Famous founders and leaders

Lipót Aschner

One of the most successful Hungarian managers of the first half of the 20th century, he was the CEO of the United Incandescent Lamps and Electricity Company (Tungsram).

Mór Balázs de Verőcze

Mór Balázs Verőczei, Mózes Kohn (Pest, 5 March 1849 - Remagen, 1 August 1897), private entrepreneur, founding director general of the Budapest Municipal Tramway Company.

Sándor Bálint (Büchler)

Bálint (Büchler) Sándor was born in Arad in 1840.He joined the Kőbánya Brickworks Company as a merchant, and was elected a member of the board of directors in 1877. In 1891 he changed his surname from Büchler to Bálint. He helped the company to develop by modernising and expanding it, and was awarded several medals by the Emperor in recognition of his work. He served as CEO and president of the company until his retirement in 1911. He died in Budapest in October 1915. In 1915, he was in charge of the [...]

Leó Buday-Goldberger Dr. de Buda

Leó Goldberger , full name: Dr. Leó Buday-Goldberger (Budapest, 2 May 1878 - Mauthausen, 5 May 1945) was a notable figure of the Hungarian textile industry, who played a major role in the modernization of the Hungarian textile industry in the first decades of the 20th century. He was president and CEO of the Goldberger factory, founded in 1785, director of the National Association of Industrialists (GYOSZ), president of the National Association of Hungarian Textile Manufacturers, member of the board of the Hungarian Institute of Foreign Trade, and senior adviser to the Hungarian National Bank.

Konrád Burchard-Bélaváry

Konrád Burchard-Bélaváry (1837-1916) was an economist, president of the Pesti Hengermalom-Társaság.He was born in 1837 in Eperjes, where he completed his secondary education. He studied in Berlin and Gdansk, then returned home and became an employee of the Hengermalom Society. Here his career rose steadily, first as a member of the board of directors, then as vice-president, and finally as president from 1906 to 1916. He played an active part in the company's development. He also took a leading role in a number of other shareholding companies.

Ferenc Chorin Dr. Sr.

Dr. Ferenc Chorin (Arad, 11 May 1842 - Budapest, 20 January 1925) lawyer, politician, businessman, member of the Hungarian House of Lords, Member of Parliament, President of the National Association of Hungarian Industrialists, General Counsellor of the Hungarian National Bank. His son Ferenc Chorin Jr. was one of the most influential businessmen of the Horthy era.

Sándor Csekonics de Zomboly, Count

Count Sándor Csekonics (1872-1951), landowner, royal cupbearer, imperial and royal chamberlain, director and later president of the South Hungarian (Nagybecskerek - Velici Beckerek) Sugar Factory Joint Stock Company. He studied law in Budapest, then worked as a politician and lived off the income and interests of his large estates. After his father's death in 1929, he managed and administered the family estates, which had been reduced in size by the Trianon Peace Treaty, but had to give them up in the 1930s and 1940s, mainly due to external circumstances. He spent the end of the Second World War and the years of socialism in poverty and hiding. He was deported in 1951 and buried in an unmarked grave after his murder.

Mór Domony Dr. de Domony, Knight

Dr. Móric Domonyi Domonyi (1872-1944) was born into a noble family in Pest. He completed his secondary school education here and then studied law at the University of Budapest. He rendered unparalleled services to the development of transport in Hungary, especially in the field of Danube navigation. In addition, he was actively involved in the promotion of industry in Hungary and abroad as a member of the board of directors of several industrial companies. For 15 years he was the President of the Brasov Cellulose Factory Joint Stock Company.

Gusztáv Emich

Gusztáv Emich (Buda, 3 November 1814 - Pest, 3 April 1869) bookseller, publisher, printer. Son of Ifj. Gusztáv Emich, publisher, writer on printing history and natural history.

András Fáy de Fáj

András Fáy Fáji (Kohány, Zemplén county, 30 May 1786 - Pest, 26 July 1864) writer, politician and national administrator, one of the most active figures of the literary and social movements of the Hungarian reform era, director of the Kisfaludy Society from 1837 to 1841. In one of his writings about András Fáy, Kálmán Mikszáth wrote that if Széchenyi had not been called 'the greatest Hungarian', then András Fáy would have been, and if Ferenc Deák had not been the 'sage of the country', then András Fáy would have been, but he was merely 'the all-rounder of the nation'.

