Dr. Zsófia Koncz

Minister of State for Families, Ministry of Culture and Innovation

Dr. Koncz was born in Szerencs and graduated from Eötvös Loránd University, Faculty of Law.

She received a scholarship at the Université de Rouen in France. During her university studies, she worked as an intern at the Committee on Constitutional Affairs of the Hungarian Parliament and at the Constitutional Court.

From 2014 she worked as a trainee lawyer, then she worked at the Ministry of Agriculture to prepare legislation. From 2015 she worked at the State Secretariat for European Union Affairs at the Prime Minister's Office, then from 2016 at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade, where she dealt with Hungarian-American relations, among others. From 2017 to 2020, she was a diplomat responsible for foreign policy affairs at the Embassy of Hungary in Washington.

In 2020, she was elected Member of Parliament for Borsod-Abaúj-Zemplén County's 6th constituency in a by-election, became a member of the Committee on Sustainable Development in the Parliament and president of the Subcommittee on Climate Protection. In 2022, she was re-elected as Member of Parliament for her constituency.

From 2022, Dr. Koncz was Deputy Minister and Parliamentary State Secretary at the Ministry of Technology and Industry and then at the Ministry of Energy, and as of August 1, 2024 she has been State Secretary for Families at the Ministry of Culture and Innovation.

She speaks English and French at an advanced level and has an intermediate-level language exam in German. She is married and a mother of one child.

Balázs Hankó

Minister for Culture and Innovation, Ministry of Culture and Innovation

Married, father of four children.

He graduated as a pharmacist from the Faculty of Pharmacy at Semmelweis Medical University. In 2005, he obtained a PhD with summa cum laude distinction. Following his term as resident pharmacist at the Institute for Pharmaceutical Organisation at Semmelweis University of Medical Sciences, he later became Head of Department, Chief Pharmacist and then Deputy Rector for Strategy and Development there. In addition to administration as well as organisational development, he has been an educator for two decades. He obtained university professor status in 2023.

Between 2010 and 2014, he was a pharmaceutical advisor to the Ministry of National Resources and then to the State Secretariat for Health of the Ministry of Human Capacities.

Between 2011 and 2016, he was advisor of the Director General of Pharmacy at the Institute for Pharmacy, Health Quality and Organization Development, later the State Health Care Supply Centre.

Between 2017 and 2020, he was Ministerial Commissioner for the Development of Higher Education Institutions for Medical and Health Sciences at the Ministry of Human Capacities and later at the Ministry of Innovation and Technology.

From 2020 to 2022, he was Deputy State Secretary for Higher Education at the Ministry of Innovation and Technology, then at the Ministry of Culture and Innovation, and from December 2022, State Secretary for Higher Education, Innovation, Vocational Training and Adult Education.

His current post stands as Minister of Culture and Innovation as of 1 July 2024

Milica Đurđević-Stamenkovski

Minister of Family Welfare and Demography (Serbia)

She was born on 21 July 1990 in Belgrade. She graduated from the First Belgrade High School, after which she earned a degree in political science at the Faculty of Political Sciences.
She has been politically active since 2016. She was a presidential candidate and list leader in the 2022 parliamentary elections.
She is the president of the Serbian party Zavetnici, and during the 13th convocation of the National Assembly, she was the head of the parliamentary group of this political organization.
She was the president of the Parliamentary Committee for Diaspora and Serbs in the region and deputy president of the Committee for Kosovo and Metohija.
She speaks English and Russian.
Married, mother of two children.

Mahinur Özdemir Göktaş

Minister of Family and Social Services (Republic of Türkiye)

Born in Brussels in 1982, Mahinur ÖZDEMIR GÖKTAŞ completed her undergraduate and master’s degrees in the Department of Economics, Political and Social Sciences at the Université Libre de Bruxelles. Becoming the first headscarf-wearing member of Brussels Parliament in 2009, she served until the year of 2019 as the Deputy Chair of the Social Services Commission and the Deputy Chair of the Commission on Equal Opportunities for Men and Women of the Brussels Parliament. Throughout her political career, she worked in the fields of women’s entrepreneurship, violence against women, domestic violence and equal opportunity in addition to environment and urban planning both in the Brussels Parliament and in various NGOs. Since 2019, she has been a member of the Women Consultative Council of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation. She was appointed as the Ambassador of Algeria in 2020, which made her the first woman Ambassador of Türkiye to North Africa. On June 3, 2023, she was appointed as the Minister of Family and Social Services in the cabinet announced by President Recep Tayyip ERDOĞAN. She is married and has two children. She speaks French, English and Belgian Dutch.

