AmCham in Brief

“We have a strong and diverse group of leaders on the Board,” Michal Chour told AmCham members at the General Assembly on Thursday, June 20, 2019. “Each member of the board brings a different expertise and different network to the table, and our plan is to work as a team to make this country a top ten economy in the EU."

As a board member, I will represent the hospitality industry and would focus on promoting Prague and Czech Republic as a viable destination for holding congresses and conventions and a high-profile destination for demanding travelers

After 12 years as Managing Director at MSD, I am currently Regional Managing Director CEE at Biogen Idec Czech Republic. The American Chamber of Commerce has a unique position in the Czech business environment. As a Vice-President I´m honoured to serve for the continuous success of AmCham and I am ready to dedicate my experience and energy to further enhance AmCham’s position as trusted and respected partner to both business community and state authorities.

I focus on AmCham priorities, especially Competitiveness, Healthcare and Transparency.

As a company, we believe the next wave of this country's growth depends on larger and more effective investment into research and development. I want to use our recent experience to help shape policies to increase the proportion of private research investment to public research investment, and to share best practices among high tech manufacturers so that the country's manufacturing capabilities are among the best in Europe.

I try to devote my energy to three areas :

1. Create a vision for Czech Competitiveness/ Collaborative-ness 2030/2040 and a related action plan to attract and retain the best talents from the region.
2. As also President of Prague Convention Bureau to create the synergy for the ecosystem that promotes applied research and high value added services by bringing together R&D, investors as well as businesses into incubators and accelerators.
3. Explore further the responsibility of business to society through more responsible and informed leadership.

My energies is especially devoted to small and medium enterprises, which do not have resources commanded by large corporations.

With opposition to U.S.-led sanctions against Russia rising and with sanctions against Iran and companies doing business with it about to be reinvoked, the position of the AmCham becomes more precarious. More than ever, we need to find a balance between supporting U.S. foreign policy and addressing the concerns of those whom it affects negatively. Our independence as an organization is put to the test. I have always prided myself on separating my own business and personal interests from those of the Chamber and its members, and I vow to continue to do this.

As a Board member, I like to build upon more than two decades of work of previous managing partners of KPMG in contributing to AmCham active role in enhancing the local business environment. AmCham has a strong record of achievement and KPMG is proud to have been an active member. Our contributions have included, in particular, the very active involvement of my predecessors, Jan Žůrek, František Dostálek and Charles Randolph in the area of tax policy, sustainable development, and good government. As a lawyer by background, I intend in particular to focus on the legal and tax reforms of the new government and their impact on the business environment. 

I would also like to continue to strongly support development of transparency and ethics in the Czech business and public environment.  Government and the public sector in general remains far from efficient and operates below its potential. I am convinced that AmCham as an independent, reputable and respected representative of the business community can play a key role in promoting best practice in this area.

Having worked for many years in area supporting research, development and engineering, I would like AmCham to influence development of “innovative economy” – economy with advanced and high quality production. I also want to promote development of regions to distribute economic growth more evenly.

Since the early days in my professional career I tended to take part in public debates – as a (part time) journalist, as advisor, as participant in various task forces in governmental and NGO sector. Today, AmCham is probably the best place for an intelligent public debate. The atmosphere of openness, level of engagement and quality of contributions in AmCham debates significantly exceeds the current standards. The most recent political and security development in Central and Eastern Europe and in Czech Republic in particular, AmCham can and should play a role in preserving Czech Republic as a member of Western security and political structures.

I am a father of three girls, a partner with a major New York-based law firm, a Prague born patriot, and a keen cyclist. I genuinely care about the future for my family and the Czech Republic.

Throughout my practice, I have had the pleasure of working with a number of key investors, helping them to understand the workings of this country, its laws, courts, magistrates and politics. Although I have done work for state institutions, such as the Prague Council, when investigating defaults in the course of the Blanka Tunnel procurement, or the Ministry of Finance, when half a billion crowns of state funds were channeled into a private Swiss bank account and then simply lost, I have made a firm decision to act exclusively for private investors, with a focus on U.S.- and Western European-based clients.

Over the years, the most notable U.S.-based clients with whom I have worked have included, for example, TPG, La Salle, Prologis, Honeywell and Johnson Controls. At our firm, we have assisted a number of the most successful privately held businesses that have outgrown the region and become European or global players, such as Avast, PPF, EPH, CTP and Bonatrans.

We are a confident and independent law firm of reputable standing, and we find ourselves in the best possible position to assist both international investors and major Czech-based players in navigating the current waters. In fact, we have a vested interest in making sure that the Czech legal system continues to improve so as to make sure that this country remains an attractive place to live and do business.

This is a trying time for our young legal and democratic system. Our laws have evolved significantly, but our politicians are increasingly tempted to question the limits of the established rule of law. It is foreign investors and successful local businesses who are typically an easy target and the first to come under pressure in such a political environment.

Manufacturing in the Czech Republic faces a major transition. As compensation spikes upward, production lines will need to become more efficient and more productive. Our facilities will have to become more attractive to employees and more economical. I want to work with other manufacturers to drive those process improvements and promote government policies that will make this transition successful."

Michel's AmCham Priority:

• Country Manufacturing strategy

•  CNB Monetary policy.

• Cooperation with other countries Chambers of Commerce

Jaroslava joined Manpower in 2001 as Country Manager Czech Republic. Under her leadership, the company’s turnover increased from 100 million to 3,6 billion CZK. Manpower Czech Republic currently serves 1.200 clients, placing 24.000 new employees yearly. In 2006 she became member of the Global Leadership Team ManpowerGroup Inc and in October 2007, she was made responsible for development of Manpower Slovakia.

Prior to joining Manpower, Jaroslava worked as commercial director of the French Chamber of Commerce from its foundation in 1997. She was the vice president of the chamber’s board of directors from 2002 to 2006.

She is the founding member and the president of the Association of providers of personnel services – APPS, which unites the leading personnel and employment agencies in the Czech Republic. The Association significantly contributes to the changes of labour law aiming to increase the openness and flexibility of the sector.

AmCham pursues policies and investments that will help the Czech Republic increase GDP per capita by 60% by 2025. During my time on the board and as president, I have been involved in many initiatives that have led toward this goal, and strengthened the voice of business as part of society. I would very much like to continue being a part of this effort with a focus on improving the processes and outcomes of municipal procurement and improving AmCham's channels to communicate the important events of all the businesses in our community.