| Erik Keszthelyi | |
| Birth Date: | 22 December 1983 |
| Birth Place: | Szekszárd |
| Nationality: | Hungarian |
| Occupation: | CEO of Hungarikum Biztosítási Alkusz |
| Known For: | Majority shareholder of CIG Pannonia |
Erik Keszthelyi is a Hungarian economist and owner of Hungarikum Biztosítási Alkusz, the largest Hungarian-owned insurance broker, which also owns a majority stake in CIG Pannonia. He is also the 51st richest person in Hungary as of 2024.[1]
Keszthelyi was born on 22. December 1983 in Szekszárd.[2] His parents owned a restaurant where he also worked.[3]
Keszthelyi started his career in the insurance business at the Grawe Group, an Austrian insurance company, where he completed a training course in 2005.[4] [5] Afterwards he decided to not pursue the family catering business and worked as a broker for MIC, a subsidiary of the Grawe Group.[6] In 2010 he then bought a 20 percent stake in the insurance broker Optimal GB, which he took over completely in 2012 and later renamed to Hungarikum Biztosítási Alkusz Kft.(HBA).[7] The company expanded significantly in 2013 when it won the bid for Volánbusz.[8] In 2018 the Mészáros Group became a co-owner of HBA.[9] [10] In 2019, through Hungarikum Biztosítási Alkusz, he acquired a majority stake in UFS Group Pénzügyi Tervező, a company active in the retail and SME segments of the insurance broker market.[11] In 2020 the insurance broker Reticulum Insurance Biztosítási Alkusz Kft. merged into Keszthelyi's HBA[12] as did Insurance Partners Biztosítási Alkusz.[13] Also in that year, MTB Magyar Takarékszövetkezeti Bank acquired a 25 percent stake in Keszthelyi's HUNBankbiztosítás Kft.[14] [15] By 2022, Keszthelyi and his group of companies had more than half a million customers, a turnover of HUF 17.5 billion and a market share of nearly 20 percent.[16] [17]
HBA took over the Insurance Partners Biztosítási Alkusz Kft. and renamed it to HUNInsurance Partners Biztosítási Alkuszban in 2020.[18] In January 2023, he established Magyar Biztosítóholding,[19] and Hungarikum Biztosítási Alkusz Kft. was transformed into a private limited company and continued to operate under the name Hungarikum Biztosítási Alkusz Zrt.[20] In July 2023, Keszthelyi merged five of his companies, HUNInsurance, HUNInsurtech, HUNPartner, HUNPénzügyi Tervező and HUNRisk.hu into Hungarikum Biztosítási Alkusz Zrt., creating the largest Hungarian-owned insurance and financial services provider,[21] [22] which had a turnover of HUF 22.5 billion and a profit after tax of HUF 10.4 billion by the end of the year. In 2021, Hungarikum Biztosítási Alkusz was selected by the Budapest Stock Exchange as one of the BSÉ50[23] companies.[24]
In August 2023, on an initiative from Keszthelyi, the three Hungarian universities of Miskolc, Széchenyi István and Dunaújváros agreed with HBA to start accredited higher education-level training in insurance and financial consultancy. According to the agreement, HBA will provide lecturers and internships for students.[25] [26]
Keszthelyi, together with Lőrinc Mészáros, also bought a majority stake of CIG Pannónia Életbiztosító Nyrt., which is listed on the Budapest Stock Exchange and had an annual premium income of more than HUF 33 billion in 2022,[27] through his company in late 2021[28] and increased its ownership stake to nearly 59 percent in August 2023.[21]
In 2016, Keszthelyi's established HUNAlapítvány a Jövőért (originally called Keszthelyi Alapítvány a Mosolygó Gyermekekért / Keszthelyi Foundation for Smiling Children) to support the care and medical treatment of seriously ill and disadvantaged children and to provide patient care.[29] It also provides access to culture, education, sport and community experiences for children and young people with outstanding achievements.[30] [31]
Keszthelyi is married and has two children.[32]