How to create a work environment where everyone can be themselves

You might be surprised to learn that most decisions your brain makes happen more or less unconsciously and automatically. You’ll also discover how our thinking, behavior patterns, and values—which influence all our decisions—are shaped from early childhood, and how we are often blind to this, even though we believe we see everything clearly.

Renata Mrázová will also talk about the position of women in Czech society, how easy or difficult it is for a woman to succeed in business, politics, or within a company, and she will introduce you to the book Great women from a small country, which she published a year ago to support International Women’s Day.

Who is Renata Mrázová?

Renata Mrázová is one of the most successful women in Czech business, with over twenty years of experience in senior management roles. She graduated from the University of Economics in Prague, specializing in Finance and Economic Policy. She worked as a finance director at AstraZeneca and ING. For five years, she served as CEO of the Czech and Slovak branches of the Dutch insurance company NN. In 2006, she became CEO and helped establish the start-up Direct insurance company.

In every position she held, people, teams, and company culture were always her top priorities. That’s why five years ago she decided to focus actively on HR transformation and corporate culture. From CEO in the Czech Republic and Slovakia, she became the global HR director for the entire NN group. She moved with her family to The Hague in the Netherlands, where she spent nearly five years. Last year, she returned to the Czech Republic and, as of May 1, 2019, joined the leadership team of the international company HomeCredit, where she serves as Chief People Officer. Renata Mrázová has extensive experience in top positions across various companies—from corporations and start-ups to family businesses and private equity—and she fully understands how challenging it often is for women to succeed in business, entrepreneurship, and politics.

Renata has been actively involved in diversity and inclusion for over 15 years. Last year, together with Denisa Prošková, a well-known journalist and illustrator, she wrote and published the book Great women from a small country, which supports gender equality through 33 stories about inspiring Czech women and reminds us that even in our beautiful country, located in the heart of Europe, there are women whose stories deserve global recognition.