Milan Kratina and Zdeněk Šoustal

EY World Entrepreneur Of The Year™ 2025 finalists, Czech Republic
Co-Owners of Accolade

Milan Kratina and Zdeněk Šoustal are changing the landscape for industrial real estate.

Milan Kratina and Zdeněk Šoustal are co-owners of the investment group Accolade, founded in 2011. Their vision was to seek regions with the potential for industrial development and to revitalize these spaces, providing modern, sustainable infrastructure for local businesses and increased job opportunities.

Accolade focuses on regions with untapped potential to spark local economic growth. While it invests in some new industrial facilities, it also transforms existing structures on brownfield sites into thriving business hubs. Together, Milan and Zdeněk have created an entire ecosystem where global brands, local employees and investors are brought together in strategic locations to thrive. Their success lies in a unique expansion strategy and long-term ownership model, which has attracted over 200 companies to 62 parks across 10 countries. Tenants predominantly include European and global brands from the retail, e-commerce, light manufacturing, and logistics sectors. These businesses have created approximately 30,000 local jobs in the parks managed by Accolade.

In 2014, Milan and Zdeněk also pioneered the Accolade Industrial Fund, a qualified investor fund that has reshaped the perception of industrial real estate investment. The fund provides its 3,000 investors with the opportunity to invest in their own regions.