THE CEO of Czech Railways (ČD), Mr Ivan Bednárik, has announced he will resign on February 28, along with deputy CEO, Mr Václav Nebeský, and member of the board of directors, Mr Petr Pavelec. Bednárik will be replaced on an interim basis by Mr Michal Kraus, who will also become vice-chairman of the board of directors.
The general director of ČD subsidiary DVI, Ms Blanka Havelková, has also joined the ČD board of directors, while ČD’s supervisory board has appointed Mr Miroslav Zámečník as chairman. The news was announced by Czech minister of transport, Mr Martin Kupka, following an extraordinary meeting of ČD’s supervisory board on February 15.
Bednárik, who was previously CEO of ČD Cargo, was appointed chairman of the board of directors and CEO in December 2020, when he replaced Mr Václav Nebeský. He would not comment on his resignation, except to say that the reasons were between him and the board, and that he disagreed with savings planned by the Czech government which would have a direct impact on ČD.
A search will now begin for a successor, who the ministry says will require strong leadership and management skills as well as economic vision. Kupka says the successful applicant will be tasked with stabilising and improving the company’s management while also improving internal relations. He expects this to result in improved services for passengers.
