2024 - Page 3 of 13

Anikó Körmendi

CEO, Arriva Hungary Ltd.

Nomination Leadership Summary – Original, Unchanged Text

Which 3 words describe the nominee?

Inspire, Innovate, Integrate.

Why do you consider the nominee suitable for the award?

Anikó Körmendi, CEO of Arriva Hungary Ltd. and Managing Director of ArrivaBus Ltd., works as a leader in the public transport sector and is deeply committed to sustainability. She plays a key role in the international Arriva Group Sustainability Council, where she actively contributes to the implementation of green transport solutions. Anikó is also involved in the Global Arriva Inclusion Network (GAIN) for Women initiative, which supports the development and advancement of female employees. As a member of the Arriva Group’s Talent and Training Development team, she places significant emphasis on the professional growth of employees. She also focuses heavily on the development of female employees: she created the Arriva Women’s Circle, where she regularly consults with her female colleagues, strengthening the sense of community, support, and commitment. Anikó inspires, innovates, and integrates, serving as a role model in both sustainability and gender equality. These values and achievements make her a deserving candidate for the Leading Woman Award.

As a leader, she has a positive impact on the transport organizing partner, authorities, various regulators, suppliers, customers, and passengers alike. As a female executive in the sector, she not only holds a leadership role, being the head of Arriva, which currently provides one-third of bus transport in Budapest, but she also advocates and educates. Her activities include fighting for the implementation of innovative sustainability solutions and educating the Budapest Transport Center to ensure they have as much knowledge as possible about sustainable, future-proof transport solutions. Anikó is dedicated to providing a sustainable future for passengers with carbon-neutral vehicles. This has a tremendous impact on the community we serve, making it essential to educate stakeholders, including through testing new technology vehicles, sharing best practices, organizing site visits, and study tours. Anikó leads this massive project as a strategic leader, and as a result of her complex work, tenders for electric vehicles in Budapest are already in progress — a process in which Anikó Körmendi plays a key role.

10.10.2024

The celebration of movement: 30 000 participants from 107 countries are expected at the 39th SPAR Budapest Marathon Festival

Member News

There is only a week left until the 39th SPAR Budapest Marathon Festival. Hungary’s biggest and oldest running event is celebrating a milestone anniversary this year as the first mass marathon in Budapest was organised 40 years ago in 1984. There will be close to 30 000 participants from 107 countries competing in one of the categories running along the most scenic sights of the capital on the 12th and 13th of October 2024. The organisers will also welcome those who opt to do shorter or longer city tours.

A celebration of movement – a name well-deserved as the 39th SPAR Budapest Marathon Festival is not only an opportunity for marathon runners to beat the 42-kilometre distance as well as themselves, but also a chance for everyone who wants to signal to the world, by either running a shorter distance or even walking one, how important sport and exercising are to them, and to send the whole country a message that regular exercise makes life better and happier.

Runners can choose from a total of 18 distances during the 2-day event with the shortest being the 1000-metre NESTLÉ Family Run and the longest the classic 42 km marathon. As it has become tradition in recent years, participants can also walk or do one of the SPAR City Tours, or the 2.3-kilometre Gondosóra Walk joined by the Breast Cancer Info Association this year.

Based on the entry data it can be confirmed already that the 39th SPAR Budapest Marathon Festival will set a record. There has never been this many foreigners in our country attending a leisure sporting event. About 6 000 foreign runners from 107 countries have applied already which breaks the previous record set before the pandemic with 5400 foreigners. Together with their companions there will be about 10 000-12 000 runner tourists visiting Hungary because of the event.

As an example, in the 42 km distance every second participant will be an international guest, most of them British, Italian, French, citizens from the neighbouring countries or the Visegrád region.

