INVESTORS IN MSK
Czech Support
for British
Investment
PROJECTS
Pavel Fara studied journalism in the Faculty of Social
Sciences at Charles University and worked in marketing
and PR. He has been with the British Chamber of
Commerce since 2016 and became Deputy Director
this year. He lives in Prague with his wife and daughter.
Mr Fara, the British Chamber of Commerce
organises events on a wide range of topics. What
do your events have in common and what makes
them distinctive?
Our primary mission is to create and reinforce
business connections and, of course, to support
British companies that have decided to enter
the Czech market or are already operating there.
In addition to educational events, we organise
meetings with representatives of the public sphere,
business breakfasts with CEO’s of multinational
companies, as well as informal meetings such as
the traditional British pub quiz. Such events are
an interesting opportunity to establish business
relationships as well. The link between most of our
Chamber events is business networking.
What does a typical Chamber member look like?
Any company can become a member of the Chamber.
These are companies that have business links in the UK
or have their headquarters there. However, it is not
a condition of membership, our members are also
Czech companies that want to establish new contacts
or perhaps share their activities through the channels
of the British Chamber of Commerce. There are various
reasons for membership and we deal with each of our
members individually.
Apart from establishing business relationships, is
there anything else that your Chamber does? How
can one imagine the functioning of the Chamber?
Our task is not just to connect companies. Our focus is on
spreading ‘British’ values such as fair play, a free and fair
environment and an emphasis on equal opportunities.
Of course, quality education and outreach is also part
of thriving business, which is why we connect with
successful people and professionals who have something
to offer in their field and can pass on their knowledge.
Business is constantly evolving and the knowledge of
The British Chamber of Commerce in
the Czech Republic was established
in 1997. Currently, it associates
almost 200 members, among which
are companies of various industries
and professional sectors. The British
Chamber of Commerce considers its
main objective to be expanding and
improving business relations between
the Czech Republic and the UK, helping
to improve the business environment
and creating opportunities for business
contacts.
modern trends is key. This is what we follow internally and
why our Equilibrium mentoring programme is successful.
Do you also operate in the regions of the Czech
Republic?
Yes, for example Equilibrium also operates in Ostrava,
Brno and other regional cities. It is a programme for
women who have the ambition to advance their
careers. The British Chamber of Commerce set up
this programme twelve years ago and over a thousand
women have participated in it since then. And many of
them are now in top management in major companies.
We are very pleased about that. Equilibrium is a project
that involves the best managers and it’s great that they
are passing on their experience.
Does the topic of environment and conservation
somehow permeate the work of the British
Chambers of Commerce?
This is a key issue for many of our members, which is why
we set up a sustainability working group last year. Just
recently we held a forum ‘Sustainability in Real Estate’
as part of it, and there was so much interest we had to
increase the capacity of the meetings. Besides the topic
of sustainable buildings, we are also working on energy
transition, circular economy and ESG reporting.
Mr Fara, thank you for the interview.
Text: redakce
Foto: archiv Britské
obchodní komory
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