Czech & Slovak Leaders 02/2017

Czech & Slovak Leaders II/2017

CZECH & SLOVAK

APRIL – JUNE 2017

available worldwide online

ENTREPRENEUR

BY HEART P hoto : A rchive

Simon Kaluža, M anaging D irector SAP CEE

www.czechleaders.com incl. electronic version Praha I Bratislava I Brno I Ostrava I Plzeň I Liberec I Olomouc I Hradec Králové I České Budějovice I Pardubice I Zlín I Jihlava I Karlovy Vary I Mladá Boleslav

THE PLACE WHERE LEADERS ARE SEEN MÍSTO KDE JSOU LÍDŘI VIDĚT

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INTERVIEWS | EVENTS | PR | EU MATTERS

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CONTENTS

DEAR READERS, Hot, hot, hot and I don’t mean our Magazine but the weather! I cannot recall a warmer midsummer.

For a week now, it has been over 30 degrees every day.

The weather is on everyone's mind and many discussions these days are about how we will deal with changing global weather systems and associated higher temperatures, melting icebergs and glaciers and possible higher sea levels in the future.

Increasingly, we know that we all must take a personal interest, awareness and responsibility for doing our part to reduce carbon dioxide – the main cause of pollution in the atmosphere. I hope you have seen or remember the movie, “An Inconvenient Truth” which Al Gore presented some years ago. If you haven't, look it up on the Internet. It is a chilling documentary of where we might be heading but also shows how we can try to stop this, with Mr. Trump or not.

As always, we have many interesting interviews in this issue. We are proud to have Mr. Simon Kaluža, Managing Director, CEE SAP on our front page together with an interesting interview. Among others I would also like to mention Mrs. Šmerdová, the first female appointed General in the Czech Army and Mr. Pavel Kafka, Chairman of the Czech Management Association, Mr. Rudolf Jindrák, Head of the Foreign Department of the Presidential Office, Mr. Karel Havlíček, Chairman of the Association of Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises and Crafts, and Mrs. Soňa Jonášová, CEO of the Institute of Circular Economy.

As usual, we have also managed to cover many interesting events.

I would like to highlight a few: the German-Czech Chamber´s traditional Summerfest, Round Table by Comenius with several Ministers, e.g. Mr. Ludvík, Mr. Jurečka, Mr. Stropnický, and Mr. Rusnok, Governer of ČNB, Kapsch celebration, SAP forum, Zlatá koruna Award event, Insurer of the Year by AČPM, SPB Conference, Trebbia at the Spanish Hall of the Prague Castle, Canada Day celebration, Hilton event, Afghan National Day, Senate activities, and Presidential visits.

I encourage you to go through and read all of our contributors and their knowledgeable articles.

events 8 Presidential 10 Senate with the Presidents of Regions 11 Senate with the President of the European Commission 12 Summer Party 18 Round Table od Comenius Discussion meeting with the Minister of Health of the Czech Republic 20 Round Table od Comenius Discussion meeting with Marian Jurečka, Minister of Agriculture 22 Round Table od Comenius Discussion Dinner with Jiří Rusnok, Governor of the Czech National Bank 24 Round Table od Comenius Discussion Dinner with Martin Stropnický, Minister of Defense and Army General Josef Bečvář, Chief of Staff of the Czech Army 30 Kapsch Gala Evening in Žofín Palace 34 SAP Forum 2017 Artificial Intelligence, Robotics and 25th Anniversary Celebrations 36 Manager of the Year 2016 40 Insurer of the Year 2016 44 Czech Republic Celebrated Innovations 48 Business Events 56 International Forum Crans Montana Forum on Africa 62 Gala Evening of the Zlatá koruna Competition 64 Czech Business Club – Presidential Rally Begins!

66 Endowment Fund of Livia and Václav Klaus met sponsors and volunteers 74 Lions Club Prague Bohemia Ambassador Guest of Honor: Miroslav Hříbal, Entrepreneur Topic: INDUSTRY 4.0 74 Lions Club Prague Bohemia Ambassador Charity – Social Evening in Austria Palace 76 Center for Security Policy - Spring Security Conference Swords and Plows 82 CFO Club Announcement of the Chief Financial Officer of the Year 2016 100 Rio Carnival Night at Hilton

Let me share other good news regarding our web page and the electronic version of Czech & Slovak Leaders Magazine. During the month of May we had a record number of Czechs and others from abroad accessing Leaders via the Internet: 636.744 page views and 42.482 visits on our web.

With those lovely figures, I wish you all a very enjoyable summer!

Yours sincerely,

Benke Aikell benke.aikell@czechleaders.com be www.czechleaders.com Rio Carnival Night at Hilton

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X page 100

C ONTENTS

interviews

culture events

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86 TREBBIA 94 Embassy Art Cocktail at NH Prague City 108 Fashion Show Moroccan Paths 114 Gerhardt Bubnik – launch of a new book

An Interview with Simon Kaluža On Being a Manager by Trade, an Entrepreneur

by Heart and an Overall Leader 46 An Interview with General Lenka Šmerdová Women (don’t just) Enrich the Army 50 An Interview with Lane Davies 52 An Interview with Pavel Kafka The Principal Measure of Business and Management Success is Quality 58 An Interview with Anthony Newstead Creating a Bridge – Developing and Connecting an Entrepreneurial Community with Major Global Markets From Tel Aviv to Atlanta and Beyond 68 An Interview with Martin Klepetko Asia Remains a Great Unknown for us 80 An Interview with Rudolf Jindrák Diplomacy is a Craft 84 An Interview with Lucie Bankovská Motlová Don’t Ruminate, or Don’t Keep Chewing over Negative Thoughts!

86 An Interview with Leyla Boulton We Observe the Rise of Female Talent 98 An Interview with Soňa Jonášová The Circular Economy, or the Road to Conscious Consumption 102 An Interview with Karel Havlíček Small Enterprises now no Longer Slouching 104 An Interview with Karel Volenec I See Business as a Lifestyle

Fashion Show – Moroccan Paths

X page 108

diplomatic events 26 Celebration of Nouwrus National Day of Afghanistan 110 Canada Days

Canada Days

X page 110 An Interview with Rudolf Jindrák X page 80

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CONTENTS

contributors 17 Tereza Urbánková Accelerate your professional and personal growth 54 Sanjiv Suri Antarctica matters 60 Iva Drebitko Auguste Rodin 65 Cristina Muntean Personal branding: a creator´s journey 67 Emanuel Šíp Czech Republic and the EU: a fragile partnership 70 Jan Mühlfeit Do not be afraid to take a risk and show your talents 72 Jim Cusumano Life is Beautiful – Part VI: The Entrepreneur’s Manifesto 79 Elisabet Rodriguez Dennehy “Identity Workspaces", a great idea to manage gender integration

James A. Cusumano Life is Beautiful

X page 72

Publisher: Benke Aikell Head of Editorial: Lenka Helena Koenigsmark Office Assistant: Tatiana Fominykh Webmaster: Petra Kubernátová DTP: Šárka Krausová EU Matters: CEBRE Czech Business Representation, CESES, Europlatform Contributors: James A. Cusumano, Iva Drebitko, Joseph Drebitko, ELAI, Martina Hošková, Lenka Helena Koenigsmark, Jaroslav Kramer, Jan Mühlfeit, Linda Štucbartová, Tereza Urbánková, Photographers: Vladimír Weiss, Martin Janas, Martin Vlček, Veronika Rose, Michal Tvrdík, Hana Brožková, Tereza Šlápotová, Václav Krecl, Adéla Půlpánová, Pavla Hartmanová, Jaromír Zubák, Michal Štěpánek, Anne-Marie Love, Michal Pavlík.

Photos delivered from SAP, KAPSCH, Senate, ELAI, Manager of the Year and Hilton.

Figure 1: The author as a teenager, then the lead singer and keyboard player for The Royal Teens.

EU matters 116 An interview with Pavel Telička My attitude towards Euro is evolving 118 EU debate Business breakfast: Social aspects of the mobility package A Czech perspective for the future of the EU How will Trump’s policies influence the EU? 118 EU matters business

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S IMON K ALUŽA , M ANAGING D IRECTOR SAP CEE – E XCLUSIVE I NTERVIEW FOR C ZECH AND S LOVAK L EADERS M AGAZINE

On Being A Manager by Trade, An Entrepreneur by Heart and An Overall Leader P HOTO : V LADIMÍR W EISS

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I NTERVIEW

Inspiration from SAP - New Way of Learning The SAP Leonardo Internet of Things solution portfolio empowers live business by connecting the emerging world of intelligent devices with people and processes to achieve tangible business outcomes

Simon, let us start with reflection as this quality is often mentioned to be the one that today’s leaders are typically lacking. During the last round of the SAP Forum in Prague, you and panelists reflected upon the changes brought about since last year. However, let us go further back. You have been responsible for SAP in the CEE region for almost 5 years, what are the major substantial changes on the regional level?

When I took over my role, I faced two kinds of challenges. The external ones were linked to the way the market perceived SAP as a company. People from IT were often asking

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why is the CEO part of the IT project, and the CEO tried to explain that it's not only implementing an IT system but the future of the company. That's how much technology is important. The internal challenges were linked to adapting to the fast changes on the market.

Some challenges were easy to address, such as the way we approached our customers and the way we were selling or positioning our products. Speaking of reflection and history, I will take you back even further. It seems like ages now, but 20 years ago, it was sufficient to have a state of the art product that customers were buying because of its quality and robustness. Suddenly, this was not enough and the products started to become solution

CZECH&SLOVAK LEADERS II/2017

based. As customers were becoming more knowledgeable about business processes, competitors and, in general, about the whole ecosystem they operated in, SAP also had to respond. We came with the so called “challenger way” for how to sell and position our products. We are in a position to be able to challenge our customers and to show them what business opportunities they are missing by not investing into our solutions and technologies. Such perspective brings about some substantial prerequisites. The first one is being able to understand the businesses of our customers inside out then going even beyond that. We need to understand the customers of our customers. In order to do that, we need to

challenge our mindsets, be more agile…faster than both the competition and our customers.

In today’s already fast developing world, this represents a true challenge. That is why you need “the best of the breed,” the best people, products and industries. We brought many industry experts, we invested a lot in training.

However, the biggest change occurred on the mindset level.

Speaking of the mindset change, would you agree with the quote: “Innovation is not a department, it is an attitude”.

I would go even further, innovation for me is a culture, because behavior can vary from one day to the other. It is by no means an easy task to change the culture in a multinational environment. It is a hard work that has to start at the top and go all the way to the last employee but in the end, it pays off. The customers then perceive us in a completely different manner, far from the previous image of a rigid company providing ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning) systems. To complete the previous question about reflection on the past five years, I am proud to say that our portfolio has not only expanded, it exploded. Next to ERP systems and business intelligence products, we have provided the cutting edge technology SAP HANA that became a platform. Introducing SAP HANA led to an avalanche of other events.

The customer was put in the middle of our universe: not today’s customer but rather the customer of 2020 and beyond. We understood the change that millennials are bringing about, we made several acquisitions, such as SAP Hybris, SAP Ariba and SAP SuccessFactors and we created a strategy for SAP, one that is also applicable to any single organization, be it a production company, a service company or even a public sector company. Every single organization has four stake holders: customers, employees, suppliers and assets. The way you manage these four corresponds to the way you manage your business. And just to underscore the fast and exponential development we face: last year at the SAP Forum, we were discussing digital transformation, and that is already happening. This year, we are discussing artificial intelligence and how it can be incorporated into all elements of the business and by next year I am positive that we will already have examples of successful implementation in our region. Time needed to re-invent your business cannot be measured in years, it has to be measured in months or sometimes even days.

Digital transformation is an issue that SAP has been pursuing for several years.

However, it might sound too abstract or even scary, particularly for small and medium sized local companies. What is your advice regarding small, safe “baby” steps on how to get digitized?

Well, I might use a parallel that quite well known companies, such as Nokia or Kodak used, claiming that no change is safe and we all know the outcome of such business decisions. I can understand people being afraid of the investment. Let me introduce another approach - leaving technology aside, as it is just the means. For any company, the key is to know all about its customers, starting with expectations and its competitors but also development and change. Would you ask a child today if he or she watches regularly scheduled TV? It is nonsense for them: why would they watch a movie at any fixed time determined by someone else? The generation of our parents, on the other hand, still wait for their movie on Saturday night. Thinking about customers in this way will then transform to suitable business models to attract tomorrow’s customers. If you do not start adapting today, you will miss out on tomorrow.

Can you be more specific and share two examples or best practices of customer digitization from the CEE region?

Well, let me start with a company that produces spare parts for the automotive industry. When I talked to the CEO, he mentioned that his IT people kept challenging him about the need for them to be on the project team. However, such projects are not only about IT anymore, as they influence the future of the company.

In four or five years the automotive industry will change completely. We are not investing in IT, we are investing in our future and new business models. As I have mentioned above, the IT is only the tool.

The second reference project concerns a Czech global company AVAST and it is linked to millennials. As a high tech company, producing top security software, it is attracting mainly young talent. What is important for millennials? Customization. They expect the same environment that they have at home. They enjoy nice computers, tablets, gadgets and they like to connect using social media. For someone my age, this might be slightly disturbing but for the coming generations such aspects are of the utmost importance. We teamed up with them and successfully implemented our HR solution, called SAP SuccessFactors. This solution is based on a social network model and enables you to comfortably address the most common HR issues, such as communicating with your colleagues, providing them with goals, trainings, or education, engaging with them regarding business development. This particular tool is not only natural but was expected by the millennial employees in order to avoid a leadership gap. Luckily, the leadership team of AVAST recognized the importance of such a solution and made the investment. The implementation also enabled

I NTERVIEW them to measure satisfaction and we were pleased to see tangible preliminary results, showing that the immediate satisfaction grew by 3%. Such results allow you to calculate a return on your investments, which is often argued in HR solutions. Yes, there are financials behind it. Higher satisfaction increases productivity and performance, attracts young talent in the market and supports retention.

In May, you held your biggest annual conference SAPPHIRE NOW. Can you share some major announcements with our readers?

The major announcement was a conceptual one, concerning Leonardo. Leonardo is not a product but a set of tools that help you intelligently connect people, businesses and assets. The conceptual change introduces the new approach for how we partner with our customers. Until now, we were bringing prebuilt solutions that were implemented and customized. The Leonardo platform allows us to co-innovate together. The new set of tools helps materialize innovative customers from both sides. We not only deploy and implement, but we truly build new solutions together. This is the key message regarding our future evolution as a business. That does not mean that we will stop selling traditional solutions and products but we have to keep coming up with new approaches.

You describe yourself as a manager by trade, entrepreneur by heart and a leader… What message concerning leadership do you want to pass on?

If you want to make everybody happy, sell icecream. Everything depends on trust and the people. I have the best team ever. I trust them and they trust me and together we can go to the Moon.

What are your personal plans for the summer and what advice do you give your colleagues regarding recharging batteries?

We have repeatedly demonstrated our mantra: “Work hard, party hard”. Personally, I like to sail; I have been a passionate sailor for the past twenty years. It does not come as a surprise that the Adriatic region is the one I prefer. I also play guitar in a rock band.

I am just afraid that revealing that I have done so for almost 40 years will make me look old.

I wish a pleasant summer to all readers of the Czech and Slovak Leaders magazine!

Linda Štucbartová české znění naleznete v elektronické verzi magazínu na www.czechleaders.com

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P RESIDENTIAL

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PRESIDENT MILOŠ ZEMAN

REPRESENTING THE CZECH REPUBLIC

State visit to Croatia: H.E. Miloš Zeman, President of the Czech Republic and H.E. Kolinda Grabar Kitarović, President of Croatia

H.E. Miloš Zeman, President of the Czech Republic and Zhang Jindong, Founder and current largest shareholder, Suning Commerce Group in the middle

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State visit to Croatia: H.E. Miloš Zeman, President of the Czech Republic and H.E. Kolinda Grabar Kitarović, President of Croatia

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H.E. Miloš Zeman, President of the Czech Republic and H.E. Xi Jinping, President of the People's Republic of China

President Miloš Zeman visiting the People´s Republic of China

President Miloš Zeman visiting the People´s Republic of China

State visit to Socialist Republic of Vietnam: H.E. Trần Đại Quang, President of Vietnam and H.E. Miloš Zeman, President of the Czech Republic

State visit to Socialist Republic of Vietnam: H.E. Miloš Zeman, President of the Czech Republic and H.E. Trần Đại Quang, President of Vietnam

State visit to Socialist Republic of Vietnam: H.E. Miloš Zeman, President of the Czech Republic and Nguyễn Phú Trọng, General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam

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President of Liberec Region Martin PĹŻta

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President of Karlovy Vary Region Jana VildumetzovĂĄ who is also the Chairwoman of the Association of Regions of the Czech Republic

President of PlzeĹ&#x2C6; Region Josef Bernard

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From left: Jean-Claude Juncker, President of the European Commission, MiluĹĄe HorskĂĄ, Vice President of the Senate, and Ivo BĂĄrek, Vice President of the Senate

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Meeting at Wallenstein Palace of the Senate of the Czech Parliament Delegation of the European Commission, in the middle the President Jean-Claude Juncker

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JĂśrg Mathew, President, DTIHK/Ä&#x152;NOPK

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Bernhard Maier, Chairman of the Board, Ĺ koda Auto

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Železárny Annahütte – sponsor table

Anochin Roters Kollegen – sponsor table

Brose CZ – sponsor table

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KEMMLER ELECTRONIC – sponsor table

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Product tasting

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The Party Band

From left: Milan Kožený, Sales Manager, Lanxess CEE and Lukáš Jozífek, Sales Manager, Continental Barum

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From left: Uwe Glup, Managing Director, Alukov and Peter Walach, Poolprojekt, Alukov, with his wife Nicole

From left: Ekkehard Lorenz, Senior Manager, Mazars, Peter Weiss, Managing Director, K+B Progres with family, and Josef Kappenberger, K+B Expert, Kappenberger + Braun with his wife

From left: Martin Kubánek, Lawyer, Partner, Schönherr, Kateřina Kostková, Director, Strategic Partnership, Česká spořitelna, Uta Vinicky, Representative of E.ON in Prague, and Luboš Opalecký, Consultant, Ředitelství silnic a dálnic

From left: Martina Malíková, Accountant, Böllhoff, Petr Malík, Senior Product Manager, Moneta Leasing, Monika Hovořáková, Purchasing and Planning Manager, Lloyd Coils, and Tatiana Švecová, Böllhoff

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CZECH&SLOVAK LEADERS II/2017

Guido Haak, Head of Product Management, Škoda Auto with his wife

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From left: Dr. Alfred Brunnbauer, Managing Director, IHK Regensburg with his wife and Richard Brunner, Branch Manager, Cham, IHK Regensburg with his wife

From left: Bernard Bauer, Executive Director, DTIHK/ČNOPK and Richard Brunner, Branch Manager, Cham, IHK Regensburg with his wife

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Studio Estrella

From left: Hansjörg Haber, Charge d'affaires a.i., German Embasssy, Jörg Mathew, President, DTIHK/ČNOPK, Bernard Bauer, Executive Director, DTIHK/ČNOPK, and Pavel Mertlík, former Minister of Finance, Rector, Škoda Auto Vysoká škola

From left: Ute Krane-Zimmermann, Tax Adviser, Tadico, Adam Powiertowski, CEO, Euro-tax.pl, Thomas Urbanczyk, Lawyer, Anochin Roters Kollegen, and Catherine Flicker, Tax Adviser, Tadico

From left: Jaroslav Franc, Plant Manager, Buhler Motor, Jana Alfery, CPA, Tax Advisor, Partner, WTS Alfery, and Mr. Oliver Schmidt

PARTY

From left: Klaus Pilz, Regional Director CR, Vienna House and Pavel Alfery – Hrdina, Attorney, Partner, WTS Alfery

From left: Hansjörg Haber, Charge d'affaires a.i., German Embasssy in Prague, Jörg Mathew, President, DTIHK/ČNOPK , and Bernard Bauer, Executive Director, DTIHK/ČNOPK

CZECH&SLOVAK LEADERS II/2017

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S UMMER

PARTY

From left: Andreas Gfall, Director, Bayern Handwerk International, Jürgen Kilger, Deputy CEO, Bayern Handwerk International, and Dr. Georg Haber, President, Bayern Handwerk International

From left: Petr Gajdušek, State Secretary, Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Peter Karmann, Partner, DWF Germany

Doris Wöllner, CEO, CiS electronic and Wolfgang Soukup, CiS Systems s.r.o.

From left: Bernard Bauer, Executive Member of the Board, DTIHK/ČNOPK, Roman Knap, Director, SAP, and Jan Kudrna, Head of Operations, SAP

View of the garden of the German embassy

16

CZECH&SLOVAK LEADERS II/2017

Accelerate your

C AREER

professional and personal growth

Tereza Urbánková is a PR, communications and marketing professional with over 18 years’ experience and proven success in delivering award-winning communications programmes for multinational companies operating in industries such as hospitality, retail, IT, defence, broadcast, logistics and engineering. She lives and works in London, UK; currently, she is Head of Corporate Communications for Amec Foster Wheeler plc, a large international engineering and project management company. Tereza also works as a freelance communications and PR consultant. She is a member of the Executive Committee of the Czech British Chamber of Commerce in the UK and of the Chartered Institute of Public Relations.

She speaks Czech, English, Spanish and Russian and can be reached through her /LQNHG,Q SUR¿OH Can working and living abroad help accelerate your professional and personal growth? I believe so. Here is why.

On 13 April 2017, I had my little anniversary – 11 years of living and working in London, UK. People who have never lived abroad want to know what it is like and whether they should consider it. The foreigners living in the UK I sometimes meet want to trade stories, commiserate about the challenges we face, or celebrate the small victories, such as finally opening a bank account.

Therefore, I’ve decided to share some of my experience.

Having spent many years in the deep communism, I always had a desire to try living abroad, taking on exciting challenges. My father had defected when I was 14 and ended up living in Germany for many years. When I was finally permitted to visit him and heard his story, I was impressed by his courage and success, and saw what a person was capable of doing with sheer determination and hard work.

Looking back over my past 11 years in the UK, I haven’t always found it easy despite having a relatively successful career. When we arrived, I didn’t have a job, my eight-year old son didn’t speak English and I knew London from a couple of visits. A lesson learned here – do not think you know a city or a country if you experienced it only as a tourist, even multiple times. The reality may be remote from your impressions when staying in a lovely hotel.

So, what are some of the things to consider before making that life-changing decision? And, why should one actively seek out opportunities to work and live abroad? What’s in it for you, and why may this be a critical part of your career and personal development?

Learning how to live and work abroad Everything is different at first when you start living abroad. Challenging situations you are put into immediately after your arrival will ultimately make you stronger. Everything from shopping, walking the streets, getting around, interacting with the locals, and just getting things done from morning to night is different than you are used to.

performances. However, as a ‘local citizen’, you typically cannot live in the centre – it’s too expensive, so be prepared to spend a considerable amount of time on the tube which sometimes gets extremely crowded. The city is also very fast-paced: I recall the times when even small children were overtaking me on the street; I was walking so slowly as used from my home country.

The secret to success, I believe, is to embrace the change. Put aside your desire to live exactly as you did in your home country. Live as a local. You will undoubtedly find it difficult at first, and frustrating at times, but the rewards are enormous including breaking your fear of change and doing things in a different way.

You may find it is a better way you just did not know about.

Not only does each country have its own cultural norms but workplace customs vary greatly. Based on my experience, the working environment in the UK is more relaxed than the one I came from, in and out of meetings.

However, it can be tricky; you are surrounded by many cultures, so you need to find the right balance between being yourself while respecting others. The British culture is very open and appreciative, which makes cultural assimilation easier.

Bringing this learning back home

Should I stay or should I go?

Of course, this applies if you wish to return to your home country one day. Every nation has its local customs and peculiarities, let alone language nuances. I used to look at my watch when I got the answer of “give me two/five minutes” and came back within that timeframe to remind the person the time has passed. The Brits found it hilarious. Another very important aspect of living in the UK is the weather, understandably a frequent subject of conversation. It can change very quickly – you see the sun is shining but by the time you get out, it’s gone. And when you finally have a good weather, you typically drop all your plans and go to the seaside or somewhere outdoors to enjoy it as it may not happen any time soon, so flexibility is key.

You do not have to stay abroad as long as I have done to acquire the valuable experience. If you choose to return to your home country, you will undoubtedly be enriched. Your learning from working and living abroad will be so immense that you will be looked at differently. Your experience will be perceived as a positive, will distinguish you from others and you will be known as someone who can operate under diverse and challenging circumstances.

London is an exciting, vibrant and multicultural city, bursting with culture – lots of museums, galleries (most of them free of charge) and plenty of theatres featuring world-class

Although working and living abroad is an experience that has become increasingly more common, it still needs a degree of courage; however, my advice to you is – take the leap and try it yourself. You will not regret it. I’m grateful for the learning I’ve acquired and feel I’ve grown both personally and professionally as a result of my time living abroad.

Tereza Urbánková

CZECH&SLOVAK LEADERS II/2017

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EVENT

The Round Table of Comenius TOP HOTEL Praha, March 23rd, 2017

Discussion meeting with the Minister of Health of the Czech Republic On March 23, Comenius held a discussion event with the Czech Minister of Health, Mr. Miloslav Ludvík. TOP HOTEL Praha was the venue of this successful event, during which the organizers were pressured into increasing the number of chairs by 30 due to immense interest. After a brief introductory speech given by WKH SUHVLGHQW RI &RPHQLXV .DUHO 0X]LNiĜ DQG D WUDGLWLRQDO RSHQLQJ ZRUG RI WKH partners, the debate between the minister and guests begun. Among others, the discussion revolved around a variety of topics relating to health, faculty hospitals, health insurance and authentic case studies.

From left: Pavel Budinský, General Director, Motol Hospital, Ota Schutz, Head of Žilní klinika, Miloslav Ludvík, Minister of Health of the CR, and Karel Muzikář, President, Comenius

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CZECH&SLOVAK LEADERS II/2017

D ISCUSSION

EVENT

From left: Petr Novák, Deputy Chairman, Hospital České Budějovice, Vlastislav Bříza, Chairman of the Board, KOHI-NOOR holding, and David Bříza, Chairman of the Board, Gama Group

From left: Iva Holubářová, Žilní klinika, Ota Schutz, Head of Žilní klinika, Štěpánka Stehlíková, Specialist, Medifin, and Dan Makula, Commercial Director, PP 53

From left: Roman Šilha, Member of the Board, Director Corporate Banking, Radek Hrdlička, Director, Corporates, Štěpán Šiška, Corporates, Klára Pekařová, Corporates, and Petr Dvořák, Corporates, all of them from Unicredit Bank CR

From left: Patrik Toifl, Business Development Manager, HP Inc Czech Republic and Jan Zeman, Country Manager, HP Inc Czech Republic

From left: Milan Kubek, President, Czech Medical Chamber and Jiří Nekovář, President, Euro-trend

Jiří Stránský, Director Pharma, Sprinx Systems and Dana Jenšovská, Owner, Roseta complex care

From left: Richard Vojta, Owner, Pražská paroplavební and Pavel Švagr, Chairman, Administration of State Material Reserves

CZECH&SLOVAK LEADERS II/2017

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D ISCUSSION

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The Round Table of Comenius TOP HOTEL Praha, March 29, 2017

Discussion meeting with 0DULDQ -XUHĂžND 0LQLVWHU RI $JULFXOWXUH On 29th of March, Comenius held a discussion meeting with the Minister of $JULFXOWXUH RI WKH &]HFK 5HSXEOLF 0DULDQ -XUHĂžND $V LQ SUHYLRXV \HDUV WKH meeting with the Minister was extraordinary; abundant participation of the discussion, excellent rhetoric and the knowledge of the resort by the Minister, D YDULHW\ RI TXHVWLRQV 7KHUH ZDV D ZLGH UDQJH RI DJULFXOWXUDO ÂżHOGV UDQJLQJ IURP agricultural cooperatives, through the food industry to the rector of the Czech Agricultural University. Nevertheless, there was interest in participation and discussion among entrepreneurs who are not related to agriculture.

The partners and supporters of the evening meeting were Renomia Agro, Czech &KDPEHU RI &RPPHUFH 7HUHRV 77' =' .UiVQi +RUD QDG 9OWDYRX 'REÄ&#x153;tĂŁ Agricultural Association and Javor Alliance.