“The SPAR Budapest Marathon Festival now has a four-decade-history and offers a spectacular sport experience for all participants and supporters every year. This year is a significant milestone as the 40-year jubilee symbolises the perseverance, stamina, and the power of community. Today Budapest is without a doubt one of the sport capitals of Europe. The breathtaking cityscape offers an exceptional background while the city’s love for sports provides the perfect atmosphere for this unforgettable event. “We are proud that after having organised the world’s most prestigious sport events, we can host such an international competition again this year which is not only celebrating the joy of exercise but the power of community for the 39th time,” said Péter Szijjártó, Minister of Foreign Affairs, patron of the 39th SPAR Budapest Marathon Festival.

The Celebration of Movement is putting the whole country into motion, not only foreigners. There have been entries from 1000 towns and villages so far and they are still expecting further applicants in the coming days (except for the half marathon which has already reached the maximum entry limit). The organisers are expecting about 30 000 participants in total which will make the 39th SPAR Budapest Marathon Festival the biggest and most significant leisure sport event in Hungary since the pandemic, making the whole city of Budapest very proud.

“Regular exercise is a chance for a good, long, and healthy life and Budapest is a city that welcomes community sports and events that promote healthy lifestyle with open arms. The first Budapest Marathon was organised 40 years ago. Back then there were 700 participants from 18 countries attending the first running competition in the history of the Hungarian capital where amateurs were allowed to compete. The competition has become a community building event since then where everyone can find the challenge that best suits their level of fitness. I respect every participant who achieves the goal they set out for themselves. Let us celebrate community life, sport, and Budapest!,” said Gergely Karácsony, mayor of Budapest, main patron of the 39th SPAR Budapest Marathon Festival.

Budapest has one of the world’s most beautiful marathon routes which explains the high number of international participants. The festival centre will be located on the Pázmány Péter promenade. The short distance routes will be marked around the start and finish areas, but the long-distance runners will be able to admire the most beautiful sights of the city.

The marathon runners will run across the embankments on both sides of the Danube, by Parliament, under Buda Castle, over the Chain Bridge and across Liberty Bridge, enter Margaret Island, reach a section of Andrassy Avenue, see Saint Stephen’s Basilica and the Hungarian Academy of Sciences building from close by.

The 30 000 participants will include enthusiastic amateurs, record holder marathon runners with hundreds of successful competitions behind them, diplomats, actors, media personalities, equal opportunity ambassadors, old and young, families and the representatives of different professions to promote the joy of running and sport.

“Running is the most popular sport in Hungary with a large group of supporters. The SPAR Budapest Maraton^® Festival is the biggest celebration of this form of sport. We are proud that the event has been carrying SPAR’s name for 16 years and we gladly support it because our goal is mutual; get as many people as possible to love exercising, to look after their health through their lifestyle and quality diet. This year we set up stands between the start and finish line areas with activities to involve and motivate all generations to move in a playful way. Based on the ideas of our Gen Z colleagues we will await visitors with a special reflex game and an obstacle course. The lucky players can win our own-brand, health-conscious products. We will try to motivate our colleagues – who will enter for free yet again – with a good cause. For each colleague who competes we will donate 2000 forints to support the work of the Utcáról Lakásba! (From the Streets to a Home Association),” said Márk Maczelka, head of communications at SPAR Hungary.

The organiser Budapest Sports Office (Budapest Sportiroda) asks the locals of Budapest to show up to support the runners of the international caravan along the routes with applause or a few nice words. Runners will have access to refreshment stations and music spots.

“The 39th SPAR Budapest Marathon Festival has a special place in our hearts. The first marathon in Budapest took place 40 years ago, in 1984, and we would like to celebrate this jubilee in style this year. The world and the Hungarian capital have changed a lot in the last 40 years, however the joy of reaching the finish line will never change. I wish every participant, whether they will walk the shortest distance or run the marathon at the speed of professionals, that they reach the goal they set for themselves, have fun, enjoy every moment of the festival, and keep moving and exercising regularly going forward because it will make their lives better and happier,” said Árpád Kocsis, director of the Budapest Sports Office.

