Executive Coach, C‑suite Leadership Consultant, Organizational Development Expert, Founder
Viktor is a trusted C‑suite advisor, executive coach, and pioneering leadership thinker with over twenty‑five years of experience in leadership and organizational development. He has helped top leaders at global companies and in successful SMEs grow by integrating strategy, technology, and human connection. As founder and CEO of ZEL Group, he is shaping integrative, original, AI‑powered leadership development models for the Age of AI. He blends business acumen, psychology, and spirituality to help executives align purpose and performance. His mission is to develop people, strengthen communities, and inspire values‑driven, sustainable leadership.
Growing up in a tough neighborhood, Viktor learned early about resilience and the power of community. He studied psychology, economics, philosophy, and theology in the EU and the US. In the early 2000s, he founded and directed a Psychodrama Theatre, hosted a program on Radio Café 98.6, served as a youth political representative, and led an interreligious group of leaders from different faiths to promote peace and dialogue. Joining the TMI in 2005, he served as a trainer, consultant, and managing partner, later becoming the CEO and President of Grow Group, leading high-value consulting and training projects for multinational clients. In 2024, he exited his position as the largest shareholder of Grow to launch his own company, ZEL Group, with his partners. His AI-powered leadership and organizational development products embody his belief that transformations driven by emerging technologies can improve business performance and environmental sustainability simultaneously. Viktor and his wife, Réka Virpi, currently live in Finland with their five children, continuing a lifelong journey of learning and cross-cultural leadership.
Viktor, trained in various schools of business, psychology, and philosophy, and an ordained pastor, combines fundamental psychological and spiritual aspects of human nature with business insight in the context of emerging technologies.Developed the original and comprehensive THE STOIC© leadership framework for the Age of AI. Bought Grow Group, a leadership- and organizational development company, and partnered with the management he selected; under his leadership, they quintupled the firm's size.AI-augmented leadership and organizational development products and services were launched by his new company, ZEL Group, in 2024, supporting leaders and companies in capturing measurable, ethical business value from AI and other emerging technologies.Serves as the primary expert for the Forbes Business Club and the MIT programs launched with MIT Sloan Review in Budapest in 2026. With recent experience studying and living in Hungary, Austria, the UK, the Netherlands, and the United States, he currently lives in Helsinki and brings cross-cultural insight to his work.
Business, leadership, or organizational development is like coaching in sports. I'm here as your coach to support you if you're truly committed to reaching your goals and broadening your current and future options. Our aim is to reach a state in which the leader’s, team’s, or organization’s core purpose, professional functions, tech literacy, and relationships are aligned, resulting in peak performance.Real transformation begins with connecting to our true selves. When this happens, leadership naturally focuses on service, developing others, bridging divides, and building communities where people and businesses can succeed. I am dedicated to coaching leaders, teams, and organizations on their paths to build character, heal relationships, and achieve the best possible, future-proof business results.Technology should serve people, not the other way around. We must develop ourselves into better humans if we want to work effectively with machines and build lasting, thriving, and sustainable businesses.
Pharmaceuticals/Healthcare Energy and UtilitiesAutomotiveManufacturingFinancial Services and InsuranceTechnology and ITBusiness ServicesPublic‑sector / Intergovernmental bodiesProfessional Services / Management ConsultingProfessional Services, Media and Non‑Profit sectors, as well as start‑ups and family businesses.His cross‑sector experience allows him to translate leadership principles across diverse contexts and cultures.
Viktor’s style is holistic and integrative. He combines psychological insight and business acumen to create a safe yet challenging space where leaders can explore their values and behaviors. His work focuses on relationships and values, balancing empathy with direct challenge and consistently linking personal growth to organizational results. Storytelling, humor, and experiential methods help participants internalize insights, while AI-supported tools offer data-driven support without replacing human judgment. Clients describe his presence as authentic, compassionate, and energizing.
Viktor has more than 25 years’ experience in leadership development, coaching and organisational consultingzeroemissionleadership.com. He served as a non‑profit trainer (1999–2003), founded and directed the Psychodrama Theatre (2001–2004) and was a Radio Café presenter (2002–2004)forbes.hu. He joined the Grow Group in 2005 as trainer and consultant, later becoming managing partner and CEO (2009–2017) and then president; under his leadership the firm became Hungary’s leading organisational development companyforbes.hu. In 2022 he sold his stake in Grow and founded ZEL Group Zrt., which offers AI‑supported leadership products and servicesforbes.hu. Since 2023 he has also been the lead organisational development expert at the Forbes Business Clubforbes.hu. His pastoral work continues alongside his business roles, and he has provided consulting, coaching and therapeutic services for clients across Europe and beyond.
AI-powered Leadership development and Executive coaching; C‑suite and board advisory; Organizational culture transformation; Purpose‑driven leadership and vision creation; Strategy facilitation; AI Transformation services;HR AI Transition services;Team and group coaching; Experiential learning; Workshop design and facilitation; Change management and digital transformation; Spiritual and values‑based coaching; Cross‑cultural leadership.
"Viktor has a unique ability to bridge strategic insight with deep human connection; working with him fundamentally changed how I lead my team.”
– CEO, global pharmaceutical company.
“Through his THE STOIC© model, Viktor helped us create a culture of trust, clarity and sustainable performance.”
– Managing Partner, energy sector firm.
“Viktor’s coaching presence is both compassionate and challenging; he sees the whole person and invites leaders to step into their full potential.”
– Senior leader, technology company.
