Leading with Value: Lessons in Leadership, Legacy, and Resilience
A conversation with Jiri Pavlíček and Pavlina Walter
Jiri’s story begins in a world far from venture boards and capital markets. Growing up in communist Czechoslovakia, his early exposure to hardship became the foundation of his leadership philosophy: values first, results second.
When he joined Johnson & Johnson as their first employee in Czechoslovakia, his understanding of human capital and trust defined his rise through the ranks. Within a decade, he was running major European and Middle Eastern markets.
His takeaway? “Values matter. Whether you’re managing a team or building a company, trust is your most enduring currency.”
In a market driven by quick exits and valuations, that mindset stands out. For founders and investors alike, it’s a reminder that execution capacity and cultural integrity are as critical as funding.
From Corporate to Entrepreneurial: The Shift That Created Aspironix
Leaving a corporate structure as strong as J&J’s isn’t easy. But as Jiri explained, the decision came down to alignment and impact.
Large organizations often lose agility under layers of process and external advisory. For Jiri, the opportunity was clear: create a value-driven, locally agile MedTech distribution company that could operate with speed and purpose.
That company became Aspironix, now one of Central Europe’s most recognized MedTech distributors, and was later acquired by the Swedish group Asker.
His leadership model for growth was simple:
Surround yourself with people smarter than you.
Build trust before transactions.
Stay curious, even after success.
As he put it during our conversation, “I’m constantly amazed by the people around me, they’re better than I am. That’s the point.”
MedTech in Transition Europe’s Competitive Edge
When we shifted the conversation toward the state of the MedTech sector, Jiri’s strategic view was crystal clear. The European MedTech market, which accounts for roughly $150 billion of the $600 billion global industry, is still growing above GDP levels, especially in Central Europe.
Yet the region faces headwinds:
Slower adoption due to MDR regulatory constraints.
Limited risk appetite among investors.
A cultural lag in entrepreneurial confidence compared to the U.S. and Asia.
Still, the fundamentals remain strong. Europe holds deep engineering talent, clinical credibility, and emerging AI-driven innovation clusters.
In Jiri’s words, “We have the ocean, we have the board, we just need to catch the wave.”
AI as the New Wave
We discussed how artificial intelligence is not just a buzzword; it’s reshaping diagnostics, imaging, and patient management.
Aspironix was among the early adopters, distributing AI-driven diagnostic tools such as automated mammogram analysis systems long before generative AI became mainstream.
What changed the game was not the technology itself, but public trust. When ChatGPT entered the global stage in 2022, AI’s acceptance accelerated overnight, and so did adoption in healthcare.
For Jiri, the lesson was simple:
“You can’t go without it now. The question is not if AI will impact your business, it’s whether you’re ready to ride the wave responsibly.”
On Startups, Risk, and Resilience
As our conversation turned to startups, the parallels between corporate leadership and early-stage building became evident.
European founders often face the same dual challenge: strong ideas, but risk-averse ecosystems. Investors hesitate; regulators slow innovation; talent moves west.
Jiri’s advice to young founders was timeless and direct:
Build the right team. Surround yourself with people who elevate your standards.
Believe in your product. Conviction builds resilience.
Stay on the topic. Persistence outlasts disruption.
He reminded us that attention is now a scarce resource. In an age of “stolen focus,” only the founders who remain consistent and curious will build legacies that matter.
Leadership as a Human Investment
Beyond the data, regulations, and capital, our discussion kept returning to one recurring truth: leadership is a human investment.
Whether in startups, family businesses, or global corporations, leaders create value by creating clarity, stability, and belief.
As Jiri said near the end of our conversation:
“Understand yourself, manage your consciousness, and you’ll be more impactful to others.”
This perspective aligns deeply with what Clinical Capital Conversations stands for: bridging science and capital through clarity, credibility, and compassion.
Because in the end, value is not what you extract, it’s what you extend.
