Date: 13.02.2023
Since 2000, he has held senior positions in companies such as Heineken, Metalimpex SK (scrap buying and selling) and TSR, and since 2019 he has been the CEO of Zberné suroviny Žilina. In November, he accepted the offer of CEI Group and became a member of Board. At the same time, he replaced David Vandrovec in the management of the Recycling Division. Since the age of seven he has been a speed canoeist and occasionally fills his free time with motorbike riding or literature. He believes that the minor crisis in which the recycling sector finds itself is only a transitional period and that the CEI Group is on a strong footing that will ensure that the situation will not be a problem to manage.
What is your job description in your role as CEO at ZSZA and how does the company stand in the market?
In the beginning, it was crisis management, when it was necessary to completely overhaul the functioning of the company at all levels - from buyout, through middle to top management. Re-engineering all the processes of buying and selling raw materials, operational processes, etc. It meant replacing all management staff at all levels, introducing new standards, new business relationships, a new IT system. We are currently tackling issues aimed at increasing efficiency, reducing costs and reducing the company's very high debt burden in parallel with the necessary investments in revitalising operations and renewing machinery. Regarding ZS's market position, the table of market share in the secondary raw materials market from 2017 to 2021 is the best indication of this:
In your new role as a member of CEI's Board and Director of the Recycling Division, what are your plans for the future?
I cannot answer this question in a relevant way at the moment, as I am not yet fully familiar with the activities of all the companies within the division. I have an idea about SPV, but I am only very superficially familiar with companies such as VR Morava, Gutra or Likvidace odpadů, for example. So one of my first plans after handing over as DG ZS is certainly to go through all the companies, to get to know their operations, functioning, problems, but also their successes in as much detail as possible.
How do you see the overall situation in this division and in recycling in general?
After an extremely successful year in 2021, there is currently a certain cooling in the secondary raw materials market. The current demand from end processors such as steel mills, paper mills, etc. is weak. Likewise, following the fall in prices for secondary raw materials, buying is also weaker and there is less of a crisis in the sector, along with the rise in energy, labour, etc. prices. In any case, I believe that this period is only temporary, and it is our effort and work to get through it as soon as possible. The secondary raw materials segment is definitely interesting and, in my opinion, has great prospects.