XpatLoop Interview: Ádám Madarász, Event & Communications Manager, BCCH

  • 4 Jun 2015 12:00 PM
XpatLoop Interview: Ádám Madarász, Event & Communications Manager, BCCH
Ádám has been living and working in Hungary since 2011.

After graduating from secondary school, Ádám started studying Institutional Communication at Atalanta Business College. He quickly realised his passion for the English language, and decided to move to the United Kingdom, as he thought living there would be beneficial for him.

He moved to Edinburgh, Scotland in 2009, where he had a chance to work with Victor Scott kilt maker. He started out as assistant manager at one of Victor’s shops, and he learnt how to manage a store and improved his problem-solving skills. Two years later, he moved back to Budapest and enrolled to university.

Whilst studying English linguistics, history and literature at Kodolányi János University, Ádám stumbled upon a great opportunity to gain experience in online marketing and communication strategy during an apprenticeship at Prezent Studio Kft.. He was a marketing, communications and account managing intern for 9 months. Ádám joined the British Chamber of Commerce in Hungary in 2013. In early 2015, he was appointed Event & Communications Manager of the Chamber.

Ádám is absorbed in how social media and technology help growing businesses by generating visibility, and how startup companies form today’s businesses. He also shares a passion for discovering different cultures and gastronomy; he loves travelling, and he is fond of extreme sports.
 

1. Where did you grow up?
I was born and raised in the Buda side of Budapest, I also went to school there.

2. If you could be an expat anywhere in the world, where would you choose?
It’s a tough one. I think I’d choose either Indonesia, probably Bali, or Australia. Indonesia has got so much potential, and travelling within the continent is easier in case of doing business in Asia.

3. What would you miss most if you moved away from Hungary?
My family, my friends, Hungarian cuisine, Lake Balaton and Budapest of course.

4. Friends are in Budapest for a weekend - what must they absolutely see and do?
It’s almost impossible to squeeze every sight into a weekend.I recommend a nice walk in the Buda Castle district, and having a drink on one of Budapest’s sky terraces is definitely worth a try, too. Might be a cliché, but trying one of the Turkish baths is a must. Walking alongside the Danube with its bridges is a remarkable sight. Also, in the last few years Budapest’s downtown has improved a lot, so grabbing some dinner, going clubbing or simply having a pint somewhere around Gozsdu Udvar, or the Basilica is highly recommended. The underground design scene often gathers here as well.

5. What is your favourite food?
My absolute favourite food is ’Palócgombóc’ made by my mother. It is a special kind of meatball with a very similar filling to ’hortobágyi’ pancake and the dumpling dough is exactly the same as what plum dumpling has. Sounds odd, but it is absolutely stunning.

6. What is your favourite sport / form of exercise?
I like boardsports, such as snowboarding, wakeboarding, longboarding and surfing. But I do like martial arts as well, especially muay thai box. However, with a busy schedule nowadays I hardly have enough free time to make it to a training session, so I am happy if I can hit the gym a few times a week.

7. What is your favourite place in Hungary?
I love Budapest so much, it has a certain vibe, which cannot be mistaken for anything else. I am very fond of Lake Balaton, too.

8. What career other than yours would you love to pursue?
I have always wanted to become an astrophysicist. Carl Sagan made a huge impact on me when I was young. I bet you didn’t see that coming.

9. What’s a job you would definitely never want?
Being a nurse or a doctor. Don’t get me wrong, I admire what they do, but I don’t think I would have the stomach for that.

10. Where did you spend your last vacation?
I went surfing to Morocco in March, which was amazing.

11. Where do you hope to spend your next one?
Actually, I have already booked my flight to Barcelona, I am very much looking forward to that!

12. What was your favourite band, film, or hobby as a teen?
One of my favourite films was and still is Snatch, directed by Guy Ritchie. It had a great effect on my English. I started producing music and spinning vinyls from an early age as well.

13. Apart of temptation what can’t you resist?
I think I cannot resist eating greasy and sweet food whilst I should rather be excersing more.

14. Red wine or white?
It depends on my mood and on what sort of meal I’m having.

15. Book or movie?
Either. But it ought to be gripping!

16. Morning person or night person?
Very hard to answer. I love being awake at night. On the other hand, I love having breakfast. I call it a tie.

17. Which social issue do you feel most strongly about?
I am very concerned about enviromental problems, we really ought to be more careful how we live our lives on this planet.

18. Buda or Pest side?
Very hard to pick. I like to think of Budapest as a whole. I love Pest as it is really lively, and I’ve been living in this side of the city for a few years now, but the Buda side is quite relaxed and I was brought up there.

19. Which achievement in your life are you most pleased about?
I couldn’t pick one, there is still so many things ahead of me.

20. What would you say is your personal motto?
Do not miss any chance to network, just stay open-minded for you never know where the next opportunity lurks.

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