This year’s EY Entrepreneur Of The Year competition saw a record-breaking 100+ contending entrepreneurs. For the first time ever, a married couple was awarded the EY Entrepreneur Of The Year Czech Republic title. Three of this year’s five finalists are foreign-born nationals who’ve successfully been doing business in the Czech Republic for several decades. All the national finalists, including the winners, are family firms engaged in manufacturing, whose products are sold to customers throughout the world.
Radka Prokopová and František Fabičovic, a married couple, partners in business and the owners of Alca plast, s.r.o., were awarded the prestigious title of EY Entrepreneur Of The Year 2018 Czech Republic. They were presented with the trophy for best entrepreneur and national winner on the evening of Tuesday, March 5thin Prague’s Žofín Palace by Lubomír Stoklásek, Judging Panel Chair, EY Entrepreneur Of The Year 2017 Czech Republic and managing director of AGROSTROJ Pelhřimov, a.s., and Magdalena Souček, EY Country Managing Partner. EY has organized the competition in the Czech Republic for 19 years running. The founders and owners of Alca plast will go on to represent the Czech Republic in the World Finals in June in Monte Carlo. This year again, the main judging panel’s deliberations were highly suspenseful. After a number of years, the main judging panel decided once again to award a special prize, this time for entrepreneurial inspiration of the decade, to Gevorg Avetisjan, founder and owner of MARLENKA international s.r.o. In the years 2013 and 2014, Gevorg Avetisjan won the title of regional winner and EY Entrepreneur Of The Year Moravia-Silesia region; this year, he was also a main competition finalist. The EY Technology Entrepreneur Of The Year 2018 award went to Karel Mareček of BD SENSORS s.r.o. The EY Emerging Entrepreneur Of The Year 2018 title went to Petr Procházka, founder of Skinners Technologies s.r.o. This year, for the first time in the competition’s history, the Czech Television Prize for an Entrepreneurial Contribution to Culture and Art was awarded. It was won by Čestmír Vančura, co-owner and director for strategic development at Kovárna VIVA a.s. While this year’s contenders for EY Social Entrepreneur Of The Year 2018 made up a highly competitive field, the trophy went to Jakub Knězů, founder and director of the non-profit Etincelle, o.s. The competition for best entrepreneurial story 2018, which is voted on by the readers of MF DNES a IDNES.cz, was won by duo Jan Kokáš and Ondřej Koneš of WORKOUT CLUB PARKS s.r.o. (Woclub)
“We feel a sense of pride, humility and great appreciation for the award. We found ourselves in a fantastic company of amazing and inspiring people who carry the Czech made brand out into the world. We also appreciate that a competition exists which has the same criteria in all countries, cares about the visibility of stories and motivates future entrepreneurs.”These were the immediate impressions expressed by Radka Prokopová and František Fabičovic of the company Alca plast, s.r.o., joint holders of the EY Entrepreneur Of The Year 2018 Czech Republic title.
“The recognition means a great deal to me. It gives me a sense of even greater responsibility, an incentive to continue in our work and to manufacture more products that help us continue to promote the city of Frýdek-Místek as well as the Czech Republic,”said Gevorg Avetisjan of the company MARLENKA international s.r.o., holder of the Jury Prize for Entrepreneurial Inspiration of the Decade.
“The nineteenth annual EY Entrepreneur Of The Year competition presented a number of prominent entrepreneurial figures who inspire not only those in their immediate surroundings, but also new and established entrepreneurs. Thanks to their honest endeavour and hard work, their courage to take on risk and to innovate, their corporate social responsibility and their approach to taking care of their employees they serve as a model for us all. This year, the competition’s main judging panel bestowed six regional titles and one special prize,“says Magdalena Souček, EY Country Managing Partner in the Czech Republic and for the Central and Eastern Europe Region,and adds: “for the first time ever, the winner was a married couple, who will go on to represent the Czech Republic at the world finals in June in Monte Carlo. I consider their story to be tremendously inspirational and I’m convinced they’ll also make an impact on the judging panel in Monaco.”
“Enthusiasm, speed, performance, success, innovation and rationality. In many cases, these words precisely describe the candidates in the EY Entrepreneur Of The Year competition. The same words can be used to describe the BMW brand. We’re very pleased once again to partner with EY for this prestigious competition and to be there when the best of the best are named,” saysStephan Deppe, Managing Director of BMW Group Czech Republic.
Husband and wife entrepreneurs Radka Prokopová and František Fabičovic will represent the Czech Republic at the world finals on 5 – 9 June 2019 in Monte Carlo. Roughly 60 national winners from 60 countries on 6 continents will vie for the title of EY International Entrepreneur Of The Year. Since the international winner was announced in 2001, no entrepreneur from Central and Eastern Europe has won. The last four years’ winners are from Brazil (2018), Canada (2017), Australia (2016) and France (2015).
