ICON Real Estate Management - Zsolt Kákosy, Senior Director, Head of Property Management
1.Why do you think membership in the American Chamber of Commerce is important for businesses operating in Hungary?
AmCham gives businesses in Hungary a strong, credible voice and direct access to decision-makers. It helps build a transparent and predictable business environment, which is what international investors look for first. In real estate this matters every day: energy regulation, ESG requirements and building rules shape every investment and every lease. AmCham is also a place where competitors become partners. In the Workspace and Facility Management Committee, which I have chaired since 2023, owners, operators, tenants and advisors sit at the same table and learn from each other, and that makes the whole market better.
2. What motivates you to be an AmCham Board Member?
My second and final term as Committee Chair ends this autumn, and I would like to bring what I have learned to the Board. The buildings we work in are where many of AmCham's priorities meet: sustainability and energy, digitalisation and AI, and the wellbeing and retention of the workforce. A good workplace is now a competitiveness factor for Hungary, not only for individual companies. I would like to help keep these topics on AmCham's agenda, strengthen cooperation between the Committees, and support the Chamber in growing its membership and visibility.
3. Why do you feel you are qualified? What skills do you bring to the position?
I bring more than 25 years of experience in the Hungarian property market, from the investment, banking, developer, owner and advisory sides. This gives me a practical understanding of how international and Hungarian businesses make decisions about the spaces they invest in and work in. Seven years on the board of RICS Hungary taught me how professional organisations are governed and how to build consensus. As Committee Chair and as a university lecturer, I have learned to bring people together and to turn complex topics into clear messages.
4. How have you been active in AmCham over the course of the last two years?
Since January 2023 I have chaired the Workspace and Facility Management Committee, for two terms ending in autumn 2026. Together with our members, we have grown the Committee to 85 members representing 60 companies. We held regular meetings with an average of 26 participants, covering topics from AI in facility management and ESG to the office as an HR tool. We organised study tours to offices that stand out for their design, technology or sustainability solutions, where members could learn first-hand from what they saw. Our panel discussions brought together experts from many fields, including real estate, facility management, HR, technology and sustainability. Our events were typically followed by 3–5 articles in real estate and business media, bringing the Committee's work to a wider audience. I am grateful to the members of the Committee for their commitment: it has been a pleasure to work with them.
CANDIDATE BIO
Economist and real estate executive with more than 25 years of experience in the Hungarian property market, covering investment, finance, asset management and property management. He has worked on the developer, owner, banking and advisory sides, across office, retail, industrial and logistics properties. Since 2020 he has led the property management division of ICON Real Estate Management, one of Hungary's leading integrated property and facility management companies. Chair of AmCham's Workspace and Facility Management Committee since January 2023, for two consecutive terms. Long-standing member of the RICS Hungary board and guest lecturer on property management at Corvinus University of Budapest. Committed to a more sustainable, people-centred and transparent real estate sector in Hungary.
Experience
• 2020 – Present: Senior Director, Head of Property Management, ICON Real Estate Management
• 2014 – 2020: Director of Property Management, CBRE Hungary
• 2012 – 2014: Managing Director, CFO, DAV Holding (Raiffeisen Bank Hungary)
• 2010 – 2012: Managing Director, CFO, SAM-LAK Kft. (Hungarian management company of Raiffeisen Property Holding International – RPHI)
• 2005 – 2014: Partner, CFO, Deputy Managing Director, Harbor Industrial Development
• 2001 – 2005: CFO, Crow Holdings Hungary (50–50 joint venture of WING Real Estate and Crow Family Holdings)
AmCham and professional associations
• 2023 – Present: Chair, Workspace and Facility Management Committee, AmCham Hungary (two terms)
• 2025 – Present: Member of RICS Europe World Regional Board
• 2024 – Present: Board Member of RICS in Hungary
• 2020 – Present: Guest lecturer on property management, Corvinus University of Budapest
• 2006 – 2013: Board Member of RICS in Hungary
Education
• 2003 – 2007: MBA, Finance and Financial Management Services, Budapest University of Technology and Economics
• 1999 – 2001: Master of Real Estate Sciences, Real Estate, Nottingham Trent University
• 1999 – 2001: Master of Real Estate Sciences, Real Estate, Budapest University of Technology and Economics
• 1993 – 1997: Master of Economic Sciences, Major: Finance, minor: Business evaluation, Corvinus University of Budapest
Honors and Awards
• 2019: Gábor Klauzál Award - Issued by Ministry of Industry and Trade nominated by the Hungarian Council of Shopping Centers
Languages
Hungarian: native, English: professional level