The tenth anniversary EY Entrepreneur Of The Year winner has been revealed. The award went to Patrick Hessel, founder and CEO of c2i s.r.o.

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1 Contact: Zuzana Marhefková EY Tel.: Mobile: zuzana.marhefkova@sk.ey.com The tenth anniversary EY Entrepreneur Of The Year winner has been revealed. The award went to Patrick Hessel, founder and CEO of c2i s.r.o. Bratislava, 10 March 2016 The winner of the Slovak EY Entrepreneur Of The Year 2015 is Patrick Hessel, founder and CEO of c2i s.r.o. He was awarded this prestigious title at a gala ceremony, held in the historic building of the National Council of the Slovak Republic, by Matej Bošňák, who is the Country Managing Partner of EY, the contest organizer. The EY Technology Entrepreneur Of The Year 2015 title was won by Branislav Mičieta, co-founder and Chair of the Supervisory Board of CEIT, a.s., and the EY Emerging Entrepreneur Of The Year 2015 title was awarded to Ľuboš Bednár, Director of Frutia, s. r. o. The special award of the jury for entrepreneurial spirit went to Ján Lunter from ALFA BIO s.r.o. The special prize, awarded by the fortnightly magazine Profit, for the most inspiring story, this year went to Martina Kašiarová from TONFLY, s. r. o. The EY Entrepreneur Of The Year 2015 contest has the patronage of the President of the Slovak Republic. I feel extremely honored to receive the EY Entrepreneur Of The Year 2015 award, thereby joining the elite of Slovak entrepreneurs who have won this award before me. It is recognition of our hard work and strong incentive to work further and develop Slovak c2i, so that it becomes a global, respected technology brand, says Patrick Hessel, founder and CEO of c2i s.r.o., conveying his feelings immediately after receiving the award. During the 10 years of the contest s existence in Slovakia we have met almost 300 individual entrepreneurs and learned about their stories. Entrepreneurs are people with a strong awareness of what is possible, and of the potential behind an idea, product, service or a solution. They represent people with a particularly strong work ethic, enthusiasm and infectious drive, says Matej Bošňák, Country Managing Partner of EY in the Slovak Republic, adding: The winners, holders of the Slovak EY Entrepreneur Of The Year title, have represented our country at the world finals in Monte Carlo since

2 I believe that the entrepreneurial story of Patrick Hessel, the current holder of the EY Entrepreneur Of The Year 2015 title, will be as appealing to the jury, as it was to us. This year, from more than 100 received nominations, 30 individual entrepreneurs qualified for the contest. The jury had 10 members and evaluated the candidates on the basis of the following international criteria: entrepreneurial spirit, innovation, personal integrity/influence, financial performance, strategic orientation and community/global impact. There were 30 entrepreneurs nominated for this year s contest. Each of them is an exceptional personality and may be filled with pride when looking back at their life so far. However, there may only be one winner. This time, from the many strong entrepreneurial stories, the jury chose one which shows that the future of Slovakia lies in well-educated and motivated young people, says Eva Stejskalová, Chairman of the jury and the holder of the EY Entrepreneur Of The Year 2014 title. She comments on the decision of the jury as follows: Patrick Hessel is the founder of c2i, a company which has been under his successful leadership for 10 years. Freshly-graduated from university, he started to do business in the challenging area of developing and producing parts from carbon fiber, designed for the automobile and aviation industries. Thanks to the innovative production process and leading-edge quality, he is nowadays a direct supplier to automobile giants such as Porsche, Jaguar Land Rover and Bentley. Patrick Hessel is a visionary and innovator, about whom we will hear a lot more. I like this extraordinary contest, as it recognizes companies and people who represent them. Success of a company is made not only by its brand, but also by its people who lead it wisely and work hard, says Jozef Kausich, member of the Board of Directors and Executive Director of the Corporate Banking Division of Všeobecná úverová banka, the exclusive partner of this year s contest. Profile of the winner of the EY Entrepreneur Of The Year 2015 title Patrick Hessel grew up in Germany, but his roots are in Slovakia, where he returned to live around nine years ago. When he was 16, he left to study abroad, completing two years of high school in San Francisco and later Paris, where he passed his school-leaving examination. His further international experience led to universities in Cambridge, New York and London, where he studied engineering and business administration. After finishing his studies, he gained work experience in an international consultancy firm, but already at that time he was thinking of starting his own business. Thanks to his family, which owned an abandoned industrial site in Dunajská Streda, in 2006 Patrick started to realize his vision c2i, a company which develops and makes products from composites for producers in the automotive and aviation industries. The company experienced a breakthrough in 2012, securing a

