Karel Komárek is an entrepreneur and philanthropist who founded the global investment group KKCG three decades ago.
KKCG’s diverse portfolio includes some of Europe’s fastest-growing businesses, with leading positions in lottery and entertainment, energy, tech, and real estate. KKCG and its portfolio companies employ over 16,000 people across 40+ countries. Drawing from its own capital, and expertise from across the group, KKCG businesses are positioned for long-term, sustainable growth.
Driving KKCG’s long-term strategy, Karel has spent 30+ years building successful businesses. His entrepreneurial journey began in post-Velvet Revolution Czechoslovakia, where, in 1992, he founded an industrial valves wholesale business, using it as a stepping stone to the energy sector.
In 2011, under Karel’s leadership, KKCG rescued Sazka, the Czech lottery operator, from near bankruptcy. He later formed Sazka Group, which rebranded as Allwyn – now the global lottery operator of choice, with leading positions in the UK, US (Illinois), Greece & Cyprus, Austria, Italy, and the Czech Republic.
Beyond...Karel Komárek is an entrepreneur and philanthropist who founded the global investment group KKCG three decades ago.
KKCG’s diverse portfolio includes some of Europe’s fastest-growing businesses, with leading positions in lottery and entertainment, energy, tech, and real estate. KKCG and its portfolio companies employ over 16,000 people across 40+ countries. Drawing from its own capital, and expertise from across the group, KKCG businesses are positioned for long-term, sustainable growth.
Driving KKCG’s long-term strategy, Karel has spent 30+ years building successful businesses. His entrepreneurial journey began in post-Velvet Revolution Czechoslovakia, where, in 1992, he founded an industrial valves wholesale business, using it as a stepping stone to the energy sector.
In 2011, under Karel’s leadership, KKCG rescued Sazka, the Czech lottery operator, from near bankruptcy. He later formed Sazka Group, which rebranded as Allwyn – now the global lottery operator of choice, with leading positions in the UK, US (Illinois), Greece & Cyprus, Austria, Italy, and the Czech Republic.
Beyond lottery-led entertainment, KKCG includes the MND Group, a producer and supplier of traditional & renewable energy in Austria, Czech Republic, Germany, and Ukraine; Aricoma & Avenga, a global IT service and custom software provider and KKCG Real Estate Group, a key player in Central European commercial, industrial, and residential projects.
Karel is committed to lasting impact commercially and charitably. With his wife, Štěpánka Komárková, he co-founded the Karel Komárek Family Foundation (KKFF), supporting community development, urban transformation, and arts education.
A dedicated patron of the arts, Karel is a former co-chair of the Kennedy Center International Committee on the Arts and co-founder of the Dvořák Prague Music Festival.
Challenging the status quo, he co-founded More Than Equal in 2022, an initiative seeking the first female F1 World Champion.READ MOREVIEW LESS
The Karel Komárek Family Foundation (KKFF) was formed to enable individuals as well as communities to reach their full potential. Beautiful (public) spaces are achieved through working with the Promĕny Foundation. The charity supports arts and culture in the shape of the Dvořák Prague International Music Festival.
Ark for Ukraine develops and deploys mobile safeguard vehicles equipped with advanced security and digitization technology, real-time tracking, and expert teams, working closely with Ukrainian institutions, local communities, and international experts to preserve and protect culturally significant objects.
The Dvořák Prague Festival was started to celebrate the works of Antonín Dvořák in their historical context, allowing the concert public to hear the great composer’s works that are part of the core repertoire of all renowned ensembles and soloists alongside works that are not played as regularly.
Karel and his wife Štěpánka are supporters of The Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. They contributed to the Building the Future campaign and are members of the Kennedy Center International Committee on the Arts.
London's Victoria and Albert Museum was the venue for a charity event held to support the Ark III project. Ark aims to protect Ukrainian culture from the devastation of war. Karel was one of the speakers alongside former UK Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, and Michal Lukeš; the Director General of the Czech National Museum.
Karel Komárek's lottery business Allwyn, a flagship of his KKCG investment group, have announced a multi-year partnership with Formula One. The partnership was formed with brand awareness as the key focus.
Karel and former Grand Prix driver David Coulthard have jointly launched the '>= More Than Equal' campaign, with the goal of finding the leading female talent in the motorsport world.
Anna Blomefield interviewed Karel Komárek during his visit to London to support Allwyn's winning bid to operate the UK's National Lottery following the expiry of Camelot’s licence in 2024.
Michael Kahn's article focuses on Karel's journey and how he turned his regional energy company into a global business empire in the aftermath of the fall of the Berlin Wall. Kahn writes about how KKCG investment group is betting on selling lottery tickets to drive international growth.
