Blog Award-winning South Bohemian dedicated thirty years to MOTOR JIKOV

Ludvík Kalma was posthumously honored at a ceremonial event on the occasion of the national holiday on October 28th. President Miloš Zeman awarded him the Medal of Merit 1st Class. Ludvík Kalma was a prominent figure in the Czech automotive industry, dedicating thirty years of his career to MOTOR JIKOV. He tragically passed away on November 24, 1996, in a traffic accident near Horusic.

Ludvík Kalma joined the national enterprise MOTOR České Budějovice in 1960 after graduating from secondary school. From 1961 to 1966, he studied at the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering at the University of Technology in Plzeň. He worked as an development engineer and metallurgy supervisor in the company. In 1986, he was appointed the company's director. Three years later, he was elected director of the new state enterprise MOTOR JIKOV. In December 1990, he became the first chairman of the board of MOTOR JIKOV, a.s. The following year, he left for Škoda Mladá Boleslav.

“I knew Ludvík Kalma personally; he was already in the position of head of MOTOR, and I was a development worker. He was definitely capable, having risen to the position of company director. He led MOTOR JIKOV through the transition to a joint-stock company during a period when the company faced one of the most challenging situations since its founding in 1899 due to decreased customer demand. The management correctly decided that the way forward was to expand the implementation of new technologies and to bring in a strong investor. The fact that Škoda Mladá Boleslav essentially brought him into its leadership team is a testament to his managerial capability. I am proud and appreciative that, at that time, the most prominent manager in Czechia was someone who had previously led our company,” said Ing. Miroslav Dvořák, Chairman of the Board and CEO of MOTOR JIKOV Group, a.s., in reference to Ludvík Kalma.