Claudia Sümeghy, an economist specialising in international relations and a film producer, has been appointed the prime minister’s chief of staff, the PM announced in a Facebook post on Tuesday.

Magyar appoints chief of staff

Magyar wrote that Sümeghy speaks English and Italian at a high level and is currently a participant in the University of Oxford’s executive leadership programme.

She has worked in finance for nearly a decade, where she became Europe’s best regional leader with her 200-strong sales team.

He added that the new chief of staff has been an entrepreneur and a manager since her university days, and since 2016, she has been a producer and communications director at the film production and distribution company she co-owns with her husband, film director Tamás Yvan Topolánszky.

As one of the creators of the documentary Spring Wind, Sümeghy “has followed and thus knows well the prime minister’s work and the Tisza community, their decision-making processes and value choices,” he said. As chief of staff, “she will create a leadership environment driven by pure intentions, strategically coherent and people-centred”, in which decisions “serve the building of a functional, future-proof and humane Hungary”, he added.

Addressing the new chief of staff, Magyar thanked Sümeghy for taking on “this challenge-filled task”.

Magyar thanked György Velkey for his work so far as chief of staff and wished him much success as an MP and state secretary at the foreign ministry.

What does the PM’s chief of staff do in Hungary?

In Hungary, the prime minister’s chief of staff is a senior government official responsible for coordinating the PM’s daily work, managing strategic and political communication, and overseeing cooperation between ministries and government institutions.

The role typically includes preparing decisions, supervising the prime minister’s schedule and administration, and ensuring that government priorities are implemented effectively. Depending on the government structure, the chief of staff may also act as a key adviser to the prime minister and serve as an important link between political leadership and the state administration.

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Featured image: Facebook/Péter Magyar