Henrik Fellner

Henrik Fellner (1859-1932) industrialist, banker, member of the Upper House. He studied at the Commercial Academy. He started his career first abroad and then at the Hungarian Commercial Bank of Pest, where he was managing director from 1892. After the death of his father-in-law, he took over the management of his father-in-law's distillery. He also served as a director of several other companies, including the United Lamp and Electricity Company. He died in Budapest in 1932.

Sándor Fleissig

Sándor Fleissig (Budapest, 4 June 1869 - Budapest, 5 May 1939): banker, fifth president of the Budapest Commodity and Stock Exchange.

Henrik Haggenmacher

Henrik Haggenmacher (Winterthur, 6 November 1827 - Budapest, 5 June 1917) was a Hungarian industrialist of Swiss origin.

János de Harkányi de Taktaharkány, Baron

Baron János Harkányi (1859-1938) Zemplén County landowner and banker, between 1896 and 1902 a member of the Parliament of the Free Party, between 1913 and 1917 Minister of Commerce. In the 1920s and 1930s, he served as chairman and board member of several companies and joint-stock companies, and became known not only for his extraordinary experience in politics but also for his financial expertise. He was chairman of the Hungarian Sugar Industry Joint Stock Company from 1902 to 1938.

Károly Hatvany-Deutsch de Hatvan, Baron

Baron Károly Hatvany-Deutsch was born in 1863. He married in 1896, and in 1897 the family was given the opportunity to bear the surname Hatvany-Deutsch, which was changed back to the shorter form in 1911. In 1908 he was made a baron. He was a board member, chairman and vice-chairman of several joint-stock companies. He died in Budapest in 1943.

József Hiller

József Hiller was born in Lučki on 25 February 1885. After studying law, he qualified as a lawyer and settled in Budapest. Through his mentor, Dr. Ármin Tetétlen, he became involved in the production of bauxite ore in Hungary, and through sponsors he acquired first mines and then production rights to exploit the raw material content of the plants. The aim of the new companies founded under his leadership, first in 1917 and then in 1923, was to channel the results of domestic and foreign production to Hungary. Although production was partly oriented towards Germany under his leadership, he was deported at the end of the Second World War. He died in Mauthausen.

Elemér Horváth

Horváth Elemér (1858, Klopódia - 20.11.1930, Budapest) lawyer, bank officer, third president of the Budapest Commodity and Stock Exchange.

Jellinek Henrik de Haraszt

After the death of his father, at the age of 30, in 1883, he took over the management of the Budapest Road Railway Company. Under his directorship, the company was consistently profitable and the network expanded. He was the initiator of the construction of local railways of local interest around Budapest and successfully led the electrification of the BKVT horse railway network. He resigned as head of the BKVT in 1911, and after World War I he was a supporter of the newspaper Új Nemzedék.

Mór Jellinek

Mór Jellinek, (locally Móric Jellinek or Jelinek) (Uherský Brod (Magyarbród), 1823 - Budapest, 13 June 1883) economist, wholesaler, president of the grain warehouse, general manager of the Budapest Road Railway Company. Father of Arthur Jellinek, lawyer and Member of Parliament, uncle of Emil Jellinek, one of Daimler's investors.

Frigyes Kochmeister, Baron

Baron Frigyes Kochmeister (Sopron, 22 November 1816 - Budapest, 11 September 1907) was the first president of the Pesti Commodity and Stock Exchange, established in 1864.

Adolf Kohner Dr. de Szászberek, Baron

Adolf Kohner was born in 1866. He was the manager of the firm Kohner Adolf and Sons, which he inherited from his paternal uncle and named after himself. In addition to the banking company, he also held the presidency of other companies, gaining influence in companies such as Union Joint Stock Company and First Hungarian Wool Washing and Finishing Company. He lost most of his fortune in the crisis of the early 1930s and died on his estate in 1937.

Zsigmond Kornfeld, Baron

Zsigmond Kornfeld (Goltsch-Jenikau, Czech Republic, 27 March 1852 - Budapest, 24 March 1909) was a banker, the CEO of the Hungarian General Credit Bank and the second president of the Budapest Commodity and Stock Exchange.