BACKGROUND – milestones from the history of the 40-year-old Budapest Marathon

The first mass marathon in Budapest has participants from 18 countries, 25 women and 625 men reach the finish line of the 42-km distance
The first time when the number of participants reached 10 000 (11 700 entries)
There were then different distance categories, the event earned the Day of Running title
SPAR became the main sponsor of the Budapest Marathon
The first year when the number of participants reached over 15 000 (16 500)

The first year when street musicians supported runners along the route

Charity work began which has raised 209 million forints by 2023

The first time when the number of entries reached over 20 000 (21 302)

More than 7000 individuals entered the marathon, a record which has not been broken since

First FODISZ equal opportunities race was organised

The first time the festival became a 2-day event

The first time the number of participants reached over 30 000 (32 000)

The first time when more than 5 000 foreigners entered

A new record was set with 34 000 entries

The event returned after the pandemic

The first City Tours took place

05.10.2024

The Joy to Give! charity campaign helps almost 1600 children in need to start school

Member News

Around 71 000 pieces of school supplies were donated to help families living in difficult circumstances to start school in the Joy to Give! school supplies donation campaign organised by SPAR and the Charity Service of the Hungarian Order of Malta. Supporters also purchased donation cards worth 1.4 million HUF which will be used by the charity organisation to provide stationery, schoolbooks and and other school items to those in need. On top of this, SPAR donated a further 1 million HUF to the initiative.

The “Joy to Give!” (Adni Öröm!) school supply donation campaign organised by the Hungarian Maltese Charity Service and SPAR has been successfully completed. From 21 to 24 August 2024, volunteers of the charity service collected donated school supplies in all INTERSPAR stores throughout the country: shoppers in the hypermarkets bought and donated more than 71 000 pieces of school supplies – pencils, pens, pencil sets, schoolbook sets, pencil cases, drawing sets, school bags, gym bags – for the charity campaign. The collected school supplies were used by the staff of the charity organisation to create schoolbags and gift packs full of school supplies and to distribute them to families in need.

In the other part of the campaign, from 29 July to 1 September 2024, customers could also help with donation cards in 500, 1500, 3000, 5000 and 10 000 HUF denominations purchased in the SPAR online shop and the INTERSPAR stores. The total amount of 1.4 million HUF thus donated is also exchanged by the charity service for school supplies which will be distributed to children living in difficult circumstances and to children from families with multiple disadvantages attending the “Maltese” Schools. SPAR Hungary has matched the donations with an additional 1 million HUF to ensure that even more needy pupils can receive school supplies.

“For SPAR, social responsibility and supporting noble causes have been an integral part of the corporate culture for more than 30 years. Our strategic partner in this effort has long been the Charity Service of the Hungarian Order of Malta which strives to help disadvantaged people in all regions of the country. We have been organising the “Joy to Give!” campaign for the fourth year already, and I am pleased to say that we have once again been able to help families in difficult circumstances with a significant amount of school supplies. We are very grateful to all our customers, who have once again taken action and with their selfless support are helping many children to start school,” said Márk Maczelka, head of communications at SPAR Hungary.

“We would like to thank everyone who contributed with donations. The start of the school year often forces families in difficult circumstances to make bitter choices, and donations allow us to help them through this. With the fourth Joy to Give! back-to-school campaign, we are helping more than 1600 children who will receive the donated school supplies in the first days of the school year, and some of these will be distributed later to replace any missing items,” added Tamás Romhányi, head of communications of the Hungarian Maltese Charity Service.

For more information on the results of the donation campaign please visit the www.adniorom.hu website.

29.09.2024

Hungarian ‘ESG Act’ implementing regulations have been published

News

Detailed rules on the fulfilment of the due diligence obligations of companies for sustainability purposes and the registration process for ESG reports, ESG rating agencies and ESG software have been published in Issue 81 of the Hungarian Offical Journal 2024. Issue 80 also contains regulations about the requirements for accreditation as an ESG consultant and the rules of procedure for accreditation.

The aim of the Regulation is:

Containing also the questionnaire annexed to the ESG report 13/2024. (VIII. 15.) SZTFH Regulation, on the basis of the ESG Act, sets out the detailed rules that allow an objective comparison of companies according to sustainability criteria and the monitoring of their responsibility.

