United States site instead?The top ten executives of Central Europe were announced In the Central European Economic Review of the venerable business periodical The Wall Street Journal Europe (January
25), and Graphisoft President Gábor Bojár leads the list. The CEER
article profiles the 10 Central European executives whose performance
most stood out in 1998.
For Central Europe, 1998 was possibly the most traumatic in the decade
since the Berlin Wall fell. Stock markets tumbled, the ruble devalued,
and the region was greatly affected by these factors. A few of the
region’s more innovative executives were asked how they turned adversity to their favor. One of these managerial talents is Gábor Bojár, Graphisoft’s president.
Background on Gábor Bojár and Graphisoft In 1998, Gábor Bojár launched Graphisoft on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange Neuer Markt. Also in 1998, Graphisoft’s flagship product Archicad for
TeamWork won the Software Publishers Association¹s annual Codie Award for best groupware. The “Oscar” of the software industry, Codie Awards were also awarded to Microsoft, Netscape and Claris. Furthermore, Graphisoft opened Budapest’s newest technology park on a 73.000 m² site on the banks of the river Danube. Microsoft Hungary is among the park’s other high
tech tenants.
The Wall Street Journal’s John Reed writes: “When Bojár started the
company back in 1982, he designed his innovative architectural software
to run on personal computers because he and his partners did not have
access to the mainframes then prevalent. PCs are today ubiquitous and so
is Graphisoft’s software. “We weren’t visionaries”, Bojár laughs, “we
were lucky.”
“What makes Graphisoft hot isn’t necessarily cutting-edge technology –
though users praise its flagship Archicad package for its elegance and
ease of use – not even the smarts of Mr. Bojár and his colleagues”,
writes Reed. “It is Graphisoft”s ability to speak the language – and
anticipate the needs – of its clients. Archicad allows architects to
draft and update building plans in multiple formats, including a
“virtual
walkthrough,” in real time – from a single database. This innovative
approach helps building designers save time and avoid endless updating.”
Sean Murphy, technology analyst with Nomura International PLC in London,
deems Graphisoft “the most successful software product company to come
out of Eastern Europe.” According to Reed “Mr. Bojár has shown strength
as a manager, too, most notably by avoiding the common mistake of
refusing to relinquish control as his business grew. To keep a grip on
Graphisoft¹s increasingly far-flung operations, Mr. Bojár has devolved
authority to a group of vice presidents, each with broad managerial
powers.”
Other Top Executives
Also profiled on The Wall Street Journal’s top ten list are executives
from Poland (3), the Czech Republic (3), Russia (1) and two others from
Hungary. Half of these top CEOs founded their own companies; only one
other executive is involved in the high tech industry.
How the selections were made
In order to select the Top Ten, CEER consulted leading bankers, esteemed
business lecturers, headhunters, editors of business journals and
venture capitalists.
About The Wall Street Journal
The Wall Street Journal is a leading business and financial newspaper
worldwide, publishing 2 million copies weekly in 27 different locations.
The Wall Street Journal has been awarded 19 Pulitzer Prizes to date.
Further information about the Journal is available at
interactive.wsj.com.
Graphisoft is a leading provider of computer-aided design (CAD) software
solutions for the architectural profession and the building industry.
Founded in 1982, Graphisoft is ranked today among the largest AEC CAD
software developers in the world, with 12 offices all over the world in
addition to its headquarters. Graphisoft’s flagship product, Archicad, is
used by more than 75,000 architects worldwide and distributed in 25
languages and 80 countries. Shares of Graphisoft are traded on the Frankfurt
Stock Exchange Neuer Markt under the symbol GPH. More information about
Graphisoft is available at www.graphisoft.com.