G. Berdar, the recently appointed CEO of Cesky Telecom, commented on his main goals for the state-controlled dominant fixed-line operator yesterday.
Among others, he stated that his top tasks were:
- to make sure that the company will be privatized at a maximum possible price (expected in 2005/2006);
- to transform Cesky Telecom from a former monopoly operator to a company that proactively meets customer demands;
- to focus on cost cutting, partly by making the management structure more flat.
He also indicated the tender on providing the financing for Cesky Telecom’s acquisition of the remaining 49% stake in Eurotel (USD 1.05 bil., CZK 28 bil.) remains open. If everything goes well, the tender results will be announced at the end of August. Interest in the tender among financial institutions is quite high.
While the comments are quite general in nature, it is certainly encouraging the CEO is in office after a long selection period and seems on track to tackle some important issues facing the company.
Jiří Soustružník