Launched a year and a half ago by OTP Bank and Corvinus University of Budapest, the mentoring programme offers second– and third-year undergraduate or master’s students studying economics or finance the opportunity to gain first-hand experience of the everyday work of middle and senior managers, the corporate culture of a multinational company, and the workings of the banking sector. Corvinus students gain insight into the operation of the company, business etiquette, report writing, meetings, professional training sessions, and negotiation techniques. They have the chance to ask questions, learn, gather experience, and build valuable professional networks. This spring semester, the programme involved 15 mentor-mentee pairs. During the closing event on 18 June at the OTP M12 office building, students gave short presentations about what they gained from the mentoring sessions over the past months. 

In his opening remarks, András Becsei, Deputy CEO of OTP Bank, reflected on how much his own mentor’s career advice meant to him at the beginning of his professional journey—and how he still keeps in touch with them to this day. Now, decades later, he himself often takes on the role of mentor, which he truly enjoys: meaningful conversations with Corvinus students are energising and inspiring. He also expressed his delight that his alma mater’s top students and OTP Bank have now partnered for the mentoring programme for the third time. 

From Corvinus, Rector Bruno van Pottelsberghe welcomed the attendees. He emphasized that both OTP Bank and Corvinus are leading institutions in their fields, striving for continuous innovation and committed to attracting top talent. According to the Rector, ensuring internationally competitive economic education requires students to gain real-world insights into current market processes. For employers in the financial sector, it’s equally beneficial to develop a real-time understanding of the capabilities and expectations of future employees. That is why Bruno van Pottelsberghe considers the joint mentoring programme a valuable and mutually beneficial collaboration. 

Judit Nagy, Vice-Rector for Student Affairs, congratulated the participating students and expressed her gratitude to the dedicated mentors from OTP. She highlighted that at Corvinus, beyond delivering theoretical knowledge, there is a strong emphasis on providing students with practical experience during their university years to support their early career development. 

Almost every student participating in this year’s programme emphasized in their presentations that they gained many new practical insights, a broad understanding of how the banking sector works, and valuable professional contacts to help them launch their careers. 

“Our mentoring programme is flexible – the exact schedule is largely shaped by the mentee’s interests, and we try to tailor the mentoring sessions accordingly. I believe this is especially true for this programme: what you put in is what you’ll get out of it,” said Dávid Széles, Senior Chapter Lead of Beyond Banking at OTP Bank and one of the programme’s mentors. 

Over the past few months, Dávid mentored Bánk Kozma, a third-year International Business student. Bánk applied to the programme because he felt it would be valuable for both his professional and personal development to learn from an experienced professional. He specifically chose to join because he was interested in the field of beyond banking – and says that through the programme, he gained extensive new knowledge about the daily workings of the banking sector as well as valuable professional connections. 

“I was genuinely surprised and impressed by how much time OTP’s busy middle and senior managers dedicated to us, and how they shaped the mentoring sessions to align with our personal interests,” said Bánk, who was even invited by his mentor to take part in the ongoing strategic planning process within the beyond banking division. 

To future applicants, Bánk recommends doing some research beforehand to explore which banking areas might interest them, and to complete their application form accordingly. That way, they are more likely to be matched with a mentor who can meaningfully contribute to their development in that specific area.