CEO
2017
BUDAPEST
BUSINESS JOURNAL
CEO
2017
Award history
The Budapest Business Journal founded the award back in 2015 with the aim of rewarding the efforts of expat CEOs working and living in Hungary who have contributed most to the development of the Hungarian economy and raising the country’s international recognition through their professionalism and dedicated work. “The BBJ is Hungary’s only English-language economic bi-weekly, and has always played an important role in providing information for foreign CEOs working and living in Hungary; that is why we decided to found an award and recognize their efforts annually,” said Balázs Román, the CEO of Absolut Media Zrt., publishers of the newspaper. Since the beginning, the event has been run in partnership with the Hungarian Investment Promotion Agency (HIPA), which presents its own “Local Partnership” award at the gala, given in recognition of the outstanding use of Hungarian suppliers.
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Previous winners BBJ Expat CEO of the Year 2016
Jost
Ernst Lammers CEO of Budapest Airport Zrt.
2015
Javier
Gonzรกlez Pareja Then CEO of Bosch Magyarorszรกg
HIPA Local Partnership Award Naoyuki
2016
Takeuchi Then CEO of Magyar Suzuki Zrt.
Kersten
2015
Bachmann CEO of TAKATA Safety Systems Hungary Kft.
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CEO
2017
Candidates’ shortlist
Jörg
Bauer President GE Hungary Managing Director GE Hungary Kft.
Bauer is the President of GE Hungary and has been based in Budapest since October 1, 2013. His says his goal is to build on GE’s key partnerships in Hungary and the region to drive common sustainable growth. Today, GE in Hungary has more than 10,000 employees spread across 12 plants, five R&D and engineering centers and one of GE’s five Global Operations Centers. Prior to his current role, Bauer, a German national, was CFO for GE Healthcare in CEE. He previously worked with Audi and Mettler-Toledo, partly also based in Hungary. Bauer also serves as the president of the Board of Trustees of the Sports University in Budapest. He also co-leads the Innovation Task Force of the Hungarian American Chamber of Commerce and is one of the two vice presidents of the Hungarian Association of International Companies.
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Candidates’ shortlist
Marc
de Bastos Eckstein Executive Director ThyssenKrupp Presta Hungary Kft.
Born in Rio de Janeiro, the 41-yearold Marc de Bastos Eckstein is half Brazilian and half German. At the age of 12 he moved back to Germany, and graduated from the University of Giessen with a degree in economics. In 2012 he earned an MBA from the renowned ESCP Europe Business School in Paris. In 2001 he joined ThyssenKrupp, having previously worked for Accenture and KPMG. In 2007, he moved to Hungary as the head of ThyssenKrupp Presta Hungary, but for seven years was also involved in parallel in the management of one of the German units, and so spent half the week in Stuttgart and the other half in Budapest. He has focused exclusively on Hungary since 2014. De Bastos Eckstein is married and has two children, aged eight and five.
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CEO
2017
Candidates’ shortlist
Rick
P. Enders General manager Budapest Marriott Hotel & Marriott Executive Apartments
Enders has been general manager of the Marriott and Millennium Court since March 2014. He is responsible for total hotel operations at two properties, providing strategic direction and guidance to the executive team. He is charged with improving and maintaining operational performance related to revenues, operating profit, guest satisfaction and market share. He is a board member of the NetherlandsHungarian Chamber of Commerce. The Dutch national says great memories are born out of exceptional experiences, and has a passion to create those, with his teams, by being creative and staying curious. He has experience across three continents and nine different countries, having previously been general manager at a number of Marriott hotels in Prague, and director of operations in Warsaw. He began his career with Marriott International as a sous chef in 1988.
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Candidates’ shortlist
Jesper
Jesper Hassellund Mikkelsen has a BSc in finance and accounting and a MSc in International Marketing. He joined the LEGO Group in 2002 and has worked primarily in the finance operation and manufacturing fields.
Senior Vice President European Moulding and DUPLO Head of LEGO Moulding Denmark General manager LEGO Manufacturing Hungary
Since 2012 he has been head of European Moulding & DUPLO, and as senior vice president a member of Lego Corporate management. From the time he joined LEGO in 2002 until 2011 he was head of finance operation and vice president. Previously he worked as an expat from 1996-2000 when he was finance manager at Danfoss Mexico, and from 2000-2001 he was a group controller at Royal Scandinavia A/S.
