News from the Residential Park Baarova

BB CENTRUM SERVICES:

THE BIG GUIDE

04 |

Dec

emb

er 2

010

| Eng

lish

| ww

w.b

bce

ntru

m.c

z

3

Ample Parking SpacesBaar Park

SHOPPING ARCADE OPEN

We would like to invite you to our opened shopping arcade, which is located in the Filadelfi e building, Želetavská street 1525/1. You will fi nd a number of shops includingAlbert supermarket, dm drugstore,Express Sandwich and more.

www.bbcentrum.cz

3

CONTENTS

Dear Readers,

So we’ve got the first snow this year... which makes the children especially happy. Enjoy the white winter before the snow melts. Our magazine brings you another portion of interesting reading, which you can enjoy in the warmth of your home or office.

We have prepared a well-arranged catalogue of the services available at BB Centrum, which have recently been expanded by the newly opened FILADELFIE shopping arcade, to make it easier for you to orientate yourself in it. You will be surprised how much you can organise and take care of at our centre, all within easy reach. You can also learn about the latest news from the construction of the Residential Park Baarova or read an interesting interview with the 2010 Banker of the Year – Peter Herbert, General Manager of GE Money Bank.

Let me wish you a merry and peace-ful Christmas and a successful start

to the New Year 2011.

Hana Gottwaldová,General Editor

4–5 BB Centrum News Calmness in the Soul in BB Centrum

6–7 Tenants‘ News The “Life to Ideas” Project Helps Women Set Up Businesses

8–11 Current news from the Residential Park Baarova

12–16 BB Centrum – Your World The Big Guide to BB Centrum Services

17 Christmas Tips

18–19 Interview with Peter Herbert, General Manager of GE Money Bank

20–21 NEWSTART® with the New Year

22–23 Healthy Christmas Menu

24–25 Tested for You Restaurant Mango

26 Interview with Pavel Šimek, Pastor of the Community Centre

Publisher: PASSERINVEST GROUP, a.s., Želetavská 1525/1, Prague 4, 140 00, IČO: 26118963, MK ČR E 15246Issue number: 04/2010Publication date: December 2010 (published 3-4 times in year in Prague)Editor-in-chief: Hana Gottwaldová, hana.gottwaldova@passerinvest.czEditorial board: Hana Gottwaldová, Kristina Vacková, Diana Moosová, Hana Metzová, Žaneta Kantorová, Jiří Baudyš Tel./E-mail: +420 221 582 111, redakce@passerinvest.czAdvertisements: Mediaforce, Markéta Šochová, marketa.sochova@mediaforce.czProduction: ASTRON studio CZ, a.s., Diana Moosová, dmoosova@astron.cz, +420 606 667 689Translation: Jiří Baudyš

BB Centrum Review has been prepared for you by:

4

news

Contact:

Karel Lukáš, providerBaarova 360/24140 00 Prague 4Tel.: +420 734 524 544E-mail: karel.lukas@zselijas.cz

Contact:

Integration of the Mentally Impaired, o.s.

Šlikova 8160 00 Prague 6Tel.: +420 233 313 210E-mail: simp@simp.czWeb: www.simp.cz

Multipurpose Sports Ground Also Open in Winter

Don’t worry, that is not a spelling mistake but the heading of this article refers to an exhibition held by the Association for the Integration of the Mentally Impaired, and SIMP is the abbreviation for its Czech name. The exhibition aims to show that mentally disabled people can also create interesting, spirited and imaginative works of art. You can attend the exhibition in the lobby of Building FILADELFIE from 6 December 2010 until the middle of January 2011.

The paintings were created during art workshops organised under the guidance of

SIMPathetic Canvases in FILADELFIE Shopping Mall

Basically, the multipurpose sports ground serves a variety of sports on a single pitch or court where you can play, for instance, football, floorball, basketball, handball, and tennis. The playing area is 44 x 24 metres in size, and it is also available in the winter season as it is under the roof of an infla-table hall. It is necessary to make bookings

renowned artists such as Ivana Lomová, Petr Nikl and Jakub Špaňhel who taught the SIMP clients to master the fundamental techniques of painting. As a result, the canvases which are on display are highly original works of art created by mentally disabled people. This explains why the exhibition is called SIMPa-thetic Canvases!

This is a touring exhibition whose ending will be marked with an auction. Its profit will go back to the SIMP clients – to cover the running costs of their training workshop and training café.

Exhibition:Dates:

From 06/12/2010 to 15/01/2011Building FILADeLFIeŽeletavská 1140 00 Prague 4Web: www.bbcentrum.cz

through the manager. There are also fine supporting facilities: new changing rooms and showers.

The sports facilities with the air-inflatable hall are open every day, except Saturdays, from 8 am to 10 pm. The hourly rent is CZK 550 and CZK 350 for a venue to play group sports and individual games, respectively.

5

CALmness In the souL In BB Centrum

Contact:

Church of the Nativity of the Virgin MaryAlberto Giralda Cid, parish priestBaarova street140 00 Prague 4Tel.: +420 241 485 428, 732 851 326E-mail: midpraha@tiscali.cz

In the neighbourhood of the hectic and modern complex of BB Centrum we can find also the centre of spiritual world. The baroque Church of the Nativity of the Virgin Mary in Baarova Street is prepared for everybody who suddenly feels the need to see a clergyman, likes to attend a Mass and embrace Eucharist, or just to quietly approach to Eucharist. The clergyman and priest of Roman Catholic parish in Prague – Michle, Alberto Giralda Cid, is together with his confrere prepa-red to hear you any time.

Church of the Nativity of the Virgin Mary

Masses:Tuesday 5.30 p.m.Wednesday 7.30 a.m.Thursday 5.30 p.m.Saturday 5.30 p.m.Sunday 8 a.m.

The BB Centrum site offers a structure which is becoming the new natural ele-ment of this living place.

BB Centrum offers the employees of local companies as well as the peop-le in its vicinity various possibilities for spending their free time in interesting and pleasant places. This includes a wide se-lection of restaurants and cafes, shops, a post office and a large fitness and well-ness club. It is natural that some facilities are also used for various work meetings. The Community Centre provides a spe-cific space for spiritual life and social meetings at BB Centrum. And that’s something brand new and unique which you will not find at other similar sites.