Timecode:
00:00 Welcome and Introduction
00:28 Jiri's Background and Early Life
01:26 Professional Journey and Achievements
03:49 Founding Aspironix and Business Insights
06:05 Current MedTech Landscape and Challenges
11:58 AI in Medical Devices
14:19 Personal Reflections and Future Goals
17:04 Advice for Startups and Entrepreneurs
19:29 Closing Remarks
Links:
Peter M. Kovacs LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/petermkovacs/
Peter M. Kovacs Personal Website:https://www.petermkovacs.com/
PMK Group Website: https://www.pmk-group.com/
Guests:
Jiri Pavlicek: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jiri-pavlicek-7b32b12/
Pavlina Walter: https://www.linkedin.com/in/pavlinawalter/
Transcript:
Pavlina Walter: So first of all, I would like to, uh, welcome Jiri. Uh, Jiri is a great person because he is, uh, my mentor. But besides that, he is a very successful business guy, businessman. So I would let him to introduce to our public because I think I would miss lots of important information about Jiri too. Jiri.
Jiri Pavlicek: Thank you.Thank you, Pavlina Uh, thank you for inviting me, and, uh, happy to meet you guys at, uh, this podcast. And, uh, uh, for the English audience, Jiri means George, just to make it simple and, uh, uh, quick intro on my side. Uh, I feel the one happy goes lucky, you know, so the, all my life actually is, is rolling, uh, uh, pretty well.And I believe that this is, uh. Really due to the good stars above me and actually the way of the approach, uh, to the life, which is very simple, always adding value. So if you ask me who you are, I'll say the one who adds the value. And with that, actually it's very happy to add the value, not only on the business side, uh, but as well to the community and the family.Happy father of three daughters, happy grandfather of three grandkids by the Christmas time. Five grandkids. That's me. Congratulations. Congratulations.
Pavlina Walter: Okay. So, and when, uh, you would actually introduce yourself in, uh, your professional way. So if you can a little bit describe to our audience how you started and why, what was the motivation actually for you?
Jiri Pavlicek: Yeah. Uh, you know, coming, uh, from the, uh, country, which has been, uh, suppressed, uh, by the communist regime for 40 years, uh mm-hmm. Uh, I've been, uh, raised in dark times, you might say before 89. And, uh, Czechoslovakia, uh, though I had actually privileged of having, uh, both of my grandfathers who were farmers, uh, and therefore, uh, they were actually not, uh, positive for the communists, and they were put in the jail.Uh, but while returning, they really set up my values. So, so my value was really kind of, uh, making sure that, uh, uh, I always see the bright side of the day and that, uh, uh, I develop, uh, myself, uh, because. It's only in the brain, uh, and in my head what nobody can take. Mm-hmm. Which was, uh, pretty particular in the communistic times.And, uh, that actually led, uh, uh, me to, uh, develop, I would say the biggest competence in nineties. Uh, early on in the 90 90, just after revolution, I was able to speak English. And that was the, the most main, most significant competitive advantage at the time. Uh, and with that, happy goes lucky, uh, being hired as a first employee of Johnson and Johnson, little known the, the biggest healthcare company in the world, uh, as their first employee in Czechoslovakia, uh, went fast through the ranks.Uh. Uh, and, uh, at the age of 31 being promoted to be managing director of medical device group and, uh, run, uh, several markets of, uh, Europe, middle East. Uh, uh, worked with, uh, J&J for 20 years and then I got this hint of setting up my own venture that which I did 15 years ago successful. Uh, medical device distribution, the value distributor in Central Europe, uh, particularly Poland, Czech, and Slovic markets, and, uh, grown the company, uh, to over 20 million revenue and, uh, strong ebitda.And, uh, last summer successfully exited, uh, to the biggest compounder of medical device distributors in Europe. Uh. Currently, uh, which Asker the Swedish group.
Peter M. Kovacs: So again, congratulations. How do you move from, from getting the, the number one person in the biggest corporate to, to start to your own business?
Jiri Pavlicek: Very simple. You know, the, uh, as you see many of the corporations are driven by the McKinsey guys and the advisor. And at that time, uh, McKinsey, uh, was heavily hammering our table, creating, uh, uh, or pushing us to create, uh, uh, uh, stronger, uh, value create, uh, more profitability, public information. J&J is still making 30% profit after tax.And, uh, I had, uh, uh, close to 600 people in, in the region, and, uh, 50 of them were experts. Okay. And 50 expats eat and half of my payrolls. Okay. So it was simple business model, uh, more value, you know, taking the business without the expats. That's, that was a trigger point. Okay.