Janez Cigler Kralj

Former Minister for Labour, Family, Social Affairs and Equal Opportunities (Slovenia)

Janez Cigler Kralj was born on in Slovenj Gradec. After studying at the Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Ljubljana, he earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science, focusing on policy analysis and public administration. Since 2012, he has been working for the NSi Parliamentary Group as a senior policy advisor. He focuses on the topics of work, family, social affairs and people with disabilities.

Since 2015, he leads the Workers’ Association of the NSi (ZD NSi). ZD NSi is a member of two EU-level workers’ organizations: the European Centre for Workers’ Questions (EZA) and the European Union of Christian Democratic Workers (EUCDW). Since 2019, he is a member of the EUCDW board, an important workers’ organization within the EPP. He has also been actively involved in the work of EZA for many years.

Janez Cigler Kralj served as Slovenia’s Minister for Labour, Family, Social Affairs and Equal Opportunities from 2020 to 2022.

He is married and has four children.

David Goodhart

journalist, commentator and author

David Goodhart (1956) is a British journalist and author. He graduated in political science and history. He was a correspondent for several newspapers, including the Financial Times, and a regular contributor to BBC. In 1995 he set up his own current affairs monthly magazine, Prospect. Since then he has worked for various think tanks including Policy Exchange, where he is Head of the Demography Unit. In 2017 Goodhart published the best-seller ‘The Road to Somewhere’ seeking to explain the underlying causes of populism.

Zsolna Ugron

author, presenter

After graduating from law school, she worked for many years as a reporter and editor for foreign and domestic affairs programmes on television, and later as a communications consultant for MOL (Hungarian oil and gas company).

Her first novel Young Ladies in Transylvania was published in 2010 and topped the Hungarian bestseller lists for months. The first volume of her historical novel series, The Wedding in Transylvania, was published in 2013. The second volume of the Ladies trilogy, The Nador's wives was published in 2014. Both novels topped the sales charts for weeks. In autumn 2016, her short novel about Erzsébet Szilágyi, entitled Raven Woman, was published. Her gastronomic show Castle in the Carpathians has become one of the most successful Hungarian TV shows produced by TV Paprika. Her recipe book Seven Seasons was published in 2013. She regularly publishes in magazines. She is the editor and presenter of the television portrait series Great People on Duna Television.

In 2021, a collection of short stories entitled There is No Man was published, illustrated with the author's own drawings.

Csaba Böjte

Franciscan monk and founder of the Saint Francis Foundation of Deva

The aim of the organization he established is to support children living in poor conditions in Transylvania. To date, thousands of children have grown up at the institutions of the Foundation. Brother Csaba’s unwavering faith, life experience and humor aid him in rendering the truths of faith, as well as the teachings of the Church accessible to all.

Dániel Kozma-Vízkeleti

clinical psychologist, family psychotherapist

Dániel Kozma-Vízkeleti mainly works with couples and families as a training psychotherapist, focusing on theory and methodology. He also leads self-awareness and supervision groups.
He has been working as a university educator since 2004. He mainly teaches courses on couples therapy as well as family therapy.

During the last few years, he has held more than five hundred lectures to both professional and interested lay audiences, in Hungary and abroad. In addition to four book chapters, his further 30 publications in professional or popular journals are of note.

Zsófia Nagy-Vargha

Deputy State Secretary for Youth, Ministry of Culture and Innovation

She is a teacher of German language and literature, philologist; radio presenter, editor-in-chief. As a journalist she has placed great emphasis on delivering public affairs topics in a credible and understandable manner. Since July of 2022, she is the Deputy State Secretary for Youth at the Ministry of Culture and Innovation. At her current post, she pays special attention to providing young people and talents with opportunities to express their thoughts and concerns directly. The mental health of young individuals is particularly close to her heart.

Kata Stumpf

non-profit leader and reporter

Kata Stumpf is co-founder and director of the Konnekt Association. She has led the organisation for ten years. The organization expanded from a founding team of a few people to a professional non-profit organisation with more than 60 permanent volunteers, helping more than 1000 young people find their way every year. Kata is a lawyer by training, but left her profession to work as a trainer and editorial reporter, which she is still active in, in addition to her work with the Association. For five years she was an editor and reporter for M2 Petőfi TV, a TV program for young people. She currently works as a freelance journalist, editor and moderator. She has been on the TED stage twice where she focused on helping young people find their path in life. Her inspiring messages have reached nearly 50 000 people.

Noémi Hamar, Donát Hamar

relationship expert, editor-reporter

Hamar Noémi and Donat married when they were 23 years of age. They shared their experiences concerning their marriage through YouTube videos.

They currently work as relationship coaches, already having met several hundred clients to date. They recently launched their self-awareness talk show “Hoppá”, where well-known people share their coping mechanisms.

Dr. Roland Juhász

CEO, Government Service Centre Non-profit Ltd.

