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Speech by Jaromír Sladkovský,
Winner of the INSEAD MBA Scholarship Programme
sponsored by the Edmond Israel Foundation
on 27 November 2000

My Vision for Europe

Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen,

I am very pleased that I can be here tonight, talking to such a distinguished audience. I would like to sincerely thank the Edmond Israel Foundation for giving me this opportunity not just to speak to you, but also for granting me a scholarship, which is helping me to participate in an MBA programme at INSEAD. INSEAD is one of the world's most respected business schools, located in Fontainebleau, just south of Paris. Before I start to share with you what role education plays in my life, I would like to offer my personal congratulations to Dr. Árpád Göncz on the award he have just received for outstanding achievements in taking Europe into the future.

In the summer of 1989, after completing my first year at the Czech Technical University in Prague, for the first time ever I had a chance to travel beyond the western borders of the Czech Republic. It was just a few months before the outburst of events that would radically change the future of Europe, thus opening up exciting new opportunities for millions of people like me. One of the places that I visited during this trip was Fontainebleau. Fontainebleau is not only home to an excellent business school! It is the site of a beautiful chateau, and in the surrounding forests there are many rocks and boulders which offer challenging experiences to rock climbers from all over the world. Whilst I was a University student, I was a member of the Czech Climbing Team, and therefore thought of myself primarily as a rock climber, rather than a student! Education was not the right criterion for success in my country at that time so why I should bother with it. But this was about to change.

Everything has changed very quickly within several years. Whilst I was still a University student, I became an entrepreneur running my own firm. The opportunities for enterprise in any kind of business were so abundant that I could not resist trying it. I established a small regional business with several employees offering painting services to construction firms. This required not only business expertise, but also drew on my skills as a climber to reach some of the more difficult spots with my paintbrush! After a couple of years, I started to see the limits of what I could learn from this experience, and began to ask myself some key questions. Do I want to continue in these activities, or is it something temporary, which will eventually no longer provide a challenge? The answer was simple. I wanted more challenges, more excitement, and more opportunity. But what should be the next step? Perhaps I was missing the right education? My civil engineering education seemed to me to be far away from any business context.

I did not want to go to school for several more years to learn yet more theory. Instead, I decided to pursue a professional career in which I would be given the chance to learn about business in a large Western corporation. I became a tax adviser for one of the big five audit firms in Prague, which was a hugely educational experience at that stage in my career. However, after several years I started to see the limits of this educational process, especially given my narrow focus as a specialist in tax advice. And once again, the question arose - what could be the next step, the next challenge, the next opportunity?

As I surveyed the changing landscape around me, I was drawn towards the possibility of a management role in a big multinational firm. This new goal triggered yet more questions. Would I be able to run a big firm? I certainly believed I could. But how well would I be able to run it? I was not sure - I knew I could run it to the best of my abilities. I met a number of top managers amongst my clients who believed that they were doing the best job they could. And of course, they were, but they seemed to be missing something. In my view, it was a stronger theoretical background, and broader exposure to international experience. I believed that this would give them the ability to look at their company problems from a wider perspective - the ability to think strategically. These are the reasons why I then decided upon something fundamental. It was time to go back to school! So I found myself once more in Fontainebleau, this time not as an excited young rock climber, but as an individual thirsty for knowledge in an environment rich in international diversity.

Education has taught me more than just the facts and figures I have digested in libraries and classrooms. There is one reason why education plays such an important role in my life. And that is the satisfaction that with each new piece of knowledge, I understand a little bit better the world I live in. There was a time in my life when I believed that one day I would no longer have to study - that I could simply live off the fruits of my prior education. Today, I know for sure that this time will never come. The most important thing I've learned in recent times is that the learning process never ends.

The reason behind my story is to explain to you my personal 'Vision for Europe'. It may a little idealistic, but my vision is for a Europe where my generation and all the generations that follow me, are able to live:

• in a Europe where there is opportunity for everyone to enjoy education to the level they wish
• in a Europe where knowledge sharing and international diversity are the norm
• in a Europe where entrepreneurial opportunities are plentiful
• in a Europe where boundaries do not restrict the flow of labour
• in a Europe where such foundations as the Edmond Israel Foundation, are truly recognised for creating that future.

Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen, thank you once again for giving me the opportunity to speak to you this evening and to the Foundation itself, I thank you as sincerely as mere words allow, for the opportunity you have given to me. Thank you.

 
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