Karel Bednář Appointed New General Director of ŠKODA JS as of 1 April 2026

ŠKODA JS a.s., a leading European manufacturer of equipment for the nuclear power industry and a member of the ČEZ Group, will have a new general director as of 1 April 2026. The position will be assumed by Ing. Karel Bednář, PhD (52), currently Director of the Nuclear Equipment Division at ŠKODA JS. Karel Bednář has spent his entire professional career in the nuclear energy sector. He has led the Nuclear Equipment Division since 2021 and previously served as Head of Business Development at ŠKODA JS from 2017.     

“I am taking over the management of ŠKODA JS at a successful time, when the company is performing well within the ČEZ Group, of which it has been a part since 2022, both in terms of results and the development of new projects. This year, the company also commemorates the 70th anniversary of its establishment. We are currently facing important steps related, among other things, to the development and manufacturing of components for small modular reactors (SMRs) as well as new conventional nuclear power units,” said Karel Bednář, the incoming General Director of ŠKODA JS.

Karel Bednář is a graduate of the Brno University of Technology, Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, where he also completed his PhD studies in 1999. During his doctoral studies, he worked as a researcher at the Institute of Physics of Materials in Brno, part of the Czech Academy of Sciences. In 2000, he joined CHEMCOMEX Praha, a.s., where he held various positions until 2017, from Project Manager and Head of the Engineering Office for the Dukovany and Temelín nuclear power plants to Director of the Engineering Division, a role he assumed in 2008. Between 2008 and 2016, he also served as Head of the company’s Slovak organizational unit, participating in the delivery of technological systems for both the primary and secondary circuits of Units 3 and 4 of the Mochovce nuclear power plant. Since 2017, he has been working at ŠKODA JS.  

His additional professional qualifications include certification as an Authorized Engineer for technological equipment. He is a member of the Czech Chamber of Authorized Engineers and Technicians (ČKAIT) and holds the EWE (European/International Welding Engineer) qualification. Karel Bednář is married, has three adult children, and in his free time enjoys gardening and beekeeping.

Karel Samec, Spokesperson
karel.samec@skoda-js.cz    +420 603 200 076