The 20th Hospodářské noviny Poll Reaffirms that Women Make Good Leaders

On March 12th, the winners of the TOP Women of the Czech Republic poll — organized by Hospodářské noviny for the 20th year — were announced at the Convent of St. Agnes of Bohemia in Prague. The evening was held under the auspices of First Lady Eva Pavlová, who in her opening speech acknowledged the contributions of women to society and the economy.

Michaela Bakala, patron of the poll, used her speech to highlight how influential the award for exceptional women has become. "This year's top three winners in the entrepreneurs category alone manage assets of 23 billion CZK, while the entire list of honorees includes more than a trillion CZK in assets and tens of thousands of employees," she noted at the start of the evening.

The poll is also a valuable platform for raising the profile of women's leadership achievements, boosting confidence in women's abilities, and changing social norms and traditional views of gender roles. Now in its 20th year, it also contributes significantly to the debate on gender equality. We have consistently highlighted the barriers women face and what needs to be done to remove them.

"For a while, it may have looked like the fight for equality had been won, but now, unfortunately, even the most basic issues are back on the table. That’s why we will continue to address them, and we will continue to develop TOP Women of the Czech Republic in the years to come," Michaela Bakala promised in her speech.

Elita de Klerk, Chairwoman of the FW de Klerk Foundation and patron of the Global Leadership Foundation also took the stage. Elita, wife of the late President of South Africa, Frederik Willem de Klerk, who, together with Nelson Mandela received the Nobel Peace Prize for contributing to the country's peaceful transition from apartheid to democracy, is also an extremely inspiring woman. In her speech, she reminisced about her friendship with Václav Havel, her visits to Prague, and Forum 2000. "Unfortunately, we no longer see such meetings of value-oriented leaders with much frequency," Elita de Klerk lamented in an interview.

In the 20th year of the poll, the awards went to:

Female Entrepreneur Category: 1. Iva Št'astná, owner and founder of Portiva 2. Denisa Materová, owner and CEO of Promet Group 3. Jana Bobošíková Jr., owner and investor of Kiki

Manager Category: 1. Barbora Vaculíková, Managing Director and CEO of Penta Hospitals CZ 2. Hana Krejčí, Member of the Board of Directors of EP Industries 3. Maren Gräf, Member of the Board of Directors of Škoda Auto

Public Sector Category: 1. Lucie Šestáková, Chief of Staff of the European Commissioner 2. Barbora Urbanová and Michaela Studená from Pod svícnem 3. Nikol Leitgeb, influencer and philanthropist

In addition, Věra Jourová, a former EU Commissioner and now Vice Chancellor of Charles University and advisor to the president, was inducted into the Hall of Fame. This honor was also given posthumously to Eliška Wagnerová, one of the most important personalities of modern Czech legal history and Vice President Emeritus of the Constitutional Court.

Congratulations to all of the winners and nominees!