Euan Edworthy: My RAF father said, Don’t forget those brave Czech airmen who fought in WWII

UK public relations man Euan Edworthy has called Prague home for the last three decades. In that time he has been involved in a number of initiatives, perhaps most notably building a monument to Czechoslovak WWII RAF aviators in the city’s Klárov district, that have earned him UK honour the MBE for services to Czech-British relations. We spoke at the offices of his company Best Communications, right in the heart of the Old Town.

Tell us a little bit about yourself, where you come from, and what brought you to Prague.

“I’m British. I was born in Salisbury. My mother is Scottish and my father is Anglo-Irish. My father was in the Royal Air Force, so we travelled a great deal when I was younger.

“Then the usual things – school, university – and then I started a career in public relations in 1991, working in London.

“I later got a bit restless and I went to China and Hong Kong and worked there.

“Then, bizarrely, a head hunter called me and said, Would you fancy working in the Czech Republic, in Prague?

“I was dying to get back to Europe and flew over, accepted the job, and I arrived here in 1994.”

And the job was with CzechInvest, which is the state investment agency?

“Well, the job actually was with a PR company called Shilland, but their main client was CzechInvest. So when I was doing the interviews it was specifically for this role.

“So I came out and I fell in love with Prague from day one, especially as it was such a huge contrast from my experience in Asia – coming back to ancient Central Europe was just joyful.

“My client was very professional. There was a bit of a language barrier: They didn’t speak much English and my Czech wasn’t really up to scratch.

“But we managed to communicate somehow, and that’s how my career started in the Czech Republic.”

That time is known by many people as the “Wild East” period here in Prague. How did you find doing business in that era?

“It was fascinating. It was like dream come true, actually. There were so many opportunities and I very much doubt opportunities like that will come ever again, especially in Europe.

“There was a strong work ethic, but it was extremely fun in terms of playing very hard as well.”

“So there was a real excitement. Communism had ended, there was optimism, you had a fantastic president called Václav Havel. Everybody felt as though they could contribute to society.

“I suppose what was quite fascinating in those days is there was a strong work ethic, but it was extremely fun in terms of playing very hard as well [laughs]. There was never a boring evening, put it that way.”

In those days [Václav] Klaus was in government. Did you ever interact with him or any of the other top politicians?

“Yes, you know it’s interesting, I suppose we were all quite excited by Klaus when we arrived here. He was seen as the last Thatcherite left in Europe; he was going through a period of privatisation.

“Strangely enough, if you look at the international media in that period there wasn’t a single word of criticism towards Klaus, or really the Czech government.

“So goodness me, how things change over time.”

Not so long after you arrived in Prague you set up your own company, Best Communications. Who are your clients and what is your focus?

“I started Best in 1995, so over that period of time we must have had over 200 clients. I started the agency with a very good friend of mine called Magdalena Lubiejewska.

“I organised the first conker tournament in the Czech Republic, which made a few people giggle.”

“Magdalena was Polish, I was British and we set up a PR company in the Czech Republic. We didn’t have a single client, so we worked in this 12 square metre office in Prague 5 with a fax machine and one mobile.

“Then we did a bit of self-promotion and I organised the first conker tournament in the Czech Republic, which made a few people giggle.

“Then we worked for Sebastian Pawlovski. He had just the manuscript of The Makropolus Affair by Janáček, so we had a big PR event about him bringing it back to the Czech Republic.

“Then after that things just moved in the right direction. We were very lucky, we set up the company at the right time, and we ended up working for clients at the beginning such as British Airways, Midland Bank, Gillette, Procter & Gamble.

“My own background was in property PR, so we ended up working for numerous developers, as we still do today.

“Today we have 30 clients, we have 20 people and all our clients are quite diverse; we do health sector, property, aerospace, corporate communication, financial, public affairs – so a diverse base.”

Has it been an advantage to you being a Brit? Is it seen as prestigious, that they’re hiring a “British” company?

“I wouldn’t go that far [laughs]. I think to begin we were known as the Anglo-Czech PR firm, and I did have an advantage over my competitors in that I had worked for the big agencies, globally. So I was slightly ahead of the game at the beginning.

“But everyone’s caught up and I think today we’re very much seen as the sort of Czech international PR firm, and that’s how it is.”

Best Communications is named after [soccer legend] George Best, I believe?

“Yes, George Best. As a child he was my hero.”

Wasn’t he a little bit before your time?

“As a child in the 1970s I was actually in the US when he went out to play there. And of course my father was a massive George Best fan, so we were brought up with that excitement in the house.

“So when I came to Prague it was quite funny, I had an Irish lawyer who set up my company – our company was originally Irish – and I said to him, Who do you think the most famous Irishman is? And he went, George Best. I went, For me as well – and that’s how the name came.”

Is it true you also met George Best?

“I met George Best in the Phene [pub], in London.”

What state was Best [a heavy drinker] in?

“He was really polite [laughs]. It was 6 or 7 o’clock in the evening. He couldn’t have been nicer, and we just talked about the state of Fulham Football Club. It was great.”

I know it’s a big question, but generally how do you think the Czechs perceive the British?