Leó Lánczy

Lánczy Leó (Pest, 10 May 1852 - Budapest, Terézváros, 26 January 1921) was a bank president.

László Láng

László Láng was born in Bratislava, originally German-speaking, and was a good craftsman. Because of his poor academic results in high school, his doctor father sent him to an industrial school in Vienna. He later graduated from a school of higher industry. In 1867 he returned home after several years of practice abroad and first took up employment with Hungarian firms. In 1868, he became self-employed and set up his own machine shop. The machine shop later became the Láng Machine Works, which he ran until 1911. He was not only the factory manager, but also a foreman, a salesman who lived next to the factory and in the factory itself. He retired from day-to-day management in 1911, handing over the reins to his son Gustáv Láng, who died on 1 January 1914.

Henrik Lévay de Kistelek, Baron

Henrik Lévay was born in 1826 in Jánoshalma, Bács county. One of the most important insurance specialists of his time. He played an important role in the foundation of the First Hungarian General Insurance Company and was its CEO for forty years. He was involved in the founding and management of several insurance companies, banks and steam mills, and is the founder of several cultural, scientific and charitable foundations. For his work in economics, he was first made a nobleman with the title of nobility of Kistelek in 1868, then a baron in 1897 and became a member of the House of Lords.

Gyula Madarassy-Beck Dr. de Madaras, Baron

Madarassy-Beck Gyula, baron (Budapest, 18 August 1873 - Budapest, 20 November 1939): banker, big capitalist.

Marcell Madarassy-Beck Dr. de Madaras, Baron

Madarassy-Beck Marcell, Baron (Budapest, 11 February 1873 - Mauthausen, 19 January 1945): lawyer, banker.

Miksa de Madaras, Baron Madarassy-Beck

Miksa Madarassy-Beck, Baron (Bácsmadaras, 9 May 1839 - Budapest, 10 March 1924): banker, economist, CEO of the Hungarian Calculation and Currency Exchange Bank Ltd.

Nándor Madarassy-Beck de Madaras, Baron

Nándor Madarassy-Beck, Baron (Bácsmadaras, 15 August 1840 - Budapest, 16 February 1909): banker, economist, CEO of the Hungarian Mortgage Credit Bank.

Ferenc Marschall

Ferenc Marschall (Timisoara, 2 October 1887 - Budapest, 23 January 1970) agricultural politician, Minister of Agriculture, seventh President of the Budapest Commodity and Stock Exchange.

Sándor Matlekovits Dr.

Sándor Matlekovits (1842-1925) was a commercial state secretary, politician and writer, full member of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences. He studied in the capital, and in the meantime had already distinguished himself with his numerous scientific works. He served as State Secretary until 1889, during which time he made a significant contribution to the development and promotion of Hungarian industry and trade. After resigning his position for political reasons, he served as a member of parliament on several occasions until 1902. After the turn of the century, he headed a number of associations and economic enterprises, including the Hungarian Electricity Joint Stock Company between 1893 and 1914/1915 and the First Hungarian Paper Factory Joint Stock Company between 1923 and 1925.

Vilmos Ormody de Ormod

Vilmos Ormody was born in 1838 in Miskolc. He was one of the most important insurance specialists of his time. Immediately after his secondary school education, he joined the First Hungarian General Insurance Company, serving as an officer for nearly 40 years, then as its CEO for 24 years, and finally as its president for a decade until his death at the age of 94. He is credited with a number of initiatives and charitable foundations, mainly for the welfare of civil servants. For his work in the field of economics, he was made a nobleman with the title of Orvald in 1897 and a baron in 1906, and was made a member of the House of Lords.

Lajos Ossoinack, Knight

From a young age, Johannes Aloysius Ossoinack (Rieka, 26 June 1849 - Rijeka, 28 October 1904), from a merchant family in Rijeka, founded several industrial and shipping companies in Rijeka, which later became world famous, while he was also a prominent figure in local political and social life. He was to the town what Széchenyi was to Hungary: he spent his life seeking new innovations (mechanised woodworking, modern rice processing, oil refining, etc.) and made a name for himself by introducing methods that had proved successful abroad.

