Zszusanna Hargitai, a Hungarian national, is the Managing Director, SME Finance and Development.  In this role, which she assumed in June 2024, she leads the EBRD’s SME Finance and Development Group.  This department drives and consolidates the EBRD offer for SME support across all countries of operations, supporting through business advisory services the scaling up of SME financing through intermediaries, whether through credit lines risk-sharing or supply chain financing, developing SME focused financial and business advisory products and funding platforms, and serving as a knowledge hub for SME operating environments, including government support schemes, in the individual countries of operations.

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

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

Ms Hargitai graduated with honours from the Moscow State Institute of International Relations and studied at London Business School.

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