Hassellund Mikkelsen
Hassellund Mikkelsen was born in 1969 and lives in Budapest with his wife and their two children.
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CEO
2017
Candidates’ shortlist
Stephan
Interthal General Manager Kempinski Hotel Corvinus Budapest
On September 1, 2014 Stephan Interthal returned to Budapest, where he held the position of general manager from 1997 to 2004, during which time he implemented a comprehensive refurbishment project at the Corvinus. Now he has orchestrated ambitious renovation works to overhaul all of the rooms and suites, the spa and the restaurant. Before his return, Interthal was in charge of Hotel Baltschug Kempinski Moscow from July 2013, where he oversaw the final stages of a EUR 20 million renovation project. Prior to Moscow, he managed the Kempinski’s flagship property in China. Interthal is a graduate of the Cornell University and the recipient of a European Business MBA from Reims Management School in 2000. Throughout his career, he has consistently advocated for providing customers with impeccable service that exceeds expectations.
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Our Expert Jury
Dr. László
The tricky task of picking the winner goes to our regular jury, which, since the launch, has been comprised of Dr. László Szabó, Deputy Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade; Írisz Lippai-Nagy, CEO of the American Chamber of Commerce in Hungary; Dale A. Martin, President of the GermanHungarian Chamber of Industry and Commerce, and President and CEO of Siemens Hungary; and Balázs Román, the CEO of Absolut Media Zrt., publisher of the Budapest Business Journal. By tradition, the fifth seat on the jury is taken by the previous year’s winner, meaning Jost Ernst Lammers, CEO of Budapest Airport Zrt., gets to see the process from the other side.
Dale
Írisz
Szabó
Lippai-Nagy
A. Martin
Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade
CEO of the American Chamber of Commerce in Hungary
President of the GermanHungarian Chamber of Industry and Commerce, and President and CEO of Siemens Hungary
Jost
Ernst Lammers CEO of Budapest Airport Zrt.
Balázs
Román CEO of the Budapest Business Journal 9
CEO
2017
PwC's 20th Global CEO Survey For the past two decades, PwC has asked business leaders everywhere about the trends reshaping business and society.
Organic growth and cost reduction are the top two activities CEOs are planning to drive corporate growth or profitability
CEOs have undoubtedly had to cope with very stormy conditions, so perhaps natural selection has played a part; anyone who reaches the top has already adapted to uncertainty. Alternatively, perhaps, CEOs have learned to look for the upside and seize on the opportunities uncertainty brings. One thing is clear; they’re not waiting things out. CEOs recognise that it’s not enough to focus on organic growth and cost reductions alone, important though these are. So they are – rightly – prioritising investment in innovation and digital capabilities.
Q: Which of the following activities, if any, are you planning in the coming 12 months in order to drive corporate growth or profitability?
“...our strategy is that we have to drive costs down. The only way I can see ...with a major impact, is that we build on new technologies and that we should go into digitisation, which is also a standardisation process, especially as we are a very capital-intensive industry.” Rainer Seele CEO of OMV AG, Austria 10
CEOs are focusing on innovation Q: Given the business environment you’re in, which one of the following do you most want to strengthen in order to capitalise on new opportunities?
“I used to say that up to the 19th century the most important people were those who had liquid resources, money. In the 20th century world, it was essentially the engineers, but in the 21st century, it is the ones who are able to manage talent. So talent is going to be the driver for the 21st century.” Ignacio S. Galán Chairman of Iberdrola, Spain PwC's 20th Global CEO survey was carried out between September and December 2016. 1379 CEOs responded from 79 countries. In Hungary, more than 180 companies from seven industries took part in PwC’s 6th Hungarian CEO Survey. PwC will present the key findings of the survey in March 2017. 11
Event Partners
LUXURY BUDAPEST 2014
2017
The BBJ Expat CEO of the Year award and gala is made possible with the help of the following sponsors. We are grateful for their support.
CORINTHIA HOTEL BUDAPEST 2014 YEARBOOK
CEO
BUDAPEST
BUSINESS JOURNAL