International Corporate and Institutional Council
The mission of the Council is to serve as a dynamic bridge between academia, society and industry, empowering Corvinus University to lead in shaping the future of education and employment. By channeling cutting-edge trends, market expectations, and innovative perspectives, the International Corporate and Institutional Council supports forward-looking strategies that drive progressive transformation. Together, we aim to ensure that Corvinus University remains ahead of what’s ahead, fostering a new generation of international talent equipped to thrive in a rapidly evolving global landscape.
The International Corporate & Institutional Council will be working closely together with the Corvinus International Advisory Board comprising some of the most prestigious senior thought leaders of the international academic and research community, providing an exclusive space for the members of these two councils for the exchange of thoughts and close collaboration.
Chair of the Council
Melanie Seymour
Melanie is the Global Head of Client Experience at BlackRock in London, bringing over 30 years of experience in finance and banking.
She has held senior roles in technology, operations, and change management, as well as running her own business. Since 2017, she has been the Head of BlackRock Budapest, where she led the establishment and expansion of the company’s presence in Hungary.
Melanie is a member of the Advisory Board of HUN-REN, the Hungarian Research Network, supporting advancements in research and innovation. In recognition of her contributions to the modernization and development of the Hungarian economy, she was awarded the Knight’s Cross of the Order of Merit of Hungary in 2018. Her leadership continues to drive progress in both the financial services sector and corporate responsibility initiatives globally.
Members of the Council
Imre Bertalan
Imre Bertalan is the Executive Director of the Human Resource Management Directorate at OTP Bank Nyrt.
He is one of the 20 most influential HR leaders in Hungary. He is responsible for more than 10,000 employees in Hungary, and his decisions impact a group of 40,000 employees. After obtaining his university degree, he worked for various financial institutions, including abroad, and gained extensive professional knowledge. He has been working at OTP Bank's Budapest headquarters since 2017, and prior to that, he led OTP Banka Srbija, the Serbian subsidiary of OTP Bank, for six years.
Imre Bertalan holds a degree from the Marx Károly University of Economic Science (the predecessor of Corvinus University of Budapest). Throughout his career, he has focused on driving HR strategies and leadership development within the financial sector, particularly at OTP Bank.
Gábor Orbán
Gábor Orbán is the Chief Executive Officer at Gedeon Richter Plc.
He has over 20 years of experience in the financial and pharmaceutical sectors, holding senior roles in economics, investments, and strategic management. Throughout his career, he has been involved in shaping corporate strategies and overseeing large-scale financial projects, particularly in the pharmaceutical industry.
Gábor earned his degree from the Budapest University of Economic Sciences and Public Administration and furthered his education in the United States. He has a strong background in economic and financial strategy, which has contributed to the success and growth of Gedeon Richter. In addition to his leadership role, Gábor is actively engaged in mentorship programs and supports initiatives aimed at enhancing diversity and leadership development within the business community.
Evelin Ducsai
Evelin is Managing Director, the Global Head of Cash Services Operations for Citibank and holds the Senior Manager position for Operations (COO) for the Citi legal entities in the United Kingdom, and Executive Director for the Citigroup Global Markets Limited and Citibank NA London Branch.
She has over 25 years of experience in the telecommunications and banking sectors, holding senior roles in technology, operations, and change management. In her global role, she manages teams across the globe and provides services to all geographies Citi has presence in.
Evelin earned her degree from Corvinus University of Budapest in 2001 and have completed several executive development courses at Wharton Executive Education, Stanford University Graduate School of Business and UC Berkeley.
Throughout her career, she has been committed to leadership development and the advancement of women in leadership positions. She started several of the Citi Women Network chapters, sponsoring the Disability and Neurodiversity Network in the UK and mentoring both Hungarian and international talents, and actively promotes initiatives that support diversity, equity, and inclusion in the financial sector.
Ákos Janza
Ákos is the President of the American Chamber of Commerce in Hungary (AmCham Hungary) and serves as Managing Director, AI & HR Lead, and Global Head of Offices at MSCI. He will serve MSCI until July 1st, after which he will join Masterplast Nyrt., a leading Central European manufacturer of construction materials, as Head of Enterprise Transformation and CEO of their volumetric modular business.
He has over 20 years of experience in financial services, holding senior roles in enterprise transformation and operational management. In his global role, he plays a key part in driving organizational efficiency and fostering innovation.
Ákos earned his MBA from Purdue University and from Central European University. Throughout his career, he has been dedicated to advancing business transformation and leadership development, contributing to the evolution of corporate best practices. His passion for mentoring and empowering future leaders has significantly shaped the next generation of professionals in the financial services industry.
Dr. Tawfik Jelassi
Dr. Jelassi is the Assistant Director-General for Communication and Information at UNESCO, overseeing programs on freedom of expression, media development, digital transformation, and inclusive knowledge societies.
He has over 35 years of experience across academia, government, and the corporate sector, holding leadership roles in education, technology, and public policy. He previously served as Tunisia's Minister of Higher Education, Scientific Research, and ICT, driving national digital transformation initiatives. Prior to that, he was Chairman of the Board of Directors of Ooredoo Tunisia, the leading mobile telecom operator in the country. He also was Professor of strategy and technology Management at IMD (Lausanne) and INSEAD (Fontainebleau) as well as Dean of Ecole des Ponts Business School (Paris).
Dr. Jelassi earned his Ph.D. in Information Systems from New York University. Throughout his career, he has been committed to fostering innovation, knowledge accessibility, and the ethical development of digital ecosystems. He has been a key advocate for the role of digital technologies in promoting sustainable development and has worked on initiatives to enhance access to information and education worldwide.
