Josef Pilka is an experienced finance and investment executive specializing in M&A transactions, investment banking, and portfolio management across Central and Eastern Europe.
He brings over 17 years of experience gained in an international financial environment, including cross-border transactions, structured financing, and ownership supervision of portfolio companies. He has developed his expertise, among others, within J&T Private Equity Group and J&T Banka d.d., where he was responsible for projects in investment banking, structured finance, and M&A.
He currently serves as a Member of the Management Board of Auctor Holding, a.s. – one of the leading investment groups in the region, managing assets of approximately EUR 1 billion – where he is responsible for finance, strategy, and investment development.
He is also involved with Auctor Finance CZ s.r.o. and Auctor Finance SK s.r.o. as Managing Director of entities issuing publicly traded bonds on the Prague and Bratislava stock exchanges.
In addition, he serves on supervisory boards and audit committees of portfolio companies, including as a Member of the Supervisory Board and Chairman of the Audit Committee of Medika d.d., the largest pharmaceutical distributors in Croatia, which until recently was listed on the Zagreb Stock Exchange.
Earlier in his career, he gained experience at organizations such as Unipetrol a.s., where he participated in strategic and restructuring projects in the petrochemical sector, and RSM CZ, specializing in business valuation and financial analysis.
Supervisory Board
Ing. Adam Šotek is a senior executive with extensive experience in corporate management, finance, and business transformation across industrial sectors.
Between 2020 and 2025, he served as Group CEO and Chairman of the Board of CE Industries, a.s., a major Central and Eastern European industrial holding comprising 25 companies with consolidated revenues of approximately CZK 16 billion and EBITDA exceeding CZK 1.2 billion. He currently serves as Vice-Chairman of the Board.
Throughout his career, he has been responsible for:
- leading and structuring complex industrial holding organizations,
- executing growth strategies through acquisitions and integration of new entities,
- managing large-scale restructuring and turnaround projects,
- overseeing international acquisitions and financial restructuring, including Duro Daković Group and Beohemija Serbia,
- developing advanced financing models, including tolling structures and establishing an investment fund targeting EUR 200 million in equity capital.
Prior to that, he held executive roles including Group CFO and Managing Director at ALFA PLASTIK, a.s. and Finance Director at ZKL, a.s. where he was responsible for corporate finance, operational management, stakeholder relations, and implementation of development strategies.
He has a strong track record in crisis management, refinancing, and performance improvement, including successfully tripling EBITDA within three years in one of the organizations he managed.
He began his career in the financial sector as a risk manager and financial analyst, gaining expertise in investment analysis, due diligence, and structured financing.
He holds a degree in Corporate Economics and Management from VŠB – Technical University of Ostrava.
Petr Knap is an experienced strategy advisor, mentor, and investor with more than 30 years of experience supporting executives in delivering business transformation across Central and Eastern Europe.
He specializes in strategy development, organizational transformation, and performance improvement, with a particular focus on the automotive, mobility and manufacturing sectors. He is widely recognized for his expertise in change management, process optimisation, and next-generation operating models.
After he had worked at Procter & Gamble, he spent over two decades at EY, where since 2007 he held various partner roles across the CEE region, including leading EY Consulting in the Czech Republic and overseeing performance improvement capabilities across the CEE region. During this time, he delivered more than 100 projects across multiple industries, covering strategy, transformation, M&A support, and cost optimisation.
He has worked with leading companies such as BMW, Czech Railways, HOPI Logistics, Toyota, Porsche CEE, Siemens, Skanska, ŠKODA AUTO, T Mobile, and ORLEN Unipetrol, supporting complex strategic and operational initiatives.
He is a co-founder of knowdroids.ai, a company developing AI-based business solutions, and the author of the PACE® (Proactive · Adaptive · Conscious · Empowered) model for post-bureaucratic organizations.
He is also actively engaged in academia and advisory bodies, serving as a member of the Scientific Council at the Prague University of Economics and collaborating with institutions focused on the intersection of science and business, as well as actively commenting on contemporary mobility topics across a range of media.
An experienced manager in the field of strategy implementation and corporate development in the oil, energy and retail industries. During his professional career, he worked, among others, in such companies as: Kogeneracja S.A. (CEO – running heating plants in Lower Silesia), RUCH S.A. (CEO – transformation leader of the largest retail press distribution company in Poland), PKN Orlen S.A. (in the Management Board as CEO and as a Management Board Member responsible for sales, marketing, logistics, human resources, corporate communication). He worked in the international corporation BP and BP Polska for 14 years, including 4 years in BP Corporate Centre in London. He also has experience as a member of supervisory boards (including as a member of audit committees). Mr. Wojciech Heydel has a university degree. He is a graduate of the Silesian University of Technology (1985), completed the Executive Program, General management (University of Michigan, 1998). He sat on the Supervisory Board of OT Logistics in the expiring term of office. The Supervisory Board Member meets the independence criteria.
Marcin Szewczykowski is an experienced Chief Financial Officer (CFO) with more than 25 years of experience gained in public companies and international corporate groups. He specializes in corporate finance, fundraising, capital markets, mergers and acquisitions (M&A), investor relations, strategic planning, and organizational transformation.
He currently serves as Chief Financial Officer of the NFM Group, one of Poland’s largest independent long-term car rental groups and the exclusive representative of the Hertz brand in Poland. He is responsible for finance, controlling, accounting, and reporting, as well as securing financing to support the Group’s growth and managing its liquidity.
Since 2021, he has also been a member of the Supervisory Board of Nest Bank S.A., where he serves as Chairman of the Audit Committee and a member of the Risk Committee. In this role, he focuses on oversight of financial reporting, internal control systems, risk management, and regulatory compliance.
From 2007 to 2019, he served as a Member of the Management Board and Chief Financial Officer of Orbis Group S.A. (Accor Group) for the Central and Eastern Europe region. For 12 years, he co-managed the largest hotel group in the region, overseeing finance, investor relations, and the execution of strategic investment projects.
Earlier in his career, he worked at ComputerLand S.A. (now Sygnity S.A.), where he was responsible for financial planning and corporate financing. Prior to that, he gained experience at Arthur Andersen, working in financial statement audits and due diligence projects.
Marcin Szewczykowski graduated from the Cracow University of Economics. He holds ACCA qualifications and is a Certified Auditor (Statutory Auditor). He is fluent in English.