A new name tops Forbes' list of influential Czech women for 2022

A growing number of women are exerting their influence in the Czech Republic. Forbes magazine has expanded its annual list with 40 new names, bringing the total to 180.  

The ranking is topped by European Commission Vice President Věra Jourová, with Prague’s top public prosecutor Lenka Bradáčová in second place and Renáta Kellnerová, the widow of the late PPF group owner Petr Kellner, in third.

Forbes will publish its 11th ranking on June 2, but has released some highlights. It ranks Czech women from the public sector, politics, business, non-profit sector, culture, and sports.

The most influential woman on the 2020 and ’21 list, Alena Schillerová, dropped into the lower half of this year’s list. She had been deputy prime minister and finance minister in the government led by Andrej Babiš, but since that government ended its mandate in December 2021 she has been out of the spotlight. As one of the leaders of the opposition ANO movement, she has much less say over Czech policy,

Jourová was second on last year’s ranking, but her move to the top spot is not a mere formality. She has been involved with the European Commission’s sanctions against Russia and battling disinformation campaigns supported by the Kremlin. She also helped prepare the rules for the Covid certificate.

Forbes also pointed out that the Czech Republic will hold the presidency of the Council of the European Union for six months starting in July, which will give her additional responsibilities and opportunities.

“I found myself in what I would call European crisis management at a time of pandemic and war in Ukraine,” Jourová told Forbes.

Bradáčová was third in the previous list, but also has seen her sphere expand. Her title of high state attorney is equivalent to what other legal systems call district attorney or public prosecutor. In addition to her usual agenda, is also newly supervising the investigation of the war crimes in Ukraine. She was ranked as the most influential Czech woman in Forbes’ list in 2014

Renáta Kellnerová was fourth in the previous ranking. Forbes said that Petr Kellner's widow has surrounded herself with “a genuine all-star team” in the past year in her efforts to keep PPF on track.

The fourth position went to PPF financial director Kateřina Jirásková, moving up from fifth last year.

Fifth place went to the highest-ranking new face on the list. Katarina Kohlmayer, financial director and board member of Karel Komarek's KKCG group recently gained Czech citizenship, one of the conditions for being on the ranking.

This year's rating was heavily influenced by the October 2021 general election and the new government led by Petr Fiala. The top 15 most influential women of Czechia newly include Defense Minister Jana Černochová and Chamber of Deputies chairwoman Markéta Pekarová Adamová.

The Czech branch of Forbes assessed 400 women in creating its list, with different criteria for women in the public and private sectors.

Source: Forbes.cz