Petr Briza was born on 9th December 1964 in Prague, Czechoslovakia (now Czechia). Elected to IIHF Council in 2016, elected IIHF Senior Vice-President in 2021. He graduated from the Faculty of Physical Education and Sport at Charles University in Prague. As a professional hockey player he played 23 years in three top elite European hockey leagues and represented his country in seven IIHF Ice Hockey World Championships and three Olympic Winter Games.

After finishing his career as a goalie in 2006, Briza has immediately started to work at the hockey club Sparta Prague as a General Manager and later also became the Chairman of the Board. He was also very active together with founding colleagues at the establishment of the league association Hockey Europe, of the club competition European Trophy which was succeeded by the Champions Hockey League where he acts as a board member.

In 2008 Briza became a member of the Executive Committee of the Czech Ice Hockey Association and its Vice President. During the record-breaking 2015 IIHF Ice Hockey World Championship in the Czech Republic he was the Chairman of the Prague Organizing Committee. Since 2010 he is also Prague City Representative where he initiated and systematically implemented projects supporting the youth sport development in Prague.

Briza resides in Prague with his wife Pauline and brought up four children.