České Budějovice, 18. února 2022 – Společnost EY s podporou hejtmana Jihočeského kraje MUDr. Martina Kuby vyhlásila vítěze soutěže EY Podnikatel roku 2021 Jihočeského kraje. Stali se jimi Jiří Kůs a jeho dcera Lucie Konečná z domažlické společnosti na vývoj a výrobu produktů z nanovlákenných membrán, která je zakládajícím členem Asociace nanotechnologického průmyslu ČR a součástí edukačního projektu „Česko je nano“. I díky nim se Česko právem řadí mezi světové lídry oboru, jehož rozmach akcelerovala i pandemie covid-19. 

As in all other regions, the winners in the South Bohemia Region were chosen by an independent jury made up predominantly of past holders of the EY Entrepreneur of the Year title for the Czech Republic. Although EY Entrepreneur of the Year has been announced in this region only for the third time in the entire history of the competition, the South Bohemia Region can boast a national winner: Vlastislav Bříza, owner of the KOH-I-NOOR holding, who claimed the title in 2014. 

The jury decided to give this year’s award to Jiří Kůs and Lucie Konečná not only for the decade of effort they have devoted to advancing the nanotechnology field at both the Czech and global level, but also for the resourcefulness
and commitment with which they managed to respond to the situation surrounding the covid-19 pandemic in 2020. At that time they had to adapt their business very quickly, quite literally overnight. Thanks to their production of nanofibre face masks and antiviral scarves, a few dozen orders a day turned into ten orders a minute and the company’s turnover grew by an incredible 4,000%.  This enabled them to focus even more on ecology and sustainability, which permeate Jiří and Lucie’s business and lives at every level, thereby only confirming that the title is rightfully theirs. 

“Both my daughter and I experienced a small, though of course very pleasant, shock
and surprise.  I see the award as a great satisfaction, because the road to making nanoSPACE prosper was a very long one and often far from easy,” said Jiří Kůs on receiving the title. 

“The family nanotechnology business of Jiří Kůs and his daughter Lucie Konečná places great emphasis on sustainable enterprise. It packages its products in recyclable packaging and works intensively on reducing its carbon footprint in production and distribution. That is also why all processes within the company are digitalised and automated to the greatest possible extent,” explains Martina Kneiflová, Managing Partner of EY in the Czech Republic, adding: “I believe their approach will be an inspiration for other entrepreneurs who are still looking for a path towards sustainable business.”

“We are all well aware that it is entrepreneurs who drive our region forward. I am glad there is a competition that offers an opportunity to thank them for their work, courage
and tenacity. For not being afraid, for following their dream and building a successful company that employs our citizens and creates lasting value that helps improve life in the South Bohemia Region,” said Governor Martin Kuba.

The results of the national final and the name of the winner of the EY Entrepreneur of the Year 2021 competition for the Czech Republic will be announced on 1 March 2022. The Czech winner will take part in the global final in June 2022 and will compete alongside the other national winners from fifty-four countries around the world
for the title of EY World Entrepreneur of the Year.

Partners of the EY Entrepreneur of the Year 2021 competition

The official car of the EY Entrepreneur of the Year 2021 competition is BMW Czech Republic s.r.o. The main partner of the competition is Česká spořitelna a.s. SAP is a partner of the competition.
The principal co-organisers are the MF DNES daily and iDNES.cz. The main media partner is Czech Television, and the media partners of the competition are Forbes magazine and Seznam Zprávy. The competition is supported by the CzechInvest agency and the Association of Social Responsibility. The competition is held under the auspices of the Czech Chamber of Commerce.

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About the EY Entrepreneur of the Year competition 

EY Entrepreneur of the Year is the world’s most prestigious competition for entrepreneurs, paying tribute to exceptional individuals. 

Its aim is to show the public outstanding personal examples in the field of enterprise that can serve as role models for young, aspiring entrepreneurs. The EY Entrepreneur of the Year competition is designed to be international, which is why the criteria used to assess individual participants are comparable in every country. As the only globally recognised competition of its kind, it is currently held regularly in nearly 50 countries across six continents. For more detailed information, please visit www.podnikatelroku.cz

About EY

EY is a leading global provider of professional advisory services in the fields of audit, tax, transaction and business advisory. Our knowledge of the issues at hand and the quality of the services we provide help to build trust in capital markets and in economies around the world. Our exceptional human and professional potential enables us to play a significant role in creating a better environment for our employees, our clients and wider society.

The name EY refers to the global organisation and may refer to one or more member firms of Ernst & Young Global Limited, each of which is a separate legal entity. Ernst & Young Global Limited, a UK company limited by guarantee, does not provide services to clients. For more detailed information about our organisation, please visit our website at www. ey.com/cz_cs.