Pecina became deputy minister in February 2003 and was a state representative on the boards of directors and supervisory boards in several state-held firms. His term runs through Sept. 1, 2011.

The Prague office of PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) announced some significant appointments this summer. Paul Inman was appointed director in the Assurance and Advisory Services department in Prague. In his new role, he will be responsible for expanding and enhancing advisory services provided to clients in the leasing, consumer finance and real estate industries in the Czech Republic and across Central and Eastern Europe. Inman studied economics at the University of Warwick in England and is a member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales (ACA).

Peter Mitka was appointed director in PwC's transactions department in Prague. His main task will be to expand business in the area of financial advisory and transaction services. Mitka has been with PwC since 2001, when he joined as a manager focusing on the privatization of state-owned companies. Since 2002 he has managed the PwC team advising the Slovak government on the privatization of Slovenské elektrarne, a dominant electricity producer in Slovakia.

In other PwC personnel news, Sirshar Qureshi was named director of the forensic services department. Qureshi will draw on his 13 years of experience in the accountancy arena working across numerous sectors including banking, telecommunications and utilities. Qureshi has specialized in forensic services for the past nine years, focusing on dispute and fraud related matters.

A member of the ACA, Qureshi joined PwC's forensic services team in London in 1997, focusing initially on dispute and tax investigation cases. He moved to the Prague office in 2001.