The main screening criteria are

Establishment of a risk management system: a documented risk management system must be in place to minimise ESG risks, both within the business’s own sphere of responsibility and in the supply chain. The risk management system includes the recording of environmental and social impacts and the analysis of organisational governance impacts, in particular screening, identification, assessment, prioritisation, prevention, elimination, correction and follow-up;
Develop an internal responsibility strategy and system;
Conduct regular and ad hoc risk analyses;
Establish preventive and corrective actions for all identified adverse impacts within the scope of its own business and with its direct suppliers;
ESG reporting obligation: by preparing an ESG report and completing the questionnaire annexed to the ESG report;
Declaration of direct suppliers with regard to the risks they face.

The Regulation also includes minimum formal requirements for the preparation of the ESG report.

Temporary, facilitating provision

The ESG reports of companies under Section 1 (1) (a) of the ESG Act for the financial year 2024 and of companies under Section 1 (1) (b) of the ESG Act for the financial year 2025 only have to be pre-audited and do not have to be certified, neither the ESG reports themselves nor the pre-audit results are public and are not published.

Questionnaire annexed to the ESG report

The table in Annex 1 of the SZTFH Regulation contains the questions that form the basis of the ESG reporting and supply chain due diligence.

The questions cover ESG activities of companies in the areas of environment (45 questions), society (41 questions) and corporate governance (14 questions). For the screening of direct suppliers, the questions are adapted to the size of the suppliers, their geographical location and the scope of the questions to be answered.

It is important to underline that direct suppliers cannot commit to answering voluntary questions either in a contract or in a written declaration.

ESG calculator coming soon

For the preparation of the ESG report, the SZTFH will soon provide an ESG calculator to help you calculate the more complex numerical data of the questionnaire.

For more information (in Hungarian), please visit the SZTFH website:

ESG report
ESG questionnaire
ESG Authority Activity

19.09.2024

Sustainability is not a project, it’s the future – BCSDH CEO weekend at SIÓ and Masterplast

News

This year’s BCSDH weekend offered an exciting programme for the 20 participating business leaders and partners, despite the bad weather.

On Friday, the professional programme started at SIÓ’s factory in Siófok, where the host Dezső Mészáros, Managing Director of SIÓ-Eckes, welcomed the participants and gave an insight into the company’s sustainability strategy. The presentation of the responses to the challenges of climate change in the fruit juice industry and the steps taken to achieve the ambitious climate targets was followed by a factory tour led by experts.

The next day, the team was hosted by Masterplast Plc and welcomed by Dávid Tibor, CEO, who presented their solutions for sustainable change in the construction industry and their insulation solutions for climate adaptation.

We thank the host, SIÓ-Eckes and Masterplast managers and staff for the professional programme and hospitality.

19.09.2024

Paw in Trouble! INTERSPAR shoppers support shelter animals throughout the country

Member News

SPAR Hungary and the National Animal Protection Foundation have organised the Paw in Trouble! pet food donation campaign this weekend for the fourth time, to support dogs and cats living in pet shelters. During the two-day collection campaign around 12 000 pcs of canned food, 9500 kg of dry food, and canned food, salami, many pieces of pet equipment and cleaning products have been donated by shoppers in the INTERSPAR hypermarkets. In addition to this, SPAR has also donated 1 million HUF to the cause of animal protection.

SPAR Hungary and the Országos Állatvédőrség Alapítvány (National Animal Protection Foundation) has been organising all-year pet food collection campaigns for more than 10 years, with one of the largest events of this initiative being the “Paw in Trouble!” weekend. In the campaign, volunteers of animal welfare organisations collected donations from shoppers in all 36 INTERSPAR hypermarkets across the country at the same time last weekend.

“There are many pets in Hungary living in dire conditions. For most of us it is hard to even imagine how much work it is for animal welfare organisations to care for them. SPAR has been helping animal shelters in Hungary for more than a decade by donating products that are no longer commercially marketable but can be used to feed animals. Our company also closely collaborates with the National Animal Protection Foundation. A key event of this cooperation is the Paw in Trouble! campaign, which this year again attracted a large number of donations from our customers, whom we would like to sincerely thank,” explained Márk Maczelka, head of communications at SPAR Hungary.

