CZECH REPUBLIC, January 3 - Minister of Agriculture

Zdeněk Nekula was born in Znojmo. He studied at the Faculty of Operational Economics at the Agricultural University in Brno, field of operational economics. During work he also studied at the “Savings Academy” in Brno, among other the banking specialist and bank manager courses.

After finishing his university studies he worked for 8 years at the České spořitelna, a.s. insurance company, at its district branch office in Znojmo and Brno, in positions of head of the marketing department, head of the business policy department and head of the marketing and acquisitions department. Then he worked for 15 years at the company Erste Leasing, a.s., which focused on agricultural finances (up to 70%) and in the positions of head of marketing, head of the South Moravian economic area and head of risk management.

For the following 3 years he was head of the Board of Podpůrný garanční rolnický a lesnický fond, a.s. (Support and guarantee farming and forestry fund, PGRLF), where he promoted and implemented an organisational and personnel transformation of the PGRLF into a financial and service organisation for Czech agriculture and the countryside, with a focus on strengthening the multiplication effects of financial instruments. At the time he also exercised shareholder rights in three PGRLF subsidiaries: Českomoravská společnost chovatelů, a.s., Výstaviště České Budějovice, a.s., and Výzkumný ústav pivovarský a sladařský, a.s.     

He further represented the Ministry of Agriculture in the supervisory board of the state-owned insurance company Exportní garanční a pojišťovací společnost, a.s. (EGAP).

He is a long-time mayor of the municipality of Těšetice and as part of this public position he has put much long-term effort into expanding public vegetation, planting avenues and renewing agricultural roads. Since 2007 he has been a member of KDU-ČSL.

Zdeněk Nekula is married, has a wife and four children and his great hobby is beekeeping. His philosophical approach towards nature is probably best expressed by the book “The Man Who Planted Trees” (Jean Giono).

Personal Details

Ing. Zdeněk Nekula, born 9 February 1970

Education

1988–1992: Agricultural University in Brno, Faculty of Operational Economics        1995–1997: Spořitelní akademie (Savings Academy)

Career and Public Service

1992–2000: Česká spořitelna, a.s. – district branch Znojmo and Brno, Head of department (marketing / business policy / marketing and acquisitions) 2001–2015: Erste Leasing, a.s. – central office Znojmo, Head (marketing / South Moravian economic area / risk management) 2015–2018: Podpůrný garanční rolnický a lesnický fond, a.s. (Support and guarantee farming and forestry fund) (PGRLF), chairman of the board 2015–2019: Exportní garanční a pojišťovací společnost, a.s. (EGAP), Member of the board         2007–2014 and since 2018: mayor of Těšetice (near Znojmo)  2012–2016: Representative for the South Moravian Region    since 2005: Member of Český svaz včelařů, z.s. (Czech Beekeepers Union)