From left: JiĹ&#x2122;Ă­ Havelka, Director, Renomia Agro, JiĹ&#x2122;Ă­ NeudorďŹ&#x201A;, CEO, ZemÄ&#x203A;dÄ&#x203A;lskĂĄ spoleÄ?nost DobĹ&#x2122;Ă­ĹĄ, JiĹ&#x2122;Ă­ Reinbergr, General Director and Chairman of the Board, Tereos TTD, Marian JureÄ?ka, Minister of Agriculture of the Czech Republic, Karel MuzikĂĄĹ&#x2122;, President, Comenius, and JiĹ&#x2122;Ă­ Zelenka, Chairman of the Board, ZD KrĂĄsnĂĄ Hora nad Vltavou

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CZECH&SLOVAK LEADERS II/2017

D ISCUSSION

EVENT

From left: Jan Průcha, Chairman of the Board, Insight Home and Martin Kovář, General Director, Finny

From left: Karel Chalupný, Member of the Board, Tereos TTD and Jakub Hradiský, Marketing Manager, Tereos TTD

From left: Jaroslav Kašický, Coowner, Delor International and Jan Trojánek, Councillor, Office of Prague 5

From left: Ota Reinbergr, General Director, Tereos TTD, Karel Muzikář, President, Comenius, and prof. Jiří Balík, Rector, Czech University of Life Sciences

From left: Radoslaw Kedzia, General Director, Huawei Czech, Michal Donath, General Director, DBM, and Magda Teresa Partyka, Assistant to the GD, Huawei Czech

From left: Jan Katina, Chairman, Czech Meat Processors Association, Richard Hrdina, General Director, Jatky Český Brod, and Jan Naidr, Owner, Stena From left: Martin Kolář, Member of the Board, Tereos TTD, Oldřich Gojiš, Director, Interlacto, and Miroslav Koberna, Director of Section, Federation of the Food and Drink Industries of the Czech Republic

From left: Jiří Havelka, Director, Renomia Agro, Josef Vytlačil, Senior Account Manager, Renomia Agro, Karel Pavlíček, General Director, Spolana, and Ivo Matuška, Director, Renomia Prague

From left: Jiří Zelenka, Chairman of the Board, ZD Krásná Hora nad Vltavou, Miroslav Toman, President, Food Chamber of the Czech Republic, and Robert Bárta, General Director, Aliance Javor

CZECH&SLOVAK LEADERS II/2017

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D ISCUSSION

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Round Table of Comenius 'LVFXVVLRQ 'LQQHU ZLWK -Lฤ t 5XVQRN *RYHUQRU RI WKH &]HFK 1DWLRQDO %DQN Pyramida Hotel, Prague, May 18th , 2017

From left: Karel Muzikรกล , President, Comenius, Jiล รญ Rusnok, Governor, Czech National Bank, H.E. Charles Sheehan, Ambassador of Ireland, H.E. Christian Hoppe, Ambassador of Denmark, and H.E. Helena Tuuri, Ambassador of Finland

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From left: Karel Muzikรกล , President, Comenius, Benke Aikell, your Publisher, Andrzej Modrzejewski, CEO, Unipetrol, and Jacek Aliล ski, Project Manager, Unipetrol

22

From left: Petr Stuchlรญk, CEO, Fincentrum, Mr. Karel Jan Jenรญฤ ek, and Lukรกลก Pรกcl, Corporate Lawyer, Fincentrum

CZECH&SLOVAK LEADERS II/2017

From left: Tomรกลก ฤ รกp, Executive Vice President, Comenius, Ondล ej Horรกk, CEO, Amista Investment Company, Jakub Joska, Partner, KF Legal, and Pavel Krลฏta, Owner, Korus EU

D ISCUSSION

EVENT

From left: Tomáš Černý, Chief Legal Officer, MONETA Money Bank, Mirosław Kastelik, CFO, Unipetrol, Tomáš Spurný, CEO, MONETA Money Bank, Andrzej Modrzejewski, CEO, Unipetrol, Jiří Rusnok, Governor, Czech National Bank, and Karel Muzikář, President, Comenius

From left: Mrs. Ekaterina Gališnikova and Adriana Matúšová of Otidea

From left: Jan Mládek, former Minister of Industry and Trade, Khalid Alyassin, Counsellor, Embassy of Kuwait, and Jiří Uklein, Chancellor, Senate of the Parliament

From left: Andrzej Modrzejewski, CEO, Unipetrol, Jiří Rusnok, Governor, Czech National Bank, Karel Muzikář, President, Comenius, Petr Stuchlík, CEO, Fincentrum, and Marek Hoffmann, CEO, Kovovýroba Hoffmann

From left: Tero Loukonen, Head Analyst, Passerinvest Group and H.E. Christian Hoppe, Ambassador of Denmark addressing a question

Overall view of the Round Table of Comenius

From left: Tomáš Spurný, CEO, MONETA Money Bank, Andrzej Modrzejewski, CEO, Unipetrol, Jiří Rusnok, Governor, Czech National Bank, Karel Muzikář, President, Comenius, and Petr Stuchlík, CEO, Fincentrum

From left: Jiří Krejča, Chairman of the Board, Interchange CZ, Jan Mládek, former Minister of Industry and Trade, and Jacek Aliński, Project Manager, Unipetrol

CZECH&SLOVAK LEADERS II/2017

23

D ISCUSSION

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Round Table of Comenius 'LVFXVVLRQ 'LQQHU ZLWK 0DUWLQ 6WURSQLFNĂŞ 0LQLVWHU RI 'HIHQVH DQG $UP\ *HQHUDO -RVHI %HĂžYiÄ&#x153; &KLHI RI 6WDII RI WKH &]HFK $UP\ Prague Congress Centre, ZOOM Unique Place â&#x20AC;&#x201C; April 20, 2017

From left: Rostislav DvoĹ&#x2122;ĂĄk, President, Union of Czech Production Cooperatives, Army General Josef BeÄ?vĂĄĹ&#x2122;, Chief of StaďŹ&#x20AC;, Army of the Czech Republic, Martin StropnickĂ˝, Minister of Defense, Brigadier General Josef KopeckĂ˝, Commander, Training Command â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Military Academy, Brigadier General Pavel KĹ&#x2122;Ă­Ĺž, Chief of the Military Police, and Karel MuzikĂĄĹ&#x2122;, President, Comenius

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From left: Brigadier General Josef KopeckĂ˝, Commander, Training Command â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Military Academy, Benke Aikell, your Publisher, and Karel MuzikĂĄĹ&#x2122;, President, Comenius

24

Eva AnderovĂĄ, Czech&Slovak Leaders Magazine and Brigadier General Pavel KĹ&#x2122;Ă­Ĺž, Chief of the Military Police

CZECH&SLOVAK LEADERS II/2017

From left: Filip Engelsmann, General Director, AURA, FrantiĹĄek MĂĄÄ?alĂ­k, Executive Director, CS Solutions Aero, and Milan VĂĄĹ&#x2C6;a, Project Manager, Glomex MS

D ISCUSSION

EVENT

From left: Josef Vojáček, General Director, Vojenské lesy a statky ČR, Martin Stropnický, Minister of Defense, Karel Muzikář, President, Comenius, Army General Josef Bečvář, Chief of Staff, Army of the Czech Republic, Jan Klas, General Director, Air Navigation Services, Lubomír Kovařík, CEO, Česká Zbrojovka Uherský Brod, and Zbyněk Fibich, Deputy Director of Division

From left: Andrej Modrzejewski, CEO, Unipetrol and Pavel Švagr, Chairman, Administration of State Materials Reserves

From left: Karel Muzikář, President, Comenius, Lubomír Kovařík, CEO, Česká Zbrojovka Uherský Brod, Jiří Hynek, President, Defence and Security Industry Association, and Jiří Hromas, Managing Director, Max Merlin

From left: Jiří Kameník, President, Private Security Agencies Association, Pavel Fiala, Chairman of the Board, Trade Fides, Michal Donath, General Director, Donath Business & Media, and Filip Engelsmann, General Director, AURA

Overall view of the Round Table

From left: Andrej Modrzejewski, CEO, Unipetrol, Gen. Ret. Jiří Šedivý, former Chief of Staff, and Pavel Švagr, Chairman, Administration of State Materials Reserves

From left: Jaroslav Pecháček, Vice President, Defence and Security Industry Association, Eva Anderová, Honorary Consul to Zambia and Czech&Slovak Leaders Magazine Business Consultant, and Jiří Hynek, President, Defence and Security Industry Association

From left: Gen. Ret. Jiří Šedivý, former Chief of Staff and Brigadier General Pavel Kříž, Chief of the Military Police

CZECH&SLOVAK LEADERS II/2017

25

DIPLOMATIC EVENT

C ELEBRATION OF N OUWRUS N ATIONAL D AY OF A FGHANISTAN

From left: Dr. Alice Rundus and Martha Gellová, Chairman of the Board, EFPA

From left: Fawad Nadri, President, Czech-Afghan Chamber of Commerce, Daniel Landa, President, Aria Boiohaemum Foundation, and Sediq Shabab, Singer

From left: Anna Štofíková, Andrea Soukupová, Ondřej Soukup, Romana Kokoška, Director, ACS, and Petra Kelerová

26

CZECH&SLOVAK LEADERS II/2017

From left: Renata Hromadová with a friend and Marcel Stanovský with his wife

From left: Benke Aikell, your Publisher and Milan Telvák

DIPLOMATIC EVENT

From left: František Vrábel and Gen. Andor Šándor, Security Councellor

Lenka Klieperová and Sahrab Mohammad Younus

H.E. Sayed Mossadeq Khalili, Ambassador of Afghanistan to the Czech Republic

From left: Pavlína Kadlecová and Lucie Lehotská

Lubomír Kříčala with his wife Hana

CZECH&SLOVAK LEADERS II/2017

27

DIPLOMATIC EVENT

From left: Filip Renč, Film Director, Marie Kružíková, and Filip Albrecht

From left: Petr Ottich, Daniel Landa, President, Aria Boiohaemum Foundation, and Terezie Krejbychová

From left: Fawad Nadri, President, Czech-Afghan Chamber of Commerce, H.E. Sayed Mossadeq Khalili, Ambassador of Afghanistan to the Czech Republic, and Benke Aikell, your Publisher

From left: Juddita Waissi, Ing. Malila Noori, and Ph.D. Karel Mařík

Petr Kuchár and Monika Nováková

28

CZECH&SLOVAK LEADERS II/2017

From left: Jiří Šálek, Kate Matl, Singer, and Jiří Weis

DIPLOMATIC EVENT

From left: Marek Černoch and Michal Prostějovský

Míla Muller with his wife Jana

Adam Eliáš with his wife

Vladek V. Cinkl with his wife

From left: H.E. Jaroslav Bašta, Czech Polititician and former Ambassador to Ukraine and Gen. Andor Šándor, Security Councellor

David Vrabec with his wife Veronika

From left: Fawad Nadri, President, Czech-Afghan Chamber of Commerce and Prof. Dr.h.c. JUDr. Jan Kříž, CSc

CZECH&SLOVAK LEADERS II/2017

29

GALA EVENING

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Žofín Palace is an important contemporary and historic venue for Pragueâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s social life. It received its Neo-Renaissance appearance just eight years before Kapsch was founded.

The global technology holding company is celebrating the 125th anniversary of its founding, and has been operating in the Czech Republic for a quarter of a century.

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In discussion are Eva Kislingerová, Deputy Mayor of Prague with her husband and former Minister of Transport and Presidential Advisor, ZdenÄ&#x203A;k Žák.

30

CZECH&SLOVAK LEADERS II/2017

Baritone Svatopluk Sem demonstrated his vocal abilities in the popular aria from Mozartâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s The Marriage of Figaro, Non piú andrai.

%HVLGHV D EXIIHW DQG H[FHOOHQW ZLQH WKH SURJUDPPH LQFOXGHG D FHOHEUDWRU\ FRQFHUW IURP WKH &]HFK 5DGLR Symphony Orchestra conducted by Ondrej LenĂĄrd. The compositions chosen highlighted Czech-Austrian VRFLDO DQG FXOWXUDO SUR[LPLW\ ZLWK WKH HYHQLQJ¡V VXEWLWOH Âś%ULGJHV EHWZHHQ WKH &]HFK 5HSXEOLF DQG $XVWULD¡ 6RORLQJ ZHUH $XVWULDQ VRSUDQR 1LFROD 3URNVFK DQG Ă DXWLVW .DUO +HLQ] 6FK W] ZLWK WKH WULR FRPSOHWHG E\ &]HFK EDULWRQH 6YDWRSOXN 6HP +XQGUHGV RI JXHVWV IURP DPRQJVW .DSVFK¡V LPSRUWDQW EXVLQHVV SDUWQHUV DORQJ ZLWK JXHVWV IURP WKH political, economic and cultural spheres were reminded of milestones in the history of the Kapsch brand, LWV FXUUHQW JOREDO VWUHQJWK DQG LWV WHFKQRORJLFDO YLVLRQ IRU WKH IXWXUH 7KH DUWLVWLF VHFWLRQ RI WKH HYHQLQJ ZDV WDNHQ XS E\ PXVLFLDQV IURP WKH &]HFK 5DGLR 6\PSKRQ\ 2UFKHVWUD ZKR DORQJ ZLWK WKH VRORLVWV SHUIRUPHG compositions underscoring Czech-Austrian social and cultural proximity. +LVWRULFDO FRQWH[W ZDV KLJKOLJKWHG WKURXJK NH\ DUWHIDFWV IURP .DSVFK¡V SDVW ZKLFK FRPPHPRUDWHG WKH IDFW WKDW WKH FRPSDQ\ KDG EHHQ SUHVHQW IRU DOO WHFKQRORJLFDO EUHDNWKURXJKV DQG LQYHQWLRQV RI WKH WK FHQWXU\ IURP WKH ODXQFK RI UDGLR DQG WHOHYLVLRQ EURDGFDVWLQJ WKURXJK WKH GHYHORSPHQW RI WHOHFRPPXQLFDWLRQV WR WKH PDVVLYH H[SORVLRQ RI WKH LQWHUQHW DQG GLJLWDO WHFKQRORJLHV ,Q WKH VW FHQWXU\ WKH .DSVFK EUDQG LV UHQRZQHG LQ WKH WUDIĂ&#x20AC;F WHOHPDWLFV DQG WROO V\VWHP Ă&#x20AC;HOG ZKLOH JOREDOO\ LW DOVR UHLJQV LQ WKH PDUNHW LQ *60 5 UDLOZD\ WHFKQRORJ\ )XUWKHUPRUH LQ WKH &]HFK 5HSXEOLF .DSVFK¡V SUHVHQFH LV LQKHUHQWO\ OLQNHG WR WKH IDOO RI WKH FRPPXQLVW GLFWDWRUVKLS DQG WKH GHYHORSPHQW RI GHPRFUDF\ DQG WKH IUHH PDUNHW

Ĺ˝ofĂ­n also hosted Vienna State Opera soloist and flautist Karl-Heinz SchĂźtze, playing Bendaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Flute Concerto for the audience

Kari Kapsch, one of the holdingâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s owners and Chair of the Kapsch CarrierCom Advisory Board, was also present at the celebrations

The award-winning Czech Radio Symphony Orchestra with chief conductor Ondrej LenĂĄrd were in excellent form

CZECH&SLOVAK LEADERS II/2017

31

From left: JUDr. Richard Cihlář, Head of Legal Department, Legal Services Kapsch and Mr. Josef Hlavička with his wife

From left: Mr. Jan Kislinger, prof. Ing. Eva Kislingerová, CSc., Deputy Mayor of Prague, and David Šimoník, PR Manager, Kapsch

From left: Jiří Kolínsko, Assoc. Prof., MSc. PhD ČVUT with his wife, Ing. Petr Smolka, CEO and Chairman of the Board, Technická správa komunikací with his wife

From left: Georg Kapsch, Owner, Kapsch, Eva Anderová, Business Consultant Czech & Slovak Leaders, and Benke Aikell, your Publisher

From left: Mag. Christian Miller, Advantage Austria, Dr. Kari Kapsch, Chief Executive Officer, Kapsch CarrierCom, and Martin Gartner, Deputy Head of Mission, Embassy of Austria

Vladimír Papoušek, Director of Information Technology, Four Seasons Hotel with his wife

Also present for the party was Pavel Švagr, head of the Administration of State Material Reserves and ČSSD transport expert Soprano Nicola Proksch received an ovation, with the audience particularly appreciating her rendition of the Magic Flute’s Queen of the Night aria

In the foreground is guest, Senator Zdeněk Škromach, while in the background is Vojtěch Hromíř, Secretary General of haulier association, ČESMAD Bohemia

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CZECH&SLOVAK LEADERS II/2017

The organisers of the celebratory evening worked with the unique Palace Žofín premises, enhancing it not just with huge screens but also musical numbers

Presidential Advisor Zdeněk Žák reads the audience congratulations from President Miloš Zeman, who spoke of his appreciation of the family company’s history and stability in the context of relations between Austria and the Czech Republic The host and main star of the evening was Georg Kapsch, Owner, Kapsch , who amongst other matters stressed the importance of the head of Czech Kapsch, Karel Feix, and the company’s Czech subsidiary as a whole for the holding company’s growth

Karel Feix has headed the Kapsch’s domestic subsidiaries for 25 years and thus is inextricably linked to the brand’s successes in the post-revolutionary Czech Republic

The Austrian Republic was represented at the evening with a speech from Martin Gärtner, Austria’s Deputy Chief of Mission in the Czech Republic

CZECH&SLOVAK LEADERS II/2017

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SAP Forum 2017: Artificial Intelligence, Robotics and 25th Anniversary Celebrations

Martin Wezowski, Chief Designer, SAP

Prague — SAP ČR held this year’s conference for customers and partners on May 31st. Six hundred guests came to hear the latest news and trends in Digitization, artificial intelligence and robotics from SAP representatives and IT leaders. This year’s special guests were visionary Karel Janeček, Vladimír Mařík from the Czech Technical University and Martin Wezowski, Chief Designer SAP. This year’s SAP Forum was also a part of our celebration of SAP 25th year on the Czech market.

Roman Knap, Managing Director SAP Czech Republic launched the conference, discussing with presenter Libor Bouček if and how artificial intelligence might replace people. Roman Knap then invited Martin Bednár, the first CEO of SAP’s Czech subsidiary, to the stage. ‘25 years ago we had no idea that robots might replace us, at least in certain activities. But today we can see where technology has advanced over the past quarter century, and artificial intelligence is now a part of our lives. To put it simply, the future, or you might say sci-fi, is already here, so let’s be ready for it,’ said Roman Knap.

Concert of Jelen Band

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CZECH&SLOVAK LEADERS II/2017

Martin Bednár, historically first CEO, SAP Czech Republic

C ONFERENCE

Concert of Miroslav Žbirka and his band

DEMO JAM

This was followed by an appearance by Karel Janeček, who presented his Human 21 vision. Martin Wezowski, SAP Chief Designer, spoke about shaping our future together. ‘Technological evolution is transforming the concept of human work and opening up new opportunities. I call this “Humachine” – a symbiosis between human creativity, empathy and the artificial intelligence of machines. With innovation and design, we can shape this dynamic change.’ Vladimír Mařík of the Czech Technical University’s Institute of Informatics, Robotics and Cybernetics focused his talk on the prospects for artificial intelligence and robotics.

Representatives of major Czech companies, start-ups and partners built on these concepts through a panel discussion on the topic ‘Tomorrow is already here’. Besides Digitization and innovation, the panellists also discussed Industry 4.0 within Central and Eastern Europe and compared the situation with the Czech Republic. Petr Ulvr of Intel presented the conference’s General Partner’s ideas on the potential of artificial intelligence. The panel discussion was followed by DEMO JAM with specific demonstrations of solutions developed on SAP’s S/4HANA platform. SAP’s implementation partner demonstrated how technology has transformed customer business. The conference ended with a concert by Miro Žbirka and Jelen.

Prof. Vladimír Mařík, ČVUT at his presentation

Robot Pepper

Roman Knap, Managing Director, SAP Czech Republic, talking to a robot

CZECH&SLOVAK LEADERS II/2017

35

Manager of the Year

2016

Awarding and awarded personalities, Manager of the Year TOP 10: Hana MachaÄ?ovĂĄ, Member of the Board, Kooperativa pojiĹĄĹĽovna, Ivan PilnĂ˝, Chairman of the Economic Committee of the Chamber of Deputies, Parliament of the CR, Gevorg Avetisjan, Owner, MARLENKA International s.r.o., Emil Beber, Chairman of the Board, Kovobel, Jan DuspÄ&#x203A;va, General Manager, Ä&#x152;epro a.s., AleĹĄ Herman, Director, IKEM, Jan HĹŻda, Chairman of the Board, RybĂĄĹ&#x2122;stvĂ­ TĹ&#x2122;eboĹ&#x2C6; Hld. a.s., Petr NovĂĄk, General Manager, KoyoBearings s.r.o., Marta NovĂĄkovĂĄ, Chairwoman of the Board, U&SLUNO, a.s. and President, SOCR Ä&#x152;R, Josef Rada, Director, Civil Aviation Authority CR, LudÄ&#x203A;k SteklĂ˝, General Manager, AGC Automotive Czech a.s., Ladislav Verner, General Manager, SOMA spol. s r.o., and Pavel Kafka, President, Ä&#x152;MA

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From left: Rostislav DvoĹ&#x2122;ĂĄk, Chairman, SÄ&#x152;MVD and Chairman of the Organising Committee of the Manager of the Year, LubomĂ­r StoklĂĄsek, General Manager, Agrostroj PelhĹ&#x2122;imov, LudÄ&#x203A;k SteklĂ˝, General Manager, AGC Automotive Czech a.s., Pavel Zezula, Chairman of the Board, NovĂĄ Mosilana, a.s., Miroslav StanÄ?Ă­k, General Manager, LUCCO a.s., and Martin Beran, Economic Manager, DĹ&#x2122;evotvar druĹžstvo

36

CZECH&SLOVAK LEADERS II/2017

From left: Karla Ĺ lechtovĂĄ, Minister of Regional Development of the CR, Marta NovĂĄkovĂĄ, Manager of the Year 2016, Chairwoman of the Board, U&SLUNO, a.s. and President, SOCR Ä&#x152;R

M ANAGER

OF THE

Y EAR 2016

All finalists of the Manager of the Year 2016

From left: Pavel Kafka, President, ČMA, Dan Ťok, Minister of Transport of the CR, Kateřina Valachová, Minister of Education of the CR, Bohuslav Sobotka, Prime Minister of the CR, and Jaroslav Hanák, President, SP ČR

From left: Emil Beber, Manager of the Year 2016, Chairman of the Board, Kovobel and Jiří Havlíček, Minister of Industry and Trade of the CR

Pavel Kafka, President, ČMA organiser of the Manager of the Year

From left: Jan Wiesner, President, KZPS, Kateřina Valachová, Minister of Education of the CR, Bohuslav Sobotka, Prime Minister of the CR, Emil Beber, Manager of the Year 2016, Chairman of the Board, Kovobel, Marta Nováková, Manager of the Year 2016, Chairwoman of the Board, U&SLUNO, a.s. and President, SOCR ČR, and Jaroslav Hanák, President, SP ČR

Emil Beber, Manager of the Year 2016, Chairman of the Board, Kovobel

CZECH&SLOVAK LEADERS II/2017

37

M ANAGER

OF THE

Y EAR 2016

From left: Luděk Steklý, General Manager, AGC Automotive Czech a.s. with a partner, Vlastimil Argman, General Manager, Thun 1794 a.s., Mrs Gabriela Městková, and Pavel Schreiber, General Manager, CeWeColor, a.s.

From left: Rostislav Dvořák, Chairman, SČMVD, Karla Šlechtová, Minister of Regional Development, and Jan Wiesner, President, KZPS

Marta Nováková, Manager of the Year 2016, Chairwoman of the Board U&SLUNO, a.s. and President, SOCR ČR, Emil Beber, Manager of the Year 2016, Chairman of the Board, Kovobel

From left: Richard Vidlička, General Manager, ČEZ Distribuce, Jaroslav Hanák, President, SP ČR

From left: Miroslav Dvořák, General Manager, Motor Jikov, Hana Machačová, Member of the Board, Kooperativa pojišťovna, Radka Prokopová, Manager of the Year 2015, Executive Manager, Alca Plast, Richard Vidlička, General Manager, ČEZ Distribuce, Jan Kalina, Chairman of the Board, ČEPS, and Vítězslav Kulich, Member of the Board, ČEPS

From left: Pavel Kafka, President, ČMA, Zbyněk Frolík, Owner, LINET

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From left: Zdeněk Liška, former General Manager, SP ČR, Josef Postránecký, Deputy Minister for Civil Service, Ministry of the Interior, Daniel Beneš, General Manager, ČEZ, Eva Kislingerová, Deputy to Prague Mayor, and Jan Preclík, Chairman of the Awarding Committee of the Manager of the Year

CZECH&SLOVAK LEADERS II/2017

From left: Jaroslav Hanák, President, SP ČR – organiser of the Manager of the Year, Bohuslav Sobotka, Prime Minister of CR, and Jan Wiesner, President, KZPS – organiser of the Manager of the Year

M ANAGER

OF THE

Y EAR 2016

From left: Jaroslav Hanák, President, SP ČR and Bohuslav Sobotka, Prime Minister of the CR

Miroslav Dvořák, General Manager, Motor Jikov

From left: Tim Šlapák, General Manager and Legal Representative, MASS Training a Media, Tomáš Andrejsek, Managing Partner, ELAN Interior, s.r.o., and Radek Chládek, Chairman of the Board, Vývoj, Třešť Clothing Cooperative From left: Jan Krčmář, Communication Manager, PhotonEnergy Group, Linda Štucbartová, Journalist and Couch, Czech and Slovak Leaders, ATAIRU, and Benke Aikell, your Publisher

From left: Dan Ťok, Minister of Transport of the CR and Jiří Havlíček, Minister of Industry and Trade of the CR

Marta Nováková, Manager of the Year 2016, Chairwoman of the Board, U&SLUNO, a.s. and President, SOCR ČR and Emil Beber, Manager of the Year 2016, Chairman of the Board, Kovobel

CZECH&SLOVAK LEADERS II/2017

39

G ALA

EVENT

Insurer of

the Year

Happy winners of the Insurer of the Year 2016 contest

Founded by the Association RI &]HFK ,QVXUDQFH %URNHUV $Ăž30 DQG FR RUJDQL]HG E\ WKH &]HFK ,QVXUDQFH $VVRFLDWLRQ Ăž$3 DQG WKH VSHFLDOL]HG LQIRUPDWLRQ VHUYHU R3RMLäWÄ&#x203A;Qt F] 7KH th year of this oldest professional contest in insurance culminated with a gala HYHQLQJ KHOG LQ WKH &RQJUHVV &HQWUH RI WKH &]HFK 1DWLRQDO %DQN &1% LQ 3UDJXH RQ 0D\ XQGHU WKH DXVSLFHV RI WKH &1% *RYHUQRU -LĹ&#x2018;t 5XVQRN 7KH LQVXUDQFH EURNHUV ² DV H[SHUWV ZKR ZRUN ZLWK LQVXUHUV RQ D GDLO\ EDVLV ² DVVHVVHG the insurance companies´ performance for 2016 in the following categories: insurance RI LQGXVWU\ FDU LQVXUDQFH FLYLO LQVXUDQFH VSHFLDOL]HG LQVXUDQFH DQG OLIH LQVXUDQFH 2XW RI WKHVH Ă&#x20AC;YH FDWHJRULHV .RRSHUDWLYD SRMLäĹ&#x2122;RYQD won three, ĂžHVNi SRGQLNDWHOVNi SRMLäĹ&#x2122;RYQD UHDFKHG IRU WKH Ă&#x20AC;UVW SODFH LQ FDU LQVXUDQFH DQG EULER HERMES SA obtained â&#x20AC;&#x153;goldâ&#x20AC;? in the specialized insurance category. $V LQ SUHYLRXV \HDUV WKH EURNHUV DOVR YRWHG IRU ´3HUVRQDOLW\ RI WKH ,QVXUDQFH 0DUNHWÂľ ² D WLWOH DZDUGHG IRU DQ RXWVWDQGLQJ FRQWULEXWLRQ WR WKH GHYHORSPHQW RI LQVXUDQFH LQ WKH Czech Republic. This time the lot fell upon -LĹ&#x2018;LQD 1HSDORYi founder and director of the 1R EURNHUDJH 5HQRPLD D V DQG FXUUHQW 3UHVLGHQW RI WKH $Ăž30 :LWKLQ WKH IUDPHZRUN RI WKH FRQWHVW WKH LQVXUHUV DOVR MXGJHG WKH RYHUDOO SHUIRUPDQFH RI LQVXUDQFH EURNHUV 7KXV 5HQRPLD D V $Ăž30 PHPEHU UHFHLYHG WKH ,QVXUDQFH %URNHU RI WKH <HDU award.

