Final Word from Tuesday, June 3, 2003
Jiří Kunert has launched a media blitz since returning to Živnostenská bank as CEO, after two years in Slovakia. The amount of press he's gotten is disproportional to ŽB's 2% market share, but Kunert has always been a media star of sorts. He was one of the few bankers who talked openly about the CR's early problems, and he set himself apart by never letting ŽB get involved in controversial deals. But he also never led it to any significant growth. When Kunert says that "not much happened" in previous years and that the leisurely atmosphere must now come to an end, he's indirectly criticizing not only the past owners (who never provided much development money), but also his own leadership. UniCredito, the new owner, now wants him to put to use what he's learned from it in the past two years. With his hands unfettered, he can now show the market what he's got.