Jan Fridrich: My Interest in the Industry Was Sparked by My Grandfather
STYL
84 POSITIV 2/2024
Why did you decide to study in France
at the Grenoble Ecole de Management? What
attracted you most about this school?
I got into several universities in Europe and the Czech
Republic, primarily with an economic focus, but
in the end, Grenoble Ecole de Management won,
mainly because of the most interesting program and
studies. I must admit that the location of Grenoble
at the very foot of the Alps was also very appealing to
me from the beginning and played a significant role
in my decision.
How does studying in France differ from studying in
the Czech Republic? What were the main challenges
when moving to a foreign university?
From my point of view, at the 1
st
International School
of Ostrava, we had the opportunity to experience
international education already during our studies in
high school thanks to the International Baccalaureate
program, so the change was not so significant for
me. However, the most significant difference is in
the approach to teaching itself. In Czech education,
there is still a somewhat heavy emphasis on theory,
although this has improved significantly in recent
years. However, for example, in the program
I am currently studying, there is a compulsory
internship from the first year onwards, which every
student must do for a total of 8 months, spread over
the course of their studies. If I compare this with my
peers who study in the Czech Republic, it is not at all
usual for universities to motivate them or even reserve
time for them to complete an internship in a company
based on their work experience.
As you mentioned, during your program you have
a professional internship; you are currently doing it
in Kopřivnice in the financial department of TATRA
TRUCKS a.s. Can you give us an overview of your
role? What projects do you have the opportunity to
work on during your internship?
That is right, during the autumn of last year we had
our first workshop, during which we were given all
the information about our internship, which we had
to arrange on our own. Back in October, I did not
hesitate and started sending out emails asking about
the possibility of doing internships at various industrial
companies. After several interviews, I got a positive
answer from most of them, but TATRA TRUCKS a.s.
in Kopřivnice won in the end. During this internship
in the economic department, I have already managed
to understand how such a financial department
actually works, how important it is to have systematic
communication between production, purchasing,
accounting, and IT departments, and what all actually
has to be done flawlessly so that the factory at the end
can produce that beautiful and reliable machine that
will serve the new owner or perhaps our country in
the ranks of the Czech Army. From my point of view,
finance is the lifeblood of every company, and it is
the job of the finance department to ensure that
it flows properly and creates room for the growth
ofthe entire company. For example, I currently have
the opportunity to create an analysis of the benefits
of group VAT registration.
Why did you choose the trucking industry and
Tatra? Is it a childhood dream come true?
I think that every boy was fascinated in his childhood
by the huge trucks that are made here in Kopřivnice,
and I was no exception. My interest in industry was
awakened by my grandfather, with whom, thanks to
our common interest in construction, we were both
very close to Tatra. Therefore, the Tatra car factory
was the obvious choice after my successful interview.
Despite my background in economics and business,
I really like it when you can observe the process
behind a particular product. In the case of Tatra, it
is not really about sitting in an office and knowing
the individual components from the accounting point
of view, but rather about going into the production
and experiencing the fascination of what goes on
inside this vast industrial complex. I remember that
during the interview, the financial director of Tatra, Ing.
Daniel Bekeš, asked me why Tatra, and my answer was
that I would like to find a combination of finance and
economics with industry. If I could imaginatively start
my career in a company that has been on the Czech
market for 174 years, and has built a reputation not
only in the Czech Republic but all over the world,
I would take it as a great challenge and at the same
time as a responsibility with respect for tradition.
“
From my point of view, nance is
the lifeblood of every company, and it
is the job of the nance department
to ensure that it ows properly and
creates room for the growth of the enre
company.
”