Zsófia Bánhegyi, HUN-REN
Zsófia Bánhegyi, an internationally recognised, strategic minded professional, has joined the management of HUN-REN Hungarian Research Network. With over two decades of management experience gained in multinational and state-owned corporate environments, her role is to build an integrated domestic and international marketing and communications function aligned with the strategic goals of the newly established HUN-REN — created on 27 October 2025 — as well as to manage strategic-level public affairs relations. In 2025, she was awarded European Marketer of the Year.
Zsófia Bánhegyi studied at the Budapest University of Economic Sciences and at the London School of Economics, then continued her postgraduate studies at the Faculty of Law and Political Sciences of Eötvös Loránd University (ELTE). Over the past 15 years, she held senior management positions in marketing, communications and commercial functions in the telecommunications and gaming industries — at Magyar Telekom Group and Szerencsejáték Zrt. She was the first manager in Hungary to receive the title of “Most Successful Marketing Manager of the Year” at two different companies.
Actively engaged in professional associations, she served as Vice President of the Hungarian Public Relations Association until 2023, and since 2024 she has been acting as Vice President of the Hungarian Marketing Association.
The goal of HUN-REN is to become one of Europe’s leading research networks by 2030 and to translate the scientific excellence of the Hungarian research community into globally competitive innovation outcomes. In her new position, Zsófia Bánhegyi’s key responsibilities will include strengthening HUN-REN’s brand strategy, increasing the visibility of research results both domestically and internationally, and supporting technology transfer and innovation activities.
“Joining the work of HUN-REN’s 5,000 researchers in November 2025 marks another important milestone in my career. I firmly believe that in the fields of science and innovation, marketing and communications are not merely a support function, but a strategic value-creating tool: one that can shape Hungarian scientific excellence into a strong, internationally competitive brand, and placing our researchers and their achievements in the spotlight of both domestic and global audiences.”
— Zsófia Bánhegyi
Source: Karrierfigyelő
