January 2015
Tereza is the Czech Republic's Queen of Cognac
Read time: approx 1 mins
A UCB graduate is the toast of her home country after being appointed Cognac Educator for the Czech Republic.
Tereza Křivinková launched an award-winning bar in Prague after completing an MA in Tourism Business Administration and is now a champion of the prestigious French brandy.
Tereza had considered working for a large company when she left UCB. However, she set her heart on opening her own specialised bar after she found an exciting cellar in the historic centre of Prague.
The bar, U Staré Studny (“By the old well”), was awarded No.1 Bar in the Czech Republic in the Maurer´s Grand Bar Guide and Tereza started organising oenogastronomic trips to the Cognac and Armagnac regions of France.
Tereza recalls: “I fell in love with the world of cognac, with its aromas and flavours and the heritage of this niche industry.”
She then set up the wholesale and online shop www.finelabels.cz as a unique resource about the world of cognac and Armagnac.
Tereza was awarded the international title of Cognac Educator after taking part in the Cognac Educator Programme in Cognac. “It made me a unique Cognac Educator in the Czech Republic and the CEE region,” she says.
Tereza loves her job as it allows her to be independent and develop her own concept in the world of top-end spirits.
There was no similar concept in the Czech Republic, so I could create something completely new and lead my own way. I am enjoying getting to know many new people, discovering new places in both regional and international areas. I am still expanding my knowledge and experience in many business fields - management, PR, human resources, education and training of the staff, marketing and much more. I never get bored. And I like breaking the general prejudices about woman in business. The biggest satisfaction is positive feedback from my clients and their recommendation of our products and services. I looks back fondly on my studies at UCB and enjoyed the different, modern, individual style of education. I liked the close connection between theory and practice. It helped me to develop better analytical and presentation skills. The study programmes offered by UCB were attractive and useful for my future career. Also the approach from the lecturers was different more open-minded in comparison with my study experience in my home country.
In particular, Tereza enjoyed the live projects and team projects. “They helped me to better understand the reality, the team roles and furthermore, my own role within a team. They also helped me understand my strengths and weaknesses and were good training for the application of theory in practice.”
She says she would recommend UCB to other students because of the courses, “the professionalism of the lecturers, the open-minded and creative approach towards students, the convenient location in Birmingham city and the tight connection with real life and business.”
Tereza’s careers advice to students is clear and concise: “Be ready to work hard and give the best you can. Keep optimistic when times are bad, be yourself and follow your intuition.”