Board of Trustees

Jan Macháček is a journalist and musician. From 1983 to 1986, he was a member of The Plastic People of the Universe band. He was a signatory of Charter 77. After 1989, he became an editor of the Respekt magazine. He was awarded several journalist prizes (the best economical journalist, the best financial journalist). At present he is working as a news commentator for the Hospodářské noviny.

Former radio presenter. She has worked in Charta 77 Foundation since 1992. She greatly contributed to the transformation of the non-profit sector in the Czech Republic. She participated in many successful as well as popular charity projects focusing on protection of rights of the handicapped and on help in crisis etc. She has been the executive director of Charta 77 Foundation since 2002.

The Czech Republic’s first lady between 1997 and 2003. In 1997, Dagmar and Václav Havel founded the Dagmar and Václav Havel Foundation VIZE 97, which focuses on the areas of culture, carcinology, education, human rights etc. She has been awarded many prizes as well as honorary academic degrees for her achievements. She resumed her former profession of a theatre actress this year.

Actress, Former Deputy of the Parliament of the Czech Republic

Popular Czech theatre and film actress. One of the most featured actress in Czech films. She has been participating in events commemorating the Jewish Holocaust as well as in programs raising awareness of the impact the Holocaust has had on the society. She won the best actress award for the role of a mother in Holiday Makers (Účastníci zájezdu) at Tribeca Film Festival in New York in 2006.

Former journalist. In 1989, he founded MOST organization, which mediated the first negotiations between the opposition and official political representatives of Czechoslovakia. His career as a lyricist began in the 1980s and in 1990 he became the chairman of the board of directors of Fortuna betting agency, which had 300 branches all over the Czech Republic by 2000. He has been supporting Paraple Foundation taking care of the disabled since 1999. He was the chairman of the Academic Council of Popular Music between 1997 and 2000.

Bessel Kok is a Director and Chairman of the Audit Committee. He has served as Chairman of Astelit/LlFE (Kiev), Scarlet Communications (Netherlands) and CV Warehouse (Belgium) since 2005. From 1995 to 2004, he was Vice-Chairman and Chief Operating Officer of Cesky Telecom (formerly SPT Telecom) and now Telefonica/O2 (Czech Republic). In the same years, he was a Board member of Eurotel in Prague, and from 2002 to 2004, he also served as Chairman of the Board of Directors of Eurotel. Prior to that, Mr. Kok was the President of Belgacom from 1989 to the end of 1994 and oversaw its privatisation. In 1973, Mr. Kok joined SWIFT (Society for Worldwide lnterbank Financial Telecommunication) in Belgium and became its President and CEO in 1981, positions which he held until 1989. Mr. Kok also served as Director of Business Intelligence Services (London) from 1968 to 1972. Mr. Kok graduated in 1963 from the Municipal University of Amsterdam with a degree in Economic Sciences.

Mr. Kok is a member of the Board of Trustees of DOX, Vice Chairman of the Archa Theatre and a Honorary Representative of Nadace Vize 97 (the Dagmar and Vaclav Havel Foundation).

He established Portland Trust s.r.o. in 1997 in order to provide a modern, competitive, and comprehensive commercial real estate finance and development service in the Czech Republic. Since then, Portland Trust has developed a growing portfolio of pre-leased newly built supermarkets, district centres, and office buildings throughout the Czech Republic.

Attorney, Clifford Chance Law Firm

General Manager, Ogilvy Public Relations Worldwide