Darina Daňková - Harmony and Cultural Wealth at Akord and Poklad
94ǀ POSITIV WOMAN
ŽENY
Harmony and Cultural
Wealth at Akord and Poklad
The long-me managing director of Akord and Poklad in Ostrava has faced many challenges
throughout her career. Her professional journey has been shaped by reconstrucons, the merging
of instuons, and the building of new teams. In this interview, she reveals how she overcame
crises and what values and approaches support her in her role as both a manager and a coach.
You have been leading cultural institutions in
Ostrava for many years. What challenges have you
faced throughout your career?
There have been quite a few challenging situations.
Luckily, I enjoy challenges and change. In fact,
if everything always went smoothly, I would get
bored. If I had to choose one particularly difficult
situation, it would probably be the time when we
were renovating Akord. The company managing
the construction went bankrupt just a few months
before the renovation was completed. I was
bombarded by subcontractors, their lawyers, and
obligations to our employees and business partners.
I was searching for solutions, none of which were
ideal. At the same time, I realised how important it
is to have strong personal values to rely on, which
helped me get through the situation. And I gained
so much experience along the way! So when the
city of Ostrava decided in 2018 to merge Akord with
Poklad, partly because the extensive reconstruction
of Poklad had been dragging on for years, I was able
to fully utilise my experiences.
You found yourself in a situation where you had to
build not only a brand new team at Poklad but also
a new vision for the cultural centre. How do you
reflect on that time now?
It was a creative period, full of anticipation, changes,
negotiations, learning, and new challenges. We grew
very quickly as a company; today, AKORD & POKLAD
has a revenue of 100 million CZK and nearly
90 employees. One of the challenges was selecting
capable team members who bring new energy
and ideas, fit into the team, and work with heart—
because that’s essential here. Then, we had to set
up all the processes and procedures to ensure
the smoothest possible operation. This work never
ends because our cultural and social lives are
constantly changing and full of opportunities.
You have been leading AKORD & POKLAD for over
17 years. What achievements are you most proud
of, and what do you consider the key factors in
achieving them?
I’m proud that both cultural venues hold strong
positions on the cultural map of Ostrava and its
“
In recent years, we’ve been bursng
at the seams, with full capacity.
”
Foto: archiv A&P