Virna Opel
Virna Opel, born 12 February 1922, is the current President of Sevorod Zloije, a Malaszec conglomerate known for luxury products, fashion, and mass media. She is also the poster girl for the company, whose name is synonymous with beauty and luxury in Malaszec after cashing in on her fame as an actress during the former Malaszec People’s Republic (MPR).
During the MPR, she was an actress who starred in various films by the state arts and culture office, and was the mistress of the late Governor of Sevorod, Aros Selisije. In the final years of the MPR, she convinced the him to leave his wife and marry her instead. Aros Selisije was a politically powerful man who was in position to buy Sevorod ward when the Malaszec Federation was being formed and the country’s wards were being privatized. He successfully bought Sevorod’s assets, but died before he could form the corporate entity required to control it (which would have required establishing a corporate line of succession amidst other preparation). He was found dead in an alleyway, apparently having overdosed on pixie dust despite having no prior history of drug abuse. Some have suspected Virna Opel of murdering her husband, as she inherited the assets and went herself formed the corporation, Sevorod ZE. When this corporation was formed, the police in Sevorod became subsidiary to Sevorod ZE, and a company press release exonerated her of suspicion.
Under Virna Opel’s direction, Sevorod ZE undertook a wildly successful marketing strategy focusing on selling a “luxurious lifestyle.” She cashed in on her fame as an movie star to sell cosmetics, fashion, cars, and other consumer goods. She established green belts and parks in the cities and built luxury resorts in the North Sevorod Islands to boost tourism. Her favour towards Urban Green architecture, which retrofit the utilitarian buildings of the MPR with beautiful plantlife and eco-friendly technology, led to its popularity not only in Sevorod but in cities across Malaszec.
When soy-based meat substitute became more economical and popular than real meat in the 2030s, profits dramatically dipped for Rescija, whose major exports included real meat. Virna Opel created a partnership between Sevorod ZE and Rescija ZE to elevate the Rescija brand and promote real meat as a luxury product. As part of the partnership agreement, a joint venture between the two companies called Luxury Brands International was created to manage and license out Rescija’s related brands and trademarks. Because of this, most non-meat products that are Rescija branded or “Made in Rescija” are actually made by Sevorod or another company.
In the late 2040s, Virna Opel was a major proponent of creating the International Social Credit System (ISCS), a reputation tracking system based on a national-level system deployed in faraway K’ahjaan. The ISCS provides a standardized way to review a person’s trustworthiness and past criminal record. This can be used by businesses to filter out untrustworthy individuals from entry, approve or reject loans, and determine immigration status. Since many smart-devices are enrolled with the ISCS identity of its user, map apps and apps which recommend restaurants automatically filter out establishments where the user is not welcome. This is helpful for Serszec’s many upscale businesses when they want to cultivate an air of exclusivity.