Expat CEO of the Year Award
The Budapest Business Journal (BBJ) founded the Expat CEO of the Year award with the aim of recognizing the efforts of expat CEOs in Hungary for the country and their companies.
“The BBJ is Hungary’s only English-language economic bi-weekly, and has always played an important role in providing information for expat CEOs working and living in Hungary. That is why we decided to found an award to recognize their efforts annually” explains Balázs Román, the CEO of the BBJ.
The BBJ Expat CEO of the Year Gala is an invitation only event for the most important players in the Hungarian economy.
The award is given to the foreign business leader who is determined to have made the most outstanding achievements in the previous year.
In January 2019, Taira-Julia Lammi, CEO of ABB Kft. Hungary, was recognized as the “Expat CEO of the Year 2019”, while in 2018 it was Marc de Bastos Eckstein, CEO of thyssenkrupp Components Technology Hungary Kft., in 2017 it was Jörg Bauer, of GE Hungary, in 2016 it was Jost Ernst Lammers, of Budapest Airport Zrt., and in 2015 it was Javier González Pareja, of Bosch Magyarország.
Over the years the Hungarian Investment Promotion Agency Local Partnership Award has been presented to: Kannan Prabhakar, Chief, Projects of Apollo Tyres Hungary Kft. (2019); Frank Müller, Head of the Regional Office of VW Group Eastern Europe (2018); Ekkehard Günter Philipp, CFO of Mercedes-Benz Manufacturing Hungary (2017); Naoyuki Takeuchi, CEO of Magyar Suzuki Zrt. (2016); and Kersten Bachmann, CEO of TAKATA Safety Systems Hungary Kft. (2015), in recognition of their firms’ use of local suppliers.
The independent jury members’ expertise strengthens the high quality of the Award. Among the members are leaders of bilateral chambers and international business development organizations with outstanding experience both in international and domestic economic life, complemented by the prize winner of the previous year and the CEO of Budapest Business Journal.
Jury members are charged with nominating expat CEOs for the award based on the following criteria:
- Innovative skills
- Successes on domestic and international markets
- Being a prominent and committed representative of his or her mother country in Hungary
- Their impact on Hungary’s economic life
- The CEO must have lived in Hungary for at least two years
- The financial results of the company represented by the CEO must be positive
Jury responsible for deciding on the 2019 winner:
BBJ Expat CEO of the Year:
HIPA Local Partnership Award:
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The dress code is black-tie: black tuxedo for men with a bow tie, evening wear for women (long or cocktail dress).
- Marc de Bastos Eckstein, CEO of thyssenkrupp Components Technology Hungary Kft.
- Írisz Lippai-Nagy, CEO of the American Chamber of Commerce in Hungary
- Dale A. Martin, President of the German-Hungarian Chamber of Industry and Commerce, and President and CEO of Siemens Hungary
- Balázs Román, CEO of the BBJ
- Róbert Ésik, President of the Hungarian Invenstment Promotion Agency
When registering, please let us know about any special dietary requirements.
Registration to the event is open to those who have received a personal invitation to the BBJ Expat CEO of the Year Gala via email. Please note that only by giving a written confirmation of your registration here will you be entitled to attend the Gala. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact us at event@bbj.hu.
The venue of the Expat CEO of the Year Gala 2019 is the Grand Ballroom of the Corinthia Hotel Budapest.
Website: www.corinthia.com/hotels/budapest/
Address: Budapest, Erzsébet krt. 43, 1073 Hungary
Parking is possible on site at the hotel garage (spaces permitting) according to the parking rates of the Corinthia Hotel Budapest.