Ing. Václav Hrach, Ph.D., CFO at NET4GAS, s.r.o., Czech Republic

Václav Hrach graduated in corporate finance and management from the Czech Technical University, where he also earned a Ph.D. in 2000. From 1997 to 2000, he was a partner in TES Praha, a.s., where he oversaw a number of large-scale information control and management projects, and at the same time lectured at the Institute of Corporate Finance and Management at the Czech Technical University. Before becoming the Chief Financial Officer at NET4GAS, Václav Hrach spent 13 years of his career in top management level positions, first CFO and CEO, at the energy group MVV Energie CZ a.s., where he was responsible for the group activities in the Czech Republic and successfully carried out a group-wide restructuring and growth program.

In March 2014, Václav Hrach became the CFO and Statutory Director at NET4GAS, the exclusive gas transmission system operator in the Czech Republic. In the same year, he was responsible for the recapitalization project optimizing the company’s long-term capital structure. The project included a mix of equity financing, bonds and bank loans, providing the company with sufficient flexibility to support its long-term business and investment objectives. Its successful implementation was confirmed by the BBB investment grade rating obtained from the leading rating agencies Standard & Poor's Global Ratings and Fitch Ratings, which NET4GAS continues to maintain.