Baker McKenzie announced today that Ákos Fehérváry has been elected as managing partner of the Budapest office. Ákos's appointment takes effect from 1 July and he takes over the position from Zoltán Hegymegi-Barakonyi, who was at the helm of the office for nine years. Simultaneously, the Firm's name changes to Hegymegi-Barakonyi and Fehérváry Baker & McKenzie Attorney-at-Law.
Ákos is a highly qualified cross-border M&A lawyer, with substantial experience in the field of employment law, too. He is mainly active in the industries of oil and gas, automotive, energy/renewable energy, technologies and pharmaceuticals. Over the years, he has led a great number of major transactions in Hungary and the CEE region, many of which were landmark deals in the market. He also co-leads the office's China desk.
Having served as co-head of M&A and head of employment in Budapest for years, he is well known in the business circles in Hungary and is recognized as a top-notch professional by the leading legal directories.
Ákos started his legal career at Baker McKenzie in 1997 as a junior associate. Throughout his career, he has been a key contributor to the Firm's innovation and business development initiatives.
Commenting on his appointment, Ákos said:
It is an honor to have this opportunity and to lead the Budapest office. The bar is high, as I am taking over a very successful operation, but I am committed to further strengthening our businesses and organization. We shall keep offering solution based and business focused innovative solutions to our clients, deepen our industry knowledge and exploit new technologies, while creating a diverse and motivating work environment where each of our team members can thrive.
Zoltán said:
After nine years, I am happy to hand over the managing partner position to a colleague who has earned the full trust of our partners based on his hard work and good performance over the years. I am confident that Ákos will successfully continue the work that was started 35 years ago when Baker McKenzie opened the Budapest office, and he will further strengthen our Firm's position in the Hungarian market of legal services. As for me, I intend to help him achieve these goals primarily by strengthening and developing our competition and IP practices.