In this profile series, we introduce the partner offices of the Kennedy network. In this edition, please meet our colleagues of Ikelosz / Kennedy Budapest in Hungary.
Experience combined with flexibility
Ikelosz is a Greek God who believes to make dreams come true. This symbolizes the philosophy of our Budapest companions. Everyday they hope to help clients and candidates fulfil their dreams and potential. György Kobelrausch and Klára Görög head the company, with the support of Zita Takács as senior researcher. They have a strategic partnership with colleague and good friend Andrea Juhos, a well-respected name in the Hungarian HR world with director level experience for international recruitment companies and active member of a variety of networks, including the Hungarian American Chamber of Commerce. Andrea acts as external consultant and sparring partner.
The story
It was also Andrea who helped George, as we call him, set up the company in 2010. Before, he worked in a variety of marketing and sales roles in FMCG and was board member of Unilever Hungary. In 2005, he changed career paths and started in Executive Search. He successfully managed search and recruitment projects for both Hungarian companies as well as multinationals. After 5 years George decided to change paths once more and made a switch, to entrepreneur. One of the reasons was that he wanted to broaden his scope and horizon. This, and the fact that he started the company when the credit crunch was still very much prevailing, underlines one of the core values of the company: flexibility.
Team
This flexible nature is also clearly visible in the diversity as seen in the company DNA. Klára, who joined as partner in 2016, is a qualified Medical Doctor with extensive experience in pharma and life sciences. She worked in leadership positions in both business and HR for companies such as Pfizer and by Novo Nordisk and singlehandedly established and built up the Hungarian affiliate of Cipla. Further to George’s impressive experience above, he is also a certified coach and Innermetrix Consultant making him an expert in assessing behaviour, motivation and competences of people. They can, and take great pride in being able to, handle a variety of projects for a diverse portfolio of clients. With their combined experience and backgrounds they are able to deliver great results. Many clients agree, and have been with them from the early years and have no plans to leave anytime soon.
Big name neighbors
The company headquarters are in a landmark office building in Budapest’s business district. The set up is convenient, with good accessibility by public transport and ample parking. Their neighbors are big names like KPMG, Unilever and P&G, further adding to the professional ambiance. It is here where they often meet clients and candidates and sometimes each other. They also work remote, including from home, in keep with their flexible approach. The crisis was the original motivator behind this way of working, but it suits them still today and clients continue to profit from it.
Kennedy Executive network
George knew he wanted to join an international network to broaden his scope and that of the company. It was important for him to find a network with likeminded people with a professional and active outlook. Furthermore, one where the success of a company is not measured by its size. When George read an article featuring Kennedy’s founder Jorg Stegemann in which he explained the philosophy behind the network, he became intrigued. Further research brought up that the network was looking for new partners and he decided to send Jorg an email. A few Skype calls and face-to-face meetings with Jorg and some of the other partners later, everybody felt Ikelosz fitted right in. With Kennedy they feel at home and found the perfect balance between modesty, professionalism, and entrepreneurship. Moreover, despite being one of the smaller companies, they feel they are seen and treated as equals. They enjoy sharing best practices and learning from other cultural perspectives and make good use of the international footprint the network offers.
Want to know more about Ikelosz / Kennedy Budapest? Check out their office page here www.ikelosz.hu.