Issue 01/2022

SPRING 2022

PROFESSIONAL WOMEN IN MALELED PROFESSIONS

www.czechleaders.com incl. electronic version

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P U B L I S H E R ’S N OT E

Benke Aikell Founder Eva Anderová & Meshulam Zisso Owners & Executive Editors Linda Štucbartová Chief Interviewer Petra Kubernátová Webmaster Martina Hošková Edit & Translation Jitka Tomečková Photographer Publisher PRIME (1998) s.r.o Olgy Havlové 2914\52 130 00 Žižkov - Prague 3 IČ: 25682784 DIČ: CZ25682784 e-mail: info@czechleaders.com www.czechleaders.com Czech & Slovak Leaders Olgy Havlové 2914\52 130 00 Žižkov - Prague 3 email : info@czechleaders. com www.czechleaders.com Licence: MK ČR E 13147 No reproduction is permitted in whole or part without the express consent of Czech & Slovak Leaders. The advertiser is responsible for the advertising contents. Opinions expressed in this publication are those of the authors or persons interviewed and do not necessarily reflect the views of the editors or Czech & Slovak Leaders.

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Dear Readers, friends, and partners, We are happy to catch up and provide you with up-to-date information, social and cultural events, captivating interviews, and issues that affect us all.

We have dedicated this issue to standout and remarkable women, some of whom are unseen, unspoken of, and unvoiced in most of the media.

We are happy to give them their well-deserved credit.

All of the women we interviewed have shattered the notion of purely ‘masculine’ professions.

They stand out in the best possible way, proving the feminist ideal that real-life equality with men really does exist.

There are many examples of such women in high levels, but we consider all women who break professional status quo and prejudices to be exceptional.

The main theme of this issue is “women who shattered the glass ceiling”. Each of these women is a pioneer in her profession, who got where she is through talent and a lot of hard work.

We believe that we can encourage other women to reach outside of their comfort zone, into new professions they haven’t considered before.

As for our weekly email newsletter, we encourage you to sign up! You will find it very handy and practical, with more interesting interviews and events to enjoy. https://www.czechleaders.com/uncategorized-en/ subscribe-to-our-newsletter You can already look forward to our upcoming June 2022 issue.

As we will be one month away from the start of the Czech EU Presidency, we will provide you with the relevant high-level information, plus interviews with the state representatives who will represent the Czech Republic regarding Presidency issues.

These days, we are united with you in supporting the freedom and dignity of those in need.

Sincerely Yours, Eva & Meshulam, Owners and Executive Editors eva.anderova@czechleaders.com meshzisso@czechleaders.com

interviews 6 10

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Interview with Wanda Adamík Hrycová I want to make quality mainstream films Interview with Michaela Franeková Falling in love with strategy towards purpose and sustainability Interview with Lucia Pálková Masaryčka is in my heart Interview with Klára Brachtlová Healthy organizational culture is crucial for creating equal opportunities Interview with Rita Čepurčenko Without you, our work makes no sense Interview with Kateřina Dostálová I must do the same work as men, but I do it differently Interview with Tereza Gafna Váňová Breaking boundaries: female Orthodox Jewish winemakers Interview with Martina Viktorie Kopecká Diversity is enrichment, not a risk Interview with Sabina Měšťanová It is crucial to separate the important from the irrelevant Interview with Eva Husová Omotenashi by Toyota Interview with Tereza Večerková Coal does not complain

events 54 India’s Republic Day 59 Senate Brussels: The first joint foreign trip of the Speakers of both chambers of Parliament - Speaker of the Senate Miloš Vystrčil and the Speaker of the Chamber of Deputies Markéta Pekarová Adamová 62 The opening party of the Colors of Woman 3D exhibition 66 Aquapalace V.I.P. Club

CONTENTS

contributors 68 Miroslav Bobek Twice to the Eastern Congo to see (not only) gorillas 72 Petr Šíma Waiting for more unicorns 76 Viktorie Součková Bogle Architects – around the world in 10 years 80 Jan Řežáb Socially responsible investing (ESG): one path to a healthy environment 83 Daniel Kriso A Czech heaven in Bali 85 Marie Khawajah The year 2022 in interior design will be dominated by a close connection to nature 89 Eliška Kolečkářová An easy way to solve your dispute - mediation as an alternative to the court proceeding process 92 Meshulam Zisso Dogs are our best friends, let´s take care of their health

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INTER VIE W W ITH WA NDA A DAMÍK HRYCO VÁ, FIL M P R ODUCE R

I want to make QUALITY MAINSTREAM films Text: Martina Hošková and M. Zisso; Photo: Archive

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Would you like to meet a woman whose day has 36 hours? Then meet Wanda Adamík Hrycová - film producer, President of the Slovak Film and TV Academy, Honorary Consul of Seychelles in Slovakia, and a mother of three boys. The last film she produced, “Známí neznámí”, became number one in Slovakia, beating even the new James Bond.

You are a movie producer, the last person in the food chain of the industry. How did you get there?

I am doing the work that I have always wanted to.

I never thought of a different profession, so right after finishing high school I went to the Academy of Performing Arts in Bratislava to study production and management. And I have been doing it ever since.

My goal is to make quality mainstream films that would entertain people and make them think at the same time. So, if I manage to make films that attract many people into cinemas and receive good critical reviews, I am happy. Like with my last film “Známí neznámí”. It received very good reviews in Slovakia, on csfd.cz we got 72%, and it became number one in attendance.

I hope to repeat the success in the Czech Republic too, you can wish me luck.

“Známí neznámí” is premiering in Prague now, can you tell us more about it?

The movie is a Czechoslovak remake of the Italian comedy-drama “Perfetti Sconosciutti” by Paolo Genovese. The script of the film has entered the Guinness Book of World Records for the most remakes – about 38 local versions of the film as of today, and it became a local hit in each market. I am very happy we won the fight over the rights for the Czech Republic and Slovakia because the film is really great. And I am very happy to hear that some people find our version even more amusing than the original.

How is COVID-19 affecting your activities?

Of course, our business was extremely affected by COVID-19. Even if we miraculously manage to shoot a film without anybody getting sick, quarantining the

IN T ER VI E W W I T H WA N DA A DAMÍ K H RYCO VÁ, F I LM P R O D UCER Perfect Strangers - Známí neznámí

whole crew, or any possible lockdowns (all of which cost an enormous amount of money), the problem comes with the distribution. Cinemas were shut down for most of 2020 and 2021 in Slovakia, and now when they are open again attendance is very poor. Let me give you an example: I shot a film in the summer of 2020 and planned to release it in Slovakia and the Czech Republic at Christmas the same year. The reality was that we premiered in Slovakia in August 2021, and in the Czech Republic we are planning for the premiere to take place on March 31, 2022. You can imagine what these shifts do to my business plans and cashflow.

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What do you think about the #METOO movement and how do your male colleagues treat you?

I have no problems with my colleagues, male or female. I am quite lucky to be able to choose who I work with, and I only choose amazing, talented, and smart people. Outside of my crew, it gets a little complicated sometimes, since some men have ego deficiency problems and they tend to compete with me. But I am a big girl, so it does not trouble me anymore, I find it rather amusing.

Regarding the #METOO movement, I think it is very important that this issue has been finally spoken

Koproducenti

znamin nam neznam namineznamifilm m ifilm film fil Hlavní mediální partneři

Mediální partneři

zn namineznam namineznamicz nezn nezna icz cz Distributor

Klára Issová, Petra Polnišová, Martin Hofmann

INTER VIE W W ITH WA NDA A DAMÍK HRYCO VÁ, FIL M P R ODUCE R

9 Wanda Adamík Hrycová with Zuzana Čaputová

about publicly. It is necessary that society draws lines and sets clear boundaries. Everyone, whether a man or a woman, should recognize the difference between a pleasant man-woman conversation and an uncomfortable and unacceptable one. I think that men often do not realize that some of their “funny” remarks or gestures can be very harmful and painful to women. And that must stop.

One of your movies became the most successful Slovak film in history. What is your next step? The Oscars?

You are talking about “Čára” (The Line), a film that premiered in the main category of the 2016 Karlovy Vary International Film Festival and won the Best Director Award. As I said, I enjoy making films that make people think. The films that get stuck in your head for hours, ideally days, after you leave the cinema. Films that make you talk to your family and friends, films you want to see again.

I absolutely love films. And my family. So, in, let´s say 10 years, I hope to still be around and healthy, making films, and knowing that my boys are living happy lives. These are the most important things to me. The rest we will see… what happens, happens.

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I N T E R VIE W W ITH MICHA EL A FRA NEKO VÁ, G ENERA L MA NAG ER, UN ILE VE R

Falling in love with STRATEGY towards purpose and SUSTAINABILITY Text: Linda Štucbartová; Photo: Archive

Women in the top leadership positions still do not exceed 20% when it comes to international corporations in the Czech Republic. Meet Mrs. Michaela Franeková, general manager of Unilever for the Czech Republic and Slovakia. Michaela’s success was awarded by her repeated nomination at the TOP Women Entrepreneurs chart in the Czech Republic. Michaela joined Unilever 20 years ago. For almost two decades, while executing her managerial positions and duties, she has actively pursued the opportunity to change the world. What is her favorite purpose-driven brand? How does she view Generation Z? And what she is looking forward to?

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How does it feel to be a woman in a man’s world?

I am sure you have heard the same answer from all women included in this special edition - that is not how we perceive the situation. I feel like I am part of a leaders’ world. Since I have made my way up through the company I still tend to work with a high number of women, in terms of the women I either collaborate with or lead. I tend to approach diversity and inclusion in holistic way, rather than simple “men versus women”. I must admit that I was lucky as I had a chance to advance my career in Eastern Europe. We might perceive Eastern Europe as still lagging a bit behind Western Europe in terms of the percentage of women leaders being represented. I have never seen barriers - I have always explored opportunities in terms of building my career, working with my network, or using connections.

We, as women, need to learn these strategic skills, and then leadership comes naturally.

Let me turn to the topic of purpose-driven brands, which is close to your heart. Unilever is known for its famous campaigns. As a woman and a mother of a teenage daughter and son, I love the Dove campaign supporting ‘true beauty’. Hellman’s fights against food-waste and Czech favorite ice-cream Míša promotes trees planting. Which brand story is your favorite?

You picked the top ones. It is true that we have a lot of beautiful brands offering a lot of purposeful stories.

I have fully embraced Unilever’s strategy towards pur-

pose and sustainability, mainly thanks to Paul Pollman, who was a former CEO of Unilever and also worked with the United Nations to start fighting for the SDGs strategy. I love diversity, both culturally as well as natural biodiversity. I love to do free sports and admire untamed nature. Therefore, I believe it is important to lead for positive change.

The three brands – Dove, Hellman’s and Míša – that you have mentioned, are exceptional in terms of their longevity, consistency and heritage. It is amazing to see how each of these brands has grown and developed their purpose and impact.

You mentioned Dove. Is there a woman who would not love the Dove campaign? We all need to see natural beauty as a type of beauty that should be celebrated. This is true not only for women but also for men. Be yourself, love yourself, and respect yourself for who you are, and what you will achieve is the right way people should be looking at each other. The campaign has evolved and gained importance, especially when taking into consideration the role social media plays nowadays. This is one of the reasons why this year‘s Dove campaign focused on the distorted reality of social networks, which is often presented there. A survey conducted by Dove among young girls found that 12-year-old girls have been using various filters and applications to edit their photos on social networks, and that many young girls are negatively affected by how others rate them there. Education and showing the reality (of these images) is impor-

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tant at an early age. Our educational and interactive programs especially focus on school children, but also publicly show and explain this phenomenon.

Moreover, Dove has been fighting against animal testing for a long time. Lastly, it was also one of the first brands that completely switched to PCR (post-consumer resin) packaging.

Now let us turn to Hellman’s. How did you come up with the idea to link this brand with the food waste campaign?

Is there anyone who grew up in the Czech Republic and Slovakia and does not like Hellman’s? As a leading brand on the market for the dressings category, it also promotes sustainability. Next to sustainably sourced oil, we push for free-range eggs, and advocate for animal welfare. Fighting against food waste was a very clever choice, as the product uplifts any taste - who does not love a bit of mayo or tartar sauce on their food? Even though we are not in a part of the world that suffers from hunger, food waste is simply not fair. More than 40% of

food waste happens in households. So not only do we donate many products to food banks, but we inspire positive changes overall. I believe that all big brands should bring about such inspiration. For the second year in a row, together with Tesco, we have prepared a Christmas salad from the food that would have gone to waste and donated it to the People in Need Foundation. This is such a nice experience for all of our employees who are involved. As the cost of the food will be increasing, people will start valuing (the cause of reducing food waste) more and more. Food is too good to be wasted.

Therefore, we care about food waste, following the full end-to-end food journey - from sourcing to production to selling - finishing by inspiring consumers to join us when consuming (the food) at home.

Are there any new brands with interesting stories coming to the Czech Republic? Any news to share with Czech and Slovak Magazine readers?

I am very passionate about introducing products from The Vegetarian Butcher to the (Czech and Slovak)

I N T E R VIE W W ITH MICHA EL A FRA NEKO VÁ, G ENERA L MA NAG ER, UN ILE VE R

market. We only introduced this brand two years ago when we acquired the Dutch company so we are still building the awareness for it. It is a meat replacement, a plant-based meat alternative. Again, I fell in love with the story – Jaap Korteweg, founder of the Vegetarian Butcher brand, grew up in a family of traditional pig farmers. When pig flu affected the farms, all the pigs had to be slaughtered. What a waste of so many animal lives. As he was a heavy meat eater and a meat lover, he started exploring the alternatives.

With the brand slogan “Sacrifice Nothing”, he wanted to create vegetarian meat that would provide the same taste experience, and the same structure, while creating more balance for the planet. Food shortage, alongside climate change, highlights the importance of a more sustainable diet, and I am proud that Czech and Slovak consumers are among the first ones from the Eastern European region to find these products on the shelves.

The young generation is much more cautious about trends, global impact, and climate change.

We have had fierce discussions with our daughter about the agreement with Poland regarding the Turow mine. While my husband and I see it as reasonable, she claims you cannot sell the climate for money. How do you view the next generation, Gen Z? They are fantastic. I generally love working with young people. I also love working with people I learn

from, and they have given me a lot of knowledge and experience. Right now, we are living in a time where reverse mentoring is becoming even more important, (especially) when it comes to digital technologies and their consumption. The big difference I see with Gen Z is in regards to access to information, understanding global triggers, and understanding the global climate impact. The opportunities available to them, in terms of travelling, and their insight due to access to information, are very different. They are great challengers; they bring with them a lot of inspiration and they are very hungry to apply what is working on the other side of the planet. They are shaping the future and have great accountability. As you mentioned, they will never trade their values for money.

What are you looking forward to in 2022?

