Bohumil Říha, a Seasoned Leader in the Business Services Sector, Becomes the New President of ABSL

The Association of Business Service Leaders (ABSL), which brings together companies from the IT and business services sector in the Czech Republic, has appointed a new president as of September. Bohumil Říha, with over twenty years of experience in the industry, has assumed the role. As president, he aims to strengthen the sector’s competencies and innovation potential, and to prepare the industry for the challenges of the new era of artificial intelligence, digitalization, and a shifting geopolitical landscape.

“Our centers today are no longer just service units of international companies. They have become innovation hubs, where solutions with global impact are created,”

says Bohumil Říha.

“Artificial intelligence and automation are changing the rules of the game and also bring new threats – particularly in the cyber space. My ambition is to ensure that the Czech business services sector is ready for these changes, continues to develop the skills of its people, and supports global business.”

At 48, Bohumil Říha assumes his new role, bringing over two decades of industry experience. For the past eight years, he has worked at Johnson & Johnson Global Services, serving as Managing Director of the Czech branch and as a Procurement Senior Director for the EMEA region. Earlier in his career, he led teams of up to 200 employees in the Czech Republic, Poland, India, and China at Accenture. He has long focused on people development and has been a certified coach since 2019.

“The key to further developing the sector lies in collaboration between centers, knowledge sharing, and systematic employee education. I consider investments in people and innovation to be the most important factors for maintaining the Czech Republic’s position as one of Europe’s leaders in business services,” adds the new ABSL president.

Říha succeeds Jaromír Staroba, who led ABSL for the past four years and significantly contributed to shaping its strategy as well as promoting the Czech business services sector both domestically and internationally.

According to ABSL data, the Czech IT and business services sector grew by 9% in 2024 and now employs around 175,000 people. By the end of this year, the number is expected to reach 200,000. The industry continues to invest heavily in technologies and, thanks to its high added value, is one of the key pillars of the Czech economy.

Bohumil Říha graduated from the Faculty of Education at the University of West Bohemia in Pilsen and spent part of his studies at Technische Universität Chemnitz in Germany. In 2017, he earned an MBA in Global Business Leadership from CEMI, where his thesis focused on the topic of outsourcing versus insourcing in procurement and finance.

In his free time, Bohumil Říha enjoys amateur theatre and organizes cultural activities in his home village on the border of Central and South Bohemia, where he lives with his wife and ten-year-old son. His hobbies include gardening, traveling, learning foreign languages, regular exercise, and running.

ABSL (Association of Business Service Leaders in the Czech Republic) is an association of companies operating in the shared business services sector, which represents a strong generator of employment in the Czech Republic. ABSL was established in 2013 to foster companies in the business services sector, share best practices and help to develop the activities of its members and other entities operating in this segment. At the same time, ABSL provides support to foreign investors who want to establish their business services centres in the Czech Republic. Currently, there are nearly 400 centres in the Czech Republic employing 160,000 people. For more information, please visit www.absl.cz.