“Paw in Trouble! and other fundraising campaigns are a great help to animal welfare organisations in caring for the pets in need. This initiative is also an opportunity to raise awareness about animal welfare and responsible pet ownership. This is an extremely complex social problem, but we are confident that with consistent work and by shaping social attitudes we can achieve positive changes in this sense,” said Katalin Schreiter, board member of the National Animal Protection Foundation.

During this year’s Paw in Trouble! pet food collection weekend, shoppers at INTERSPAR stores donated more than 8000 kilograms of dry food and 5250 cans of canned food for dogs, and 1312 kilograms of dry food, 6681 cans and trays of food and 1043 kilograms of cat litter for cats. Additionally, large quantities of pet equipment and cleaning products were donated. SPAR also contributed 1 million HUF to support the work of the National Animal Protection Foundation.

The fundraising activities will continue for the rest of the year, and information on the dates and locations of the fundraising events will be available from June at www.sparafenntarthatojovoert.hu/mancsabajban.

18.09.2024

Beyond Zero film premiere and roundtable: sustainability is both a leadership responsibility and a corporate culture

News

The Business Council for Sustainable Development in Hungary (BCSDH) presented the Beyond Zero film for the first time in Hungary at an exclusive CEO event in cooperation with Sustainova, sponsored and hosted by E.ON Hungária Group.

In addition to the CEO of BCSDH member companies, members of the Net Zero Advisory Board were also invited to the event on 17 September, including Paul Fox, the UK Ambassador to Hungary, who also joined.

The event was moderated by Irén Márta, Managing Director of BCSDH, and the participants were welcomed by Attila Chikán Jr., President of BCSDH and President-CEO of Alteo, Zsolt Jamniczky, Deputy CEO of E.ON Hungária Group, Tomas Svoboda, Co-Founder and CEO of Sustainova, and Nathan Havey, writer-director of the film (via video message).

This inspiring documentary explores the personal and corporate transformation of business leader Ray Anderson, answering questions about the steps to a successful paradigm shift, how to engage leaders, convince investors and engage business partners to achieve climate goals.

After the screening, committed leaders, Tímea Pesti (Ald | LeasePlan), Zsolt Jamniczky (E.ON Hungária Group), Balázs Báthory (Market Építő Zrt.) active in sectors important to climate protection shared their thoughts and dilemmas during a round table discussion. Participants emphasized how important the faith and will of the CEOs is, so that sustainability permeates the entire organizational culture and encourages employees to take action. Observing the natural environment and gaining inspiration for specific developments from it can be of great help in the implementation of the climate goals, this is also one of the key messages of the film.

BCSDH cooperates with Sustainova in Hungary to disseminate this inspiring film for business leaders and employees to accelerate systemic change and meaningful action towards climate goals.

You can see the photo gallery of the event by clicking on the link.

18.09.2024

Renewed ECO-consciousness page of Ladybird Farm

Member News

Our Eco-consciousness website has been relaunched, featuring:

a summary of our environmental solutions over the last decade and
we have set out our commitments (ESG) to the 17 UN SDG targets and added an 18th one, which highlights the importance of using alternative metrics other than money.

The page can be accessed by clicking here: www.ladybirdfarm.eu

18.09.2024

K&H animal friendly groves

Member News

Even it is September, the heatwave has not eased so far, and it is getting harder and harder to bear the heat that has lasted for months. The shade and the cooling effect of trees and plants can significantly improve our well-being, but the animals also need green surfaces. In this spirit, the K&H animal friendly groves program turned the yards of 30 educational institutions green. The 100 square meter parks will even attract birds, butterflies and hedgehogs into the immediate environment of children. As a result, the young generation can experience the beneficial effects of plants, and thanks to the educational materials, they can learn more about the harmonious coexistence of humans and the flora and fauna.