I am a very optimistic person; I tend to look at everything as glass half full. I am also very progressive, I embrace change. Leaving sustainability aside, I think that we are facing a new period. Not only as a society, but also as businesses. I am looking forward to new inventions. And they always come. When we are under such tremendous pressure as we are in business; such as people engagement, people retention, or people collaboration; I expect new inventions in those areas. When you are pushed to the wall, you always come up with new ideas, new models, or new ways of functioning. I look forward to exploring these.

And I believe that we are changing for the better.

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I N T E R V I E W W ITH LUCIA PÁ L KO VÁ, P R O JEC T MA NAG ER, P ENTA REA L E STAT E

MASARYČKA is in my HEART Text: Linda Štucbartová; Photo: Archive

How many female names can you recall in connection with architecture and civil engineering? Probably only Eva Jiřičná and Zaha Hadid. Let me introduce you to Lucia Pálková, who certainly belongs among the notable ladies of the Czech construction world.

She is the one responsible for the construction of two multifunctional buildings in Prague Florenc and the revitalization of the area according to the famous Zaha Hadid design.

What challenges arise from this project? What is it like to cooperate with the Zaha Hadid Architects studio? And how does she deal with the project´s pitfalls, whether in the form of the pandemic or public criticism?

The first question asks itself, considering the theme of this special magazine edition. How do you find being in a field where finding a woman is still quite rare?

Civil engineering is not a highly preferred field for women, but over the last few years we can observe an increasing number of them here too, even in management positions. I can see it around me, in the Penta Real Estate company where I work - the number of female colleagues I have is increasing every year. The interesting thing is that, before, women used to work mainly in design offices or studied architecture, while today they have key positions right at the construction sites too. At Masaryčka, for example, we also have a woman acting as chief structural engineer on behalf of our contractor. On the other hand, there is no need to point out that there are such architectonic icons as Zaha Hadid or Eva Jiřičná. I highly respect both – they are truly world-renowned names.

Let us move onto the famous Zaha Hadid. How does it feel to work on the design of such an icon?

Unfortunately I did not get a chance to meet Zaha Hadid in person since I only started working on the project after she had already passed away. However, we cooperate with her London studio, Zaha Hadid Architects. From there, the Masaryk railway station project is supervised by Jakub Klaška, who studied with her in Vienna and whom she chose for her team back then. He was her right-hand man with Masaryčka so he has been further developing the project in the spirit of her legacy. Cooperating with this architectural studio is really something special, and I am sure I am not just speaking for myself. They do things differently; they do not accept any limits. We have been through an interesting experience with them while working on a walling design - or Masaryčka´s façade - for instance.

The London studio made it very clear that no fasteners may be visible - no screws etc.

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The thing is that the shapes of the façade are atypical, and it is this intricate character of shaping that makes Zaha Hadid´s designs sometimes extremely difficult to implement. We have finally dealt with all their requirements. The key principle is that you must simply find a solution every time - do not rely on tradition and do not be afraid to look for new methods. The case of Zaha Hadid´s 520 West 28th Condo project in Manhattan is well known. The stainless-steel façade there was so tricky that nobody would have been able to pay for its production in a big production hall.

Therefore, it was finally tailor-made by small locksmith businesses, literally in their back yards. Zaha Hadid´s structures are truly timeless, and not only for their innovative methods and materials. It is normal in the Czech Republic that after 15 to 20 years administrative buildings must go through some repairs where large common spaces or the buildings’ façades are remade. We believe that in the case of Masaryčka the initial cost will be returned in the form of comfort and long-term sustainability of design.

Considering the scope of running such a large complex project, which phase is more difficult preparation or implementation?

In Masaryčka´s case, the preparation took more than six years. The implementation phase will be considerably shorter but definitely not easier. Both phases have their own pitfalls. Now, there is a really

challenging year and a half ahead of us, which will be crucial for maintaining the quality, cost, and above all the deadlines (of the project). The building is mostly occupied already and the contracts with the tenants always specify the date they move in. Everything has to click into place.

What specific work activities do you enjoy most in relation to project management? And which would you like to delegate?

I definitely enjoy working on design, looking for the best solutions in discussion with a project team, and of course generally working with people. On this project, I meet a lot of them, from various fields of expertise. What’s killing me is (working at) desks - the administration is

I N T E R V I E W W ITH LUCIA PÁ L KO VÁ, P R O JEC T MA NAG ER, P ENTA REA L E STAT E

part of this type of work - it is demanding and time-consuming, and I do not know anybody who would love it.

Nevertheless, it still belongs to our work too.

How do you cope with challenges connected to the pandemic, whether in the form of price increases or limited human capacity?

The material prices increase is very high, but we know how to deal with this factor. We select our suppliers very carefully and therefore can afford to sign long-term agreements, which have now proven to be beneficial. We managed to purchase enough materials in advance. We do not have a bad experience with construction downtimes due to illness. Penta pays, it is a good partner (to work with), which means nobody wants to cause any complications for us. Contractors get their workers tested on a regular basis to prevent mass quarantines. Work relationships are about mutual trust and reliability. Everybody must simply learn how to manage their own problems.

We have talked about the expectations and requirements of the architecture studio. Masaryčka provoked plenty of emotional reactions, which were not always positive… How do you cope with this type of pressure?

We dedicated a lot of time to discussions; primarily with experts but also with representatives of the public; back during the preparation phase of the project.

It is evident that public interest in land development and new projects in Prague is increasing. The public should be engaged in discussions as much as possible - receiving feedback is important and usually helps the project. Adequately informing the public prevents protests. They usually result from insufficient commu-

nication. On the other hand, we have to realize that we cannot make everybody happy.

Are the Czechs conservative about modern architecture? I see that in neighbouring Bratislava they are implementing more daring building designs…

I would say that, especially in Prague, there are fears of combining traditional and modern buildings. On the contrary, I search for such cases when I travel abroad.

I like discovering places where the blending of the old and new architecture is absolutely natural. Like in Dresden, Hamburg, London, and Antwerp… Unfortunately, we do not have many new buildings in Prague, but in most cases their stark contrast can only help the diversity of the city if the historic buildings are in good shape. This is also the reason we started with the reconstruction of the listed railway buildings - they will form a whole with the new architecture by Zaha, therefore their reconstruction was our first logical step in a planned change of the locality.

And a question to finish with – what are you looking forward to in 2022?

At Masaryčka - the process of sampling the interiors and façade, greenery, and all possible details.

A complex reconstruction of all surrounding infrastructure will also begin. It will be a very busy year at work. I am personally looking forward to my trips abroad; I will enjoy those and get some real rest. First, I am going to travel to Barcelona, where, surprisingly, I have not been yet. Travelling can give you more of a ‘big picture’ understanding and inspiration, which is important in every profession, not only civil engineering.

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I N T E R V I E W W ITH K L Á RA BRACHTLO VÁ, CO G ENERA L D IREC TO R AT T V N O VA

HEALTHY organizational culture is crucial for creating EQUAL OPPORTUNITIES Text: Linda Štucbartová; Photo: Archive

Klára Brachtlová runs TV Nova, the most watched Czech commercial television station, and she regularly ranks amongst the best in the Top Women of Czechia award. She shares her position as CEO with former sales director Jan Vlček. After a period of changes caused not only by the pandemic but also by the arrival of the station’s new owner, Klára Brachtlová is looking forward to the year 2022 being calmer. What does such a prospect of a quieter year look like? How does the theme of sustainability reflect in TV production?

And what is it that fascinates her about the Bohemian Spotted Dog breed?

Klára, I always ask women in leading positions the same question – “how is it working in a man´s world?” However, at TV Nova you have reached an almost natural equality. You have about 45% of women and 55% of men in management positions. And it was achieved without the dreaded and polarizing quotas…

A well-established organizational culture that manifests itself in the life of the whole company is crucial.

When we fill positions we do not say if we want a woman or a man, but if a woman is better she gets the same treatment as a man would have if he had succeeded in the recruitment procedure. So, we focus on the real creation of equal opportunities as the core value of our company. And the results have arrived in the form of an almost balanced management ratio.

You told me before that a calmer year is awaiting you than the two previous ones were. What visions have you outlined for 2022?

For me, creative industries are a matter of the heart.

I am proud that we managed to speed up the production of our own content. My greatest pleasure is meeting with authors - we reinforced the creative team, and managed to attract many highly capable people from the field of audio-visual works. Now, I would like to focus on two goals. The first considers further fostering of creative talent - we are working on the concept of our own Nova Academy; we are raising our own talents not only amongst authors but other professions too. It is our ambition to find young people interested in TV production, provide them with high-quality training, and share our exten-

sive expertise with them. This way, we want to raise screenwriters and dramaturges, but also film editors, script editors, and camera operators. The second goal is a sustainability issue. TV Nova has become member of albert, association which brings together media houses addressing the aspects of sustainability and responsible behaviour towards the planet. We want to be a role model and behave responsibly, therefore we obey very strict rules when we go “green filming”. Daily production is able to produce not only the recorded material but also 500 cups by drinking coffee and other beverages. Now, multiply this with the number of shooting days and different productions, since we often work on up to ten shootings in a single day. We reduced the use of plastic significantly; everybody is using their own cups instead. These steps seem simple, but taken globally they have an enormous effect.

We are aware of the large crossover our television has into everyday life. So, we want to lead our viewers towards responsible behaviour too. Whether when writing screenplays or setting the core parameters of works, we always consider ways of taking the principles of sustainability into account. For example, our viewers will see the actors recycling or children attending an eco-nursery.

Let´s return to the topic of digitalization, where, as a society, we have progressed a lot, also thanks to the pandemic. You mentioned in several interviews how much the pandemic contributed to digitalization at Nova, too. Can you see any further possible development in this direction?

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I always say that there is space for development everywhere. I am not going to speak about the digitalization connected to the operations as such, but digitalization in connection with the viewers. The important thing for us is data. Younger generations consume content at different times and through different devices. A single television world where all households met before one screen does not exist anymore. People meters are not good enough anymore. The group of viewers has disintegrated into fractional sub-groups.

Therefore, it is important to know how to work with each group, what content they consume and when, or what content they prefer.

Vlček, we started making videos for our employees a year ago where we inform them about the news. It is perfect practice for me at the same time.

And how can an introvert exist in the world of media?

I already mentioned at the beginning that the creative environment represents an amazing ‘charge’ for me.

I love spending time with creative people, and then I am the one who raises their visions; from a practical point of view; and gives them the parameters necessary to be delivered. I am not always popular for this approach, but everybody respects that we are not only a media company but also a commercial subject doing business for profit.

Will our children watch TV? They will grow old… (laughing). They will definitely watch. But maybe not a TV screen. We can see that small households, often male, have no TV set and they consume the content on small devices, either a computer or mobile. However, I am sure that the generation of future viewers is going to grow up for us.

What are you looking forward to in 2022 in your personal life?

I am currently in a very positive personal state so I cannot really think of any milestone that I should cling to. The time of the pandemic helped me enjoy being with my family even more. Every hour spent with my children is ‘charging’ me up and now I realize this much more than before. I hope that I will be able to travel. I was used to travelling regularly at Christmas, and I miss that a lot. From time to time, I need to get on a plane and escape. Physical distance helps me a lot with mentally detaching myself from everyday problems and being able to relax.

The two of us have known each other for quite a long time. We met while discussing the concept of ‘authentic leadership’ that destroys the myth of good leaders being only those who are very distinctive, charismatic, and always attracting attention. You are very calm, quiet, not attention seeking, and you are very successful too. How do you personally cope with this stereotype that is often unfavourable for introverted women in leading positions?

I am very well aware of both my talent and the expectations regarding leadership. I know that in some situations a leader must step up, motivate, or present to others. Public speaking is not amongst my favourite activities but I have a good team that supports me.

And I keep working on myself. With my colleague Jan

I will close by mentioning that you are a proud owner of a Bohemian Spotted Dog. Why do you find this breed so fascinating?

I was intrigued by the fact that it is very strictly a Czech breed. So, it is unique. Our original intention was to get a calmer girl and the owner shook her head in disbelief.

The general characteristic of these dogs is lively, and with a constant flow of energy. She is a bit of a mess, with happy eyes, and anytime we are outside she bursts with energy. She is my good mood charger.

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IN TER VI E W W I TH R I TA Č E P U R Č E N KO, CO N C E R T MA S TER O F FO K

WITHOUT YOU, our work makes NO SENSE Text: Linda Štucbartová; Photo: Archive

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Another personality among our “a woman in a man’s world” selection is Rita Čepurčenko, who, since 1995, was the first and still only woman in the position of concertmaster of the Prague Symphony Orchestra FOK. A concertmaster is not only the leader of the first violin section but has a responsibility for the whole orchestra, including tuning and representing the voice of the orchestra to the conductor. At the same time, a concertmaster plays the hardest music parts, including difficult solos. Rita Čepurčenko graduated from the Leningrad Conservatory and worked in France. In 2011, she and the oboe player Liběna Séquartová founded the chamber ensemble Musica Pro Anima, composed of members of the FOK. How do you perceive being a woman in a man´s world? Are orchestras still more of a man´s world?

Orchestras are no longer only a man´s world. When you look around, even in the very best orchestras in the world, the number of women is increasing. The world has changed and what used to be a man´s profession before isn’t one anymore. In FOK, we also have several women in the leading positions - besides me, there are also two concertmaster deputies, who are both brass instrument soloists. It was quite a long time ago that this change began.

What exactly are the responsibilities of a prestigious orchestra’s concertmaster? What do you consider the most difficult, and on the contrary the most pleasant, part of your work?

The exact and complex specification of the (concertmaster) position would probably require all the pages your magazine has, but what I find most rewarding about my work is meeting amazing musicians, giving beautiful concerts, nailing solos, and receiving compli-

ments from my fellow performers. The most difficult moments are when I feel that I cannot influence the results of my work, and that the huge rock I am pushing has nothing to do with art and music.

The Russian school of violin playing has made a particular name for itself in the classical music world. What makes it so special? Do you come from a musical family?

I was not born into a musical family; I am the first and last musician in the family. My father was an academic sculptor, my brother a painter, and my mom an entomologist. You could easily write a whole book about the Russian school of violin - it is an amazing phenomenon. Simply recall names like Oistrach, Kogan, Treťjakov, or Kremer. I come from, let´s say, another branch, the Petrohrad (St. Petersburg), founded by Prof. Leopold Auer, who raised stars like Jascha Heifetz, Miron Poliakin and so on, including Michail Vajman, and Boris Gutnikov, my professor. After the collapse of the USSR, my generation went all over the world and

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thus spread the fame of the Russian school everywhere - from America, through Europe, to South Korea and China.

Is it still true what the traditional saying claims: Every Czech is a musician?

I am afraid that this has changed now. The priorities are elsewhere. When I moved to Czechoslovakia thirty years ago, it was certainly true. The Czechs were an extremely musical nation; everybody played an instrument and sang - what a pity that it has changed.

