From domestic dominance to global expansion: Renata Kellnerova's reign over Eastern Europe's wealth
Petr Kellner, a renowned Czech billionaire, tragically passed away in a helicopter mishap in Alaska in March 2021. His notable achievements included establishing and being the chief shareholder of the investment firm PPF Group. He was also regarded as the richest individual in Eastern Europe.
The PPF Group operates in diverse domains such as financial services, telecommunications, biotechnology, real estate, and mechanical engineering. Upon Petr's demise, leadership and stewardship of the corporation were handed over to his wife, Renata Kellnerova.
At present, the corporation employs a strength of about 61,000 staff members and its operations are spread across 25 nations.
Enriched by assets approximating to 43 billion dollars, the PPF Group is seen as a primary beneficiary of the post-communist transformation in the Czech Republic. The flourishing markets of Russia and China had been expanded into by Petr Kellner, Kellnerova's late husband. However, Russia's aggression towards Ukraine, which drastically shifted geopolitics and business dynamics, has driven many firms, including PPF, to concentrate on growth closer to home - this is according to information relayed by Bloomberg Agency and referenced by next.gazeta.pl website.
As informed by Bloomberg Agency, the company, following the passing of Kellner, has migrated its focus to Western markets, pulling away from Asia. The business magnate's bereaved wife procured the shares of two minority stakeholders, and thereafter, she and her three daughters claimed positions on the board of the new holding corporation.
Renata Kellnerova is presently esteemed as the wealthiest woman in Eastern Europe. During her incumbency as the corporation's leader, several substantial transactions got carried out, among which was the sale of a majority share in telecommunications companies in Eastern and Central Europe for about 2.15 billion euros (£1.82 billion) to the Emirates Telecommunications Group Co. based in Abu Dhabi.
The Bloomberg Billionaire Index projects the family's wealth to be around 11.8 billion dollars (£8.8 billion).
