President's Greeting 2025
To create long-term economic success - "we need to build stable, transparent and fair systems" - quote from Daron Acemoglu, Nobel Prize-winning economist in 2024. And a key message from Claudia Goldin, who was awarded the prize in 2023, is that "equality and diversity are not just social goals, but sources of economic benefits that improve the performance of companies in the long run".
The economists who have been awarded the highest accolades in the last two years address pressing issues such as equality and the sustainable use of resources. They have looked at how to strike a balance between growth and sustainability. They highlight the role of economic policy in promoting equality and protecting future generations. Their research offers a guide on how to build equity and responsibility into our economic systems.
These high-level recognitions draw attention to important economic issues that the Hungarian Business Leaders Forum is actively addressing, such as corporate social responsibility, equitable workplace practices and corporate governance.
LOOKING BACK TO 2024
At the start of the new year, we are delighted to look back on the achievements of the past year: we supported 117 of our member companies with 60 professional events, which enabled more than 1,400 participants to build and expand their valuable professional contacts. Our LinkedIn followers have increased by 42,5% since December 2023, with more than 5,700 people now following our latest news.
The 4 CEO Forums of HBLF covered topics such as "The evolution of ETFs and their role in today’s market", "The future of transport - carbon neutrality in transportation", "KPMG CEO Outlook research" and "The impact of generative artificial intelligence on business processes", organised by BlackRock, Diageo, KPMG and MSCI.
CEO Forum KPMG
In 2024, the HBLF Women's Forum events continued to attract considerable interest. The study tours to Athens and Croatia were particularly successful, as was the meeting with the President of Hungary, with whom we discussed what we can do for the future generation.
HBLF Women's Forum visit to the Sándor Palace
Our working groups were active and tackled important topics such as sustainability, business ethics, education for the next generation, digitalisation and human resources. Our Sustainability Working Group has been relaunched and our first successful event will give our guests an insight into ESG regulation in our country. In a joint survey with the Hungarian Economic Development Agency and PwC, the HBLF Digitalisation Platform analysed the digital readiness of the Hungarian SME sector. 761 organisations completed the survey.
As the exclusive representative of the EU Diversity Charter in Hungary, the Hungarian Business Leaders Forum (HBLF) held its Annual Closing, Awarding and Charter Signing Ceremony on 27 November 2024. At this event, which has become a tradition, 10 new Charter members who joined during the year were given the opportunity to sign their certificates in a ceremony, followed by the HBLF Diversity Awards Ceremony.
Annual Closing, Awarding and Charter Signing Ceremony on 27 November 2024
For the first time, we announced the winners of the HBLF Diversity and Fairness in Work Award, Hungarian companies that not only talk about the importance of gender equality, but also act on it every day, with targeted actions to promote the principles of inclusion. The unique and measurable results-based recognition was facilitated by EY Human Consulting experts who developed an objective set of criteria and evaluated the applications.
In 2024, the focus was on corporate governance: on 7 March, the Budapest Stock Exchange (BSE), the Hungarian Business Leaders Forum (HBLF) and the Institute of Directors (IoD) signed the Declaration of Consensus (DEC) to promote diversity in the decision-making bodies of Hungarian companies. Seven other organisations have joined the initiative.
The current season of our award-winning HBLF X Mentor programme continued to attract great interest, with over 90 participants for the development of future leaders.
VALUE CREATION ALSO IN 2025
First HBLF Board meeting in January 2025
In January 2025, together with our partners, we will launch the unique HBLF Board-level Program, which will help the next generation of board members prepare for their new role by providing them with deeper knowledge and effective leadership solutions through premium workshops and events with renowned companies. Credible and inspiring speakers, renowned experts and top decision-makers from Hungary and abroad share their knowledge and experience of board roles and responsibilities. The programme also supports companies in complying with the EU Directive on gender balance in corporate boards.
The Hungarian Business Leaders Forum will organise its exclusive business conference, the Financial Summit, for the 25th time in Hungary, on 14 February 2025, at the K&H Bank Headquarters. The central theme of the conference is: Shaping the future - Alternatives to increase Hungary's competitiveness in times of international economic difficulties and conflicts.
25th Financial Summit is coming soon
The HBLF International X Mentor Program is welcoming corporate leaders, young professionals, and entrepreneurs eager to grow for the eighth time. Our mentors, who are also on Forbes' "Most Influential Women in Hungary" list, support their mentees for a whole year in the framework of the tailor-made, award-winning international programme. Applications open in January, for more information please email hblf@hblf.hu.
We would like to thank our member companies and partners for their support in 2024 and we are looking forward to continuing working together in 2025 to take further steps towards a sustainable future.