We experienced an extremely hot summer and even in September the heat has barely eased. This is becoming more and more difficult to bear – especially in the cities. The situation is worst in inner-city areas: this is due to the so-called urban heat island effect, which means that the temperature is much higher in densely built-in downtown areas than in areas with plants. So even in the suburban areas the temperature is much more tolerable, not to mention the parts densely covered with trees. This can be traced back to the fact that green surfaces reflect solar radiation better than built-in surfaces, and also help cool the environment through evaporation. Measurements prove that while the pavement and the road can be 50-60 degrees Celsius on a sunny summer day without shade, the soil in green areas and shaded parts is only 15 degrees.

“Green surfaces play a significant role in combating climate change, but our own well-being is greatly improved even in a sort time if we surround ourselves with plants. We need trees not only in forests, but also in our immediate environment – and it is up to us how many trees and bushes we plant where we live” – said Guy Libot, CEO of K&H Group. “With our K&H animal friendly groves program, we create a small park in the yard of schools and kindergartens, where they can not only cool off in the shade, but also observe birds, insects, and hedgehogs. In addition, we also help them with educational materials so that young people can become even more familiar with the importance of the organic unity of humans, plants and animals”- he added.

The K&H animal friendly groves program was implemented in 30 kindergartens and schools across the country in the past six months. In this way, the financial institution has already turned 130 educational yards green with the professional cooperation of the 10 million Trees Foundation, since in the 2022/23 academic year 555 trees and 1110 shrubs were planted in 100 educational institutions in the K&H cooling groves program.

In the yards of the institutions participating in the K&H animal friendly groves program, a green area of 100 square meters was created each, consisting of 28 plants. The biodiverse parks contains birdhouses, feeders, birdbaths and hedgehog hiding places and offer attractive habitat for the animals.

The program also includes educational materials, as well as a treasure hunt game that is held by the 10 Million Trees Foundation after planting the trees and bushes with the children.

18.09.2024

Multiple experienced experts have joined the Greenbors Consulting team, in response to the increased demand for green buildings and their certification

Member News

Domestic companies are finding it increasingly difficult to make decisions in the ESG field, in the face of new regulations, binding deadlines and financial incentives. According to Gábor Szarvas, Head of Greenbors, most market players have the will to meet expectations and adapt to innovations. Many are also aware of the business potential of the new framework, but the expertise to implement it is also essential.

Szarvas says that as sustainability consultants specialising in real estate and buildings, we have a comprehensive understanding of the challenges of the built environment to operate more sustainably and the risks and benefits of domestic and international trends. This expertise and knowledge is clearly in increasing demand and demand from property developers, operators, financiers and other relevant companies. Thanks to increased enquiries and projects requiring increasingly diverse services, Greenbors has added 3 senior experts and several junior professionals in the last few months alone.

Senior energy consultant Máté Varga will strengthen Greenbors’ newly launched energy practice. Máté leads the building energy consultancy projects, which include both individual and complex tasks, from certified building energy certification to energy modelling. Andrea Nyilas, Senior Sustainability Consultant, is involved in the professional management and implementation of expert services for corporate ESG/sustainability reporting. She also coordinates projects for the development of carbon neutrality strategies and roadmaps, and the technical tasks of carbon footprint calculation and life cycle assessment (LCA) services. Csaba Lovász, as a consultant, is involved in the preparation of studies related to building assessments, climate adaptation and building-specific climate risk analysis and ESG reports.

With their involvement, Greenbors can provide an integrated ESG service covering all related topics in the real estate and construction sector. “With a surge of nearly 20 percent in headcount and an increasing demand for integrated services, mid-sized consulting firms like us have had to rethink our organizational structure and service portfolio. To do this, we integrated a professional organisation development manager into the management team in the person of Áron Jakab.” Gábor Szarvas believes that despite the general slowdown in the economy, the market growth of expert consultancies in the sustainable real estate segment could reach double digits in the coming years and that Greenbors is ready for this growth in the future.

13.09.2024