Daniel Křetínský

Daniel Křetínský is a Czech billionaire investor known for his ownership of EPH and West Ham United. Born in Brno in 1975, he studied law at Masaryk University in Brno and later at Charles University in Prague, then joined the Slovak-Czech J&T finance group in the late 1990s. He became a partner and, from 2004, CEO of J&T Banka.

Křetínský co-founded Energetický a průmyslový holding (EPH) in 2009 alongside Patrik Tkáč and PPF Group. EPH became one of Central Europe's largest energy groups, producing and trading electricity, heat and gas across the Czech Republic, Germany, Slovakia, the UK and Western Europe; a landmark deal was its 2016 acquisition of Vattenfall's German lignite assets.

His investment interests later broadened into media and retail. In 2015 he acquired Czech News Center, publisher of the tabloid Blesk, through Czech Media Invest. In 2018 he founded Vesa Equity Investment, which built significant stakes in retailers including Metro AG, Fnac Darty, Foot Locker and Groupe Casino. He led the restructuring of Groupe Casino in 2023–2024 and became its controlling shareholder.

In football, Křetínský bought a minority stake in West Ham United in 2021 and completed a majority takeover in July 2024 through 1890s Holdings. He also holds an ownership interest in AC Sparta Praha. His direct relevance to the gambling industry is indirect: he holds no gambling licence, operational role or regulatory office, but as majority owner of a Premier League club whose shirt front was sponsored by Betway during his ownership, he is a significant figure in the UK's debate over gambling advertising in sport.