Karel Komárek

Karel Komárek (born 15 March 1969, Hodonín, Czech Republic) is a Czech entrepreneur worth $5.5 billion[1] as of August 2021. He is one of the wealthiest Czech citizens and the founder of KKCG.[2][3][4] He is the owner of the KKCG Group, which he founded in 1995. KKCG's business activities comprise lotteries and gaming, oil and natural gas, information technologies, and real estate. KKCG operates in 18 countries around the world. Its member companies include KKCG Real Estate Group, SAZKA Group, MND, ARICOMA Group, Springtide Ventures venture capital fund, and others.[5][6]

Personal life

Komárek was born in Hodonín, Czech Republic on 15 March 1969. He started his first business immediately after completing his studies, gradually building one of the most prominent Czech family firms. His wife is Štěpánka Komárková. He has four children.[2]

Career

Komárek began his business career in a family firm that specialized in trading industrial fittings. In 1992, he founded his first business venture, M.O.S. Hodonín, a company that became the springboard for his joint business activities in the oil and gas production sector. The flagship of this part of his business is Moravské naftové doly.

In 1995 Komárek founded KKCG. KKCG's business activities comprise lotteries and gaming, oil and natural gas, information technologies, and investments. KKCG operates in 18 countries around the world. Its member companies include the SAZKA Group, Moravské naftové doly, ARICOMA Group, Springtide Ventures venture capital fund, and others.[5][6]

In 2012, KKCG became the sole owner of the largest Czech lottery company Sazka, which later served as the cornerstone for the establishment of Europe's gaming conglomerate, the SAZKA Group.[5][7][8] SAZKA Group holds stakes also in Casinos Austria[9] (Austria) and OPAP[10] (Greece), and takes part in the licensed operations of the biggest Italian lottery company, Lotto.[11]

In recent years, KKCG has made large investments in information technologies, including the acquisition of majority stakes in such companies as AUTOCONT[12] and Cleverlance,[13] two biggest parts of its holding ARICOMA Group.[14]

KKCG is also active on the real estate market. It has completed various "top rezidence" residential projects in Prague. In June 2021, it finished the Bořislavka Office and Shopping Center in the Prague 6 district.[15][16]

In 2018, Bloomberg estimated Komárek's worth at $3.3 billion dollars.[5][17]

In 2019, Forbes ranked Karel Komárek in 715th place among the world's billionaires. According to Forbes, his estimated worth is $3.2 billion dollars, which makes him one of the wealthiest Czech people today.[2]

Philanthropy

Apart from business ventures, Komárek has initiated numerous projects in the nonprofit sector. He is Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Karel Komárek Proměny Foundation, an organization that provides support for the improvement of public spaces, and Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Karel Komárek Family Foundation. He was instrumental in founding the Dvořák Prague International Music Festival.[18]

Karel Komárek has received the Gold Medal in the Arts from the Kennedy Center International Committee on the Arts for his achievements in the field of art.[4]

References
  1. "Forbes Billionaires 2021". Forbes. 2021-09-08.
  2. "Karel Komarek". Forbes Karel Komarek Profile. Forbes. 2019-01-08. Retrieved 2019-08-01.
  3. "KKCG Group". KKCG Group. KKCG Group. 2019-01-06.
  4. Radu, Sintia (11 September 2019). "A Billionaire's Advice: Embrace the Arts". U.S.News.
  5. "The Billionaire Who Took a Bet on Lotteries to Live the Dream". Bloomberg. 2018-10-30.
  6. Mares, Michael. "Dvorak And Methanol. Odd Combo That Makes Perfect Sense for Czech Billionaire". Forbes. Retrieved 2019-08-01.
  7. "Czech investors divide up lottery group Sazka". Reuters. 2019-03-14. Retrieved 2019-08-01.
  8. "SAZKA Entertainment". SAZKA Group.
  9. Reuters Staff (2020-03-06). "Czech SAZKA Group on track to become majority owner of Casinos Austria". Reuters. Retrieved 2020-09-30.
  10. Reuters Staff (2019-07-09). "Sazka Group launches full takeover bid for Greece's OPAP". Reuters. Retrieved 2020-09-30.
  11. "SAZKA Group". sazkagroup.com. Retrieved 2020-09-30.
  12. "KKCG buying 70 % of IT holding AutoCont | Prague Monitor". praguemonitor.com. 20 October 2017. Retrieved 2020-09-30.
  13. Bossi, Paolo. "KKCG's Acquisition Of A Stake In Cleverlance Group's IT Companies – Global Legal Chronicle". Retrieved 2020-09-30.
  14. "KKCG Launches Aricoma – Biggest Czech ICT Holding". KKCG Group. Retrieved 2020-09-30.
  15. "KKCG invests several billions into Top Rezidence projects in Prague | Prague Monitor". praguemonitor.com. Retrieved 2020-09-30.
  16. "Otevírá komplex Bořislavka Centrum, nabídne obchody i umění". MediaGuru.cz (in Czech). Retrieved 2021-09-08.
  17. McLean, Craig (6 November 2019). "Washington's democratic revolution in the arts: How the REACH centre is opening culture to new audiences". Evening Standard.
  18. Robehmed, Natalie. "A Modern Day Patron: Czech Billionaire Karel Komarek's Pledge To Dvořák". Forbes. Retrieved 2020-09-30.
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