3 3 contract to supply parts for the Porsche 918 Spyder super-project and at the same time, Patrick managed to obtain significant financial investment for the necessary transformation of the company. Other important collaboration projects followed, notably with BMW, and Bentley on the GT3R Supersports model. Nowadays, c2i is among the world s top composite producers in the automobile industry. It employs more than 350 people and its top clients, in addition to BMW and Bentley, include premium car makers such as Porsche, Jaguar and Koenigsegg. It also supplies parts to the aerospace industry for projects such as Airbus A330, A350, A380, and Boeing 787, 777, 747, as well as for the unmanned aircraft of Finmeccanica. Patrick sees the future of c2i in aviation and particularly, electric vehicles, requiring ultra-light materials, which represent the most significant change in automobile technology in the last 100 years. Today, this Slovak company is ready to become the leader in design and production of composite parts for the automobiles of tomorrow. The EY Entrepreneur Of The Year 2015 finalists: Ján Lunter, ALFA BIO s.r.o. Michal Drobný, Tomáš Drobný, CINEMAX, a.s. Miriam Poništová, DeutschMann Internationale Spedition s.r.o. Pavol Demáček, MEDEKO CAST s.r.o. The award of the EY Technology Entrepreneur Of The Year 2015 category was won by Branislav Mičieta, co-founder and Chair of the Supervisory Board of CEIT, a.s. The title of the EY Emerging Entrepreneur Of The Year 2015, targeting entrepreneurs whose companies have been in business for at least two and not more than five years, was awarded to Ľuboš Bednár, co-founder and Director of Frutia, s. r. o. This year the jury also decided to award the Special prize of the jury for entrepreneurial spirit, which was won by Ján Lunter from ALFA BIO s.r.o. With immense perseverance and responsibility, Ján Lunter has been conducting business in the production and distribution of healthy vegetable products for 25 years. Based on his own experience, he and his products positively influence eating habits and lifestyles of ALFA BIO s customers. For more information, please refer to Annex 1 Members of the EY Entrepreneur Of The Year 2015 jury, and Annex 2 Profiles of the contest finalists and award winners in individual categories. The exclusive partner of the contest is Všeobecná úverová banka. The general partners are SAP Slovensko and Motor-Car Bratislava and the contest s partner is Slovanet. TREND weekly is the co-

4 4 organizer of the contest and the main media partner is Rozhlas a televízia Slovenska. Other media partners are the daily newspaper Hospodárske noviny, the fortnightly magazine Profit, television TA3 and the web portal etrend.sk. About the Entrepreneur Of The Year contest EY Entrepreneur Of The Year is the world s most prestigious business award for entrepreneurs. Its aim is to present to the general public exceptional business figures, whose success stories may inspire young, budding entrepreneurs. The EY Entrepreneur Of The Year contest was conceived as an international competition, so the judging criteria used to evaluate individual contestants are comparable in each participating country. At present, it is the only truly global business recognition contest held on six continents in 60 countries. For more information, please visit About EY EY is a global leader in assurance, tax, transaction and advisory services. The insights and quality services we deliver help build trust and confidence in capital markets and economies the world over. We develop outstanding leaders who team to deliver on our promises to all of our stakeholders. In so doing, we play a critical role in building a better working world for our people, our clients and our communities. EY refers to the global organization and may refer to one or more of the member firms of Ernst & Young Global Limited, each of which is a separate legal entity. Ernst & Young Global Limited, a UK company limited by guarantee, does not provide services to clients. For more information about our organization, please visit Annex 1 Members of the EY Entrepreneur Of The Year 2015 jury: Eva Stejskalová, Chairman of the jury, MicroStep, Slovak EY Entrepreneur Of The Year 2014 Vladimír Šrámek, DECODOM, Slovak EY Entrepreneur Of The Year 2013 Ľuboš Fellner, BUBO travel agency, Slovak EY Entrepreneur Of The Year 2011 Tomáš Bel, EXIsport, Slovak EY Entrepreneur Of The Year 2010 Michal Štencl, Sygic, Slovak EY Entrepreneur Of The Year 2009 Peter Zálešák, NAY, Slovak EY Entrepreneur Of The Year 2008 Miroslav Trnka, ESET, Slovak EY Entrepreneur Of The Year 2006 Oliver Brunovský, Editor-in-chief of TREND weekly Rudolf Sivák, Vice-Chancellor, University of Economics in Bratislava Róbert Šimončič, CEO, SARIO (Slovak Investment and Trade Development Agency)

