Biography

SOPHIA LENGYEL
Founder and President
Hungarian American Chamber of Commerce of New England

Sophia Lengyel is Founder, President and Member of the Board of Directors of The Hungarian American Chamber of Commerce of New England. The Chamber was established in 1994 with 60 New England members. Its mission is to provide information about business opportunities in Hungary and to hold networking events. The Chamber is a founding member of the Global Business Alliance of New England, Inc., an organization of more than 40 international chambers and business councils. Sophia is responsible for The Chamber’s overall operation and to carry out its mission to further the development of relations between Hungary and the United States, promote trade, establish joint ventures and foster new business and job opportunities both in the US and Hungary.

Throughout her career, Sophia has consulted with US firms providing assistance in market research, partner identification, joint ventures, obtaining financing and opening access to markets in Central and Eastern Europe. Under contract with US Government, directly reported to the US Ambassador in Hungary, while managing pioneer economic development program (USEHP) of the US Embassy. Skilled in problem solving, creative thinking and strategic planning; has worked with US and Hungarian enterprises, universities and government organizations and contributed to facilitate US investments of more than $350 million USD in Hungary, in the region under her responsibility.

Professional Experience

Lengyel Associates, International Development, Milton, MA
Partnership of Consultants to US companies, assisting their expansion to Hungary.

The McCormick Group, Inc., Executive Search Consultants, Wellesley Hills, Massachusetts
Consulting assignment to boost placement of top executives in the field of high technology, including Telecommunications, Software and Biotech.

The Arctic Group, Ltd., International Business Development and Consulting, Budapest, Hungary
Managing Director

Incubators and visionaries of business opportunities and diverse market ventures with an extended network of facilitators and representatives spanning the world, Arctic was a dynamic, young organization with focus on the hi-tech, manufacturing and information technology sectors. The Arctic European Partnership program represented municipalities worldwide, preparing them for the reception of potential investors, enabling industry leaders to make educated choices based on the professional experience of Arctic's management and the region-specific documentation of opportunities presented to them.

Embassy of the United States, Budapest, Hungary, US-Eastern Hungary Partnership
Managing Director

Since the program's inception nine major US firms settled in the region investing more than USD 350 m. The mission of the program was to foster and expand partnerships between American and Hungarian companies by promoting trade and investment in the northeastern region of Hungary. The program was initiated by US Ambassador Peter Tufo in early 1999. Directed the three satellite offices of the Embassy from inception, and provided practical guidance to US firms on how to establish a presence in Hungary. Potential partners, sites and special government subsidies were identified, contacts were initiated between ministries, local municipalities, universities and US firms. Among multinational clients assisted were Lockheed, General Electric, Motorola, Jabil, Flextronics, Delfi and other Fortune 500’s.

Education

Harvard University, Boston, MA
Doctor of Science in Population Sciences, School of Public Health, Harvard University
Master of City Planning, Graduate School of Design, Harvard University - Cross-registered to MIT
Technical University of Budapest, Hungary
Master of Science in Civil Engineering

Nationality

Born and raised in Hungary, Hungarian and Naturalized U.S. citizen; fluent in English and Hungarian, intermediate French and German.

Professional Affiliations

Past Member, New England Alumni Council, JFK School of Government, Harvard University.
President, Hungarian American Chamber of Commerce of New England, Inc.
Founding Member, Global Business Alliance of New England, Boston, MA

 

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