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CZECH&SLOVAK LEADERS II/2017

G ALA

From left: Ing. Jaroslav Besperát, CEO, Česká podnikatelská pojišťovna, Wolfgang Friedl, Board Member and Business Director, UNIQA pojišťovna, with Ing. Stanislav Svoboda, Director, Brokers Services, UNIQA pojišťovna

Alena Hájková, author of the unique glass/wood prizes for the winners, explains her philosophy behind the design

EVENT

The gala evening was opened by Ing. Martin Diviš, President of the Czech Insurance Association, and Jiřina Nepalová, AČPM Chair

Life Insurance category winners from left: Kooperativa (gold) - Ondřej Poul, Director of the Insurance Section, Allianz (silver) - Gabriela Jakubcová, Regional Director of Brokerage Services, Česká podnikatelská pojišťovna (bronze) - Marek Woitsch, Director of Life Insurance, UNIQA (4th) - Stanislav Svoboda, Director of Brokerage Services, Pojišťovna České spořitelny (5th) - Petr Zapletal, Chairman of the Board, with the wellwishers: Martin Hrdý, Senior Manager, KPMG, and Ivan Paparega, Vice Chairman, AČPM

Insurance Broker of the Year 2016: (from left) Ing. Jan Matoušek, Executive Director of ČAP, Ing. Martin Diviš, President of the Czech Insurance Association, Lukáš Bajgar, KPMG Director, with the winners: Jiřina Nepalová, Director, Renomia a.s., Mgr. Petra Fenclová, Board Chair, Insia a.s., Ing. Zdeněk Reibl, CEO, Respect a.s., and Margit Vavřincová, Business Director, Inpol a.s.

CZECH&SLOVAK LEADERS II/2017

41

G ALA

EVENT

Master of ceremonies Hanka Koutná with Ing. Ivan Špirakus, AČPM Vice Chairman, and Ing. Jaroslav Besperát, CEO, Česká podnikatelská pojišťovna, winner of the Car Insurance category

Ing. Ivan Špirakus, AČPM Vice Chairman, with Ing. Zdeňka Indruchová, AČPM Executive Director

The award for Personality of the Insurance Market went to Jiřina Nepalová, AČPM Chair and Director of Renomia a.s. To her left: Ing. Martin Diviš, President of the Czech Insurance Association and Ing. Jan Matoušek, Executive Director of ČAP, to her right, Ing. Zdeněk Tůma, Partner, KPMG, and Ing. Ivan Paparega, AČPM Vice Chairman

The winner of Specialized Insurance category, Euler Hermes, represented by its country manager Luděk Obadal, receives the award from Ing. Ivan Špirakus, AČPM Vice Chairman, and Ing. Jan Struž, President, Czech Top 100, a long-term partner of the Insurer of the Year contest

Among the VIP guests were also Prof. JUDr. Marie Karfíková, CSc., Head of Department of Financial Law and Finences, Faculty of Law, Charles University, with her husband, JUDr. Zdeněk Karfík, Lawyer

Civic Insurance category: from left: Ing. Ivan Špirakus, AČPM Vice Chairman and Ing. Jan Struž, President, Czech Top 100, with the winners: Kooperativa (gold) represented by its CEO Ing. Martin Diviš, silver: Česká podnikatelská pojišťovna represented by JUDr. Václav Honig, Head of Non-Life Insurance, bronze went to Allianz represented by Zdeňka Vodrážková, Regional Director. Award for the 4th place for UNIQA received Ing. Lucie Urválková, its Deputy Board Chair, and Česká pojišťovna took the 5th through David Vosika, Head of Product Management

The creme de la creme of the gala evening – awards for the Industry Insurance category (from left) Ing. Jiří Sýkora, Board Member, Kooperativa (the winner), Jiřina Nepalová, AČPM Chair, Petr Kunzmann, Manager, KPMG, Ing. Pavel Wiesner, Director, Česká podnikatelská pojišťovna (silver), Milan Kříž, Director, Allianz pojišťovna (bronze), Jiří Král, Head of Broker Support, Česká pojišťovna, and Ing. Martin Žáček, CEO of Uniqa pojišťovna.

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CZECH&SLOVAK LEADERS II/2017

40 m above the Vltava River Welcome to Cloud 9 Sky Bar & Lounge Cloud 9 Sky Bar & Lounge is a unique venue located on the rooftop of Hilton Prague hotel. You can admire the view of Prague during any season while sitting inside or on one of the outdoor terraces. The bar menu is about innovative cocktails based on premium spirits, with a highlight on Gin & Tonic creations from all around the world, enriched by natural ingredients pared with delicious bites and snacks.

The classy Cloud 9 with chic urban lounge ambiance has a total capacity of 250 people, while the back part can be used separately for smaller events from 20 to 80 people.

The venue is suitable in particular for: â&#x20AC;˘ â&#x20AC;˘ â&#x20AC;˘ â&#x20AC;˘ â&#x20AC;˘ â&#x20AC;˘ â&#x20AC;˘ â&#x20AC;˘ â&#x20AC;˘

Press conferences New product launches Breakfast, lunch and dinner meetings %XVLQHVV EULHĂ&#x20AC;QJV Presentations Company parties Christmas parties Birthday parties Weddings

Depending on the type of the event, there is a number of receptions to choose from, always with a variety of innovative and creative food. These can include cold and hot starters, mains and desserts and can be served as a buffet or as a pass-around reception. The experienced team of chefs will nevertheless accommodate any special requirements.

If the weather is favourable, the outdoor terrace can be used till late night. It is even possible to build up an ice bar there, with company logo being carved into the bar itself.

&ORXG VN\ EDU ORXQJH _ +LOWRQ 3UDJXH _ 3REĹ&#x2019;HĹŚQt _ 3UDJXH _ FORXG F]

ELAI

C zech R epublic C elebrated I nnovations

Innovation Week Czech Republic 2017 brought together over 5 000 people at 83 events across the country in celebration and support of innovations. It was organized second year in the row by European Leadership & Academic Institute (ELAI) in Prague with the aim of cultivating a thriving ecosystem for the support of innovations in the Czech Republic. The week was held under the auspices of Prime Minister Bohuslav Sobotka, the Czech Chamber of Commerce and the Confederation of Industry of the Czech Republic. The main event, Innovation Summit Prague, was held on 26th – 27th May at the Czech Institute of Informatics, Robotics and Cybernetics of the Czech Technical University in Prague. The two-day Summit attracted over 1 500 participants. It hosted experts on Artificial Intelligence and Smart Technologies and presented newest innovations for businesses, as well as for the general public.

Coffee break during the Main Conference on the 10th floor Petr Konvalinka, Rector of the Czech Technical University in Prague, opening the Main Conference

Petr Očko, Chairman of the Technology Agency of the Czech Republic, speaking at the Main Conference

Jan Zadák, Private Investor, until recently Global Vice-President of Hewlett Packard Enterprise Services

Seán Ó hÉigeartaigh, Executive Director of the Centre for the Study of Existential Risk and Senior Research Associate at Leverhulme Centre for the Future of Intelligence at the University of Cambridge

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Vladimír Mařík, Expert on AI, Head of the Department of Cybernetics, College of Electrical Engineering at the Czech Technical University Prague

CZECH&SLOVAK LEADERS II/2017

Jiří Kůs, Chairman of the Czech Nanotechnology Industries Association, speaking at the Main Conference

Michal Pěchouček, Founder of the Artificial Intelligence Center at the Czech Technical University Prague, Deputy Head for Research at Department of Computer Science

ELAI

Zuzana Nohajovรก, Innovation Centre Leader in EY, speaking at the Main Conference Innovation Fair on Saturday 27th May, 2017

Innovation Fair on Friday 26th May, 2017

Jan Zadรกk, speaking at the Main Conference to the audience Innovation Fair on Friday 26th May, 2017

Kateล ina Falk, Senior Researcher RP5 at ELI Beamlines, speaking at the Main Conference Linda Carton, Assistant Professor at Radboud University Nijmegen in the Netherlands, speaking at the Main Conference

Innovation Fair on Saturday 27th May, 2017

Innovation Fair on Saturday 27th May, 2017

Innovation Fair on Friday 26th May, 2017 Innovation Fair on Saturday 27th May, 2017

Innovation Fair on Friday 26th May, 2017

Innovation Fair on Saturday 27th May, 2017

CZECH&SLOVAK LEADERS II/2017

45

I NTERVIEW

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CZECH&SLOVAK LEADERS II/2017

P HOTO : A RCHIVE

GENERAL LENKA ŠMERDOVÁ, FIRST FEMALE BRIGADIER GENERAL IN THE CZECH REPUBLIC

I NTERVIEW

Women (don’t just) enrich the army It’s been three weeks since you were named in your role, Brigadier General…

What does it feel like to be the first woman in the position in the Czech Republic? Have you got used to it?

It’s an incredible feeling. It’s still new to me.

Every day there are situations which are unique and sometimes touching. You can’t get used to that. I think I’m always going to be aware of the great appreciation and also trust I have received for my work, and the work of my colleagues. I very much appreciate it.

You’ve said that your appointment could open the doors to other women. This is your second time being first; you were also the first woman appointed to the position of colonel. What advice do you have for women who want to get a higher position in the Czech Army? And for women in general regardless of where they are?

I’m pleased that equality isn’t just something that’s spoken about in the army. Women have shown in recent decades that we belong to the army and we can enrich it. That’s why I believe that my appointment could encourage other women and give them the courage and support in endeavouring to achieve their goals. And there are many other women around me who have fought for their position, respect and esteem and I admire them greatly, regardless of whether they are in uniform or not. It is important to get the opportunity, not to waste it and to keep working on yourself. It also demands self-confidence and the strength to pursue your goals. We all have desires and wishes.

Some of these are met through our partners and children, but others we have to achieve ourselves.

You’ve been in the army since 1984 and you work in personnel and recruitment.

How has the approach to this area changed over time?

I think an important milestone was the movement from the unpopular compulsory military service to a professional army which is

gaining ever greater favour not just amongst men, but also women. We have now even managed to fill up our so-called active reserve force with volunteers. Understandably, personnel work and recruitment has grown in importance over the years in a professional army. This involves working with people and especially for people, and it is people who are the army’s most valuable resource. I also consider my appointment into general rank as an expression of the importance of my work not just in acquiring human resources for the army, but also in our care for them, training and educating high quality soldiers.

My family is incredibly important to me.

Without the support of my husband and son I would not be able to manage this job. I’m not able to do everything at home on time or absolutely perfectly, but for us it is most important to be together so I appreciate all the time we spend together, which we all enjoy and savour.

Many private companies are suffering from recruitment problems at a time of low unemployment. How is the Czech Army dealing with this situation?

I’m an advisor in the field of human resources and for the army as well as me this is a new situation because we were not previously used to considering human resources from a comprehensive perspective. As such it will be my task to consult on these aspects within the context of other tasks and work them into individual development concepts.

Although Defence is perceived as a responsible, reliable and attractive employer, it is getting harder and harder to find new military personnel. We’re not alone in this on the labour market; besides civilian bodies, other branches of the armed forces and security and rescue forces are in the same boat. And we are all interested in the same individuals; young, healthy educated people.

The army’s good work at home and abroad is not enough to promote it. We have to actively draw the public’s attention to the opportunities offered by the army – as such the army must be seen and heard all the time.

We’ve got a campaign currently running on a number of radio stations, we’re active on the internet, we use social networks. Interested candidates can apply from the comfort of home. We have also published reports in the regional press. We further arrange recruitment activities in the field, at large nationwide or smaller regional events. Recruiters also travel to job exchanges, to schools and to various sports events where they have the opportunity to meet scores of active people.

We must constantly seek out new methods and opportunities to appeal to the public and gain the candidates we need. In this regard, the army must not be left behind.

You’re married and have a son. How do you manage to combine work and family?

You are also an advisor to the Chief of Staff of the Czech Armed Forces. Could you tell us more about this role? What strategic issues are you looking at in the security field?

From your expert position, do you see today’s world as safer or less safe? And what about the Czech Republic?

All of us are undoubtedly thinking about the outlook for global security and how its development will influence us in future. Most experts agree that the situation is currently more unstable and hard to predict than before.

I can see specific impacts through society and peoples’ interest in security, which has grown in recent years. In the context of events, ever more citizens are aware that stability and security doesn’t just cost something, but it is also important that they get actively involved, whether by deciding to join the military professionals, or perhaps taking the path of being an active reservist combining a civilian and military career in one. I think that is a fundamental change which should inspire optimism.

Linda Štucbartová české znění naleznete v elektronické verzi magazínu na www.czechleaders.com

CZECH&SLOVAK LEADERS II/2017

47

BUSINESS EVENTS

Laurent Laval

From left: Romana Šedá, President, Czech Business Club, Laurent Laval, Laurent Laval Consulting and Nicolas Candy, Partner, Mazars and President, CJD

Laurent Laval held another of his Opera Conferences in the Czech Business Club to present his experience and ideas related to finding talents within an organization. Going by the title "Find the diamonds in your team to double your sales" Laurent's presentation outlines the steps he has taken in the corporate world and how he can apply his experience to organizations as a consultant.

The conference combined opera with a presentation around Laurent's experience, as he believes opera emotions open the mind and heart to new ideas and inspire a level of thinking higher than our current state. Participants enjoyed not only good company, good wine and cheese and an interesting conference but also a unique operatic presentation of “recognizing the talents, the diamonds, in team and authorizing them by giving them an appropriated mission makes companies unique and competitive. When people are happy at work they stay in the company and give the best of themselves: they work with passion and will attract naturally other talents” as a conclusion.

From left: Colin Stanley, Crostan Consulting and Benke Aikell, your Publisher

Nicolas Candy, Partner, Mazars and President, CJD

From left: Olivia Penichou, CEO, O2P Conseil, Anne Segers, Founder, CAP Femina, Sego Gras, Illustrator, and Stephane Gras, General Manager, Four Seasons Hotel Prague

Audience at Conference Opera

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From left: Laurent Laval, Laurent Laval Consulting, Stephane Gras, General Manager, Four Seasons Hotel Prague and Sego Gras, Illustrator

Jérome Walter, General Manager, Walter and Food and Pavlína Kašparová, MPharm Clinical Operations, Sanonia

From left: Laurent Laval, Laurent Laval Consulting and Stephane Gras, General Manager, Four Seasons Hotel Prague

Laurent Laval, Laurent Laval Consulting at his speech

CZECH&SLOVAK LEADERS II/2017

From left: Ivo Gajdoš, Vice President and Director, Czech Management Association and Karel Pavlíček, CEO, Spolana

From left: Nicolas Candy, Partner, Mazars and President, CJD and Laurent Laval, Laurent Laval Consulting

From left: Ivo Gajdoš, Vice President and Director, Czech Management Association, Karel Pavlíček, CEO, Spolana, Romana Šedá, President, Czech Business Club, and Laurent Laval, Laurent Laval Consulting (Singing Mirka Soprana)

BUSINESS EVENTS

BUSINESS CLUB WITH PAVEL KYSILKA Club discussion with Pavel Kysilka, former Chairman of the Board of Česká spořitelna and founder and Chairman of the Management Board of Project 6D Academy.

Romana Šedá, President, Czech Business Club and Jan Vyhnálek, Executive Director, RSJ Private

Pavel Kysilka, former Chairman of the Board, Česká spořitelna and Petr Šíma, CEO, NSG Morison Audit

Romana Šedá, President, Czech Business Club and Pavel Kysilka, former General Director, Česká spořitelna

BUSINESS CLUB WITH SKAL Two important clubs - Czech Business Club and SKAL and their networking lunch. Friendly meeting with short presentation about Vocational education and training (VET) in the Czech Republic.

Romana Šedá, President, Czech Business Club and Heinz Reigl, President, SKAL Club Prague

From left: Miroslav Bukva, General Manager, Clarion Congress Hotel and Manuel Jimenez, Sales Director, Body and Soul Company

JUDr. Petr Jansa with his short presentation about Vocational education and training (VET) in the Czech Republic.

Heinz Reigl, President, SKAL Club Prague Marie Ranišová, Qwner, ACL Company

From left: Jiří Matoušek, SKAL Club Prague Secretary, Benke Aikell, your Publisher, Czech and Slovak Leaders, Richard van Reem, Owner, Czech Experience, and Claudio Sturm, General Manager, Maria Hotel Prague

Friedemann Riehle, Chief Conductor, Prague Philharmonic Orchestra with a friend

Romana Šedá, President, Czech Business Club and Heinz Reigl, President, SKAL Club Prague

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A MBASSADORS W ITHOUT D IPLOMATIC P ASSPORTS P HOTO : A RCHIVE

an Actor

Meet Lane Davies, a true Hollywood star, known world-wide for his role as Mason Capwell on the NBC TV series, “Santa Barbara”, an international hit that has played in more than 53 countries. In Russia, it was the first American program to air after the collapse of the Soviet Union. Lane to this day has loyal fan clubs all over Russia and Eastern Europe. In the Czech Republic, he is known for starring in the famous TV series, “Dallas”. On stage in his lengthy career, Lane has performed classical roles such as Hamlet, Macbeth, Richard III., King Lear, Prospero, Petruchio and others. He has also directed a dozen productions of Shakespearean plays.

Lane came to Prague this time to star in the English language premiere of the multi-Tony award winning musical “Man of La Mancha”. This Prague production of the classical Broadway musical is being co-produced by Bob Boudreaux and the respected Prague Shakespeare Company at Divadlo Na Prádle. It will be Lane's sixth time performing Cervantes´ Quixote, always having his best friend, Jerry Winsett as Sancho Panza by his side. The cast includes actors and singers from the Czech Republic, United Kingdom, Sweden, New Zealand, Russia, and the USA. I was lucky to experience a part of one rehearsal and I was surprised how much effort rehearsing, singing, and repeating a few lines over and over takes. After, Lane and I went for a coffee at Kampa, near Divadlo Na Prádle. It was a unique opportunity for me to interview a true but “normal” star and to speak about politics, commercial acting, the purpose of theatre and his perception and reminder to me about the cultural part of Prague and the beauty of the Czech landscape.

Lane, the first question of this series is a traditional one. How do you perceive today’s world?

I am an optimist. Despite all the troubles around the world, the human species is evolving. In general, we are less violent and less predatory than we have been in the past. This gives me a reason to be optimistic about the future.

Your optimism is quite surprising given the fact that you come from the US and given the reaction of most of the Hollywood to the new Trump administration…

I love my country, I love the United States.

I do not always agree with what the leaders are doing and I do not always like the people who are leading my country but I stay away from politics, so I can remain optimistic about the future of the United States and its place in the world. It is not that I do not have opinions,

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but rather the fact that I am an actor of a limited celebrity makes my opinion any more valuable than anyone else’s, so I stay quiet about it. In the United States, the society got so polarized, that if you support one party or one candidate over another, you can alienate fan base. I do not stay quiet out of cowardice but I want people to look at my characters, not my personal politics or personal life.

But is it possible to be only yourself? You played several strong characters, the most famous being Mason Capwell in Santa Barbara series and very often, people start to equal the actor to his/ her role.

Once I leave the country, I am probably much better known by Mason than I am by my real name. When you are playing the same character for month after month and year after year as you do in television series, some of your character

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will creep into you and some of you will creep into the character. There were similarities between me and my character. I think Mason and I shared the same sense of humour. Mason drank a great deal more than I drink in my real life. I still have fans who send me a liquor on my birthday because they equate Mason’s drinking habits with mine.

I was fascinated to find out about Santa Barbara’s success in Russia and about your fan club in Russia…How did you find Russia?

There, you were a true ambassador without a diplomatic passport, representing the US culture…

I have been in Russia many times, I have visited many places from St. Petersburg to Blagoveshchensk (a town 8000 km east of Moscow, bordering China) and many places in between. Many of the appearances were

as myself. I did many concerts, had various speaking and discussions events. I got to meet many wonderful people, fans from various segments of society, ranging from firing generals in Blagoveshchensk to babushkas in Siberia. For someone who grew up during the hottest part of the Cold War, when we were threatened with global thermal nuclear annihilation through my childhood, it was especially gratifying to spend time travelling around the country and realizing that Russian people were not the problem, the Russian politicians and American politicians were the problem. Fortunately, the diplomacy won and we did not blow the world but that was the threat we lived under. My first trip to Russia was in 1992, right after the borders were open.

It was interesting to see how much alike we are.

One more thing I would like to mention was my experience with propaganda. We knew about the Russian propaganda, about the Russian propaganda being brain washed. Once I got to Russia, I realized the US government was doing the same thing. Russian women can serve as a good example. In the US, we only saw pictures of little grandmas, babushkas, that looked like potatoes with legs or looked like Khrushchev in a dress. Depressed, deprived people over the age of 60. When I got to Russia, I saw all the Russian women who were stunningly beautiful but these we did not have a chance to see.

What is the connection between you and The Man of La Mancha coming to the Czech Republic?

First I came as a tourist, later I started to communicate with Guy Roberts, the director of Prague Shakespeare Company. He invited me to play a role in Richard III. in summer at the Prague Castle and later, at the Estates Theater. In fall, I was back again with my son Nathan, because I had the feeling he might like the Czech Republic. I was right, he moved to Prague three weeks later. During the fall, I was approached

by Bob Boudreaux, a long time member of the Prague Shakespeare Company who was also performing in Richard III. We were discussing the possibility of producing Man of La Mancha.

We both like the show, I have done it five times already. Well, six months later here we are, doing the show. The opening night is scheduled for May 18 and we will play it until June and some more performances are scheduled for the fall.

So how do you find and how do you like the Czech Republic?

That is a big question. I love being here…Prague became my favourite city within a week of being here. I was so pleasantly surprised by the Czech countryside. I have been to eight countries that have been part of the USSR sphere of influence, and so I have experienced the country side with the large fields and only few countries managed to recover from the landscape point of view.

I was therefore very pleasantly surprised that the Czech Republic values and cares about its countryside and the way it looks.

Linda´s purpose is to unleash potential in individuals and organizations. She enjoys bringing expertise and synergy to corporate, non-profit, academic and public spheres. In ATAIRU, she leads leadership programs for women and transformational programs for boards. She is a senior lecturer at the Anglo-American University. Linda holds degrees from the Oxford University, Geneva Institute of International Relations and Université Lyon III. Linda is married, lives in Prague and has two children.

This is going to be your sixth production of The Man of La Mancha. As each production is different, what do you find the most special this time?

The fact that the cast is half international and half Czech is the most different thing about this production. We are not making any big changes to the script or the way the play is traditionally done. Because of the nature of the theatre Na Prádle, the production will be more intimate than some people might be used to. It is much more like a play with music than a big Broadway musical. The music is only secondary to the play.

Has the main message of the play evolved over the years?

The play has always had a special meaning for me. I did it for the first time at the age of 23, it has influenced my entire life. I tend to put causes ahead of practicality. The metaphor of tilting at windmills does not mean that I devote my strength and energy to the lost causes but I tend to make the cause more important than the outcome, one of the main themes running throughout the play. The song “Impossible Dream” embodies all the different themes.

Through the years, the character has deepened inside of me.

Making a parallel to your Cervantes´ Don Quixote, what is your impossible dream?

As long as I am physically able I want to continue to keep great ideas in art, literature and theatre alive and moving forward. Particularly theatre.

If you take Shakespeare’s plays as an example, they are preserved in the performance of them, there are not any museums or art galleries for the plays and they are lost in a library. The only way to preserve a play is to perform it and to this goal I have dedicated my life. It went side by side with my commercial acting so I could earn a living so I could spend my time preserving the great plays through the performance of them.

To continue along the play lines, who is your unbeatable foe?

I will stay away from any personification to avoid getting political but for me the people who minimize the importance of life to the basic human conditions. Civilizations are remembered for their arts, not for their wars and boundaries. It is great writing, art, theatre, music that last and continue to move the human spirit.

Another constant for this play, is the character of Sancho, always performed by your best friend, Jerry Winsett.

We have been friends for 44 years. There are many similarities with Sancho, since Jerry has been following me to every place it was performed being it New York, California or Prague…He keeps me humble, since he knows me too well as he knows where my skeletons are…

What are your final words to the Czech and Slovak Leaders readers?

For me it is just gratifying to be in a city where theatre is such a vibrant part of the culture of the city. If I had a complaint about the US then it is about not being enough emphasis placed in the arts and not enough subsidies for the arts from the government. In Prague, there is a DIVADLO (theatre) on every corner and in the US, outside of Broadway, there is one professional theatre per larger city and perhaps several community theatres in smaller towns. Prague theatre scene and community is quite unique.

By Linda Štucbartová české znění naleznete v elektronické verzi magazínu na www.czechleaders.com

PRAGUE SHAKESPEARE COMPANY Prague Shakespeare Company is Central Europe’s only professional English-language Shakespeare company, presenting professional theatre productions, workshops, classes, lectures and other theatrical events, of the highest quality, by a multi-national ensemble of professional theatre artists, with an emphasis on the plays of William Shakespeare, bringing to the Czech Republic, European and World audiences Englishlanguage based performances that are fresh, bold, imaginative, thought-provoking, and eminently accessible, connecting the truths of the past with the challenges and possibilities of today. www.pragueshakespeare.com

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The principal measure of business and management success is quality I NTERVIEW WITH P AVEL K AFKA , C HAIRMAN OF THE C ZECH M ANAGEMENT A SSOCIATION

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CZECH&SLOVAK LEADERS II/2017

P HOTO : A RCHIVE

I NTERVIEW

Let’s begin with the recent 24th Manager of the Year contest, which brought along a number of new features, such as the award for‘Innovation for Sustainable Development’.

What other awards and outcomes of the conference deserve attention?

The biggest new feature this year was the Innovation for Sustainable Development award.

The MoY organisers wanted in this way to show support for international and domestic endeavours to boost sustainability elements in business – and their economic, social and environmental benefits. The prizes were awarded under the auspices of the Czech Business Council for Sustainable Development and sponsored by ČEPS a.s. and ČEZ Distribuce a.s. Coincidentally, the awards were officially handed over the day after the government decided on the Czech Republic’s sustainable development strategic framework to 2030.

I think it is also worth saying that this 24th annual MoY contest saw the largest proportion of women amongst finalists so far – 20 %.

Some of the results of the surveys taken by finalists were also interesting. This year’s finalists, for example, consider many more contemporaries from the Czech Republic as role models than was the case in previous years, even though Tomáš Baťa remains in notional top place. Looking at your question from the other side – what has not changed in finalists’ opinions – then unfortunately this remains a high level of criticism of bureaucracy and unstable legislation.

I heard many of those awarded, including Manager of the Year, Chairwoman of the Board at U & SLUNO, a.s. and President of the Czech Confederation of Commerce and Tourism, Marta Nováková, Chair of the Board of the production co-operative KOVOBEL, Emil Beber, and Jaroslav Hanák, President of the Confederation of Industry of the Czech Republic and an transport entrepreneur who was inducted into the Manager of the Year Hall of Fame for his many years promoting the interests of business and management, criticise our political representatives, and there were repeated complaints about the complex legislative environment. Although business

people are always criticising politicians, what can be done to ensure there is less division between entrepreneurs and our politicians?

Yes, the survey discussed above undertaken amongst our finalists confirmed this long-term unfortunate state. Just as the principal measure of business and management success is quality, so quality must also be the measure of the legislative environment and the working of institutions. Even an international comparison of the Czech Republic’s competitiveness shows that it is this field which has the most negative impact on the assessment of our country’s position. I can give my advice for what it’s worth. I think it is up to us as voters to look more carefully at the specific actions of our elected representatives, and at least use this as a basis for our decision at the next elections – something that’s rather topical at the moment.

But it is an unfortunate truth that our political representatives are much more interested in redistributing wealth that has been created than in actually creating wealth.

