Pavel Smutný is one of the icons of Czech advocacy. After graduating from the Faculty of Law at Charles University in Prague, he studied international law and was an external expert for the OECD New Democracies Programme. Among other things, his name is strongly associated with one of the largest Czech law firms, Portos (formerly Císař, Češka, Smutný), which he built in 1993 with two other partners, Jaromír Císař (65) and Zdeněk Češka (†93).
He has been active in international chambers of commerce for several years. Since 2009 he has been the President of the Czech-Israeli Joint Chamber of Commerce and has been instrumental in strengthening Czech-Israeli relations. In 2011, he initiated the establishment of the Arnošt Lustig Award, which the Czech-Israeli Joint Chamber of Commerce annually awards to one of the Czech citizens who, in a similar way to Arnošt Lustig, have made an exemplary contribution to the preservation and development of society-wide values.
He also left a deep mark on Czech culture, which he strongly supported throughout his life. In 2009, he and his associates founded the BOHEMIAN HERITAGE FUND, which has been regularly contributing to the development of Czech art ever since. He became the initiator of the St. Vitus Cathedral Community, which aims to raise funds for the realization, construction and subsequent placement of a new organ.
Pavel Smutný was also a member of the Council of the National Theatre, the Board of Directors of the International Opera Festival Smetana Litomyšl and a member of the Board of Directors of the Friends of the Domaine de Chatilly. He is a recipient of the prestigious Israeli Jerusalem Award, which he was the first Czech to receive in history, the French Order of Arts for promoting French culture, and the Czech State Medal of Merit 1st Class.
