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The nearly 35-year-old organization celebrated outstanding figures of Hungarian business life together with more than 330 guests. This year’s gala was also a milestone event, as the association presented the 100th award in its history.
Through its trademark-protected Manager of the Year Awards, the Hungarian Association of Executives says it aims not only to represent the interests of senior executives but also to draw attention to their outstanding work and the important role they play in economic and social life.
“The Hungarian Association of Executives entered a period of renewal and development a few months ago. Building on our previous results and traditions, with a more professional focus, a strong intention to build community, and the development of international relations and cooperation, we aim to develop and shape the mindset of Hungarian leaders and the visibility of their achievements through the sharing of best practices. The Manager of the Year Awards Gala is the most important flagship of this mission, and we are proud to carry its legacy forward,” said Péter Noszek, president of the Hungarian Association of Executives.
Ibolya Gothárdi, managing director of the association, said the presentation of the 100th award was one of the highlights of this year’s gala.
“Having reached such an outstanding and symbolic milestone, we look back with good feelings on the past 31 years of the association: with 100 awards, we have recognized 100 exceptional leaders who have had an impact not only on the business sector but also on wider society. We are proud that among our awardees we can count globally recognized leaders, mentors and a recently appointed minister,” she said.
The Hungarian Association of Executives’ Manager of the Year Award for 2025 went to Dr. István Szászi, head of Bosch Group in Hungary and the Adriatic region. The award was presented by Noszek.
Szászi began his career in research, with a passion for vehicle dynamics. He has been with Bosch for 20 years and is now responsible for Hungary and the Adriatic region. Since 2019, he has led the Budapest development center, which under his leadership has become one of the key locations for electromobility and future automotive technologies.
The Manager of the Year Lifetime Achievement Award, presented jointly by the Hungarian Association of Executives and Gránit Bank, went to Dr. Sándor Csányi, chairman of OTP Bank. The award was presented by Éva Hegedüs, chair and CEO of Gránit Bank Zrt.
Csányi has been regarded as one of the most influential Hungarian and international business leaders for three decades. He took over the leadership of OTP Bank in 1992 and built a regional financial group from a state-owned bank in a manner unique in the former Eastern Bloc. Today, OTP has 17.5 million customers in 11 countries. Csányi also holds leading roles in several areas of economic and sporting life.
The Manager of the Year Female Manager Special Award, presented jointly by the association and Bayer Hungária, went to Zsuzsanna Ortutay, chair of the management board of INA – Industrija nafte d.d. The award was presented by Tünde Sáli, CFO of Bayer Hungária Kft.
Ortutay has more than two decades of experience in the region’s energy sector. From 2019, she served as CEO of MOL Group Business Solutions, and in 2023 she was appointed chair of the management board of INA, where she placed cooperation between INA and MOL on a new foundation. As a leader, she focuses on sustainability, international cooperation and supporting female executives.
The Manager of the Year for Society Special Award, presented jointly by the association and E.ON, went to Péter Horn, managing director of B. Braun in Hungary. The award was presented by Attila Kiss, senior vice president at E.ON.
Horn joined B. Braun Hungary 30 years ago at the start of his career. Today, as a leader, he participates in the development of a nationwide dialysis network that provides care to thousands of kidney patients in 18 centers. Social responsibility is important to him, and under his leadership B. Braun supports several social and health care initiatives. As a leader, he believes people must always be at the center of his work.
The Blue Innovation Special Award, presented jointly by the Hungarian Association of Executives and Volkswagen, went to Tamás Jeránek, CEO of Siemens Zrt. The award was presented by Zoltán Papp, Volkswagen passenger cars brand director at Porsche Hungaria Kft. In Jeránek’s absence, the award was accepted by Márk Arató, head of communications at Siemens Zrt.
Before being appointed CEO of Siemens Zrt. in 2021, Jeránek had been responsible for the company’s Digital Industries business for nine years, helping make it one of the domestic pioneers of industrial digitalization. He is committed to moving toward data- and AI-based operations. His work shows that innovation is not only a theory, but can also produce measurable, real business results.
The Young Manager of the Year Award, presented jointly by the association and LegitiMo Legal Protection Insurance Zrt., went to Bence Buday, deputy CEO of Wallis Asset Management Zrt. The award was presented by György Szabó, CEO of LegitiMo.
Buday began his career at McKinsey & Company and later completed an MBA in Singapore. At Vodafone, he participated in the acquisition of UPC Hungary and the preparation of its integration. He joined Wallis Group in 2020 and has served as deputy CEO of Wallis Asset Management Zrt. since 2023.
The Manager of the Year for an Environmentally Conscious Economy Special Award, presented jointly by the association and Linde Gáz Magyarország, went to Ákos Lukács, partner for climate change and sustainability services at EY Hungary. The award was presented by Ákos Hegedüs, CEO of Linde Gáz Magyarország Zrt.
Lukács has been shaping the scientific, economic and business practice of sustainability for more than 20 years. As a climate policy expert, he participated in the negotiations on the 2015 Paris climate agreement and also represented Hungary in the United Nations climate change body. Since 2022, he has led EY’s climate change and sustainability business. He believes environmental awareness and sustainability represent a concrete competitive advantage for companies.
The Future Manager Special Award, presented jointly by the association and Foxconn Group, went to Dr. Gábor Honti, CEO of EHISZ Zrt. The award was presented by Gábor Németh, deputy vice president responsible for operations and business areas at Foxconn Group.
Honti began leading EHISZ Zrt., a company with more than 70 years of history, at the age of 22. As the new head of a significant player in the paper and packaging industry, he made quick and deliberate decisions, renewed the commercial team, opened new markets and expanded the company’s portfolio with complex engineering solutions.
The Manager of the Year for Business Culture Special Award, presented jointly by the association and KPMG Hungary, went to József Keleti, CEO of United Platforms. The award was presented by Gabriella Liptay, marketing and communications director at KPMG.
Keleti introduced full pay transparency at his company in 2024, a move considered pioneering in Hungary. He has since regularly shared his experience at professional conferences, inspiring others.
Recommendations in all nine categories were made by nearly 15 partner organizations of the Hungarian Association of Executives, the association’s presidency and management, the president of the nomination committee, Dr. György Beck, members of the committee, and last year’s award winners.
As every year, recommendations were handled confidentially by the management without the knowledge of the nominees, and background materials were prepared for the nomination committee. Based on the committee’s scoring, three nominees per category were submitted to the association’s presidency without ranking.
Following a half-year nomination and decision-making process, the presidency decided by secret vote who would be recognized as the most outstanding leaders of 2025 in each category.
The beneficiary of this year’s charity collection at the 31st Manager of the Year Awards Gala was the HiSchool Foundation.
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