What major challenges will managers be facing in the coming decade? And how prepared are they for the changes in regard to Industry 4.0? The idea has been expressed in our magazine that it should be renamed Society 4.0 because it will affect us all regardless …

I agree with the idea that it is misleading to speak only about Industry 4.0. There will be massive changes through rapid automation and digitalisation across a wide section of society – health, education, transport, services etc. In many of these, even larger changes are taking place than within industry itself.

Managers’ principal challenge will be to manage this massive technological development across all the phases of the company or other organisation’s activities. It will be that much harder that development which has previously been linear or now exponential will be ever more discontinuous in nature. This will make any kind of prognosis of development hugely more complicated, but it will also logically cause significant tension between ‘old’and ‘new’, within the meaning of Schumpeter’s concept of creative destruction.

The Czech Management Association has focused on the role of women in management for many years, but there were only 14 women amongst the 71 finalists and only one woman got into the final ten. Where do you see the causes behind this, and what can be done to achieve a more balanced proportion?

In answer to your first question, I was glad that the proportion of women amongst our finalists was the highest ever this year. In terms of women within the final ten, however, we have had much better years. I wouldn’t draw any major conclusions from just one year of the contest.

Nevertheless, the fact that we don’t have large numbers of women amongst our top managers should give us pause for thought. It has been shown around the world that companies with a greater proportion of women in management achieve better long-term results. I am not a proponent of quotas in any shape or form, but we are still failing to free women’s hands so that, should they be interested, they can take up top management positions.

The latest surveys show that there has been a decline in the current Generation Y’s perception of the prestige of a management position. How do you perceive the issue of diversity amongst multiple generations when for the first time four different generations are meeting up at the workplace all at once?

There has never been a period in history in which generations with such different experiences of life and conditions have entered the economic space as is the case today.

We see the first such conflicts at schools.

What we call age management is becoming a priority for HR officers. Company managers across the board say that school leavers and graduates are unable to communicate within intergenerational teams. I think the problem here is that people have not been brought up, and society has not impressed upon people, to show respect to others, to promote elementary decency, and order. This naturally means social cohesion suffers – yet this is a major feature behind success.

Next year the 25th annual Manager of the Year contest will take place, something you also want to link with the celebrations of the 100th anniversary of the establishment of Czechoslovakia. What new features are you planning?

It’s too early to talk about new features. These will be decided upon by the MoY Management Committee on the basis of an assessment of all previous 24 years. But I can well imagine that one important element of the upcoming 25th year will be a retrospective of the whole of the contest’s history up to now.

Linda Štucbartová české znění naleznete v elektronické verzi magazínu na www.czechleaders.com

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Antarctica Matters...

A few months ago I got back from an expedition to the seventh continent – Antarctica. Not only was it the farthest I have been from home but probably the most amazing journey I have ever made in 57 years.

Diverse and mystifying in the extreme, this continent, which is bigger in size than Europe or Asia or America, thrills with pristine glaciers, glistening icebergs, arresting inlets and wildlife to die for. A visit with the seals, the penguins, the albatrosses and the amazing whales in their natural habitat could be the very definition of adventure.

I was always afraid of big waves in the ocean.

I remember the last time I was on a sailboat in the Caribbean, my friends had to drop me off on an island before they could continue in the rough Pacific Ocean and pick me up a day later when it was calm. I had also heard of the Drake Passage and the 6 to 7 metre high waves with strong

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winds and some of the roughest seas in the world.

I always knew that if I had to overcome this fear the only way I could do it was to face it head-on. So when I got this opportunity to join the expedition to Antarctica in support of extending the Antarctic Treaty, I jumped at it. Little did I realise what an amazing journey I was signing up for.

For the first time I was in 6 to 7 metre waves and everyone took medication against sea sickness, but I and one other expedition member decided to do without and see what happens. The ships nowadays have stabilizers so the tossing and pitching of the ship is reduced. But these waves were just the prelude as we were being chased by a storm and the captain was going as fast as he could to outrun it. Finally, it hit us from behind with its full force and fury combined with very strong winds from the side. A big roller wave almost knocked me out of bed at 2.30 am.

CZECH&SLOVAK LEADERS II/2017

The next morning the storm had passed and we got to the South Shetland Islands. It had been rough but little did I know that we had been in waves of 11.5 metres. I had felt neither scared, nor seasick. I still have no idea how this happened but something inside me had clicked and the fear disappeared.

What I saw around me was sheer pristine beauty as I had never seen before. The sunrise was one of the most amazing I had ever seen as we were escorted into harbour by a school of dolphins.

It was like a dream, like being constantly in a meditative trance. As the weather cleared up after the storm, we got lucky and saw bright clear skies and sunshine for the next four days.

We took the Zodiac cruise to Danco Island and a short hike up a glacial ridge to a large penguin rookery. We went from the storm to the calm waters and clear skies and then from the quiet

solitude of the channel to the cacophony of the penguins – Adelie, Gentoo and Chinstrap – they were all going about their business as if we were not even there.

The second day we were barely awake when the expedition leader announced the spotting of minke whales on the starboard side of the ship.

Floating amongst the serene beauty of glacial ice sculptures, we saw a leopard seal hunt a fur seal and devour it. The next day a leopard seal nudged one of the canoes and popped its head out of the water next to the canoeist. Later, I even got to have my single malt with glacial ice in it - which I picked out of the ocean, but it was not salty at all.

The next day was the day of my polar plunge a leap into the ocean in my swimsuit, with the water temperature at -1°C. It was definitely 20 – 30 secs of a unique refreshing experience where as little as 60 sec could lead to a brain freeze.

The following day a humpback whale turned up less than 12 meters from a kayaker and we were able to see and photograph it from the Zodiac at about the same distance. It was a family of 3 and they seemed to enjoy playing around and doing tricks for about 15 minutes before diving deep for their krill and plankton.

The next day was my turn to paddleboard for the first time in my life and my debut in icy ocean waters. As the waves started to rise a bit, I went on my kness, not wanting to land in the water like four of our group of seven did.

The purpose of the expedition was to raise awareness of the 1959 Antarctic Treaty, which expires in 2048, and to help build public opinion to extend it by 50 to 100 years and leave this pristine continent as untouched as it is today.

This treaty, which was signed by 52 nations, prevents countries from owning or exploiting the

land except for research and science. It is not only the world's most important natural laboratory but also our last great wilderness. It is also fragile and vulnerable.

This continent in its untouched natural state and the research on it are key to understanding of how our world naturally works and our impact on our ocean systems, marine life and climate.

If anyone ever gets a chance to make this trip, my very strong recommendation would be to grab it.

I do not have the memory of an experience that surpasses it. And if there is any way in which you may be able to help in building the consensus to extend the present Antarctic Treaty, it would probably be a great service to many generations yet unborn.

Sanjiv Suri President&CEO, Zátiší Group sanjiv@zatisigroup.cz

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I NTERNATIONAL

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CRANS MONTANA FORUM on Africa, 'DNKOD 0RURFFR ² 0DUFK

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CZECH&SLOVAK LEADERS II/2017

I NTERNATIONAL

FORUM

Speakers

Pierre Emmanuel Quirin, Executive Director, Crans Montana Forum

Jean-Paul Carteron, Founder of the Crans Montana Forum in the panel discussion with African high dignitaries and Rev. Jesse Jackson

CZECH&SLOVAK LEADERS II/2017

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E XCLUSIVE I NTERVIEW

WITH

A NTHONY N EWSTEAD

FROM

G LOBAL F EMALE L EADERS B ERLIN 2017 S UMMIT

&UHDWLQJ D %ULGJH 'HYHORSLQJ DQG &RQQHFWLQJ DQ (QWUHSUHQHXULDO &RPPXQLW\ ZLWK 0DMRU *OREDO 0DUNHWV From Tel Aviv to Atlanta and Beyond In my experience, there are two types of companies with regards to Corporate Social Responsibility. There are the ones who have prepared many presentations on this issue, printed out nice brochures and organize spotlight events. Then there are the ones who walk the talk and act accordingly. Coca-Cola belongs to the latter category.

Have you ever listened to a powerful speech in which a company group VP has not mentioned a company product but rather shared a proven concept of social transformation through technology entrepreneurism?

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1HZVWHDG OHG WKH FUHDWLRQ DQG FR IRXQGLQJ RI WKH 1RUWK $PHULFDQ VSLQ RII %ULGJH&RPPXQLW\ LQ FROODERUDWLRQ with a number of large locally-based RUJDQL]DWLRQV 7KH %ULGJH&RPXQLW\ is a unique program that grows the entrepreneurial ecosystem in Atlanta through startup engagement, partnerships, a powerful corporate PHPEHU WR PHPEHU QHWZRUN DQG D ORFDO FRPPXQLW\ LQLWLDWLYH WR KHOS UDLVH WKH WHFKQLFDO VNLOO OHYHO IURP KLJK VFKRRO onwards.

Dear Anthony, we met at the Global Female Summit in Berlin, which prides to be the economic forum that hosts 300 plus female executives. Even though Coca-Cola prides itself for gender diversity and inclusion, in what aspects did you find your speaking experience to almost exclusively female executive large audience unique?

It was an absolute honor to be invited to speak at the Global Female Summit. The breadth of experience and intellectual power at the event was an impressive experience. From my perspective, the passion each person applied to their roles, their desire to learn, query and absorb new ways of addressing key business problems was absolutely energizing. I’d also say the sense of belonging, a feeling of a collective will to share and support each other in their respective business fields is a unique aspect of this network.

You shared the example of BridgeCommunity in Atlanta, where Coca-Cola and other corporations partner with the community of startups in order to help the local communities. What was the reason to launch the cooperation of various entities that could be represented by opposites “Davids” and “Goliaths” together?

The prime objective of BridgeCommunity is to connect with software technology startups that have products and services with the potential to address the key business challenges we face. We took the decision to reach out to fellow corporates with an equal interest in engaging with startups for a number of reasons. This ensures that each corporate member only needs to make a modest financial contribution, which collectively provides the program with sufficient funds to proceed. It also relieves the pressure of engagement on each commercial brand. When a corporation makes the decision to run an equivalent program run on their own, there is an implicit pressure to provide opportunities for each and every startup that is brought in. If a startup exits the program without any tangible opportunity the danger is they will spread the word in the local community that brand ‘x’ are not to be trusted. In effect, each startup in the program is a brand ambassador for the underlying corporate and needs to be treated as such, which can be difficult to sustain on an ongoing basis for one corporate. In the case of the Atlanta BridgeCommunity, the program can bring in 20+ startups each year with each corporate focusing only on the ones most relevant to themselves, safe in the knowledge that the other corporate members are doing the same, with the net result that all startups find opportunities. By joining forces with other large, locally-based organizations we amplify the attractiveness of the program to prospective startups and enhance significantly the training we provide them, with the addition of a diverse range of business expertise from our corporate members.

However, your project did not start in Atlanta, but in Tel Aviv…

Yes, we launched a program called The Bridge in Tel Aviv, back in 2014, with a core focus on collaborating with early stage startups to access new consumer technologies, in return for which we provide the opportunity to leverage our marketing expertise. Since launching we have welcomed Turner Broadcasting and recently Mercedes Benz to join us in Tel Aviv. We’re now in our fourth cohort

cycle (one per year) and have had a number of successful startup engagements, including for example “Bringg”, who have created an “Uber”for the enterprise platform to support delivery of products and services on demand. In parallel, back in 2015 we took the decision to spin-out a new venture called BridgeCommunity, that took the core startup engagement methodology established in Tel Aviv, with a more holistic focus on expanding developing startup communities in collaboration with local corporations and with a strong community focus.

The pilot for this community model was launched in Atlanta in 2016 with IHG, The Weather Company, Cox Enterprises and Capgemini. This year we have been delighted to welcome Porsche Financial Services and SunTrust Bank as new Corporate Members and have also joined forces with the Atlanta Hawks Basketball Team, providing access to Philips Arena – the 4th busiest arena in North America - as an engagement lab for testing out products and services from BridgeCommunity startups. Atlanta was a deliberate choice for the launch location, it has a growing startup community, great transport connections, strong university foundations, a passionate local authority support, it has more fortune 500 companies headquartered in the city than in Silicon Valley and of course it is the home of Coca-Cola. We have a deep connection to the city and BridgeCommunity was the perfect vehicle to support the local community while at the same time bringing value to our company and our corporate members.

Have you envisaged spreading your concept to other regions, such as Central and Eastern Europe?

The BridgeCommunity model is not simply an Atlanta model, it is instead a model structured to expand and amplify developing startup communities, with Atlanta as our pilot, founding location. The vision of the program is that there is hidden talent out there, in places of the world that tend to be over-looked in favor of more established locations.

During our conversation, you mentioned your passion for students not to become just“coders” but rather “technological developers” and you outlined the need to support creative arts…

I believe passionately that we should be developing creative individuals grounded in technology, creative technologists, rather than pure coders. I want them to not just code but to understand and intuitively feel the beauty in the code. It’s that creative thought, that intuitive leap that helps to generate amazing, innovative ideas. Ultimately I’d like to re-position coding as an art instead of a science. In my opinion you can either pick up a paintbrush, a pen, a chisel or a keyboard; all are tools to ‘create’. All of this helps to address the supply-side of any startup community.

I liked your parallel that start ups are the new punk rockers. Given the statistics, many millennials do not find big corporations attractive anymore… Can corporations become punk rockers and if so, how?

The challenge for enterprises is to find a way to harness this creative, innovative force to re-energize their own business. Interestingly, as much as growing startups are trying to act and become ‘big’, enterprises are equally keen to act and become ‘small’ – the intersection of those two paths is where programs like BridgeCommunity can really help.

Engaging with startups can act as shot of adrenaline

into a large enterprise that has the potential to not only bring short-term value through the provision of products and services, but can also help to generate an entrepreneurial mindset within the workforce.

It is indeed possible for enterprises to re-discover their maverick, innovative roots, but it does require senior executive commitment for change. The trick is to treat the expansion of an innovation strategy that includes startup engagement as ultimately a cultural change initiative across the organization.

Question everything, challenge your teams to improve their respective areas, encourage rapid experimentation, give permission to innovate and partner with startups.

Next months, you are starting the project with public schools. So far, students from less fortunate backgrounds were given laptops to start to learn coding. At the same time, you engaged their parents to use the laptops themselves, through adult training classes, to help ensure the parents gain value as well. So far, you have been engaged in start ups and in educational communities…Are there any limits for public-private engagement?

Fundamentally, the aim of the BridgeCommunity program is to provide opportunities: Opportunities for corporations to share knowledge and learn from each other, opportunities for startups rapidly accelerate their route to market through tactical training and exposure to relevant corporations and opportunities for students to become the next set of future software technology entrepreneurs where such options are limited. In doing all this the Community benefits through an influx of entrepreneurial talent, the Corporations benefit through access to talented interns and innovation startup solutions and young adults benefit through a tangible chance to transform their lives. This can only be done effectively through close privatepublic partnership and I am extremely grateful for the local authority and local non-profits support and goodwill we have received, together with the amazing support and commitment from our corporate members that has collectively helped us progress this program to where it is today. It is not the sole mechanism to drive value, but as we move forwards, where we see value creation opportunites for our corporate members that also can tangibly benefit the local community in some form a publicprivate model may well be the solution.

Your final words to Czech and Slovak Leaders readers…

I would just like to stress that BridgeCommunity itself is a startup, we are learning as we go along, with the twin desire to do good in the community while also bringing tangible value to our company and our corporate members. In addition I believe it’s also a testament to the open innovation spirit within Coca-Cola that has provided myself the internal support to get this initiative off the ground. It’s that willingness to take a risk, to provide an employee the support necessary to realize a dream that can transform organizations from within and is I believe a powerful first step for an enterprise to take on their innovation journey. Embracing the startup community can be hugely rewarding, but looking within first, providing the tools, the streamlined processes and the entrepreneurial mindset culture internally before you engage will help ensure all sides benefit.

Linda Štucbartová

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D REBITKO Torso, AdĂŠla 1882

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CZECH&SLOVAK LEADERS II/2017

61

GALA EVENING

Gala Evening of the Zlatá koruna Competition Winners of Zlatá koruna 2017

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From left: Pavel Doležal, Director, Zlatá koruna, Benke Aikell, your Publisher, Czech & Slovak Leaders, and Eva Anderová, Business Consultant, Czech & Slovak Leaders and Honorary Consul to Zambia

From left: Eva Anderová, Business Consultant, Czech & Slovak Leaders and Honorary Consul to Zambia, Benke Aikell, your Publisher, Czech & Slovak Leaders, and Marta Gellová, President, EFPA

From left: Ondřej Hejma, Host of the gala evening and famous Singer, Ivan Pilný, Minister of Finance, Milan Žák, Vice-chancellor, VŠEM, and Miloslav Čepek, Co-owner, Dobrá nálada

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From left: Pavel Doležal, Director, Zlatá koruna and Pawel Kucharski, CEO, mBank

From left: Kristína Lhotková, Sponzoring & Events Specialist, Česká spořitelna and Markéta Sodomková, CSR Manager, Česká spořitelna

GALA EVENING

From left: Richard Siuda, Member of the Board, Conseq Investment Management, Ilona Němečková, Head of Marketing, Conseq Investment Management, and Ondřej Hejma, Host of the gala evening and famous singer

From left: Richard Siuda, Member of the Board, Conseq Investment Management and Aleš Brix, Director of Sales, Česká mincovna

Petr Zámečník, Financial Academian of the Year 2017

Tomáš Macků, Research & Communication Director, IPSOS

From left: Ondřej Hejma, Host of the gala evening and famous singer and Michal Mejstřík, Chairman of the Board, Finanční akademie Zlaté koruny

Ondřej Hejma, Host of the gala evening and famous singer and Ivan Pilný, Minister of Finance

Pavel Doležal, Director, Zlatá koruna

CZECH&SLOVAK LEADERS II/2017

63

BUSINESS EVENTS

Presidential rally begins! &]HFK %XVLQHVV &OXE RUJDQLVHG FORVH FOXE GLVFXVVLRQV ZLWK 0LFKDO +RUiĂžHN and -LÄ&#x153;t 'UDKRĂŁ both presidential candidates for the elections in 2018.

Romana Ĺ edĂĄ, President, Czech Business Club and JiĹ&#x2122;Ă­ DrahoĹĄ, former President of the Czech Academy of Sciences, presidential candidate with a gift from CBC- gold coin

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Romana Ĺ edĂĄ, President, Czech Business Club and JiĹ&#x2122;Ă­ DrahoĹĄ, former President of the Czech Academy of Sciences, presidential candidate

Romana Ĺ edĂĄ, President, Czech Business Club and Michal HorĂĄÄ?ek, Entrepreneur, Lyricist, Writer, Journalist and Producer, presidential candidate

Michal HorĂĄÄ?ek, Entrepreneur, Lyricist, Writer, Journalist and Producer, presidential candidate and participants of the discussion

From left: Michal HorĂĄÄ?ek, Entrepreneur, Lyricist, Writer, Journalist and Producer, presidential candidate and Martin Kuncek, CEO, B.Braun Medical

CZECH&SLOVAK LEADERS II/2017

Michal HorĂĄÄ?ek, Entrepreneur, Lyricist, Writer, Journalist and Producer, presidential candidate and Romana Ĺ edĂĄ, President, Czech Business Club

PHUVRQDO %UDQGLQJ A Creator’s Journey

T HE B RAND

Cristina Muntean specializes in strategic communications and personal development.

She has more than 12 years’ experience in the Czech, Romanian and international media. In 2010 Cristina founded Media Education CEE, a Prague-based PR advisory and training agency. Her clients are entrepreneurs and managers with Top100 companies in the Czech Republic and Central and Eastern Europe. Cristina is also the former president of the Czech PR Klub and former chairwoman of the Marketing Committee of the American Chamber of Commerce in the Czech Republic. She is an internationally certified trainer and coach with the Enneagram, a complex system of personal development. Cristina provides corporate and individual advisory, training, coaching and mentoring on topics such as Media Training, Crisis Communications, Writing for the Media, Presentation Skills, Personal Branding and Emotional Intelligence in Communications in English, Czech, French and Romanian, her mother tongue. She can be reached at +420 776 574 925 or at cm@mediaed.cz.

On May 9, 2017, James Comey, director of the United States Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and one of the most powerful men in the US, was about to give an address to his employees in Los Angeles when TV screens behind him started to flash breaking news. Apparently he had been fired

by President Donald Trump. Comey laughed it off as a somewhat funny prank, according to a New York Times report. It was only later, when Trump’s letter was delivered to FBI headquarters in Washington that reality started to sink in.

Regardless of the political motivations behind his dismissal, James Comey is a powerful example of how fragile our careers are and how vulnerable we can be to the wind of change. The economic recovery, which started in 2014 in the Czech Republic, was viewed as great news by many managers. Little did they know that numerous companies would use this new window of opportunity to significantly restructure. In the process, many bright managerial heads fell between the cracks, often told with short notice that they were no longer needed. To make matters worse, few companies cared enough to put together comprehensive outplacement programs for their departing staff. At the end of the day, they were busy restructuring.

Due to this, over the last three years, many accomplished gifted spirits found themselves in limbo, seeking new career opportunities.

What’s left of you when your vCard is taken away?

When dealing with managers who find themselves unexpectedly on the labor market, the first question I ask is what they did to cultivate their name and personal reputation during their previous job. What proof of their expertise – beyond meeting their quarterly KPIs – do they have? Did they perhaps publish some articles on

a LinkedIn blog? Or were they in the media with a couple of expert interviews or articles? Do they have some good videos or SlideShare presentations from giving a speech at an industry conference? Almost anything would be a good place to start when putting together a personal brand kit to take with them to introduce themselves to new potential employers.

But guess what. Up to 99% of managers have none of the above. Why? Because they didn’t think about it when they were still on the job. So they either had a few good materials that they left behind with their previous company, or they never had them in the first place. My next question for such people is usually quite sharp: what’s left of you when your vCard has been taken away?

On Victims and Creators Personal branding is a discipline of its own. Usually people start thinking about it when they want to leave the corporate world and start their own business. But this is too late. Whether you know it or not, you’ve already built a personal brand.

Except your creation might not have the connotations you want and it most probably won’t help you in achieving your new goals. Being passive about your personal reputation at the workplace is also saying something about you: it says that you gladly go along with the flow, happy to be taken care of by your company for as long as possible. Then you can’t be too surprised when, at a certain moment, your company might not want to take care of you anymore. Yes, you may feel like a Victim; this is because you’ve been behaving like a Victim by constantly empowering others to make decisions about what is important for you. As opposed to Victims, Creators are constantly on their toes. In personal branding they aren’t building their image to impress. Not at all. Creators use their own image to convey a message, to tell a story, to share their expertise, to inspire and to leave something behind. As opposed

to Victims, Creators find deep meaning in building their personal brand beyond the immediate ego satisfactions. They know that a personal brand is a tool that will serve them long-term. They also know that a strong, visible personal brand, same as a corporate brand, cannot be built over night. It takes time and commitment to build one. But Creators aren’t afraid. They dare to show up and share what’s best of them with the world. When companies must choose between a Creator and a Victim during a hiring interview, guess who they will prefer.

Never too late to start building your personal brand It is never too late to start building your personal brand. In this column, I will be addressing practical insights on how to start seeing yourself as a brand as well as acting like one. For starters, you need to have a crystal clear vision. What are you trying to achieve? What kind of world do you want to live in and how exactly do you want to contribute to it? How can you use the position you are in right now to get yourself just a bit closer to your vision?

Start with that, and all the other tools and mechanisms of personal branding will fall into place. If you don’t start - because you still think you don’t need to or you fear that it’s going to take too much time or because you simply don’t believe you have something to say – you shouldn’t be surprised when next time the wind of change will blow in your company, there will be little for you to take with you. Of all your possible investments, seeing yourself as I, the Brand is one of the most lucrative, for it will bring you new opportunities in all areas of your life. In a market where colossi like James Comey are taken down in prime time, conscious personal branding is quite a solid investment into your career and life.

By Cristina Muntean české znění naleznete v elektronické verzi magazínu na www.czechleaders.com

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CHARITY EVENT

One of the families that the Fund takes care of

P HOTO : V ÁCLAV K RECL

Endowment Fund of Livia and Václav Klaus met sponsors and volunteers On June 5th 2017, the Endowment Fund of Livia and Václav Klaus invited sponsors and volunteers to a meeting in the Great Hall of the New Town Hall in Prague. The founders of the Fund, Mr. and Mrs. Klaus, took the opportunity to thank all the donors and volunteers for their support.

Mister Václav Hudeček

From left: H.E. Livia Klausová, Chairwoman of the Board, Endowment Fund of Livia and Václav Klaus, and Ambassador of the Czech Republic to Slovakia , Kamila Kryštofová, Director, Endowment Fund of Livia and Václav Klaus, František Mysliveček, Senioři komunikují, and prof. Václav Klaus, former President of the CR and co-founder of the Endowment Fund

From right: prof. Václav Klaus, former President of the CR and co-founder of the Endowment Fund, H.E. Livia Klausová, Chairwoman of the Board, Endowment Fund of Livia and Václav Klaus, and Ambassador of the Czech Republic to Slovakia, and Ladislav Petrásek, Member of the Board

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Welcome speech - Kamila Kryštofová, Director, Endowment Fund of Livia and Václav Klaus

Donors - Mrs. and Mr. Svoboda with Kamila Kryštofová, Director of the Endowment Fund

CZECH&SLOVAK LEADERS II/2017

From left: Josef Krůžala, Lázně Luhačovice, Mrs. Eva Kropová, Mr. Martin Burda, Kamila Kryštofová, Director, Endowment Fund of Livia and Václav Klaus , H.E. Livia Klausová, Chairwoman of the Board, Endowment Fund of Livia and Václav Klaus, and Ambassador of the Czech Republic to Slovakia, Eva Hudečková, Actress, Václav Hudeček, Violinist, and Lukáš Klánský, Pianist

CONTRIBUTOR

Czech Republic and the EU: A FRAGILE PARTNERSHIP countries may gradually sink into insignificance and be more often overridden by decisions of the newly modified majority in the Union.

Since 1 May 2004, the Czech Republic has been member of the European Union. Our country can benefit from a large permeable market and from financial assistance that can be used to heal deep economic wounds caused by decades of Communism. The sum of net subsidies received from EU funds have reached more than CZK 700 billion (EUR 27 billion) since then, and the share of Czech exports to EU countries has extended up to more than 80 percent. The economic interconnection of Czechia with the EU has thus been almost complete.

The last economic crisis of 2008 – 2014 made differences and divergences among EU member states more obvious, especially from the financial and political points of view. It became also more and more clear that cumbersome structures of and procedures within European political and administrative bodies need reforming.

The Commission proposed five scenarios of further development of the whole Union, of which the vision of a “multi-speed Europe” has become the most probable. The departure of Great Britain from the Union has forged a much firmer linkage between Germany and France, both the giants within the EU structure, which created an imminent risk that smaller EU

The Czech position during this development can be characterized as passive and hardly productive.

This may be attributed to prevailing ambivalence and euroscepticism in Czech political circles preventing them to assume active participation in the discussion on the future of EU, as well as to limited Czech representation in European structures reflecting an initial struggle among political forces that prevented to send a sufficient number of capable individuals to “Brussels” to succeed in tenders. Czech diplomacy also repeatedly failed in creating functional alliances that would be able to support Czech national interest.

Now a discussion can be opened what may be the main dividing factor creating the multi-speed framework. A traditional one is linked with the membership in the eurozone. Countries outside the euro system may be in a growing number of cases subject to decisions they cannot influence.

The Czech political structure was until recent times reluctant to prepare for the adoption of euro with the reasoning that the country should not pay for the problems of others, e.g. Greece. As the situation is growing more unfavourable, the adoption of euro returns back as a theme for debate.

But a more serious dividing factor has originated in recent years with a potential split between “old” and “new” EU countries. It was triggered by refusal of introduced migration quotas where Czechia plays the part with other Visegrád countries. It is not so much a question of solidarity with refugees from warzones – this can be solved also in other ways - but much more a question of lack of solidarity with “old” EU partners like Spain, Italy or Greece directly facing migration waves. The atmosphere vis-à-vis the Visegrád countries in the “old” EU countries dramatically changed in the adverse direction. And the response – although asymmetrical in both scope and real matter – came soon. New EU directives are pushed through to force companies from the “new” countries to pay workers posted to the other countries at least the local minimum wage, all to be subject bureaucratic documentation and inspection. This may be critical for many companies in the “East”, especially road transport companies, who cannot afford such a wage level.

