CERGE-EI Foundation

John J. (Jack) Stack

Chairman & CEO (ret.), Česká spořitelna a.s.

CERGE-EI Foundation Board Chair

Jack Stack is currently a member of the Advisory board of the ERSTE Bank Group, but he is known in the Czech Republic as chairman and CEO of Česká spořitelna bank. During his tenure there from 2000 to 2007 he reformed the large institution into a profitable and well-managed firm, developing for the bank a strategic format of social responsibility. Mr. Stack was born and raised in Bronx, New York. After receiving degrees from Iona College (1968) and the Harvard Business School (1970), he worked for six years in government, first in Mayor John V. Lindsay's Office (Yankee Stadium renovation and the Model Cities Sanitation Program) and then in the NYC/NYS Office of Court Administration during the NYC fiscal crisis.

Mr. Stack began work at Chemical Bank in 1977. He worked at a series of more senior positions at Chemical and its successor bank, Chase Manhattan. Mr. Stack contributed substantially to the mergers of Chemical Bank with Manufacturers Hanover Trust Company in 1992 and Chemical Bank and Chase Manhattan Bank in 1995. His various positions included managing the Branch system, the Direct Banking Division, Marketing and Product Development.

Mr. Stack has received numerous awards, including medals from the Presidents of the Czech Republic and Austria in recognition of his contributions to economic growth and EU integration. In 2007, Mr. Stack and his wife Patricia returned to live in New York City after eight years living in Prague, Czech Republic. Mr. Stack serves on three business Boards—Erste Bank in Austria, Shorebank International, and Mutual of America and is active in the not-for-profit sector.