Brunó Bitter, Leading Instructor - Digital Marketing, CEU Business School

  • 25 Feb 2016 11:00 AM
Brunó Bitter, Leading Instructor - Digital Marketing, CEU Business School
Brunó Bitter is a digital transformation and branding expert, founder and CEO at award-winning digital agency Next Wave Europe (nextwaveeurope.com) and senior partner at Kaikaku Consulting. He is adjunct professor in marketing (MBA studies and Breakthrough Program) at the Business School of the Central European University and visiting lecturer at Corvinus University's IMEC Program.

Brunó's background covers 12+ years in the brand marketing and communications industry, 8+ years of experience in the agency world and over 7 years of experience in strategy and management as CEO. He has worked with some of the most demanding brands in the world, including Nike, Coca-Cola, L'Oréal Paris, UPC and IBM. He holds an MA from ELTE Budapest and is a proud alumnus of the Berlin School of Creative Leadership's Cannes Creative Leadership Program.

1. Where did you grow up?
I was born in Budapest and now live in Budapest but in-between it was more geographically complicated. When I was 4 my family moved to West Germany and my first memories are actually from this small German town called Landau (a stone throw away from Karlsruhe and Heidelberg). We lived there for a year and I vividly remember the "AC/DC" graffiti on the wall of my Kindergarten. When I was 11 we moved to the USA and I went to Middle School in Pearl River, Rockland County, which is a suburb of New York City - Manhattan was about 40 minutes away. We returned to Budapest after the first free elections in 1990 (we often joke these days what a mistake we made). Later, during my university years I did some more expatting, living in Jerusalem and Utrecht for a while. Most recently, I spent almost enough time in Berlin to start calling myself an expat but didn't make it that far. Ultimately, I consider myself a citizen of the world but I love Budapest and chose to live here consciously.

2. If you could be an expat anywhere in the world, where would you choose?
Probably Sydney, Australia but I'd need shorter flights.

3. What would you miss most if you moved away from Hungary?
Having an average of two degrees of separation with everybody. However, I'd probably enjoy the loss of this the most too.

4. Friends are in Budapest for a weekend - what must they absolutely see and do?
Szimpla Farmer's Market. Rudas Bath. A38 Boat. Gresham Palace. BuBi bikes. Budavár Sikló (Funicular). Jewish District. Sunday Brunch at LeMeridien.

5. What is your favourite food?
Fruits. Oh and sushi.

6. What is your favourite sport / form of exercise?
Chess and swimming.

7. What is your favourite place in Hungary?
It's a tie between Katona József Színház and Zeneakadémia.

8. What career other than yours would you love to pursue?
Airbn'b host, museum educator, watch consultant, rabbi.

9. What’s a job you would definitely never want?
Soldier, politician, plumber.

10. Where did you spend your last vacation?
The "royal free city" of Rust, a charming little wine town in Burgenland, Austria.

11. Where do you hope to spend your next one?
Krk Island, Croatia.

12. What was your favourite band, film, or hobby as a teen?
Band: Red Hot Chili Peppers. Film: Dead Man (Jim Jarmusch). Hobby: smoking weed probably but I don't remember. ;)

13. Apart of temptation what can’t you resist?
Antibiotics and The Dark Side of the Force.

14. Red wine or white?
White prosecco.

15. Book or movie?
Book.

16. Morning person or night person?
Night.

17. Which social issue do you feel most strongly about?
Individualism.

18. Buda or Pest side?
To paraphrase, if you're not living in Pest in your 20's you've got no heart. If you're not living in Buda by your 40's you've got no brain.

19. Which achievement in your life are you most pleased about?
Making it through high school and my two kids!

20. What would you say is your personal motto?
Looking for not the truth about something, but the strongest version of it.

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