Pavlina Walter: And what was actually, uh, the lesson you learn in J&J, which you took it until now,
Jiri Pavlicek: values.Values and, and I would say not, uh, not only from J&J, uh, but I took it from my grandparents, from the family. Mm-hmm. Really, the values matter. Mm-hmm. Uh, we are human beings and we are connecting ourselves, uh, if we like it or don't, uh, through the way, uh, uh, how we build the trust and, uh, therefore the values, you know, in J&J, it's go so-called credo, uh, in the family it might be, you know, dinner, uh, table values.Uh, I think it's the biggest learning.
Pavlina Walter: And, um, to your business, Aspironix. So what was the moment that you were really the most proudest?
Jiri Pavlicek: I would say first, uh, starting with a name. Yeah. You know, Aspironix for more and the X at the end is actually multiplier. So it's kind of, you know, sticking to my personal values of adding to the value.So, so starting point, uh, uh, pretty cool. And, uh, uh, I would be very simplistic in the sense that, uh, I am constantly being amazed and super. Proud and super happy, uh, for the colleagues, people around me. I feel I'm surrounded, uh, by much better people, uh, than I am. And I don't want this to be sounded as a cliche.I'm super happy for the people. Okay.
Pavlina Walter: And, um, as we are now in a central eastern Europe, so if you can explain, uh, to our audience, like the situation with medical device, um, right now, the business and what is the biggest obstacle right now for companies?
Jiri Pavlicek: Sure. And, and let me get to just a, uh, mm-hmm. Glance of, uh, uh, the scale of where we are.Mm-hmm. The MedTech market worldwide is about, uh, 600, uh, plus billion dollars, growing about 5%. Uh, compound. Uh, uh, if you're looking at a European landscape, it's about a hundred and fifty one four. For the global market, it's growing slightly faster. In particular, actually, the, the 25 billion out of those 150 in Europe coming from Central Europe are growing about six to 7%.So the market is developing and is developing, uh, in a, uh, good phase. I mean, you might say it, uh, in a good times it's been, uh, growing double the speed of the growth of the GDP of the countries. So the first of all, the, the ocean is, uh, sizable and I look at the business as a surfer. First, you need to have a, a ocean, uh, to serve on.Second, you need to have a trend. The trends in the MedTech in, uh, Europe, central Europe are, uh, very similar, I would say. We, we went through the ages of, uh, nineties, early twenties with, uh. Uh, uh, the focus on minimalization, minimal invasive surgeries, lots of innovation, lots of access. Then we moved into more of regulatory path, uh, which we are now kind of kept, uh, through the MDR, but we seeing, uh, development of, uh, uh, digital ai, remote patient monitoring, all those, uh.Uh, devices focused on prevention. So the trend, uh, is actually very robust because we have aging population. Uh, and, uh, the, the third. As a surfer, you need to have a right board, uh, for your, uh, surfing. And, uh, if it small board, you're diving. If it is a big board, you can't turn it around. And I feel the, the, uh, uh, European markets, uh, need to improve on the innovation because now with MDR, we've been pushed, uh, away and actually be more scalable the, in terms of, uh, fast adoption of the technologies.Uh, and I've been an investor and, uh, active, uh, in many startups and I've seen the difference between the European and the US approach, uh, which is currently pushing, uh, Europe on the secondary phase. So, uh.
Peter M. Kovacs: Yeah. But how you see the, the, the potential for the European startup companies, are they able to, to compete the US counterparts or, or it's, we get too much delay and, uh, too much administrative burden compared to the US?
Jiri Pavlicek: Uh, I think they have very much able, uh, to compete, uh, from the content perspective, you know, from the creation, the idea, uh, from the funding. Uh, as we, you know, see, it's much easier actually to get the funds in the US uh, yes. Uh, or Singapore, uh, than, uh, to getting them in the Europe. Yes. As we are not having this entrepreneurial, uh, courage in, in Europe compared to the US uh, specifically.
Peter M. Kovacs: And how do you see the mindset? Because, uh, I see also a huge difference between the mindset of the founders, the CEOs in the US, Asia, and Europe. Do you see any significant differences in your practice?
