BIO

Pavel Řehák studied International Relations at the University of Economics in Prague and holds an MBA degree from Northwestern University in Chicago.

He started his professional career as a consultant at McKinsey & Company. After seven years at McKinsey, Pavel joined Česká pojišťovna (the leading incumbent player in the Czech insurance market) for seven years and served as its CEO between 2010 and 2013.

In 2013, Pavel founded VIGO Investments – an investment company focusing on building customer-centric companies. As part of VIGO Investments, they bought Triglav insurance company to transform and rebrand it, and established the completely new Direct insurance company which is now the fastest-growing insurer and the largest Czech-owned player in the market. Gradually, the Direct family grew beyond insurance into automotive and mobility services (Direct Auto), financial services (Fidoo), and other areas.

In addition to his entrepreneurial activities, Pavel has served as Chairman of the Board of the Direct Foundation and as President of the Aspen Institute Central Europe since 2022.