Christian Community Centre

Contact:

Community CentreZa Brumlovkou 1519/4 140 00 Prague 4 Web: www.spolecenskecentrum.cz www.maranatha.cz

6 7

tenants

Contact: After seven years in Building ALPHA at BB Centrum, PASSERINVEST GROUP is changing its seat. From 20 December 2010, PASSERINVEST GROUP can be found on the 17th floor of Building FILADELFIE, which has been recently completed. The new address is Želetavská 1525/1, 140 00 Prague 4. The other information remains unchanged.

PASSERINVEST GROUP Moves to Building FILADELFIE

The “Life to Ideas” Project Helps Women Set Up Businesses

The objective of the initiative is to support women who have decided to make their dream – starting a business – come true as well as to present female business models and give women a space for discussion and sharing advice and opinions.

There are two times less women than men running businesses in the Czech Re-public. The representative sample research implies that the most common reasons that discourage women from running a business include the feeling of a lack of experience, worry about uncertainty and the necessity of taking risks. 41% of women in the Czech Republic would set up a business if there was a place they could turn to for informa-tion in the initial phase. The “Life to Ideas” project launched by GE Money Bank was

created to help women overcome these barriers and to support them on the way to their own enterprise.

A special internet portal – www.zivotna-padum.cz – was created for this purpose. There, women can find useful information, advice and contacts important for the first step in business. Moreover, GE Money Bank will organise two seminars for women invol-ved in the project, both successful entre-preneurs and bank professionals as well as representatives of non-profit organisations, by the end of 2010.

“Setting up a business is the first and most difficult step that requires a fair amount of courage and determination. We believe we will inspire women who have decided to make their dream come true and stand on

their own feet by the “Life to Ideas” project,” states Radka Pekelská, HR Manager at GE Money Bank. The project is sponsored by patrons who are women successful in different fields. These successful women are also the professional guarantors of the entire project and they help determine the direction and programme of the project. The patrons are also the guarantors of the overall independence of the project and an inspiration to women who are yet to start their businesses.

In addition to “Life to Ideas”, GE Mo-ney Bank is also engaged in the Czech Business-women Award competition whose objective is to reward, support and make visible small, medium and large companies in the Czech Republic founded by women.

Želetavská 1525/1140 00 Prague 4Tel.: +420 221 582 111Fax: +420 222 515 521Web: www.passerinvest.cz

6 7

tenants

From this December, customers of the PUMA Concept Store in Prague Palladium will have a great opportunity to release their fantasy, put their creativity into effect and design their own sneakers with the use of the new PUMA Creative Factory application.

Start with the selection of the basic mo-del, standard Basket sneak-ers or ankle-length First Round and transform the white sneakers into a unique dream pair using the pattern books which offer an inexhaus-tible quantity of colours and materials and the PUMA Creative Factory application in Apple iPad! There are no limits to fantasy here… When you finish and pay for your design, it is sent for production. About six weeks later, you will be asked via email to

pick up the result of your work – a unique pair of PUMA sneakers – at the shop.

The ambassadors of the PUMA Creative Factory project tried the role of designers at a joint workshop: the members of Toxique (music band), Martha Issová (actress), Maxim Velčovský (desi-gner), Tomáš Rosický (footballer) and Lela Geislerová (artist).

Sneakers created in the PUMA Creative Factory application are available in sizes 3 to 13. The price ranges from CZK 3,000-4,000 depending on the type and selected material. More information about the project is available at www.puma.com/creativefac-tory and www.facebook.com/pumacz.

Design your own original PUMA!

HP has launched a new application on the internet where everyone can stand in the spotlight and be a celebrity! Just log into Facebook or click on the HP webpage, select a photo and a notebook you like and then enjoy the frenzied ride under the microscope of paparazzi that are always one step behind you. The only thing that can save you from the flashing cameras of the paparazzi are the desi-gner notebooks by HP.

The application will make every Fa-cebook user who adds it to their profile a celebrity. You can then choose your

HP will make you a Star!photograph and the notebook that will protect you from the intrusive paparazzi and post the created video in which you act as a celebrity on your wall, send it via email or spread it through Twitter. The HP Paparazzi global campaign has a strong emphasis on style and con-temporary trends. It uses the motif of celebrities who are trying to get rid of intrusive paparazzi and hide their faces behind HP designer notebooks. You can hide behind the HP Mini 210, the HP Pavilion dv6 or the HP Mini Vivienne Tam Edition.

Residential PaRk BaaRova

News from the Residential Park Baarova

Residential PaRk BaaRova

The Residential Park Baarova is growing quickly and its completion is planned for the end of 2011. Upon the completion of the foundations, work on the skeleton of the buildings was launched at the beginning of December. The architects from CMC Architects Studio have provided updated information on the construction of this original residential project in the following exclusive interview.

News from the Residential Park Baarova

10

Residential PaRk BaaRova

The Residential Park Baarova is a modern project with 139 apartments characterised by the motto “Style, Comfort and Safety”. The site where the project is situated – the BB Centrum area – offers outstanding and easy accessibility and excellent civic amenities. The services on offer have been extended by a new shopping passage in the FILADEL-FIE building; there are several restaurants,

From left side Jiří Pech, Jan Hřebíček, David Chisholm, Radim Passer, Václav Černý

wellness and fitness club Balance Club Brumlovka, and the green oasis of Baar’s Park, which is closely connected to the residential project. There are also medical facilities, a children’s and multifunctional playground, a kindergarten and an elementa-ry school and the Community Centre, which opened last year. All these services contribute to the quality of better living.

developer and seller:

PASSERINVEST GROUP, a.s.václav ČernýŽeletavská 1525/1140 00 Prague 4 Tel.: +420 724 607 209E-mail: vaclav.cerny@passerinvest.czWeb: www.passerinvest.cz

On 14 September 2010, the foundation stone of the new RPB project was ceremo-nially laid; its construction was launched in July this year. The following people took part in this significant event: Radim Passer, Chair-man of the Board of Directors of PASSE-RINVEST GROUP, a.s., Václav Černý, Sales Manager of PASSERINVEST GROUP, a.s., Jiří Pech, Member of the Board of Directors of PSJ, a.s., and David Richard Chisholm and Jan Hřebíček, architects from CMC architects.

novinky

11

inteRview

Residential Park Baarovais an original project that we value highlyThe studio of CMC architects, a.s., stands behind the Residential Park Baarova project. We asked David Chisholm, Vít Máslo and Jan Hřebíček the key questions about the origins of the project and its incorporation into the overall conception of the BB Centrum area.