Jiri Pavlicek: Uh, risk-taking, uh, risk-taking, uh, in US and I do have experience of, uh, of working in US and, uh, my daughters, uh, studied in the US and, and one studies currently.So the, I I see that, uh, risk-taking and appreciation of, uh, of learning, uh, from those, uh, mistakes, uh, as being the biggest, uh, advantage of the US market. But actually it's, uh, we are living here. So it's the challenge to take over. Yes,
Peter M. Kovacs: yes. That is implemented here. Yes.
Pavlina Walter: If I would be a CEO of a startup company with innovative medical device, still in a process of MDR, what would be your advice to me?How can I get to the market without hurdles and fast?
Jiri Pavlicek: I would go back to the point of, uh, make sure you got, uh, great people around you. Mm-hmm. So, so the compound of your internal team and, uh, external advisors, uh, and, uh, I would say have a strong belief proven by the product which you're having. You believe the product, you believe the service, you believe the outcome, and, uh.The last one I would say don't give up. Don't give up, never give up. I mean, it is, it is a number game, so you need to stick in.
Pavlina Walter: So, and uh, in that case, I would come to you with already certified medical device and I would ask you for a distribution. So would you accept me or not? Or what are actually the conditions to be accepted by your company?
Jiri Pavlicek: Uh, I love to talk immediately, uh, because this is the nature of the, uh, medical device distribution. Basically, you're looking for the new products and then actually secondary, having the sales force and the sales, uh, capabilities to get the product to the local, uh, clients, right? So, so sourcing of the products, having good product is, is a mantra, number one.Mm-hmm. Uh, so definitely happy to talk. We do have extra internal process of adopting, uh, uh, new companies and, uh, new products. And, uh, always looking at, uh, you know, the, uh, described the concept, which I said, uh, in a minute ago. You know, size of the ocean trends, uh, the size, uh, on the board and, uh, can we work with it?
Pavlina Walter: How, you know, um, treat the products or the devices with artificial intelligence. Do you trust that these are really innovative? Would you invest to these kind of devices or how you actually treat the AI right now?
Jiri Pavlicek: Well, I'm actually happy to talk in the past sense already. Okay. Because we, uh, we did already a few years ago, and, uh, uh, just, uh, we, we currently have a dedicated Salesforce in the air AI area.Uh, we. Currently distribute about, uh, six to seven, uh, global companies in ai. I'll pick up one of them. Uh, it's, uh, uh, the company, uh, which is actually, uh, uh, taking care of, uh, reading mammo grafts, uh, for the ladies with the breast cancer and the companies on 20 years on the, uh, uh, global market listed. Uh, and I tell you, we had had for first like four years, uh.Uh, uphill battle to, uh, to get the product in the market till November, 2022, when GPT hit the market. So, so now we have actually, uh, over demand, uh, uh, with that. And, uh, and I'm, I'm, uh, personally, uh, puzzled, uh, curious, interested around ai. Uh, uh, I'm strongly endorsing it, uh, that, that we play with it. That you use it, uh.And just the time will show you if it's good or bad, you know? But, uh, I feel as a business, a woman or man, uh, you can't go without it. Uh, now
Peter M. Kovacs: it's. You mentioned the surfing, so you need the ocean, the good board, but you need also the wave. So AI is the biggest wave now you see that's
Jiri Pavlicek: That's the trend.Exactly.
Peter M. Kovacs: That's absolutely biggest trend. Yeah. Okay. But is it dangerous because it's so big? So you have to be very careful. So in the US there was thousands of startup companies, 95% failed in the last few years. So how, how you look for these companies, how you can ensure, how you can mitigate the risk.That to be really impactful and the good AI companies
Jiri Pavlicek: No, I mean, you, you, you're doing all the diligence work. Uh, yeah. Uh, and at the end of the day, it's, uh, it's a game. Okay. So the, sometimes you will score, sometimes you will get goals, uh, in, in your side, you know, so, uh, I feel it does not. It cannot stop us, uh, in a way of proceeding forward.Okay.
Pavlina Walter: And what is your next aim? I, I think you already achieved a lot in your life, but as I know you, you have some vision, so can you actually share with us where you see yourself in few years?
Jiri Pavlicek: Uh, keeping to be hopefully good, uh, grandfather and, uh, father and uh, husband and uh, uh. I see myself on the, uh, really working hard on myself on the levels of the consciousness and, uh, on the level of really kind of understanding better, uh, myself because, uh, I.I believe while understanding myself and while managing my consciousness, uh, better, I could be much more impactful, uh, to, to what I've been, and I've been lucky till now.
