She is the former president of the Autism Europe, led the association for 8 years. In these years she was working with WHO as an autism expert and promoted the right of autistic people all over the world, including in the UN.

 Zsuzsanna is also the former president of the Hungarian Autistic Society, she got this position for four years and has played a key role in advocating for the rights of people with autism in Hungary. During her presidency the state implemented a National Autism Strategy.

In the last few years she was involved in a huge deinstitutionalisation project in Hungary, hired by the Hungarian Charity Service of Order of Malta, where as a director she led a large social institution through a deinstitutionalisation.

Ms. Szilvasy is the founder & director of Mars Autism Foundation in Hungary. The Foundation is supporting families with autistic family member in many ways (trainings, advocacy, awareness raising materials and programmes).

Zsuzsanna is a proud mother of two amazing young adults, one of them is on the autism spectrum.

1. Where did you grow up?

Ah, Eger. Nestled at the foot of the Bükk hill in North-East Hungary, it was basically a postcard come to life – minus the filter.

2. If you could be an expat anywhere in the world, where would you choose?

Been there, done that, got the well-stamped passport. Used to live as an expat in Vienna, Istanbul, Lima, Buenos Aires. But if you're offering a redo? Ireland, or southern Spain.

3. What would you miss most if you moved away from Hungary?

Túró rudi for sure.
I love to live in Hungary. It is a beautiful country, with a reach history, culture and architecture, so I would miss that too. Plus, you know, those things called friends and family. I missed them before, and I have a feeling they'd notice if I vanished again.

4. Friends are in Budapest for a weekend - what must they absolutely see and do?

I know, that walk across the Chain Bridge over the Danube, climb up to the Buda castle, visit the Opera house, spending an afternoon in Széchenyi Bath, tasting amazing wine in a trendy restaurant, and visit the party quarter at the night sounds a big cliché. While I might secretly roll my eyes, I also know my foreign friends get a thrill from these iconic spots. So yes, they'll do the "cliché tour," and they'll love every minute of it.

5. What is your favourite food?

Juhtúrós sztrapacska 😊

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

Running. Not for the races. For me, it's a mental escape, a place where stress evaporates, and brilliant (or at least slightly less terrible) ideas take root. Consider it my mobile think tank.

7. What is your favourite place in Hungary?

Metropolitan Ervin Szabó Library.

8. What career other than yours would you love to pursue?

If I weren't doing this fascinating thing I'm doing now (which, let's be honest, is pretty great), I'd happily spend my days surrounded by masterpieces as a museum curator or art acquisitor. I love contemporary art, especially the “Blaue Reiter” group (Kandinsky, Franz Mark) and the New York School (Rothko, Jackson Pollock).

9. What’s a job you would definitely never want?

Anything involving more paperwork than a Kafka novel. Bureaucracy is my nightmare.

10. Where did you spend your last vacation?

Cyprus

11. Where do you hope to spend your next one?

South Spain. The plan is delightfully vague: just me, the open road, and the thrill of getting lost. No itinerary, no deadlines, just see, sunshine and the promise of unexpected tapas.

12. What was your favourite band, film, or hobby as a teen?

I created my own wardrobe, sewed my clothes. Forget fast fashion, I was my own personal designer. And as a member of “film club” in the high school, I had access to the cinematic classics. Watched the movie Tess of the d’Urbervilles (the original) repeatedly and loved Audry Hepburn’s movies.

13. Apart of temptation what can't you resist?

Good books. Good food.

14. Red wine or white?

White.

15. Book or movie?

Books are where the real magic happens.

16. Morning person or night person?

Definitely a morning person. The early bird gets the worm and gets to enjoy the blissful silence before the world (not to mention family) fully wakes up and starts demanding things.

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

The well-being and equal rights of individuals with autism. It's a cause close to my heart, especially through the work of the Mars Autism Foundation. 

18. Buda or Pest side?

Having experienced the best of both worlds, I can confidently say: Pest. It's where the energy is, the cool cafes are. Buda's nice for a view, though.

19. Which achievement in your life are you most pleased about?

While presenting at the UN Headquarter in New York about autism – twice, might I add – was undeniably a career highlight, the real source of pride is the Mars Foundation. Building it from the ground up and seeing the tangible support it provides to families? That's an achievement that truly matters.

20. What would you say is your personal motto? 

“Impossible is just a big word thrown around by small men who find it easier to live in the world they’ve been given than to explore the power they have to change it. Impossible is not a fact. It’s an opinion. Impossible is not a declaration. It’s a dare. Impossible is potential. Impossible is temporary. Impossible is nothing.” /Muhammad Ali/