Where did the original idea come from and what was the basic idea of the project?The original idea came from an architec-tural competition in 2005. Our studio then designed a concept non-traditional in shape responding to the surroundings, which the investor evaluated positively and accepted.

And the main idea of the project?Our approach was mainly “sculptural” from the beginning – that means gradually taking off matter from the first monolith and adding light and movement to the project.

The synthesis of the project results in sculptural forms related to each other; mingled matters where each one is closely related to the other and to the adjacent park. This creates a clearly defined campus – a housing set with specific qualities. The area is solved as a continual space of an internal “garden”, which is a continuation of the planned park but is independent of it. The expression of the campus is based on the principle of a shell and a core where hard material – stone (sandstone) – is used for the shell and soft (plaster) for the core. The “super constructions” on the outer casing (we call them “snakes”) are a sig-nificant unifying element which connects, soothes and tightens the final shape.

What do you think of the basic idea of BB Centrum and how the residential project Baarova fits into it?

From left side David Chisholm, Vít Máslo

BB Centrum is a collection of the best new structures in Prague. It is a completely equipped city environment with its own urban concept which has now been supple-mented with a park area and the connecting residential function fulfilled by Baarova, which will become a part of the park and will contribute to the creation of the green zone.

What three differences make the Residential Park Baarova most dis-tinct from other residential projects? That’s a difficult question. Our studio doesn’t work on the basis of “the effort to differ” but we’re going our own way, which is very difficult particularly in the first phases of the project. We need to get to the con-cept of the solution which is then finished by a suitable selection of form and material. Naming and creating the basic concept for the solution is the main step in our work.

The significant points of the Baarova project design include the favourable

peaceful site near the city centre, original design and high-quality material.

How would you evaluate the Baarova project in comparison to your other projects?We already value the project very highly. One of the reasons is the very professio-nal, single-minded and systematic coope-ration with the investor; it is thus possible to fully concentrate on the actual issues of the construction and subsequently on client changes.

I know it may sound trivial but deci-sions need to be made on the basis of first-rate groundwork and always with the awareness of responsibility, which is an issue on all parts; not only on the part of the investor, but also on the part of the architect-designer and later the supplier.

You will be able to see the results of the efforts for yourself at the beginning of 2012 .

12 13

Catalogue of ServiCeS

The BB Centrum area is still growing and changing. So we are bringing you an extensive guide to the services you can find at BB Centrum. Here you can buy a newspaper, flowers or mountaineering equipment, have lunch, coffee or see a doctor... BB Centrum is simply your world and we are doing our best to make your life in it good.

Catalogue of Services available for download on www.bbcentrum.cz/katalog

BB Centrum – Your World

12 13

Catalogue of ServiCeS

Restaurants Coffee Bars

Baifu – Sushi Bar (building GAMMA)

Opening hours: Mon. – fri. 10 a.m. – 10 p.m. Sun. 10 a.m. – 10 p.m.

Express Sandwich(building FILADELFIE)

Opening hours: Mon. – fri. 8 a.m. – 7 p.m.Web: www.sandwich.cz

O2 Café (building A)

O2 Café (building GAMMA)

Mangaloo Fresh Bar (building BETA)

Opening hours: Mon. – fri. 8 a.m. – 8 p.m.Web: www.kava.cz

Opening hours: Mon. – fri. 8.30 a.m. – 6 p.m.Web: www.kava.cz

Opening hours: Mon. – fri. 8 a.m. – 6 p.m.Web: www.mangaloo.cz

Maranatha Vegetarian Restaurant(building BRUMLOVKA)

Opening hours: Mon. – thu. 11 a.m. – 7 p.m. fri. 11 a.m. – 3 p.m.Web: www.restauracemaranatha.cz

Ristorante Pizzeria Grosseto (building BRUMLOVKA)

Opening hours: Mon. – fri. 11 a.m. – 11 p.m. Sat. – Sun.12 p.m. – 10 p.m.Web: www.grosseto.cz

Coffeeheaven (building BETA)

Opening hours: Mon. – fri. 7.30 a.m. – 6.30 p.m.Web: www.coffeeheaven.cz

Gaviota Expresso Lounge Café (building BRUMLOVKA)

Opening hours: Mon. – fri. 8 a.m. – 8 p.m. Sat. – Sun. 10 a.m. – 6 p.m.Web: www.gaviotaespresso.cz

Mango Chinese Restaurant (building FILADELFIE)

Opening hours: Mon. – Sun. 10 a.m. – 10 p.m.

14 15

Catalogue of ServiCeS

Albert (building FILADELFIE)

Opening hours: Mon. – Sun. 7 a.m. – 9 p.m.Web: www.ialbert.cz

BIANCO&ROSSO (building BRUMLOVKA)

Opening hours: Mon. – fri. 11 a.m. – 9 p.m. Sat. 12 p.m. – 7 p.m.Web: www.grosseto.cz

JK Jitka Kuláčková Jewels (building FILADELFIE)

Opening hours: Mon. – fri. 9 a.m. – 8 p.m. Sat. 10 a.m. – 5 p.m.Web: www.jk.cz

Shops

Internetgolf (building BRUMLOVKA)

Opening hours: Mon. – fri. 9 a.m. – 7.30 p.m. Sat. 10 a.m. – 3 p.m.Web: www.internetgolf.cz

NIVOSPORT (building BRUMLOVKA)

Opening hours: Mon. – fri. 9 a.m. – 8 p.m.Web: www.nivosport.cz

Maranatha (building ALPHA)

Opening hours: Mon. – thu. 8 a.m. – 6 p.m. fri. 8 a.m. – 3 p.m.Web: www.obchodmaranatha.cz

