Changes in the Board / Area 'S'

 is work activities included not only HR but also many activities in the field of social responsibility, including major support for education. 

Ten years in the top position is an unusually long time. What is the company’s most significant shift or transformation that you would highlight? 

ŠKODA AUTO can be proud of what it has achieved with the help of each of its employees. Be just as proud of your company.

There are many topics I could mention. The successful transformation of Vrchlabí into a technically advanced component production plant certainly deserves mentioning. I would also like to note the development of the Kvasiny plant: In a short time, it has more than doubled its capacity and become one of the most modern production sites in Europe. The support for and modernisation of education, which we carried out in agreement with the KOVO Trade Union headed by Jaroslav Povšík, is also important. We have our vocational school and university, and we run the lifelong learning academy, which is truly unique. Investing in education provides the best value for money.

You have just had a challenging year marked by the coronavirus pandemic. How do you rate it? 

The past year was challenging for everyone in both their professional and personal life. Together with our social partner, we adopted strict hygiene measures, and thanks to the responsible approach of all the employees, we’ve reduced the spread of the virus at work. I would like to thank everyone for that. However, the coronavirus crisis appears to have served as a catalyst for change and accelerated a number of processes. For example, it has expanded the corporate education options in the form of a new employee qualification deepening concept. 

ŠKODA AUTO invests significantly in social responsibility projects and has established an endowment fund of whose Supervisory Board you are a member. Which projects do you consider the most important? 

We managed to improve both the internal and external social infrastructure of our plants. We’ve invested more than CZK 3 billion in these projects since 2011. I would mention two parking garages for employees, new factory restaurants and kiosks, as well as the renovation of team spaces and locker rooms. For me, the ŠKODA AUTO Endowment Fund is a good example of social responsibility, but I would also like to mention the ŠKODA AUTO Helps Programme (see pages 26 and 28). However, I consider the most important benefit to be that we have activated the civil society, for example, in the form of Employee Collections. The fact that employees and the carmaker have contributed more than CZK 34 million to charities since 2014 needs no further comment.

Can you tell us what you intend to do in the future? 

My colleagues want me to continue to help connect ŠKODA AUTO with the automotive industry, which concerns my activities at the Czech Automotive Industry Association and the Confederation of Industry and Transport of the Czech Republic, as well as in public administration. However, I would very much like to participate in the development of the regions and the activities of the ŠKODA AUTO Endowment Fund. Last but not least, I would like to be involved in corporate education issues. 

What would you like to say to the employees? 

I would like to thank them all for their commitment and the coherence they have shown, especially during the past year. I also greatly appreciate the cooperation with the KOVO Trade Union, with which we have always been able to find common ground and harmonise attitudes leading to employee satisfaction. I would like to say that, just as ŠKODA AUTO can be proud of what it has achieved with the help of each of its individual employees, our employees can be proud of their company. The carmaker is interested in the development of its employees, takes care of the environment in which they live and, thanks to its importance, also benefits the entire Czech Republic. Michael Kudela