Mr. Zdeněk Majer has been appointed the new Honorary Consul of the Republic of Finland in Pilsen
Mr. Zdeněk Majer, Senior Vice President Global Sales and Member of the Board of Directors of the Škoda Transportation Group, has been appointed the new Honorary Consul of the Republic of Finland in Pilsen.
Mr Majer has a long-term connection with the Nordic country and a rich knowledge of the Finnish cultural environment. Honorary Consuls represent the state in their place of residence or work. "It is a great honor for me to hold the position of Honorary Consul of the Republic of Finland in Pilsen. I believe that we can undertake many activities that will deepen mutual cooperation, for example in the field of economic and cultural relations," said Zdeněk Majer.
The new Honorary Consul’s ties to Finland date back many years. In 2015, Zdeněk Majer, as a representative of Škoda, led the acquisition of the Finnish company Transtech Oy, which subsequently became an important member of the Pilsen engineering group Škoda Transportation. Škoda Transtech Oy was founded in 1985 and today it is the largest railway manufacturer in Scandinavia, and a producer of vehicles for urban transport, employing more than 700 people. Mr. Majer is currently the Chairman of the Board of Directors at Škoda Transtech Oy.
Finland has a good reputation in the Czech Republic and it is considered a progressive state. The Czech Republic has integrated well into the EU internal market, and various sectors where Finland is a forerunner are of interest to the Czech Republic; especially the introduction of Artificial Intelligence, automotive and related areas (including batteries), the circular economy, environmental technologies, engineering industry and education. However, the challenge is that Finnish companies do not have much information about the opportunities available to them in the Czech Republic.
"In order to tap into the business potential between Finland and the Czech Republic, it is necessary to know the local conditions in both countries, and to have relevant contacts. This is especially important outside of Prague. Moreover, for the visibility of Finland it is valuable to have a person who knows Finland and its social conditions. Honorary Consuls play an important role especially in trade relations development, "notes the Finnish Ambassador to the Czech Republic, Mr. Jukka Pesola. Responsible and important personalities, who have been active in a given area for a long time, have experience in the functioning of administration as well as economic and cultural life, can be selected for the position of an Honorary Consul.
The Embassy considered establishing an Honorary Consulate in the Pilsen Region to complement the network of Honorary Consulates in the Czech Republic. "Quite fast we found a candidate from Škoda Transportation, a member of the Board of Directors, Mr. Zdeněk Majer, who is also on the board of directors of the Finnish company Škoda Transtech. Mr. Majer knows the Finnish company and company culture well and he has good contacts in Finland. His great experience, a good local network of contacts, but especially his knowledge of Finland will help the Embassy in various areas - mainly in trade, economy, culture and media relations. Through Mr. Majer, the Embassy can learn more about an important industrial area in the Czech Republic and about the functioning of companies, "says Ambassador Pesola. In the Embassy’s view, Mr. Zdeněk Majer is a great choice for the position of Honorary Consul of Finland to represent mutual relations between the two countries.