Seemingly it looks like a beneficial measure for the workers but a closer look can detect a great deal of protectionism.

It seems that in the general upsurge of national egoisms both the principle of cohesion and the existence of the single market of services are now at stake.

Central Europe was an exposed area during all ages with influential powers interfering with it from almost all directions. The EU membership of countries of the region has been so far observed as a guarantee of democracy and of a free market economy. Any weakening of the linkage and commitment to the West will inevitably evoke a strengthened Eastern influence. No country forming a bridge between rivals can benefit from such position. According to one renowned statement of the legendary post-war Czech foreign minister Jan Masaryk, “bridges are usually trampled upon”.

It is high time for countries like the Czech Republic not only to decide what position towards the EU it is needed to have, but also how to participate in the general debate on the future of the Union. Let’s hope that the new Government originating from the parliamentary election of October 2017 will be able to adopt a clear and functional position to the challenges and risks of the European development, become a good and respected partner for the rest of EU countries, and be at the same time able to actively and self-consciously pursue Czech national interests.

The notion should prevail that it is necessary in any company not only to take the benefits, but also share the costs. And all those who advocate a voluntary Czech exit from the Union should wait for the final outcome of Brexit. One of the best things ever is to gain necessary knowledge from others’ experience, not on own account.

Emanuel Šíp Private Consultant Allied Progress Consultants Association české znění naleznete v elektronické verzi magazínu na www.czechleaders.com

CZECH&SLOVAK LEADERS II/2017

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I NTERVIEW

WITH

M ARTIN K LEPETKO , D IRECTOR

OF THE

A SIA P ACIFIC D EPARTMENT , F OREIGN M INISTRY

Asia remains a great unknown for us Martin Klepetko played trumpet at the conservatoire in Pardubice, studied Musicology at Charles Universityâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Faculty of Arts and studied Conducting at the Academy RI 3HUIRUPLQJ $UWVÂś 0XVLF )DFXOW\ +H WDXJKW IRU ÂżYH years at the conservatoire in Pardubice. In 1993, when the need arose for new diplomats following Czechoslovakiaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s partition, he applied to a recruitment process led by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on the basis of a newspaper ad.

He was successful and since that time he has followed a career as a so-called universal diplomat, who has covered YDULRXV ÂżHOGV RI H[SHUWLVH DQG WHUULWRULHV RYHU KLV GLSORPDWLF career. Martin Klepetko was involved in the International Observer Mission in the former Yugoslavia, then worked at the embassy in Tehran as chargĂŠ dâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;affaires e.p., and at WKH HPEDVVLHV LQ %DJKGDG 6RÂżD DQG +DQRL DV $PEDVVDGRU Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary. At headquarters, he has worked for the South-East and Eastern Europe department, Analysis and Planning, was Director of the Human Resources Department and currently heads the Asia and 3DFLÂżF 6WDWHV 'HSDUWPHQW Our interview focused on parallels between conducting and diplomacy, career diplomacy in general and last but not least we spoke about Asia as a region which is still misunderstood and underappreciated in terms of its history and potential in the Czech Republic. And our meeting incidentally took place over a cup of tea brought back from his journeys in China and Martin told me of the rule he had OHDUQW WKDW LQ &KLQD WHD LV VWHHSHG EULHĂ&#x20AC;\ DQG UHSHDWHGO\ The third steep is meant to taste the best.

Martin, in line of your previous studies and work, I must start with the question of what parallel there is between conducting and diplomacy.

As was mentioned in my introduction, my journey from conductor to diplomacy was not a planned one. But after it happened, I discovered that both professions have a whole lot of shared features. The principal commonality is management skills. It is well known that a conductor must be a good musician, must be able to play one or more instruments, yet he himself plays not one note. He must convince the other players, whether they are large in number as in a symphony orchestra or a few individuals as in a chamber ensemble, of his idea, enthuse them with his own concept and this is then reďŹ&#x201A;ected through overall shared eďŹ&#x20AC;orts.

Diplomacy is similar. If youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re sent abroad, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s not a symphony orchestra youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re given, but rather a chamber ensemble and so it is all the more

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important that the collective act as one and not rather as occasional solo performances which do not resonate or complement each other.

This parallel convinced me how important it is to be able to enthuse others and convince them of your own vision. As for myself, I am not someone who likes authoritarian management.

Your words validate one of the latest trends in management training in which managers try to improve their style through working with an orchestra.

I realise that it is easier for some people to manage others using a traditional authoritarian style through orders and tasks. I believe that despot conductors are a thing of the past now.

A wise conductor knows that he has very high quality players available to him, and his task is to make sure everyone is working in harmony.

This is also the task of a good diplomat. Thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s why I prioritise opportunities to sit down with

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P HOTO : A RCHIVE

my colleagues and discuss what we can expect and then everyone knows what their role is and carries it out as they see ďŹ t.

What was it that led you to a career in diplomacy in 1994?

There is a Czech saying that necessity led Dalibor to play the violin, but for me it was the other way around; necessity led me to diplomacy. After ďŹ ve years working in the ďŹ eld I studied, I realised there were limited opportunities for career development. I didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t want to wait for my older colleagues to retire so I could move into their positions. Remuneration in education remains a subject of debate today, but in the early 90s the situation really was terrible. To begin with I tried to earn extra money through various business activities but this just made me realise what a poor salesman I am. One day I came across an ad in the newspaper for diplomatic roles requiring a university education and two

I NTERVIEW

WITH

M ARTIN K LEPETKO , D IRECTOR

languages. I met both these conditions, applied and succeeded from amongst hundreds of candidates.

What was it like to undergo such a major change in occupation?

The change really was tough. I transferred from the relatively free career of a teacher with 22 teaching periods per week and all the school holidays into an institution where the working time was at least from 7.45am-4.15pm with 20 days’ holiday. From the outset, however, I was working in fascinating countries and so I dealt with the new situation well. In contrast to today’s new recruits, I was able to choose my agenda.

I was able to choose between culture, Slovakia and the Middle East. I had left the cultural sphere, I didn’t consider Slovakia abroad and so I chose the Middle East. My work covering the Middle East was fascinating; I was in charge of Syria, Lebanon, Israel and Jordan, countries which are today the centre of attention and taking up the front pages of newspapers, but at that time the situation wasn’t quite as tense.

It looks like you chose your departments strategically; today China, another department you managed, is also on the front pages …

You’re right, I deliberately haven’t chosen easy or might I say time off countries… I tell myself I have time for time off countries when I’m coming up to retirement. Time off countries can be considered those which in terms of development are calm, or countries far from Czech foreign policy’s main focus. Even in such cases there’s still stuff to do; monitor developments in the country, prepare reports and meet with colleagues and partners, but these are safe countries where there are no emergency situations. I have operated in countries which were not safe, or where things were happening…

I know it’s very hard for a diplomat to name names, but in light of the above, could your position in Sofia be considered a time off one?

But my position in Sofia preceded my position in Iraq. I grew fond of the Balkans, and Bulgaria is unique in terms of close relations, and also unique in terms of the large Czech expatriate community resident there with a history dating back over a hundred years. I’d like to say here that warm friendly relations are really important, because diplomats aren’t always positioned in countries favourably inclined to them.

I also added to my role there by collaborating with a number of orchestras, and I conducted more than 10 concerts, including one opera performance.

What’s it like to work in a country not favourably inclined to us then? The task of diplomacy is surely to nurture close relations…

There are territories where we are simply on different sides politically. Take my position in

OF THE

A SIA P ACIFIC D EPARTMENT , F OREIGN M INISTRY

Iran, for example. The Czech Republic is highly critical of Iran’s current political class, and although we endeavour to develop economic relations, differences in our perspective on democracy and human rights persist. In Iran, there were significant areas of friction, and for me as a diplomat my work was not easy because it was extremely difficult to organise a meeting on any topic at all. Furthermore, there are not a lot of visits or delegations travelling to the country. But diplomacy isn’t just about simple and pleasant topics and destinations. On the other hand, Iran is a wonderful country, the people there are incredibly hospitable, so you need to differentiate between ordinary citizens and the political representation with whom you disagree.

You and your career are an example of a universal diplomat, where you interchange between countries, bilateral and multilateral relations and further specific agenda at headquarters. What is the opposing model?

The USA to some extent, but especially Russia and China, have diplomats who have very narrow specialisations. They can then speak the language of the particular country and repeatedly return there. Here, we try to avoid sending people repeatedly to the same country.

Although only eight candidates a year are accepted at the Diplomatic Academy, diplomacy is still attractive to young people. What is your message to young people who want to enter diplomacy with a desire to change the world?

If you want to change the world, then do something else. Diplomacy is about change, but very slow, indiscernible changes which move the world forwards. Diplomats should instead try to maintain stability, not make revolutions in international relations. Diplomacy really is about learning to say not entirely pleasant things so that they don’t sound offensive, retaining credibility. One of a diplomat’s main characters should be loyalty; loyalty to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs itself. Political representations frequently change, and Czech foreign policy emphasis changes with them. A diplomat should not have their own idea of what agenda to implement and to stick to it. Diplomats must respect the policy of the government and specific minister, and must also be able to identify with these steps. You can’t do things in the long-term which you are not persuaded by. So it’s about seeking compromise and that’s how to recognise who is suitable for diplomacy in the long term, and who isn’t. Basically, diplomacy is a service of the state; today we are part of the civil service. For me personally, the ratification of the Civil Service Code has not changed much; since joining I have perceived my role as to carry out a service to the state within an institution in which I cannot reflect my own political convictions.

You’re now in charge of the Asia Department; you’ve just returned from China. What is your message about this territory to close this interview for Czech and Slovak Leaders readers?

I’ve been on two brief trips during which I wanted to see the workings of our missions in Beijing, Shanghai and Chengdu. You can’t describe China in one sentence. Each region is different; you need to realise that China as a country is incredibly large and diverse. Regions differ not just in terms of natural conditions, but also in mentality and even cities differ from each other. I was surprised how well China works, how ordered and clean it is. The standard of living is a lot higher than people here usually imagine.

On the basis of our own experience, we associate socialism with things not working and a pervasive dysfunctional bureaucracy, but that just doesn’t apply here. And as an artist I admired the long history and maturity of Chinese civilisation. When you take a walk through gardens, parks and past churches, you can see a true reflection of a culture going back millennia. There is an engrained and natural harmony there. That can’t just come about from one day to the next. Asia as a whole is a great unknown for us. Asia is a region of the future, it is the most dynamically developing region of the world and it certainly deserves attention. We don’t know how the countries there work, and our entrepreneurs still don’t know how to behave correctly there. You need to deal with Asian partners differently to how you deal with Europeans or Americans. We need to approach the region with greater humility. With the exception of Japan, Korea and partially also China, we look at the region as we do at a developing country which is more or less below our level of development and to whom we can impart our knowledge. Yet these are ancient civilisations who live in a different manner, with different values, different priorities and a different idea of how to manage things and how things work. It is certainly inappropriate to impose things on them. We may well disagree with their concept of human rights, for example, but it is not right to impose our ideas of a political system or institutional arrangements upon them.

Linda Štucbartová české znění naleznete v elektronické verzi magazínu na www.czechleaders.com

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Do not be afraid to take a risk and show your talents Jan Mühlfeit in cooperation ZLWK .DWHĜLQD 1RYRWQi I noticed that people in the Czech Republic, as well as in Central and Eastern Europe, are unable to show what is inside them. One of the reasons lies in education. In USA, for example, special attention is paid to career, and not only at schools. Students engage a lot in rhetoric, so they are able to sell what they have learnt. This is not the case in the Czech Republic – and that should change.

Global interconnection brings also global competition. Not only among companies, but also among people.

When Czechs come to London Seedcamp to look for investors to support their fantastic technological start-up, they often fail due to their inability to present their work well.

Within only 5 minutes they have to leverage what they have been working on for the past 2 years. The problem is that they are incapable of doing so. Instead, they get lost in details and fail to convey the message.

Just Do It! Current teenagers are extremely afraid of failure. They will, however, face risk far more often than previous generations.

Information explosion pushed by technologies results in people having less time for decision making. So they will face more pressure, stress and the necessity to make decisions, knowing that the outcome is uncertain. Unfortunately, they are not well prepared for it.

Already children are afraid to take risks. Why is it so? In sports, as well as at school, parents often focus only on results – bad grades, lost games, bumpy cups. However, the result represents only one of the two parts of the whole process. The other one is the activity itself – the course of the exam, test, game or performance. If parents pay attention only to results, children miss the opportunity to realize what they have done

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P HOTO : A RCHIVE well and where they have made a mistake.

When you are only scolded for your results, soon you start to be afraid of further failure which then affects your self-presentation as well. This can be avoided by devoting only 30 % to the evaluation of results and 70 % to the evaluation of the activity itself. And this does not apply only to children.

For ten years I worked by the side of one of the most successful and wealthiest people on the planet – Bill Gates, who used to tell us: “If you are not sure whether to do it or not, just do it; you can always beg for forgiveness.” I did beg him for forgiveness a couple of times. If your boss or parents have this kind of attitude to risk, you realize that positive risk-taking is just natural.

Sitting in The Corner...

In our courses we mostly meet secondary school aged children and our experience is that they do not believe in themselves at all.

They have great knowledge, but they do not want to show it off in front of others. It seems as if the old Czech saying “Sit in the corner

CZECH&SLOVAK LEADERS II/2017

and if you are nice, they will find you” was still deeply rooted in our genes.

Usually we ask children for their opinion about this saying. The general reaction is as follows: “No one will notice you when you sit in the corner. No one will know that you are there.

You will not stand out this way.” It seems clear to children that sitting in the corner silently is good for nothing. And yet they are afraid to talk about their merits and to compete, they are worried about failing and disappointing their parents. This feeling is caused by the previously mentioned parents` emphasis on results instead of the course of the activity and the fact whether their child likes and enjoys the activity.

Children often consider self-confidence a swear word. They think it is close to egoism and that self-confident people look down on others, brag and boast, and sell even what they do not have. We try to prove them that being self-confident does not equal looking down on others at all. In reality it means knowing oneself, one's values and talents,

as well as the capability to work with these assets and to evolve constantly. Then you are able to help others with just anything.

It is terrible for me to find out that very successful adults who I invite to Radio Z have the very same problem just like children.

Often they react shyly when asked about their strengths. It seems silly and inappropriate to talk about their strengths, but in fact it should be absolutely natural. And why are adults shy? The reason is that they were not taught to speak about their capabilities when they were young.

Show What Is Inside You Self-presentation is necessarily connected with body language. The very first means of communication was not spoken language, but body language. It is body language that accounts for 80 %, or even 90 % of how we perceive others. Therefore it is important to learn it and find out which posture is appropriate and which movements should rather be avoided. The main aim is to feel good. Our mind and body is interconnected, so when you do not stand straight, but you are hunched, you can call yourself a champion a hundred times, but your mind will not believe it. And keep in mind that there is only one first impression.

Our society is hungry for model examples of self-presentation. And that is one of the reasons why YouTubers are so popular nowadays – young people look up to them for being able to present and sell themselves.

Children do not have a chance to learn it, as they lack role models. Even when a child is smart, others may think the opposite – when you do not show your merits, others do not have a chance to discover what is inside you.

This applies to sports, arts, business, as well as politics.

Ideal Feedback More than half of the children attending our course do some sports. Most of them, however, never attend tournaments, contests, matches.

Why is it so? The main reason is the fear of failure and fear of their parents. Parents often consider their children's successes a trophy which they like to polish in front of others.

Those parents who are fixated on results often shout at their children across the fence while playing football, yelling that they are no good at football and they will never learn it. This also occurs in those cases when parents aim to fulfil their dreams through their children.

Such children usually show only short-term motivation to achieve good results. Quite quickly they lose desire to compete, in spite of the fact they are obviously talented, and soon they lose interest in the activity. If the evaluation is focused on the course of the activity (on the course of the match or performance) and feedback is balanced, children usually build deeper emotional bond and more positive relationship to sports. They are likely to keep loving the sport for their whole life, instead of quitting it during puberty and never picking it up again. Moreover, negative emotions are passed on to their daily lives, which increases their aversion to risk-taking and showing capabilities. It is essential to realize that a lost game is a result of a certain equation, not a fatal personal mistake.

The ideal case is the so called sandwich feedback. At first you should praise the child, then give corrective feedback – you can criticize, explain how you would do it and what was wrong. After that you should offer a solution how to avoid making the same mistakes next time. Finally, praise the child again or give assurance that next time they will do better. Past mistakes can be avoided and new ones will push them forward. What is important is to make children aware that making mistakes is natural, so that they do not worry about potential blunders and do not lose their will to risk-taking.

There is a great tool for overcoming obstacles – visualization. That is why we perform physical activities focused not only on the exercise itself, but also on imagination during our courses with children. By making a simple movement, children try to see how far they can go with their hand around their body – until they feel their muscles stretching unpleasantly. We ask them to remember this point. Then we close our eyes and visualize the whole exercise. After a few rounds of visualization, it is impressive to see how much further children manage to stretch their hands in reality, compared to their first attempt. The only reason is that their body believed their imagination. In all aspects of your life, it is vital to connect your body and mind.

What We Learn from Sports Apart from having a positive effect on our physical condition and health, team and individual sports teach us a substantial skill – to make interpersonal relationships. If you

practice sports since childhood, you learn how to cooperate with others.

Another important skill that we learn from sports is the art of discipline. If you attend contests or matches, you need to train a few times a week. The acquired discipline is something that a lot of people lack. Also, you gain psychological resilience thanks to which you are able to achieve great results even at the point when others are already failing.

Despite exhaustion, you are fully involved.

Last but not least, sports give you endurance.

It helps you persist in those times when you are not doing your best. Bill Gates used to add that every no is in fact the beginning of yes.

The above mentioned attributes are apparent by those children whose parents give them balanced feedback. It does not matter whether your offspring becomes a singer, professional sportsman, manager, doctor, lawyer or politician – discipline, psychological resilience and endurance will be beneficial in every job.

Let me point out one of the participants of our recent "Unlock children's potential" course – Natálka, a 14-year-old girl who became blind in the age of 6. Despite her state she is able to communicate very well and she is not afraid to show what is inside her. This is related to her sense for relationships and empathy. She does not hesitate to accept her own talents and she is not afraid to make plans how to use them. I enjoyed watching her join all activities boldly (we explained the course of the seminar to Natálka and prepared all materials with the help of her mum before the seminar). Natálka was very inspiring for others. They saw that even if life throws obstacles in your path, you should never lose hope or surrender. When you do not lose heart, stop working on yourself or stop believing that things are going to be better, you are far more likely to succeed than when you are worried and surrender.

By Jan Mühlfeit Global Strategist, Coach and Mentor, former Microsoft Chairman for Europe české znění naleznete v elektronické verzi magazínu na www.czechleaders.com

Every child is an original with a number of talents and strengths. Unfortunately, school does not develop them, instead focusing on weaknesses and the elimination of mistakes. It is necessary to help children identify their talents, boost their development and teach them to use their talents effectively to bring them joy and success.

Our all-day "Unlock children's potential" course, designed for children and their parents, helps children understand which talents they possess and how they can leverage them in their future work and personal life. This course is intended primarily for children aged 9 to 15, but younger children can apply as well. Recently we opened a course for secondary-school children aged 15 to 19. During these courses we engage in topics such as positive psychology, brain functioning, motivation, energy, psychological resilience, time, inspiration, finding your true self and personal mission. The practical part includes discovering individual talents by the Gallup StrengthsExplorer test. We do also practical exercises and during personal consultations we figure out how to leverage children's talents.

You can learn more about our seminars here janmuhlfeit.com/detskypotencial or in our online program “Unlock your child’s potential” here www.flowee.cz .

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P ERSONAL

ENLIGHTENMENT

Life

Is Beautiful

Part VI: The Entrepreneur’s Manifesto1,2

James A. Cusumano, PhD Chairman Chateau Mcely s.r.o.

Prague, Czech Republic “If you just work on stuff that you like and you’re passionate about, you don’t have to have a master plan with how things will play out.”

Mark Zuckerberg

People have sometimes asked me, “What was it like to have been an entrepreneur for most of your professional life?” First, let me share my thought about what an entrepreneur is.

To me, an entrepreneur is a person who has an inspiring vision, purpose and passion to create an enterprise that offers a desirable technology, product, or service; assembles the necessary skilled people and financing, and faces varying levels of risk to successfully reach the marketplace, achieving profitability and long-term sustainability. That’s a lot to do, but to my mind, that’s what it takes.

As I look back over my life, and having spent part of that time in the entertainment business, I see Frank Sinatra’s version of My Way as containing the very essence of what I call The Entrepreneur’s Manifesto, something that says it all about being an entrepreneur. Allow me to share a little personal history to show how this all comes together.

It was June, 1969, and although I had been out of grad school for two years, and working as a research scientist for Exxon, I was still smack dab in the middle of rock and roll, playing every weekend with the Royal Teens at clubs in New Jersey and Manhattan. After 10 years as

an entertainer during one of the most exciting periods of contemporary music, I found it difficult to cut the umbilical cord. We were fading in popularity, surviving off our decade earlier successful recordings of Short Shorts and Short Shorts Twist, hits that put us on the road with many of the early pioneers of rock and roll music (Figure 1). Chuck Berry, Jerry Lee Lewis, Buddy Holly and the Crickets, Little Richard, among others were our constant companions.

On a dreamy Friday evening, I was driving my red 57’ Chevy convertible with the top down, soaking up a warm summer breeze, the radio blasting out what today are referred to as “oldies but goodies,” although then, they were certainly “newies.” I was on my way to Danny’s Hideaway on Route 22 in Union, New Jersey, where we were booked for several weekends. During a commercial, I impatiently flipped through the stations and stumbled on to easy-listening music. And there it was; I heard it for the first time, “Ol’ Blue Eyes” singing My Way (Figure 2).

I could not get myself to change the station

back to rock and roll. The melody and the lyrics touched me deeply. I have probably sung My Way a thousand times since then and I never tire of it.

The music, written by two Frenchmen, Claude Francois and Jacques Revaux, was put to haunting lyrics by Paul Anka (Figure 3). Paul, a native Canadian, and I both started in show business at the same time, launching our careers recording for ABC Paramount Records.

My Way was custom written by Paul, specifically for Sinatra. He had heard the French tune and its melody haunted him until he just had to marry the music with English lyrics. He sat down in the middle of the night and without thinking, the first words that came to him were “and now the end is near.” The rest of the lyrics followed immediately and by five o’clock in the morning he had completed the song. He picked up the phone and called Sinatra, who at the time was playing in Las Vegas. He listened closely to the lyrics and within seconds responded with, “Kid, I love it!” The rest is, as they say, history. My

Figure 1: The author as a teenager, then the lead singer and keyboard player for The Royal Teens.

1

EDITOR’S COMMENT – This is the sixth article in a series based on the author’s book, “Life Is Beautiful: 12 Universal Rules,” Waterfront Press, Cardiff California. Parts of this article were previously published in the Prague Leadership Institute Newsletter. 2The author may be reached at Jim@ChateauMcely.Com.

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P ERSONAL

ENLIGHTENMENT

Sure, I had regrets on occasion, like taking on two wealthy investors who ruthlessly pulled their funding during the early stages of our company, forcing us to lay off 20 percent of our talented team; some, very close friends. But something, and most times, someone – one of my Giants – always lifted me up again, and I could see that precious light on the distant horizon. Those Giants inspired an inner voice that propped me up more than once; “Don’t give up! Dammit! Follow your dream!”

I planned each charted course, each careful step along the byway.

And more, much more than this, I did it my way.

Figure 2: Frank Sinatra: Hoboken, NJ-born iconic entertainer known as “Ol’ Blue Eyes” who popularized Paul Anka’s My Way, now The Entrepreneurs Manifesto.

Way, more often than not, touches the soul of anyone who has played the role of entrepreneur throughout their life. Certainly Frank was one in his own right.

For me they paint a vivid picture of a man at the end of his life, looking back on his journey. 1 And now the end is near, and so I face the final curtain.

My friend I'll say it clear, I'll state my case of which I'm certain.

These lyrics embraced me even more so as I progressed along my path from rock and roll entertainment to corporate America, to founding and leading the growth of two public companies, to making and releasing a feature film, to my life in Prague as a holistic hotelier.

I've lived a life that's full; I traveled each and every highway.

And more, much more than this, I did it my way.

Mine has been a life of many ups and some downs, and it most certainly has been full.

I spent a good part of my professional career founding and leading the growth of ventures that have made a difference in the U.S., Europe, Asia and South America – and what a ride it’s been! Often I was on a path that “experts” said would never work. But, just like “Ol’ Blue Eyes,” I had the brilliant counsel, guidance and support of a number of Giants along the way. They were clever, caring people on whose shoulders I stood so that I could see much farther down the path of my life than I ever could have done on my own. So when Frank sings My Way he doesn’t mean his life was a solo; however, in the end, it was he who looked destiny straight in the eye and took personal responsibility for his final decisions – so, yes it was My Way. Regrets I've had a few, but then again too few to mention.

I did what I had to do, and saw it through without exemption.

We planned and planned, and it didn’t always work out, but “mistakes” for us were “learnings,” and they were minor compared to our successes. It’s been a journey I will never forget; and I am deeply grateful for it all.

Yes there were times I'm sure you knew, when I bit off more than I could chew.

But through it all when there was doubt, I ate it up and spit it out, I faced it all, And I stood tall and did it my way.

Yes, there were times we pursued projects I wasn’t sure we could deliver, but with the unmitigated dedication of our inspired management team and employees, we made it happen. In less than five years, we grew our pharmaceutical business from five people to 2,000 with sales of $500 million and a billion dollar market value on the NASDAQ stock exchange. We had to jump through hoops for the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), but our creative financial and legal teams always found a way, and everyone in the company shared in the dream – and in the rewards.

We were driven with intense personal passion because we saw ourselves creating technologies that enabled us to manufacture critically needed drugs at low cost and without environmental impact. All of us had someone in the family who could not readily afford their monthly prescription bills. We truly wanted to make a difference – especially for them.

I've loved, I've laughed and cried, I've had my fill, my share of losing.

And now as tears subside, I find it all so amusing.

Sure, I’ve laughed and cried along the way. With two beautiful daughters, watching my wife lose her battle with breast cancer was more than a personal tragedy – it tore at my soul for quite some time. But, the Universe has been good to me and eventually gifted me with a beautiful soulmate – inside and out. We work together with our team at Chateau Mcely, following our dream, doing our best to make this a better world.

Figure 3: After hearing a haunting French ballad written by Claude Francois and Jacques Revaux, Paul Anka sat down at 5 o’clock in the morning and quickly penned the lyrics to My Way, specifically to be recorded by Frank Sinatra. It would become one of the biggest international hits of all times.

To think I did all that, and may I say not in a shy way.

Oh no, oh no, not me, I did it my way.

As I look back over the years and contemplate my journey, I’m deeply grateful for those special people I met along the way, compassionate Giants who helped me, who cared for me, who loved me, who helped me trust my inner voice.

For what is a man, what has he got, If not himself then he has not.

To say the things he truly feels, and not the words of one who kneels.

The record shows I took the blows, And did it my way.

Those lyrics have inspired me for more than four decades, even through my darkest hours.

I believe when that final moment knocks on my door, it won’t be about the money I made or the “toys” I amassed, and it won’t be about the awards or festive celebrations. It will be, “Did you make a difference? Did you put at least a small dent in the universe? Did you show compassion, love and understanding to those you met along the way? Did you follow your heart, your soul, that inner voice that is the true you? Did you show your gratitude to the Giants who inspired you throughout your journey?”

I hope to respond with a resounding “yes,” and four final words . . .

It was My Way! Sat, Chit, Ananda!

Enjoy your journey, make a difference!

References: 1. The male gender is used because of the lyrics to My Way; the concepts presented here apply equally to both men and woman.

