Who is Daniel Křetínský, the Czech billionaire buying Royal Mail?

Czech billionaire Daniel Křetínský is set to be the next owner of Royal Mail, after its parent company International Distributions Services (IDS) today accepted a £3.5 billion offer from him..

Kretinsky said: “IDS, and Royal Mail in particular, form part of the national infrastructure of the countries they operate in. More than that, Royal Mail is part of the fabric of UK society and has been for hundreds of years. 

“The EP group has the utmost respect for Royal Mail’s history and tradition, and I know that owning this business will come with enormous responsibility – not just to the employees but to the citizens who rely on its services every day.”

But who is the energy and media mogul that could soon own the 500-year-old British institution?

Křetínský is already the biggest shareholder in IDS, with a 27.5% stake, having first bought shares in the firm in 2020.

The 48-year-old – worth $7.1 billion according to Bloomberg and dubbed the ‘Czech Sphinx’ due to his enigmatic approach to business – first became known to many Londoners when he bought a 27% stake in West Ham in 2021. That investment includes an option to buy the rest of the club.

He has also been chairman of his boyhood club, 37-time Czech champions Sparta Prague, since 2004.

His partner, Olympic showjumper Anna Kellernova, is the daughter of Czech billionaire Petr Kellner, who was killed in a helicopter crash earlier this year and at the time of his death was the country’s richest man with an estimated personal wealth of $17.5b.

Křetínský started his professional life as a lawyer but has built a titanic empire which covers gas lines, coal-fired power stations, swathes of European media as well as a stake in Sainsbury’s. He is reported to be “obsessed” with British history.

His media holdings include the Czech News Center and tabloid Blesk in his home country. as well as the French edition of Elle. He previously held a 49% stake in French newspaper Le Monde, before selling it in September. Concerns have been raised in the past over Kretinsky’s editorial influence over sites such as Info.cz in eastern Europe, though he denies those claims and says he is a “passionate advocate of the freedom of the press”.

Křetínský’s energy company, EPH, owns assets worth around £14bn and employs 25,000 people at 70 companies across Europe.