Flower shop Rebeca (building BRUMLOVKA)

Opening hours: Mon. – fri. 9 a.m. – 7.30 p.m. Sun. 10 a.m. – 3 p.m.Web: www.designrebeca.cz

Just Trading News stand (building C)

Opening hours: Mon. – thu. 8 a.m. – 4 p.m. fri. 8 a.m. – 3 p.m.

dm drogerie (building FILADELFIE)

Opening hours: Mon. – fri. 8 a.m. – 7 p.m. Sat. 8 a.m. – 1 p.m.Web: www.dm-drogeriemarkt.cz

INTERIÉR ČÁP Kitchen Studio(building FILADELFIE)

Opening hours: Mon. – fri. 10 a.m. – 7 p.m.Web: www.kuchyne-cap.cz

14 15

Catalogue of ServiCeS

Services

Children´s Club Rybička (building BRUMLOVKA)

Opening hours: Mon., fri. 9 a.m. – 1.30 p.m. tue., thu. 9 a.m. – 4 p.m.Web: www.balanceclub.cz

Czech Post Office(building BRUMLOVKA)

Opening hours: Mon. – fri. 8 a.m. – 7 p.m.Web: www.cpost.cz

BOMTON (building BRUMLOVKA)

Opening hours: Mon. – fri. 8 a.m. – 9 p.m. Sun. 10 a.m. – 4 p.m.Web: www.bomton.cz

Hand Car Wasch Centrum (building BRUMLOVKA)

Opening hours: Mon. – fri. 7.30 a.m. – 7.30 p.m. Sat. – Sun. 9 a.m. – 6 p.m.Web: www.umace.eu

Telefónica O2 (building A)

Opening hours: Sat. – Sun. 8.30 a.m. – 7 p.m. Sat. 9 a.m. – 12 a.m.Web: www.o2.cz

Teď&Hned (building A)

Opening hours: Sat. – Sun. 7 a.m. – 7 p.m.Web: www.spoustadarku.cz

Tabák DON PEALO (building BRUMLOVKA)

Opening hours: Mon. – fri. 8 a.m. – 7.30 p.m.Web: www.donpealo.cz

Coffee and Tea Shop (building A)

Opening hours: Mon. – fri. 9 a.m. – 5 p.m.Web: www.kava.cz

The Catalogue of BB Centrum Services also comes in an Electronic Format In this issue we bring you an extensive overview of all the shops and services you can find at BB Centrum. We believe that it will help you orientate yourself better among what’s on offer. Moreover, this information is also available on the web at www.bbcentrum.cz/katalog

Catalogue of ServiCeS

BankingHealthcare

Sport and relaxation

Multipurpose Sports Ground

Opening hours: Mon. – fri. 8 a.m. – 10 p.m. Sun. 8 a.m. – 10 p.m.Web: www.maranatha.cz

Community Centre

Web: www.spolecenskecentrum.cz

Balance Club Brumlovka(building BRUMLOVKA)

Opening hours: Mon.– fri. 6.30 a.m. – 11 p.m. Sat. – Sun. 8 a.m. – 10 p.m.Web: www.balanceclub.cz

GE Money Bank (building B)

Opening hours: Mon. – fri. 9 a.m. – 17 p.m.Web: www.gemoney.cz

Česká spořitelna (building BRUMLOVKA)

Opening hours: Mon., thu. 10 a.m. – 18 p.m. tue., Wen., fri 10 a.m. – 16 p.m.Web: www.csas.cz

Urosanté andrology, urogyneacology(building REZIDENCE)

Opening hours: Mon. – thu. 8 a.m. – 8 p.m. fri. 8 a.m. – 4 p.m.Web: www.urosante.cz

Novus Optik (building BRUMLOVKA)

Opening hours: Mon.–fri. 9 a.m. – 8 p.m. Sat. 10 a.m. – 6 p.m.Web: www.novusoptik.cz

Gyneacology and Obstetrics(building REZIDENCE)

Opening hours: Mon., Wed., fri. 7 a.m. – 12 p.m. tue., thu. 12 p.m. – 6 p.m.Web: www.gynae.cz

Pharmacy BB CENTRUM(building REZIDENCE)

Opening hours: Mon. – fri. 8 a.m. – 6 p.m.

MUDr. Denis Krupkadentist + hygienist (building GAMMA)

Opening hours: Mon. 8 a.m. – 6 p.m. tue. 8 a.m. – 5 p.m. Wen., fri. 8 a.m. – 2 p.m. thu. 8 a.m. – 3 p.m.Tel.: +420 241 410 685

16

Obstetrics

ChriStMaS tipS

Please your loved ones or yourself and enjoy your favourite tea or coffee from a beautiful cup from the limited Coffeeheaven winter 2010 Collection. The porcelain cup holds 450ml and if you buy two, you will get them at a bargain price!

www.coffeeheaven.czBuilding BETA

Luxury from New York CityPresent your nearest and dearest with a luxury gift package by Redken. Perfect hair care and hairstyling products come com-plete with Quick Dry 18 finishing spray given as a gift. Redken styling is used by leading hairstylists behind the scenes of New York Fashion Week, and Quick Dry 18 is their priceless tool for creating and finishing refined and tempting hairstyles. In addition to this product, the Redken box contains shampoo and conditioner. Price CZK 999.

www.bomton.czBuilding BRUMLOVKA

Mashi set by Color KidsBoys and girls will have even more fun. The popular waterproof winter set known as Mashi offers the utmost degree of comfort and convenience anywhere, including mountainous areas (water column of 5,000 millimetres). The jacket with reflexive safety parts and a detachable snow belt can also be worn separately. The trousers have an adjustable waist, reinforced material in the bottom part to prevent damage, along with detachable braces. Mashi sets are produced for children aged from 1 to 12 (0.86 to 1.58 m), in six colour schemes. Recommended prices: Mashi set: CZK 3,300, ATHEN mittens: CZK 630.

www.nivosport.czBuilding BRUMLOVKA

Balea Men Gift Care Set This gift set contains Shower Gel Fresh 300 ml, along with shampoo 300 ml and roll-on fresh deodorant 50 ml. As the set is not included in dm’s range of goods, it is limited in number. Price: CZK 89.90.

