Attila Próbáld

What is “the secret of success” for you?

Energy, persistence and love. If you act positively, with good intentions to get ahead, and do not choose the easier way but insist on what you believe in; on what inspires you, and you have some talent as well – then the end can be nothing else but what you desire.

What are the achievements that you are the proudest of in your career? How did you make them?

I can be a co-owner of a leading advertising company of Hungary, which fills me with pride. What makes me even prouder, though is the values on which the company HPS is based, and what are the projects related directly to our profession or totally independent of that to which we can give our name. Our company is not only an advertisement agency but also an inspiration workshop where, though we do a lot for success, we put much energy into being not only one company of the many but a place where it is good to come day after day, where your energy is not drained but where you can actually get energised. Of course I am proud of the many awards we have been given in recent years both in Hungary and abroad, but these are actually the results, the outcome of what HPS is like.

On the whole, what did the university give you?

I am sure I would not be where I am now, had it not been for the faculty of economics in Pécs. This is where I found my professional orientation, marketing, and also what I am most interested in: communication. I have a lot to thank for professor Mária Törőcsik who rigorously shaped me so much that I could start life with the chance of success.

What were the most memorable experiences, events of university life for you? How are they connected to you later career?

I was a fifth-year student, at marketing specialisation, already, but I still could not clearly see what I would deal with. I opted for a seminar whose title sounded good, it had interesting lecturers – it was ‘Planning of marketing communication’. In the 12^th minute of the first presentation I knew that is what I wanted and would do, I was so much inspired by the lecturer and the presentation. The teacher later became a very good friend and colleague of mine, and now our children are growing up together – despite the 10 years between their age.

Why did you decide to study in Pécs?

The answer I simple: I listened to my father. Before I chose Pécs, I had only known the city from the map and from pictures. And also from the sport newspaper called Nemzeti Sport.

Did you have any idea about which way to go, what to do to find our own way?

Not really, but opportunities always found me, as I was looking for directions, even if not consciously. I wrote an article to the university magazine, I participated in the operation of the student union, I was involved in external projects related to the seminars, and I made a professional internship. There was no consciousness in it but I was interested in everything that seemed to be a little bit exciting.

How did you think about your future at the time of your career orientation?

I did not know what I wanted to do, I only knew that I was interested in what I was learning, and I was interested in the university. I enjoyed being a university student and I was experimenting with things, so as to find what really inspired and motivated me.