Pavla Prochazkova has been working as Prologis’ country property manager in the Czech Republic and Slovakia since 2019. She leads a team of six people in both countries and is involved in the technical and commercial management of the 1.6 million square meter portfolio in those countries, which includes budgeting, supervision of energy procurement, maintenance and inspections, assessing maintenance contracts, aligning strategy with asset management, as well as insurance management. She herself manages two Czech sites: Prologis Park Prague-Jirny and Prologis Park Prague-Uzice.

Pavla began working at Prologis in 2010 and has witnessed first-hand the profound changes in her field of work during that time, especially those concerning customer service. We are constantly adapting our approach to answer the future needs of our customers. In this way, we now bring complex solutions to specific tasks and emphasize the customer experience. And the more complete the portfolio of services we offer, the easier it is for our customers to run their businesses,” she says.

Among other technical solutions, Pavla points to the intelligent systems that today enable the controlling of all the costs connected with a building’s operations, as well as the ability to remotely order necessary services or repairs.

Pavla especially appreciates the wide diversity of her daily agenda. That includes a broad range of activities from office administration, meetings with customers and suppliers, and managing the operations of the areas under her supervision, to coming up with new solutions and the implementation of new processes. Her varied program is also enriched by one-off projects such as piloting cutting-edge technological solutions that bring new and innovative ideas to the market that help serve customers better.

What makes a good property manager? According to Pavla it is a combination of openness, good communication skills, high stress tolerance, ability to problem solve, mature judgement, a willingness to go the extra mile for the customer, and an abiding passion for the job. She especially appreciates honesty: “Our customer relations are partner-based and openness is key factor for customers staying with us over the long term. When there is an issue to be solved, we take action immediately, not waiting until the situation escalates. My practice has shown that this is the best approach and is appreciated by our business partners."

Pavla, who is appreciated as an extremely well-organized and structured professional with great analytical skills, also highlights another key attribute that contributes to becoming successful in the field of property management – and that is creativity. Coming up with new, innovative solutions to problems customers face and not being satisfied with the status quo – that is the meaningful approach she believes that Prologis champions. This might one day bring about a new way of thinking that could help turn logistics parks into exceptional spaces. “This is one of my greatest professional dreams, though it will also depend on the performance of the industry as a whole as well as on the customers in particular. I would really like to see one day logistics parks transforming into highly functional areas with architectural added value, whether it be development above or below ground,” she concludes.