EU Finance Days Budapest 2026

State Secretary for Economic Development, Ministry for Economy and Energy, Hungary

Dr. Ágnes Fábián is an economist and corporate executive, and the former Managing Director of Henkel Hungary. She has more than two decades of domestic and international leadership experience in sales, strategic management, organizational development, and international business development, having held both regional and Hungary-based executive positions throughout her career. Her extensive experience in corporate governance and change management provides a strong foundation for carrying out her duties as State Secretary, particularly in addressing competitiveness, innovation, and economic development challenges. Among the key priorities facing the sector are ensuring sustainable growth, fostering innovation, and strengthening trust-based cooperation between economic stakeholders and public decision-makers.

Deputy State Secretary for SME Development, Ministry for Economy and Energy, Hungary

László Hunyadi is the Deputy State Secretary for SME Development since September 2024. His responsibilities include the development of SME strategies, concepts, and measures, as well as coordinating their implementation. He plays a defining role in setting and achieving domestic economic development and enterprise policy objectives, while professionally directing development and financing programs - including the Széchenyi Kártya Program and economic development schemes co-financed by the European Union.

Previously, he led the Department for Enterprise Development at the Ministry for Innovation and Technology, starting in November 2021, having already worked in the field as a Head of Unit from April 2021. He has been also serving as Hungary’s SME Envoy within the European Commission's SME Envoy Network since that same period.

He began his career in the public administration in 2015: initially working at the State Secretariat responsible for the implementing economic development programs at the Ministry for National Economy, and subsequently specializing in enterprise development as an expert at the State Secretariat responsible for economic development and regulation starting in 2017. He completed his higher education at the Faculty of Natural Sciences of Eötvös Loránd University, majoring in Regional and Urban Development, where he wrote his thesis on the role of money substitutes in local economic development

Director, European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT)

Martin KERN has been the Director of the European Institute of Innovation and Technology since 2019 following his appointment by the EIT Governing Board, having previously been Interim Director and Chief Operating Officer at the EIT. Prior to joining the EIT, he worked at the European Commission for 15 years where he held a variety of posts, mainly dealing with enlargement policy and with financial assistance to support economic and social development programmes. This included the role of Head of Operations at the EU Delegation to Serbia, where he coordinated the programming and implementation of EU funds to bring Serbia closer to EU accession.

Previously, he worked as country coordinator for financial assistance for Türkiye, and was seconded to the Swedish Foreign Ministry during their EU Presidency in 2009 in the area of EU enlargement. Earlier on, he dealt, among other things, with the follow-up of the use of EU funds in Bulgaria and Romania during the period of their accession to the EU in 2007. He started his career in the EU in Lithuania and Estonia, working in the EU Delegations and supporting the two countries to join the EU, ending his six years in the Baltic States as Acting Head of the EC Representation in Estonia. He started his career with a stint at the United Nations’ Economic Commission for Europe in Switzerland. He holds MA degrees in Economics and English from the University of Heidelberg in Germany, and in European Studies from the University of Reading in the UK.

Longevity expert, serial entrepreneur, investor, and former CEO of Solvo Biotechnology.

Longevity expert, serial entrepreneur, investor, and former CEO of Solvo Biotechnology, which achieved the largest biotech exit in the CEE region. He has built and invested in numerous startups, primarily in life sciences. He is the founder of the Hungarian Biotechnology Association and of Szikra School, while also teaching biotechnology and entrepreneurship at several universities.

Head of Division, Deep Tech, Digital and Life Sciences – Equity and Growth Capital, European Investment Bank (EIB)

Yu Zhang is a Head of Division at the European Investment Bank (EIB), leading a team focused on venture financing of DeepTech and Life Science companies across Europe, as well as equity co-investments with strategic partners in innovation and energy efficiency. In this context, since 2015, the EIB has supported over 400 highly innovative European and high growth companies with a total committed volume of close to EUR 10bn.  At the EIB, Yu has contributed to the development of financing instruments for innovative, high-growth companies, including risk-sharing and co-investment instruments with major partners. Prior to the EIB, Yu worked as a capital markets banker and advised various European blue-chip companies. Yu holds degrees from the Université Libre de Bruxelles (Solvay) and Université Catholique de Louvain (IAG) in Belgium. He also holds several international professional certificates.

