Shared Values Conference: first day in review

Our opening speaker, Tomas Hladek, spent much of his career at the Czech National Bank, enabling him to present a unique perspective on the strategic importance of Systemically Important Payment Systems (SIPS), including the TARGET inter-bank payment system and the Czech Republic's own clearing system CERTIS. The importance of rules and procedures designed to limit risk and enhance accountability would re-emerge in many of the other lectures at this conference, whose focus was the shared values of society and the economy.

Two lectures on the significance of change management in the corporate world followed. Trevor Smith, founder of Vision Communications, and Prague College lecturer Jakub Oliverius, Application Marketing Manager at Borealis Group, offered insights from the respective standpoints of business and academe regarding the methodology and psychology of structured change in the workplace.

The day closed with Prague College lecturer Gillian Pritchett's compelling argument for encouraging the study of poetry for business. All too often abandoned after school, poetic analysis offers a gateway for clarifying thought processes, creativity and strategic decision-making. The talk generated an engaged and lively discussion, bringing the first day to a suitably upbeat conclusion.

See the official conference website for more information about the speakers and program. The conference runs Monday 2 June until Thursday 5 June.