Largest Pharmaceutical Wholesaler Gets Fresh Expert Management

BBJ: Hungaropharma Zrt. is among the top 50 companies in Hungary regarding revenue, but it is relatively unfamiliar to the average reader.

Judit Füzesi: Yes, that’s right. As the most significant national pharmaceutical wholesaler, Hungaropharma works outside the limelight of healthcare, but thanks to its expertise, it provides every second box of medicine to the Hungarian population. The successful strategy of the past decade allowed the establishment of a unique vertical pharmaceutical market integration encompassing nine subsidiaries, which are critical players in their fields, along with the parent company. Hungaropharma Group has increased its capacities significantly over the past few years and has created one of the region’s most significant pharmaceutical logistics centers. The average reader will actually meet us quite often; our hundreds of transport vehicles travel thousands of kilometers every day to take the proper medication to the right place on time. When they see a vehicle with the slogan “We deliver healing,” that’s us.

BBJ: The new management means a significant change for the company. What is the reasoning behind this, and what are your plans for the future?

JF: Former CEO Dr. Antal Feller and deputy CEO and chief financial officer László Sz. Kis retired on Dec. 31, 2023, after successful and illustrious careers. The three of us were the senior management team for 12 years. During this period, Hungaropharma became one of the most important strategic companies with a rich history of tradition. We move on with a new top management and strategy in January 2024, but our position in the industry and our ambition for success will remain the same.

The latter is based on deliberate and forward-thinking decisions; therefore, my primary consideration while selecting the new members of the top management was their experience in the pharmaceutical industry. I am ready to apply my more than 30 years of experience, in addition to the extensive and detailed knowledge of my three fellow directors, and not only take over the management of Hungaropharma Group but also successfully contribute to its development. I will work with three deputy CEOs. The new chief business officer will be László Dene, who spent the last eight years as managing director of Bellis Egészségtár Kft., one of the group’s strategic subsidiaries. Andor Nagy, director of group operations, has actively contributed to Hungaropharma’s stable and successful operation. He will take on the chief logistics and technology officer role in the new management. They will be joined by Dr. Balázs Felsmann as chief financial officer from Feb. 1, 2024. He is currently a university faculty member with extensive experience in the financial management of pharmaceutical enterprises.

BBJ: What goals have you set for yourself and your fellow managers?

JF: I will continue to work as a CEO to make Hungaropharma Group a pillar of the industry as a market-leading pharmaceutical wholesaler, a comprehensive service provider of pharmaceutical logistics, and a leading pharmaceutical market innovator. I firmly believe that the Hungaropharma Group is an essential actor in the long-term, uninterrupted professional and business development of the Hungarian pharmaceutical trade and an important contributor to its future. The combination of our pharmaceutical experience, our unrivaled logistical capacities in the region, and our strategy, aligned with international trends, contribute to the smooth operation, security and development of the Hungarian pharmaceutical trade and market.

While respecting the values of the past, we will do our utmost to use our achievements and experience to help the group perform even better. I simply told my colleagues that our goal is to achieve even better results through intelligent, cooperative work and possibly by implementing innovative changes and new tools.

This article was first published in the Budapest Business Journal print issue of January 12, 2024.