“It’s funny, I kind of think we’re quite similar. We’re both conservative with a small ‘C’, we’re both sort of formal societies, we’re quite polite, we’re both quite absurd as well – our humour is quite similar.

“And we’re quite reserved, but then we both share a passion for beer and wine [laughs].

“Living as a Brit here I feel I’ve had no difficulties as a foreigner. I’ve always felt very welcomed actually.”

One thing I learned about you preparing for this interview was that you played golf with Sean Connery. How did come about?

“Again, that was amazing. I was at Karlštejn Golf Club and a friend of mine, Matthew Stillman, who owns Stillking Films, was I think shooting a film with Sean Connery.

“Then we had a Ryder Cup competition and Sean Connery made up part of the Ryder Cup team and it was great.

“When I met him I was dying to ask him about the Bond films but I didn’t; I spoke to him about Scottish devolution.

“Then he would then invite me out for a beer in the evenings, so it was quite an experience.”

In 2004 you initiated a Speaker’s Corner in Prague, modelled after the one in Hyde Park in London. How did that work? Where was it?

“That was interesting. That was at a time when let’s say very prominent businessmen were buying up the Czech media; beforehand it was basically international publishing houses that owned the media here.

“And I kind of thought what was important was that this was a symbol of freedom of speech. So I wrote to Pavel Bém, who was then the mayor of Prague. I then even wrote to the House of Commons in the UK, asking for their support.

“I was then contacted by the deputy mayor, Rudolf Blažek, and we agreed to set up the first Speaker’s Corner outside the UK back in 2004.

“What was very fascinating about it was that the Czechs, I believe, had to change their legislation, because prior to that you had to have permission to have a gathering of over a certain number of people.

“The Speaker’s Corner in Hyde Park is rather different than the one we have here in Prague, but I think it’s important to preserve these pillars of liberal democracy, especially today.”

“And by providing the Speaker’s Corner it basically gave a platform for anybody to come down and speak their mind, so long as they weren’t inciting hatred or racism.

“Today it’s still used. I see it often used by the trade unions, I see it often used by the environmentalists. So it’s been quite a success.”

Where is it?

“It’s on Palackeho namesti, in Prague 2. I know the Speaker’s Corner in Hyde Park is rather different than the one we have here in Prague, but I think it’s important to preserve these pillars of liberal democracy, especially today, when there are challenges.”

You were also behind the Winged Lion memorial to Czech or Czechoslovak World War II RAF airmen. What was your motivation for that whole project?

“My father was an officer in the Royal Air Force and when I said to him in 1994 that I was coming out to work in Prague just before I jumped on the flight from Heathrow he said, Don’t forget those very brave Czech airmen who fought during the second world war.

“I suddenly saw all these servicemen, sort of 70-plus, all in uniform. So then I thought, OK, these are the guys who served our country during WWII.”

“I had absolutely no idea what he was talking about [laughs], so I got on a plane and arrived in Prague.

“Then that year I was invited to a reception at the British Embassy –and I suddenly saw all these servicemen, sort of 70-plus, all in uniform. So then I thought, OK, these are the guys who served our country during the second world war.

“Anyway I then did a bit of history on it and I thought it was quite extraordinary that you had 2,500-plus volunteers joining the Royal Air Force to fight Nazi tyranny and because of history after 1945, 1948 the British community never had an opportunity to say thank you, to show our gratitude.

“It’s one of the loveliest stories, I think, with the British community since I’ve lived here.

“I wrote to a couple of friends and to a couple of my clients and within, I think, two months we had managed to raise over EUR 100,000 to build a monument.

“So we commissioned a well-known sculptor in the UK called Colin Spofforth and he then created the design the Winged Lion. Then we had unveiling in 2014 by Sir Nicholas Soames, MP and grandson of Winston Churchill.

“I think it’s a real bond between our two countries and there’s something that’s really worth protecting and remembering, so it was really done for them and for their descendants.”

Also Euan you received an MBE, from the Queen I presume?

“Yes. I was very surprised and amazed that I was given this honour. And really it was an honour that I see shared by all the people who supported the Winged Lion and Speaker’s Corner.

“It was basically for British-Czech relations, so for all the initiatives that I’ve done here: from the Children of Courage Awards to the Red Nose Day campaigns to Speaker’s Corner to the Winged Lion memorial.

“There are so many unsung heroes and because I’ve sort of been the initiator I’ve been credited.

“The Cross of Merit from the Czechs was even more of a surprise – but I see it as an honour that should be shared by all the people that have been involved in all these initiatives and activities over the years.”

My final question: You’ve been in Prague for 30 years so I presume you like it. What do you feel Prague has given you over that period?

“I suppose Prague has been a wonderful platform to fulfil many ambitions that I set out at an early age of my life. I always wanted to have my own company, and I managed to do that in Prague.

“But more importantly, I found my wife here, I have a great son, Nicholas, and basically it’s been a wonderful home.

“I never expected this. I’m very grateful for what I have and I just think that the pace of life in Prague and the Czech Republic absolutely suits me.

“So yes, a happy 30 years.”