5 5 Annex 2 Profiles of the contest finalists and award winners in individual categories Ján Lunter, ALFA BIO s.r.o. When the Lunter family changed their diet, with a significant, positive impact on their health, this very personal experience helped Ján to discover unfamiliar foods. In particular, tofu fired his imagination as an inexpensive source of protein with health, environmental and ethical benefits. In 1991, Ján Lunter set up ALFA BIO, comprising Slovakia s first health food store, a restaurant and, in the cellar of their family home, the first tofu production facility in Central Europe. The equipment, all located within 25m 2, consisted of an unwanted steam diffuser, acquired from a hospital, a pressure heating vessel designed by his brother Peter in Biotika Slovenská Ľupča and a self-made press. As sales increased, in 1994 the company moved, expanding from its tiny origins to a facility which now covers 2,500m 2 and is fully equipped with modern technology. In 2015, under the new brand name LUNTER, the company produced 2,568 tons of products. Forty-five percent of its production is sold outside the Slovak Republic, to the region of V4 countries, and a small share even to Ireland. In the segment of chilled non-dairy spreads, including meat spreads, LUNTER sales are ranked second in the Slovak market. Success in 2015, which saw a 55% increase over the previous year s production volume, was achieved thanks to the entire team of employees, which in recent years was expanded by Ján Lunter s three sons. The business activities also comprise the restaurant LUNTER KUCHYŇA, where raw vegetable materials are used for cooking, and LUNTER shop & bistro, which was also opened in České Budějovice at the end of At present, ALFA BIO has 163 employees. From an initial vision of survival, the company has expanded its horizons to become a leader in the development and production of vegetable protein-based products. It wants to promote a new concept in distribution within the GASTRO restaurant, HORECA (hotels and restaurants) and retail segments. In addition, it seeks to be a responsible producer to partners and the environment, to become the most attractive employer in the region and to introduce innovative solutions for healthier lifestyles. Michal Drobný, Tomáš Drobný, CINEMAX, a.s. Anton Drobný, Chairman of the Board, former co-owner and father of company executives Michal and Tomáš, represents the backbone of CINEMAX. With a first cinema established in 2004 under the Sony CINEMAX brand in Trnava s MAX shopping centre, their objective was to build a network of multi-screen cinemas throughout the Slovak Republic. However, resources were limited and financial risk managers advised them, There is no future for cinemas, they will be smashed by the DVD market. Consequently, further backing for cinema networks was not forthcoming and the cooperation with MAX was temporarily

6 6 halted. Nevertheless, in 2006, a CINEMAX company was established and gradually completed construction of cinemas in eight MAX shopping centres, with a ninth temporarily completing the network in Košice s Optima Centre. In 2011, a cinema in Banská Bystrica was added and in 2015, two more were opened in Bratislava s Bory Mall and Trnava s City Aréna. At present, CINEMAX has 12 multiplex cinemas in 11 cities and a total of 60 screens, with a market share close to 60% of the entire Slovak visit rate. For a certain period of time, there were two partners of the company, but today CINEMAX is owned exclusively by the Drobní family; Anton is the General Director, having surrendered his own share in favor of his children. Michal who co-founded CINEMAX is the Executive Director with the main responsibility for finances, theatrical aspects of cinemas and distribution of movies. Tomáš who joined the company in 2007 is in charge of trade, marketing and the operation of cinemas. CINEMAX will continue to follow trends in the world of cinema entertainment, seeking to ensure that their cinemas always provide the maximum cinema experience. Miriam Poništová, DeutschMann Internationale Spedition s.r.o. Miriam Poništová is a qualified educational science and geography teacher. In 1999, she and her husband Jozef had a strong desire to start something larger, which could benefit a lot of people. Moreover, Miriam no longer wanted her husband to continue travelling long distances for work. Therefore, they set up a home-based forwarding company, DeutschMann, with three employees. Now they employ 119 people, which represents part of the employment life-blood of the small town of Trebišov, as they hire all year round. The owners do not want to see capable people leaving the eastern part of Slovakia to work abroad and their vision is to build a DeutschMann park, as the basis of a new city, providing a multitude of employment opportunities. These would include forwarding, warehouses, a gas station, a small hotel, sports facilities, an aqua park, a kindergarten and home for the elderly. Their goal is to create attractive work options for educated Slovak people within their home economy. DeutschMann performs hundreds of shipments daily, maintaining its rating among the major transport companies. What distinguishes it from other companies is the adherence to values which people find natural. DeutschMann will never do business the hard way. Their work is based on traditional principles, such as keeping their word, honesty, respect and friendly relations. Cooperation with DeutschMann must benefit and help everybody: clients, suppliers, employees as well as the company. This is their daily life helping. Pavol Demáček, MEDEKO CAST s.r.o. Pavol Demáček became an entrepreneur in 1994, after the unsuccessful privatization of the Považské strojárne steel plant, which he had embarked on with his co-workers. However, this failure did not

