MTA Gold Lifetime Achievement Award for Erzsébet Hetesi and Mária Törőcsik

Erzsébet Hetesi, with over two decades of dedicated work at the Faculty of Economics and Business Administration of the University of Szeged, has become an internationally recognized expert in economic education and marketing, playing a foundational and transformative role. She has consistently emphasized talent development, as evidenced by the achievements of her students.

The recognition of her scholarly work is evident in the various roles she has undertaken in domestic and international professional communities. She has been a member of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences since 2002. In 2014, she was elected Vice President of the Economic Science Committee of the IX. Department of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences. From 2017 to 2023, she served as the Chair of the Economic Science Committee of the Szeged Academic Committee. She is a founding member of the International Association of Public and Nonprofit Marketing (IAPNM). Through her devoted work, she contributes to the strengthening and integration of the domestic non-business marketing teaching and research community into international scientific work. She has been a member of the Academy of Marketing Science since 2013. She is a founding member of the Association for Marketing Education and Research (EMOK), an organization established to develop marketing education and research in Hungary, and a member of the association's supervisory board. As recognition of her scientific publication activities and expertise, she serves on several editorial boards.

The focal points of her teaching and publication activities include marketing and market research, service marketing, consumption theory, consumption sociology, non-business, and higher education marketing, as well as B2B marketing. She has been involved in numerous domestically and internationally supported research projects as a research leader, subprogram leader, or research team member. As part of her scientific organizing work, she has always considered organizing workshops and conferences that contribute to the cohesion and exchange of ideas within the scientific community.

Among the outstanding awards she has received for her outstanding work, special mention goes to the MTA Academy Award she received in 2009 for her book "Kínálatmenedzsment" [Supply Management] (co-author: Gábor Rekettye) and the Knight's Cross of the Hungarian Order of Merit, awarded in 2013. In 2013, the University of Szeged honored her with the Pro Universitate Award.

Her teaching and research ars poetica are characterized by perseverance, integrity, mutual acceptance, consistent support, and a stable set of values. In addition to her professional knowledge, her consistency and reliability have earned her recognition and respect in both the domestic and international professional communities. The past and present work, values, and personality of Erzsébet Hetesi serve as an example for narrower and broader professional and scientific communities.

Mária Törőcsik is a prominent representative of the Hungarian marketing profession and higher education, renowned for her research in consumer behavior, which is documented in a dozen well-known and sought-after textbooks. In addition to her teaching and research activities, she has invaluable contributions to talent development, and forming and representation of interdisciplinary approaches.

Mária Törőcsik's teaching work serves as an exemplary model for young colleagues. She has developed and integrated numerous foundational and specialized courses, often creating her own teaching materials and, in many cases, textbooks. The value of the compiled and reconsidered knowledge is evident as these monographs hold their place not only as university textbooks but also as useful guides for corporate professionals.

The popularity of her lectures and topic proposals is well-demonstrated by the significant number of students who participated in the Scientific Students' Associations (TDK) movement and achieved placements in the National Scientific Students' Associations (OTDK) competitions. Her pioneering work in consumer behavior has been influential, and she actively contributes to several doctoral programs, providing support to the Doctoral School of Business and Management at the University of Pécs as a core member.

Her research interests initially focused on the market-oriented operations of both production and later commercial companies, always emphasizing an empathetic approach to consumers and interdisciplinary perspectives. These characteristics later became defining elements of her research, forming the current dominant perspective with which she explores consumer behavior, mapping their current and future habits. She was the first in Hungary to adapt the international standards for lifestyle studies, subsequently developing her framework that incorporates current trends in consumer behavior. Over the years, she has gained theoretical and practical knowledge in marketing, and her name is associated with numerous basic and applied research projects. In the past decade, her research has prominently featured the examination of generational behavior, concentrating on uncovering differences and understanding variations.

She is a member of the Hungarian Marketing Association, the Hungarian Advertising Association, and the Marketing Science Committee of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences. Serving as editor-in-chief, she contributes to the operation of the Marketing & Management Journal.

Recognized for her work in the renewal of higher education and the development of the competitiveness of the University of Pécs, she received the Knight's Cross of the Hungarian Order of Merit in 2004. For her long-term and successful efforts in talent development, she was awarded the 'Pro Cura Ingenii' by the University of Pécs in 2020, and in 2021, she received the Golden Lectern Award for outstanding teaching and significant achievements in talent development.