Tomáš Fiala is an entrepreneur and manager, and the CEO of the Ukrainian investment firm Dragon Capital.
Place of Birth, Education
He was born on May 13, 1974, in the Czech city of Brno.
From 1993 to 1996, he attended the University of Economics in Prague, where he studied at the Faculty of International Trade.
Career
In 1994, while still a university student, Fiala began his career in investment banking at the Prague branch of Bayerische Vereinsbank.
From 1994 to 1995, he worked as an analyst at Wood & Company. He analyzed privatization processes in the Czech Republic, Slovakia, and Poland.
After that, until 1998, he served as director of the Ukrainian office of the investment firm Wood & Company, and from 1998 to 2000, he worked at Wood & Company’s Warsaw office.
In 2000, he founded the investment firm Dragon Capital with his partners and became its CEO. The company has offices in Ukraine and Cyprus.
From 2010 to 2015, he served as president of the European Business Association. A year later, he was re-elected to that position, serving until 2021.
Specifically, in 2015, Fiala became one of the founders of the Center for Economic Strategy, an independent public policy research center, and chaired its Supervisory Board.
The entrepreneur also serves on the boards of directors of several companies, including Dragon-Ukrainian Properties & Development plc.
Between 2016 and 2018, Dragon Capital, together with its European and American partners, invested approximately $400 million in Ukrainian real estate.
Media
“NV”
In May 2014, Fiala founded the socio-political publication “Novoye Vremya, “ which was later renamed “NV.” In June of that same year, a news website and “Radio NV” were launched.
At first, he considered buying the publication *Korrespondent*, but ultimately decided to launch a new media project. Due to difficulties in obtaining a broadcasting license, the entrepreneur acquired “Radio Era,” moved the studio to a new location, and built the editorial team from scratch.
In December 2018, the entire editorial staff resigned from “NV.” The journalists attributed this decision to pressure and censorship. At the same time, the publication’s editor-in-chief, Vitaliy Sych, claimed that the decision was a joint one made by the editorial board and the team, and that the journalists planned to work on their own projects.
Commenting on the situation, Fiala noted that he does not make decisions or influence editorial policy. He learned about the dismissal of the entire staff only after the decision had already been made.
“Ukrainska Pravda”
In May 2021, Olena Prytula, the founding editor of the online publication “Ukrainska Pravda,” and Fiala signed an agreement under which 100% of the corporate rights to the publication and all of its assets were transferred to the Dragon Capital group of companies.
At the same time, the parties agreed that the publication’s editorial policy and operating principles will remain unchanged. Prytula will continue to serve as founding editor.
Marital Status
The entrepreneur is married to Natalia Fiala, the director of the nongovernmental organization (NGO) “People of the Future.”
