2010 CYRILL Award Goes to Mario Roznak

Mario Roznak manages VAE Sofia GmbH in Bulgaria

For the second year in a row, the Austrian management club, Eblinger & Partner and the national daily newspaper Die Presse have recognised professional commitment in Eastern and South Eastern Europe with the CYRILL Award. This year’s award and 5,000 euro prize went to Bulgaria, where winner Mario Roznak heads up the 80-strong team at voestalpine Eisenbahnsysteme Sofia GmbH (VAE).

Mario Roznak was practically born with a love for Eastern Europe. Growing up in Burgenland – Austria’s easternmost state – he could see over the border to neighbouring Hungary from his bedroom window.

2002: The whistle blows

Mario Roznak moved to Bulgaria in 2002 to take over management of one of VAE’s 40 company sites. All staff at the Sofia site are Bulgarian nationals, are trained by the company and attend regular training seminars.

VAE Sofia’s Managing Director is optimistic about the future. Despite the economic crisis, results for this year will again reach 2008 levels. When asked whether a producer of railway systems – or indeed railway switches – would still have something to do when all the switches in the country had been replaced, Roznak answered confidently: “Bulgaria is a key rail transport route from the Black Sea to the Bosporus, the Aegean, Thessaloniki or the historic Orient Express line destinations.”

Since nothing has been invested in the Bulgarian infrastructure for the last 20 years, the VAE Managing Director sees “huge potential” in this market. “Compare Bulgaria with Austria,” he explained: “Austrian Railways replace some 400 switches every year. We haven’t even reached the stage in Bulgaria where we can talk about regular replacement cycles. There will be enough work for the next 20 years just replacing and modernising the current infrastructure.”

About the CYRILL Award

The idea for the CYRILL Award was born two years ago at the annual management club “European Breakfast” in Alpbach in Tyrol. Austrian politician and Eastern/South Eastern Europe expert Erhard Busek assumed patronage of the 5,000 euro award. Given Busek’s long involvement with South Eastern Europe, the award was named after Saint Cyril (Cyrill in German). Known as the “Apostle of the Slavs” and “Patron of Europe and all Slavic Peoples”, “CYRILL” seemed a very appropriate name for an award that recognised commitment and achievement in South East Europe. Busek was joined on the Jury by Markus Heimgärtner (management club), Florens Eblinger and Oliver Suchocki (both Eblinger & Partner), and journalist Nikolaus Koller (Die Presse).

source and photo: http://www.managementclub.at/w/news/273/Der_mc-CYRILL_2010_geht_an_Mag._Mario_Roznak