Changes in the Management of the Board of Directors and the Supervisory Board of Aspen Institute CE
Prague, February 1, 2022
After almost 10 years, the Founder and Honorary Chairman of the Board, Ivan Hodáč, decided to resign from his role on the Board of Directors of Aspen Institute Central Europe, effective as of 31 December 2021. Pavel Řehák took over the presidency effective from 1 January 2022, replacing him. Ivan Hodáč will continue to actively support the Institute in his new role as Chairman of the Supervisory Board, to which he was elected on 1 February 2022.
“I would like to thank Ivan Hodáč for his support and years of excellent work as Chairman of the Board for Aspen Institute CE. Ivan played a significant role in the transformation from Aspen Institute Prague to Aspen Institute Central Europe. He has helped the team build a strong platform across Central Europe and supported young European leaders and addressed key societal questions on the part of the Institute. I am personally glad that we are not saying goodbye to Ivan and that he will continue to work with Aspen Institute CE. I would also like to congratulate the new Chairman of the Board, Pavel Řehák for taking over this important position, I wish him great success ahead and look forward to our cooperation in the future,” said Milan Vašina, Executive Director of Aspen Institute CE.
“I am glad that I was able to participate in establishing the Aspen Institute in Central Europe 10 years ago, because I was strongly convinced that there was no similar institution in Central Europe which would enable open dialogue of experts from different backgrounds. I am proud that we have achieved our goals within a few years, engaging and cooperating with a large number of professionals, young people and have become a respected platform offering recommendations that help solve current issues. The name of Aspen Institute has been associated with Pavel Řehák for several years, and I am personally very pleased that Pavel, whose values and visions fully resonate with the mission of this platform, will take over the chairmanship of the Board. I wish Pavel much success in his new role as Chairman of the Board. I believe that this opportunity will be as fulfilling for him as it was for me,” said Ivan Hodáč, Chairman of the Supervisory Board and founder of Aspen Institute CE.
Ivan Hodáč is the Founder, Chairman of the Supervisory Board, and the former president of Aspen Institute Central Europe. He was Secretary-General of the European Automobile Manufacturers’ Association (ACEA) from 2001 until October 2013. He was among other things a member of the special Advisory Group of experts, which was advising the European Commission in the negotiation of the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership with the United States (TTIP), and an advisor to the Czech Government on European issues. He is also a Senior Advisor at Teneo CabinetDN, a leading consultancy in the EU. The Financial Times listed him among the most influential personalities in Brussels politics. Before joining ACEA, he was Senior Vice-President and Head of the Time Warner Corporate office for Europe. He was previously Secretary-General of the trade organization IFMA/IMACE, Senior Economist at Didier & Associates, and Assistant Professor at the College of Europe, Bruges. He was born in Prague, where he studied mechanical engineering. He completed his education in economics and political science at the University of Copenhagen and the College of Europe in Bruges (European studies).
Pavel Řehák previously worked as a consultant at McKinsey & Company, then as an adviser to Česká pojišťovna, where he worked for seven years, of which three as CEO. In 2013, he left Česká pojišťovna and founded the investment company Vigo Investments. In 2014, together with his partners, he bought the Czech branch of the loss-making Slovenian insurance company Triglav and the Direct pojišťovna brand to establish a completely new company. Direct pojišťovna is now the fastest-growing insurer and the largest Czech-owned player on the market. In 2020, Pavel helped the Czech government cope with the first wave of the Covid-19 pandemic.
“I really appreciate the Aspen Institute CE platform and am very happy to be a part of it. It is a great honor for me to take over the Presidency after Ivan Hodáč, as I respect him not only as a person, but also for all the goals that Ivan and the Aspen team have achieved. I believe that I will continue to build on his successes and look forward to the challenges that await us over the coming years, ” added Pavel Řehák.
You can download the press release here.