Cyber punk – Interview with Balázs Kopcsó

Balázs Kopcsó's career path has taken him from customer service to digital innovation, where his creativity and dedication have been among the driving forces. He started as a student, then moved into positions as a team leader and sales manager, and now he supports UCC as Head of IT and Development. In our interview, he shares how his passion for technology became the driving force behind his career and the challenges he faced along the way.

As far as I understand, the tasks of customer service staff and team leader paved the way for your current position. What was the force that drove you to a new career from Operations to the world of Technology?

I started working at UCC in customer service as a student. At that time, I was still saving money for festivals and saw the work as a springboard, as I was primarily interested in technology. I have been following the tech press since I was a child, following the changes and maintaining all the laptops in the family. But I loved UCC and the customer service. The results were also good, in the first month we broke a record in sales calls. And after a year and a half, a new challenge came: I became a team leader.

My fellow managers and I were constantly competing, trying to get the best out of ourselves and the teams, but outside of work, we were best friends. We were given absolute freedom, we could use our creativity and experiment. My colleagues always tried to turn new pages. For example, we tested how one of our employees copes with 7-8 campaigns simultaneously. It went well for him, so he became a trainer and I became a sales manager. Although they told me I was "young and disorganized" - "a Punk" - they believed in me.

Your backpack also includes IT management tasks. You have already covered this topic with Information Security and by ensuring Business Continuity. Have you ever had a moment where you were unsure if it was too much?

It happens often, but it goes away quickly. For example, during a partner meeting, I always find out what wide-ranging experience I have, which I can use to help UCC so that we can remain successful together. I like having diverse tasks, I'm always open to new challenges. I could not imagine myself as the head of a large company, where I have only one function. 😊

Readers would be very interested in the next steps that need to be taken for someone like you to feel at home in the world of AI.

I don't have a recipe for this yet. It is sure that I am goal-oriented and I do not think in terms of eight-hour working days. I quickly replaced going to festivals to work and self-improvement. AI is a very up and coming, difficult area. Don't get stuck, because the knowledge will be outdated the next day. It is a very dynamic and changing field, which differs in its pillars from classical software development. I believe that collective and pragmatic strategic thinking leads to success. Position comes with responsibility, and you need to see the future. Definite guidelines are required, but the one-man-show doesn't work, you’ll need a TOP team. 😊

I encourage readers not to be afraid to sometimes imagine the impossible and to set a motivation that seems unattainable. It is guaranteed to be a tough journey, but at some point you will find that the situation that seemed unattainable at the last moment will be added to your library of success stories. If one lives with this mindset and accepts that it is indeed for life, whatever the field, perhaps this is good advice to help anyone feel confident and content.

What has been the most challenging aspect of your career so far?

For me, the biggest challenge is the administrative tasks (laughs) But of course, it's my fate that I always end up with the ISO standard compliance tasks - just to get out of my comfort zone. Jokes aside, at one point in my career I had to manage a very large team, and that involved a lot of conflict and learning. I was in a management position at a young age, so I had little experience, but a lot of hard work has given me the chance to learn. If I had been afraid of challenges then and backed out, I wouldn't be here today.

Great things happen when you use your imagination and go beyond the obvious. With that in mind, what do you think your professional future holds for you?

I think technology will always be with me. Something has to go very wrong in the world for me to go off this path. We work with the world's leading companies and when I meet our partners, I find that they see us as consultants, they value our knowledge as unique, which is a great motivation for me. I certainly believe that in the short term the evolution of technology will have a very significant impact, I expect a similar market reshuffle to that experienced during the internet take-up, but I am confident that the investment of the last 5-10 years, often less visible, will continue to position us as the most up-to-date and unrivalled business service provider in the domestic and international market.

In today's labour market, companies are competing with each other to find the best people. Why would you recommend joining UCC?

UCC is a large company, minus the bureaucracy and other constraints, plus creative space and a highly cooperative team of highly skilled, high-end people. We work with the TOP brands in a highly competitive market. I tell every recruit that it's not an easy job, you need responsibility, a sharp mind and dynamism every minute. In return, we offer an international environment with top-level professional knowledge, where we solve different challenges and celebrate success stories every day with supportive colleagues and friends.

So it's not the easy way, but it's definitely the better choice in the long run! 😊