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UP&DOWN
Written by: Monika Mudranincová

PEOPLE UP

Photo: archiv		Kvido Štěpánek The director of a company called Isolit-Bravo received the title Entrepreneur of the Year 2002 in the prestigious international contest organized by Ernst & Young. Štěpánek's firm makes thermoplastic materials for the auto industry and kitchen utensils, among other things.
Photo: ČTK		Jan Kasl The former Lord Mayor of Prague is coming back to high politics again. His European democrats gained 15 mandates in the Prague board of representatives. His new party won over the well-established KDU-ČSL, as well as the US-DEU.
Photo: Petr Poliak		Alexis Juan Under his management, Komerční banka recorded net profit of CZK 6.308 billion in the past three quarters of this year, compared to CZK 2.5 billion in the same period last year. Such an improvement greatly exceeded all optimistic expectations.

PEOPLE DOWN

Photo: Vojtěch Vlk		Michael Hvížďala Under his leadership, the Prague Unie svobody-Demokratická unie was unsuccessful during the local elections, receiving ony two out of 70 seats in City Hall's chamber of deputies. After several attempts, he has given up his hopes to become mayor of Prague for at least the next four years.
Photo: ČTK		Viktor Kožený The former president of the Harvardský průmyslový holding is still avoiding the police investigation in the CR despite his promise to co-operate. He also faces criminal proceedings in the US for cheating his American partners with the Ázerbaijan shares.
Photo: ČTK		Lubomír Zaorálek It was only recently made public that the chairman of the Chamber of Deputies, who in the past criticized deputies for abusing immunity related to car accidents, took advantage of this immunity himself in order to avoid paying a fine for a car accident that he caused in June.

Photo: Matt Writtle

Jiří Devát: From actor to the Czech Bill Gates
THE YOUNGEST local director in the ranks of the software giant Microsoft, Jiří Devát (33), has been the general director of Microsoft Czech Republic and Slovakia since July 2000. Yet he became addicted to the world of technology nearly by accident.
A passionate amateur performer and childhood film actor, who grew famous mainly through his roles as a bad guy, wanted to have a career in film. "But when the Film Academy failed to recognize my indisputable talent and did not accept me to study as a theatrical director, an alternate solution had to be found," Devát says with exaggeration.
After his studies at ČVÚT (the Czech Institute of Technology), he went through several internships abroad. He first applied his acquired knowledge at Themos Systém Partner, where he rose through the corporate hierarchy to the position of director. He repeated the procedure five years ago at Microsoft, a dynamic company where he saw the opportunity to develop his skills. "My expectations have been met to a large degree," sums up Devát. "During the first three years I went through six positions, and at one time I was holding three positions at once. But it was great for me, because I like to see what I can stand up to." Microsoft likes his type - if he has good results, the company will give him as much work as he can stand.
Devát's accomplishments are evidenced by the company's economic results. This fiscal year he expects to double the sales figure the branch enjoyed three years ago, when he became director. The Czech and Slovak branch, with its 100 employees, is one of the five most profitable in the world. But Devát still allows room for improvement. "I still haven't learned how to delegate work to others, and I'm not good at organizing my time," he admits. And what about his theatrical ambitions? "I haven't given up," he says, shaking his head and laughing, "but I'm probably seen as such an expensive star that no one has gotten in touch with me." .

	Photo: Matt Writtle

Petr Vochozka: The Brno "Mafia" takes over the world
PETR VOCHOZKA (27) is the director of a successful computer game development firm. People speak of Illusion Softworks of Brno in superlatives these days, because of its new game, Mafia: The City of Lost Heaven, which was recently released on the global market and has gained wide recognition for its realistic elaboration of the prewar Mafia in Chicago, where the story unfolds. Mafia was the best-selling game in the UK for one week, and it held the top spot in Germany for two. Vochozka anticipates that at least one million games will be sold, and that revenues will reach CZK 100 million.
What kind of man is this, who leads a team of 140 people, and whose every new work is eagerly awaited by computer fans? He began programming at age 13, and when he was 16 he sold his first game (in black-and-white and unappealing plastic packaging), earning a total profit of CZK 2,000. When he was in high school, instead of studying he was dreaming up games, and even the Czech Institute of Technology failed to inspire him, so he lasted only a few months there. "I didn't enjoy school, it just held me back," Vochozka says with sincerity. "If I had studied I would have lost my edge on the competition." It is this time advantage that he sees as the key factor in his career. "I was one of the pioneers; I established contacts, and it paid off."
Five years ago a foreign investor joined the firm, and its semi-amateur activities were promoted to a more professional level via new financial resources. Vochozka now owns 42% of the publicly traded joint-stock company, and he admits that he is nearly satisfied with how the business is developing. Although Mafia set the bar very high, he believes that another eight games that are in development will enjoy similar success. "I want to demonstrate that Czechs can make the best games in the world," he says with characteristic ambition. .