www.dm-drogeriemarkt.czBuilding FILADELFIE

A Christmas Coffeeheaven Cup

17

Christmas Tips

18 19

The Chief Executive Officer of GE Money Bank, Peter Herbert, has received the title of Czech Banker of the Year 2010, winning the competition known as Fincentrum Banka roku. We asked him about his career as well as leisure interests.

interview

Peter Herbert has been Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of the Board of Directors, GE Money Bank, since 2008, when he joined the company, having gained over thirty years’ experience in the field of international banking. Previously holding the position of CEO in Barclaycard International, he managed to elevate this company literally from zero to being a leading market player. He also held the position of the CFO of the banking division of Barclays UK. He was also the Director of Strategy of the Barclays Bank Group along with holding a number of other key positions in corporate and retail banking. Before joining GE Money Bank, he was the Deputy CEO of the National Bank of Kuwait Group where he addressed the issues of the bank’s growth in the regions of the Near East and North Africa.

You have just received the title of the Banker of the Year. What does this award mean to you? I greatly value the award. I am highly honou-red, first and foremost, to see that I have been voted for by my colleagues – chief executive officers of the other banks. I would like to express my deepest appreciation to them. Considering the fact that the title is gi-ven by the bankers competing on the same

market and being familiar with the industry, the award has enormous significance.

How did you take up banking and what was your childhood professional dream? When I launched my career, about 35 years ago, I chose this sector because – willing to work in an international environment – I have always regarded banking as an important sector. You know, banks help their clients, individuals and companies alike to fulfil their dreams and plans, along with looking after their savings and investments. Luck has been on my side and I enjoy each moment of my career. I have visited many countries and I have seen a variety of banking markets.

Yes – you have been working in the sector of international banking for many years. What are the most signi-ficant differences between particular countries? And what kind of people do you work with? I do not think that the banking markets differ in any way; I even think that the banking sys-tem in the Czech Republic ranks among the safest and most properly regulated in Europe. As for my colleagues, I would say that most of them work in the industry because they are

willing to provide clients with quality services. We have a superb team in GE Money Bank, which is, if not even better, as good as any team I have worked with globally.

You have elevated Barclaycard Interna-tional literally from zero to being a lea-ding market player. What aim do you have in GE Money Bank?GE Money Bank has grown dynamically for the ten years of its existence on the Czech market, coming up with numerous innovative products that have filled a need that had previously been lacking. We have launched numerous new products such as the first account with a monthly flat payment on the market (Genius Active), where the clients are well advised of the costs. Another example, GE Money Manager is a unique tool for plan-ning a personal budget within our Internet Bank. Incidentally, the Internet Bank has been voted the best product by the general public in the “Gold Crown” competition for two consecutive years.

You have been working and living in the Czech Republic for two and half a  years. How do you feel about the country? Do you regard it as your home, and what are your biggest problems? My wife and I are glad to live in Bohemia and we have already made a lot of good friends here. We have found that Czechs are very friendly and they are happy to share their wonderful culture. In my opinion, Czechs and Britons have much in common, which may be one of the reasons why I feel home here. For me, the most difficult thing is to learn Czech – I haven’t made as much

Banker of the Year 2010 - Peter Herbert

18 19

novinkyinterview

progress as I would like to, and the only excuses are that I am extremely busy and my colleagues speak excellent English!

What is the difference between Czech clients and those from Western Europe? Do they demand different products and services?Clients have a wide choice on all the mar-kets, including the Czech Republic, and – to remain competitive – the banks have to offer excellent products. I have also noticed that, with the growth of economies, people use a broader range of banking products. Take credit cards, for instance, which are, in my opinion, a comfortable and practical pro-duct, which has a great potential for growth in the Czech Republic.

What is your strategy in GE Money Bank? A central part of our strategy is to be close to our clients. This means doing whatever is in our powers to understand their needs and requirements. We strive to demystify banking and, therefore, we speak a simple and understandable language, along with making sure our products and services are void of any hidden terms and conditions and surprising charges.

To be close to our clients also means being accessible, which explains why we are opening a great many new branches around the Czech Republic. The new bran-ches are modern in design, which tends to draw a positive response from our clients.

Finally, we capitalise on being a part of the global General Electric (GE), one of the major and most reputable global compa-nies. As a result, we have free access to expertise and experience gained all over the world.

How do your workers see you and what do you expect from them? How do you select people for your team and do you prefer working with men or women?My team say I am a demanding but, at the same time, a fair boss. I expect people to do what they have promised and when they promised. I truly trust in team cooperation and I expect a high level of honesty and integrity.

I know from experience that men and women sometimes differ in terms of thin-king and working. This brings about the advantage of diversity. Women often take over a greater part of family responsibility and this is why it may be more difficult for them to realize their career ambitions. This explains why we pursue the rules of fair opportunity in our company and this is also a reason why we have launched a programme known as “Life to Ideas”, designed to assist Czech women who would like to start business.

How do you assess the current situa-tion in the Czech banking sector: have we overcome the financial crisis yet, or, in your opinion, is there any more cause for worries?Macroeconomically speaking, we have so far seen steady improvements in 2010 although the global economy renewal is small. In my view, the trust of customers and compa-nies is returning, but again, this is a slow process and it will take some time before the investment and growth levels achieve resto-ration. Czech banking has remained stable, regardless of the recent global chaos, and I assume that this stability will be maintained.

What is your working day like? How many hours do you devote to work and how do you spend your leisure time, if any? As I like my work, I spend a rather long time there. I usually get to my office at about 7.30 am and, as a general rule, I do not lea-ve until 7.30 pm. I also have several appo-intments arranged for evenings every week. What counts is to get the work done rather than how much time you spend at work. Also, I think it is important to impose some limits so that you can find time for rest and relaxation and I do respect these limits!

And leisure time? When my wife and I are in Prague at weekends, we like to get to know the city or we travel round the Czech Republic. Sports are also very important for me – I am a devoted cyclist, in addition to going to a gym several times a week. Our son and daughter live in the United Kingdom, so we regularly travel there to visit our family. Finally, I enjoy watching rugby, which is my favourite sport. I, together with my son, have tickets for Northampton for the entire season. It is an English team we are fans of.