I know that female writers often reject a “female literature” or “female writing” genre. Are there any gender-based differences in the interpretation and composing of music?

I do not really have an answer to this question. I remember that my professor used to tell me when he was complimenting me: “Now, you have played it like a man!”. I personally do not hear a woman or a man in (players’) interpretation - on the contrary, there are many female violinists, and it does not occur to you to think like that. As far as female composers are concerned, I think it was a question of this role being incompatible with the role of women in society. This has changed and I believe that there is now room for a genius female composer to appear, or even several of them.

You were a member of the ensemble Musica Bohemica, which specializes in folk music. What is your relationship to this kind of music? And what music do you listen to?

I was a member of the Musica Bohemica for only a short time, but I was part of the unique and long tour at the turn of 1989 and 1990, the memories of which I still have in my mind. I am still in touch with Jaroslav Krček, he and I have recorded a lot of chamber music with the Bratislava ensemble Capella Istropolitana. I personally listen to symphonic and quartet music. I love the old interpreters who are not with us anymore. I have a good relationship with the old-time recordings, back when there were no corrections being made and music was recorded live. There is incredible magic in them.

In the context of the pandemic, we all realized the importance of culture and how much we missed it. What else should the public know about your work?

I could not have imagined experiencing such a live concert “withdrawal”. I would like to tell everyone who comes to our concerts that we miss you a lot.

We need you. Without you our work makes no sense.

I hope that this horror is going to end soon. Please come; we are looking forward to seeing you!

What are you most looking forward to this year?

Here, I am basically following up on the previous question - I look forward to the end of the pandemic when everything returns to normal, we will be shaking hands again, hugging each other, going to pubs, and visiting our friends and family with no fear. All of those are rare these days.

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INT ER VI E W W I T H K AT E Ř I N A D O S TÁ LO VÁ, C H I E F O F THE FIRE S ER VICE S TATIO N

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I must do the SAME WORK AS MEN, but I do it DIFFERENTLY Text: Linda Štucbartová; Photo: Fire department archive

Let us introduce Lt. Ing. Kateřina Dostálová. She is in command of the fire service station Konice in the Olomouc region. She graduated from the VSB - Technical University of Ostrava, receiving her degree in Fire Protection Engineering and Industrial Safety and since 2007, she has been active in the Fire Rescue Service of the Olomouc region. Kateřina Dostálová is married and has two little children. In her free time, she ejoyes spending time with her family and being physically active. What exactly are the responsibilities of the fire service station chief? What should we focus on in regards to fire prevention? And how does the pandemic influence the life-work balance of someone in her position?

I N T E R V I E W W ITH K ATEŘINA D O S TÁ LO VÁ, CHIEF O F THE FIRE S ER VICE STAT ION

What is it like to be a woman in a man´s world in your profession? Can you tell us more about your station?

I work as the chief of a small station with 15 firefighters who take turns doing three 24-hour shifts. There is always a commander, his deputy – a technician, two engineers, and a firefighter on each shift. The crew responds to all types of incidents: fires, car accidents, the rescue of persons and animals, and we also provide technical assistance. Simply said, our activities include everything from extinguishing a family house fire, securing a crashed car, removing a fallen tree from the road, capturing dangerous insects, helping emergency medical services load a patient, to, let’s say, taking a kitten down from a tree.

When I started working here, I was 27, had three years of work experience at the operations center, and was the youngest (in the station). This would be a hard start even for a big man, let alone a girl who is 170cm tall and weighs just a little over 50kg. I clearly understood that I cannot compete with men in regards to neither strength nor experience - I had to go about it differently, using the knowledge, diligence, flexibility, and cleverness of my small hands. And I had to learn

a lot. It was not easy; it was hard work, and I surely made a lot of mistakes. But now, eleven years later, I am still here, with 15 men under my command.

Having supportive and trusting superiors was a great advantage too.

Getting accepted by my colleagues, chiefs of stations themselves, and other daytime shift members of the fire service who I collaborate with was a bit easier (to achieve). We all do the same work; we all must get it done well and we all need the same skills. However, I still remain a bit of a curiosity for others.

You are a mother of two small children, and have spent six months on maternity leave. Balancing work and family life during the pandemic represents a major challenge for all working women, who manage taking care of their quarantined children and working from home at the same time. But I can´t imagine balancing things while working at the fire station…

When I returned to work after my maternity leave, my children were seven months old. There is a specific employment law that addresses returning to work after maternity leave for members of the security services.

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Lieutenant General Drahoslav Ryba, previous director general of Fire Rescue Service of the Czech Republic with Kateřina Dostálová at the ceremonial tapping of the foundation stone of a new fire station in Konice. On the back right Col. Petr Ošlejšek, Deputy Director General.

I was allowed to work part-time. First, it was ten hours per week, and now I work approximately “half”-time.

My superior and I always discuss what needs to be done and when, and then I adjust my work schedule accordingly. We do our best to help each other. Sometimes, I supplement the shift, which means it is not clear when I would get to go home. And even when I do get home, the phones keep ringing anyway and sometimes emails would come in which I have to take care of immediately. The things that my colleagues do while working full-time I have to do in a much shorter time, and just by myself most of the time. Sometimes, a colleague might help me, but there are moments when it is really hard to handle everything.

I would not be able to carry on through all this workload without my parents´ help. They have already retired and are of great help with babysitting and educating our children. They pick up our older son from kindergarten and when we need it, they spend the whole day with our younger daughter or both kids.

Our children really love their grandparents because they teach them different skills than we, their parents, do. I know that the children are in good hands, but for me not being with them is hard anyway. It makes coming back home even more pleasant.

What exactly does your shift look like? We all know the TV and film fire station “reality” where

the crew are reading or playing cards and then quickly slide down and get to the fire, which they manage to miraculously tame in just a few minutes…

TV series and films show a very distorted image.

Firefighters have a set daily schedule, which they obey. They hand over equipment, carry out repair and maintenance of the equipment and gear, and they are responsible for the maintenance of the facility.

Add to that physical, and above all professional, training for which we have about five hours every shift.

Firefighters intervene at various types of incidents, and it is necessary to be actively prepared for all of them. They must learn tactical procedures, hazard parameters, how to operate devices in vehicles - in short, everything that is necessary to manage a safe call. Not every intervention is managed immediately, not every one of them is simple, and most do not have much in common with the romantic images delivered to you on TV. My daily schedule as a chief of the station is considerably different from the one of deployed firefighters. Most of the day I dedicate to paperwork connected to planning the shifts, training, professional education, preparation of payroll documents, solving possible problems with equipment and material, and administration related to management of the facility. I also communicate with muni-

cipalities and various private subjects. I participate in the professional education of firefighters and occasionally give training to volunteer firefighters. I take part in activities organized by the territorial district or region. I should not forget to mention self-study - since I occasionally substitute the deployed shift, I must know everything that my colleagues do. Some days, I spend all my time solely in the office. Other days, I am gone elsewhere. My work duties are diverse and that is exactly what I like about my profession.

In regards to fires, prevention is vitally important. And here, new technology can help a lot.

What should people be focusing on?

ting face masks and respirators, helping hospitals take care of the patients and increasing capacity of COVID wards, and we were also helping with the construction of the test and vaccination centers. Some of our activities connected to the pandemic are still going on. Our station is still taking part in the distribution of face masks, respirators, and tests for schools, and we are helping with the construction of a testing center.

We perform standard activities under the increased hygienic measures. We work under a stricter shift occupation scheme. We get tested on a regular basis.

We must do everything to diminish the risk of infection among our members. We cannot close the station and put a “closed due to illness” sign on the door.

Today, there are many means of protecting buildings from fire. We have smoke alarms, automatic sensors on gas stoves, detectors for carbon monoxide in the air, we odorize gas… The goal is to improve our security. We think about fire escape routes and non-combustible materials. But we must not forget our own judgment and responsibility - do not put flammable items near the fireplace, do not leave the iron on…

In cars, we have a lane departure assist, proximity sensors, ABS, ESP, etc. However, if a reckless, irresponsible driver is involved, then all the top-notch safety technology becomes pointless.

What are you most looking forward to this year?

The pandemic made us all realize the importance of our critical infrastructure functioning well. What else should the public know about your work?

Workwise, I hope that COVID restrictions will be relaxed and everything gets back to normal, at least a little bit. I am looking forward to the training and seminars that I will be able to attend. And I already miss even the standard meetings where we exchange experience among colleagues. I hope we will finally be able to meet in person, not only online.

Here, in the Olomouc region, it began with bringing the citizens of the Czech Republic back home from other countries. In cooperation with the police we were guarding the closures at Litovel area, distribu-

As far as my private life is concerned, I am really looking forward to all the activities with my children and family. I like taking walks in nature, showing my children around their neighbourhood, and helping them learn how to ride their bikes, ride their walking bikes, and do in-line skating. We are planning to add some more playground equipment for the kids outside our house. We have planned some trips. I am looking forward to each smile they make, to each hug I get.

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Your Greek Myth

in the Heart of Prague AG O R A - G R E E K B I S T R O & D E L I M A R K E T Bu rzo vníí p a l á c I R Ryb B b ná á 6 82 / 14 , P rague 1 I 773 222 773 rezer va c e@ g reeka gora. c z I w w w. g re e k a g o ra . cz

INT ER VI E W W I T H T E R E ZA GA F N A VÁ Ň O VÁ, W I N E MA KER

Breaking boundaries: FEMALE JEWISH ORTHODOX WINEMAKERS Tereza Gafna Váňová Text: Linda Štucbartová; Photo: The winery archive

Did you know that the tradition of winemaking at the Most region is over 1000 years old? The climate conditions are comparable to Burgundy or Rhineland. So what is the story behind the only kosher winery in the Czech Republic? It is my pleasure to introduce you to Tereza Gafna Váňová. After the sudden death of her husband Moshe, she continued the family winemaking tradition with Moshe’s sister Kateřina Kreisinger, on top of being a full-time teacher at the Lauder Schools of Prague - not to mention her involvement in the Jewish community as a woman leader.

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Ivana Mertova and Kateřina Kulířová - two of the many Váňa family young women helping to run the family business

What is it like to be a woman winemaker in the winemaking industry? And is there a difference when it comes to being a woman winemaker in the Orthodox Jewish Community?

While most winemakers in the Czech Republic are men, worldwide there is a substantial number of women who own wineries or oversee the winemaking process. It is well known that women and men have different sensory qualities, so each gender thus approaches the winemaking process in a slightly different manner. It certainly is an asset to have both men and women involved when making wine.

As far as winemaking in the Orthodox Jewish world is concerned, I am very fortunate to be a part of a Jewish community that values its women and appreciates their work and wisdom. In the Prague Jewish niche, there are quite a few women in places of influence and power or in positions of leadership in spiritual or communal issues. When I started helping my husband make wine and consulted Rabbi Kalcheim, the supervisor of Czech Kashrut (the body of Jewish

religious laws concerning food), he encouraged me to engage in the endeavour and has been a great supporter of me ever since.

I do admit, though, that there are physical limits to what a woman can do in terms of hard manual winemaking labor. Luckily, today, many parts of the process are done by machines, and the rest that is physically difficult can always be done by skilful co-workers with stronger muscles.

What are the specifics when producing kosher wine? Also, sometimes you might even come across the term mevushal?

Kosher winemaking is identical to regular winemaking in terms of technological processes. The main difference is that from the moment of crushing the grapes until the moment of bottling the wine, the only hands that are allowed to move the wine around (even if it be pushing a switch that starts a pump for instance) must be the hands of a God-fearing Jew, which is a Jew that keeps or observes Jewish law.

The future generation

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This has a root in the fact that kosher wine is used for sacrificial purposes and as such cannot be made by a person that does not follow the rules of the Jewish faith. Mevushal wine is a special kind of kosher wine – it is a pasteurized kind of wine that partly goes around the rules and makes it possible for the ready-made bottled wine to stay kosher even when poured from the bottle by a non-Jewish person.

I love the movie ‘A Good Year’ directed by Ridley Scott. Russell Crow transforms from a British investment broker to a winemaker in Provence. However, after I visited your winery, I realized that the movie does not quite show the full picture of the laborious winemaking process. What are the tasks you like the most and which ones are your least favourite?

I really love this movie! I think that it very nicely depicts the love, sense of humour, and cute ups-and-downs of people that make wine. Naturally, it is a made-up fairy-tale – but why not! I like all parts of the winemaking process, even the dirty and stinky ones (and there are quite a few!). What I could do without are the times of year when you fear spring frosts and summer drafts or fall mouldy conducive weather - but that’s a part of a farmer´s life and it teaches everybody humbleness in the face of the power of nature and the hand of God.

My favourite part of winemaking would be probably designing the vignettes. I believe that some of yours are quite „un-Orthodox“..., such as Neshama (Soul) portrayed as a unicorn.

Most of our vignettes were originally the idea of my late husband Moshe. It is interesting to point out that the author of the graphic design is my friend Anna Frajtova, yet another woman who is a part of our winemaking family. When designing the vignettes and looking for names of editions for the wines, we think about how to communicate passion for the wine we make with our customers – it is a great part of the process and I enjoy designing the vignettes immensely. The design and the names of the wines tell the story of how, when, and under which circumstances the wines were made.

Your wines have collected quite a few awards and medals. Are you yourself planning on pursuing any special further education or sommelier courses etc?

My husband´s sister Kateřina is my biggest teacher, and she has taught me most of what I know about wine. I try to read about wine and learn from experience. It is a handicap to enter such a demanding field at a later age in life. Even though I am not giving up

on myself in this matter, I have realistic expectations about how much I can still learn and how “winemaker-like” I can become. As much as I am trying to learn, I am mainly focusing on learning the specific rules of kosher wine and relying upon the expertise of Kateřina in other aspects. But ask me five years from now, I might be singing a different song.

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How did the pandemic affect the winemaking industry and your business in particular?

Wine is not a perishable good and luckily it is produced mainly in open air – therefore, we did not see the first hit of the lockdowns in terms of immediate losses and limits on workforce (home office etc.).

Also, people started to enjoy wine more at home and created a habit of dining well with a good bottle at home, which helped us. However, in general, these are uncertain times for many. We are a small business and must search for all possible support and opportunities for sustainability and growth.

What are your plans for 2022?

My most immediate plan is to start making sparkling kosher wine – and I very much hope that this will be the novelty and success of this year.

Seeing how busy you are - a teacher, a winemaker, a mother of two… - how and when do manage to rest?

I walk. As much as I can. Either with Nordic walking sticks or just normally walk, just like that. I usually manage to walk between 100km to sometimes even 150km every month. It is a great way of combining healthy physical exercise and clearing your head. It´s free and can be done by anybody, anytime, anywhere.

Highly recommended!

What is your biggest wish when it comes to the winery?

