FACTBOX-Who is who on new Czech central bank policy board

...expect to result in policy holding flat following three interest rate hikes over the past four months.

The seventh board member Pavel Rezabek will be absent, the CNB has said. Below is the line-up of the CNB governing board, background on policymakers' general preferences and a history of the past five rate moves.

=================CENTRAL BANK GOVERNING BOARD==================

GOVERNOR ZDENEK TUMA, 46 years old, mandate until Feb 2011.

- has sounded largely hawkish in recent public statements; the budding risk of demand-pull price growth makes him reassert his inflation-fighting credentials given his general responsibility for maintaining price stability as the bank's chief executive.

VICE-GOVERNORS:

LUDEK NIEDERMAYER, 41, mandate until Feb 2008.

- seen generally leaning towards hawkish views on inflation;

MIROSLAV SINGER, 39, mandate until Feb 2011.

- a moderate who has recently been tending towards hawkish, albeit very pragmatic, policy views; advocate of flexible policy stance; has said he is not afraid of calling for frequent policy changes in order to ensure interest rates are kept as low as possible.

OTHER MEMBERS:

MOJMIR HAMPL, 32, mandate until Nov 2012.

- seen as pragmatic who has appeared to join hawks on the board to call for tighter policy to prevent inflation from rearing its head; he says he sees himself as an owl rather than hawk or dove, seeking to watch the economy develop without too much interference but not hesitating to peck when need be.

ROBERT HOLMAN, 53, mandate until Feb 2011.

- seen leaning towards dovish views on inflation; says as a general rule, he prefers stability in interest rates to frequent change so as not to disturb the real economy.

PAVEL REZABEK, 46, mandate until Feb 2011.

- pragmatic advocate of accommodative policy stance; speaks in favour of letting inflation both rise and fall within the plus/minus 1 percent tolerance band around the bank's 3 percent inflation target.

VLADIMIR TOMSIK, 33, mandate until Nov 2012.

- usually advocates caution about tightening policy but has spoken about the need for higher interest rates given the strength of the economy this year; has repeatedly criticised the CNB's track record of undershooting its inflation target and missing inflation forecasts.

=================FIVE MOST RECENT RATE CHANGES============

August 2007: 25 basis point hike to current 3.25 percent

July 2007: 25 basis point hike to 3.00 percent

May 2007: 25 basis point hike to 2.75 percent

September 2006: 25 basis point hike to 2.50 percent

July 2006: 25 basis points hike to 2.25 percent

(Compiled by Marek Petrus in Prague)

Click on [ID:nL25888370] for CNB board members recent remarks on policy

(Compiled by Marek Petrus in Prague)

Keywords: CZECH CENTRALBANK/BOARD