Ede Pallavicini, Margrave

Margrave Ede Pallavicini was born into an old noble family of Italian origin in 1845. In addition to managing his estate of several thousand acres in Transdanubia, he studied law and in the 1870s successfully rose through the ranks. From 1880 he served as president of the Hungarian General Credit Bank and as an internal councillor. In the last decade of the century, he initiated the establishment of several companies, including the Agricultural Industry Joint Stock Company, of which he was chairman until 1913. He died in Rijeka in 1914.

Mór Ribáry (Reich) de Alsólócz

Mór Ribáry (until 1902 Reich) was born in 1859 in the village of Alsólóc in Bratislava County. In 1873, at the age of 14, he began his career as a clerk at the Pesti Insurance Institute, where he became general manager in 1916 and worked for the company for 54 years until his death in 1927. He was a member of the board of directors or supervisory board of several companies of the Adriatic Insurance Group in Hungary and abroad. In 1914 he was awarded Hungarian nobility with the first name of Alsólóczi for his work in economics.

Vilmos Sarbó (Schön) de Szepesváralja

Vilmos Schön (from 1898 Sarbó) was born in 1829 in Szepesváralja. One of the most important insurance specialists of his time. After his secondary school education, he began his clerical career at the Austrian Phoenix Insurance Institute and later joined the Pesti Insurance Company. From 1868 to 1899, he was the company's managing director for 30 years, and after his resignation, he was a member of the board of directors until his death in 1906.

Richard Schmidt

Richárd Schmidt (Budapest, 1875 - Budapest, 14 June 1943), industrialist, sixth president of the Budapest Commodity and Stock Exchange.

Ferenc Székely (Schlesinger)

Székely (Schlesinger) Ferenc was born in 1858 in Alap, Fejér county. After his commercial studies, he first became an apprentice and then head of department in Budapest. In 1892, he was invited to become the president of the Belvárosi Takarékpénztár Részvénytársaság. From 1902 until his death in 1936, he was Chairman of the István Brickworks Joint Stock Company. He was actively involved in the political life of Budapest and in promoting the unity of the Jewish community in Hungary. Schlesinger [...]

Lajos Szende (Stern)

Lajos Szende has worked for the Hungarian General Coal Mining Company since he was 30 years old. First as a secretary, then after the turn of the century as the company's CEO. In the 1910s, he was able to increase the company's profits and production through significant improvements, and played a major role in improving the living conditions of the workers. He died in 1914 at the age of 47, after which a workers' welfare fund was named after him.

Oszkár Szirmai (Spitzer)

Oszkár Szirmai Nagysárosi (1858-1943) was an economist, president and CEO. He started his career at the Hungarian General Credit Bank, then moved to the Kőolajfinomítógyár Részvénytársaság, where he became deputy director and later director. Between 1912 and 1935, he was President of the Budapest-Szentlőrinci and Tatai Tile and Brick Works Joint Stock Company, where he was appointed Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Budapest-Szentlőrinci and Tatai Tile and Brick Works Joint Stock Company, and [...]

Géza Teleki de Szék, Count

Géza Teleki (1843-1913) was born into a Catholic family in 1843. He was educated in Transylvania and studied law at Hohenheim. He first served as a member of the administrative committee in Satu Mare County and later as a member of the Parliament. Between 1889 and 1890 he also held the position of Minister of the Interior. After the turn of the century he retired from politics and was mainly involved in scientific and charitable associations. His success as an entrepreneur is attested to by the fact that, as chairman of the Budapest General Electricity Joint Stock Company between 1896 and 1906, he made a significant contribution to the development and success of the company.

Lajos Tolnay

Lajos Imre Gyula Tolnay (1837-1918) engineer, director and president of MÁV, Member of Parliament. After returning from the war for Italian unity, he was involved in railway construction and planning from the 1860s, first locally and then from the 1870s nationally. During this period he also held the post of chairman of the board of directors of the Hungarian State Railways (MÁV), and made an invaluable contribution to the development of the Hungarian state railways. In addition to his political activities, he was a member of the board of directors of several industrial companies and president of the First Hungarian Pig Fattening Corporation between 1902 and 1911.

Károly Végh de Győr

Károly Végh (Vienna, 2 October 1859 - Budapest, 3 February 1941) was an economist and the fourth president of the Budapest Commodity and Stock Exchange.