The Hungarian American Business Leaders program has been elevating talented Hungarian students for more than a decade and enabling them to earn a Master of Business Administration (MBA) at Quinnipiac University, accompanied by full-time work experience after graduation. It is an outstanding opportunity for motivated and visionary individuals who are seeking to receive hands-on education and professional experience in the United States of America and who have a goal of raising the competitiveness of their home region. After their studies and work experience, they shall return to their home country and put their knowledge and experience to use.
Zsolt Jakó is this year’s Hungarian American Business Leaders Scholar. He is pursuing a 3 semester MBA at Quinnipiac, followed by 18 months of work in his areas of interest.
Zsolt Jakó
Zsolt was born in Marosvásárhely and completed his High-School education at Bolyai-Farkas Elméleti Líceum there. He received a Bachelor’s Degree in Management from Babeș-Bolyai University, the highest-ranked university in Romania. During his studies he was an active and involved member of the community, serving as a student representative for his line of study. He was also deeply involved in extracurricular development opportunities as well, being a member of the GTK Business Consulting Club, the most advanced and successful professional business college in the region. As a junior member, he participated in regional business case competitions and developed industry analyses for institutional and corporate partners in the areas of Banking and Fintech, Agribusiness, and the Motion picture industry. As he earned more experience in teamwork and business subjects he has been selected as one of the students to represent the University and GTK at international competitions. Two of the results that he is the proudest of, for which the teams have received official recognition from Matolcsy György as well, are the two competitions where they achieved podium position. The first of these was the NHH International Case Competition in Bergen, Norway, where the team participated for the first time in the 3-team final. The second, and the highest recognition Zsolt’s teams have received was at the Business and Management Case Competition in Guadalajara, Mexico, where they received second prize.
Zsolt Jakó at YHLP Week
“Zsolt is an amazingly talented and hard-working person. He has an infectious positive attitude reflected in his quick smile. While in the US he plans to work at American companies and gain as much experience as possible, ideally in the e-mobility sector which is the cutting edge area of automobile development. His background in Financial Management combined with his attitude, work ethic, and of course, an MBA from Quinnipiac will serve him well. I can’t wait to see the amazing things he does.” – Christopher Ball, Director of the Central European Institute at Quinnipiac University
After receiving his Bachelor’s Diploma, he set out to reach new heights in his educational and professional career and started preparing for the HABL Program. In the meantime, he took up Corporate Financial Management Masters to deepen his financial knowledge. He also started pursuing his personal passion, real-estate renovation. Zsolt managed to complete two renovation projects before setting out on his journey in the USA.
In his free time, he pursues his hobby of 13 years, Radio Controlled Car Racing. He has developed engineering, dexterity, and competitive skills thanks to this hobby, which has brought him several National Champion Titles. Since he has been involved with electric cars and battery management systems from a young age, he has developed a strong affinity towards electric mobility solutions. He would love to see an accelerated electrification process, including the widespread acceptance and adoption of electric cars, electric charging station networks, the evolution of battery systems, and more efficient electricity production through renewable energy utilization. He considers that sustainability has to be a priority for today’s companies if we want our grandchildren to live a happy and healthy life on this planet. As such, he is targeting roles at corporations that embrace this vision and would love to be a consultant in the Sustainability practice of McKinsey and Company or to be directly involved in the development of electric vehicles and ecosystems at companies like General Motors and Tesla.
“Being part of such a wonderful leadership program like the HABL I would like to leverage this opportunity to the fullest and I look forward to giving back to the community that brought me here. I would like to see Hungary at the forefront of change, driving innovation in the industries that matter the most to our future. I hope that the education and work experience I acquire during my time in the US will help elevate the overall competitiveness of my home region.” – Zsolt Jakó