Blanka Havelková
Member of the Board of Directors and Deputy CEO for Human Resources, České dráhy, a.s.
Blanka Havelková graduated from the Faculty of Arts at Charles University and, already during her studies, worked at the Research Institute of Education in Prague. There, she focused on projects funded by the European Social Funds and on the personal development of children. In 2008, she joined the Human Resources Department of Czech Railways, where she focused on employee training and later led the department until 2016. That same year, she became Chairwoman of the Board of the Railway Educational Institute (DVI), a subsidiary of Czech Railways, where she developed a number of educational projects for employees across the group.
In 2022, Blanka Havelková was elected to the Board of Directors of Czech Railways – becoming the very first woman to serve in the company’s top management since its founding. As Chief Human Resources Officer, she is responsible for the entire HR agenda, from collective bargaining and recruitment to streamlining onboarding processes. At the same time, she focuses on increasing safety in rail transport. Thanks to her achievements and influence, she is considered one of the most prominent women in Czech business – repeatedly ranked among Forbes magazine’s Most Influential Women in the Czech Republic.
Annotation
The End of the ‘That’s How It’s Always Been’ Era: An HR Revolution in a Traditional Company
How do you change the mindset and culture of an organization with a 170-year tradition?
Blanka Havelková, Deputy CEO for Human Resources at Czech Railways, will present the personnel transformation the company has undergone.
The challenge of the century: Czech Railways faced a critical turning point — an aging workforce, increasing turnover, and declining appeal for young talent. How do you transform a conservative environment into a modern, dynamic organization that attracts the best people? How do you modernize without alienating employees who have been with the company for decades and remain essential to its operations? How do you motivate staff when trains simply cannot be run from a home office and there’s no way to put a chillout zone with a foosball table in a locomotive cab?
Blanka Havelková will demonstrate that even in the most conservative industries, key changes are possible — if you understand that people are not just a resource, but the main driver of success.
Next speaker
Meet up with
