Prague and central Bohemia were dominated by Entrepreneurs of the Year Jakub Havrlant and Pavel Louda
An independent jury consisting mainly of national winners from previous years praised the wide range of their activities for both winners. The investment company Rockaway Capital focuses on the development of the digital economy, while Louda Holding, in addition to one of the largest networks of car dealerships and services, also covers a carsharing platform and a glass business.
Both business awards also support education and contribute to development in the fields of sports and culture.
The winners succeeded in a great competition, more than 40 percent of the participants come from Prague and central Bohemia. At the same time, three-quarters of the registered participants were, for example, newcomers who entered the race for the very first time.
In terms of fields, companies from the technological field were most strongly represented here (30 percent), closely followed by wholesale and retail trade.
Louda holding is, among other things, the largest seller of Škoda and Hyundai cars on the Czech market, under the Car4way brand Pavlo Loud managed to build a Czech carsharing fleet in Prague and Brno. His company Crystal Bohemia is a major manufacturer of Czech crystal products.
“Teams with colleagues and employees are behind the success, there are almost 1,600 of us – and my thanks also go to my wife. We appreciate it very much,” said Pavel Louda at the announcement.
Jakub Havrlant from Rockaway Capital, whose portfolio includes giants such as Invia Group, Heureka.cz, Košík.cz, Euromedia Group or the most valuable Czech start-up Productboard, and has also had several successful exits such as the sale of Mall Group to the Polish company Allegro.
“All the stories are amazing, I wouldn’t want to judge who should win,” said Jakub Havrlant after accepting the award. He also appreciated the shift of business visions towards sustainability. “It’s great that a lot of companies are already putting such emphasis on this angle of business,” he added.
“In this year’s competition, both regions have a very strong representation, both in terms of the number of entries and the demand of business personalities. I am pleased that almost a quarter of the applicants are women entrepreneurs,” stated Martina Kneiflová, EY’s leading partner in the Czech Republic. “Choosing the winner was one of the most difficult for the jury in the history of these regional competitions,” he adds
According to Prague Mayor Zdenek Hřiba, the capital city is the driving force of the Czech economy not only in good times, but also in bad times. The Governor of Central Bohemia, Petra Pecková, also recalled the social responsibility and contribution of entrepreneurs.
“The moment an entrepreneur operates in the locality – and it doesn’t have to be big, it doesn’t have to be a corporation – at that moment it is very noticeable in that place. I would like for you not to lose your spirit, so that you have the desire to do business and not only where it is easiest, but also where it is difficult, because it is possible to change things,” said Pecková.
“You are responsible to the place, to the people, to the families, to the environment, and social responsibility is something that is very valuable,” she added.
The results of the national final and the name of the winner of the EY Entrepreneur of the Year 2022 competition of the Czech Republic will be announced on February 28. The Czech champion will then take part in the global final in Monte Carlo.