What is not to your satisfaction at GE? And how does your bank work with disabled people? There are always things you aspire to im-prove in every sphere of activity. Our aim is to pursue the policy of high quality services, and we are committed to devoting our effort in this direction.

With 238 branches, GE Money Bank has one of the largest branch networks in the CR. Over 50 % of them are wheelchair-accessible. Where a barrier-free design is impossible due to the old building structu-res, we have helpful staff always ready to assist disabled people. Aside from wheel-chair-accessible branches, our physically impaired clients can use the service of our mobile bankers who, on the basis of prior agreements, visit them at their home or workplace to satisfy the majority of their re-quirements. Our bankers are trained to deal

with hard-of-hearing and visually impaired clients, and to be helpful in addressing their financial issues.

What is your personal “banking” life like? What do you generally think of loans? And at which bank do you hold your account?I have a debit as well as a credit card from GE Money Bank. I use the credit card espe-cially for heavy shopping.

Loans are best to use for purchasing expensive things such as home appliances, home refurbishments, a car and other things that do not fall in value so swiftly. A respon-sible approach to the management of per-sonal finance is one of the main principles behind our programme, We Understand Money, which helps schoolchildren learn the fundamentals of financial literacy, and as I see it, this is sound and practical advice.

Do you go shopping? Are you interested in the financial operations of your hou-sehold or do you leave it to your wife?What kind of banker would I be if I weren’t familiar with my budget? I like to take care of it, at work and in my personal life alike.

Shopping for food is usually my wife’s responsibility, but I am sometimes sent to buy some eggs, bread, milk and other basic food at weekends. If I remember well, a loaf of bread cost about thirty crowns when I last went shopping. When I fill in the tank of my car, the only thing I notice is that it is chea-per here than in the United Kingdom!

Thank you for the interview.Kristina Vacková

20 21

maranatha

A great many things exist in our life that are appreciated and regarded highly. One of them, our health, ranks among the most important aspects of our life although it is often taken for granted. Nevertheless, most people living in modern society are in such a hurry that they cannot assign as high a priority to health as it deserves.

NEWSTART® with the New Year

20 21

novinkymaranatha

As a result, we are witnessing an increase in the incidence of diseases inherent in our modern lifestyle although they could be prevented if our lifestyle were better.

To prevent these diseases, it is crucial to be aware of our bodily functions. By way of illustration, if you throw a ball up to the air, it always falls down in accordance with the law of gravitation. Also, the sun rises precisely at a specific time every day, never being late. Similarly, there are some laws which – being encoded in the human body – regulate our existence. If we follow them, we enjoy excellent health. By contrast, take somebody, for instance who is suffering from a lack of sleep and, consequently, whose body cannot work to the fullest. To make things even worse, if they go on staying up late, the body becomes exhausted which may lower its immunity leaving it open to disease.

Perfect health can be ensured and maintained by observing eight simple laws that regulate our health. These laws can be found under the acronym of NEWSTART.

N: Nutrition It is typical of a healthy lifestyle to consu-me a rich variety of natural, non-refined foods in amounts that are necessary for maintaining ideal weight.

E: Exercise The principle of exercise is another rule of vital health which is often neglected these days. However, it is crucial to our health to reserve some time for physical exercise every day.

W: Water The human body consists of about 50% to 65 % water. Water plays an important role in our body, which systematically filters toxins, i.e. poisonous substances, through the kidneys. Water is also important for human speech, vision, hearing and good digestion.

S: Sunlight Sunlight is another ingredient that our bodies could hardly do without. To main-tain adequate vitamin D levels, we should spend at least five minutes under indirect sunlight daily.

T: Temperance Temperance is a word which is often poorly understood. In fact, it means avoiding the use of or contact with things that are harm-ful and encourages the temperate use of things that are good. Even good things such as sunrays or healthy foods may become harmful if used in excess. Temperance is a vital part of keeping healthy.

A: Air Air is one of the human body’s enduring needs. Each of the 300 trillion cells of the body needs oxygen. Correct posture and proper bearing help us receive adequate amounts of fresh oxygen. Aerobic exercise such as fast walking, jogging or swimming will allow us to improve pulmonary function and capacity.

R: Rest Rest and relaxation, together with sleep, are the next prerequisites for a healthy life-style. As modern life gets faster and faster, it is best to make sure that we have some time for rest and relaxation every day to relieve the tension created during the day.

T: TrustTrust in God as well as a faith in those around us are crucial for our emotional and physical health. We are social beings whe-ther we admit this fact or not and, if this is so, it benefits our body if we are in contact

with others. To obey the golden rule “Love you neighbour as yourself” gives us a solid base for self-assurance and self-esteem.

Living in accordance with these eight simple principles will help us enjoy life in full. Our body and soul will be in excellent con-dition and we will be able to deliver a brilliant performance. As you are aware of how necessary is to give health more space in your life, why not try to make a NEWSTART right now?

Resource: Magazín zdraví

Contact:

Maranatha, o.s.Jemnická 887/4140 00 Prague 4Tel.: +420 224 210 571Fax: +420 224 210 559E-mail: info@maranatha.czWeb: www.maranatha.cz, www.mlifestyle.cz

22 23

Healthy Christmas Menu

Christmas is swiftly approaching and you might end up setting your mind on making a traditional New Year’s resolution to go on a diet, to lose those excess kilos put on eating a grand Christmas feast. If you want to avoid this misery, at least a little bit, then you may appreciate a few recipes devised by the Vegetarian Restaurant Maranatha. You will then be able to prepare a Christmas menu featuring light dishes that are low in calories and, as the name of the restaurant implies, without meat. Why not try delicious pumpkin soup – coming in as a replacement for the traditional fish soup? Then you can have meat-free Goody Foody steaks with light potato salad for your second course and gingerbread pastries for dessert, whose lovely scent will fill your home, helping to get you into the festive spirit of Christmas.

maranatha

Creamy Pumpkin Soup

22 23

novinkymaranatha

For 4 portions: 500 g Hokkaido pumpkin, 1 medium-sized onion, 10 g fresh ginger, 2 bars vegetable bouillon, 0.15 l vegetable cream, 50 g corn flour, 10 g pumpkin seeds, sunflower oil, 1 tbsp salt, 1 clove garlic, whole pepper, bay-leaf, bayberry, cinnamon peel and lemon.