Tamás Kádár
Tamás is the co-founder and CEO of SEON, a fraud prevention company established in 2017 to combat online fraud through digital footprint analysis. Initially, Tamás and Bence Jendruszák founded a cryptocurrency startup, where they experienced relentless fraud attacks that threatened their business’s survival. Confronted with an industry burdened by slow, costly, and cumbersome anti-fraud solutions that compromised customer experiences, they founded SEON to solve these challenges. Under Tamás’s leadership, SEON has grown into a global company, serving clients such as Revolut, Patreon, and Mollie. SEON’s team includes many recent graduates from Corvinus University of Budapest, reinforcing Tamás’s strong connection to the institution.Tamás earned his bachelor’s degree in ICT Business Analysis from Corvinus University of Budapest. Throughout his career, he has been committed to fostering innovation in fraud prevention and supporting young talent in the technology sector.
Nika Kurdiani
Nika is the CEO of TBC Uzbekistan and a member of TBC Bank Group’s Executive Committee, bringing over 20 years of experience in fintech and banking.
He held senior roles at UniCredit Group and Kaspi Bank before joining TBC Bank in 2014. Since then, he has led key initiatives, including the development of the digital banking platform "Space" and the bank’s international expansion efforts. Under his leadership, TBC Group entered Uzbekistan market where it has grown to serve 18 million customers in less than 5 years.
Nika was a member of the advisory board of the IE Business School in Madrid for five years, contributing to discussions on higher education and career development in CIS markets. He holds an MBA from IE Business School, an MSc in International Economics from Georgian Technical University, and has completed executive programs at Stanford and IMD.
Lana Faust Križan
Lana is Group Human Resources Senior Vice President at MOL Group, responsible for the company’s strategic people agenda since 2021.
She began her career with MOL as a Learning & Development expert in 2010 at INA, Croatia, member part of MOL Group. Two years later, she moved to the headquarters to fulfill various group roles, incl. Head of Group Downstream and Upstream HR Business Partnering. In her current role, she is responsible for implementing the people aspects of MOL Group's "Shape Tomorrow 2030+" strategy, focusing on attracting, retaining, and developing the workforce, with a special emphasis on talents.
Lana holds a master's degree in psychology from the University of Zagreb, CIPD professional diploma in HR Management, coaching degree and is NLP Master Practitioner. Throughout her career, she has been dedicated to fostering leadership development and enhancing corporate HR strategies.
Kitti Dobi
Kitti graduated from the Budapest University of Economics and Business Administration with a degree in Corporate Finance and a distinction.
She started her career in 2003 as a regional manager, responsible for various HR processes at Procter & Gamble. She gained international experience in HR management through further training in human resources and management in Geneva, Switzerland and Cincinnati, USA. From 2008 to 2010, she managed the development of Vodafone's international operations centre and then continued as Head of HR Processes. She obtained her OPP international MBTI coach qualification in Oxford and continued her work as a lecturer and HR management module leader at the International Business School.
From 2010 to 2014, as HR Director for the European and African Service Centres of BP's Global Services organisation (a subsidiary of British Petrol), she led the development of the company's international HR service units in Europe and Asia. Between 2014 and 2016, she was Head of HR Service Management, Account Management and Client Management in Eastern Europe at Alexander Mann Solutions. From 2016 she was Managing Director for Human Resources at MKB Bank Plc. and MKB Financial Group, and from 2021 Deputy CEO and Chief Human Resources Officer at Magyar Bankholding Zrt.
During this time, she applied for and completed the Senior HR Executive Training at Harvard Business School and obtained a qualification in HR Executive Education at the Michigan Ross School of Business.
Since May 2023, she has been Chief Human Resources Officer at MBH Bank.
Mohamed ElSayad
Mohamed is the Chief Business Development & Innovation Officer at 4iG Plc., a leading Hungarian telecommunications and IT company.
He joined 4iG in April 2023, bringing extensive experience from the telecommunications sector. Prior to this role, he served as the Chief Commercial Officer at Yettel Hungary (formerly Telenor Hungary) from 2018 to 2023, where he played a key role in the company’s rebranding and commercial transformation. Before that, he was the Marketing Director at Magyar Telekom between 2015 and 2018, overseeing strategic product development and customer experience initiatives.
In his current role at 4iG, Mohamed is responsible for shaping the company’s commercial strategies and leading the rebranding of Vodafone Hungary to One. Throughout his career, he has been dedicated to driving innovation, enhancing customer engagement, and transforming the telecommunications landscape in Central and Eastern Europe.
Melinda Szabó
Melinda is the CEO of Slovak Telekom and T-Mobile Czech Republic, leading strategic growth and digital transformation in the region.
With over 25 years of experience in the telecommunications industry, she has held senior leadership roles across Deutsche Telekom and Magyar Telekom, focusing on commercial excellence and customer experience. Before her current role, she served as Senior Vice President for Commercial Growth B2C Europe (including 10 countries) at Deutsche Telekom Group's European Headquarters, driving growth, transformation, digitalization and customer experience.
Melinda holds a degree in Marketing Economics and an MBA from Webster University and Szent István University. Throughout her career, she has been committed to driving innovation in telecommunications, improving digital customer journeys, and fostering leadership development in the industry.
Benjámin Lakatos
Benjamin Lakatos is the Chairman and CEO, as well as the majority shareholder of Swiss-based MET Group, an integrated European energy company. In 2001, he started his energy industry career by managing corporate mergers and acquisitions at MOL Group in Budapest. Recognising the possibilities inherent in the European liberalisation of the natural gas market, he developed a new business strategy and launched MET in 2007 with a small team of experts. Under his direction, the Group grew to become an independent, management-owned company that now conducts its business on 31 national natural gas markets and at 44 international trading hubs, through 17 European and Asian subsidiaries. Today, MET Group is one of Europe’s fastest-growing energy companies.
