At the age of 77, Michal Donath, one of the most prominent figures in the Czech communication scene, passed away on Friday, April 24. His death after a long illness was announced by Tomáš Jelínek of Jerico Consulting on behalf of the family. Donath was a pioneer of the public relations industry in the Czech Republic and significantly contributed to shaping its standards in the early 1990s.
Before entering the world of PR, Donath worked as a translator with expertise in English, German, and Russian. During this period, he collaborated, for example, with the editorial team of the American weekly Time in covering the events of the Velvet Revolution. He began his professional career in public relations by founding the agency Donath Burson-Marsteller, which was part of a global communication network. After ending cooperation with its American partner, the company continued under the name Donath Business Media.
Donath primarily established himself as an expert in crisis communication. Among his most well-known roles was representing the American group CME (former owner of TV Nova) and a long-standing collaboration with the Mattoni brand. However, a significant part of his portfolio consisted of clients whose crises, thanks to his intervention, never became public. According to his family, he held the view that successful crisis communication should help a client navigate a problematic period so that it doesn't appear as a crisis at all outwardly.
Within the industry, Donath was known for his emphasis on ethics and the strict separation of journalism from PR services. For his contribution, he was awarded the title PR Personality of the Year by the Association of PR Agencies (APRA) in 2018.
He prided himself on well-written texts, quick responses, and never lying. He always upheld the principle that his press release should be able to appear in newspapers as an article if journalists happened to be short on time.
In addition to the commercial sphere, he also dedicated himself to pro bono projects. For example, he supported the Bone Marrow Transplantation Foundation and the Qiido center, which focuses on the development of gifted children. Michal Donath left a deep mark on the industry; many current leading communication experts in the Czech Republic passed through his agency.