Chop the onion finely and fry gently in oil. Wash and cut the pumpkin into pieces (you do not have to peel off the skin of this

sort of pumpkin), add it to the onion and pour in a litre of water. Add lemon juice, garlic, salt and two cubes of vegetable bouillon. Put the bay-leaf, cinnamon peel and whole pepper in a metal sieve and insert it into the soup. Once the pumpkin is soft, remove the sieve with the spices, mix the soup slightly and thicken with corn flour. Season the soup to your taste, add vegetable cream to make it lighter and, near the end of boiling, add ginger sliced into thin noodles. When served, add pumpkin seeds fried in a pan.

500 g Goody Foody steaks, sunflower oil

All you have to do is fry this excellent frozen vegetarian ready-to-cook food in a pan or bake in the oven for three minutes. Sold in a 500-gram package (10 pieces of 50 grams each), Goody Foody contains vegetable protein (from grain and soya), fibre, egg whites, milk protein and a mixture of spices. What it does not contain is cholesterol and artificial dyes. Aside from its good flavour, Goody Foody steaks are easy to prepare and to digest, which is why they will certainly win your favour. Goody Foody can be purchased at the healthy diet shop, Maranatha, Building Alpha, Vyskočilova 1461/2A, 140 00 Prague 4.

Potato SaladFor 4 portions: 500 g potatoes, 150 g carrots, 150 g celery, 150 g onion , 100 g pickled gherkins, 50 g mustard, 200 g vegetable mayonnaise (Soyannaise), 1 tbsp salt, ground pepper and ½ tbsp sugar. Boil the potatoes (in the skin) until soft, allow them to cool and peel off the skin. Pare carrots and celery and boil them in another pot. Let them cool down and cut them into small cubes. Add gently cut onion, pickled gherkins, salt, ground pepper, mustard, sugar, vegetable mayonnaise, and some gherkin pickle. Mix thoroughly and, if necessary, season to your taste.

400 g flour, 250 g caster sugar, 50 g vegetable fat, 2 l sour milk, 100 g plum jam, 100 g walnuts, 100 g raisins, 200 g cooking chocolate, 100 g desiccated coconut, 0.2 l soya cream to be whipped, 2 pieces eggs, 1 piece gingerbread powder, 1 piece baking powder and 1 tbsp cocoa. Whip the eggs with sugar; add melted vegetable fat, plum jam, cocoa, flour, baking powder and sour milk. Knead the dough, add wet walnuts and raisins, coat them in flour so that they cannot fall through the dough to the bottom. Put the dough on a greased baking tray and bake in the oven, preheated to 170° for about 30 minutes. Allow it to cool down, put melted chocolate on it and pour with co-conut. Decorate with whipped soya cream on the plate. This delicious dessert goes hand in hand with a cup of the excellent organic coffee Yannoh Instant Natural, or flavoured with vanilla or cocoa. You can use whipped cream, cinnamon or caramel icing for decoration.

Crispy Goody Foody Steaks

Christmas Gingerbread pastries with nuts

Creamy Pumpkin Soup

24 25

The lovers of varied and colourful Chinese cuisine have certainly noticed that a new restaurant has opened in Building FILADELFIE. We find it in the first floor, above the shopping mall. Its name, Mango, refers to a delicious and exotic fruit. We visited the restaurant to find that they serve dishes that will delight your taste buds as well as other senses.

The vivid colours, the lovely smells and flavours all tempt you into tasting. Sure enough, you will be hard-pressed to make a choice. The standard menu alone offers over 60 items and there are plenty of spe-cialities on the classic menu as well. Also, an excellent all-you-can-eat lunch buffet, served between 11 am and 2 pm, is a very special attraction - not surprising conside-ring its flat price of CZK 129, including soup, salad, stewed fruit and dessert. In addition to the buffet-style menu, we were provided with free drink, as will be all guests until New Year’s Eve. Similar campaigns are also in store for you next year.

Tempted by the menu to tasteMango is, first and foremost, a Chinese restaurant. The staff are Chinese, most of them members of a single extended family. The very pleasant owner of the restaurant is no exception – who has only taken the name Daniela to facilitate communication. In fact, her name is Zhu

Xu Hua. The staff are all smiles and always ready to serve the customer, whose satis-faction is really the top priority here.

Aside from the Chinese cuisine, you can choose dishes from the other Asian coun-tries in Mango. We heartily recommend, for instance, Japanese sushi prepared on the spot by an experienced chef-spe-cialist. The menu also offers Thai foods (mostly very spicy), which can be eaten with European cutlery or, if you dare, with traditional wooden chopsticks.

The prices are reasonable and, equally important, as varied as the menu. The cheapest ready-to-eat dishes or soups can be had for CZK 69 or CZK 25, respectively. You can stuff yourself with a buffet lunch for CZK 129, or, if you decide on the classic menu, you can choose between fairly inex-pensive dishes for about CZK 100 or more sophisticated specialities for over CZK 500.

As for the menu, the majority of dishes are accompanied by a photo which, together with the exotic names, will tempt you into

tested for you…

Restaurant Mango Exoticism on the Plate

having a taste. By way of illustration, we chose a few of them to tease your taste buds: Flying Fish Red or Green Caviar, Dragon’s Eyes, Eight Treasures Cuttlefish with Ribbed Celery and Spicy Sauce, Family Happiness...

Those that are not particularly keen on Asian cuisine are also offered several Eu-ropean dishes such as fried chicken legs and chips, fried cheese or, perhaps, fried frog legs. And what is served to drink? Budweiser beer, red and white wines, along with a standard range of non-al-coholic drinks. The list of drinks naturally contains traditional Chinese plum wine and Japanese rice sake. Worth trying is one of the original Chinese liquors.