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From left: Ing.Anton Gerák,CSc., Commercial Director, former President, LC Praha Bohemia Ambassador and Secretary, LCO D122 Czech Republic and Slovak Republic, Ing.Jiří Málek, Entrepreneur and former President, LC Praha Bohemia Ambassador, and Petr Laštovka, Entrepreneur

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From left: H.E. Roland Galharague, Ambassador of France to the CR, Prem Mahadevan, Senior Researcher, Center for Security Studies, ETH Zürich, Jan Ludvík, Center for Security Policy, Charles University, Richard Sakwa, School of Politics and International Relations, University of Kent, Luigi Binelli Mantelli, former Chief of the Italian Defense General Staff, H.E. Hansjörg Haber, Chargé d´affaires a. i., Embassy of Germany to the Czech Republic, and Michael Rozsypal, Czech Radio Plus

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Luigi Binelli Mantelli, former Chief of the Italian Defense General Staff

From left: Libor Stejskal, Center for Security Policy, Charles University, Daniel Koštoval, Deputy Minister of Defense of the Czech Republic, Antonín Seďa, Member of Chamber of Deputies, Czech Parliament, Head of Permanent Delegation to the NATO Parliamentary Assembly, President of EuroDéfense CZ, and Martin Uher, Vice-President for New Business Development, CyberGym Europe

From left: Karel Janeček, Entrepreneur and Philanthropist, and Prem Mahadevan, Senior Researcher, Center for Security Studies, ETH Zürich

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General Miroslav Žižka, Czech Military Representative to NATO and the EU

From left: Antonín Seďa, Member of Chamber of Deputies, Czech Parliament, Head of Permanent Delegation to the NATO Parliamentary Assembly, President of EuroDéfense CZ, Martin Uher, Vice-President for New Business Development, CyberGym Europe, and Jan Eichler, Institute of International Relations

From left: Daniel Miklós, Deputy DG for Prevention and Civil Emergency Preparedness, Fire and Rescue Service of the Czech Republic, General Miroslav Žižka, Czech Military Representative to NATO and the EU and the EU, and Libor Stejskal, Center for Security Policy, Charles University

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CZECH&SLOVAK LEADERS II/2017

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I NTERVIEW O FFICE OF

R UDOLF J INDRÁK , H EAD OF THE F OREIGN D EPARTMENT , P RESIDENT OF THE C ZECH R EPUBLIC

WITH THE

Diplomacy is a craft P HOTO : A RCHIVE It is no surprise that the new Director of the Foreign Department is extremely busy in his role, with his visits turning around every thirty minutes. As such, I greatly appreciated the fact that Rudolf Jindrák made time for an interview with Czech and Slovak Leaders. I trust this was not merely down to ‘loyalty’, as we both had the opportunity to meet each other when working at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and in fact I was pleased that he spoke of Czech and Slovak Leaders as a magazine he perceives as useful for many members of the diplomatic corps and other representatives abroad because it is published in English and thus allows a better grasp of society within our country.

And I welcomed the opportunity to do a personal interview with one of the Czech Republic’s most experienced DPEDVVDGRUV DQG DOVR RQH RI 0LORã Zeman’s closest aides. Rudolf Jindrák’s diplomatic career includes working as ambassador in Hungary, Austria and almost eight years in Germany.

He has also worked at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs as Deputy Minister, DQG DW WKH 2I¿FH RI WKH *RYHUQPHQW DV an advisor to the Prime Minister. Our interview didn’t just touch on the Czech Republic’s current foreign policy from the ‘Castle’s’ position, but I did value the opportunity to discuss these issues with someone who has dedicated his career to serving the Czech Republic’s foreign policy.

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I NTERVIEW Besides the personal offer from the President, what else led you to your role as Head of the Foreign Department at Prague Castle?

As the introduction makes clear, I have worked for a number of institutions in various roles, while always remaining within my craft. 90% of diplomacy is craft, and that’s why it’s important that people with knowledge of this craft work within it. The remaining 10% is about the boss, and right now my boss is the President whom I try to help as much as I can.

Compared to your predecessor, Hynek Kmoníček, you are expected to concentrate on Europe in particular.

I don’t know whether the word concentrate is appropriate. It’s true that I have spent 17 years in neighbouring countries abroad. I still to some extent consider Hungary our neighbour. There will be a lot of changes for Europe this year, and next year in particular. There will be elections in France, Germany and probably also Italy. As such, we are going to be focusing more on Europe no matter what. Furthermore, it is my conviction that good relations with our neighbours are key to our country’s development. Take a look at the history of Czechoslovakia or other countries in Central Europe. Poor relations with neighbours have either led to secession of territories or directly to war. But my specialisation and focus on Europe, whether in terms of bilateral or multilateral relations, does not mean that I won’t be paying attention to other territories or countries such as Asia, China and Japan. There is no danger of global conflict within Europe, but on the Korean peninsula, for example, one loose stone could start an avalanche.

You mentioned Korea and current events.

The standard response of Czechs to these problems is: ‘We’re a small country and we have little influence on world events’. Why should we take an interest in these countries, and can we have any sort of influence there?

Today, diplomacy is not something done by just one country. That’s why we are part of larger groupings such as NATO, the EU and the UN which represent mechanisms of international action. The UN acts a bit like a bogeyman for many countries, even just through the threat that they might cut off development aid, or their conditions for specific co-operation and observing particular rules. And speaking of the situation in Korea, few realise that Czechoslovakia had observers and a representative on the 38th parallel on the border between South and North Korea until 1992. The North Korean regime cleverly took advantage of Czechoslovakia’s dissolution to say that our obligation to take part in the observer mission was thus invalid. The regional conflict of today may have far-reaching consequences. Let me give you another example from history: the First World War began as a regional conflict.

Let’s go back to Europe, specifically our relations with Germany. It has been said many times that they are the best they have ever been. Making a comparison, that was said at one time about Czech-American relations but when investments are not

made in a relationship by both sides, the simple developmental dynamic begins to fall apart. Is there a danger of this in relation to Czech-German relations?

Yes and no. I’ve spent 12 years of my life in Germany; 4 years as Consul General in Munich and almost eight years as Ambassador in Berlin.

In our relations with Germany, we managed to break down certain prejudices or beliefs we had about each other. One can say about Germany that many prejudices they hold about countries east of Germany are greater than those we have about Germans. We are naturally influenced by what has happened in history. I’m 53 and my generation, against the background of the fates of our parents and grandparents, still perceive what happened in Czechoslovakia during the Second World War. Some of my own family were executed for resistance after Heydrich’s assassination, with the last to be executed at Pankrác also my relative, Božena Jindráková, née Seidlová. It is a paradox that my father, originally from South Bohemia and who did not like the Germans, married a German.

My mother was from Slovakia and was from the minority Carpathian German population. My mum, who was a little girl during the war, did not get Czechoslovakian citizenship until 10 years after the war ended in 1955. As such, my perspective on Germans through my family history was balanced and I think that should be the case in general. On the one hand I was aware of what the Germans had done during the Second World War because of their ideology, but on the other hand I knew what the Germans had endured after the war.

Our job is to ensure that the rear-view mirror of history is not bigger than the front windscreen, meaning opportunities for the future, expressed in the words of ex-President Václav Klaus. And we mustn’t forget that there are still prisoners who were persecuted in the concentration camps living amongst us today. We have excellent political relations with Germany, in no small part thanks to current Chancellor, Angela Merkel, whom I personally like and who knows, dare I say it, where Prague is.

Apparently you are one of a select few to whom Angela Merkel answers the telephone.

I haven’t tried calling her for a few years and I’m not planning to, but it is true that current German President, Frank Walter Steinmeier, responds to my text messages; we have been friends for years.

I congratulated him on his election and I’m sure we will be meeting up soon. An indicator of good relations is an ability to name and solve thorny issues. One such issue is transport infrastructure, i.e. linking our railways, roads and motorways to Germany, including waterways along the Elbe.

Our strategic objective is to build a railway link between Berlin, Dresden and Prague, or between Prague, Munich and Frankfurt to ensure we are not bypassed with simpler railway links built east through Poland or to the south through Austria and Hungary. Another complex debate underway is about the tolls being implemented on German motorways, which we consider discriminatory.

We are also dealing with problems around the provision of the German minimum wage to

Czech drivers, something which is ruinous for our hauliers. So there are many topics, just as there are many mechanisms for discussing them such as intergovernmental collaboration, strategic dialogue and so on. But you are right that we can sometimes forget to deal with a particular problem area, and then when it comes up we don’t know what to do about it.

You are a proponent of a united Europe and integration, but not at any price. So where to begin with the reform the EU so desperately needs?

This is a complicated area. There will be a great acceleration in the debate on the way forward for the European Union at the end of this year; whether the union will split into a narrow core with the other states towing behind the first group. In my opinion, the Euro will remain a unifying criterion. Those countries with the Euro will tend to integrate further. The problems of Italy and France in terms of fiscal policy are great and to some extent these countries are forced to cooperate. Co-operation within Europe is simply inevitable. Economic co-operation within Europe is just as inevitable as co-operation in security. We will be forced to share information on the movement of people, and not just within the Schengen Area, and we are going to have to take greater responsibility for our own security, so we need to begin by increasing our military budget. On the other hand, this increase will have to be co-ordinated. The idea of Germany spending two percent of its GDP on arms, meaning about 80 bn EUR, will launch a similar arms race to the one we remember from the 1980s. This all suggests that Europe has many complex decisions ahead of it to make. The German election is at the end of September, and here our parliamentary election will be taking place in late October and we are also facing presidential elections. At a time when fundamental decisions are going to be taken or shaped on the EU’s future direction by Berlin and Paris, it will be up to us to say clearly and quickly which vision we share. It remains a question whether we will be able to give a response at a time when our election will be over and we will be dealing with forming a government. But our role as top officials remains clear. To prepare the best possible material for politicians so that they can make decisions based on objective information.

Your final message for Czech and Slovak Leaders readers?

Since I’m also a parent, a fundamental point for me remains that my children should grow up in an ordered world, do not have to fear for their safety, have the opportunity to decide freely about their future, and should they desire, be able to study abroad. Let us preserve what we have managed to achieve in terms of foreign policy, international co-operation and the Czech Republic’s standing.

I am glad that the Czech Republic is not just a respected neighbour, but also a valuable partner in international organisations.

Linda Štucbartová české znění naleznete v elektronické verzi magazínu na www.czechleaders.com

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In cooperation with Czech and Slovak Leaders Magazine

TomĂĄĹĄ KouĹ&#x2122;il, Vice President of the Board, O2 Czech Republic a.s. and Member of the Board, CFO Club awarding the CFO of the Year 2016 Martin Brix, CFO, LeasePlan Ä&#x152;eskĂĄ republika, Dean Brabec, President, CFO Club on the right

Announcement of the Chief )LQDQFLDO 2IÂżFHU RI WKH <HDU Crystal for the winner â&#x20AC;&#x201C; CFO of the Year 2016

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Ceremonial announcement of the best financial managers of the year 2016 took place in the premises of the Czech National Bank Congress Centre on April 5, 2017. The CFO Club members and Board together with the CFO Academy announced Martin Brix IURP /HDVH3ODQ ýHVNi 5HSXEOLND WKH &KLHI )LQDQFLDO 2IILFHU RI the Year 2016. Josef Šuber, CFO of Orkla Foods Central Europe since 1 April 2016 was awarded the title of the Talent of the Year.

The main criteria considered were extraordinary results achieved by the awarded personalities in the field of financial management.

Under the financial management of Martin Brix, the operating profit of LeasePlan Czech Republic showed a 19% rise in 2016 thanks to the higher efficiency of the processes, the company enjoyed a successful launch of their division in Romania, and company portfolio is growing too, among other reasons also thanks to entering new segments like SME. 7KH VHFRQG SODFH ZDV DZDUGHG WR -LÄ&#x153;t 3RQUW CFO of Alza.cz a.s. and the third place to SĂŠbastien Guidoni IURP $;$ Ă˝HVNi UHSXEOLND V U R The Talent of the Year, Josef Ĺ uber from Orkla Foods Central Europe enjoys the award especially thanks to the successfully completed transaction and integration of HamĂŠ, Vitana and Felix companies into the portfolio of the company.

As a part of the ceremonial evening, the guests could enjoy a performance of Tereza Aster VĂĄgnerovĂĄ, a musical singer and actress.

GALA EVENT

Guests in the foyer of the Czech National Bank Congress Centre

Guests in the foyer of the Czech National Bank Congress Centre

Talent of the Year Award (from left): Josef Šuber, CFO, Orkla Foods Central Europe; Bořivoj Pražák, Member of the Board, CFO Club; and Petr Budinský, Vice Rector for Education, Vysoká škola finanční a správní, a.s.

Awarding the winners – 3rd place CFO of the Year 2016 (from left) - Sébastien Guidoni, CFO, AXA Česká republika; Aleš Barabas, Vice President and Member of the Board, CFO Club and Chief Risk Officer, UniCredit Bank Czech Republic and Slovakia, a.s. and Jana Adamcová, Moderator of the ceremony

Tereza Vágnerová, Czech musical Singer and Actress

From left: Sébastien Guidoni, AXA Česká republika; Dean Brabec, President, CFO Club and Managing Partner Arthur D. Little CEE; Martin Brix, LeasePlan Česká republika; Jiří Ponrt, Alza.cz; and Josef Šuber, Orkla Foods Central Europe

Awarding the winners – 2nd place CFO of the Year 2016 (from left) Martin Novák, Vice President and Member of the Board, CFO Club and Vice General Manager for Operations and Manager of the Financial Division, ČEZ, a.s.; Jiří Ponrt, CFO, Alza.cz, and Jana Adamcová, Moderator of the ceremony

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Don’t ruminate, or Don’t keep chewing over negative thoughts!

I NTERVIEW

WITH

P ROFESSOR L UCIE B ANKOVSKÁ M OTLOVÁ

Born into a doctor’s family, Lucie’s future career was laid out from childhood.

Her daughter is also now preparing for Medicine entrance exams. Professor Motlová Bankovská has been working at Charles University’s Third Faculty of Medicine continuously since 1993. She is currently teaching Psychiatry and Medical Psychology and leading the Medical Psychology Department, while also carrying out the role of Vice-Dean for external affairs, and developing academia and social affairs.

She works as a Senior Researcher at the National Institute of Mental Health.

We meet numerous times at meetings of Charles University’s Commercialisation Council. Each of my meetings with the professor is like honey for the soul. She is softly-spoken and listens with empathy and her whole demeanour is calming. Our interview was focused on the mentally ill, destigmatising mental illness and the opportunities offered by collaboration between the academic and commercial sectors.

P HOTO :

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Professor, you work in training future doctors, and you teach psychiatry and medical psychology. What message have you got for your future colleagues?

The mental health of medical students and doctors is a major topic. In my private practice, it is doctors who come to me dissatisfied with their lives, displaying signs of mild and more severe mental disorders.

To a certain extent, all doctors are workaholics. Just applying for a difficult medical degree suggests the buds of workaholism are already within you, subsequently making you more vulnerable to mental issues in future. Furthermore, doctors do not respect long-term rules which allow you to perform to a high level at work in the long-term. As a doctor, you begin your career at 25 but you are expected to work for 40 to 50 years in a field which is difficult, fast-evolving and tends to swallow you up. And even in the series of interviews you have held with my colleagues, I have noticed that these have taken place slowly in stages to accommodate their high workload. A busy doctor who never has time has slowly become synonymous for a good doctor. But

I NTERVIEW permanent pressure and overwork inevitably leads to a risk of mental illness.

What can be the outcome of this overwork?

Let’s deliberately begin with the most negative outcome. Statistics from the USA show higher suicide rates amongst female doctors compared to women in the general population. This is the tip of the iceberg and many causes behind it may be uncovered. It is then found that many women suffering mental illness have not been treated. They have simply ignored their mental health issues.

Here we encounter the problem of psychiatry as a field subject to stigma, and also the downplay of mental health and mental welfare in general. When a surgeon breaks his leg, one can assume that he is not going to continue operating and will take time off work. But when a doctor is suffering from anxiety or depression they’re still going to go to work.

Going back to those alarming statistics, can one say then that women cope with stress worse than men?

You can’t say that. Currently 70% of students in our faculty are women. Women make up the majority in healthcare when you include nurses and other staff. But it is particularly hard for women to combine their professional career with looking after their family while still having time for a personal life.

Women often work in teams led by very busy men who end up setting the standards for the others.

This might sound heretical, but an enlightened head doctor should ensure that his colleagues are not overworked. Care for young or junior doctors should include not just the transferral of specialist knowledge and skills, but also care for mental health.

This care should also include the opportunity to ventilate problems they come across while carrying out their duties, e.g. informing patients of bad news. But this is just a general recommendation which disregards the reality of Czech healthcare which suffers from a lack of doctors and medical personnel.

Your insights and expertise come from the medical sector, but can what you say be applied to other fields and spheres, such as the corporate world or consultancy?

Yes. I think that the working environment is heavily influenced by a male perspective on matters and a male perspective on what leadership and the traditional superior-subordinate relationship should look like. I’m not an expert in management, but I continue to perceive a lack of empathy towards female employees, who are mostly in subordinate roles. Furthermore, many women still want to carry out a caring role within their family in some way and don’t want to delegate this function to anyone else. Unfortunately, the day only has 24 hours and this means there really is no time left for oneself after all that.

Let’s move on to specific key recommendations for ensuring mental wellbeing.

I’ll start with two fundamental recommendations.

Picture a traditional tripod with three legs of the same length which make it extremely stable. Work is one of these legs, family life is another and our

WITH

P ROFESSOR L UCIE B ANKOVSKÁ M OTLOVÁ

hobbies are the third leg. If someone is unable to balance these legs out over a long period of time, they become susceptible to problems. Yes, hobbies, interests and a social life comprise one whole significant part of life. Working women are those most frequently missing this leg.

My second piece of advice touches on physical exercise. It has been demonstrated that physical activity prevents depression from developing and is sometimes used directly as a method of treatment.

At least 30 minutes of brisk walking three times a week is a key piece of advice doctors should give their patients, while also applying it to themselves.

Don’t forget that exercise also prevents ageing.

Going beyond these basic recommendations, then my next piece of advice would be to get sufficient sun. This winter may have seemed long and dark, but getting sun can also involve just being outside in the fresh air. Next in line is the well-known nutritional advice on the importance of healthpromoting unsaturated fatty acids and consuming fish and fish oils.

My final piece of advice would be: don’t ruminate.

A great word which can be translated as meaning not getting bogged down in cyclical repeated negative thoughts or catastrophic scenarios, instead focusing on specific solutions and actions to take.

Your specialisation is destigmatising the mentally ill. We treat a broken leg, but we deny a broken soul. I recently read a book which describes balls which were held in Paris at the end of the 19th century in institutions for the mentally ill to draw attention to their problems. How much progress have we made in terms of destigmatising mental illness?

In the 1950s, the discovery of chlorpromazine, an antipsychotic drug, marked a revolution in psychiatry. The fact we now had drugs available which had a positive impact on the lives of the mentally ill meant we somewhat forgot about methods of rehabilitation and those balls you mentioned. There is space for both these approaches in modern psychiatry. We can’t treat serious mental illnesses without drugs, but on the other hand we mustn’t forget other methods for returning our patients to their lives. In this regard I would like to mention family psychoeducation.

Family psychoeducation is a method in which we talk to the patient and their family about their illness, what it does, what to do and what not to do. It’s a kind of education in which skills for adapting to the particular illness are learnt. But these methods require a lot of skill and time from the doctor. While medical students learn about the effect of medicines and psychotropic drugs, they do not find out about rehabilitation methods such as family psychoeducation. This is a pity, because patients’ families are just as stigmatised as the mentally ill themselves. Stigma is transferrable, literally contagious; if we look at the mentally ill with suspicion then we tend to look at their whole family in the same way. Once the family has gone through this training, they are better able not just to communicate with the patient, but also to face up to the pressure and response of their surroundings.

Here I’m talking about serious illnesses such as schizophrenia and bipolar affective disorder.

There are currently quite a lot of destigmatising campaigns and activities.

Where does progress still need to be made?

I’d like to mention the Z první ruky (First hand) project which we organise here at the Third Faculty of Medicine. We invite patients and students to take part and look at various aspects of illness. Medical students are generally taught at the bedside of the acutely ill. Students then do not learn about what life with the illness brings, what happens following discharge, at home, how to find work and so on.

Studies suggest that it is not just people in the patients’ surroundings who look with suspicion at the mentally ill, but often also doctors themselves.

Care for physical ailments is worse for the mentally ill than those who are not being treated for mental illness, yet their diagnosis is the same. Last year, we undertook a study on how medical students’ relationship with the mentally ill evolves. We observed that it is from Year 4, when students begin to study psychiatry, that their relationship with the mentally ill improves. There are studies which have been undertaken abroad which have shown the opposite.

Year after year, you are assessed as amongst the most popular teachers. How do you personally perceive the young generation of students?

I look forward to seeing my students; I think the process of becoming a doctor is an adventure. You start learning medicine at 18 and leave at 25 years of age as a doctor who will be looking after the public. I am very well aware of how much attention needs to be paid to professional competencies.

Our teaching curriculum teaches students how to diagnose illnesses, but not how to care for and treat the sick and make them better. There just isn’t enough time. That makes it that much more important to transfer this skill, e.g. during medical psychology. It is we who are creating the young generation, or at least we should be endeavouring to do so. You can see how medical students absorb the manners of doctors and are very sensitive in assessing any abuse from senior doctors.

My final question is about our joint work in Charles University’s Commercialisation Council. Where do you see potential for cooperation?

I see potential and space for co-operation both in technical and humanities fields which are a little underappreciated by the private sector. I was pleased that a number of successful projects in the phase of applying for patent protection were presented to the Council. Within my own field, I see an opportunity for various detectors which sense deteriorating patient condition, in particular for patients with chronic disorders which go through cycles. In the context of an ageing and stressed population, such products could be used for maintaining good mental health even for people not suffering from any disorder.

Linda Štucbartová české znění naleznete v elektronické verzi magazínu na www.czechleaders.com

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GALA EVENING

th annual

International Trebbia Awards

The T Th he Ga G Gala ala la Evening Eve ven niing g was waass held hel eld under eld un u n nde der the de th he auspices ausp au pic iceess of: of: f: MILOŠ ZEMAN, President off th Czech Republic M MI IL LO OŠ Z ZE EMA MAN, N, P resi re esi side dent nt o tthe he Cz C zec ech R Re eepu p blic pu blic bl ic LUBOMÍR ZAORÁLEK, Minister off Fo Foreign Affairs Czech Republic L LU UBO BOM OMÍ MÍR ZAOR Z ZA AOR ORÁ ÁL LEK, EK, Mi EK M ini nist istter er o F ore reig ign Af A ffair fairs fa irs o ir off tthe he C he zech ze ch R epub epub ep bliic DANIEL DA D AN NIIIE EL E L HERMAN, HE ER R RMA MAN Minister MA Min iniisstteer of of Culture Cul ultu ture re of of the th he Czech Czzzec C ecch Republic Rep Re pu ubl blic ic VLADIMÍR DLOUHÝ, President of the Czech Chamber of Commerce

On June 18th 2017 The Spanish Hall, Prague Castle

Artists and Laureates of the Trebbia Gala Evening

Cyril Svoboda, Director of the Diplomatic Academy and former Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Czech Republic during his Laudatio speech

From left: Ivana Červenková, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Czech Republic; Serge Goldenberg, Vice-President of the Comité Edgar Degas, Paris (France); and Jacqueline Teissier Okuma, Culture Manager, Laureate of the International Trebbia Award 2017 for support of the culture and the arts (Switzerland/Japan)

From left: František Mojto, CEO of the EUROKIM a. s.; Oldřich Lomecký, Mayor of Prague 1; Vladimír Lekeš, Laureate of the International Trebbia Award 2017 for support of the culture and the arts; Jitka Novotná, Czech TV Moderator; and Ľubomír Bajaník, Slovak TV Moderator

Alena Miro, Soprano, Soloist of the Trebbia Gala Concert

From left: David Železný, co-owner of the Cermak Eisenkraft Gallery; Dragan Martinovič, Regional General Director of the Kaspersky Lab (Slovenia); and Joska Skalník, Laureate of the International Trebbia Award 2017 for artistic achievement

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From left: Viktor Jasaň, former General Director of the Slovak National Museum in Bratislava (Slovakia) and Michal Bycko, Founder of the Andy Warhol Museum in Slovakia, Laureate of the International Trebbia Award 2017 for contribution to the dialogue of national cultures (Slovakia)

GALA EVENING

From left: Milan Fridrich, Program Director, Czech Television; Ivan Gašparovič, former President of the Slovak Republic; and Juraj Kukura, Actor, Laureate of the International Trebbia Award 2017 for artistic achievement

From left: Janet Lešták, wife of MUDr. Ján Lešták, Owner of the Eye Clinic JL and Alena Miro, Opera Singer

Eva Garajová, Opera Singer and Michal Müller, Director of the ATDK Real s. r. o.

Jadran Šetlík, famous Photographer with his daughter Sofia

From left: H. E. Kaoru Shimazaki, Ambassador of Japan to the Czech Republic with his spouse and Vladislav Stanko, Managing Director, European Institute of Security and Crisis Management

From left: Dominik Mareš, Artist with his spouse and Alexander Hemala, Announcer and Moderator

From left: Ilia Reyzis, Culture Manager, (Russian Federation); Irina Aleksandrovna Antonova, President of the Pushkin State Museum of Fine Arts and Laureate of the International Trebbia Award 2017 for contribution to the dialogue of national cultures (Russian Federation); and PhDr. Peter Zachar, Art Historian

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From left: H. E. Alexander Zmejevskij, Ambassador of the Russian Federation to the Czech Republic; Irina Aleksandrovna Antonova, Laureate of the International Trebbia Award 2017 for contribution to the dialogue of national cultures; Ilia Reyzis, Culture Manager, (Russia); and Jitka Novotná, Czech TV Moderator

Tachira Menaždinova, Soprano; Enrico Dovico, Сonductor of the Trebbia Gala Concert, and Vladimir Chernov, Bariton

From left: René Sion, Alois Dallmayr Automaten-Service, Viktoria Sion, PR Manager STATUSS Magazine, Vladislav Stanko, Managing Director, European Institute of Security and Crisis Management; Irma Manjgaladze-Slezák, Jewellery Designer; Lucia Kopčáková, Artist; and Světlana Kalousková, Gallery Owner

From left: Nina Dlouhá, Operation Manager; Pavla Melanová, Catering Manager, TOP HOTEL Praha; and Vladimír Dohnal, Chairman of the Board, TOP HOTEL Praha From left: Jitka Novotná, Moderator of the Trebbia 2017 Gala Evening; Stanislav Vaněk, Czech TV Screenwriter and Director; and Ľubomír Bajaník, Slovak TV Moderator of the Trebbia 2017 Gala Evening

Jaroslava Valová, CEO, Owner and Founder of the SIKO KOUPELNY a. s., and main partner of the Trebbia 2017 and Miro Smolák, Founder of the Trebbia Foundation and MIRO Gallery Director

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From left: Alena Miro, Opera Singer and Aleš Briscein, Opera Singer with his partner

GALA EVENING

From left: Donald Warhola, Vice-President of the Andy Warhol Foundation in Pittsburgh (USA) and Michal Bycko, Laureate of the International Trebbia Award 2017 for contribution to the dialogue of national cultures (Slovakia)

From left: Jacqueline Teissier Okuma, Laureate of the International Trebbia Award 2017 for support of the culture and the arts (Switzerland/Japan) and Ivana Červenková, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Czech Republic

From left: Juraj Kukura, Laureate of the International Trebbia Award 2017 for artistic achievement (Slovakia); Ivan Gašparovič, former President of the Slovak Republic; H. E. Peter Weiss, Ambassador of the Slovak Republic to the Czech Republic; and Marián Parkányi, Secretary of the former President Ivan Gašparovič

From left: Juraj Jakubisko, Film Director; Adéla Srncová, Dancer, Soloist of the Trebbia Gala Concert, Black Theatre Prague; Jiří Srnec Sr., Founder of Black Theatre Prague; and Deana Jakubisková, Actress and Film Producer, J & J Jakubisko Film s. r. o.

