As we reflect on the year gone and get ready for a fresh new year we can’t ignore the fact that 2023 has been nothing short of phenomenal, We have travelled far as an organisation and more importantly, we’ve grown together as people.
At the heart of what we do at the Hungarian British Business Alliance is our desire to build bridges. It’s all about connecting Hungarian and British Companies who want to work together and impact their respective countries and communities.
On 12th December, we celebrated the end of year in style with our HBBA members and VIP guests. We had the honour and privilege of welcoming our valued members to the beautiful Hungarian Embassy in Belgravia London. Our host was Judit Czakó and the team from the Embassy of Hungary in London set the tone for the evening as H.E Ferenc Kumin, Ambassador provided an opening address and Peter Wilcock Non-Exec Chair made a speech about “An English Man in Budapest.”
On the prestigious guest list, we had Lord Waverley from the House of Lords, International Affairs, Centre of Trade Transparency and Monitoring ITC Emerging Markets, Andrew Lambert, Chair of the IoD International Trade Group, Founder and CEO at Electronic Media Services Ltd and Dr Gergely György Balázs, PhD, CEO of Rolls-Royce Hungary.
So, how have we travelled so far in such a short time? Well, the answer is held in the values we carry, based on the word that makes everything we do connect. It is the word N E T W O R K (see below) and the focus of why we do what we do hasn’t changed – HBBA generates business opportunities for focused entrepreneurs through inspiring events that create financial and personal success in communities.
Focusing on our values will ensure that 2024 will be bigger and better than ever.
It all starts with…
Networking:
Our mission, Making connections through trusted relationships to grow successful businesses globally. At the heart of all we do is a commitment to create networking opportunities that are unique and unrivalled. These connections are for people who want to take their business and go from local to global. Despite the negativity in the news, we are bucking the trend and providing hope and help to businesses that want to scale.
It is about us being…
Entrepreneurial:
HBBA is a business built by entrepreneurs who are passionate about making an impact. Our vision is ambitious! To be the leading Hungarian & UK business community that impacts thousands of business leaders to grow their international reputation and scale their businesses. So, when we say we want to make it happen, out vision drives us to do so with verve and steel. While a global economy appears uncertain, the strength of relationships in the entrepreneurial world is the backbone of recovery and the inspiration behind a positive future.
We bring the very best innovators, leaders and business owners into our world of opportunity. Our entrepreneurial mindset allows us to always look for every opportunity to be better, do better and outperform other network organizations. We get to know our members personally to ensure you get the very best connections and value from your investment with us. We have seen some wonderful people from the world of sport, commerce, investment, media, FMCG, automotive, fashion, finance and banking, legal, coaching, health and wellness join us, share their insight and make us stronger.
Establishing what it means to be…
Trustworthy:
Trust is the platform from which we launch a thousand dreams. It’s this trust that affords us the unique relationship with our hundreds of members and associates. Ego can go, we are looking for collaborators with a passion to make an impact.
As a result of being trustworthy we have had thirteen events including networking and masterminds throughout 2023. These have ranged from our two-day prestigious event in London, to our 3-day Budapest Trip that included Networking Galore, In-Depth Seminars, Business Matchmaking, Cultural Experiences in collaboration with the Embassy of Hungary and the Hungarian Export Promotion Agency.
The British Delegation of 30 businesses visited Rolls-Royce, Torley, Hungary’s biggest Champagne and Wine Production company and a prestigious dinner at Halaszbastya Restaurant overlooking the whole city.
These amazing events have seen us host over 900 guests with close to 50 of our members taking the stage to share their expertise and insights. We trust our members implicitly and the value they have brought has impacted many of our businesses for good.
Focusing on the power of…
Winning:
You hear a lot of talk about competing, but we like to focus on completing. In essence, we all win when we work together. In an economy of over 6 billion a year, there is space for everyone to flourish. We celebrate every success together! On our amazing Christmas event we had two of our HBBA members, Niki Kerr and Csaba Bartal share their journey with us. They shared glowing testimonials of their time as members of HBBA that inspired everyone in the room. We have also enjoyed the amazing musical talents of Maxyne Ryan at two of our largest events – we didn’t even have to look outside the network to find a performer who could help facilitate a great experience.
Winning isn’t about who you can beat on the journey, it is about serving each other and helping each other to succeed. If you’ve never thought about joining us, we encourage you to attend an event and ask our members for yourself. We don’t have to sell the experience, we’d rather show you what you’re missing out on.
Embracing what it means to be…
Open:
There is nothing worse than going to an event and feeling alone. Our commitment to being open ensures that when it feels lonely at the top, being part of HBBA ensures you are never alone. We understand business and we also know the right person to help at the right time. That is what makes our network as deep as it is wide. That said, being open for every opportunity has seen us transform from two countries to five!
With that open mindset in place, what does 2024 hold for HBBA? Well, we are looking to continue the London / Budapest exchange events which bring together business leaders from the UK and Hungary for a number of days. As previously mentioned, the franchised events in Scotland, Germany and Dubai are looking to have a full programme and their dates will be released in Q1 of 2024. Every member of HBBA has exclusive access and priority to attend these events, maximising the full value of membership at every level.
The strength of being…
Reliable:
One thing we know we need in times like these is stable people who you can count on when life doesn’t go to plan. We have some leading experts in the realm of mental health and well-being, as well as experts from the world of finance. The network boasts reliable people whose expertise can help with every season of business growth. When you are looking to increase your numbers you need people you can count on, whether it’s sales, marketing, strategy, leadership or culture, you need people who are used to delivering exceptional solutions.
Among the highlights for 2023 was the extensive redesign of our brand, communications and website www.hbba.uk that allows us to expand our brand internationally. Scotland, Germany, Dubai and beyond will fly the flag with a consistent image and experience wherever we host events and launches. We would like to thank Darrell Irwin and the Cre8ion team for making this happen. Their expertise is growing a strong reputation within our network and having experienced what they can do, we can’t thank them highly enough. That is the power of working with a reliable team.
The wealth of being…
Knowledgable:
One of the things that make HBBA so different is our wealth of expertise.
We have access to the world’s greatest entrepreneurs through networks and partnerships already connected to us. Want to head to Necker Island? We can make it happen. Want to get in front of a key investor? We know who you need to speak with and can help you prepare beforehand.
As our memberships continue to grow and scale at record levels each successive event is getting larger. We have attracted industry leaders from corporate giants and billion-dollar companies (such as Harley-Davidson and Rolls-Royce) while also getting thought leaders from The Premier League (Stephen Caulker, Ex Liverpool and Tottenham) and visionary professors from universities such as Prof Issa, the London South Bank sharing on ESG.
2023 has been an exceptional year for the team at the Hungarian British Business Alliance but we want to say a huge thank you to all our members, partners, hosts and visitors! We hope that 2024 will be your year for extraordinary endeavours and we will be delighted to support you on your journey.
Susanna Toth Lee / CEO Paul Smolinski / Director of Global Relationship
