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

...inflation debate at a Czech central bank (CNB) policy meeting.

The two first voted on interest rates last month when all seven board members agreed to keep policy on hold for the third month running.

The meeting on Jan. 25 will be the new members' first when the board will discuss a quarterly update to the bank's inflation outlook for 12-18 months ahead along with the interest rate decision.

Below is the line-up of the seven-member 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 neutral to hawkish in recent months; 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, 40, mandate until Feb 2008.

- seen generally leaning towards hawkish views on inflation; vociferous in his criticism of the lack of political will to push spending reforms to curb a burgeoning fiscal deficit.

MIROSLAV SINGER, 38, mandate until Feb 2011.

- seen tending towards dovish, 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.

MEMBERS:

MOJMIR HAMPL, 31, mandate until Nov 2012.

- analysts expect him to be pragmatic and have no clear bias; 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.

- 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, 32, mandate until Nov 2012.

- analysts expect him to lean towards the dovish wing of the board and be cautious about tightening policy; criticises the CNB's track record of undershooting its inflation target and missing inflation forecasts.

===========HISTORY OF FIVE MOST RECENT RATE CHANGES============

September 2006: 25 basis point hike to current 2.50 percent

July 2006: hike by 25 basis points to 2.25 percent

October 2005: hike by 25 basis points to 2.00 percent

April 2005: cut by 25 bps to an all-time low of 1.75 percent

March 2005: cut by 25 bps to 2 percent

(Compiled by Marek Petrus in Prague)

((Editing by Matthew Tostevin; Reuters Messaging: rm://marek.petrus.reuters.com@reuters.net; e-mail: prague.newsroom@reuters.com or marek.petrus@reuters.com; Tel: +420 224 190 477))

Keywords: CZECH CENTRALBANK/BOARD

[Reuters/Finance.cz]