From left: Iveta Demianová and PhDr. Jozef Gáfrik, Director, GGCE - partners in communications; Natália Gáfriková; and Martin Kaplan, Cube Elements

MUDr. Alan Olejníček with his spouse

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GALA EVENING

From left: Juraj Jakubisko, Film Director; René Zavoral, General Director of the Czech Radio; and Vadim Petrov, Composer, Laureate of the International Trebbia Award 2017 for lifetime achievement

Cyril Svoboda, Director of the Diplomatic Academy; Veronika Blažková, Head of the Department of the Mayor's Office, the City of Prague 1; Oldřich Lomecký, Mayor of Prague 1, and Michael Svoboda

Petr Štěpánek, Actor and Zlata Adamovská, Actress

Vadim Petrov, Composer, Laureate of the International Trebbia Award 2017 for lifetime achievement and Linda Vojtová, Supermodel

Miro Smolák, bidder of the benefit auction and Zdeňka Sigmundová, Member of the Board of the Trebbia Foundation with benefit cheque for CZK 210.000

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Taťána Gregor Kuchařová, Chairwoman of the Board of the Beauty for Help Foundation with benefit cheque for CZK 210.000

GALA EVENING

From left: Rostislav Jirkal, Director, Associate Partners; Eva Anderová, Honorary Consul of Zambia, former Deputy Minister of Finance; Linda Štucbartová, Journalist Czech & Slovak Leaders Magazine; Marta Němcová, mother to Marta Gellová; Marta Gellová, President EFPA CZ; and Benke Aikell, Member of the Trebbia International Nomination Committee and your Publisher

Janek Ledecký, the auction winner, who auctioned the picture

by Ronnie Wood for CZK140.000 and Miro Smolák, the bidder

Vladislav Stanko, the auction winner, who auctioned the picture

by Juraj Kukura for CZK120.000 with Juraj Kukura

Miro Smolák, Founder of the Trebbia Foundation and Andrea Polívková, Financial Advisory

From left: Eva Gajdošová, Visa Europe for CZ & SK; Martina Leškovská, PR Manager, Kaspersky Lab; and Alena Miro, Opera Singer

Linda Vojtová, the auction winner, who auctioned the picture by Taťána Gregor Kuchařová for CZK100.000 and Taťána Gregor Kuchařová

Ľudmila Pašková, the auction winner, who auctioned the picture

by Dominik Mareš for CZK60.000 with Dominik Mareš

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From left: Vladimir Chernov, Bariton; Andrew Richards, American Tenor, Soloist of the Trebbia Gala Concert; Alena Miro, Czech Soprano, Soloist of the Trebbia Gala Concert; Enrico Dovico, Italian Conductor of the Trebbia Gala Concert; and Antonio Carangelo, Italian Tenor and Professor of opera singing

Gabriele Rückert, Nanoosh (Germany) One GmbH & Co. KG with her husband

Rudy J. V. Lukeš, Coldwell Banker with his spouse

Jiří and Lucia Hájek, Opera Singers

Tatiana Mitúchová, student of psychology with Miro Smolák

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From left: Phan Kien Cuong, Chairman of Expenses of small and medium enterprises of Vietnam in the Czech Republic, Sofia Bukovskaya, student of art management; and Ivo Gajdoš, Executive Director, Czech Management Association

GALA EVENING

From left: Nina Vartikova, Andrea Fekete, Stanislava Skypalova, Agata Guštafikova, Ľudmila Huňadyova, Zuzana Huňadyova, all EUROKIM a.s. with František Mojto, General Manager of EUROKIM a.s. – Partner of the Trebbia 2017 Rastislav Čupka, Framipek, s.r.o. with his spouse

From left: Tatiana Kukura; Juraj Kukura, Actor, Laureate of the International Trebbia Award 2017 for artistic achievement, Ella Kukura; Caroline Kukura, Director of Development, Nuffield College University of Oxford; and Philipp Kukura, Professor of Chemistry, Physical and Theoretical Chemistry, University of Oxford

From left: JUDr. Taťjána Vojtová, Attorney; Vadim Petrov, Composer, Laureate of the International Trebbia Award 2017 for lifetime achievement; Linda Vojtová, Supermodel; Lucie Gelemová, Artist; and Felix Slováček, Clarinetist, Saxophonist, Composer and Conductor

MUDr. Soňa Krauskopfová with her son Maxim

Martina Leškovská, PR Manager, Kaspersky Lab and Dragan Martinovič, Regional General Director, Kaspersky Lab (Slovenia) - Partner of the Trebbia 2017

From left: Ivan Gašparovič, former President of the Slovak Republic; Eva Blahová, Professor of opera singing (Slovakia); and Ján Všetečka, President of Európské Fórum Vínnej Kúltury (Slovakia)

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ART EVENT

Embassy Art Cocktail at NH Prague City

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3DUWQHUV RI WKH HYHQW ZHUH &RUWHOD]]L 5XPDNR /D %RWHOOD $TXD $QJHOV DQG (UVWH 3ULYDWH %DQNLQJ 7KH HYHQW ZDV RUJDQL]HG XQGHU WKH DXVSLFHV DQG VXSSRUW RI + ( 0U $OGR $PDWL Italian Ambassador in the Czech Republic.

From left: Jonรกลก Ledeckรฝ, Artist, Helena Kroftovรก-Leisztner, Artist, and Janek Ledeckรฝ, Singer and Composer

From left: Petr Neลกpลฏrek, General Manager, NH Prague City, Zuzana Petรกkovรก, Key Account Manager, ALO Diamonds โ private clients section, Helena Kroftovรก-Leisztner, Artist, Gabriela Heemskerk, Head of Sales, NH Prague City, and Andrea Konderovรก, Sales Manager, NH Prague City

Guests on the terrace of Sky Lounge experiencing 3D effect

From left: Gabriela Heemskerk, Head of Sales, NH Prague City, Roland Leisztner, Entrepreneur, Helena Kroftovรก-Leisztner, Artist, Andrea Konderovรก, Sales Manager, NH Prague City, and Andrea Jakubรญkovรก, Managing Director, Gourmet Plus Group

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Guests enjoying the atmosphere and in the forefront Vรกclav ล ehoล , Chairman of the Board of Directors, Prague Airport and Benke Aikell, your Publisher

CZECH&SLOVAK LEADERS II/2017

Helena Kroftovรก-Leisztner with her painting XYZ

ART EVENT From left: H.E. Aldo Amati, Ambassador of Italy in the Czech Republic, Helena Kroftová-Leistzner, Artist, Petr Nešpůrek, General Manager, NH Prague City, and Giovanni Scolia, Director, Italian Institut in Prague

Painting Venice Infinity - San Marco Woman Mask by Helena Kroftová-Leisztner

From left: Jiří Rajl, Executive Director, CNBC Dimitra Georgantzoglou, Embassy of Greece, Helena Kroftová-Leisztner, Artist, Jadran Šetlík, famous Photographer, and Khalid Alyassin, Counsellor, Embassy of Kuwait

From left: Mrs. Lída Schreibrová, Slávi Skala, PSN, Helena Kroftová-Leistzner, Artist, and Kamil Kosman, Grade Publisher

From left: Eliška Hašková-Coolidge, former Assistant to five American presidents, H.E. Aldo Amati, Ambassador of Italy in the Czech Republic, Jonáš Ledecký, Artist, Helena Kroftová-Leisztner, Artist, Janek Ledecký, Singer and Composer, Petr Nešpůrek, General Manager, NH Prague City

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We observe the rise of female talent EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW WITH LEYLA BOULTON, SPECIAL REPORTS EDITOR AND EXECUTIVE EDITOR, FINANCIAL TIMES

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EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW WITH LEYLA BOULTON, SPECIAL REPORTS EDITOR AND EXECUTIVE EDITOR, FINANCIAL TIMES Leyla Boulton studied Russian literature and history at the University of Cambridge. She started her career as a foreign correspondent in Paris and Brussels for Reuters before joining the FT in Moscow, followed by a posting to Ankara. She spent a decade as a news editor and digital pioneer, before moving into editorial management position.

She is married to a Reuters journalist with whom she has a daughter, 21, and son, 18.

This British-American dual national is editor of FT special reports, which every year include a series of articles on Women in Business. We met while covering the Global Female Leaders Summit in Berlin in May. I used the opportunity to ask Leyla to give an exclusive interview to the Czech and Slovak Leaders Magazine. Not to add to the typical gender-biased interviews, I decided to skip the questions about combining motherhood and work, and working abroad. Instead, we focused on the profession for which we share a passion – journalism – and its future.

Leyla, we met at the GFL summit in Berlin. In what aspects did you find this summit targeted for women but not addressing purely "women’s issues" different?

What was so good about the global female leaders forum was the way it combined a discussion of some of the most important issues of the day - whether technology or health care – with an environment more conducive to women speaking out, and networking. In a male-dominated gathering, whether at conferences or senior corporate boardrooms, women may be more hesitant to speak up than their male peers. But in a female-majority setting like the GFL, I found it much easier to meet fellow professionals with whom I had more in common on the personal front. So instead of say football or golf, conversational icebreakers for me included my department's watches and jewellery report, and my son's healthcare drama (ft.com/max).

Do you think there are any women issues and men issues and women writing as opposed to men writing?

I believe there are no female or male issues or types of writing – but there are differences in tone of voice or approach to issues. And it is this we think of at the FT as we work to increase our proportion of female readers.

So we are experimenting with things like our mix of commentators and stories to discover what appeals to both sexes. And this is also why companies pursue diversity of gender in management and thinking - it is good for business. In politics we observe the rise of female talent to join the ranks of Angela Merkel, the German chancellor. The most recent example of a rising female political talent was Ruth Davidson, the gay head of the Scottish Conservative party who is seen by many as the only winner of the latest UK election. At the same time, Theresa May and Hillary Clinton's setbacks after lacklustre campaigns show you cannot win on gender alone. To succeed you also need to be a good and authentic communicator with policies people can support – as Marine Le Pen in France, a good orator with poor policies – discovered when she lost the presidential election to Emmanuel Macron.

You are a special reports editor for Financial Times. Recently, FT within this series presented a story about two girls growing up, one from the US, one from China. What are the themes that you try to accentuate and how have they evolved throughout the years?

The Financial Times special reports department which I lead produces 150 reports a year on countries, sectors and themes of interest to FT readers. But we are testing and introducing new approaches to the issues our readers are interested in.

Showing how girls' fates are often sealed by decisions made in adolescence (ft.com/ growing-pains), for example, helps readers think how to make more of half the world's potential labour force. Closer to your readers' geographical home, I hope to have by the time this magazine appears, a new online tool for covering the Czech Republic and Slovakia. This will complement our existing coverage of central and eastern Europe (ft.com/reports). Our recent highlights included a great interview with the Slovak finance minister who talked of steering his country past 'a lasagne of deceit' (ft.com/ kazimir) - a reference to Europe's different layers of populism.

Classical journalism and printed newspapers and magazines face the same disruptive changes as happen in other spheres. In fact, the Czech and Slovak Leaders magazine has remained the only printed English language magazine in both countries.

We both listened to the session where Bloomberg mentioned cooperation with Twitter. How do you perceive the future of journalism?

The first priority is to promote more able women on merit where they are in short supply regardless of their age. Once they achieve a critical mass in management, good female leaders can help good male leaders effect other positive changes - like ending an unhealthy focus on younger female faces in some broadcast media.

We discussed age diversity in the journalism sphere. In the Czech Republic, there is a trend to have particularly young journalists, anchorwomen and anchormen, yet they do not represent all generations in society. Do you see it as a problem?

Journalism needs to adapt to disruption by providing what readers want and need and will pay for. The good news is that this increasingly includes demand for reliable and balanced reporting. That is what we at the 129-year-old FT have been doing 'without fear or favour'. So has the Washington Post, whose new Trump-era motto declares that democracy dies in darkness. That is one reason I love leading the FT department which produces highquality independent journalism that advertisers are willing to pay for - because that is what our readers will read.

How would you define leadership within the context of journalism...

Leadership in journalism is nurturing talent and anticipating and leading change.

Your final words for Czech and Slovak Leaders readers...

I would love to learn from visiting your part of the world what a Britain divided over Brexit can learn from your two countries' experience of a formal split. When I last visited, Czechoslovakia was a single country behind the Iron Curtain. I loved Prague and I also enjoyed working on a youth exchange forestry project in what is now Slovakia.

As a reporter in Moscow for the FT in the early 1990s, I was greatly helped by the Czechoslovak representative in reporting the unwinding of Comecon – the Sovietled trade bloc. And I have had a couple of important friends over the years of Czech origin, including one of my professors at Cambridge University – and my favourite Cold War TV drama is Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy – whose Brno scenes were apparently shot in Glasgow! So on a both professional and personal note, chatting to you has been a delight!

Linda Štucbartová

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According to the definition of the circular economy, it minimises waste and other losses of energy and materials. It is often contrasted with the linear economy, which is based on production using the approach ‘take, make, dispose’. Certain sceptics, however, might see it merely as a new corporate social responsibility (CSR) fad and another reason to print some more hard-to-dispose-of glossy brochures…

How can you convince these sceptics?

The entire system behind this new concept takes us back to common sense, to conscious production and consumption and to a respect for the natural resources we have here on Planet Earth. We haven’t made up anything new here. Human society always used to work like this. Our population keeps increasing, while resources and our natural heritage remain the same. Furthermore, recent years have shown that we are running out of raw materials and here in Europe we are not self-sufficient in raw materials. We import phosphorus, for example, which is essential for agriculture, from Morocco and its reserves are diminishing. Phosphorus recycling is beginning to turn into a lucrative business of the future. There are no longer discussions as to whether climate change and raw material limits are real or not.

The circular economy system is not about publishing attention-grabbing reports, but about a real change in business models. There are examples of renowned companies, such as IKEA, which observes its principles. Ikea implemented the Second Life project for

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its furniture which secures the return of old furniture and its further resale. Thus products remain in the cycle for as long as possible and waste production is avoided. The success of this model is evidenced in the fact that following assessment of the pilot project at Zličín, Prague, the project is being extended to other stores.

You founded the Institute of Circular Economy Institute in the Czech Republic.

What is your mission?

Our mission is to spread circular economy ideas across all sectors and interested parties.

Besides spreading our idea, we also work in implementing its principles in practice. We cooperate with dozens of municipalities which, for example, are implementing new efficient waste management systems in order to sort as many materials as possible for further processing such that they do not become waste, but rather a value resource. We also co-operate with companies implementing circular economy principles at various levels. Some companies transfer to more sustainable resources, others process secondary raw materials, and other change their business models and implement systems of repair or collection in order to recycle as many materials as possible.

Our objective is also to take and implement examples of good practice abroad, whether in terms of know-how or technology. It is our conviction that if we can learn from the experience of others, we can save time and money.

We also co-operate with the public sector and endeavour to ensure the environment for

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investors and entrepreneurs is as ready as it can be. Sometimes laws and directives have to be changed to ensure materials can circulate in the environment in practice.

It’s been two years since INCIEN was founded; what specific outcomes are you most proud of?

We were very pleased by the response to our Odpad Zdrojem (Waste as Resource) conference, which we launched in 2016 with the objective of spreading the CE concept, this time amongst local authority players. It is often a very complex topic and in particular we think the growing interest and positive response seen year-on-year shows our success. This year, we are expanding the conference to include an event of the same name but more narrowly focused in autumn which will focus on ecoinnovation and the circular economy within water management. This year, our target group will also include companies. Another great success is the organisation of the PAYT Tour, which we undertook this year in collaboration with the Ministry of the Environment. The event was implemented with the objective of presenting the Action Plan for the CE objectives, as issued by the European Commission whose goals we are obliged to meet by 2030. Our target group was local authorities, and almost 700 municipality and city representatives visited our seminars. We appreciate the large number of orders and projects from companies and municipalities who seek us out themselves in order to set up co-operation.

Stories of people with a total of 33 items of clothing including shoes and accessories, and others whose annual waste fits into a jam jar are very popular. On the other hand, a lifestyle like that surely isn’t for everyone…

Ideas of minimalism, conscious consumption, zero waste and other concepts are undoubtedly commitments made individually. It is hard to implement them on a blanket basis, but it is good to discuss them as these principles arouse interest, and people then try to do ‘at least something’ and become aware of their responsibility. Little changes in everyday life have a large impact in a global context. Buying less clothes, for example, in the long term not just reduces our environmental footprint, but also helps us to slow consumption, something which may in future lead to better conditions for workers in textile factories.

How do you personally implement circular economy ideas in your life?

One interesting principle promoted by the circular economy is a transfer from ownership to leasing and the sharing economy. Owning things requires not just money, but also time. The more we have the more space and the more time we need to maintain them. I live in a rented apartment, for example, drive a lease car and since moving to Prague I’ve also hired most of my sports equipment, including skis and bikes.

When I take account of the fact that I might own skis which I hardly use one week in a year with the rest of the time spent wondering where to store them, then lease works out much cheaper. And it’s the same with almost everything. And I always recycle or give away things that can’t be leased at the end of their lifecycle; this applies to IT technology and furniture. I have come to realise how much people actually

need when they don’t keep up with the latest fashion trends, for example. I’ve reduced my wardrobe by a third and I’ve always got something to wear. I buy as little as possible and hire an outfit for important occasions. And when I do go shopping, I want to know what the product is, where and from what materials it has been produced and if it can be recycled. And I sort all my waste for recycling. At home and at work.

I avoid single-use products and instead use multiple-use bottles, bags and food packaging. We should all implement these types of principles to such an extent that it does not restrict our daily lives. We never try to persuade people to do things; we just show people products’ complete story and discuss the global context and what they can change in their lives.

INCIEN – Institut Cirkulární Ekonomiky, z. ú. – is a non-governmental nonprofit organisation promoting the circular economy within the Czech Republic. It was established in 2015 and has implemented a number of successful events and projects since then. More at www.incien.org.

By Linda Štucbartová české znění naleznete v elektronické verzi magazínu na www.czechleaders.com

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From left: Michael Specking, General Manager, Hilton Prague; Klรกra Matouลกkovรก, Marketing Trainee, Hilton Prague; Petra Zapletalovรก, Marketing & Operations, Tereza Maxova Foundation; Terezie Sverdlinovรก, Director, Tereza Maxova Foundation, Tonya Graves, Presenter

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GALA EVENT

From left: Hana Veselovská, Senior Project Manager, DZK Travel; Tsveta Yankova, Assistant Director C&E Sales, Hilton Prague & Hilton Prague Old Town; and Lucie Ledvinová, Sales Manager MICE, Hilton Prague & Hilton Prague Old Town

From left: Okan Akkilic, Sales Representative, Turkish Airlines; Ondřej Vaněk, Sales and Traffic Agent, Turkish Airlines; Michael Specking, General Manager, Hilton Prague; and Vlaďka Kvasničková, Specialist, Faculty of Law, Charles University

Martina Borovanská, Global Administration IMT CEE, IBM

From left: Kateřina Petruk, Management Secretary, Oberbank Ag; Marek Steiger, Head of the Commercial Activities Department, ZOO Praha; and Markéta Šebková, Marketing & PR Manger, Hilton Prague & Hilton Prague Old Town

Stefan Baurer, Hotel Manager, Hilton Prague

Ninoslav Vidovic, Director of Sales, Hilton Prague & Hilton Prague Old Town

Veronika Rybová, PA to Partner in Charge, KPMG

Michael Specking, General Manager, Hilton Prague

Ing. Vojtěch Černý, District Manager CZ/SK, Textile Care Division, Ecolab Hygiene s.r.o. with his wife

Christian Schwenke, General Manager, Hilton Prague Old Town

Tam Tam Batucada drum show

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P HOTO : A RCHIVE

Small enterprises now no longer slouching I NTERVIEW

WITH

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AMSP ČR: Since 2001 the Association has offered an open, apolitical platform for SMEs, the self-employed and various groupings and associations. It is the main representative of the Czech Republic’s broadest business segment and apart from legislation, export, innovation, education, and financing of SMEs it has special teams and projects which focus on family businesses, handicrafts, start-up businesses, local producers and growers, small shops and gastronomy establishments, women in business, businesses in rural areas, church businesses and third-age businesses.

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I NTERVIEW They say that small and medium sized enterprises are the backbone of the economy… Staying with the medical metaphors, what condition is the Czech backbone in?

Strong, occasionally sore, but no longer slouching. I’ve been defending the interests of small and medium sized companies for almost twenty years and if there’s something that makes me happy then it’s the growing confidence of entrepreneurs. In contrast to the past, entrepreneurs no longer stand in front of anyone with cap in hand, believe in themselves more and can advance their interests, commercially and legally, against the state, banks and large corporations. So we don’t just talk about state support, take the example of the dispute between small Hyundai dealers and the importer which was brutally exploiting its position. Once we began co-ordinating the complaints of these small companies within our association, we managed to block the Hyundai Corporation five times in a row in all the courts despite their corporate threats, and huge legal and financial dominance, and they ended up disgraced and they’re going to pay for the consequences. That couldn’t have happened ten years ago; small companies then would never have got into that kind of dispute.

Small and medium sized enterprises need to ensure maximum efficiency to withstand a difficult competitive environment. One might say this is one of the few environments where ‘common sense’ has been preserved. In this context I appreciate your statement that: "We cannot have massive wage growth, zero unemployment and high investment from companies at the same time…"

In contrast to multinational companies, small firms work on the basis of fast management of changes, bare numbers and healthy efficiency.

Large corporations are under pressure from investors, managers frequently politicking and seeing management rewards on the horizon.

The small entrepreneur has to see much further; his objective is not short-term performance but long-term survival and asset preservation. If the state acted like a small family company in its speed, decision-making and strategic planning, we would have progressed much further today.

Unfortunately it acts like a large corporation and instead of the interests of society it focuses on the interests of political secretariats. A typical example here is the recent failure of Prime Minister Sobotka. I don’t mean the sacking of the finance minister here; he is fully entitled to do this. I’m referring to his first attempt to dismiss the whole government taking the whole country and government hostage because he was unable to deal with a common political dispute between two key leaders in government.

A generational changeover is beginning to take place in many companies. How prepared are small and medium-sized businesses for the succession?

We’re experiencing the first change in generations, so this corresponds to the situation. The whole process of changeover takes place rather intuitively, so the good news is that things are improving. Our association is playing a crucial role. A few years ago, our association created the Family Business platform, bringing together a few hundred of the most important family companies and we are working with them systematically at a regional and nationwide level. We are creating legal support for them, undertaking mentoring, establishing academies for successors and in particular we are continuing to encounter and undertake benchmarking. Furthermore, we are declaring next year Family Business Year.

I’ve got a good feeling about it; companies are beginning to realise that changeover is a complex process which takes a number of years during which time they must anticipate economic, legal and psychological variables, never mind consider correct timing. If I’m going to transfer a company to a successor who is over fifty years old, I cannot expect him to give the business the energy and novelty it so needs.

Staying with the young generation, I’d like to quote another statement you made that I noted: ‘If we keep crying over bureaucracy, it’s no wonder the young aren’t becoming entrepreneurs.’ Has the youth’s position on doing business changed over time? From a media perspective it would seem that large corporations are not in fashion with a growth in interesting start-ups occurring instead.

You’re right, and I’m really pleased about that. But first to the crying. As the main representative of small business, we are always pushing the government, complaining and perhaps sometimes exaggerating a little. That goes with the territory; otherwise we wouldn’t get results, it’s like in trade. But there are limits; I don’t want us to become a nation of cry-baby businesspeople who can only complain. Our business environment is not bad and business is not the last option for the incapable, but the first chance for the best. You’ve got to keep trying, fight and not rely on some kind of extra support. That’s what doing business is all about and not everyone can survive. We have to show the youth the opportunities, and not just frighten them over bureaucracy. They must see problems as challenges which they have to deal with every day as entrepreneurs using economic tools, and not by demonstrating on Wenceslas Square or setting up business unions as someone tried recently. That’s a debasement of entrepreneurialism and a return to socialism.

Let’s go back to bureaucracy and the civil service. Are you optimistic, or resigned?

Complaints can be heard over its growth at every conference, at every specialist or even social gathering… What’s your perspective here?

My role is to continuously fight against it; if I were ever to think of resigning myself to such

problems then someone else would have to do it instead. But this fight has got to have some parameters and must seek results, not just media visibility. The level of regulation here, like in the EU, is unprecedented, and just can’t be compared to the United States, for example.

But careful; the level of administration in America, for example, is much worse than here.

The objective must be to reduce regulation and be uncompromising in implementing computerisation into all areas. But in doing so we’ve got to ignore and avoid the rehashing of mantras by some about not being able to cope, or implementing Big Brother. It works in Scandinavian countries because they just did it, nobody really worried about it and today they are a model for the whole world. And here, take the infantile discussion over electronic sales records for example… The truth is that in Estonia, for example, computerisation has been done to result in data sharing with the country a de facto internet platform and everyone saving time and money. Here, we’re computerising such that instead of using pen and paper we’re doing the same with a computer mouse, but that isn’t saving time…..

A relatively new topic in the Czech Republic is co-operation across sectors, specifically between the academic and private spheres. I work for Charles University’s Commercialisation Council. How do you perceive co-operation with science and the academic sphere? Co-operation is going well with large corporations, but as yet medium-sized businesses have not taken up this opportunity… What can be improved on both sides?

I’ve got to be objective here and compare the situation with previous years. Twenty years ago practically no small company co-operated with a university or research organisation, ten years ago this happened exceptionally, but today it is fairly common for many companies. European and national resources released to enable co-operation between science and business have meant that tens of thousands of small companies have been able to start co-operating with scientists. That is undoubtedly positive. Another matter is what results it has given us. And that remains a problem.

Companies and research institutions still have a significantly different idea of what co-operation should bring. The fault lies with both sides. Small companies are impatient and unable to see the project from the perspective of a researcher, and they also don’t have sufficient further resources.

And scientists feel that their research is like a golden bird in a gilded cage and it is only the incompetence of entrepreneurs which has not turned their institute into a second Cambridge, and they are unwilling to admit that their results may not be all that extraordinary. It’s a long game, and we need one more generation for it to change.

Linda Štucbartová české znění naleznete v elektronické verzi magazínu na www.czechleaders.com

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It sounds like a fairytale…

ELLA-CS, a Czech company without any foreign capital based in Hradec Králové, is operating with success across 70 countries worldwide in the medical products market. The reality of small and mediumsized enterprises operating in the Czech market, however, is more of thriller than anything else. How do you look back at the last quarter-century from the perspective of an entrepreneur?

It’s very difficult to assess 25 years of life in a limited space. I don’t see business as a way of making money, but rather as a lifestyle.

The lifestyle is sometimes really exhausting, but it is exciting and extremely satisfying. For me, it is a conditio sine qua non in the meaningfulness of what I do and the opportunity to create something completely new. Last but not least, I would add the responsibility for the team I lead.

Although we export to seventy countries, we only have direct branches in the Czech and Slovak Republics. Distributors represent us in other countries. We have tried building direct subsidiaries in Western European countries, but to my surprise we came up against a language barrier from customers, even though these were countries where English was a second language.

I NTERVIEW WITH D OC . RND R . P H M R . K AREL V OLENEC , CS C .

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The disadvantage here is the fact we are not sufficiently frequently in direct contact with healthcare providers; in our case, as implant manufacturers we do not have direct contact with the patient.

For new products in particular, this can be counterproductive because the distributor does not always know the product inside out and it is merely an object bought and sold for the distributor.

In contrast to many companies which focus only on manufacture, you have also focused your attention on research and development since you began your career in 1986. How do you see developments in this sector?

I NTERVIEW I worked as an assistant at the Charles University Medical Faculty in Hradec Králové’s Biophysics Institute and I was also involved at the Institute for Experimental and Clinical Radiobiology. Working in these institutes was invaluable to me. I found out about research methods and lecturing was also great preparation for my future focus.

It is important to say that research and development used to be funded in a similar manner to today, but was more centrally managed. We perceive the previous regime as having a high level of bureaucracy leading to situations in which large investments could be made, but where it was then very difficult to subsequently purchase component parts needed. Usually there were attempts made at the end of the year to spend your funding at any cost so your budget was not reduced in the following period. I thought naively that this situation would change after the 1989 revolution, but alas this unfortunate model persists not just in science, but other sectors too. My other disappointment has been the little interest shown by companies in any co-operation.

Once I had finished my military and civil projects after 1989 with the end of the commissioning institutions, I had hoped that representatives of major companies would come to us and we would be able to choose which company we would co-operate with.

But nobody was interested.

At that time, I knew nothing about quality systems and normative requirements on managing research and development, and it wasn’t until moving to the private sector that I realised how huge the gap was between applied research and between companies and the academic sphere. I still hope these differences will one day disappear and we will be able to overcome this rift as in other countries.

I had the opportunity to see a few days ago in Estonia how the university in Tartu built a fully certified analytical laboratory.

They found the courage and space in the legislation and established a subsidiary.

You frequently act as one of the leading proponents of co-operation between the academic and business world.

