Industry Lim Hng Kiang completed negotiations on a Free Trade Agreement between the EU and Singapore. The agreement creates new opportunities for companies from both sides to do business together.

Singapore is EU’s 13th largest trading partner and the second biggest investor in the EU after Japan among Asian countries. Both the EU and Singapore will now seek approval for the deal from their respective political authorities and envisage initialling the draft agreement in sprng 2013.

Additional financial help for Haiti Three years after the earthquake, the EU will provide additional €30.5 million in the form of humanitarian aid for Haiti. The EU also supports projects focused on awareness raising campaigns in schools, improving disaster preparedness and response capacity. This amount should help especially those people who are still homeless. At the end of 2012, there was approximately 350 000 people without shelter.

EIB is supporting project in Croatia The European Investment Bank will continue to support smaller projects in Croatia in the form of loan amounting to €250 million which will be provided to the Croatian Bank for Reconstruction and Development. Financial resources will finance SME projects in industrial sector, services and small and medium-scale infrastructure schemes promoted by local authorities. The loan will also finance knowledge and technology intensive industries projects and additional priorities in energy and environmental sector.

Support to agriculture and health services in Afghanistan The European Commission and Afghan Finance Minister Omar Zakhilwal signed two financing agreements amounting to €185 million to support new programmes in health and agriculture in Afghanistan. Health programmes should provide basic health care and hospital services in 21 provinces for 14 million people, almost half of the population. It will also support the Ministry of Public Health in implementing the national health strategy. Agricultural programmes will focus on water management and rural areas, where about 80% of the population is dependent on agriculture.

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

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Pošlete přání plné života S každým přáním UNICEF, které odešlete, zároveň pomáháte stavět školy, dodávat vakcíny a budovat studny v oblastech, kde to je zapotřebí. UNICEF pomáhá každý den měnit k lepšímu životy milionů dětí na celém světě. Pomozte i Vy: pošlete přání plné života!

e-shop:

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Prodejny: Obchod UNICEF, Rytířská 31, Praha 1 • OD Kotva, náměstí Republiky 8, Praha 1 (v přízemí) • Obchod UNICEF, nám. Kinských 6, Praha 5

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