I wish for the winery to continue to be a treasure and joy for our family. We have never been big money-makers or sharks in the market. But we strive for the reputation of a family company that produces fair quality goods, values its every customer, and takes good care of the environment and immediate surrounding nature of the winery. Not only do we have a certificate of ecological and nature-friendly farmers, but we also plant trees, support local bird colonies, have beehives in the vineyard and many other activities. I also appreciate the relationships we have in our immediate family as well as with our business partners. I only wish that we sustain and develop what we have right now.

Anna Mertová, Lucie Rolko and Kateřina Kreisinger - the three daughters of Ivan Váňa, the founder of the vinery

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IN TER VI E W W I T H MA R T I N A V I K TO R I E KO P E C K Á, P RIES T O F THE CZECHO S LO VA K HUS S ITE CHUR CH

Photo: Petr Weigl

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I N T E R V I E W W I T H MA R T I N A V I K TO RIE KO P ECK Á, P RIES T O F THE CZECHO S LO VA K HUS S ITE CH UR CH

DIVERSITY is ENRICHMENT, not a RISK Text: Linda Štucbartová

A woman amongst men. Literally. Martina Viktorie Kopecká is a priest of the Czechoslovak Hussite Church. She studied theology, psychology, and special pedagogy.

She is active in the international ecumenical movement and serves as chairwoman of the young generation´s ECHOS – an advisory body to the World Council of Churches. In 2018, she was the one representing the WCC at the Catholic Synod in Rome. Last year, she published a book called Deník farářky (Priest´s Diary), and with her dancing partner Marek Dědík, placed second in the StarDance TV competition.

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I am sorry, but before I start with a traditional question, I have to ask - when did you last dance? What was your experience like, leaving your comfort zone? And did your popularity have an impact on attendance at your God´s services?

Before the season of StarDance finished, I perfectly understood that after Christmas a “time without dancing” would await me. So, at the finals it was the last time I danced in pairs. This was followed by a running period - I could not stand still. I was listening to music from the (dance) training and would imagine myself dancing. Now, I am at home with COVID, just happy to be able to get my tea from the kitchen. Dancing changed my opinion about what my body is capable of by a lot. The physical aspect of the competition was as difficult as the mental one, yet I did not regret taking part in the project for a single moment. Marek Dědík was an amazing partner to me, and I do not exaggerate when I say he basically treated me like a princess.

He helped me in all the situations when I was feeling fragile. We did not waste our time on criticism, and started every training session smiling. We made coffee for each other, did not arrive late, cheered each other up, mourned everybody who had to go. My favourite was dancing barefoot, in our scenic dance where we portrayed the situation of a soul inviting a body for a dance, where both dimensions join to help man overcome the hard times. Our free dance´s theme was a black swan - I wanted to think about what it was like being a black swan, facing up to a shadow that we

all have inside, and drawing attention to the fact that a soul can also hurt and get ill. Other dances, those “in shoes”, were a great challenge for me. Sometimes I coped better, other times worse, but the longer we continued competing, the harder it got – suddenly, you do not have a month to practise your dance but three days, and every Saturday was a little premiere for us, in a new dress, with new music. But we were all in it together and it helped. We also had to handle stress caused by the instant risk of getting infected

by COVID. Every Sunday morning I was exhausted but happy that I could return to service and do what elevates my mind, even though my whole body was sore. It was already quite full in the church before StarDance, and surely a few came just because they saw me dancing on TV the night before. For me, though, the essential thing was the support from the people who make up the religious communities in the church and chapel where I serve, as well as the fact that my colleagues and superiors also stood by me.

And now the traditional question – how do you feel working in a man´s world?

If that means the church, then it is not a man´s world.

Well, maybe when you look at my photo from the Roman Catholic Church session at the Synod of Bishops in Vatican 2018, it might look like that, but, in the end, I do not feel like I am a type of minority as a serving woman. The Czechoslovak Hussite Church has been consecrating women for over seventy years,

Photo: Lukáš Bíba

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and other churches have also had women priests and deacons in both our country and abroad. That is good, it turns out that the diversity of the team - a plurality of approaches and opinions - is enrichment, not a risk for the whole.

The pandemic is getting too long. There have been many discussions about the first phase uniting us, bringing great solidarity. The following phases then brought a shadow pandemic in the form of increased domestic violence, polarization in our society, and mental problems experienced by both children and the elderly. Besides pastoral work, you are engaged in family therapy treatments. How do you perceive the state of today´s society?

The situation is fragile. Many times, we found ourselves at a point where we were convinced that everything was going to end soon. And disappointed, after some time, we found ourselves in the deep grip of anxiety yet again, with frustration turning into aggression now and then, and our optimism gradually facing the reality of things. I think we learned a lot about ourselves. The question is ‘how are we doing in terms of resilience and the ability to act in a time of crisis?’. Many people kept helping, others learned how to ask for help, we learnt a lot about what we need and how we can help each other. But we also learned

about the vulnerable and weak spots, like distance learning, which did not really suit most children who I talk to during therapy. However, this is not some relevant statistics - I rather want to say that instead of searching for solutions, many adults simply gave up and left the children in that situation alone. As for relationships, we were subjected to various tests and now have to deal with the marks we ourselves put on our own report card. I do not want to generalize, but what was about to fall, fell and broke. On the other hand, I heard a lot of good news about the “last straw” helping some people finally make decisions and stand up for themselves. Every cloud might have a silver lining. The sad truth, however, is that the number of funerals I had served in my ten previous years of work combined was lower than those I had served over the last year alone.

I like your invitation to God´s services. But how do you give faith, strength, and hope to those who do not believe?

I sometimes say that life is worship and worship is life. But spiritual experiences are awaiting us outside a church too - it might even be easier to experience them in places where we do not expect them. I think priests should not “shut” themselves in the parsonages but make themselves especially available in everyday life, outside of the church environment. We all have

Photo: Lukáš Bíba

our own value system that we cling to, whether we are believers or not. It is good to revise our priorities, cultivate our expression, actions, and thoughts, to meet people we resonate with, but also those whose views are different - it is the only way we can evolve, and see the steps behind, which constitute our life journey. Many would say that love and relationships are somewhere at the top of their value system.

And love is also experiencing a dialogue - if we keep working on focused listening and simultaneously express ourselves thoroughly and authentically, then we can be sure that this way we will take care of the relationships we live in. We need to create space for relationships and give them time and the same goes for spiritual life, no matter which religion is involved.

What social topic, in your opinion, is currently neglected?

Each person will probably have a different opinion on it; besides, I feel that all topics I am really sensitive about are discussed a lot: critical thinking (and in dialogue with theology as well), stereotypes regarding genders and minorities, or the spiritual life in the church and outside of it. I think, though, that what we could discuss even more is the un/availability of quality education at all levels, plus the issue of equal opportunities. Also, lately, I have been quite interested in the effect that regular exercise has on health and

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the psyche. I, a bookworm, was really surprised to find out how many positives exercise brings.

Besides pastoral and family therapy work, you write a Priest´s Diary blog, host the TV series Uchem jehly (Through a Needle´s Eye), dance…

Do you have time to relax?

No. Or just at times when I really can´t go on anymore. It is my captivity - a trap I am setting for myself when promising more than I can manage. I am not very good at saying “no” yet. But it is also true that I enjoy doing more things - I cannot imagine having just one field, just one focus, just one “pair of glasses”.

While doing one, I am relaxing from the second, third, fourth… and so far, I am okay with having it this way.

Time management is my greatest challenge, but an even bigger one is to accept only the challenges I really care for. I do not want to prove anything to anybody anymore but I really want to use my potential and expand my horizons. In the end, the dancing also came in handy. I started thinking about it from the ‘spiritual experience’ point of view. Everything in life is connected.

What are you looking forward to in 2022?

Finishing reading some books and starting writing some. And if it is possible, I would really like to travel again - I miss it a lot!

I N TER VIE W W ITH S A BINA MĚŠ ŤA NO VÁ, FIRS T O FFICER, S MA R T WIN GS

It is crucial to separate the IMPORTANT from the IRRELEVANT Text: Martina Hošková & M. Zisso; Photo: Smartwings archive

The very first Czech woman pilot took off with her plane back in 1911, during the Austro-Hungarian Empire. If she saw the airplane today, where Sabina Měšťanová has been sitting in the cockpit since 2008, she would surely be surprised.

To become a commercial aircraft pilot you must be very determined, since it will cost you a lot of time and finances. If you manage to go through everything and gradually obtain all the necessary licenses then you can apply for a job at airlines all over the world. Before reporting for work, you still need to pass one more test: type training for a specific aircraft.

Sabina Měšťanová flies for Smartwings airlines as a Boeing 737-800 co-pilot. She lives in Prague and has two daughters with her partner, a Hungarian pilot himself.

Dear Sabina, at the beginning of our interview, I can´t help but ask: Why did you decide to become a pilot?

If you knew my family the answer would be obvious.

Several of my relatives were members of flying clubs. My mother grew up at one of them, and during my childhood I was surrounded by a lot of stories about flying. At some point in my life, I started to feel like I would like to live through similar stories myself.

I imagine it must be great to know from childhood what profession you want to pursue.

Well, my story is not that straightforward. I was attracted to flying; however, I graduated as an

architect and went through the almost ten-year-long work experience at renowned Prague architectural studio D3A. In my working portfolio there are a few small and bigger projects, including some well-known Prague sites like Shopping Centrum Smíchov.

While working on projects in the studio, I became a member of the Hořice v Podkrkonoší flying club and started flying in my free time. Later, after obtaining a private pilot’s license, I started being drawn to other disciplines like precision flying, instrument flying, and flying twin-engine airplanes.

It took several more years of enjoying this hobby in the environment of flying clubs and schools before I started thinking of obtaining all the necessary qualifications to become a professional pilot.

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Pilots have a great responsibility and must be able to make crucial decisions quickly and correctly.

What was the hardest decision you had to make?

The critical moment for me was when I decided to try being a professional pilot as a career - then I did my best to succeed at it. It is a dream job for me, with it being my hobby at the same time.

Of course, when you work in the field of aviation transportation, your profession requires you to make decisions on an everyday basis. Each flight is unique, (as is) each airport and weather on a particular day.

I haven’t experienced any extremely serious situations onboard yet, except for training flights on the simulator. However, I did get through some non-standard ones. Usually, there is more than one correct solution - In aviation, there is a substantial number of various aspects involved; a lot of influences, obstacles, and

conditions; and it is crucial to separate the important from the irrelevant.

Are people surprised when they see their pilot is a woman?

Sometimes it can create some funny situations. I can hear the passengers going: “Look, look! There´s a girl in the cockpit!” Once, after the announcement to the passengers, an old friend of mine was waiting for me at the airplane exit.

I had not seen him for several years and he had no idea I had changed my profession. The surprise was mutual.

What about your male colleagues? How do they appreciate a woman among them?

I used to worry about that at first, but the reality was better than I had expected. Everyone has their own

unique personality, and that applies to each colleague in the cockpit too. There were not many occasions where I would experience the manifestation of a type of “male superiority”. I believe that the flight is more joyful when you can create a pleasant atmosphere. With some people it is easy to achieve, with others it is not.

As a professional pilot, you visit many different countries. Do you have time to explore the destinations you fly to?

I do not know the exact number of countries I have visited - I’ve never counted them. However, I can say I have been to most European countries and several countries in Asia, Africa, and America.

Time and flying made me realize that exploring unfamiliar places is another of my “life hobbies”. When I am somewhere for work, I try to use all the available opportunities and learn as much as possible about the country or location. The majority of the destinations are so-called “holiday” destinations - they are mostly sea resorts. However, from time to time we find ourselves, for example, at a military base, in the middle of a developing country, or literally in the middle of nowhere.

For me, being an architect, it is also incredible to be able to explore the world from above - what an amazing experience!

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Life, and flying is no exception, brings along some memorable moments. Can you share some of your favorite and less favorite experiences connected to flying?

What can really make the lives of pilots uncomfortable are various airspace restrictions and consequent delays. Not only is waiting unpleasant for the passenger, but it may also quickly make our permitted working hours shorter. The less comfortable circumstances are mostly connected to legislation, conditions, restrictions and regulations, paperwork, etc.

As a pilot, when thinking about my most memorable flying experiences, I can name landing at the Mazar-i-Sharif military base, flying over the Afghan and Kyrgyzstan mountains, seeing the view of the Aral Sea, Mount Ararat, crossing the Atlantic, and landing at the Azores. And… it is beautiful to fly over the Alps most of the time. I often feel like everything is just fine as soon as the plane gets off the ground! Seeing nature, as well as visible signs of human effort to reshape it to our advantage, is breathtaking and feels important. It makes you aware of the scale of man and space. I am happy to be a part of it in this way.

IN TER VI E W W I TH E VA H U S O VÁ, TOYOTA S P E C I A L IS T

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OMOTENASHI by TOYOTA Text: Martina Hošková and M. Zisso; Photo: Archive

Japan is the second-biggest investor in the Czech Republic, and Japanese companies provide work to approximately 55,000 Czech people. Toyota Tsusho Praha has been in the market since 1992 and, as you can guess by its name, it is an exclusive dealer of Toyota cars in the country. Eva Husová has been with the company for 18 years and specializes in serving foreign customers and diplomats. In her free time, she enjoys spending time with her family and exploring the world with her son.

As we have just mentioned, your customers are typically not Czechs but other nationalities. Is selling to them different from serving Czech people?

Not really. They all are customers with their own wishes, needs, and requests. Of course, you have to walk them through the process of the sale in a more thorough way, step by step, pointing out which documents are necessary, what types of insurance you can

get, and also how the financing works in the Czech Republic and other countries. As for the Japanese clients, you usually “accompany” them through the whole process, including the explanation regarding the necessity to change to winter tires since this is not so common in most parts of Japan. I used to live in Japan – I was there for almost five years after graduating from the University of Economics in Prague. Thanks to that, I not only speak Japanese, but am also able to perceive what may remain unsaid.

INTER VIE W W ITH E VA HUS O VÁ, TOYOTA S P E CIALIST

What motivates you to make a sale?

It may sound like a cliché, but a satisfied customer is the best motivation. There is a special expression in Japanese – Omotenashi. This could be expressed as “serving a client as well as possible”. Sales numbers are important, but a satisfied client means more. Toyota is in many ways a special brand, which, even nowadays, tries to make the best possible vehicles. A client happy about their choice, who looks forward to having their new car, is something that goes beyond just “a number” of sold cars.

During my time with Toyota, I’ve had the opportunity to meet two types of customers. One type drives a

company car and it represents a utility good to them, which always gets “updated” – i.e. changed after 3-4 years of usage. The second type of customer is usually a private clientele. They make careful decisions about their new “dream” car, and really enjoy the process. For them, we make the car handover a special event. The new car is covered by chequered fabric and unveiled in front of the customer. A huge ribbon decoration on the car hood gives the whole performance the feeling of receiving a gift. I’ve had the privilege to help organize several surprise car handovers where the receiver had no idea what a surprise awaited them - those moments are really special and memorable.

