Ken Baines, Headmaster at Britannica International School. Last year it was the American International School of Budapest that was making the bold moves in the international schools market, consolidating all its students on an expanded campus in Nagykovácsi, about 5 km west of leafy Buda. This year it is the turn of UK firm Orbital Education, owners of Britannica International School on Aga utca in District XI. (Kevin McNeany is director of Orbital and Brian Frakes is the firm’s International Education Development Officer).

Thilo Kusch, CFO of Magyar Telekom NyRt. Hungary is leading the way in Europe in terms of telecommunication networks. The Budapest Times spoke to Magyar Telekom CFO Thilo Kusch about the resulting business opportunities as well as Hungary’s responsibility as a regional pacesetter.

Top Manager in Discussion: Kevin McNeany, director of Orbital Education, owner of Britannica International School. While much of the Hungarian economy appears to be marking time according to GDP figures, a British entrepreneur is returning to Budapest in order to take advantage of a new opportunity. Kevin McNeany, best known as the talent behind Nord Anglia, the firm which built up the British School here in Budapest and others around the world has bought back into the market.  He aims to take Britannica International School from the ranks of the handful of smaller international schools in and around Budapest to the top of the table; from District XI to District XII. This week he announced significant changes in the school. Britannica will move to new premises in District XII in September. McNeany has acquired a lease on the premises which up to recently were occupied by the American International School of Budapest in Kakkuk.

Vodafone Hungary Zrt. will soon have its first shop catering to English-speaking expats in Aréna Plaza. One of the key driving forces behind the change is CFO Frank Krause. We spoke to him about the reasons for the initiative and its prospects.

Competition in private banking is tough and chiefly
fought out over the investment products available and the level of
service. Sven Doernbrack, Department Director of MKB Bank Zrt. Private
Banking, spoke to The Budapest Times about MKB Bank’s strategy and the
outlook for this year.

This week Luther Gobert, Fest & Partners Attorneys
at Law and Tax Advisors will celebrate its membership of international
tax consultancy network Taxand. That step was preceded by the addition
of a tax consultancy department to what was originally solely a law
firm. Managing partner Dr Arne Gobert and the leader of the new
department Lilla Stricca spoke to The Budapest Times about the reasons
for the change.

Although there are some new hurdles, EU funding
continues to be available as an alternative financing source for
investments and there are even reasons to apply for such money
precisely now, according to  Nils Blunck, director and owner of Blucron
Kft, which has supported companies in obtaining EU funding for more
than ten years. The Budapest Times also spoke to Blunck about the black
sheep operating in the sector.

The New Year has brought little in the way of legal
changes apart from those on taxation. There are so many uncertainties
regarding the new Civil Code scheduled to come into force this spring
that it is premature for company leaders to concern themselves with it.
The Budapest Times also spoke to lawyers Dr. Ákos ErĹ‘s and Dr. Ákos
Mester, partners of the Hungarian office of the American law firm
Squire, Sanders & Dempsey about current economic trends.

Despite the tight budget situation the Finance Ministry
granted some relief to taxpayers at the start of the year. The Budapest
Times spoke to Zoltán Lambert, founder and CEO of HLB Klient Holding
about the extent to which the changes will really make a perceptible
difference or are merely of a cosmetic nature. His company specialises
in accounting, auditing and tax and legal consultancy.

Takarékbank Zrt officially celebrates its 20th
anniversary this week. The Budapest Times asked CEO Péter Csicsáky, who
has worked for the bank since 1994, about the effects of the crisis and
the future of the Hungarian cooperative sector.