The program launched by the Government of Hungary is unique in Europe and a milestone in the field of care and safety, as evidenced by its more than 700,000 users. The Prime Minister’s Cabinet Office is responsible for the implementation of the program, managed by the Prime Minister’s Commissioner for Priority Social Affairs. The operational management of the Gondosóra program is carried out by Government Service Center Nonprofit Kft. which is a state background institution of the Prime Minister’s Cabinet Office. The Service Provider is 4iG Nyrt., one of the dominant corporate groups in the IT sector in Hungary.

Maria Regina Maroncelli Florio

President of the European Large Families Confederation – ELFAC

Ms. Maroncelli is from Bergamo in Lombardy, Italy. Since 2018, she has been the President of the European federation ELFAC, which is now represented in 24 European countries and holds consultative status with the United Nations Economic and Social Council. She is also coordinator of the European Network of family friendly municipalities, one of Elfac's main projects which today counts 153 cities from 10 European countries. She is a mother of four and works as a freelance journalist with a focus on sustainability and society. This year, she received the prestigious Fighter for the Family award, in recognizement of her commitment at the European level in advocating for families.

Dr. Attila Beneda

Deputy Minister of State for Family Affairs

Dr. Attila Beneda earned his medical degree from Semmelweis University and continued his studies at the Health Services Management Training Centre, where he obtained a degree in health care management. From 1997 to 2010, he worked as a general practitioner in the 12th district of Budapest. He then served as the Chief of Staff at the State Secretariat for Healthcare at the Ministry of Human Resources. Subsequently, from 2014 to 2016, he worked as Deputy State Secretary for Health Policy. Starting in 2016, he has held the position of Deputy State Secretary for Family Affairs. He is committed to the health and well-being of families.

Dr. György Velkey

Director-general of the Bethesda Hospital of the Hungarian Reformed Church

Dr. György János Velkey is a pediatrician, anesthesiologist, intensive care specialist and healthcare manager. He served as president of the Hungarian Society of Pediatric Anesthesiology and Intensive Care, the Hungarian Hospital Association, the Health Committee of the Christian Democratic People's Party, the Health Policy and Social Committee of the Capital City Municipality, and the Hungarian Society of Pediatrics. He was the recipient of the Knight's Cross and Officer's Cross of the Order of Merit of the Republic of Hungary, the Semmelweis Award of the Ministry of Human Capacities, the Saint Adalbert Award of the Association of Christian Intellectuals, the Kulin László, Bókay János, and Schoepf-Merei Ágoston Award of the Hungarian Society of Pediatrics and is an honorary citizen of Zugló. He grew up in a large family of doctors and educators. He shares five children with his wife, who is also in the field. They are expecting their tenth grandchild.

Brimo Widad

UN Youth Delegate of Hungary, PhD student at the University of Szeged

Brimo holds a degree in international relations as well as in art and graphic design. She envisions her future within the field of cultural diplomacy. Brimo completed the Women's Public Leadership Program at Mathias Corvinus Collegium as well as the EPLO Summer School. Brimo is of dual national identity – namely, of Hungarian and Syrian descent. She spent a significant part of her childhood in Aleppo. In January of 2024, she began her mandate as Hungary's UN Youth Delegate, where her priorities include promoting gender equality as well as cultural dialogue. Brimo’s goal is to bridge the gap between Hungarian youth and decision-makers both domestically as well as internationally - at UN forums.

Misi Mező

singer, musician

Mező is a founding member and frontman of the 25-year-old band Magna Cum Laude. Mező has been a singer with Budapest Bár for 10 years. He has been touring the country for nearly 5 years with his solo production, Mező Misi: Mesélő. Mező is constantly seeking the new and the different; his curiosity for discovery consistently leads him down uncharted paths. In addition to concerts as well as quieter, theatrical performances, he was also on the jury of “A Dal” and presented as host of the educational documentary series “Jézus és...”. Mező is a proud father of three wonderful children. His aim is to pass on the joy of music. In his view, children are taught by life: children who also teach us about life.

Katalin Kardosné Gyurkó

Ministerial Commissioner for Intergenerational Cooperation

Katalin Kardosné Gyurkó is an economist. She is a mother of five children. President of the National Association of Large Families (NOE) between 2016 and 2024, formerly Secretary General. As president of the association, she carried out advocacy and charity work in the organisation of 16,000 families. During her presidency, the financial basis of the association was stabilised and then strengthened, membership grew significantly, membership card benefits were extended, fundraising activities increased, and the NOE's activities were expanded with several nationally significant programmes. The association has also received awards from the United Nations and the European Parliament.

In addition to the NOE Award, he was awarded the Hungarian Golden Cross of Merit State Award in 2014. In May 2018, she was awarded the Pro Familiis Prize for her outstanding professional activities in the field of family protection, and in 2024, in recognition of her outstanding work, she was awarded the Hungarian Cross of the Order of Merit, civilian category.

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