7 7 discourage him. He began to trade in semi-finished metallurgical products and invested the money earned in technology. In 2000, he started his own production of castings and tin solder products. The name of the company was extended to include the word cast and moreover, Pavol made his wife a partner. A step-by-step approach was taken by Pavol to expanding production and building a modern foundry. Nowadays, MEDEKO CAST manufactures investment casting mainly of steel, centrifugal and permanent mould casting of copper alloys, tin solder products, lead wire, special lead alloys, collimators and lead shields. Their production is for large-scale project purposes from wind power plants to railway carriage door systems, encompassing food, chemical and electrical engineering industries as well as radiation technology. Business partners of MEDEKO CAST are primarily from Western Europe. In 2007, Pavol Demáček and his German partner set up M-cast, a company specializing in production of gravity die permanent mould casting of pure copper, bronze and aluminium alloys. They are mainly designed for the energy, power electrical engineering and mechanical engineering industries. Pavol Demáček confronted the financial crisis in 2008 and 2009 as a challenge, aiming at recovering and restarting the company. Having the experience of working for a multinational company, his daughter assumed the post of HR Manager and his son also actively contributed to the company s management and restart. Both the companies are growing each year, while investing in expanding the production process and enhancing its quality. Both the companies belong to typically construction contract-based undertakings, so competitiveness is crucial for them. However, it is not always possible for an ethical and responsible company to assert itself through prices. Therefore, we have to excel through quality and speed. This is the business credo of Pavol Demáček. Branislav Mičieta, CEIT, a.s. Branislav Mičieta started in business in 1992, when he established his first company. In 2009, he and his partners, Milan Gregor and Štefan Medvecký, established a joint-stock company with a holding structure, focusing on development of innovative intelligent products and technology for industry. Now the company has a total of 240 employees at home and abroad, with products mainly intended for the automotive industry. The company has established itself in the market as a developer and supplier of comprehensive intelligent logistics systems, industrial automation and sophisticated advanced industrial engineering solutions. Their work concurrently develops new product portfolios, greater foreign market penetration and targeted networking, focusing on activities for the industry of the future (Industry 4.0). As an important employer of doctorate holders in Žilina, the company has created its own unique business model, building on new challenges in industry, individual preparation and development of young scientists, and support of their start-ups. The vision of Branislav Mičieta is to use this model to achieve sustainable development of the company and its innovation potential, ensuring its stable establishment in the global marketplace.

8 8 Ľuboš Bednár, Frutia, s. r. o. Ľuboš Bednár started his own business after working in various expert and managerial posts in the telecommunications sector for almost 10 years. He decided to go into partnership with his wife Jana, seeing no room to fulfill his professional ambitions as an employee. Their idea, which emerged spontaneously in autumn 2011, was to bring to market a new gift category, which until then had been missing in and around Slovakia fruit bouquets (fresh fruit arranged like flower bouquets) and fresh fruit dipped in chocolate. Both spouses started to work intensively on developing their own original products, preparing a business plan and establishing a family business. Shortly afterwards, in February 2012, a new brand was introduced to the market: Chutné kytice z čerstvého ovocia. It very quickly became a popular gift delivery service for customers in Bratislava and its surroundings. From the start, the company focused on the highest quality and originality of its products and top-level customer service. In the very same year, Chutné kytice marketed a new product line fresh fruit dipped in chocolate packaged as luxurious gift chocolate boxes. From March 2013, Chutné kytice launched a distribution model through its partner courier company, enabling next-working-day delivery anywhere in Slovakia, irrespective of the season or weather. Chutné kytice s product innovations include new taste combinations, designs of fruit bouquets and improvements in the area of customer service, with the greatest attention to detail. At the very beginning, the married couple made their products themselves, but the company expanded very quickly, so that they now have an average of 10 full-time employees. In addition to operational management of the family business, Ľuboš and his wife pay particular attention to product quality and customer satisfaction. They also focus on further strategic development of the business, either in the form of expanding the geographical coverage of the brand, development of new sales channels, or in the form of horizontal expansion of their product portfolio.

Contact: Katarína Sekulová EY Tel.: Mobile:

Contact: Katarína Sekulová EY Tel.: +421 233 339 255 Mobile: +421 903 212 080 katarina.sekulova@sk.ey.com www.podnikatelroka.sk Michal Weis, founder of IBL Software Engineering, spol. s r.o. is the EY