László Váradi’s CV

Mr. László Váradi was born in 1948 in Gyula (Hungary). He finished his -elementary school in Sarkad, and then was graduated at the „Bánki Donát” Technical High School at Budapest. He got BSc degree in Mechanical Engineering in 1972 and MSc degree in 1974 at Gödöllő Agricultural University. He worked as research assistant in the Research Institute for Irrigation (ÖKI) for two years and then since 1975 he worked in the Research Institute for Fisheries, Aquaculture and Irrigation (HAKI) until his retirement where he was the director of the institute between 1991 and 2012. He got his PhD degree at Debrecen Agricultural University in 2001. His thesis was the „Development of water efficient and environment friendly fish production systems”. He has been working in this area and doing research and development, training and extension activity both in Hungary and abroad.

He contributed that HAKI, after receiving financial support in the frame of a UNDP/FAO project between 1974-1980 became a leading research institute in Europe in the field of freshwater aquaculture development. Besides his management work in the institute he was actively involved in aquaculture research and development programs in the frame of Hungarian and international projects. Between 1980 and 1999 he worked in several developing countries (e.g. Brazil, China, Cuba, Iran, Laos, Lesotho, Papua New Guinea, Vietnam) as consultant and project manager. In his activity, the strengthening of the relationship between Hungary and EU and also between Eastern and Western Europe played an important role in the field of freshwater aquaculture development. He was a founder of the Network of Aquaculture Centers in Central and Eastern Europe (NACEE). He has been the president of NACEE since its foundation in 2004. He was elected as President of the European Aquaculture Society (EAS) and held this position between 2006-2008. He is still active participants of various European programs and projects, author of more than 200 scientific and professional articles, and regularly acts as invited speaker and moderator for Hungarian and international conferences. He is actively involved in scientific and professional training and educational programs. He is President of the Hungarian Aquaculture Association and Chief Editor of the „Halászat” (Fish culture) journal.

As an acknowledgement of his activity in the field of strengthening and development of international relations he received the „Order of Merit of the Hungarian Republic, Officer’s Cross” in 2013. He received the award „Excellence in European Aquaculture” from the Federation of European Aqaculture Producers (FEAP) in 2015.

László Váradi’s international activity is linked mainly to Asia outside of Europe especially to Laos, where he worked first in 1980 as FAO expert. He has been involved in joint Hungarian-Lao research-development and training programs in the field of agriculture and aquaculture since then. He has played important role in the preparation and implementation of Hungarian tied aid loan programs that have been offered by the Hungarian government to Laos. He also contributed to the establishment of two Hungarian-Lao joint ventures (APD and ADC) in Laos. He is the General Director of Vitafort Agro Asia Co. that is the supplier of the Hungarian tied aid loan program aiming at the development of the food chain safety system in Laos since 2016. He is the Honorary Consul of the Lao PDR in Hungary and co-chair of the Hungarian-Lao Friendship Association.