Death of senior European footwear industry figure

Dr Petr Hlavácek, emeritus dean of the Bata University at Zlin, Czech Republic, has died at the age of 63. An associate professor in the Physics and Material Engineering Institution of the Faculty of Technology, Dr Hlavácek graduated from the Brno University of Technology in 1977 and specialised in textile, leather and plastic technologies. He completed his PhD studies at the same university in 1987.

Dr Hlavácek was vice president for science and research at the Czech Shoe and Leather Association. He spent most of his professional life lecturing and conducting research at the Bata University. In addition to his scientific work, especially developing footwear for diabetics, Dr Hlavácek was interested in the history of shoes. He worked on a number of projects with his research team, including investigating the 5,000-year-old shoes worn by the Alpine mummified man called Ötzi, and those worn by the Terracotta Warriors in China.

In 2005, Dr Hlavácek was presented with an award by the International Union of Shoe Industry Technicians (UITIC) for his work on technological developments within the shoe industry.

Publishing Data

This article was originally published on page 4 of the March 2014 issue of SATRA Bulletin.

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