PPF to establish investment company for Air Bank and PPF bank clients. Portfolio Managers Michal Semotan and Patrik Hudec are joining the Group

PPF has long been developing its financial services and is preparing to launch an investment company whose goal will be to offer clients of Air Bank and PPF Bank access to its own investment products. The Group’s ambition is to create a strong player on the Czech market, combining top-tier investment expertise, modern digital distribution and PPF Group’s stable capital base.

“The arrival of Michal Semotan and Patrik Hudec marks an important milestone in building PPF Group’s new investment platform. Both rank among the most experienced portfolio managers on the Czech market and bring to PPF many years of experience managing funds, developing investment strategies and overseeing portfolios worth billions,” said Kateřina Jirásková, Chair of the Board of Directors of PPF Financial Holdings and co-CEO of PPF Group.

Michal Semotan and Patrik Hudec will help shape the investment strategy and future product offering. Once the necessary regulatory processes have been completed, the planned investment company will offer investment products for both retail and qualified investors. PPF Group will provide further details about the project in the coming months. 

Michal Semotan has worked in the Czech capital and investment markets for more than two decades and has helped manage funds with assets worth billions of Czech crowns. He graduated from the Faculty of Finance and Accounting at the Prague University of Economics and Business (VŠE). He began his career at Investkonzult in 1997 and joined J&T Securities a year later as a broker. He led trading operations for J&T Banka clients from 2004 to 2011 and worked at J&T Investment Company from 2012.

At J&T Investment Company, he was portfolio manager of the J&T Opportunity Fund and later assumed responsibility for the J&T Dividend, J&T NextGen and J&T Energy funds. The J&T Opportunity Fund has long ranked among the best-performing equity funds on the Czech market and has repeatedly outperformed the major stock indices.  

Patrik Hudec studied financial and insurance mathematics at the Faculty of Mathematics and Physics at Charles University and holds the CFA (Chartered Financial Analyst) designation. He began his career at PPF Asset Management while still a student, progressing into senior portfolio manager responsible for equity and commodity investments.

Following the integration of PPF Group’s insurance operations into Generali Group, he took charge of the portfolio management team for Generali funds in Prague and later also in Budapest. He also served as regional director for equity investments and held several management positions on the governing bodies of Generali Group’s investment companies abroad. Throughout his career, Hudec has managed funds for both retail and qualified investors and gained extensive experience in portfolio management across a broad range of asset classes, including equities, bonds, commodities and derivative strategies. He has long been involved in developing new investment products and bringing them to market.