Global Minds Czechia Event: Czechia is also global and has plenty to offer, expats agree
- Nikola Macková
- Oct 13
- 3 min read
What impression do Czech work habits? Is there anything truly „global“ about Czechia? And what other country would they prefer if they had to relocate for work? These and other questions were asked during the Global Minds Czechia Event. The answers came from foreign managers in senior positions at Czech companies.
First to speak were Ganna Pidgorna, chief people, brand and sustainability officer at Uniqa pojišťovna, Doğu Kir, customer business unit director at Vodafone and Ömer Aydin Karacoban, CFO and executive board member at Twisto.
When comparing employee mentality, Doğu Kir stated that people in Czechia, unlike Mediterranean nations, require clarity and proper planning much more often, while in southern countries, employees get straight to work and improvise more often. At the same time, he noticed a greater tendency toward skepticism and pessimism among Czechs. „ Remove skepticism, we may add half glass empty view.“
Lack of flexibility
Ganna Pidgorna was asked if she had noticed anything Czech that could also be described as global. „I've heard form a Czech citizen, that Prague is a village of Europe. I find that really a compliment. And I can add not only of Europe. It is such a cosy, beautiful place that everybody is just enjoying. So I think the beauty of the city is something to be considered as global.“
„If I had to name one typical characteristic of Czechs, I would say pragmatism, which is also a value that is respected globally,“ she adds.
Ömer Aydin Karacoban was appointed to his current position at Twisto by parent company Param with the task of bridging the gap between Czech and Turkish corporate culture. And he sees significant differences. According to Karacoban, anyone who wants to succeed in the Turkish labor market must be prepared for very tough and ruthless competition. „There is a different environment in Turkey. You need to work hard, to be in some kind of survival mode. It is not easy to reach anything, you have to fight for it, to beat others. And you need to be careful about some threats around you. From this perspective, I thing there is a lot of things we can take from Czechia. What we can bring here from Turkey is a portion of flexibility regarding the issues and problems to solve it. The Czechs always try to plan everything from the beginning,“ he notices.
Local Slovaks
At the end of the meeting, the spirit of the former federation was recalled when a Czech native David Šimek, Partner in Denton's Prague office, and the Slovak Beáta Petrušová, Senior advisor to CFO at Generali CEE Holding, took the floor.
Šimek paid tribute to his Turkish predecessors by naming Turkey as his preferred next destination. „Czechia is a perfect country, but mostly from June to August, so I would relocate somewhere where there is more sun. And why not Turkey? I actually like Turkish cuisine,“ Šimek says.
Petrušová is part of the Generali Group for 16 years, gaining extensive international experience within the company. She began her journey in Romania, where she spent five years as CFO and Board Member of Generali Romania. Over the years, she also cooperates with several other Generali entities across CEE, including Bulgaria and Poland.
After more than a decade of living in Prague, Petrušová no longer sees herself as an expat. When she first arrived from Slovakia 11 years ago, she felt the transition strongly; today, however, she views Czechia as her professional base. “Slovaks are not really viewed as expats in Czechia even though, technically, they are because we share the same roots, culture, and mindset. Understanding the language makes life easier,” she concluded with a smile.