A woman selling cars is not very common. How did you become one?

Actually, there are many ladies working in this field already, but my starting point was different. I was a specialist for Japanese companies coming to the Czech market in relation to Toyota Motor Manufacturing (formerly TPCA in Kolín). I took care of not only selling but of the after-sales activities too, as well as helping them out in their everyday lives - somehow connected to the automotive industry, of course.

I have been with Toyota for almost 20 years, and have never experienced a surprised reaction to the fact that a woman is selling cars - though it might seem “funny” when a woman helps a Japanese manager link his cell phone with his car or explains the special features on the car to him. The fact that a woman helped them with technical issues could be a rather uncommon experience for some of them.

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IN TER VI E W W I TH E VA H U S O VÁ, TOYOTA S P E C I A L IS T

What about your male colleagues, how do they treat you?

As an equal. I am pretty lucky since we have a very friendly environment at work. It’s hard to imagine going through many difficult situations without the support I receive from my colleagues in the sales and service division. The important thing is that we all look for ways to make things happen. We do not try to find any excuses to explain why something is impossible to do.

How is COVID-19 and the components shortage affecting you and the clients? Do you have any advice for people who are planning to buy a new car?

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Toyota is among the less affected car producers in connection to the whole COVID-19 situation. However, we are now facing a gradual lengthening of car delivery periods. For some clients it is still acceptable, while for others this means a huge problem. As I mentioned before, the Japanese have a concept of “doing things as perfectly as possible”. So, we are trying to consider these difficulties on an individual basis and find the best solution for each client. My advice is: do not postpone your decision. Unfortunately, when buying a new car, the waiting period has gotten extremely long these days. And in 2022, Toyota is going to introduce a new, long-awaited line of models. I am pretty confident that everybody would be able to find their car match.

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IN TER VI E W W I TH T E R E ZA V E Č E R KO VÁ, T R A I N D R IVER, ČD CA R G O

INTER VIE W W ITH TEREZA VEČERKO VÁ, TRA IN D RIVER, ČD CAR GO

COAL DOES NOT COMPLAIN Text: Martina Hošková and M. Zisso; Photo: Jitka Tomečková

You probably know of the classic British children’s TV series ‘Thomas the Tank Engine’, where Thomas never gives up on being “a really useful engine”. Thomas and his friends are fully automated, with no need for drivers. In real life though, without the drivers, not even one of the 900+ engines of the largest Czech railway transport provider ČD Cargo would ever move. 23-year-old Tereza Večerková from Prague is one of these drivers and she has agreed to answer some of our questions for you.

Let´s start right away with the obvious - it isn’t so common to find a woman driving a train. How come you, Tereza Večerková, have become a train driver?

It was not my life-long dream but I was rather steered into this profession by life itself. Before becoming a train driver I used to work as a waitress, but I kind of had enough of serving people. The fact is, unfortunately, that many people are quite rude when dealing with their waitress. I started working part-time in restaurants back while I was still in high school and then continued full-time for another two years after completing school. However, it seemed like an eternity to me. I used to be there almost every day, and I basically did not know the word ‘vacation’.

That is where my boyfriend stepped in. He is a train driver for ČD Cargo himself and it was he who introduced me to the world of train drivers. So first I fell in love with him and then with the trains. I decided to quit my restaurant job and started preparing for my new cargo train driver career.

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laugh together, talk, and I know I can count on them when I need help.

Being a train driver means long hours spent alone in your cab without exercise. Isn´t that hard for you, as a young fit woman who enjoys physical activities?

I can imagine that working as a waitress does not teach you the skills you need to drive a heavy cargo train. What did you have to learn?

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The training was organised by ČD Cargo and took almost a year. During that time, I had a “learning driver” status and I had to work hard to learn a lot of new things to pass the exams. First, I had to pass thorough a medical examination for both my physical and mental health.

Then, I studied at the Prague Vršovice railway depot for one month, which was followed by two months in Česká Třebová. The program also included on-the-job training and learning about different types of locomotives. I had to pass many specific tests to successfully complete the training, and was glad that my boyfriend helped me understand how the engine, compressor, and generator all work; as well as the company directives.

Finally, I received my professional licence and now it has been over a year since I started driving trains alone. Everything is good so far and I have yet to experience a difficult situation that would require me to make a difficult decision.

What reactions do you get from others? Are people surprised when they find out you drive cargo trains?

Yes, people are usually quite surprised, which is then followed by support and admiration -the same way my male colleagues react when we meet for the first time. But what really touches my heart is how children react - they smile and wave to me and I absolutely love it. Actually, the fact that my male colleagues treat me so well might be one of the reasons why I look forward to going to work every day. I love the people I am working with because we are a good team - we

On the contrary - I really appreciate driving alone in a cab, with just my thoughts, having nobody looking over my shoulder. Before each drive, though, I must check if everything is okay with the engine, and this might be a little uncomfortable when the weather is nasty, it’s raining, or terribly freezing. I quit my restaurant job because I did not want to deal with difficult people, remember? That is also why I never want to exchange my usual freight like coal, wood, gas, etc. for people in passenger trains. Sometimes, my colleagues and I joke about it, saying “the coal doesn´t complain”.

As for my physical activities, I have enough of that in my free time. In summer, I like roller skating, spending time outdoors in nature, taking walks, or just sitting outside with my friends, talking and having fun while drinking a big glass of cold beer.

Where do you think we would find you ten years from now?

I would like to continue driving trains, but, you know, sometimes life happens, and I am not one to close my eyes to new experiences. If someone had told me five years ago that I would be a train driver I would have laughed and thought they were crazy – but look at me, here I am. I have a plan for March though - I am going to start taking lessons to get my car driver´s licence.

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DIP LO MATI C E VEN T

India’s Republic Day Text: M. Zisso; Photo: Jitka Tomečková

India’s Republic Day was celebrated in style by the Embassy of India in the Czech Republic on 26 January 2022. This year, India is also commemorating the 75th year of its independence with a series of events, both in India and abroad, called ‘Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav’.

In the Czech Republic, there were several curtainraiser events: an interaction with Indian students, an international yoga and well-being conference, and a cultural program by arts school students, which culminated in an official reception at the Congress Palace in Prague.

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Meshulam Zisso, H.E. Hemant Kotalwar, Ambassador of India, and Eva Anderová

H.E. Hemant Kotalwar, Ambassador of India and Jiří Kozák, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Mrs. Seema Kotalwar and H.E. Hemant Kotalwar, Ambassador of India

H.E. Hemant Kotalwar, Ambassador of India

The reception was well-attended by ambassadors of various countries, members of diplomatic corps, important Czech personalities and members of the Indian community. Mr. Jiri Kozak, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, graced the occasion as the chief guest, and the Czech Army military band regaled the audience with an instrumental rendition of the Czech and Indian national anthems.

Cultural performances in Indian classical dance forms Bharatanatyam and Kathak were presented and the guests were treated to a sumptuous spread of Indian cuisine.

Ambassador Shri H.E. Hemant Kotalwar spoke about the special significance of the Republic Day celebrations on the 75th year of India‘s independence and outlined the nation’s progress in 75 years and its vision for the future. He thanked the government, the people of the Czech Republic, and friends of India, for partnering with India in its growth journey and joined Mr. Kozak in raising a toast to the strengthening of bilateral relations.

Mrs. Seema Kotalwar, H.E. Hemant Kotalwar, Ambassador of India and H.E. Phasporn Sangasubana, Ambassador of Thailand

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The ambassador also expressed his appreciation to the Mayor of Liberec city, Mr. Jaroslav Zámečník, for his gracious gesture of lighting up the City Hall in the colors of the Indian flag for this occasion.

On this occasion, the Prime Minister of India also conveyed his greetings to Mr. Jakub Janda, Director of European Values Center for Security Policy, Prague, and also his appreciation for his work on global security policy.

H.E. Mariam Rakviashvili, Ambassador of Georgia and H.E. Martina Minarevic, Ambassador of Bosnia and Herzegovina

Mrs. Seema Kotalwar, H.E. Hemant Kotalwar, Ambassador of India, and H.E. Mariam Rakviashvili, Ambassador of Georgia

H.E. Hideo Suzuki, Ambassador of Japan and Mrs. Atsuko Suzuki with H.E. Hemant Kotalwar, Ambassador of India and Mrs. Seema Kotalwar

Svetlana Codreanu, spouse of Ambassador of Moldova and H.E. Mr. Luís De Almeida Sampaio, Ambassador of Portugal with spouse

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H.E. Ljiljana Pancirov, Ambassador of Croatia and Satu Pesala, spouse of Ambassador of Finland

Dancer Neha Sheshadrinath, performing Kathak

H.E. Egemen Bagis, Ambassador of Turkey, H.E. Kevin Peter, Ambassador of Nigeria, H.E. Archibishop Charles D. Balvo, Apostolic Nuncio, and H.E. Ilirian Kuka, Ambassador of Albania

Jiří Kozák, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs

H.E. Roberto Alejandro Salafia, Ambassador of Argentina and H.E. Nestor Popolizio Bardales, Ambassador of Peru

H.E. Abdullah M. Alrasheed, Ambassador Royal Embassy of Saudi Arabia, H.E. Saiid Hindam, Ambassador of Egypt, and H.E. Falah Abdulhasan Abdulsada, Ambassador of Iraq

H.E. Yosra Souiden, Ambassador of Tunisia, Mrs. Su Yeon Kim, spouse of Ambassador of Korea, Mrs. Svetlana Codreanu, spouse of Ambassador of Moldova, and Seema Kotalwar, spouse of Ambassador of India

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H.E. Hemant Kotalwar, Ambassador of India, Jiří Kozák, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, H.E. Egemen Bagis, Ambassador of Turkey, and H.E. Kevin Peter, Ambassador of Nigeria

Army band led by Captain Josef Matějka

COL James Hackbarth with spouse Alison Hackbarth and Defence Attache, USA

H.E. Hemant Kotalwar, Ambassador of India and Dr. Bhagwant Singh Sandhu

Mr. Biru Paksha, Counsellour, Abhijit Chakraborty, Embassy of India, Mrs. Seema Kotalwar, H.E. Hemant Kotalwar, Ambassador of India, Mr. Bakshi Vijay and Mrs. Vijay

Abhijit Chakraborty, Embassy of India , Mrs. Seema Kotalwar, and H.E. Hemant Kotalwar, Ambassador of India

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Mrs. Seema Kotalwar, H.E. Hemant Kotalwar, Ambassador of India, Chargé d’Affaires a.i., and Mrs. Namhla Neliswa Gigaba, South Africa

Mrs. Seema Kotalwar, H.E. Hemant Kotalwar, Ambassador of India, and David Steinke, Deputy Director Asia and Pacific, MFA

Mrs. Seema Kotalwar, H.E. Hemant Kotalwar, Ambassador of India, Ms Walia and Mr Madhu, both from India

Mrs. Seema Kotalwar, spouse of Ambassador of India and Mrs. Meghana Shrivastava

SENATE

BRUSSELS: The first joint foreign trip of the Speakers of both chambers of Parliament - Speaker of the Senate Miloš Vystrčil and the Speaker of the Chamber of Deputies Markéta Pekarová Adamová

Miloš Vystrčil, Speaker of the Senate

Markéta Pekarová Adamová, Speaker of the Chamber of Deputies

Text: M. Zisso; Photo: Parliament of the Czech Republic

They met the European Parliament leadership, the European Commission, the European Council, and NATO; and discussed current issues in the field of energy, security, and the upcoming Czech Presidency of the EU Council.

European talks began on Monday at the European Commission with its President, Ursula von der Leyen.

Markéta Pekarová Adamová with Miloš Vystrčil

At the end of the day, the Speaker of the Senate and the Speaker of the Chamber of Deputies met with European Commissioner Věra Jourová. The topic of their conversation was primarily the portfolio of the Czech EU Commissioner - namely values, transparency, freedom, and independence of the media.

It was a full program: meetings with EP President Roberta Metsola, Vice-President of the Club of the

From left: Miloš Vystrčil, Ursula von der Leyen, President of European Commision, and Markéta Pekarová Adamová

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European People’s Party Esther de Lange, EP Vice-President Dita Charanzová, EC Executive Vice-President Margrethe Vestager, EC Executive Vice-President Frans Timmermans, EC Executive Vice-President Maroš Šefčovič, Czech MEPs, ER President Charles Michel, and a debate with the staff of the Permanent Representation of the Czech Republic to the EU in connection with CZ PRES.

The three-day working trip to the Belgian capital concluded with the speakers of both chambers of Parliament holding discussions on defense and security. At the North Atlantic Alliance, they met with Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg and the Chairman of the Military Committee, Admiral Rob Bauer.

