Deloitte Hungary appoints Manfred Siebke and Tamás Szauer

Deloitte has in recent months made two senior appointments in its Hungarian country organisation. Manfred Siebke has been named director and head of the company’s German Desk, while Tamás Szauer has been appointed director in the firm’s risk management practice. 

Tamás Szauer has over 15 years of experience in risk management, regulatory and compliance. He has been with Deloitte since April 2017, working as a consultant over the past 1.5 years for the consulting arm of the Big Four professional services firm. In his new role, Szauer will be in charge of overseeing Deloitteʼs risk management projects in the financial services sectors, spanning banks, insurers, FinTechs and other financial institutions. 

“With growing regulatory and supervisory expectations and a need for increasingly complex knowledge, the financial market has plenty of opportunities for us. I look forward to contribute to further success on a local and regional level.” 

The newly appointed director began his career at regional banking groups K&H and OTP. He later worked for Raiffeisen International, where he was responsible for the introduction of Basel II regulation in Bulgaria, Albania, Kosovo and Poland, and FHB Group, where he headed the company’s portfolio and risk management activities. Prior to joining Deloitte, Szauer worked for Hungarian Post as Deputy CEO. In the role, he led several large transformations, including the launch of new payment channels, and headed the company’s reorganisation and network optimisation strategy.

Meanwhile, the German Manfred Siebke was in the second quarter of this year appointed as director and head of the company’s German Desk – Deloitte’s dedicated office serving Austrian, German and Swiss companies in Hungary. Siebke joined Deloitte Hungary in April from French pharmaceutical company Guerbet, where from the company’s base in Prague he held a leadership position in the finance department. Prior to that, Siebke worked nearly nine years for PwC in the Czech Republic and Germany. 

“There are a wide range of financial, tax and business challenges which might need external support,” said Siebke. “As one of the leading professional firms, we provide answers to these challenges.” He added; “In comparison to the environment in Germany, Austria and Switzerland, there are still sizeable advantages in respect of labour costs, taxation and potential subsidies, but management and owners also need to be aware of the risks, like frequent changes in regulations, and an increasing shortage of qualified workforce.” 

According to data from Hungary’s official statistics office, Germany is Hungary’s most important investor, with €20.1 billion of net investment, which represents 27% of total foreign investment in the country. Both Austria and Switzerland are also sizeable investors, contributing 10% and 6% respectively to Hungary’s total.

Siebke: “Our objective at the German Desk is to provide 360-degree solutions as a single point of contact; a trusted advisor who is able to consider our clients’ needs and accompany them through the whole process.” 

With a market size of approximately €400 million, Hungary is one of Central Eastern Europe’s larger consulting industries.