Head of the European Commission Representation in Hungary

Gabor Zupko is currently the Head of Representation of the European Commission in Hungary. Previously he was Principal Adviser on secondment advising on the preparations for the HU2024 Presidency of the Council. Prior to that, in several senior positions in the European Commission, he was Head of the Commission Representation in Hungary between 2015 and 2022, Director for Resources in the Directorate-General for Communication from 2012 until 2015, and Principal Adviser and Director of the Office for Infrastructure and logistics in Brussels (OIB), between 2005 and 2012. Prior to that, between 2000 and 2005, during his service in the MFA of Hungary, he was Ambassador to Finland and Deputy State Secretary. For eight years between 1990 and 1998 he served as Mayor and Deputy Mayor. Gabor Zupko holds a PhD in management sciences from the University of Economic Sciences of Budapest.

Head of Unit (acting), Access to Finance, DG GROW, European Commission

Eike Klapper is acting Head of Unit for Access to Finance at the European Commission’s DG GROW. He works to strengthen Europe’s competitiveness by improving access to finance and mobilising investment in the green and digital transitions. He particularly seeks solutions to the geopolitical and economic challenges facing the EU’s competitiveness, including investment, innovation, and job creation. From 2021 to 2025, he served as Counsellor for Industry, Entrepreneurship and SMEs at the EU Delegation to the United States. Prior to that, he held various roles within the European Commission in Brussels, including Assistant to the Director-General and Deputy Director-General of DG GROW.

Deputy Head of Unit, SMEs, DG GROW, European Commission

Eszter Batta is Deputy Head of Unit of the European Commission’s SME policy unit, where she focuses on helping European businesses grow, expand into other Member States and integrate into strategic value chains. She coordinates SME support and funding instruments under the current Single Market Programme and the SME actions under the proposed European Competitiveness Fund. She has 17 years of experience in the European Commission spanning across the Single Market, industry and research policies, including three years in the Cabinet of Commissioner Thierry Breton, where she was responsible for the decarbonisation of EU industries, clean tech, raw materials and health industries. Before joining the Commission, she worked as policy advisor to a Member of European Parliament. Eszter holds a master’s degree in international relations from Corvinus University of Budapest and also studied political science at the University of Cologne. In addition to her native Hungarian, she speaks English, German, Spanish and some French.

Senior Regional Representative, European Investment Fund (EIF)

Kamil Pruchnik, PhD. currently works as the Senior Regional Representative of the European Investment Fund (EIF) to Poland and Hungary. As the ambassador of EIF he is a promoter of EU initiatives and instruments (debt and equity) aiming at boosting private investments.

Head of the Political and Economic Analysis Team, European Commission Representation in Hungary

Borbàla Szigeti is an EU lawyer and diplomat, with 25 years of experience in the European Commission and Hungarian public administration. She started in the Hungarian foreign ministry, preparing Hungary’s EU accession on internal market issues (free movement of workers, recognition of diplomas). She then joined the European Commission and worked first on employment and equality issues and then in various key areas of Home affairs (visa negotiations with Ukraine, drafting and negotiating key elements of the Migration Pact). Between 2020 and 2023, she worked at the European Commission's representation in Hungary, in addition to diplomatic and political analysis tasks, she also followed rule of law issues. In the last three years she has led a legal team in Brussels in DG HOME in the area of migration and security. There she also worked on post-Brexit, was one of the negotiators of the EU-UK youth mobility agreement on the Commission side and was also active in the reform of the rules against illegal migration. She recently rejoined the Representation of the Commission in Budapest, heading the political and economic analysis team. She has a law degree from the Faculty of Law in Szeged and she also studied EU foreign policy in Turku and German law by the Potsdam University.

Policy Officer, DG GROW, European Commission

Ferenc MAROFKA is a Policy Officer in the Access to Finance Unit of the European Commission's Directorate-General for Internal Market, Industry, Entrepreneurship and SMEs (DG GROW), focusing on investment and financing opportunities for innovative companies.