Zsuzsanna Hargitai

Zsuzsanna Hargitai, a Hungarian national, is EBRD Managing Director for the SME Finance and Development group, which drives and consolidates the EBRD's support for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) across all of the EBRD regions.

The department spans business advisory services, the scaling up of SME financing through financial intermediaries, be it credit lines or risk-sharing financing, and the development of SME-focused financial and business advisory products and funding platforms, and serves as a knowledge hub for SME operating environments, including government support schemes.

Prior to this, Ms Hargitai was the EBRD's Managing Director for Central Asia. Between May 2021 to May 2024, she led the Bank’s operations in Kazakhstan, the Kyrgyz Republic, Mongolia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan.

After joining the EBRD in 1992, Ms Hargitai worked as a country manager in the Western Balkans, Hungary and Croatia, as well as Director for Country Strategy and Results Management, and Director, EU Funds Co-Financing and Financial Instruments. Between 2018 and 2021 she was Regional Director for the Western Balkans.

Ms Hargitai holds a Master's in International Relations from the Moscow State Institute of International Relations and studied at London Business School.