He is known for combining full P&L leadership with hands-on operational execution — building high-performing teams, improving performance at scale, and translating innovation (AI, automation, and advanced manufacturing) into measurable growth.

He has held senior global leadership roles at MSCI and EPAM, including expanding MSCI’s Budapest operations from 30 to 600 employees, launching many global offices, and helping deploy an AI strategy across enterprises.

Today, he serves as Advisor to the President of Masterplast and CEO of Masterplast Masterhouse, partnering with the CEO and board to accelerate international expansion, standardize performance models, and develop the M&A pipeline — while also building the company’s volumetric modular construction business.

Ákos has served since 2024 as President of the American Chamber of Commerce in Hungary and sits on the Corporate & Institutional Council at Corvinus University. He is fluent in Hungarian, English, German, and Swiss German, and holds an MBA from Purdue University, an MSc from Central European University, and a BA in Economics.
 

1. Where did you grow up?

I grew up in Budapest and spent the last three years of elementary school in Vienna, which gave me early exposure to different cultures. My parents divorced when I was young, but my mother and stepfather created a supportive and inspiring environment.

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

I’ve lived in several cities — Vienna, London, Munich, Zurich, Hong Kong, New York, Minneapolis — and experienced very different environments.

If I had to choose one, it would still be New York. The energy and ambition are unmatched. You feel that ideas can scale quickly if you’re willing to push.

That said, Portugal and Spain — especially Madeira and Tenerife — are very close to my heart. If New York is acceleration, the Atlantic islands are perspective.

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

Hungary is a great place to live — beautiful cities, strong talent, rich culture. What I would miss most is the Hungarian mindset.

The language shapes how we think. There’s resilience, irony, and intellectual sharpness that’s hard to translate. It’s something you only fully understand from the inside.

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

We’d start with a long walk along the Danube and through the Castle District. Budapest needs to be experienced on foot.

I’d also take them to Aquincum — it’s powerful to stand among Roman ruins and feel how long this city has mattered. Then a proper thermal bath, great Hungarian food, serious wine, and long conversations. Budapest is not just a city you visit — it’s one you absorb.

5. What is your favourite food?

Jókai babgulyás and Hortobágyi húsos palacsinta.

They’re rich, layered, unapologetically Hungarian. I love Mediterranean cuisine as well, but if you want to understand Hungary emotionally, start with paprika and slow cooking.

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

I enjoy cycling and skiing — both give movement and mental clarity. Skiing especially demands focus and presence.

When I build the habit (really :D), I also enjoy gym training and running. For me, it’s more about discipline and reset than competition.

7. What is your favourite place in Hungary?

 Tihany. Standing on the peninsula overlooking Lake Balaton is almost meditative. It offers perspective — peaceful but full of history.

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

As a child, I wanted to be a historian or a chef. History explains systems; cooking creates something immediate.

Today, I’d probably choose something interdisciplinary like bioengineering — a field where technology, biology, and systems thinking intersect.

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

I believe there are explorers, builders, and settlers. I’m a decent explorer, a committed builder — and a terrible settler.

Anything focused purely on maintaining the status quo wouldn’t suit me. My energy comes from building.

10. Where did you spend your last vacation?

Gran Canaria.

Volcanic landscapes and the Atlantic horizon create perspective. A good vacation combines exploration, reflection, and distance from routine.

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

Japan.

The combination of deep tradition and technological sophistication fascinates me. I’m curious about the cultural precision and craftsmanship.

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

I wasn’t driven by music trends. I was fascinated by early software and creative digital design. Experimenting with programming felt like creating something from nothing.

13. Apart from temptation, what can’t you resist?

New ideas and intellectual curiosity. If I encounter a new concept, I want to understand how it works structurally.

14. Red wine or white?

White in the summer, red in the winter. Context matters.
 

15. Book or movie?

It depends on the mood.

I’m re-reading A Short History of Financial Euphoria by John Kenneth Galbraith — a reminder that human psychology rarely changes in finance. And I’m looking forward to watching the new sesion For All Mankind. I enjoy stories about technological ambition and alternative futures.

16. Morning person or night person?

Both, depending on the day. Late nights are good for deep thinking; early mornings are powerful for focus.

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

Artificial intelligence and its mid-term societal impact.

The key question is whether we shape AI consciously and responsibly — particularly in education and employment — rather than simply reacting to it.

18. Buda or Pest side?

I grew up in Pest but have spent the past two decades in Buda or abroad. Each side has its rhythm — crossing the Danube sometimes feels like changing perspective.

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

I don’t think in terms of single achievements. For me, the journey matters more than the milestone. Building, learning, evolving — that continuity is what counts.

20. What is your personal motto?

Curiosity builds the future.  

When you understand systems deeply and keep asking questions, you don’t just adapt to the future — you help shape it.