Sep 8, 2025
David Chmelař co-founded an e-commerce company in Kuala Lumpur that grew from a small coupon website into a regional leader with tens of millions of users and investments in the tens of millions of dollars. After eight years, he returned to the Czech Republic, where as CEO of Heureka Group, he faces the challenge of transforming the company in a tough competitive environment and the rapidly approaching AI revolution.
Chmelař describes that his business in Southeast Asia nearly went bankrupt eight times. The extremely low purchasing power of customers, immense competition, and the necessity of constant scaling taught him perseverance and the ability to operate under pressure. Crucial for him was having a partner with whom he shared the toughest moments – and learning to ask himself whether he was really putting in the maximum effort.
A significant lesson for him was also the cultural diversity of the region. He had to find ways to break through hierarchical barriers and lead multicultural teams in a way that they could function effectively. It proved beneficial to hire people with foreign experience and to build an environment in the company where it is okay to say, “I don’t know, help me.”
Upon returning to Europe, he found in Heureka a company that had long focused on profitability and long-term plans but lacked the speed to respond to new competitors. He took responsibility for the transformation: stopping some projects, reducing the team, and resetting priorities.
The key for him was to make decisions based on data, and once the decisions were clear, to not hesitate in implementing them. He admits that this may seem ruthless, but he also sees it as a fair approach – better for people and for the company.
According to Chmelař, Heureka stands on the brink of a massive change. AI could either “kill the company or propel it to the Moon.” In the future, Heureka may not just be a website, but rather a database and platform that AI agents will use for recommendations and processing orders. Verified reviews from real customers become a key asset – precisely those could be a decisive advantage at a time when the internet is flooded with artificially generated content.
The company culture is therefore changing: emphasis on speed, the courage to take risks, and the ability to break projects into smaller steps that can be quickly tested. “We will keep moving, changing, and it will be a great ride,” says Chmelař.
What else can you find answers to in the podcast?
why working in Asia was a “hard-fought rat race”
how the motivation and mentality of employees differ in Southeast Asia and in the Czech Republic
why consistency is more important than constantly coming up with new strategies
how Heureka attracts people with the energy and courage to change things quickly
which personal “truths” about success and leadership David Chmelař holds
🎧 You can listen to the entire conversation with David Chmelař in the podcast CEO on the Edge of a Knife.