Peter M. Kovacs: Yeah. What is the most important impact, for example, when you are investing a company or, or just in your private life, what you are really like to spend your time?Because it's, I suppose it's the most expensive for you, your time.
Jiri Pavlicek: Uh. I, I've been, uh, obviously reviewing this question, uh, all the time. Uh, uh, and I'm saying, uh, it's, uh, it's impact on human beings. Yeah. And actually, uh, making people happy.
Peter M. Kovacs: Okay.
Jiri Pavlicek: I believe in the positive vibe. I believe in the positive way.Uh, and I believe in the power of, of the positive approach, uh, that actually, uh, this could help us as a human kind.
Peter M. Kovacs: Yeah, I just said to my colleagues recently, we, I'm traveling to Prague recently, yesterday, that, that I also believe in this energy balance. So if you are doing something good, you will get it back in the same way.And the opposite also. Also true. Yeah,
Jiri Pavlicek: that's right. That's right. Has been working so far.
Pavlina Walter: And, um, coming back to Aspironix, I think you must be extremely proud of your company. So what is the, right now the aim of Aspironix as a part of Asker?
Jiri Pavlicek: I'm making impact and, uh, I'm actually, you know, happy to be the part of, uh, of Asker the.Uh, coincidentally we had last week, uh, the board, uh, meeting of Asker in Prague for the first time, uh, uh, with, uh, great outcomes. And I, uh, I see that, uh, uh, our team actually does contribute, uh, well to the, not only delivery, uh, but uh, through the thought process of the company and, uh, and the directions. And, uh, uh, I am, uh, super excited about, uh.The values alignment, which we share with the Asker.
Pavlina Walter: So, and probably I would like to ask you, as you're my mentor, um, and I've really recommend Jiri to everyone to be, uh, like, to have this great mentor, uh, what would be the advice to our audience for their life, for example.
Jiri Pavlicek: Wow. Wow. Do you have to have something harder to ask?Uh, uh.Be curious. Mm-hmm. Be curious, uh, which, uh, I would translate you out the, uh, never give up on, on learning and, uh, an appreciation of, uh, different points of view. Uh, and, uh, and while understanding the, the diversity of, uh, thoughts, uh, opinions or, you know, words perspective, uh, uh. Look at the alignment of your visions with your soul.
Pavlina Walter: Thank you.
Peter M. Kovacs: And what would be the advice for, for the startup world? So we are working with many young, uh, founders, uh, and startup companies. Uh. I'm not very optimistic. I see some decline in the, in the work habits and the, and the dedication of the people. Fortunately we still have, uh, very good, um, young talent and scientists, but, but still, I'm not very optimistic.How do you see in this, uh, progress, especially in Europe?
Jiri Pavlicek: I haven't, uh, uh, to your point, uh, uh. There was recently a published book on the, uh, the disruption, uh, uh, called, uh, Stolen Focus, uh, uh, by the Oxford Professor Hari. And, uh, basically we are living in, uh, in the times, uh, where the attention span is getting very short.Yes. A few
Peter M. Kovacs: seconds like the goldfish
Jiri Pavlicek: reality of the life. So, so the simple answer to that would be actually. Uh, to any startup is any, uh, entrepreneurs city or, but yes. Yeah. Stay, stay, stay on the topic. Be be persistent, be consistent, uh, you know, stay on the topic because there's gonna be resilience of the disruptions, uh, all around.Uh, which I would say those who will stay on yes. Will succeed
Peter M. Kovacs: make success. Okay.
Jiri Pavlicek: And I see that in my experience.
Peter M. Kovacs: Yeah. Okay. So it is your main advice for them.
Pavlina Walter: Excellent.
Peter M. Kovacs: Thank you so much.
Pavlina Walter: Thank you.
Peter M. Kovacs: Thank you for
Pavlina Walter: this excellent and very motivation like podcast and having the possibility to speak about your success.Thank you.
Jiri Pavlicek: Thank you. Thanks for coming. I appreciate your time and uh, good luck to all of us. Keep going. Thank you. Thank you so much. Thank you.