Prague, May 10, 2018 — Michael Londesborough, a scientist of the Czech Academy of Sciences and chemistry populariser, has become Unipetrol’s brand ambassador for promoting chemistry and education in science. The native Briton, who moved to the Czech Republic in 2002, became the Adviser to Unipetrol for innovation, a member of the Unipetrol Foundation’s grant committee and the protagonist of the school-based project Báječný den s chemií (Wonderful Day with Chemistry).
“I am very pleased to have with us such an important personality in the scientific world, Dr. Michael Londesborough from the Institute of Inorganic Chemistry at the Czech Academy of Sciences,” said Aleksandra Skalska, the Unipetrol Group Marketing Director. “Michael is an outstanding populariser, and most importantly, a fascinating speaker who truly inspires his audience. His extraordinary abilities have impressed in performances both at the petrochemical conference Reactions and in Wonderful Day with Chemistry, a fun show about the mysterious and exciting world of chemistry for elementary school students and junior grades of multi-year grammar schools.”
As a face for Unipetrol, Michael Londesborough will appear at public events, campaigns, on social networks, as well as in events for research, development and innovation. . He will appear at Innovation Week in May, as a speaker in Unipetrol colours, and at the next edition of the petrochemical conference Reactions in November. Michael Londesborough has also become the Adviser to Unipetrol for innovation. “The importance of chemistry as a field influencing our presence and first and foremost the future is growing rapidly. For the Czech Republic to remain competitive, it needs clever brains devoted to chemistry. Our common goal is therefore to attract public attention to chemistry and show new generations that chemistry is not only a beautiful and attractive field but also a great opportunity for career development,” explained Michael Londesborough.
Dr. Michael Londesborough works at the Institute of Inorganic Chemistry at the Czech Academy of Sciences, and in addition to his research work in physics and chemistry, focuses on bringing science to the public. As part of his activities, he regularly appears on television. PORT, a popular scientific weekly broadcast by Czech Television with news and attractions from various scientific, technological and social fields, presents a segment prepared and hosted by Dr. Londesborough called Michael’s Experiments. He has accomplished great success in this area and was the recipient of the Vojtěch Náprstek Medal for popularizing science by the Czech Academy of Sciences in 2009.
The Unipetrol Group is the largest refinery and petrochemical company in the Czech Republic. It focuses primarily on crude oil processing, distribution and sale of fuel and petrochemical products — particularly plastics and fertilisers. In all these fields, the group is a key player on both the Czech and Central European market. The Unipetrol Group includes refineries and production plants in Litvínov and Kralupy nad Vltavou, Paramo with the Mogul brand in Pardubice and Kolín, Spolana in Neratovice, and two research centres in Litvínov and Brno. Unipetrol also owns the Benzina network of petrol stations with 402 stations, which is the largest chain in the Czech Republic. Unipetrol is one of the largest companies in the Czech Republic in terms of turnover. The group created revenue of over CZK 122 billion last year and employs more than 4600 people. In 2005, Unipetrol became part of the PKN Orlen Group, the largest crude oil processor in Central Europe.
Contact:
Pavel Kaidl, Press Officer, telephone no.: +420 225 001 407, +420 736 502 520, e-mail: pavel.kaidl@unipetrol.cz