Zoltán Sólyom Becomes New CEO of Szerencsejáték Zrt.

Zoltán Sólyom has been appointed as the new CEO of Szerencsejáték Zrt., Hungary’s state-owned lottery and gambling operator. Finance Minister András Kármán announced the decision via his Facebook page.

The minister wrote that with the appointment, Szerencsejáték Zrt. “finally fell into good hands,” as one of the country’s largest state-owned companies was previously “the paying agent of NER”.

“Through the company, taxpayers’ billions were distributed in a non-transparent manner, without justification and on political grounds to companies close to Fidesz, including companies linked to the top circles of the failed ruling party, Antal Rogán, Árpád Habony or Péter Szijjártó,” said Kármán, recalling that he dismissed the company’s previous CEO, Zoltán Guller, in July.

The Minister of Finance wrote about Zoltán Sólyom that during the selection process he proved that he would be a “good leader and careful manager” of Szerencsejáték Zrt., and that “there can be no doubt” about his professional experience and knowledge.

"Zoltán Sólyom founded his corporate insurance consulting company nearly thirty years ago, which has now become a dominant player in the market. He has gained management experience at numerous financial and insurance companies, and since August of this year, at my request, he has also been a member of the supervisory boards of two state-owned companies, Szerencsejáték Zrt. and Corvinus International Investment Zrt.,” said András Kármán.