From left: Miloš Vystrčil, European Council President Charles Michel, and Markéta Pekarová Adamová From left: Miloš Vystrčil, Markéta Pekarová Adamová, and Roberta Metsola, President of the European Parliament

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From left: Maroš Šefčovič, EC Executive Vice President and Markéta Pekarová Adamová with Miloš Vystrčil

Jakub Landovský, Ambassador of the Czech Republic in NATO

Meeting with Frans Timmermans, Vice President of the European Commission

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Markéta Pekarová Adamová with Miloš Vystrčil at Havel’s Place that was installed in Brussels last year

From left: Miloš Vystrčil, Markéta Pekarová Adamová, and Secretary General on the North Atlantic Alliance General Jens Stoltenberg

Miloš Vystrčil, Markéta Pekarová Adamová, and Věra Jourová, Vice President of the European Commission

From left: Margrethe Vestager, EC Executive Vice President, Markéta Pekarová Adamová, and Miloš Vystrčil

CULTU R E E VENT

The opening party of the

COLORS OF WOMAN 3D exhibition Helena Kroftová Leisztner celebrates a special anniversary - 40 years of art and design activities under the auspices of: H.E. Mrs. Leonora Gutiérrez

Rueda, Ambassador of Mexico

Helena Leisztner, Artist and Designer

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From left: Eva Anderová and Václav Pavlas

Meshulam Zisso and Ms. Fernanda Escobar Illoldi, Rotary International

Mrs. Helena Leisztner, Artist and Designer, with husband Roland Leisztner, Development and Advisor Rolei, son Roland Leisztner Jr., Immofinanz, and his partner Miss Lee

Mr. Karel Procházka, Councillor for Asset Management Prague 1 with partner

Štěpánka Pučálková, Soloist of Semperopera Dresden and Eva Čeresňaková, former 1st Vicemiss of CR, moderator and coach

CULTURE E VE N T From left: Mr. Karel Procházka, Councillor for Asset Management Prague 1 with partner, Mr. Jadran Šetlík, Art Photographer, Ms. Jarmila HLA SHWE, Director and owner AIA - Alternative Investment, s.r.o. with partner, Prof. MUDr. Luboš Petruželka, CSc., Director of the Institute of Radiation Oncology and Oncology Clinic of the 1st Faculty of Medicine, Charles University in Prague and Central Military Hospital in Prague, H.E. Rosaura Leonora Rueda Gutierrez, Ambassador of Mexico, Mrs. Eva Anderová, Mrs. Helena Leisztner, Mr. Meshulam Zisso, Mrs. Markéta Fassati, Soprano, Fassati Art Festival, Mr. Martin Fassati, National Champion in doubles Czech Republic 1983 and trainer, Mr. René Sion, Dallmayr s.r.o., Executive Director, Mrs. Viktoria Sion, Statuss Magazine, owner, lyric mezzo-soprano Ms. Štěpánka Pučálková, SEMPEROPER DRESDEN, Ms. Eva Čerešňáková, 1st Czech Vicemiss 2007, moderator and coach, Ms. Marika Duchoňová, Event Coordinator Passerinvest Group, Benke Aikell, Roland Leisztner, Development and Advisor Rolei Ltd., Roland Leisztner Jr., Immofinanz AG

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From right: farewell from Benke Aikell, previous publisher of Czech & Slovak Leaders magazine, Eva Anderová and Meshulam Zisso, new owners and Executive Editors

From left: Mr. René Sion, Dallmayr s.r.o., Executive Director, Mrs. Viktoria Sion, Statuss Magazine, owner, and Helena Leisztner

H.E. Rosaura Leonora Rueda Gutierrez, Ambassador of Mexico

From left: Ms. Markéta Marko, CSO Aqua Angels Europe, Mrs. Ivana Sankot, co-owner Aqua Angels Europe, s.r.o. , and Helena Leisztner

Mr. Roman Strejček, Chairman of OSA with company and Mrs. Helena Leisztner

CULTU R E E VENT

H.E. Rosaura Leonora Rueda Gutierrez, Ambassador of Mexico and Helena Leisztner

Ina Špátová, Writer, Mrs. Katka Špátová, Mrs. Helena Leisztner, and Mr. Miroslav Tacl, former Chairman at Allianz pojistovna AS

Dita Císařová, Lawyer, Helena Leisztner, Michaela Meisterová, Engel and Volkers, Jitka Vopičková, Marketing Manager, Advantage Cars, and Petra Gonsiorovská , Loro Piana

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Mr. Jan Struž, owner Czech Top 100, with partner Mrs. Ivana Kaucká, Sales and Marketing Director Czech Top 100, Mr. Miroslav Tacl, former Chairman at Allianz pojistovna AS with partner, Mrs. Helena Leisztner, lyric mezzo-soprano Ms. Štěpánka Pučálková, soloist Semperopera Dresden, Ms. Eva Čerešňáková, 1st Czech Vicemiss 2007, moderator and coach, and Mr. Roland Leisztner, Development and Advisor, Rolei

From left: Mrs. Markéta Fassati, Soprano, Fassati Art Festival, and Helena Leisztner

From left: H.E. Rosaura Leonora Rueda Gutierrez, Ambassador of Mexico, Helena Leisztner, and Mrs. Lucie Uxová, Model and businesswoman

CULTURE E VE N T

Mrs. Helena Leisztner, Prof. MUDr. Luboš Petruželka, CSc., H.E. Rosaura Leonora Rueda Gutierrez, Ambassador of Mexico, Mr. Meshulam Zisso, and Mrs. Markéta Fassati, Soprano, Fassati Art Festival

Mrs. Helena Leisztner and Ms. Marika Duchoňová, Event Coordinator, Passerinvest Group

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Celebrating Mr. Benke Aikell´s 79th birthday

Mrs. Markéta Fassati, Soprano, Fassati Art Festival

From left: Mr. Jadran Šetlík, Art Photographer and Mrs. Helena Leisztner

Mrs. Helena Leisztner and Mrs. Lucie Uxová, Model and bussinesswoman

Aquapalace V.I.P. Club Text: M. Zisso; Photo: Archive

On February 23, the Aquapalace Hotel Prague hosted honorable members and supporters of the Aquapalace V.I.P. Club for its 148th meeting.

The Aquapalace V.I.P. Club, which was founded by Czech billionaire Mr. Pavel Sehnal, has united top-ranked Czech businessman and high-ranked managers for over 10 years. The role of keynote speaker for the night belonged to notable Czech manager, entrepreneur, and philantropist Mr. Martin Roman (former ČEZ CEO).

He obtained his MA from University College London (in Effective Learning and Teaching) and most recently his MSt from the University of Cambridge (in Real Estate).

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From left: Nicole Mertinová, Director of No Limits Interior Design, Pavel Sehnal, Chairman of the Board of the SPGroup a.s., Martin Roman, Czech top manager, entrepreneur and philantropist, Bohuslav Svoboda, Chairman of Committee on Health Care of the Chamber of Deputies Parliament, Jana Berkovcová, Member of the Chamber of Deputies Parliament, and Pavel Švagr, ASMR’s Chairman

Mr. Roman spoke to the audience on the subject of education. The formal title of his speech: “The Darkness in School Education or Effective Learning“.

The guests of the evening included members of business, academic, artistic and political communities. In addition, the event also welcomed both state and municipal administration representatives.

Mr. Roman’s bright comments were warmly received and sparkly discussed. The evening was completed by an delicious dinner, with a very enjoyable social mood.

Martin Roman, Czech top manager, entrepreneur and philantropist with Pavel Sehnal, Chairman of the Board of the SPGroup a.s.

Čestmír Medek, Director of Š-servis Audit and Lenka Medková, CSO of FINEP CZ

František Kulovaný, CEO and Board Member in BAEST Machines & Structures, a.s. and Václav Svátek, CEO of ČMIS & AppOnFly, IT Systems & Cloud Architect

Jiří Nekovář, Director of Eurotrend and Jan Dvořák, Member of the Board of the SIKO KOUPELNY a.s.

Martin Štěrba, Advisor of the Mayor of Prague, Jana Fajmonová, Psychologist, and David Rožek, Czech Security Expert

Andrea Kalivodová, The National Theatre soloist, Jadran Šetlík, famous Czech Artistic Photographer, Jana Fajmonová, Psychologist, Andrea Králová, Director of RexFactum, Vladimír Broukal, The Czechoslovak Hunting Union partner, Petr Breburda, CEO of IGEPA.CZ, Jan Šlapal, Chairman of the Board of BIS Group a.s.

Petr Slavíček, Partner BDO Audit, Chairman of the Board and Jaroslav Kuneš, Chief Financial Officer of the Aquapalace Resort Prague

Cyril Svoboda, Czech polititian, Chief of Diplomatic Academy

Jan Herzman, famous Czech Sociologist and Pavel Sehnal, Chairman of the Board of the SPGroup

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Ushiriki, the chimpanzee in the Lwiro Primates Rehabilitation Center

Twice to the EASTERN CONGO to see (not only) gorillas Text: Miroslav Bobek, director of the Prague Zoo; Photo: Miroslav Bobek

Over the last few months, I have twice had the opportunity to visit the eastern provinces of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. First, it was in October last year, when we just “hopped” here from Kinshasa, the second time it happened in January this year. This time, we were heading to South Kivu with the architect prof. Zdeněk Fránek and the head of the Prague Zoo construction department Ing. Lukáš Divoký. Our zoo had already supported the Kahuzi-Biega National Park before and we still are following up on these activities today. However, I am not going to describe various work meetings, site visits, and price investigations for construction material, instead, I will focus on the three unforgettable meetings with African apes.

ching, which is thriving in war-torn and arm militia-controlled regions, but the blame also goes to deforestation and legal as well as illegal extraction of raw materials. In the Kahuzi-Biega area, it is mostly gold, cassiterite, and coltan. (From coltan we get niobium and most importantly tantalum that is necessary to produce electronics.

That´s why our zoo also collects old cell phones and tablets which are being recycled afterwards. Since 2010, we have collected almost 80,000 of them.) Further problems in eastern gorillas’ protection were caused by the Covid-19 pandemic. Besides other things, it led to a substantial decrease in the number of tourists coming to see the gorillas, which means the national park lost a significant source of income.

Nyaba Deux, the eastern gorilla female with her twins

6 October 2021: Meeting Bonane and his sons It is strongly advised not to travel to the eastern parts of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. There are still many militias operating here, which are a remnant of a tragic period of the Rwandan genocide and two wars in the Congo. Therefore, we had paid our highest attention to organizing our trip to the Kahuzi-Biega National Park. At the Goma airport, we were then picked up by a driver who had been security cleared in advance. He drove us to the boat and when it landed, another contact was already waiting for us, who took us to a guarded hotel in Bukavu where we were picked up by four park rangers armed with submachine guns the next morning.

The Kahuzi-Biega National Park is crucial especially for protecting the eastern gorilla (Gorilla beringei graueri) that lives only in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo.

Sadly, all the suffering that the region has suffered in the last decades has affected this gorilla subspecies too.

Therefore, although I have mentioned the security risks and difficulties of such a journey earlier in the text, visiting eastern gorillas is certainly worth it and in addition, it would also be for the benefit of their protection. This is also one of the reasons why we had decided to help develop the local infrastructure for tourists already during our first visit to the Kahuzi-Biega National Park.

18 January 2022: One of the 109 sad stories It takes about one hour to get to the Lwiro Primates Rehabilitation Centre (LPRC) from the city of Bukavu. It is located in the premises of the research institute built in the 1950s by the Belgians, and it is eight years since the charismatic Basque biologist Itsaso Vélez del Burgo Guinea became its head. The centre provides care for many species of primates, but chimpanzees dominate. When I last visited, there were 109 of them in the LPRC, with seven of them coming during the last three months. In the

In their off-road car, the rangers drove us near one of the two fully habituated groups of eastern gorillas. There we met our guide, Lambert. From now on, we followed him on foot – and in less than an hour, I was looking in the eyes of a big silverback male, Bonane. It´s nearly impossible for words to describe the intensity of what you are experiencing when spending time in close proximity to such an amazing and unique creature. It is something unbelievably strong and unrepeatable. Bonane was peacefully walking through young vegetation, tearing the tasty leaves, and digging up bamboo rhizomes. Hanging with him were also two young males Wilungula and Deschryver, but unlike him, they even ventured up into the tree crowns. For a long time and in detail, I had a chance to observe especially Wilungula. Meanwhile, I learnt that in the middle of July he got trapped by the poachers.

Only the Gorilla Doctors´ intervention helped him.

The situation of eastern gorillas is extremely bad. According to the research published several years ago, there are probably only 3,800 of them left. The problem is poaBonane, the male leader of the group

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Bonane and the other members of his group are perfectly accustomed to the presence of people

east of the Congo too, covid has worsened the already bad situation of the wild animals even further…

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Itsaso was giving us a tour of the centre, showed us the primates in spacious enclosers, including one newly built, and then took us to the feeding of infant chimpanzees.

This took place inside and the infants were reaching out to us through the thick iron bars. It was a heartbreaking view. I knew very well that it would be impossible without those iron bars, but they only illustrated the tragic fate of the chimpanzee babies ripped from their families…

I picked one photo among all those I took at the feeding and asked Itsaso to brief me on the story of the baby chimpanzee which was captured there. So, what she told me was not intentionally chosen to be published because of its impact. It is an “ordinary” story of one of the 109 chimpanzees in the LPRC. Well then: In the photograph, there is a young male named Ushiriki. He became a victim of poachers and in the summer of 2018, he was confiscated by Congolese soldiers somewhere. However, they demanded 500 American dollars for “feeding him” to be paid by the rescue centre. Only after a long scramble, he was taken from them by the aforementioned rangers of the Kahuzi-Biega National Park and passed to the LPRC on 9 September 2018. Ushiriki was in a real bad shape – he was suffering from an infection, malaria, anaemia, and parasites – and almost did not eat. His healing was going on for weeks. When I was visiting, Ushiriki had already been fine for a long time, but I still have a feeling that even in my photo you can see the sadness in his eyes…

21 January 2022: The most beautiful day The driver put his submachine gun between the front seats of the Landcruiser, but the other Kahuzi-Biega National Park rangers were holding theirs in hands even after we went off the main road and started climbing the muddy, deep ruts road to the top of the hill. The car skidded and tilted till we finally stopped by a wooden sign saying BUGULUMIZA. It was standing at the foot of a transmitter station guarded by another group of rangers. And along with them, there was also Hobereau Kitumaini whom we already met the day before. He was interviewing me for the Gorilla FM radio.

The environmental Gorilla FM radio station was founded in 2019 at the Kahuzi-Biega National Park and broadcasts in French, Swahili, and two of the several local languages, Moshi and Kitembo. They say it managed to break the ice in many people regarding the National Park and as for the local unique eastern gorillas and their habituated groups, not a single day passes without them being broadcasted about. We too did contribute with our material on gorillas. At the end of our interview, which covered mostly our planned help to the National Park, discussing particularly the design and construction of an educational centre including a catering facility, I gave Hobereau a French audio version of the fairy tales about our Prague young gorilla Moja. He included one into broadcasting right away.

Hobereau came to the top of Bugulumiza to fix something on the transmitter which allows the Gorilla FM radio station to transmit the signal. Actually, he mentioned already after the interview that they would really appreciate even such technology that already came out of service in Europe.

CO NTRIB UTOR S

The Kahuzi-Biega National Park rangers at the morning muster

However, we did not come all the way up here because of the transmitter. That day, there was an eight-member group of Bonane, the silverback nearby. In the rain, still accompanied by the armed rangers and with our guide Lambert leading, we took off to see them. After a few hundred meters we got off the trail and started descending a steep hill through the vegetation. Lambert cut a stick for me, but I could be leaning on it just for a few steps. Suddenly, there was a gorilla´s growl. Lambert, followed immediately by the rest of us, froze. And then I saw him! At the foot of the cliff, Bonane was sitting in the foliage! I put my stick away, took out a camera and started pressing the camera shutter. My hands were shaking from excitement. When I lowered the camera to check the captured images, Lambert poked me and pointed to a tree crown right above Bonane. Wilungula boy was climbing it!

I will probably never forget the following hour. Bonane got up and took a few steps away. We followed him – and finally, a view of the whole group opened up before our eyes! At one glance, we could see all eight gorillas, most of which were just a few meters from us. We were able to admire awesome Bonane, old friends of us Deschryver and Wilungula, their mothers Siri and Mukono (she was trapped by the poachers once, so her arm is crippled, later she even lost one eye by accident), and the highlight of the unique spectacle – Nyaba Deux with her 18-month-old twins! I wish you could be there, all the more so because I am not able to describe in words what I was feeling at the moment…

Happy, we ascended back to our cars to return to the Park Service and then to the hotel in Bukavu. When my

Rangers looking around the landscape from the top of the Bugulumiza hill

mobile connected to the net, I started sending photos of Bonane´s family to my family and friends. Meanwhile, two emails managed to come. Delivering the information from the Czech Radio that they will give their discarded technology to the Gorilla FM radio.

