The 62-year-old Juan has been heading Komercní banka since 2001, when French group Societe Generale bought into it. It is the third-largest Czech commercial bank. Goutard joined Komercní banka in 2004. Before, he was head of Societe Generale's affiliation in Morocco. Goutard holds degrees from the Institute of Political Studies in Paris and also from the Paris-Dauphine University.

In another top-gun change in the country's banking sector, Citibank introduced a new general director in the Czech Republic, Javed Kureishi. Kureishi will also take over leadership of Citibank's corporate and investment banking division. He joined Citibank in Karachi, Pakistan, in 1985, working in the loan department. In 2000, he relocated to Cairo, Egypt, where he assumed the role of bank director. Three years later, Kureishi moved on to Johannesburg in South Africa to take up the position of African risk manager. In 2004, Kureishi returned to Cairo. Kureishi, who is Pakistani, holds a bachelor's degree in economics from Sussex University in England.

GE Money Bank recently reported several major appointments. Information technology manager Miroslav Cervenka was promoted to chief IT officer of Central and Eastern Europe. In his new post, Cervenka will be responsible for the integration of IT systems in GE Group's affiliations throughout the region. Cervenka studied aircraft engineering and then kicked off his career in Moravia-based aircraft maker Let Kunovice. He later joined Andersen Consulting as a project manager, before moving to GE in 1998.

Meanwhile, GE Money Bank spokesman Jan Hainz has been appointed the bank's communications leader for Central and Eastern Europe. Hainz originally studied engineering at the Czech Technical University (CVUT) in Prague and later marketing at the University of Pittsburgh. He started his career as director of documentaries at CVUT. Before joining GE in 1998, Hainz worked as marketing director for McDonald's in the Czech Republic.

Longtime Cesky´ Telecom spokesman Vladan Crha returned to work in the telecommunications sector after accepting the job of corporate communications manager at mobile operator Oskar-Vodafone.

Crha's appointment is the first major personnel change at Oskar after the youngest Czech mobile operator was taken over by global mobile leader Vodafone this spring.

Crha left Cesky´ Telecom over disputes between the company's managers before it was taken over by the Spanish telecommunications company Telefonica. He was head of Cesky´ Telecom's PR department for five years.