But the general population see these worlds as entirely separate and almost impenetrable…

Both spheres – the private and academic and university worlds – complement each other, but there must be the will on both sides to manage the different methods of communication in particular. It’s sad to see statistics showing that the success of applied research outcomes in practice is of the order

of 3% - 5% of all assignments dealt with at an EU level. These projects are subsidised by taxpayers. No private company in the world would be able to allow this. Companies have to be much more careful and think in great detail about where they can invest and with what efficiency they should set funding so that a return on investment can be achieved as fast as possible from idea to concept.

I had the opportunity to listen to your talk on Innovation at Charles University.

I was taken by two areas in particular which we often discuss with leaders in our magazine. The first area is the use of mentoring as a tool for bringing the private and academic spheres together.

The second idea regards support for humanities, especially at a time when industry is calling for support to be given to technical sciences and compulsory school leaving exams in Maths are being discussed.

In terms of mentoring, I think this is a very effective solution in terms of money and time invested. Representatives of university and academia should be able to visit manufacturing businesses more frequently and get the opportunity to discuss with their representatives, and in the same way company representatives should be involved in the teaching process more frequently, at least at the level of motivational talks.

Exchange placements at the workplace are incredibly beneficial and are going to become ever more important. Today, it is not ‘just’ about product quality, which is taken for granted; now the speed of launching a product is also important.

The issue of supporting humanities is simple from my perspective. It is my conviction that very soon businesses will represent conglomerates of workers who share common ideas and common goals.

Companies will be forced to focus much more on building an internal corporate culture. An example here might be their approach to criticism – what about rewarding criticism instead of penalising it?

My tutor Prof. Steinhard encouraged me to always surround myself with people who know more than me. And that’s exactly the situation today when there is ever less space for individualists and many results can only be achieved within a well-oiled team.

Let’s look at a very topical and also underestimated issue closely related to science and research in which the Czech Republic lags behind… how are we getting on in terms of intellectual property and its protection?

I’m afraid there is still a massive gap here.

Over a quarter century I have personally

made a number of very serious errors in underestimating this field and I think that there should be an expert in this field at every university and at every faculty, someone who is knowledgeable in these matters and who can provide the appropriate help to anyone endeavouring to develop or innovate and who wants someone to manufacture and launch their product. This is often one of the most critical phases. It is practically committing suicide, for example, to enter into a contract with an American company without a professional lawyer. I trust that our poor protection of intellectual rights will be eliminated in future. A warning in this regard is the fact that a few years ago a certain foreign organisation went around different faculties deliberately taking away outcomes of research which were insufficiently protected.

ELLA-CS is not headquartered in Prague, but in Hradec Králové. Hradec Králové has been assessed as the best place to live in the Czech Republic. How is it to do business outside the capital?

I was born in a beautiful part of the Czech Republic in the Šumava region, and I moved to Hradec Králové as a student. I studied here and I’ve lived here for many years now. My background means it would be very hard for me to live in a busy place like Prague, or in another city where I would miss the peace and countryside I need. It must be something which is imprinted on you in childhood and which you can’t take away.

On the other hand, when someone comes to visit from abroad, then logically the most common place to visit is Prague which brings together so many different styles, and not just in architecture. It is a city for which all the world envies us. I split my life between Hradec Králové, Šumava and Prague and many other places in the world, but I will always return to the place of my birth.

I think we all need our roots and a sense of belonging.

Your final words for Czech and Slovak Leaders readers?

It is my wish that only those who enjoy it and do it not just to make money, but to make those around them happy, remain in the business sector. In my case, those who I will probably never meet, but to whom I and my team can return that which they value the most – their health.

Linda Štucbartová české znění naleznete v elektronické verzi magazínu na www.czechleaders.com

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Discussion with the Turkish Ambassador to the Czech Republic H. E. Ahmat Necati Bigali met with an extraordinary interest from members and friends of the Czechoslovak Foreign Institute.

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Marta Chvojková, Headmistress, College of Fashion Design / VOŠON

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From left: H.E. Souriya Otmani, Ambassador of the Kingdom of Morocco, Marta Chvojková, Headmistress, College of Fashion Design / VOŠON and Karolina Straus Idris, Moderator and Dancer

From left: H.E. Khaled Alattrash, Ambassador of Palestine, Rola Hamdan, Charge d’ Affaires, Embassy of Lebanon, Oldřich Lomecký, Mayor of Prague 1, and Veronika Blažková, Spokeswoman of Prague 1 townhall

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CANADA DAY 2017

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Speech by H. E. Milan Ĺ tÄ&#x203A;ch, President of the Senate of the Parliament of the Czech Republic: Dalila GraffovĂĄ, Interpreter; H. E. Barbara C. Richardson, Ambassador of Canada to the Czech Republic; JiĹ&#x2122;Ă­ KrejÄ?a, President, Canadian Chamber of Commerce in the Czech Republic; H.E. Milan Ĺ tÄ&#x203A;ch, President of the Senate of the Parliament of the Czech Republic; Eva DavidovĂĄ, Press Secretary to H. E. Milan Ĺ tÄ&#x203A;ch; and a Member of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (behind the speakers: Members of the Cancioneta Praga choir)

CANADA DAY 2017 A DAY OF CELEBRATION

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Flags of the Czech Republic, Canada and all Canadian Provinces and Territories displayed at Waldstein Garden

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CANADA DAY 2017

From left: Vít Korselt, Director, Americas Department, Ministry of Foreign Affairs; Josef Elster, Director, Centre for Polar Ecology, University of South Bohemia; and Thomas Hrubý, Partner, HRUBÝ & BUCHVALDEK Law Office and Senior Vice President, Canadian Chamber of Commerce in the Czech Republic

From left: Assoc. Prof. Ladislav Jarolím, 2nd Medical Faculty, Charles University & University Hospital Motol; Vladimír Bärtl, Deputy Minister of Industry and Trade of the Czech Republic; Thomas Hrubý, Senior Vice President, and Alexandra Brabcová, Executive Director, Canadian Chamber of Commerce in the Czech Republic

H.E. Barbara C. Richardson, Ambassador of Canada and Mark W. Anderson, Marketing Director, University of New York in Prague and Board Director, Canadian Chamber of Commerce in the Czech Republic

H. E. Barbara C. Richardson, Ambassador of Canada to the Czech Republic and René Beauchamp, General Manager, Four Seasons Hotel Prague

Speech by Jiří Krejča, President, Canadian Chamber of Commerce in the Czech Republic

From left: Zuzana Palečková and Peter Palečka, Board Member and Corporate Secretary, Komerční banka; Jiří Baštýř, Support and Guarantee Fund for Agriculture and Forestry; and Jana Lauerová, Chief Operating Officer, Seismik

From left: Roman Knapp, Head of Sales and Marketing, and Vít Svoboda, Managing Director, IXTENT; Tomáš Kubík, Attorney/ Partner, Kubík Partners

Canadian desserts: nanaimo bars, apple crisps, butter tarts, etc.

From left: H. E. Barbara C. Richardson, Ambassador of Canada to the Czech Republic; Dominik Štros, Country Manager, Colonnade Insurance S.A. ; and Zdeňka Indruchová, Executive Director, Association of Czech Insurance Brokers

From left: David Skamene, Marketing Manager, CSL Behring; Matthew V. Duras, CEO, JOHNNY SERVIS, and Veronika Duras

From left: Alice Štunda, Founder and Owner, and Jitka Stiles, Principal, Sunny Canadian International School; Otto J. Jelinek, former Ambassador of Canada and first President of the Canadian Chamber of Commerce in the Czech Republic, and Leata Jelinek; Edvard Outrata, Senator (Retired) and past President of the Canadian Chamber of Commerce in the Czech Republic

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CANADA DAY 2017 Members of Canadian Armed Forces

H. E. Barbara C. Richardson, Ambassador of Canada to the Czech Republic and Senator Václav Hampl, Chairman, Senate Committee on EU Affairs

From left: H. E. Barbara C. Richardson, Ambassador of Canada to the Czech Republic, Eliška Hašková Coolidge, Lecturer, and Petr Břenek, Board Director, PGP Terminal

From left: H.E. Milan Štěch, President of the Senate of the Parliament of the Czech Republic, H. E. Barbara C. Richardson, Ambassador of Canada to the Czech Republic, and Jiří Krejča, President, Canadian Chamber of Commerce in the Czech Republic

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H. E. Barbara C. Richardson, Ambassador of Canada to the Czech Republic and Martin Tlapa, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Czech Republic

H.E. Milan Štěch, President of the Senate of the Parliament of the Czech Republic and H. E. Barbara C. Richardson, Ambassador of Canada to the Czech Republic tasting butter tart

CANADA DAY 2017

Kim Cowan, Counsellor, Embassy of Canada and a Member of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police

Peter P. Formanek, President Emeritus, and Jiří Krejča, President, Canadian Chamber of Commerce in the Czech Republic

From left: Václav Řehoř, Chairman & CEO, Czech Aeroholding / Prague Airport; Radek Moravec, Country Manager, McCAIN FOODS Czech Republic; Tomáš Říha, Managing Director, Bageterie Boulevard and Board Director, Canadian Chamber of Commerce in the Czech Republic

Reception guests with one of the Waldstein Garden peacocks

From left: Radka Šillerová, Definitely Yours; Alice Štunda, Founder & Owner, Sunny Canadian International School (SCIS) and Board Director, Canadian Chamber of Commerce in the Czech Republic; Jitka Stiles, SCIS Principal; H. E. Barbara C. Richardson, Ambassador of Canada to the Czech Republic; and Ron Stiles, SCIS Director

Anna Wozniak, Associate Regional Manager – Europe, Export Development Canada and Thomas Hrubý, Partner, HRUBÝ & BUCHVALDEK Law Office and Senior Vice President, Canadian Chamber of Commerce of the Czech Republic, and Jan Caha

Kurt Lievens, Site General Manager and Paul Troch, Head of ISC Operation Execution, Bombardier Transportation

Wine tasting

From left: Benke Aikell, your Publisher; Robert Bucher and Alena Klenot; Eva Anderová, Business Consultant, Czech & Slovak Leaders and Honorary Consul of Zambia, Helena Leisztner, Artist, and Roland Leisztner, Entrepreneur

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GALA EVENT

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7KH ODXQFK RI DQ LPSUHVVLYH ERRN E\ *HUKDUGW %XEQLN /LIH EHWZHHQ SDUDJUDSKV ZDV KHOG on June 13th 7KH FHUHPRQ\ WRRN SODFH DW WKH KHDGTXDUWHUV RI WKH &]HFK %DU $VVRFLDWLRQ LQ .DĹ&#x201A;ND 3DODFH LQ 3UDJXH XQGHU WKH DXVSLFHV RI LWV 3UHVLGHQW 'U 0DUWLQ 9\FKRSHĹ&#x201A; ZKR DOVR SHUIRUPHG WKH FKULVWHQLQJ RI WKH ERRN 'U *HUKDUGW %XEQtN // 0 WKH Ă&#x20AC;UVW &]HFKRVORYDN JUDGXDWH RI WKH +DUYDUG /DZ 6FKRRO LV QRW RQO\ a prominent Prague lawyer who has been introduced into the Czech Lawyers´ Hall of Fame last year but DOVR D OLIH WLPH VSRUW RUJDQL]HU DQG LQWHUQDWLRQDO RIĂ&#x20AC;FLDO ZKR KDV EHHQ DZDUGHG WKH 2O\PSLF 2UGHU E\ WKH International Olympic Committee. This Committee has awarded him yet another prize, namely the Prize for )LJKW DJDLQVW 'RSLQJ 7KH VWRU\ RI *HUKDUGW %XEQLNÂ?V OLIH LV LOOXVWUDWHG E\ D QXPEHU RI XQLTXH SKRWRJUDSKV and historical documents.

Gerhardt Bubnik with his book Life between paragraphs

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Gerhardt Bubnik with Benke Aikell, your Publisher, Czech & Slovak Leaders

GALA EVENT

From left: Dr. Iva Chaloupková, Spokeswoman, Czech Bar Association, Petr Král, Director, Publishing House Wolters Kluwer, far on the right Magdalena Sodomková, Journalist working with Dr. Bubnik on the book

From left: Gerhardt Bubnik , Magdalena Sodomková, Journalist, and Zuzana Vojtová, Artist - author of the cover and layout of the book

General view

From left: Mgr. Daniel Hájek, LL.M., Lawyer and Manager of the Suk Chamber Orchestra, Dr. Dadja Altenburg Kohl, Benefactor of the National Theatre, hidden behind her husband artist Daniel Pešta, Mgr. Nikolaj Jegorkin, Supervisory Board Member Vila Nový Smíchov, a.s., Dr. Vladimír Koller, Director Privatbank, Prague Branch and Mr. Evžen Stein, Board Member MP Development a.s.

Dr. Tomáš Sokol, Prague Lawyer, President of the Czech Union of Defending Lawyers, Dr. Daniela Kovářová, Lawyer, former Minister of Justice, and Dr Petr Toman LL.M lawyer

Gerhardt Bubnik, Dr. Hana Rýdlová, Chief Editor of the Bulletin of the Czech Bar Association, behind her two former justices of the Czech Constitutional Court Dr. Jiří Nykodým and Dr. Vojen Güttler

Mr. Joseph Vedlich, retired from Price Coopers Waterhouse and his wife Noriko, with them Dr. Kristina Kopáčková, Japanologist and her husband Bohuslav Kopáček, Hana Tours, s.r.o.

Dr. Václav Král, Lawyer, Gergardt Bubnik, Eva Sharp, retired BBC Journalist and Mrs. Victoria Špičková, far right Lucie Horáčková, Editor of the book

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INTERVIEW WITH PAVEL TELIÄ&#x152;KA, VICE-PRESIDENT OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT

My Attitude towards the Euro is Evolving 3$9(/ 7(/,ý.$ 3DYHO 7HOLþND JUDGXDWHG IURP WKH Law Faculty at the Charles University in Prague in 1986. His professional activities started at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. From 1991-1995, he held different positions at the Czechoslovak/ Czech Mission to the European Communities in Brussels, including Deputy Head and Head of Mission. He served as a Chief Negotiator for the accession of the Czech Republic to the European Union and as a State Secretary for European Affairs. In 2002, he took up the post of Ambassador and Head of the Permanent Representation of the Czech Republic to the European Union. +H ZDV WKH ¿UVW &]HFK &RPPLVVLRQHU WKRXJK YHU\ VKRUWO\ $IWHUZDUGV 7HOLþND set up BXL Consulting Ltd, an EU Affairs consultancy. In July 2014 he was elected to the European Parliament (ALDE/ ANO 2011) and in 2017 he was elected the Vice President of the European Parliament. He is keen on sports and healthy lifestyle.

PHOTO: PAVEL TELIÄ&#x152;KA ARCHIVE

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INTERVIEW WITH PAVEL TELIČKA, VICE-PRESIDENT OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT The European Union is confronted with a migration influx. Is there any ideal solution? You are not a big supporter of quotas, are you?

Let´s look at the issue retrospectively. A year and a half ago, the migration influx started to grow. At that time Member States went for the migration quotas. However, the real numbers were changing on a daily basis, there were no other measures in place, migration was out of control and the EU drowning in unilateral steps.

For this reason the quotas could not have the desired effect, you do not start by relocation of refugees at a time when protection of the external border is non-existent, return policy does not work or incoming migrants are not being identified. And obviously, it has not.

We should keep in mind that this issue falls within the competence of Member States competence and many of these wanted effective measures and not a measure which led to dividing the EU. There are limits to the absorption capacity of the EU and the capability of integrating a certain number of refugees, and there are limits for each individual Member State as well. I stand for solidarity with those Member States that are severely affected. However, we need to have migration under control and have to know the real numbers we are talking about before taking any action. The distribution of quotas, or rather refugees, is one of the steps to be taken at the right time and rather on voluntary basis.

The main focus has to be on the situation in the home countries of the refugees. We have to motivate them to stay there. We should invest in these countries, provide people with safety and security, education, jobs and so on.

If needed and if invited to do so, also intervene in managing a conflict. Systemic measures are the objective. Migration has to change from illegal to legal, we need to provide protection to real refugees as well as safeguard security of our own citizens. Having said that, I would rather prefer to address the causes of migration.

We cannot ignore the pressure of the Western countries on the CEE region to converge to their salaries. We see it strongly in posting of workers. Do we need the convergence at any price?

Definitely not. The salaries are linked to the economic situation and social environment, GDP is not an irrelevant category. We also have to ensure the sustainability for investors who invested in our countries according to certain conditions. At the same time, we have to recognize that some activities which are not completely in line with the rules take place and the conditions of posted workers are sometimes beyond the limits of being acceptable, in fact we might not even speak of them being posted, at least in some sectors.

Reactions of some Member States have been translated into unilateral measures which are not in line with the internal market rules. The Mobility package presented by the European

Commission at the end of May represents an effort to align the internal market. The question is whether it will reach an optimal situation and whether it is itself balanced.

I would argue for a solution which will ensure consistent rules with legal certainty and low administrative burden. One legal framework is needed, though I do not hide that the proposal will divide the House (European Parliament).

ALDE Group requires that all members of Eurozone should have one representative in the international economic institutions who would also be a member of the European Commission. What is your view on the Euro?

My attitude towards the Euro is evolving.

When entering the EU we could not negotiate an opt-out of the Euro like Denmark did as it was a Member State at the time of negotiating the Maastricht Treaty. Now, we should work on better economic governance in the Eurozone. Our preparedness must be sustainable, as I believe it is now. In the past, the politicians decided that there was no will to join the Euro. Now it is time to reopen the issue in the Czech Republic and lead a discussion with the wider public about the pros and cons of being part of the Eurozone.

I, personally, would like to intensify this debate. It is an important topic for the next government after the parliamentary elections later this year. Hopefully it will.

Should the Czech Republic be part of the hard core of the EU? There is no other alternative then to have influence and if there is to be a core, then one should aim for having influence on it. But we should not create barriers and draw lines.

The aim of the new government should be to be more mature, take initiatives on relevant issues at EU level, be constructive and be in regular contact with other EU heads of states.

Let me say, though, that we should avoid an artificial construction of a core. It is clear that at a certain point in time we will have many issues on the table and there we will see what is acceptable for us and what is not. This will shape our position within the EU. The UK is leaving. Do you perceive it as a threat to the EU project or as a natural evolution? What form of economic cooperation with the UK would be the best for the EU? It is not a threat to the project. If it should weaken the EU, then it means that the European project is really weak. And that is not the case. The negotiations might be difficult and they might create tensions among Member States and bring problems. Now we start the negotiations on the divorce and later about future cooperation. Within two years, we have to solve the most important issues and be aware of potential impacts. Of course

I would welcome if the UK would stay in the internal market or in Customs union but we know that the Brits go for the so-called hard Brexit. Therefore the most probable form of cooperation will be the free trade agreement supplemented by bilateral sector cooperation in whatever treaty form. I would argue for a strong cooperation on defence, education, R&D and others.

Do you think that TTIP still has a chance to survive?

There is a lack of consistency in Trump’s decisions and therefore it is more difficult to anticipate his further steps, both domestically and vis-à-vis international partners. That leads me to more sceptical speculations. But I am an optimistic person. I deem that the US business will be aware of the impact because in TTIP there are many positive aspects for US business. The negotiations might go back to the point where they were at the time of the US elections. The strategic partnership at a global level in creating regulatory order to confront the practices that are not always optimal might be the trigger effect of the negotiations. TTIP could be a great strategy towards third partners such as China.

I know there are many supporters of the EU – US agreement on the US side but it seems as Trump's a paradox.

Since mid-June, new rules on roaming have been applied. It is a great achievement for the European Parliament. What else does the EU plan for its citizens within the digital single market strategy?

There are many new initiatives that we are working on. The consumers will benefit from new rules of geo-blocking at the beginning of 2018. They will be able to shop online without being blocked because of their geographic location. In May, the European Parliament has also adopted new rules which will enable the citizens to have access to their prepaid online services like subscriptions to films, sports events, e-books, video games or music services when travelling within the EU. I am fed up with being blocked from seeing a rugby match when traveling. This will be a great achievement. We have also progressed on the proposal of 5G deployment. At the end of May, the European Union institutions agreed to set aside 120 million euros to provide free wireless internet connections by 2020 for up to 8,000 municipalities in the EU in areas with no internet coverage. The Czech Republic has to focus more on the digital economy, not only industry but also the government. We lag behind Estonia by 15 years. We are still the country where the goods are assembled and not created.

Thank you for the interview!

By Alena Mastantuono české znění naleznete v elektronické verzi magazínu na www.czechleaders.com

CZECH&SLOVAK LEADERS II/2017

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EU

DEBATE

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From left: Jaroslav ZajĂ­Ä?ek, Deputy Head of the Czech Permanent Representation to the EU and Dan Ťok, Czech Minister of Transport

From left: Eddy Liegeois, Head of Road Transport Unit, DG MOVE, European Commission, Emanuel Ĺ Ă­p, Head of Transport Section, Czech Chamber of Commerce, and Jan NÄ&#x203A;mec, Head of Social AďŹ&#x20AC;airs, IRU

Participants of the debate

From left: Jaroslav ZajĂ­Ä?ek, Deputy Head of the Czech Permanent Representation to the EU, Dan Ťok, Czech Minister of Transport, Eddy Liegeois, Head of Road Transport Unit, DG MOVE, European Commission, Emanuel Ĺ Ă­p, Head of Transport Section, Czech Chamber of Commerce, and Jan NÄ&#x203A;mec, Head of Social AďŹ&#x20AC;airs, IRU

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From left: Martin PovejĹĄil, Head of the Czech Permanent Representation to the EU, Martin Michelot, Deputy Director of EUROPEUM Institute for European Policy, and Steven Blockmans, Head of EU Foreign Policy, Centre for European Policy Studies (CEPS)

From left: Martin Michelot, Deputy Director of EUROPEUM Institute for European Policy, Filip Nerad, Permanent Correspondent of the Czech Radio in Brussels, Jakub DĂźrr, Deputy Minister of Foreign AďŹ&#x20AC;airs for European Issues, and Pavel Svoboda, Chair of the Committee on Legal AďŹ&#x20AC;airs, European Parliament

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Participants of the debate

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AleĹĄ ChmelaĹ&#x2122;, Chief EU Analyst of the OďŹ&#x192;ce of the Government of the Czech Republic

Jan BureĹĄ, Chief Economist at Patria Finance and Julie HrstkovĂĄ, Commentator of HospodĂĄĹ&#x2122;skĂŠ noviny

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EU

MATTERS BUSINESS

DID YOU KNOW THAT? End of EU roaming As of 15th June 2017, the EU roaming regulation on wholesale price caps is applied. It enables EU citizens to call, send SMS and use data during travelling without any extra charges. The same costs as at home apply in the 28 EU countries + Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein. The operators are not obliged to offer roaming with all kind of tariffs, but if they do, they have to put the same prices as domestic to all customers.

This new change follows the idea of Digital Single Market.

More privacy on the internet The European Parliament is currently focusing on new privacy rules regarding the new types of messaging via the internet, such as WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, Skype, etc., as well as browser cookies. The proposal of ePrivacy Directive was published in January by the European Commission and the adoption of the rules is planned for May 2018.

New momentum for brexit negotiations On the 29th of March, the UK notified the European Council of its intent to withdraw from the EU and started brexit negotiations. The EU and the UK have until 29th of March 2019 to negotiate the conditions of the “divorce”. In the meantime, the Council endorsed the European Commission to be the main brexit negotiator for the EU and on 22nd of May the negotiating mandate was approved by the Council. One of the main priorities for the EU will be citizen rights and trade conditions.

New mobility package On the 31st of May, the European Commission presented its mobility package called Europe on the Move. The aim of the package is to ensure safer traffic, encourage fairer road charging, limit emissions and pollution produced by transport and modernize EU transport. One of the hot issues of the package are the new rules for posting of workers in the transport sector.

According to the proposal, if drivers spend more than 3 days on a territory of another Member State, they are considered posted workers and minimum wage of given Member State should apply on them.

Free Wi-Fi in the EU On the 29th of May, EU institutions reached an agreement on the WiFi4EU initiative that will provide free public Wi-Fi hotspots across the EU. A total of 120 million euro will be given to the initiative to fund equipment for up to 8 000 municipalities in the EU. Once the system of financing is set up, local authorities from the whole EU can start to apply. The hotspots should be placed in public spaces like squares, parks, hospitals and others.

LET´S TALK NUMBERS! EU draft budget for 2018 revealed At the end of May, the European Commission presented its proposal for EU budget for 2018. The draft budget suggests the total of commitments of almost 161 billion euro. The main priorities of the EU in the next year will be support of young people, economic growth and strategic investment. As for the budget headings, the largest amount of funding should be given to the European Structural and Investment Funds (55.4 billion euro) and support of EU farmers (59.6 billion euro).

EU economy in good shape According to a survey by BusinessEurope, EU GDP is now 5% above 2008 level. Apart from that, EU businesses confidence remains high, which is also reflected in the growth forecast for the rest of the year. The so-called Consensus Economics forecast for EU growth in 2017 was updated from 1.5% in December to 1.7% in March. Apart from that, the number of unemployed is steadily decreasing. However, unemployment percentage is 1.2 points higher than before the 2008 crisis.

EU unemployment at 8.0% According to Eurostat, the statistical office of the European Union, the EU28 unemployment rate was 8.0% in March 2017, down from 8.1% in February 2017. In the euro area, the unemployment rate reached 9.5% and remained unchanged compared to previous month. The best results were recorded in the Czech Republic (3.2%), Germany (3.9%) and Malta (4.1%), while the highest unemployment remains to be in Greece (23.5% in January 2017) and Spain (18.2%).

Annual inflation rising in the EU Euro area annual inflation reached 1.5% in March 2017, down from 2.0% in February, while the European Union annual inflation was 1.6%, 0.4% less compared to previous month. In April 2017, euro area annual inflation increased to 1.9%. The increase could be seen in the EU28 as well, reaching 2.0%. The lowest inflation rates were registered in Romania (0.6%), Ireland (0.7%) or Slovakia (0.8%). On the contrary, the highest rates were recorded in Estonia (3.6%), Lithuania (3.5%) and Latvia (3.3%). These figures come from Eurostat, the statistical office of the European Union.

EU28 GDP rising in Q1 2017 During the first quarter of 2017, GDP of the euro area and the EU28 rose by 0.5% compared to Q4 2016. Compared to the same quarter of the previous year, the GDP rose by 1.7% in the euro area and by 2.0% in the whole EU. During the first quarter of this year, the Czech Republic recorded a GDP growth of 1.3% compared to the previous quarter. Compared to the same quarter of the previous year, the growth was even higher reaching 2.9%.

IN THE WORLD! Lower tariffs for Sri Lanka Since the 19th of May, the European Commission has removed a significant part of the remaining import duties on exports from Sri Lanka coming to the EU. The removal concerns 66% of tariff lines including textile products and fisheries.

As for Sri Lanka, the government promised to implement measures concerning human rights, environmental protection and good governance.

Investment is a mixed competence The Court of Justice of the European Union published its opinion in which it states that investment, including portfolio investment, and investor to state dispute resolution is a mixed competence. This means that every Free Trade Agreement that the EU concludes which includes these chapters must be ratified by national Parliaments of EU Member States.

All the other agreements fall under exclusive competence of the EU. EU-China Business Summit At the beginning of June, the 12th EU-China Business Summit took place in Brussels. The aim of the summit was to discuss current economic relations between the EU and China and focus on mutual challenges. The President of the European Commission Jean-Claude Juncker appreciated ambitious Chinese reforms, but at the same time he mentioned that he would expect a faster implementation. EU Trade Commissioner Cecilia Malmström stressed that in order to have a prosperous trade relations, Chinese people and businesses need to have free access to independent information.

Circular economy mission to Colombia The European Commission is preparing a trade mission to Colombia focused on Circular economy. The mission will take place from 16th till 19th October 2017 and will include highlevel political and technical meetings with representatives of Colombian administration, international and business organizations.

Participation at the event is free of charge; however companies will need to pay travel and accommodation costs. The registration is open until 31st of July for EU-based companies. More information can be found on the website of Directorate General for Trade of the European Commission.

Euro area trade in goods surplus higher than last year According to data released by Eurostat, the statistical office of the European Union, euro area international trade in goods surplus amounted to 30.9 billion euro in March 2017.

The exports of goods to the rest of the world reached 202.3 billion euro, while imports stood at 171.4 billion euro. The surplus is 2.7 billion euro higher than in March 2016.

Brought by CEBRE – Czech Business Representation to the EU

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