Leading with Value: Lessons in Leadership, Legacy, and Resilience
We often measure success by scale, revenue, reach, or investor returns. But in healthcare, real success is measured differently. It is measured by trust, by integrity, and by the number of lives touched.
In this episode of The Bridge, I had the privilege of speaking with my business partner, Dr. Peter M. Kovacs, and my mentor, Jiri Pavlicek. His story is not only about building a thriving MedTech business. It is about leadership rooted in values, and the quiet power of resilience across decades of change.
From resilience to reinvention
Jiri grew up in Czechoslovakia during a time when opportunities were scarce and optimism had to be learned. His grandfathers, both farmers, were imprisoned under the communist regime, yet they returned home with dignity, teaching him a lesson that shaped his life: everything can be taken away except what is in your mind.
That belief in knowledge as freedom became the foundation of his journey. After the revolution, speaking English became his competitive advantage. He joined Johnson & Johnson as its first employee in Czechoslovakia and, through persistence and trust, rose to become Managing Director for the Medical Device Group, leading teams across Europe and the Middle East.
Twenty years later, he did what many hesitate to do. He left corporate stability to create his own company, Aspironix, a MedTech distributor built on the principle of adding value. The company grew across Central Europe, achieving strong profitability and an eventual acquisition by Sweden’s Asker Group.
Values as the compass of leadership.
When asked what guided him through such transitions, Jiri’s answer was immediate: values.
He spoke of the “credo” at Johnson & Johnson and the “dinner-table values” of family: honesty, respect, empathy, and trust. For him, these were not philosophical ideas but operational principles.
“Business is human,” he said. “We connect through values before we connect through contracts.”
This philosophy is visible in the culture he built at Aspironix, where people were encouraged to grow beyond their titles, collaboration replaced competition, and success was measured not only by revenue but also by the positive impact on patients, partners, and communities.
The changing landscape of MedTech.
Central Europe’s MedTech market represents about 25 billion USD of Europe’s 150 billion USD medical device sector and continues to grow at around 7 percent annually twice the region’s GDP growth. Yet, regulatory complexity, particularly under MDR, has slowed the pace of innovation.
Jiri compared the business to surfing. “You need the ocean, the wave, and the right board,” he said. “We have the ocean as a growing market, but our boards must be agile enough to move.”
Today’s “wave” is clear: digitalization, AI-enabled diagnostics, and remote patient monitoring. But to surf it well, leaders must balance speed with responsibility.
AI: the new frontier of healthcare.
Jiri’s company was among the early adopters of AI-based devices, including mammography reading solutions for breast cancer detection. Early market adoption was slow, but by 2022, when generative AI became mainstream, demand surged.
He sees AI not as a threat, but as an evolution, a partner that expands human capacity. “Every business leader must play with it, learn from it, and use it responsibly,” he said.
The key, he noted, is discernment. Not every innovation is sustainable, and not every startup will succeed. Yet, avoiding risk is not the answer. “Sometimes you score, sometimes you get goals on your side, but that’s how progress works.”
Leadership that multiplies value.
A recurring theme in our discussion was multiplication. Even in naming Aspironix, Jiri added the “X” to signify multiplication of value. His leadership philosophy can be distilled into three ideas:
Invest in people before products. Build teams that are stronger than yourself.
Stay curious. Continuous learning keeps leaders relevant and humble.
Never give up. Resilience is not an act of will, but of belief.
For Jiri, success is not defined by financial exit, but by legacy. “I want to keep learning, understanding myself better. The more conscious I become, the more positive impact I can create.”
Europe’s challenge and opportunity.
As Europe competes with the US and Asia, its entrepreneurs face a dual challenge: navigating bureaucracy while preserving purpose. Jiri sees an opportunity in collaboration, linking governments, investors, and innovators around shared values.
His optimism is grounded in pragmatism. “We have world-class scientists and startups. What we need now is courage, focus, and the patience to stay on the topic.”
That last phrase, staying on the topi,c might sound simple, but it captures a profound truth. In an era of constant distraction, focus itself has become a competitive advantage.
Lessons for the next generation.
To young founders, Jiri offers timeless advice: “Be curious. Stay persistent. Surround yourself with great people. And never stop learning.”
He referenced the book Stolen Focus by Oxford professor Johann Hari, observing that attention is today’s rarest resource. “Those who can keep their attention, their focus, will succeed.”
From impact to legacy.
Today, Aspironix, as part of Asker, continues to drive innovation across Europe, grounded in the same values that defined its beginnings. For Jiri, joining Asker was not an exit, but an evolution, an opportunity to expand impact through alignment, trust, and shared vision.
Leadership, at its best, is not about authority but about energy, the ability to lift others and create momentum. “I believe in the power of the positive approach,” he said. “When you create good energy, it comes back to you.”
The bridge between purpose and profit.
This conversation reminded me that sustainable business is not a paradox. You can be profitable and purposeful. You can scale and stay human.
Leaders like Jiri Pavlicek prove that value multiplies when it is grounded in integrity. And in a world that celebrates disruption, the quiet strength of values may be the greatest innovation of all.
At The Bridge, that is what we stand for: connecting science, business, and humanity to make modern healthcare not only advanced but truly human.
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:
Pavlina Walter: https://www.linkedin.com/in/pavlinawalter/
Website: PavlinaWalter.com
Guests:
Jiri Pavlicek: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jiri-pavlicek-7b32b12/
Peter M. Kovacs: https://www.linkedin.com/in/petermkovacs/
Episode 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 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.