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Interview: Vladimír Peták – Leader of a Major Player

26/11/2013 by Aviation Times

Vladimír Peták, CEO ABS Jets

There is no doubt that ABS JETS is a major player in business aviation in Central and Eastern Europe and that such is noticed and rec­ognized far beyond that geographical area.

The proof of success may be found in the annual financial statements and performance records, in the accommo­dations and facilities at the airport, in the extensive range of services that are provided 24/7, in the fleet of 12 aircraft based in Prague, Bratislava, Sofia and Moscow and in the team of 200 highly qualified and well trained employees. Maybe the key to the success lies in the spirit and motivation of the team that is ready to take on any challenge and pro­vide immediate responses to any cus­tomer request or needed business avia­tion services. To bring all the dynamics and synergy seamlessly and flawlessly together in one company, it takes true leadership. Vladimir Petak is ABS Jets’ Leader.

“A strong company is built on the per­formance of a strong team. I believe in my team, I trust them, and I listen to them,” says Vladimir Petak. “My role is to lead by guiding, encouraging, accommodat­ing, also by protecting, and what is most important, by listening. A good leader is a good listener; who listens well, will find needed solutions. It is a good sign when the staff is happy to talk openly and di­rectly to you. It is pleasing to see people come to their workplace with a smile on their face and looking forward to han­dle the challenges of the day. Yes, in many ways a team is a concentration of egos and experts, but on my team they are all posi­tive and want to see their company grow, extend its services, and perform at its best.”

Vladimir who joined ABS Jets in 2007 at the age of 32 came from the financial industry. He did have aviation back­ground as a pilot, but it was a bit more unusual kind of experience; his hobby was aerobatic flying. These are just a few remarkable elements of what makes him the professional that he is. He un­derstands finances and appreciates that shareholders are expecting positive fig­ures. He has the expertise needed for building profit structures. He learned to respect the human factor and physics in what is defined as “precise maneuvering in three-dimensional space,” to trust what instruments are telling but also trust the own judgments and know where limits end. Vladimir claims that he met the right people, at the right time, and the right company. Maybe he just happened to be the right leader. He is 37 now. The collection of experiences is impor­tant; age is not. Or is it? A younger management team fits in with the char­acteristics of new econo­mies where business avi­ation industry got really started a relatively short time ago. Yet, in that re­gard Vladimir’s wish is to get rid of the cliché “com­ing from the East”.

„We take care of our customers as if they were our shareholders.“

ABS Jets is not a small company anymore but rather an opera­tion to be reckoned with by the “West”. “Take a look at our new Hangar N; the best there is and filled with aircraft like Gulfstream 550 and Embraer Lagacy 600. We have a total hangar capacity of 9,000 m2 in Prague,” says the proud ABS Jet CEO and continues: “We can offer the same or better standards of quality and the same or more services than in the “West”, and, we can present them at more reasonable favorable prices. We take care of our cus­tomers as if they were our shareholders; it means that we go the extra mile to meet their needs and expectations. Look at our range of services. Some people still think that we are an executive jet operator. Sure that is one activity, and of course aircraft management is another. But we also han­dle Line and Base maintenance and we are an Embraer approved service center. We provide Flight Planning Services, Ex­ecutive Handling Services, Aircraft Sales, Charter and Brokerage, etc. Simply be­cause our owners needed them, and our customers want them.”

How much time does a successful business executive have left for his pri­vate life? For one, no more aerobatic fly­ing! Being the Chief Executive Officer of a 24/7 operation with a team that is avail­able and in action at any time, Vladimir, as the leader of his team also wants to be available to find solutions of unforeseen problems and to make the right decisions under the circumstances, and to make them fast. There is no such a thing as walking away from an unsolved problem or an unfinished task because the clock says five or because it is weekend. “We cannot afford to fail or make mistakes,” says Vladimir Petak resolutely. “We are a quality operation. That is what our com­pany’s reputation is built on and that is what our customers are used to get from us without compromises or mediocrity.”