How you can help You can support the Prague Zoo´s endangered species rescue projects by sending any sum you wish to the fundraising account We Help Them Survive, account number 43–6804660247/0100. You can also help by visiting the Zoo or purchasing selected types of souvenirs.

Visiting the Kahuzi-Biega National Park is another way how to support protecting eastern gorillas. For further information please go to www.kahuzibieganationalpark.com.

Lwiro rescue centre will appreciate the financial support that you can provide also through their webpage www.lwiroprimates.org.

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Waiting for more UNICORNS

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Text: Petr Šíma; Photo: Archive

A new unicorn was born in the Czech Republic in February. Only the second one. Thanks to the new investment, the valuation of the technology company Productboard exceeded one billion dollars. Like the online supermarket Rohlik.cz, it can be a proud holder of the label unicorn, a mythical animal, which means a lot in the startup world.

It is a huge breakthrough that will attract the attention of other investors and new customers. It shows that the company has already overcome major childhood illnesses and has entered adulthood. It is not yet a giant corporation, its spirit is still a young company run by enthusiastic founders.

However, unicorns are not born overnight. It usually takes several years for companies to grow to this size. It took

Rohlik.cz seven years, Productboard eight. Moreover, it is never possible to predict with certainty that a startup will belong to the unicorns one day. Europe is lagging behind.

Roughly one in two of today‘s thousands of unicorns was born in the United States, followed by China and India.

But the situation is changing. Every year, Atomico publishes a study on the state of European technology companies, and the current one is quite optimistic. Ninety-eight new startup unicorns were born in Europe. More than ever before. The volume of investments in emerging projects and advanced startups is growing rapidly. And from that other unicorns could grow one day. Atomico has even calculated that the average time taken to reach the one-billion-dollar mark is shortening.

Jiří Kobelka, TATUM founder

Samuel Šramko, TATUM founder

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An increasing number of investors are interested in European startups. According to the report, the total value of venture capital invested in European technology companies has tripled to about $ 3 trillion in less than three years. Although significant European capital is being attracted, money from overseas investors - both the US and Asia - still predominates. There is still a big difference in what wealthy Americans and Europeans invest in. Technology is the most popular among American billionaires, with eight of the ten wealthiest business people getting rich thanks to business in technology fields. People like Jeff Bezos, Elon Musk, Bill Gates, and Mark Zuckerberg put most of their investment into new technologies.

European billionaires have become richer elsewhere, most often in trade. Whether by selling luxury goods, such as Bernard Arnault, head of the LVHM conglomerate, which includes the Louis Vuitton brand, or Amancio Ortega, the founder of the Inditex group, where Zara belongs.

We have already passed one wave, mainly aimed at end-users on the Internet. Thanks to it, brands such as Google, Facebook, or Amazon came upfront. European technology companies have jumped into this wave later and find it hard to prove themselves. Rohlik.cz is one of them, its founder Tomáš Čupr makes no secret that he wants to become a challenger of Amazon, at least in Europe.

Therefore, Renowned German investor Frank Thelen urges wealthy Europeans to stop buying more real estate, hotels, and other „boring conventional assets“ that their families have been investing in for hundreds of years and to turn their attention to technology. Thelen says they should spend five to ten percent of their wealth on investing in technology companies. He adds that we don‘t invest wealth wisely unless we spend it on our future.

These are startups worth over one billion dollars before entering the stock exchange. The label was popularized by angel investor Aileen Lee. She wanted to emphasize that such a startup is a unique phenomenon like that mythical animal.

However, the number of unicorns in the business world is growing rapidly. The analytical company CB Insights currently estimates their number at almost a thousand. The largest ones include the Chinese internet giant ByteDance, the space startup of Elon Musk, SpaceX, or the financial-technology companies Stripe and Klarna.

But now, another wave is coming. Business-to-business startups are starting to gain more ground. It may also be more accessible for those founders to gain a foothold in Europe. They will have it a little easier than startups focused on the consumer market (B2C). They often come across the fragmentation of the consumer market, the different preferences in different countries. On the contrary, the needs of companies are much more similar across Europe (and globally). The Productboard is an example What are unicorns?

TATUM team

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of a startup that understood this need correctly. Financial and technological companies, such as Klarna, Revolut, Wise, and crypto-world companies, are gaining ground in Europe. In connection with the pressure to „green economy” also smart mobility, and everything related to transport. From what we see around us, our part of Europe is waiting to grow in this direction. It will also be related to the gradual awakening of angel investors. If Czech investment increases to the European average, the number of technology companies will increase enormously.

One startup in our DEPO Ventures portfolio is on its way to becoming a unicorn - Tatum, which makes life easier for blockchain developers. They created a platform to simplify the development of blockchain technology applications, a decentralized database for storing and providing data. Although Tatum is still in its early stages of development, it is growing rapidly. Revenues increase by an average of a quarter each month, with the Silicon Valley standard being „only“ around ten percent.

The founders - Jiří Kobelka and Samuel Šramko - strive to become the dominant platform for blockchain developers. This year they want to expand the team significantly and add another 120 employees. They also have enjoyed their first international successes. For example, they made it into the five best startups out of two thousand in the prestigious TechCrunch Disrupt competition last year.

It is not easy to estimate whether a promising startup will become a unicorn. In the early phase, when we invest, especially in the pre-seed, it is mainly an investment in people. We need to see that a founder and his team have ambitions and the ability to build a global business.

Move from point A to B and beyond. Bulldog will overcome obstacles, constant project changes, and find a way

to market. We also must be convinced that the project has meaning and a future.

Is it a risky decision? Yes. You know nothing in advance, but investors must reckon with the risk and not be afraid of it. That is why the US is so ahead. Its investors are ready to risk some of their money and invest in interesting people. Jobs and Bezos were just enthusiastic people in the beginning, and yet they got an investment. No one expects every investment to work out, so it is necessary to diversify even in venture capital. But if the investment does work out, it will pay off. When investors discover and „bet“ on the unicorn, it will bring them an astronomical valuation and huge return. With those traditional conventional investments, they wouldn‘t ever see it.

Petr Šíma Petr Šíma sets the direction of the investment group DEPO Ventures, which he founded in 2016. The group has two angel funds and an international syndicate of business angels. Its total portfolio consists of 18 technology startups, mainly from Central and Eastern Europe. Šíma is also a board member of the leading European angel investor network EBAN. He specializes in fundraising and consulting in financing and mergers and acquisitions (M&A), where he has more than 25 years of experience.

As a student at the University of Economics, he founded an investment company and an investment privatization fund with a few other people. Later, thanks to this experience, he found himself on the board of directors and supervisory board of several companies. In 1993, he founded the consulting company NSG Morison, focusing on corporate finance, tax, and legal advice. In 2000, he joined the company with Morison International, where Šíma served on the European and global boards, leading the European as President.

Bagind, kůže s příběhem Bagind je česká značka kožených doplňků vyráběných v Indii, která funguje od roku 2017.

Za značkou stojí mladý podnikatel a cestovatel Lukáš Matějček, který se ve městě Jaisalmer spřátelil s výrobcem koženého zboží Dennisem a domluvil se s ním na spolupráci. V současnosti pro značku Bagind vyrábí kožené produkty nejen tento jeden řemeslník, ale dalších 100 výrobců ve svých rodinných dílnách po celém indickém státě Rádžasthán. Unikátní kožené doplňky z Indie jsou vyráběné z kozí kůže, která je sekundárním produktem masného průmyslu. Zpracovává se dle tradičních postupů, bez použití chemických látek a ošetřena je pouze přírodními oleji.

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Na jaře roku 2021 dostala značka Bagind nový rozměr a otevřela se nejen pro spolupráci s lokálními výrobci v Indii, ale rozhodla se vyhledávat nadějné výrobce po celém světě. Přispělo k tomu seznámení Lukáše Matějčka s kolumbijským řemeslníkem Lindermanem z koloniálního městečka Villa de Leyva. Právě z jeho dílny pochází i nejnovější kolekce značky Bagind, za jejímž designem stojí zkušený návrhář Filip Hieke. Kolekce je vyrobena z hovězí kůže a odolné tkaniny a reflektuje potřeby zákazníků mít vše stále při ruce. Obsahuje například unisexový malý batoh, peněženku a crossbody taštičku na mobil a malé nezbytnosti.

Jedním z nejdůležitějších pilířů značky Bagind je dobročinnost. Už na začátku svého podnikání se Lukáš Matějček rozhodl navracet část výdělku tam, kde je to zapotřebí. „Během mých cest mi na světě pomohlo nespočet lidí, kteří mě často znali doslova jen pár minut a já bych tu dobrotu chtěl nějak vrátit. A protože Indie mi dala krásnou příležitost realizovat se, měl jsem potřebu tu možnost oplatit a pomoci tam dětem k lepší budoucnosti,“ vysvětluje zakladatel značky Bagind, proč se rozhodl spolupracovat s organizací Most ProTibet a jejich prostřednictvím poskytnout školní potřeby pro více než 700 dětí. V současné době to ale není jen tato organizace, kterou značka Bagind podporuje, zaměřuje se totiž na lokální pomoc v různých oblastech světa, ale i u nás.

Více najdete na www.bagind.cz.

BOGLE ARCHITECTS – around the world in 10 years Text: Viktorie Součková; Photo: Archive

Over the last decade, Bogle Architects have been working across the globe on a variety of pioneering and innovative projects from their London and Prague bases. The diversity of the studio’s output is breathtaking, covering nearly every continent.

In Bogota, the studio has completed the 20-storey Octava Apartamentos development, which strikes a handsome addition to the Colombian Capital’s skyline. The salmon-coloured stone façade sits as a welcome counterpoint to the adjacent red-brick apartment buildings.

Bogle Ian Bogle and Viktorie Souckova first met in London at Foster and Partners, where they worked on designing the Stirling Prize shortlisted school ‘Bexley Business Academy’. Now, 20 years later, they are working together on projects all over the world from their London and Prague studios.

At The Oxford Science Park, the Schrodinger Building is home to, amongst others, the company that developed the Coronavirus Vaccine; while in Prague this scientific journey continues with the ELI Beamlines project, which houses the most powerful lasers in the world.

The Tanneries in Porto is Portugal’s largest mixed-use urban regeneration project, combining purpose-built student accommodation alongside a commercial offices quarter and luxury residential apartments. The masterplan has a ‘green theme’ running throughout the development, with vertical gardens within each of the buildings linking the ground to the sky with greenery.

In Moscow, the Snegiri ECO development shows how the studio adapts its designs to meet the climatic challenges of Russia’s large temperature swing. The ‘winter’ gardens offer additional internal space in the winter season, while in the summer months become external balconies.

The Royal Grammar School in Guildford is cleverly designed to provide self-shading to the classrooms to reduce energy consumption in the heat of the Dubai climate, while offering an internal oasis in the form of internal atriums. Šárecký Dvůr, Prague

77 The Tanneries, Porto

Schrodinger Building, Oxford

Early Learning Village, Singapore

Biophilia is a strong recurring design feature in the practice’s philosophy. This can best be seen in the Early Learning Village in Singapore, which is the largest kindergarten in the world. A staggering 2,100 early-years children occupy this pioneering project, which has external classrooms for every child, following the philosophy of the importance of external learning at an early age.

In Ho Chi Minh City, the practice has cleverly situated a senior school within a tight urban block next to the River Saigon. Every square meter is utilized, resulting in the football pitch being located on the roof.

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Snegiri Eco, Moscow

In Bratislava, the studio has recently completed both commercial and residential projects for the UNIQ brand of Cresco Real Estate, showing again the diversity of the Bogle Architects breadth of projects.

Octava Apartments, Bogota

The studio boasts other unrealized projects in Morocco, France, Tanzania, and China; while recently completed projects in Croatia and Austria can be seen on the boards of the studio.

Closer to home, in Prague, the practice has designed the award-winning boutique residential ‘Sarecky dvur’, the Smichoff office development, is working on Mephared II for the Charles University in Hradec Karlovy, and is engaged in a wide variety of other projects across many sectors.

Is it a coincidence that ‘Globe’ is an anagram of ‘Bogle’?

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Socially RESPONSIBLE INVESTING (ESG): one path to a HEALTHY ENVIRONMENT

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Text: Jan Řežáb; Photo: Archive

A new, primarily European trend is the growing investor interest in socially responsible investment – called ESG (Environmental, Social and Governance). Investors are making decisions based on more than risk levels and expected returns, but also on whether or not the company they plan to invest in is behaving responsibly towards the environment and its employees. As a result, the money streams of the financial world are slowly changing: for example those that previously flowed to companies mining or burning coal and oil are now changing course for green technologies (such as the manufacture of wind turbines, solar panels or the associated production of renewable energy sources). This development, positively influenced by the investment boom of the last few years and the fulfilment of the ambitious plans of the EU Green Deal, is also supported by the Czech JRD GROUP.

Evaluation of more than just economic and financial aspects, namely the environmental, social and ethical factors alongside the appreciation of invested capital is only just beginning in the Czech Republic (compared to the rest of Europe). Investment vehicles in the ESG area are therefore only available to prominent banking groups and large funds, which emphasize in their annual reports the parts of their investment portfolio headed in this direction.

However, some Czech firms have also begun to adapt to these developments and are moving towards more sustainable production, in order to become more attractive for foreign investors with this type of capital alignment.

Among other things, the development of socially responsible investment is an attempt to comply with the relatively strict measures included in the so-called Green Deal, meant to ensure a reduction in greenhouse gas emissions within the European Union.

JRD GROUP follows one basic principle: the way to achieve a sustainable future is through the broader use of modern technology, the production of clean energy, ecological approaches and a reduction in the energy demands of construction.

“Green investments alongside stricter rules for environmental protection both converge with what we’ve been doing for twenty years and this fits in with all the fields we’re active in. We’re happy to see financial businesses are now more open to these efforts. But the question remains: how fast will this new investment strategy be reflected in the portfolios of individual companies? How quickly can we turn the helm of an entire industry towards environmental issues?” explains Jan Řežáb, the founder of JRD GROUP. JRD Group includes five divisions under its brand umbrella: JRD Development, JRD Energo, JRD Land, JRD Invest and JRD Plazma, represented by the company Millenium Technologies. These deal with more than just

green ESG investments, instead covering a broad range of fields from residential and land development to power generation from renewable and secondary sources. The dominant position in the group is held by JRD Development, whose current portfolio of six renewable residential projects is supplemented by the administrative building Viadukt Anděl, which has the goal of achieving LEED Gold certification.

