The American Chamber of Commerce in Hungary (AmCham) celebrated its 35th anniversary on June 7 with a prestigious Gala. The event welcomed over 400 guests, including members and partners, from top investors and government leaders, U.S. Embassy representatives to think-tanks, and academia.
Impressive opening
The anniversary gala was opened by Írisz Lippai-Nagy, CEO and Zoltán Szabó, President of AmCham Hungary, who, after looking back to our journey reminded the audience of the power of collective action. Our community is working to make Hungary “a more competitive economy and essentially a better place to live for us and the generations to follow." – said AmCham President Szabó.
The event featured two keynote addresses presented by János Bóka, Minister for EU Affairs of Hungary and David Pressman, U.S. Ambassador to Hungary.
This was followed by an insightful discussion by the representatives of our Anniversary partner, GE celebrating also 35 years in Hungary. Moderator, Eszter Farnady, Eastern European Director of Project Management at GE Healthcare was joined by Zoltán Gábor Horváth, Global Supply Chain Development Leader at GE Vernova & Managing Director of GE Hungary Kft., Jutas Földvári, Managing Director of GE HealthCare, Central Eastern Europe, and Steve Edwards, Executive Plant Leader & Managing Director of GE Aerospace, Veresegyház, Hungary to reflect on our cooperation and discuss the future of GE.
„We believe in partnerships, and AmCham has been a trusted partner in regulatory affairs, policy shaping along all these years. Together with AmCham we also built local and regional relationships in these 35 years. To best serve our customers, and to solve the biggest challenges in aviation, healthcare, and energy three independent industry-leading global public companies – GE Vernova, GE Healthcare and GE Aerospace - were formed, and this whole transition was just completed this year. The new independent companies are committed to bringing energy to change the world, creating a world where healthcare has no limits, as well as inventing the future of flight”. – they noted.
Our Diamond partner representatives, Ákos Fehérváry, Managing Partner of Baker McKenzie and Ákos Janza, Managing Director - Head of Enterprise Transformation and Global Head of Offices of MSCI also shared their thoughts on their companies' foundation and the diverse initiatives we launched together at AmCham with our members.
Focus on diversity
One highlight of the program was the presentation of the new Diversity Impact Awards launched this year as part of a special anniversary feature.
“The awards serve as a testament to our commitment to diversity which has always accompanied us along our journey. We hope it continues to stay with us, in our business community, as diversity not only makes companies more resilient and competitive but is also invaluable for fostering an equitable and modern society.” – underlined CEO Lippai-Nagy.
After the Jury - Zoltán Szabó, AmCham president, dr. Andrea Juhos, AmCham’s Diversity, Equity, Inclusion & Belonging Working Group Leader, and Antónia Mészáros, Executive Director, UNICEF Hungary - established the shortlists for both categories earlier this year, the AmCham membership made the final ranking of the companies through live voting at the Gala. In the first category, the Inclusive Workplace Excellence Award, GE Healthcare’s program was honored with the first place, with Thermo Fisher Scientific and Deloitte securing the second and third places, respectively. Additionally, the jury presented a Special Prize to Work Force Hungary.
In the second category, the Community Inclusion Champion Award, guests voted NI Hungary (now part of Emerson) as the winner of the award followed by Accenture on the second place, and Eaton on the third place of the podium. The jury also presented a Special Prize to Jalsovszky Law Firm. What's more, they also awarded a Special Recognition for diversifying education to Budapest Business University (BGE).
The program was complemented by a live performance from the Danubia Orchestra and an aerial trio. The orchestra played iconic songs from our past 35 years, while the acrobats delivered a spectacular show with breathtaking, gravity-defying moves. The highlight of the event was the cutting of our anniversary cake by four of our founding members, followed by another live band, Sunny Dance, setting the stage for an unforgettable night of dancing. Guests also enjoyed a delightful chocolate tasting, a cocktail bar provided by Diageo, and a selfie corner adding to the evening's festivities.
We would like to thank all our Gala partners for their contribution to our event.