Tempted by the atmosphere to stayIn your mind’s eye, you can usually see Chinese restaurants as rather dark places, with carmine and black prevailing in the in-terior. So it will surprise you to see that the Mango, with its light and airy space, has

24 25

novinkytested for you…

Contact:

Restaurace MangoBuilding FIlADElFIEŽeletavská 1525/1140 00 Prague 4Tel.: + 420 241 413 300

Opening hours: Mon. – Sun.10.00 am – 10.00 pm

Restaurant capacity:80 people + summer terrace

Prices:Soups from CZK 25Ready-to-eat dishes from CZK 69 to CZK 139Specialities from CZK 120 to CZK 600

Languages spoken:Czech, English, ChineseCzech and English menu

Parking facilities:Underground and open parking lots in the BB Centrum complex

Additional services:Take away meals

Pros +A wide choice, quick and friendly service. Spicy foods are marked with the symbols of two or three peppers to give guests advance warning. With the pleasant milieu and attractive menu, the restaurant is a good place for evening get-togethers.

Cons –The buffet counter is lacking labels specifying ingredients of particular dishes. We might be easily surpri-sed to taste what we have actually chosen.

a comfortable ambience and, considering that in summer a large terrace overlooking Baar Park will open, it will certainly be-come a popular place suitable for longer get-togethers and not only quick meals.

The favourable atmosphere is also en-hanced by recorded Chinese music whose meticulously chosen low volume creates a pleasant background so as not to disturb your conversation at the solid marble-topped tables (which, by the way, are well worth mentioning as the restaurant owner had them imported from her home country, and you are not likely to see anything like them in the Czech Republic).

Mango isn’t your first restaurant, is it?No, it isn’t. I’ve had another Chinese re-staurant in Vrsovice for many years and as it’s been successful I decided to expand my business. My family supports me; for instance, my uncle is the chef here and he’s got a lot of experience of cooking in restaurants.

How much do the local Chinese meals differ from what they actually eat in China?Quite a lot. In China, we’re used to putting the meal in the centre of the table and everyone takes what they want. Poultry’s often served chopped with bones and there are specialties on the menu such as chicken claws. People over here would probably not like that. Therefore, Chi-nese cuisine is adjusted for Europeans. Individual portions and ingredients are served and the flavour depends on local customs.

Where do you buy raw materials for your restaurants?Most of it comes directly from China and is imported to the Czech Republic through specialised wholesale. But we buy fresh meat, for instance, from Czech suppliers. It’s high-quality and available at any time.

A question for...Danielu Zhu, the owner of the Restaurant Mango

evaluation criteria:

let’s have a look at what grades from the Maurer’s Grand Restaurant guide correspond to the symbols used in our evaluation:

1 – Excellent2 – Very good3 – Good4 – Acceptable5 – Avoid

26

interview

What is your opinion on the lecture series given by Radim Passer under the name of “Reveal” in the Community Centre this October and November? I will answer as a pastor. Thank God for them. The lectures were clear, understandable as well as interesting. Aside from its content, which will be further discussed, I do appreciate the authenticity of the speech. A great life story is behind his delivery. Regardless of what he has achieved in his life, which is no small accomplishment, he places the greatest value on the understanding of God’s love and Jesus’ sacrifice on behalf of every human being. The knowledge of God through the Bible has completely changed his life. Not only does he regard highly the message of the Bible, he would love to pass it along to everyone to save mankind forever. It was clear that he truly trusts in this message and, what is more, he is truly immersed in it.

What did the lectures focus on, what were their topics?The content of the lectures aimed to reveal answers to the very fundamental questi-ons of life. Where do I come from? Does a supreme intelligent being, called God, exist? What is the purpose of life? What is there after death? How will this world end? Who is Jesus Christ? Why is there so much suffering and why does it affect the innocent as well? What is the best investment? More and more questions..., I cannot name each of them. All you have to do is to browse through the Internet pages, www.odhalte.cz, where – aside from the names of all the lectures and a brief description – you can watch a video recording, including picture presentations, of each of them. A great emphasis was also placed on the revelation of Bible prophecies. As many of them have been fulfilled, absolute faith exists that the last part, which is already in the pipeline, will also be fulfilled.

What was their main aim? The aim was not only to learn the contents of the Bible, in an intellectual manner. The aim was not only to broaden awareness. On the contrary, the aim was to embrace the message. To have faith – I am not able to express it better. Simply, so that it can enrich my life, improving it and changing for the better. God has the power to save us and give us eternal life but, at the same time, He has the same power to enhance our existing life, making it useful.

Were the lectures only attended by believers? Believer is a rather vague term. Everybody has faith in something. But if you are asking whether active Christians were the only ones to attend, then I have to answer definitely not. It was the other way round – most of them came to learn about God. Many might have turned up to find out why the lecturer, who – from the human standpoint – has every-thing and is quite successful, needs God. Somewhere inside us, there is an idea that faith in God is only good for old, ill and un-happy people. However, such beliefs are also for the young, healthy and successful. I am glad to see that both groups were represen-ted here, with the latter being in the majority.

What is your overall impression of the lectures and the Community Centre? People like to come here. The Community Centre is a venue for various lectures, pre-aching, Bible study, morning meditation, as well as a place for praying and celebrating Mass. Furthermore, it hosts conferences and symposiums. The Community Centre aptly integrates into the complex of BB Centrum. It enriches the spiritual sphere of our being. Fi-nally, let me wish all the employees, everyone that is in any way connected with the won-derful environment of BB Centrum, a Merry Christmas spent together with their nearest and, even more importantly, excellent heath, joy, professional success, comfort and, first and foremost, God’s blessing in 2011.

Interview with Pavel Šimek, Pastor of the Community Centre

Contact:

Community CentreZa Brumlovkou 1519/4140 00 Prague 4Tel.: +420 731 113 252E-mail: p.simek@volny.czWeb: www.spolecenskecentru.cz

26

novinky

Bomton Loft StudioWe offer:

• hairdressing services Redken• hair extension service using the So.Cap brand• permanent hair straightening using the Bio Ionic• manicure and pedicure O.P.I. and Essie• beauty parlour La Prairie and Juvena.

www.bomton.cz

Bomton Loft StudioVyskočilova 2

Prague 4phone: +420 777 732 620