HAVE NO FEAR AND RESPECT OTHERS
Hana Ferklová, Chief Legal Officer
GOOD PLAN HELPS CONQUER THE SEEMINGLY UNCONQUERABLE
From an early age, my life has straddled Europe and the USA. When I was six years old, my parents decided to emigrate our family from the old Czechoslovakia, via Austria, to Miami, Florida and I continued having a foot on each of the two continents ever since. At one point of my studies, I even studied concurrently at the university in Miami and the law faculty in Prague!
When I graduated the Charles University in Prague, I went on studying law at USF School of Law in San Francisco. By then, I was alone in the USA and not only battled through my studies but also had to earn a living. I got the first job of my legal career in San Francisco. In 2000, I left California for the Czech Republic.
Later, career opportunities took me to Luxembourg, the UK and Belgium. Finally, mainly thanks to my family circumstances, I ended up back in the Czech Republic. I am grateful for the international experience I’ve had the fortune to have over the course of my career. The exposure contributed a lot to who I am today, both as a person and as a professional. Not just the places I’ve lived but also the people I’ve met and worked with, teammates and superiors.
SPEAKING OF BOSSES...
...I’ve had all kinds; genius but tough ones, less capable but more humane ones, and those who were fantastic on both fronts. The experiences picked up along the way have showed me the importance of being brave and speak up, say when I don’t know or can’t do something.
I discovered that even unpleasant and difficult things may be well received if communicated with respect. I also learned that even the seemingly unconquerable can be conquered if you have a good plan and approach the solution head-on. I make use of all this experience every day and apply them here at Y Soft, too.
FUTURE FIRMLY WITHIN OUR GRASP
I came to Y Soft to help it undergo a transformation to a structured, multinational corporation. To help us get prepared for this new future and have it firmly within our grasp and lead us thru whatever the World throws at us in the process.
Currently, I am making changes in, and creating strategy for, the legal team. I am also a member of the Board of Directors where I am involved in defining strategy for our company. Often, changes are not hugely popular, and neither are those who are associated with those changes in peoples’ minds. I am aware of that.
However, Y Soft doesn‘t pay me to be popular and only do things that people like. Y Soft pays me to fulfill my role and deliver what is expected of me first and foremost.
FAMILY COMES FIRST
I am lucky that I really enjoy what I do and that it doesn’t bother me that I don’t have much time left for hobbies, of which I actually have quite a few. If I had to choose and name some, it would be music and travels, snowboarding, and horseback riding. That said, for me, family always comes first. On several occasions in the past, I had to put the brakes on my career for the sake of my son and my husband, and I did so without a moment’s hesitation.
