Daniel Křetínský
Born (1975-07-09) 9 July 1975
Brno, Czechoslovakia
(now Czech Republic)
Alma materMasaryk University
Known forChairman and 94% owner, EPH
Co-owner and president, AC Sparta Prague
Director, West Ham United

Daniel Křetínský (Czech pronunciation: [ˈdanɪjɛl ˈkr̝ɛciːnskiː], born 9 July 1975) is a Czech billionaire businessman and lawyer, who is the chief executive officer (CEO) and 94% owner of Energetický a průmyslový holding (EPH), co-owner and president of football club AC Sparta Prague, and director and major shareholder of English football club West Ham United.

Early life

His father is Mojmír Křetínský, informatics professor at Masaryk University,[1][2] and his mother, Michaela Židlická, is a former justice of the Constitutional Court of the Czech Republic.

He graduated from the faculty of law of Masaryk University and started to work as legal trainee in a law firm.

Career

In 1999, he joined J&T as lawyer and became a partner in 2003.[2] Since 2004 he is chairman of football club AC Sparta Prague and he is believed to be its 40% shareholder.[3]

When in 2009 J&T founded Energetický a průmyslový holding, he became its chairman and 20% shareholder.[4] He ceased to be a partner of J&T. In 2011, he became chairman and 60% shareholder of EP Industries, that was divested from EPH.[5] In 2016, he took 94% ownership of EPH through a series of transactions including EPH's sale of a 30% stake in subsidiary EPIF where the proceeds were used to buy out other shareholders.[6] As of 2022, EPIF owned 49% of Eustream, a Slovak gas transmission system operator which piped Russian gas to central and eastern Europe.[7]

From 2014, he is one of the owners of Czech media house Czech News Center,[8] among others publisher of tabloid Blesk.

In October 2018, staff at Le Monde learned that Křetínský had purchased 49% of Matthieu Pigasse's stake in the company. Le Monde's Independency Group, a minority shareholder that aims to protect the paper's editorial independence, had not been informed of the sale, and asked Pigasse and Křetínský to sign an "approval agreement" that would give the Independency Group the right to approve or reject any controlling shareholder. As of September 2019, they had not done so.[9][10]

On 12 March 2020, Jérôme Lefilliâtre, a French journalist, published Mister K, Petites et grandes affaires de Daniel Kretinsky (Le Seuil Editions), an investigative book about the Czech billionaire.[11][12][13]

On 16 September 2020, his holding company Vesa Equity Investment Sarl announced a 3.05% holding interest in the shares of J Sainsbury plc, a major supermarket chain in the United Kingdom.[14]

By November 2020, Křetínský's holding company Vesa Equity Investment Sarl also became the largest shareholder of Foot Locker.[15]

On 10 November 2021, English football club West Ham United announced Křetínský and his colleague Pavel Horský had acquired 27% of the shares of the club, both becoming directors.[16]

On 25 August 2022, Royal Mail in the United Kingdom was notified by the British government that Křetínský's Vesa Equity Investment Sarl, the then single largest investor of Royal Mail, had plans to increase its shareholding to more than 25%. This triggered intervention and a British government review by Kwasi Kwarteng the United Kingdom's Secretary of State for Business under the National Security and Investment Act. On 31 October 2022, the Secretary of State for Business approved Křetínský's intention to increase Vesa's shareholding in Royal Mail (owned by parent company International Delivery Services).[17]

Personal life

He is dating Anna Kellnerová, daughter of his business associate Petr Kellner who was the richest man in the country.[18]

In 2015, he acquired the Heath Hall mansion in London for £65 million,[19][20] the mansion features 15 bedrooms, 13 bathrooms, a cinema, and a tennis court.

References

  1. ↑ "Personal Page prof. RNDr. Mojmír Křetínský, CSc". is.muni.cz.
  2. 1 2 Motejlek, Miroslav (4 July 2009). "Zázračný mladý muž čekající na skutečně velký obchod". MotejlekSkocdopole.com (in Czech). Retrieved 2020-04-12.
  3. ↑ "Šéf klubu Křetínský kupuje 40 procent akcií fotbalové Sparty". iDnes.cz (in Czech). 7 March 2012.
  4. ↑ "Energetický a průmyslový holding se chystá za dva roky na burzu". Hospodářské noviny (iHNed.cz). Economia a.s. April 28, 2011.
  5. ↑ EPH: The EP Industries Group finalises its shareholding structure
  6. ↑ "EPH expects a change in its shareholder structure". ENERGETICKÝ A PRŮMYSLOVÝ HOLDING, a.s. Retrieved 2020-04-10.
  7. ↑ Isaac, Anna (27 December 2023). "Chuka Umunna advises Czech tycoon accused of Royal Mail plot". The Guardian. Retrieved 1 January 2023.
  8. ↑ "Křetínský a Tkáč definitivně převzali Ringier, změní název". Aktualne.cz. Czech News Agency. 30 April 2014.
  9. ↑ Willsher, Kim (10 September 2019). "Le Monde journalists warn of threat to editorial independence". The Guardian. Retrieved 13 September 2019.
  10. ↑ "" We, "Le Monde" journalists... "". Le Monde. 10 September 2019. Retrieved 13 September 2019.
  11. ↑ "" Mister K " : la stratégie ambiguë de Daniel Kretinsky". Le Monde.fr (in French). 2020-03-11. Retrieved 2020-04-12.
  12. ↑ "Enquête sur un milliardaire au-dessus de tout soupçon". Les Echos (in French). 2020-03-13. Retrieved 2020-04-12.
  13. ↑ "Q&A: Jérôme Lefilliâtre on the Czech oligarch cornering the French media market". Columbia Journalism Review. Retrieved 2020-05-13.
  14. ↑ "Czech billionaire Kretinsky ups bet on retail with Sainsbury's stake". Reuters. 2020-09-16. Retrieved 2020-09-18.
  15. ↑ "Czech Billionaire Raises Foot Locker Stake to Become Top Holder". Bloomberg. 2020-11-26. Retrieved 2020-09-18.
  16. ↑ "West Ham United statement". West Ham United F.C. 10 November 2021. Retrieved 10 November 2021.
  17. ↑ "UK will not take action over Czech mogul's plan to raise Royal Mail stake". Devdiscourse. 2020-09-16. Retrieved 2022-10-31.
  18. ↑ "Ten Czechs and Slovaks listed in Forbes ranking of world's billionaires". Kafkadesk. 2019-03-13. Retrieved 2020-04-10.
  19. ↑ "West Ham billionaire Daniel Kretinsky's stunning £65m London supermansion he once rented to Justin Bieber". Hammers News. 2021-11-16. Retrieved 2023-03-27.
  20. ↑ "Pourquoi Daniel Kretinsky a recours à des paradis fiscaux". Le Monde.fr (in French). 2018-11-08. Retrieved 2023-03-27.
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