Gábor Balogh

ESMT Berlin

“Innovative sustainability strategist transforming legacy energy – pedaling through challenges with passion, humor, and relentless drive.”

Hometown: Budapest, Hungary

Fun fact about yourself: I once biked across the Danube Bend with a flat tire just to avoid missing dinner with my wife!

Undergraduate School and Degree: Corvinus University of Budapest, BA in Political Science

Where was the last place you worked before enrolling in business school? PwC Hungary, Engagement Manager, Energy & Sustainability Advisory

Where did you intern during the summer of 2024? Instead of interning, I dedicated my summer to an intensive German course. It was a fantastic experience – boosting my confidence in a new language while allowing me to explore Berlin in its best season. The city’s green spaces, outdoor activities, and vibrant cultural scene made it an unforgettable summer.

Where will you be working after graduation? I am currently exploring opportunities that align with my passion for steering the green transition, particularly in helping legacy energy companies transform towards sustainability. With two months left in the MBA program, I am focused on securing a role where I can drive real impact.

Community Work and Leadership Roles in Business School:

• Pro bono Project Leader of the ESMT Berlin Net Impact Chapter student organization: Driving a project with Accenture DACH on industrial decarbonization.
• Alumni Engagement Initiative with the ESMT Institute for Sustainable Transformation: Connecting alumni, students, faculty, corporations, and NGOs in the sustainability space.

Which academic or extracurricular achievement are you most proud of during business school? The Net Impact Project with Accenture: Leading an ESMT team, we partnered with Accenture DACH to develop a cutting-edge thought leadership piece on the net-zero transformation of German corporations. As ESMT students, we were able to build credibility and trust, bridging academia and consulting. The project provides tangible learning experiences for MSc students who are working in my team.

What achievement are you most proud of in your professional career? Since joining consulting in 2018 as a junior associate, I have been fully committed to advancing the green transition. Over the years, I have worked on more than 30 projects in Energy & Sustainability Advisory, focusing strongly on renewable energy.

My work spanned various aspects of renewable project development, including structuring power purchase agreements (PPAs) to secure long-term renewable energy sales, advising on green power procurement strategies for industrial clients, conducting market entry analyses for investors, and supporting site selection for new renewable energy installations.

Through these efforts, I contributed to the deployment of approximately 1.2 GW of renewable capacity in Eastern Europe. Helping to scale sustainable energy solutions at this level has been my most meaningful professional achievement.

Why did you choose this business school? ESMT Berlin stood out for its strong focus on sustainability, compact yet rigorous program structure, and outstanding rankings. The small class size fosters deep connections, and its location in Berlin, a hub for energy innovation, made it the perfect place to expand my expertise.

Who was your favorite MBA professor? Francis de Véricourt. I didn’t know him before coming to ESMT, but now I understand why he usually wins the best teacher award. He’s energetic and engaging and has a storyteller’s knack for making complex concepts stick. Some of the moments in his classroom will stay with me forever.

What was your favorite course as an MBA? I’m choosing our first course, the Managerial Analysis and Decision Making (MAD) class. It’s all about decision-making under uncertainty – how to analyze situations, recognize biases, and act strategically. Sounds straightforward, but trust me, the way it’s taught makes it unforgettable. The first case we tackled at ESMT was about a newborn in the UNC Hospital, Chapel Hill; I won’t spoil it, but let’s just say it was a shocker.

What was your favorite MBA event or tradition at your business school? The Berlin Global Dialogue (BGD) at ESMT Berlin. Imagine sitting in a room where global leaders, policymakers, and business executives debate the future of international business. That’s BGD at ESMT. The school’s building is a symbol of many things and a reminder that history is still being made these days. Being part of the BGD Young Voices cohort meant having direct exposure to these conversations, engaging with decision-makers, and experiencing firsthand how high-level discussions shape the world of business.

Looking back over your MBA experience, what is the one thing you’d do differently and why? I’m married, and my wife and I decided to do long-distance for the year. She stayed in Budapest for her career, and I moved to Berlin. We’ve done long-distance before (even between New York and Budapest), so we thought we’d manage fine. And we did. But honestly? The MBA flies by so fast and adapting quickly is key. If I could do it again, we might have just moved together from the start.

What is the biggest myth about your school? A business school founded by business, for business.” This is absolutely true. Our building is always buzzing with executive education sessions, guest lectures, and conferences. As ESMT students, we constantly have the opportunity to interact with senior leaders on campus, whether in formal settings or simply over coffee.

What did you love most about your business school’s town? Berlin’s culture is unbeatable – museums, concerts, open-air events, you name it. Plus, it’s one of the few major European cities where you can still get by on a student budget. And if you don’t feel like taking the U-Bahn, just hop on a bike and cycle to school, we all do.

What movie or television show (e.g. The Big Short, The Founder, Mad Men, House of Lies) best reflects the realities of business and what did you learn from it? Silicon Valley. Sure, it’s a comedy, but it nails how businesses evolve in unpredictable ways. No matter how well you plan, adaptability and core values matter more than anything.

What is one way that your business school has integrated AI into your programming? What insights did you gain from using AI?

Professor Catalina Stefanescu-Cuntze led us through a hands-on AI-assisted consulting case, where we were only allowed to use AI co-pilot tools for our data analysis and problem-solving tasks. It was an eye-opening experience, showing the power of AI for managers in business, and streamlining analysis while emphasizing the importance of human judgment.

Which MBA classmate do you most admire? Ankit Morajkar. Hardworking, positive, and always willing to help. He’s the kind of person you just know is going to go far.

What are the top two items on your professional bucket list?

• Steer a legacy energy company’s transition toward sustainability
• Lead an investment in a large-scale renewable infrastructure project

What made Gábor such an invaluable addition to the Class of 2025?

“In our Managerial Analysis and Decision-Making course, we focus on how to approach decisions under uncertainty, emphasizing careful analysis, awareness of cognitive biases, and thoughtful, strategic action.

Gábor played a key role in shaping our classroom discussions. He consistently asked thoughtful questions – not just to advance his own understanding but to help clarify complex ideas for others. His ability to approach case analyses with a managerial mindset often brought fresh perspectives that enriched the conversation and highlighted nuances that might have otherwise been overlooked.

Learning thrives on collaboration – engaged students don’t just benefit themselves; they lift the entire class. To recognize this, I conducted an anonymous poll at the end of the course, asking students to identify the classmate who most contributed to their learning. Gábor won that vote. It was clear his peers appreciated his proactive, generous participation and the value he consistently brought to our sessions.”

Francis de Véricourt
Professor of Management Science & Director of the Center for Decisions, Models, and Data
ESMT Berlin

DON’T MISS: MBAS TO WATCH: CLASS OF 2025

© Copyright 2026 Poets & Quants. All rights reserved. This article may not be republished, rewritten or otherwise distributed without written permission. To reprint or license this article or any content from Poets & Quants, please submit your request HERE.