Who is Daniel Kretinsky, the Czech dealmaker who’s buying Royal Mail?

Daniel Kretinsky has spent more than a decade building a network of businesses across Europe, from power stations to retail chains and media outlets, with a recent focus on financially distressed assets.

The 49-year-old Czech billionaire hasn’t shied away from investing in troubled businesses that are politically sensitive. In December, the UK government approved Kretinsky’s £3.6 billion ($4.6 billion) takeover of the Royal Mail’s parent company after he made a series of investment commitments. Business Secretary Jonathan Reynolds called it “yet another example of this government’s commitment to working hand in hand with business.”

Here’s more on Kretinsky and how he made his fortune.
What are the origins of Kretinsky’s wealth?A lawyer by training, Kretinsky got his start in business in 1999 at private investment firm J&T in Prague. A decade later, he formed the energy group EPH, taking a minority stake and securing the backing of partners from J&T and the late Czech billionaire Petr Kellner.

Through acquisitions, he created a conglomerate of dozens of companies operating in nine countries and in industries ranging from electricity production and distribution to natural gas transmission and storage, trading and logistics. Kretinsky also owns stakes in French food retailer Casino Guichard Perrachon SA, German industrial group Thyssenkrupp AG’s ailing steel unit and soccer clubs West Ham United and AC Sparta Praha.

How rich is Kretinsky now, and where are his assets?His net worth was $7 billion as of mid-December, according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index. That makes him the second-richest Czech after Renata Kellnerova — Kellner’s widow — and her family.

Kretinsky’s business empire in the Czech Republic includes power generation, gas distribution and storage, heat production and media. He also controls companies in Slovakia, Germany, the UK, France, the Netherlands, Ireland and Italy.

What’s his investment strategy?With his investments in energy-related business, Kretinsky has made a bet that it will take European countries longer than expected to wean their economies off fossil fuels. EPH, in which he now holds a controlling stake, scooped up assets that publicly traded utilities were forced to offload by banks under new environmental investing rules.

By taking energy businesses private, Kretinsky has drawn criticism from climate campaign groups, which say those companies are now subject to weaker scrutiny of their environmental performance.

Kretinsky has been diversifying his investments away from energy and said he aims to target industries that provide essential products and services — in areas such as infrastructure, retail and mail delivery.

His business empire is spread across several companies, with the largest of these, EPH, holding assets valued at just under €29 billion ($30 billion). He usually works with a relatively small team of advisers on deals. His inner circle includes Chief Financial Officer Pavel Horsky, who’s been with EPH since its inception in 2009 and has been busy integrating Kretinsky’s assets under a new brand, EP Group.

What’s Kretinsky’s interest in the Royal Mail?UK parcel delivery has boomed with the growth in online shopping, yet the former state-owned Royal Mail has been making losses due to tough competition. Previous management clashed with its large, unionized workforce, and its chief executive quit in May 2023 following a dispute over pay and conditions.

Kretinsky agreed to buy International Distribution Services Plc, Royal Mail’s parent company, in May. At the time, he told Bloomberg News that the company needed investment to maintain its market share. Kretinsky’s company has promised to respect the Royal Mail’s obligation to deliver letters and parcels to every part of the UK, and not to change its ownership for at least three years.

Were there concerns over Kretinsky’s Royal Mail investment?The sale to a foreign owner has been politically divisive as the delivery service was state-owned until 2013, when it was privatized.

He has faced similar scrutiny of deals made in France. Last year, he led a group of investors who reached an agreement to re-capitalize and gain control over Casino, a major player in French food retail.

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