Success Stories: Daniel Prochazka

Project Manager, SafeDX

What post do you recently hold?

I am a Project Manager.

What company do you work for? What is it preoccupied with?

I work in the company SafeDX established in January this year as a joint venture of the company Foxconn and an investment group KKCG. The aim of the company SafeDX is, inter alia, to meet growing demands on the IT infrastructure in Foxconn and KKCG. We also focus on local customers as well as on customers from abroad, particularly in the field of finances, industry and e-commerce. Our target markets are in the Central and Western Europe and also Asian companies heading to the European market.

Can you briefly describe your professional career?

I started my professional career as an IT specialist in the Foxconn where I was responsible for planning and Production IT Infrastructure Management.Later I got to the project team dealing with, for instance, projects on the lean production using Kaizen and Six Sigma Methodology, etc.. Thanks to my achievements in the planning & management I gradually got to the Project Management which really interests and fulfills me. And also thanks to various projects and my MBA degree at the LIGS University I became recognized by the Foxconn management and was offered a promotion to the post of the Project Manager in a new company SafeDX. So I used the offer immediately since it brought me an important promotion in my career and an opportunity to learn something new.

How long have you been working in the company?

I worked 5 years in the Foxconn and then I started to work in the company SafeDX where I have been working 6 months from now.

What are the most attractive posts you held during your career?

I started at the Foxconn immediately after my graduation. During my studies, I worked for a smaller company in the Hradec Králové District. I can honestly say I have worked my way in the Foxconn from the IT specialist up to the Project Manager.

What is your biggest achievement in your career?

My biggest achievement is a promotion up to my recent post which I particularly appreciate due to my young age. It may be a glimmer of hope to further improve and develop myself, thanks to a cooperation with my colleagues not only in the Foxconn but also in the KKCG.

What is the most important project/task you are facing right now?

Recently I am preoccupied with portfolio predominantly dealing with cloud services which largely proceed from actual requirements of the company Foxconn intended to become one of the pioneers in the industrial revolution Industry 4.0. It is a big challenge for me since these are mainly services in the field of Big Data Processing; High-Performance Computing; Business Intelligence in production processes – rather young technologies without any significant expansion into our region. Our advantage in this respect is a fusion with the production company to provide individual services via direct cooperation of Foxconn and SafeDX.

“The study gave me a lot, I have found a practical aspect of every individual subject. Subjects were interrelated and I learned a lot.”

What do education and personal development mean to you? Why do you think further education is so important?

I would like to rather distinguish education from personal development. For me, education and personal development are two slightly different terms. Someone has graduated from the university only to obtain a degree, that’s not right, I think. I prefer personal development over education, something that always interests and develops me. Due to a rather broad scope of my university studies, I wasn’t motivated to obtain my master’s degree and I was absolutely satisfied with my bachelor’s degree, I personally consider a minimum often required of job applicants in the IT field. Only at university, I grasped the importance of the personal development, I later realized via CISCO certification offered by the university at an affordable price. I think having a university degree is helpful to get the job and particularly a professional certification is required to obtain practical skills and knowledge in the appropriate field. I personally plan to continue in my further professional development via ITIL and PMP certifications. I find MBA study really contributive for me, it broadened my horizons, I grasped many links between various fields of study and study itself.

Why did you decide to further study? And why at the LIGS University?

I have inherited a sum of money and decided to invest them in my further development and education, in other words, I have invested in my future.

I have chosen the LIGS University while browsing through the offer on the market , I liked the variability of individual subjects – I could choose subjects which interested me the most. I was also looking for a university which would save my time due to my time constraints, therefore a 100 % online study really suited me.

How do you find the study at our university? How did it enhance your knowledge?

I was attracted by fields offered by the LIGS University and thanks to my positive experience I later recommended the study to my friend.

The study at the LIGS University helped me, thanks to my MBA degree I became more respected in my work . I was invited to take a part in project teams and became the youngest project manager in our team which I personally find a great success.

The study gave me a lot, I have found a practical aspect of every individual subject. Subjects were interrelated and I learned a lot. For instance, I am interested in advertising and its individual categories. LIGS University helped me to understand concepts organization and orientation in various fields.

What subject/field of studies do you find the most contributive/interesting? Simply put, what did you enjoy the most during your studies?

However not my field, I found really interesting subjects dealing with the marketing. Regards to my recent post I gained experience primarily in the Finance and Project Management.

And what did you find the most demanding subject during your study?

I am not a great writer, so I have to say the writing of essays. I am just an ordinary IT person used to shortcuts and condensation of information. That’s the way I think.

What is your motto?

My motto is rather more about my work: “Smooth sea do not make skillful sailors,“ in summary, if everything works good and easily, without any changes/impulses, we will never improve.

What is the aim in your life?

To ensure a happy life for me and my close relatives. I am not the one who would be happy with a few. I want to work hard, constantly improve myself and, if possible, obtain some kind of independence. And, naturally, guide my children towards it. That is what I find important and meaningful.