Lóránd Balázs Ph.D

Bemutatkozás

I am a dynamic and motivated executive with a diverse skill set, particularly in partnering and relationship building. As a focused, adaptable leader with entrepreneurial zeal, I consistently achieve company goals through innovative problem-solving and strategic thinking, and have proven experience in the following fields:
 
Strategic leadership in a highly competitive context. I have developed a distinct strategy in the labour market that sets us apart from local competitors by building a strong employer brand. I have positioned our subsidiary within the organization among the top cost-efficient development locations by establishing a unique culture and climate that attract and retain talent.
A people first approach. I have brought extensive experience in recruiting diverse talent profiles for the organization, and utilised a broad range of leadership practices and tools to develop, mentor and retain them. Over the years, I have created and maintained a stable leadership team with no core member turnover.
Operational excellence. As responsibilities and the size of the managed location have grown, I have progressively established and strengthened central functions, set challenging targets, and maintained strict professional and performance standards.
Technology leadership. My extensive experience encompasses managing teams in software development, data engineering and IT infrastructure, machine learning and AI.
 
My greatest achievements:
1. Built up a brand-new development hub of AUMOVIO (previously Continental) Autonomous Mobility to work on deep learning based technologies for the next generations of self-driving cars.
2. Strengthened the culture and commitment of our colleagues year by year - measured by engagement surveys and well below average fluctuation rates in parallel with a significant increase in the size of the team.
3. Led outstanding innovative projects in the domain of machine learning and artificial intelligence in different industries (telecommunications, public sector, financial sector, manufacturing).
4. Smoothly connected our engineering teams with business owners and customers to understand their requirements and to manage the expectations of both sides.

Why would you like to join the HBLF International X Mentor Programme?

I have been mentoring colleagues and leaders at various levels for more than 20 years. Also utilising my background as a university lecturer, it is particularly important to me to share my experience and to support, guide, and assist the careers of future leaders. In my current position as an executive, I take great pride in continuing to work with the core leadership team I established at the beginning, and in collectively developing the future leaders of our multinational company in Budapest.

Have you had a mentor or have you mentor before? What has it given to you? 
Throughout my career, I have consistently worked with leaders from whom I have learned a considerable amount. My mentors have been instrumental in helping me address the challenges of specific leadership levels and navigate the development paths required for advancing to the next stages. During a mentoring process it is possible to understand what is happening in the background in the leader's mind at a point of decision, check the various options and evaluate the possible scenarios - these are all valuable insights not easy to find in the books.
 
As an executive, I am convinced that mentoring is valuable at each stage of one's career. However, I also believe that depending on the specific stage, mentors with different profiles may contribute the most to the development and growth of a talent. Participating in the X mentor program of HBLF can provide an opportunity for me to mentor future leaders outside of our organisation, to help them cope with their current challenges, and prepare for the next level in their career. Furthermore, during a mentoring process the mentor can also learn a lot from the mentee.