Forbes magazine has named the Minister of Finance Alena Schillerová (ANO) the most powerful woman in the Czech Republic. The order has not changed in two other places either, the second is the European Commissioner Věra Jourová and the third is the Prague chief state prosecutor Lenka Bradáčová. The widow of the late majority owner of the PPF Group, Petr Kellner, Renáta Kellnerová, and the co-owner of the DEK building supplier Petra Kutnarová came in fourth place in the top ten.
“If we also measure influence by how many people are directly affected by her various decisions, she is no longer more influential Czech than Alena Schillerová,” said Petr Šimůnek, editor-in-chief of Forbes. According to him, no other woman in the Czech Republic currently manages more money. “At the time of the current coronavirus crisis and its effects, it has further strengthened its influence on various industries and events in the Czech Republic,” he added.
The widow of the late Peter Kellner was appointed estate administrator at the end of May, and now controls the $ 300 billion property, although the inheritance proceedings have not yet been closed, Forbes said Kellner’s fourth place in the rankings. “Ms. Kellner is also part of the steering committee, which acts as an advisory body to the current executive director Ladislav Bartoníček,” he added.
From the coalition government ANO and the CSSD, the Minister of Labor and Social Affairs Jana Maláčová (CSSD) also remained in the same seventh place as last year. Last year, the eighth HR director of Home Credit, Renata Mrázová, and the owner of real estate and the founder of the non-profit organization Women for Women, Ivana Tykač, dropped out of the top ten, moving from last year’s tenth to this year’s 12th place.
Forbes published the ranking of the most influential women for the tenth time, this year it presented 150 names of important Czech women from various fields, from the public sphere and politics through business to the non-profit sector. The editorial office monitored more than 350 women, with a wider selection of business owners, managers, women working in the public sphere, finance or justice, but the editorial team also monitors the non-profit sector, women from culture and sports.
The individual women in each category were evaluated by the editors according to several criteria, based on the methodology of Forbes in the USA, and they collaborated with experts and experts from individual branches, with whom they consulted the order. According to Šimůnek, Forbes owners and managers monitor, for example, the economic results of companies and acquisitions, the number of employees and customers, and the amount of money over which they have control and direct influence.
“In the policy and public administration section, we assess the positions and real powers and the number of people and the amount of money that can directly influence the decisions of the women concerned. An important criterion for us is how these women are revocable from office their decisions, “added the editor-in-chief of Forbes.
Forbes Ten Most Powerful Czech Women
| Place | Name | Position |
| 1. | Alena Schillerová | Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Finance |
| 2. | Věra Jourová | Vice-President of the European Commission |
| 3. | Lenka Bradáčová | Chief State Prosecutor in Prague |
| 4. | Renáta Kellnerová | Founder of The Kellner Family Foundation |
| 5. | Kateřina Jirásková | CFO and Chairman of the Board of PPF |
| 6. | Petra Procházková | Chief Financial Officer and Member of the Board of Directors of Agrofert |
| 7. | Jana Maláčová | Minister of Labor and Social Affairs |
| 8. | Michaela Chaloupková | Director of the Administration Division, Member of the Board of Directors of ČEZ |
| 9. | Simona Sokolová | Member of the board of directors of Agrofert |
| 10. | Petra Kutnarová | Co-owner DEK |