Gábor Bojár (63) was one of the very few entrepreneurs of Central-Eastern Europe to succeed in global business already in the years of state-socialism. With a degree in physics, obtained at the Eötvös Loránd University in 1973, founded his own software development firm in 1982. Graphisoft grew rapidly and became a top software vendor of the sector globally. Claiming the most prestigious awards of the trade, Graphisoft’s leading product, ArchiCAD® is used by hundreds of thousands of architects all over the world. Graphisoft had been introduced to the Frankfurt (1998) and the Budapest (2000) stock exchange and was purchased by Nemetscheck Gmbh (Germany) in 2007. Mr Bojár remains Chairman of Graphisoft’s board of directors.

In 1996, Mr. Bojár founded a real-estate development company to re-cultivate a run down industrial site on the bank of the river Danube and to turn it into a state-of-the art science park, accommodating the research units of corporations including Microsoft, SAP, Servier and others, becoming Budapest’s prime revitalization project and the recipient of several awards and recognitions.

In 2007 Mr Bojár established a highly competitive school of information technology for an international student body pursuing under- and postgraduate degrees. Aquincum Institute of Technology is meant to be an example of social entrepreneurship demonstrating the viability of a self-sustaining investment in higher education.

Mr. Bojár was distinguished by numerous national and international awards for scientific and business excellence, including Szechenyi Prize (1997), Order of Merit (2002) and Ernst & Young’s Entrepreneur of the Year in 2006.

An invited speaker of several prestigious events (including the Davos World Economic Forum), Mr Bojár was adjunct faculty member of Central European University Business School, offers guest lectures internationally and has published several articles of general interest as well as a book exploring the “Graphisoft story” with an analytic perspective.