Jiří Šmejc
Jiří
Šmejc
Jiří Šmejc ranks among the most prominent entrepreneurs and managers in Central Europe of the last 30 years. His name is linked most notably to his work at PPF Group, the development of Home Credit Group, and the establishment of his own investment group, EMMA Capital.
BEGINNINGS
Born and raised in Karlovy Vary, he first demonstrated his analytical talent during his studies of mathematics and computer science at Charles University in Prague. While still a student, he laid the foundations for his financial group, MEF Holding, which within a few short years earned considerable respect for consolidating and restructuring a number of industrial companies in the Czech Republic.
TV NOVA
In 1999, Jiří Šmejc made an equity investment into the most important Czech commercial television station, TV NOVA, and at the same time ran it as the CEO of its production company. During his six years at the helm, TV NOVA became the most profitable television station in Central Europe. In 2005, Jiří Šmejc and Petr Kellner, as the two major shareholders, signed an agreement to sell TV NOVA to the American company CME for a sum of approximately one billion dollars.
PPF & HOME CREDIT
The two entrepreneurs subsequently merged all their assets, and Jiří Šmejc thus became a co-owner of the most important financial group in Central Europe, PPF Group, in which he held a 5% stake. At PPF, he led a large part of the group’s business, in particular its investments in financial institutions. He was especially instrumental in the development of Home Credit Group, where he served as CEO and Chairman of the Board of Directors. During his tenure (2005-2019), the group became one of the most important consumer finance providers in the world, operating in over a dozen countries across three continents, serving 130 million clients, and employing more than 150,000 people.
EMMA CAPITAL
In 2012, Jiří Šmejc and Petr Kellner agreed to divide their joint assets, and Jiří Šmejc launched his own group, EMMA Capital. Initially, its only asset was the stake in Home Credit which Jiří Šmejc acquired as part of the settlement with PPF Group. The following years, however, brought dramatic growth in the portfolio and saw its value increase significantly. Alongside KKCG Group, EMMA Capital played a major role in the development of Allwyn Group (formerly SAZKA Group) and later worked together with Entain to create Entain CEE, the leading sports betting provider in Central and Eastern Europe. Jiří Šmejc also built Premier Energy Group, a producer and distributor of electricity and gas in Romania and Moldova, from scratch; it has been listed on the Bucharest Stock Exchange since last year. Packeta Group and BoxNow, two of the most important distributors of internet shipments in the entire region, represent further key assets. Alongside these, EMMA also has a wealth of other assets that complement its comprehensive portfolio.
CEO OF PPF GROUP
In June 2022, fifteen months after the tragic death of the group’s founder and owner Petr Kellner, Renáta Kellnerová asked Jiří Šmejc to take charge of PPF Group for three years. Jiří Šmejc accepted this offer, which held both professional and personal meaning for him, and became CEO of PPF Group. During his tenure, he successfully shifted the group’s focus from Russia and Asian markets to EU countries, worked to develop and enhance the value of PPF’s portfolio assets, opened the door for the group to enter the e-commerce sector, and played a decisive role in establishing partnerships with the telecommunications group e& in four countries across Central and Eastern Europe. His agreed three-year term concluded in June 2025, and he stepped down as CEO shortly after announcing PPF Group’s record profit of EUR 3.2 billion.
OTHER ACTIVITIES
In addition to his work through EMMA Capital, Jiří Šmejc also founded and owns three-quarters of the Velaa island hotel resort in the Maldives, regarded as one of the most beautiful tropical resorts in the world. He is also deeply involved in his Sirius Foundation, which seeks to help children who have been less fortunate in life. Jiří Šmejc not only finances this foundation, but also personally manages it as Chairman of the Board of Directors.
Jiří Šmejc’s business career can rightly be described as unique to a great extent. He started literally from scratch – without any initial capital, without any assets acquired through the Czech coupon privatization, and without any experience. Nevertheless, he managed, step by step, to build his standing as a widely respected entrepreneur and reliable business partner.