Stan and Marty

"He's apparently the most influential person in the Czech Republic," wrote Bohumil Pečinka and Miroslav Cvrček in Reflex. "Some people referred to him as a half-premier." The article is about CEO Martin Roman of ČEZ, but if it had been written a few years ago, it might easily have been about Stanislav Gross. He was also highly influential, and he was also half a premier. The two have more in common. They're consensus-builders, not pound-the-fist initiators. They're communicators. They're more image than substance, and they made piles of money by being in the right place at the right time. They're straw men for people of much greater power and influence. They'll serve their purpose and then live out their days in relative obscurity. Roman is no more the brains behind Appian Group than Gross was behind Moravia Energo. To understand Marty, think Stan. To understand Appian, think Moscow. [Czech Republic prime minister magazine energy]