First-Ever Awards for Women in Industry and Other Special Honors
October 7, 2026 / 12:04 PM
A packed Rotunda applauded the recipients of three special awards during the MSV Gala Evening: Women in Industry, Personality of Czechoslovak Mechanical Engineering, and the Brno Trade Fairs Award.
The gala evening of the 67th International Engineering Fair (MSV) became the setting for a historic milestone. For the first time, the Women in Industry Award was presented to recognize and highlight the role of women in industrial sectors.
The inaugural recipient of the award was Denisa Materová, CEO of the engineering group Promet Group, who was nominated by the Board of Directors of the Confederation of Industry of the Czech Republic. After taking over responsibility for the family-owned industrial group from her father, Denisa Materová has successfully expanded the company and strengthened its position in the areas of mechanical engineering, industrial engineering, and metallurgy.
The Personality of Czechoslovak Mechanical Engineering Award has a long-standing tradition at MSV. This year’s laureate was Professor Petr Demeč, a highly respected authority at the Technical University of Košice and within the broader Czech and Slovak mechanical engineering community.
A significant part of his career has been devoted to intensive cooperation with Czech academic and industrial institutions. He is regarded as one of Europe’s leading experts in manufacturing technology and machine tools. In the fields of automation, industrial robotics, and CNC machine tools, he has played a key role in the technological modernization of the industry and in transferring research results into practical applications. While accepting the award, Professor Demeč shared several personal memories connected with the International Engineering Fair and with Brno, the city where he also met the love of his life.
During the gala evening, the Brno Trade Fairs Award was also presented. The award went to the National Centre for Industry 4.0 in recognition of its long-term cooperation with and support for the International Engineering Fair, particularly the Digital Factory 2.0 project. The National Centre for Industry 4.0 makes a significant contribution each year to the project’s professional content, bringing the latest digital technologies, innovations, and practical industrial applications to the fair. Accepting the award, the Centre’s Director Robert Keil invited attendees to visit this year’s Digital Factory 2.0, a unique exhibition featuring ten partners connected through real technology projects. He also highly praised the cooperation with the MSV team. "Our communication, both on a professional and personal level, is absolutely excellent. We are a very demanding partner, and Brno Trade Fairs has always been extremely accommodating," said Robert Keil. He added: "The International Engineering Fair continues to evolve in the right direction, and we look forward to remaining part of the Digital Factory 2.0 exhibition in the years to come."