“Sustainability is very important to us. We’ve always tried to push the limits of the fields we’re active in, in this specific direction. When we started building environmentally-friendly projects 19 years ago, the market was sorely in need of high quality materials and technologies. We had no choice but to begin participating in their development and to enter into collaboration with a number of professional organisations and universities, including the Czech Green Building Council, the Czech Passive House Centre and the University Centre for Energy Efficient Buildings at the Czech Technical University in Prague. Next, we focused our attention on other areas, whose broader support may lead to greater protection of the environment and the development of a more sustainable society: the acquisition of land for the construction of future ecological development, photovoltaic power stations and wind farms, or the development of reactors for the plasma gasification of waste and the production of electricity and heat. We trust that ESG investments as well as our other fields of business are moving the market in the right direction, which is why we plan to continue in their further expansion and support,” added Jan Řežáb.

Jan Řežáb

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DÁVÁME LIDEM ODVAHU PRODAT SVOU NEMOVITOST

A CZECH HEAVEN in Bali

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Text: Daniel Kriso; Photo: Archive

“Not investing means automatically accepting the certainty of a gradual loss of value for money. Not investing is a big investment mistake.”

Warren Buffet Why do so many of us have poor approaches toward investment?

There may be a few convincing cases where most investors try to time the market by always buying when the market is up, which seems safe at the time. This is an unrealistic idea though, which often results in panic-selling due to the fear of prices fluctuating, causing people to overreact and sell to try and prevent further losses. More successful investors, however, often seek profitable investments with a “Buy Low and Sell High” strategy.

Looking for innovative opportunities in the world came at the right time for three investors from the Czech Republic, who chose the Indonesia Island of Bali as their investment destination. It is no coincidence that the whole of Indonesia is experiencing exponential economic growth and that Bali‘s tropical beauty and colourful culture have become the island’s pearl. Billions of dollars are pumped into the beautiful island every year, and there is no sign of this

slowing down. Bali remains a top tourist destination with repressed demand and an expected, strong tourism scene, and investors are standing by for a market uproar. With the island remaining resilient throughout the pandemic, the time to buy is approaching.

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DETIGA, which means “Three Ds” in Indonesian David Pátek, Daniel Kriso, and David Kvasnička - are now opening the very first resort in the Karangasem region, named NEANO ESCAPE. This area was not selected by chance, but by strategic agreements. Governmental investment in the first white beaches in the Maldives created the luxurious “Bali Dream” for the most demanding clients. Czech investors (DETIGA) are now adding a unique business opportunity for this new resort, which contains 54 luxury villas with some of the most scenic views in all of Bali.

Stunning beaches, rocky cliffs, impressive waterfalls, mountain lakes, and infinite ocean views, are all ideal for activities like hiking, sailing, and sunbathing. Bali possesses many beautiful natural aspects as part of both its island and culture, which makes it stand out from the whole of Indonesia, and even more so from the rest of the world.

Daniel Kriso, a partner at DETIGA

The year 2022 in INTERIOR DESIGN will be dominated by a close CONNECTION TO NATURE Text: Marie Khawajah; Photo: Archive

The past few years have been rather turbulent in many fields, and interior design was no exception. Our needs and demands regarding our homes have changed completely. We have identified various spots that we have not paid attention to before. In simple terms, our homes have suddenly, literally overnight, become ever more important. From a place meant for just living and sleeping, we briskly transformed them into offices, schools, gyms, and restaurants. We had never expected so much from our homes. Consequently, interior trends started to reflect this transformation, giving priority to quality and practical functionality.

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Connecting with Nature and Thoughtful Production The strict health measures limiting our mobility and outdoor activities have propelled our need to surround ourselves with nature within our homes. Connection with nature received an entirely new dimension, and got imprinted in the new trends that are here to stay.

This has been demonstrated through colours; which

this year are dominated by tones of green; as well as through materials that are also sourced from nature such as wood, ceramics, and stone, and textures that radiate a natural and pure look.

In line with the changes of our essential needs and priorities, respect for the environment has become a key focus for many producers and consumers. For

they are featured under the portfolio of the Decoland interior and kitchen studio. BoConcept also respects the so-called ‘Earth’s materials’. A glimpse at their current collection reveals a strong presence of nature: good old natural veneers, stone, ceramics, but also glass elements and a variety of fabrics and leathers that make furniture fully customizable and reflect a strong bond with nature.

many, environmentalism has become much more than just an attractive trend, but a philosophy for entire companies and, generally, for life. In a reaction to this, many manufacturers have significantly reviewed their methods and processes, searching for improvements.

As a result, aesthetics is now finally starting to go hand in hand with environmentalism and sustainability, thus becoming an indisputable competitive advantage.

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Team7 from Austria, for whom sustainability is paramount, has a lot to say about the topic since they have modified all of their production to respect the environment. The sustainable forests where they source wood for their furniture production are their own or leased. They use only environmentally friendly products to treat their wood and do all they can to eliminate any negative environmental impacts. The Danish BoConcept applies a very similar philosophy - just like Team7,

Colour Shades and Organic Shapes The power of nature and its impact on us has grown more than ever before. Colours and shapes do open the doors and thus connect our inner spaces with the outer ones. We strive to feel good, to be healthier and more energetic. A simple task, yet not always an easy one to achieve. 2022 is definitely a year of green and all-natural tones brought into our interiors through plants, wood, and terracotta, as solid pieces of genuine nature. This year we should really not be afraid of olive green, velvet, bold wall paints, and rugs made of burlap and other rustic materials.

Organic forms, such as curved lines and rounded shapes, offer a perfect vocabulary for nature-inspired interiors. You can see them applied onto many of the BoConcept sofas and chairs, but also in the works of Edra, a leading design brand from Tuscany, whose On The Rocks sofa resembles a giant sea cucumber. The trend of organic shapes is nothing new in the interior; it just seems to be experiencing its big comeback right

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now, as a lavish celebration of life and love. Due to this, it often demonstrates obvious inspiration from living organisms and other natural elements.

The Sofa - a Best Friend, or even a Family Member It is there for you when you come home. It never asks any questions. It is always ready to give you the best of itself: the perfect sofa. Your favourite place to relax with family or friends. The humble sofa is now becoming more important than ever. This year, the main criteria for selecting new seating furniture will be comfort and the ability of the sofa to match the existing interior. Timeless design will play a key role this year, as a sofa should be a time-bridging piece that should not follow fleeting trends. When choosing a sofa, look for quality and traditional craftsmanship. Well-thought lines, furniture made with love, materials sourced from nature - these are the elementary criteria of this year.

Kitchens: Hungry for Colour Neutral colour tones are timeless, but after some time they may become dull. Colour variety is also slowly returning to the central part of most homes: the kitchen.

Besides colourful appliances or bold tiling, other colour details may make a kitchen really stand out. For instance, a different colour of the base and top cabinets: one part may gravitate towards neutrality, while the other

may add a brighter tone, perhaps of the same colour.

A kitchen should be a creative and inspiring space, therefore it deserves more than just white and grey. The kitchen, as the heart of your home, also loves wooden decors accentuated with stone worktops in bolder shades.

Marie Khawajah

Professional installation since 2004 complete implementation of heating / cooling / air conditioning systems kompletní realizace systémů vytápění /chlazení / VZT residential / diplomatic / commercial objects rezidenční / diplomatické / komerční objekty air source heat pumps tepelná čerpadla vzduch-voda ground source heat pumps tepelná čerpadla země-voda boreholes for heat pumps vrty pro tepelná čerpadla photovoltaic systems fotovoltaické systémy / LOXONE

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Altner s.r.o. www.altner.cz | info@altner.cz | 608 507 664

An EASY WAY to solve your dispute MEDIATION as an alternative to the court proceeding process Eliška Kolečkářová

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Text: Eliška Kolečkářová; Photo: Archive

In my law practice, I mostly meet with two types of clients. The first type needs legal services because they are either starting a new business, extending their business, operating their business, buying or selling it, or are just making preparation for the future. The second type of client needs legal advice because of a conflict or a claim that needs to be resolved.

In the first case, the law is used to create something new – a new business, a new opportunity. In the second case, the law is used to settle a relationship issue between disputing parties.

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Solution of disputes If the parties are not able to find a settlement by themselves then the most common solution is to go to court, where it would be authoritatively decided. But, it is not always the best solution since the parties have no control over the decision, the court process is lengthy (the average time for the final decision is between 2–3 years in the Czech Republic) and costly, and both parties need to pay their lawyers accordingly. There are also alternative solutions to the dispute other than a court decision if the parties are not able to find an amicable solution between themselves, such as arbitration and mediation. In my law practice, I always try to reach a settlement for the client, or recommend an alternative dispute solution such as mediation in order to save the client money and energy.

Of course, in some cases, the court is the only solution.

Mediation as alternative form of dispute solution Recently, I had training in mediation techniques at “Institut pro mediaci a pracovní vztahy”, and the concept of mediation amazed me. It is a short-term, structured, task-oriented, and „hands-on“ process; a procedure in which the parties discuss their disputes with the assistance of a trained impartial third person(s) (the mediator), who assists them in reaching a satisfactory agreement for both parties. The mediator is a facilitator who has no power to render a resolution to the conflict. The parties have absolute control over the final agreement and are encouraged to find a creative solution to their issue. In the Czech Republic, mediation is voluntary. The court can recommend mediation or order the parties to have the first introductory meeting with the mediator, after which the parties can freely come back to the court for its solution of their dispute. If a resolution is reached, mediation agreements may be oral or written, and the content varies with the type of mediation. In 70-80% of mediated cases, a final agreement acceptable to both parties is reached. The average time for the mediation process to reach an agreement is 8-10 hours, with family mediation being 12-15 hours (family mediation is a specific type of mediation used to set up partner relationship and childcare after a separation, where the best interests of the child must be considered).

The role of the mediator The role of the mediator is to provide a safe space for all parties, interpret concerns, relay information between the parties, frame issues, reframe issues, help define the needs of the parties, and specify the issues at hand. The mediator uses communication techniques to make sure that each party hears the point of view and arguments of the other party. The mediator helps the parties find common ground, vent their emotions, and deal with unrealistic expectations.

Halfway is not always the best solution to a dispute The best way to explain mediation is with an example: Mum came to the kitchen and her two children had been fighting over the last orange. Mum took the orange, cut it in half, and gave each child one half. Both children started crying even harder. She asked why they were crying even more when each of them had one half of the orange and could eat it. The younger child answered that she wanted the juice from the orange, and the older child said she needed the peel for her school project. None of the children got what they wanted and if the mum had asked them the right questions she would have been able to split the orange in a way that would’ve made everyone happy. To ask the right questions and find the needs of both parties is one of the mediator’s most important tasks.

Give mediation a chance The advantages of mediation are affordability, timely resolution, private sessions, confidentiality, participation in the resolution of the dispute, and in many cases preservation of the interrelationship between the parties.

The cases in which the parties have been in long-term association are the most suitable for mediation. The cases to be mediated are those in relation to employment issues, business cases, family cases, neighbourhood cases etc.

Mgr. Eliška Kolečkářová Attorney at Law E: eliska.koleckarova@eklegal.cz

Dogs are OUR BEST FRIENDS Let’s take care of their HEALTH Text: M. Zisso; Photo: Archive

The following article was born out of wanting to help other dog owners whose dogs struggle with stomach issues.

I am the proud owner of two Labradors - Zorro (14.5) and Choko (11). We have visited our vet Dr. Alexa many times due to their stomach issues. We tried many different dog food types and brands, some of which were expensive, and even tried mixing a few different types together, untill ten years ago, when the owner of the shop where I purchase their food recommended the Czech-produced BRIT brand, manufactured by VAFO. The dogs loved the food and I loved the results – their stomach issues disappeared. Even today, they eat ‘BRIT for Senior Dogs’ and we are all happy.

A few days ago, I learned that VAFO will soon be selling their food (including the BRIT product line) in the US too, and so this article was created. I wanted to share this with other dog owners who were dealing with similar issues but weren’t able to get a hold of this dog food in the United States.

I wish VAFO a lot of success in the US, and a long and healthy life to all dogs around the world.

Zorro and Choko

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VAFO to become sustainable - the largest czech pet food manufacturer has big plans When František Bouška founded the pet food company VAFO in 1994, he probably had no idea how successful it would become in 28 years. VAFO is a family firm, managed by his son Pavel, which has grown into

a company that is incredibly successful in the Czech and European markets. VAFO plants in European countries produce 180,000 tonnes of pet food annually, which is then exported to more than 85 countries around the world. Now, the company is setting its sights on the other side of the Atlantic, to the biggest pet food market in the world.

CONTRIBUTORS

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VAFO is taking important steps to secure a licence to enter new markets. The firm is currently working on obtaining the strict certification needed to export to the USA for its most modern plant in Číčenice. At the end of March, VAFO representatives will take part in Global Pet Expo, the largest American pet food trade fair in Florida, where thousands of companies present their diverse range of products.

The United States is not the only goal, though, and VAFO expects growth in other markets as well. In 2021, the company saw a 21% growth in revenues, and it plans to achieve at least the same level of growth in 2022 – though the company has to increase its production capacity to satisfy all of its customers’ demands.

VAFO is building a new manufacturing plant in the Finnish city of Nokia that will be finished in the first quarter of 2023. This plant, which will cost more than 350 million CZK, will process local raw materials and employ more than 25 people. Additionally, VAFO increased production in its other European plants last year. In VAFO’s Czech plants, production went up by 30% in comparison to 2020, and the Polish Carry Pet Food Trzebielino and the Estonian Pandivere rose even more, by 45%.

One of VAFO’s most important goals is to make sure that its products are truly palatable to pets. To ensure this, the Číčenice plant in the Strakonice district has introduced a unique animal food processing technology that allows producing dry dog food containing 60% fresh meat. The remaining 40% is made up of vegetables, fruits, herbs and other “superfoods” (e.g. spirulina, Picture 3

sea buckthorn) beneficial to animal health. The premium quality is ensured in particular by a thermal twin extruder manufactured by the American company Wenger, which gently heat-treats raw materials and allows product identity monitoring whilst reducing energy consumption. (picture 1 and 2) VAFO’s production programme also takes into account environmental concerns - sustainability is one of its priorities. The company aims to reduce CO2 emissions in all of its production processes, use up to 95% recyclable materials in its packaging, process 50% more sustainable raw materials, and encourages its employees to behave in an environmentally responsible way.

What are some practical examples? Solar panels have been installed at the Trzebielino production plant in Poland (picture 4), and wastewater from the sterilisation process is being recycled in Pandivere, Estonia. In 2022, VAFO also plans to reduce imports of raw materials from third countries, which will eliminate 240 tonnes of CO2 annually, an equivalent to about 2,000,000 kilometres driven by a car. The pet food will become increasingly planet-friendly as VAFO has began introducing animal treats containing insect protein (picture 5), whose environmental impacts are much lower than production from, for example, beef, pork or vegetable proteins. The employees make every effort to go fully digital, getting rid of any unnecessary printing.

For example, at the last ZOOMARK fair, VAFO did not use a single piece of printed promotional material; all information was accessible electronically by scanning a QR code. (picture 3) Picture 5

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