Expat CEO of the Year Award
The BBJ Expat CEO of the Year Gala is one of the most prestigious annual events in Hungary. On that evening the Expat CEO of the Year Award is presented to a company head chosen from among a pool of what amounts to several hundred expat leaders.
In receiving the award, the chosen CEO is recognized as the most successful foreign leader in the past year. Success here means that they contribute at an exceptional level to the economic development of Hungary, and that within their Hungarian organization they show a great example to their employees and also their peers within the expat community.
The award is now a tradition; it has been granted every year since 2015. The idea to create an award that would be given as exclusive recognition for their efforts to the most outstanding CEO of the year, came from the Budapest Business Journal.
“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 Budapest Business Journal.
The Expat CEO of the Year Award
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 Hungary Kft., was recognized as the “Expat CEO of the Year 2019”, while in 2018 the title went to Marc de Bastos Eckstein, CEO of thyssenkrupp Components Technology Hungary Kft. In 2017, it was Jörg Bauer, then of GE Hungary, in 2016 it was Jost Ernst Lammers, of Budapest Airport Zrt., and the inaugural award was presented in to Javier González Pareja, of Bosch Magyarország.
Over the years the Hungarian Investment Promotion Agency’s Local Partnership Award has been presented to: Kannan Prabhakar, projects chief 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 Kft. (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 in their value chain.
The independent jury members’ expertise strengthens the high quality of the award. It is comprised of 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 the 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 the 2020 winner:
2020 WINNER OF BBJ EXPAT CEO OF THE YEAR
On January 31, 2020, Melanie Seymour was revealed as the winner of the BBJ Expat CEO of the Year 2020 award at our exclusive gala.
Congratulation to the Winner!
2020 LIST OF NOMINEES REVEALED
On October 4, 2019, the jury successfully chose the three nominees for the BBJ Expat CEO of the Year 2020 award. The winner will be announced on the night of the gala on January 31, 2020.
The Shortlist
EXPAT CEO OF THE YEAR GALA
Video Gallery:
2020:
2019:
2018:
Photo Gallery:
2020:
2019:
2018:
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Dress-code
The dress code is black-tie: black tuxedo for men with a bow tie, evening wear for women (long ball gown or cocktail dress).
Food allergy, special diet
When registering, please let us know about any special dietary requirements.
Registration process
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.
Venue
The venue of the Expat CEO of the Year Gala 2020 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.
