After more than 25 years, Vladimír Doboš handed over the management of the Prague representative office to Petr Kryštof in front of over 180 guests at the 36th Port Evening Reception.

For the first time, Port of Hamburg Marketing  organised a B2B matchmaking event to precede the Port Evening Reception in Prague. The new format, which brought companies together for informal talks, was very well received. On the evening of 8 October 2026, HHM celebrated a generational handover at the 36th Hamburg Port Evening Reception: Over 180 guests from the logistics, industrial, retail and political sectors gathered at the Kavárna Obecní dům to bid farewell to Vladimír Doboš after more than a quarter of a century of service at the HHM representative office in Prague and to welcome his successor, Petr Kryštof. Among the speakers that evening was the German Ambassador to the Czech Republic, Dr Peter Reuss.

A quarter of a century for the Port of Hamburg

Vladimír Doboš joined HHM on 1 January 2001 and has since represented the interests of the Port of Hamburg in the Czech Republic and Slovakia. Prior to this, the logistics expert had worked for various Czech freight forwarders since graduating from university in 1982. Over the decades, he has built up and maintained contacts with shippers, freight forwarders, trade associations and political decisionmakers. In doing so, he has firmly established the Port of Hamburg in the market as the most important maritime hub for Czech and Slovak foreign trade.

“Despite all the geopolitical and domestic political turbulence and many unforeseen situations, it is possible to spend your entire working life successfully in the logistics sector and at the Port of Hamburg, enjoying a career full of variety and fulfilment,” says Vladimír Doboš.

“Vlada has successfully expanded and deepened relations between the Port of Hamburg and the Czech market over the past 25 years. We sincerely thank him for his great commitment and are delighted that we have found a successor in Petr, who will continue this work with enthusiasm and fresh ideas,” says Hendrik Meyn, Chief Executive Officer HHM.

Handover planned well in advance

Petr Kryštof took up his position at HHM on 1 November 2025. Over the following months, Vladimír Doboš was able to smoothly hand over his expertise and day-to-day operations to him. On 31 March 2026, Kryštof took full charge of the representative office. Doboš will continue to support the Prague team in an advisory capacity until the end of October 2026.

Before joining HHM, Petr Kryštof worked at the World Bank in Washington, D.C. As a consultant for mariTEAM within the Global Transport Knowledge and Expertise unit, he focused on the global decarbonisation of maritime transport. Now he represents the Port of Hamburg in the Czech Republic and Slovakia. He is developing partnerships and new business opportunities with companies in the logistics, industrial and retail sectors, and is responsible for compiling and analysing official market statistics.

“I am delighted to be building on the strong foundations laid by Vlada. I see great potential for cooperation between Hamburg and our partners in the Czech Republic and Slovakia, particularly when it comes to sustainable transport chains.”

Closely linked for centuries

Hamburg has been one of the Czech Republic’s most important trading partners for centuries and is the most significant transhipment port for Czech and Slovak foreign trade. In 2025, around 550,000 TEU were handled in hinterland transport with the Czech Republic and Slovakia, 95 per cent of which was by rail. Over 130 direct container trains run weekly between the Port of Hamburg and hubs in both countries.