Strategic Council
The Strategic Council is a key advisory body of the Centre for Family Business composed of representatives of major family businesses.
The mission of the Strategic Council is:
- to support and influence the Centre for Family Business in fulfilling its mission,
- deepen mutual understanding between the academic world and the world of family businesses,
- raise the profile of family businesses through close cooperation with the Prague University of Economics and Business,
- cooperate with the government and the Parliament of the Czech Republic on the conditions and possibilities of supporting family business.
The member of the Strategic Council on behalf of the Prague University of Economics and Business is rector Petr Dvořák.
Count Constantin Kinský took over the administration of the heritage of his aristocratic family in the Czech Republic. He was responsible for opening the Žďár Chateau and Monastery to the public and opened the interactive Museum of the New Generation. He decided to repair and open the entire area of the Žďár chateau to the public and he succeeded. Among other things, he was responsible for building an interactive Museum of the new generation, which is very popular among visitors to the castle. Today he manages the operation of the chateau and museum together with his sons Jan Václav and Adrien. Constantin Kinsky was born in Paris and grew up in France. “I am a typical European, the son of refugees. My father was born in Czechoslovakia, my mother comes from Georgia, “he says of his roots. He himself reports mainly to the Czech ones.
Czechoslovak Group (CSG) is a holding company continuing the tradition of Czechoslovak industry, which was taken over from father Jaroslav Strnad by his son Michal. Michal’s younger brother Jaroslav is also involved in the holding’s business. CSG supports the development of traditional Czech and Slovak companies engaged in defense and civil industrial production and trade. CSG’s main fields are engineering, automotive, railway, aerospace and defense. The production portfolio is diverse: from watches to train brakes to trucks. No less important area are radar and navigation systems for the civil and defense industries.
Jan Klokočka’s passion for cars led him to founding the Klokočka Motor Show more than 30 years ago. Today, the goal of the family business is to provide quality services in many areas, from the sale of cars to financial services, including the rental of on-site office space. The family business has been on the market for over 30 years and employs more than 240 people. Today, the family company is run by the founder Jan Klokočka together with his sons Jan and Mark.
The Beznoska company is a wholly Czech family business for the third generation, which is currently run by brothers Petr and Pavel Milatovi. Beznoska manufactures implants, instruments and surgical aids intended for the needs of orthopedics and traumatology. This focus of production requires a wide range of technical and medical expertise, so they work closely with leading experts from the ranks of doctors and metallurgists. The company has patented a number of its products, which are used not only in the Czech Republic, but also in Slovakia, Russia, Ukraine, Lebanon, Bulgaria, Belgium, Portugal, Estonia and other European Union countries.
The Czech family business LIKO-S has been constructing green buildings for almost 30 years and is one of the best in the world. The company was founded by Libor Musil in 1992 and recently handed over management to his son Jan and daughter Hana. This family-owned company based in Slavkov near Brno develops, manufactures and assembles partition walls, partitions, sliding walls and entire buildings, from warehouses to office buildings. The company has branches in the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary and India and exports to 20 countries around the world. LIKO-S was awarded the title Family Company of the Year 2014.
USSPA is a family business and exclusively Czech. USSPA has been on the market since 1995. The company was founded by Kateřina Kadlecová together with her father, and today she runs it with her husband Jan Kadlec.The company is the first Czech manufacturer of acrylic whirlpools and countercurrent pools. It has a significant place in the European market. USSPA is one of the top suppliers on the market, especially in the field of massage pools, thanks to the high quality of production, innovative design and professionalism. It is also successfully developing its export activities alongside its own development and design workshop.
Strateggo is a content marketing agency that specializes in managing the reputation of private and public sector companies. Strateggo creates communication strategies for corporate and retail brands, universities and the public sector. The company’s motto is: “content makes a difference”. The long-term cooperation between Strateggo and the Centre was created thanks to a university student and a graduate of the Family Business Strategy course, who worked at Strateggo.
The members of the strategic board for Collegas are Tomáš Kalous and Marek Butula. Collegas brings together financial experts and has been guaranteeing its clients tailor-made solutions for 16 years.
Eversheds Sutherland is an international law company that provides legal services in more than 30 countries around the world, including the Czech Republic. Their team of advocates specializes in corporate law including mergers and acquisitions, capital market law, financial law, real estate law, labor law and representation in court and arbitration proceedings. They are regularly ranked in the Chambers & Partners, Legal 500 and IFLR1000 international rankings and in the Czech Law Firm of the Year competition. Its co-managing partner and member of the CFB’s Strategic Board is Bořivoj Líbal, who provides legal advice to important local and foreign clients, including family businesses.
DEK is a group of companies engaged in the supply of materials and services for the construction industry. At the same time, DEK is the largest Czech family company owned by CEO Vít Kutnar with his ex-wife Petra Kutnarová, who is the administrative director of the group. Vít’s father Zdeněk has been involved in the company since its inception, and the next generation is gradually starting to show up in the business – the eldest son Adam and daughters Adéla, Anna and Andrea. Thanks to continuous investments in development, the company is growing rapidly and is currently the largest supplier in the Czech Republic and the leading supplier of materials for roofs, facades and insulation in the Slovak Republic. The endeavor of DEK is to constantly come up with innovations in the field of client service. It has more than 136 sales warehouses and nearly 4,000 employees.
The Fenix business group was established in 1990 as one of the first private companies in the Czech Republic. The market offers electric radiant heating panels ECOSUN, heating cables and mats ECOFLOOR, heating films ECOFILM, electric convectors ECOFLEX and radiant glass and marble panels GR/MR. The holding is made up of eleven trading companies and is one of the largest European manufacturers of surface electric heating systems – it already exports its products to more than 70 countries located on 4 world continents. Throughout its existence, Fenix has been exclusively a Czech company, without any foreign participation, but it has already incorporated six companies with headquarters outside the territory of the Czech Republic into its structure. In addition to its founder and CEO Cyril Svozil, his son Cyril Svozil and daughter Kateřina Jezerská also joined the business.
In 1991, Renocar became the first official BMW dealer and branded service in our country, thus continuing the tradition of its founder, who was involved in the restoration of vintage and old-timer BMWs. This is also where the name of the company comes from, RENO car renovation. Today, Renocar, as a partner of BMW AG, is one of the best-rated BMW branches and BMW service providers in the Czech Republic. The founder Miloš Vránek handed the company over to his sons Miloš and Pavel Vránek. The company now has four establishments in the Czech Republic. Two in Brno and two in Prague.