Dear members and friends,
I was elected to the Board of Directors in September 2012 and you gave me your trust repeatedly three more times, for which I would like to thank you. It was an amazing ride and here are a few thoughts that have stuck in my head during that time. Together with other partners, we have established the Chance for Buildings, which is an unmissable voice of our industry today. We founded the Sustainable Materials working group, visited several production plants of our members, published the first Czech book on LCA and EPD and we drank some wine :-) We organized several top conferences (you probably remember the sharp discussion with Mirek Topolánek, but also the pleasant meeting with the then head of the GBC World Jane Henley). We brought top experts from different fields to the Czech Republic, some of the topics discussed were opened for the first time ever in our country. Virtually all the best buildings in the Czech Republic are being created with the help of our members. Even in the time of the covid, we did not slow down, on the contrary – we’ve moved online and work even more intensely.
Many people have been in the Board of Directors and the Council team during that time, but the main thing: the idea of the Council is still holding on, growing and reaching out to people and companies from an ever-widening range of fields, which is exactly what we need. We have always relied on a wide-spectrum base throughout the whole value chain from design, through construction and delivery to the operation of buildings. We also need to establish contact with financial institutions (the first swallows have been already appearing - thanks for that!) and other companies that will help us expand our impact on the general public.
This year I have decided not to run for the Board. I will continue to be active in the Council, but the time has come to pass the baton. We need new impulses and ideas and I am not afraid to say it: more feminine thinking. Therefore, our candidates can count on my support! Thanks for everything, but I'm not saying goodbye and looking forward to seeing you again!
Ondřej Šrámek