Board of Directors

Pavel Kysilka
Chairman of the Board of Directors and CEO
born on 5 September 1958

Office address: Olbrachtova 62, Praha 4, Česká republika

Mr. Kysilka is a graduate of the Faculty of Economics of the University of Economics in Prague where he also completed postgraduate research study in 1986.  In 1986 -1990 he worked at the Institute of Economics of the Czechoslovak Academy of Sciences.
In 1990-1991 Mr. Kysilka worked as the chief economic advisor to the Minister for Economic Policy. In the 1990s he held various positions, including the position of Executive Governor of the Czech National Bank where, in 1993, he oversaw the splitting of the Czechoslovak currency. In 1994-1997 he served as an expert of the International Monetary Fund and in the same period he participated in implementing national currencies in several East European countries. In the Nineties he was the President of the Czech Economic Society. Before joining Česká spořitelna Mr. Kysilka worked in Erste Bank Sparkassen (CR) in Prague as Executive Director responsible for IT, Organization, Human Resources, and Services. He came to Česká spořitelna in 2000 serving as Chief Economist and Member of the Senior Management Team. On October 5^th 2004 the Supervisory Board of Česká spořitelna appointed him member of the Board of Directors and since January 1^st  2011 he serves as Chairman of the Board of Directors and CEO responsible for Operations, Economic Analysis, EU Office, IT and Projects and for Corporate Communication, Service Quality, HR, Marketing and Internal Audit. 

Among other assignments, Mr. Kysilka is a member of the Board of Trustees of the University of Economics in Prague.

Dušan Baran
Vice Chairman of the Board of Directors and First Deputy CEO
born on 6 April 1965

Mr. Baran is a graduate of the Mathematics and Physics Faculty of Charles University in Prague; an International Executive MBA program at Katz Graduate School of Business, the University of Pittsburgh together with the CMC Graduate School of Business in Čelákovice and a banking course at the Graduate School of Banking, University of Colorado, Colorado, USA. During 1991 – 1993 he worked for Agrobanka, a.s. in the treasury function. He joined Česká spořitelna in November 1993, where he held various managerial positions in Treasury and Risk Management division. He was appointed a member of the Board of Directors and Deputy CEO of Česká spořitelna in May 1998 and was promoted to Chairman of the Board of Directors and CEO in March 1999. On 4 July 2000 he was elected Vice Chairman of the Board of Directors of Česká spořitelna and appointed the First Deputy CEO. He is also the Chief Financial Officer of Česká spořitelna. Mr. Baran is a member  of the Czech Institute of Directors and a member of the Board of Directors of the European Savings Banks Group (ESBG) in Brussels.

Daniel Heler
Member of the Board of Directors and Deputy CEO 
born on 12 December 1960

Mr. Heler is a graduate of the Prague University of Economics, Faculty of International Trade. He held internships with J. P. Morgan, Goldman Sachs, S. Montagu, UBS, N. M. Rothschild, Shearson and Bayerische Hypobank. He has also attended a number of courses focused on global banking, profitability in banking, retail banking strategy, treasury and risk management. He has worked in the banking sector since 1983. First he held various positions in the Department of Foreign Exchange and Money Markets and then, in 1990, he became the Director of the Financial Markets Department of Československá obchodní banka Praha. In 1992 he was appointed as treasurer and member of the Board of Directors of Crédit Lyonnais Bank Praha. In 1998, he was appointed as a member of the Board of Directors of Erste Bank Sparkassen (CR) and assumed the responsibility for the Financial Markets Department. In 1999, he became the Vice Chairman of the Board of Directors of Erste Bank Sparkassen (CR) and since 1 July 2000 he has been the member of the Board of Directors of Česká spořitelna responsible for Asset management, Investment banking, Treasury, Balance Sheet management and Financial institutions. Since 1 January 2011 Mr. Heler is covering Wholesale banking including Corporate banking and all Corporate Finance segments.

Heinz Knotzer
Member of the Board of Directors and Deputy CEO 
born on 8 April 1960

Mr. Knotzer is a graduate of the  University of Vienna where, in 1987, he obtained the title of JUDr. (Doctor of Jurisprudence). In London, he successfully completed studies at the City of London Polytechnical School. He started his employment career in 1986 as a legal assistant at courts of both levels in Austria. Starting in 1988, he worked in the legal division of Österreichische Investitionkredit (Investkredit) AG. In March 1990, he became an employee of Girozentrale und Bank der Österreichischen Sparkassen AG (which, after a merger in 1997, became a part of Erste Bank), where he worked in the Investment Banking Division in the area of capital market financing. During the period of 1991-1993, he represented Europa Consult Finanzierungsberatung Gesellschaft m.b.H. in what was then Czechoslovakia. Between 1993 and 1995, he worked as Finance and Administration Manager for ELIN Elektrohandel GmbH. After successfully completing special professional training at Creditanstalt AG (formerly Creditanstalt Bankverein) during the timeframe of 1995-1996, he assumed a position at Creditanstalt a.s. in March 1996 – at first, he was the manager of the Division for Corporate Customers at the bank’s main office in Prague and later, he became the Assistant General Director for the Division for Corporate Customers, focusing on local and foreign priority customers, the Division for Project Financing, the Loans Division and the International Business Division. In 1998, within the framework of the merged Bank Austria Creditanstalt Czech Republic, a.s., he became the director of the Division for Corporate Customers II and was responsible for corporate banking at 9 branches, the International Business Division and the Loans Division. In 1999, he was named as a member of the Board of Directors and Acting Director for Erste Bank CR, a.s. (formerly Erste Bank Sparkassen (CR), a.s.). In 2000, after the successful transfer of business activities to Česká spořitelna, a.s., he was named Director of the Commercial Centers Section of Česká spořitelna, a.s.

Jiří Škorvaga
Member of the Board of Directors and Deputy CEO 
born on 26 April 1963

Mr. Jiří Škorvaga is a graduate from the Institute of Chemical Technology in Prague and from the post-gradual studies at Czechoslovak Academy of Sciences. He joined Česká spořitelna Financial Group in 1998. He took over the position of Card Center Head. Since 2000 he was responsible for business management of retail business and was a member of Senior Management Team. Mr. Škorvaga manages the strategic retail project of Erste Bank Group, Retail 2008. On November 1, 2006, the Supervisory Board of Česká spořitelna appointed him a Member of the Board of Directors. He is responsible for retail banking.