We reminisced about the early years of the commencement of business, the first years of prosperity, we remembered the founder Sándor Balla, and launched several initiatives telling the story of the years István Örkény spent at our company and make this period of his life better known for a wider audience. 
Throughout the year we organized various events some for the members of the Egis community others for the general public. Through these programmes we looked back on the long process that started in 1913 and resulted in the turning of the small Kőbánya-based plant founded by Sándor Balla and manufacturing nutriments into a pharmaceutical company playing a leading role in Central and Eastern Europe. (The animation summarizing this journey can be watched here)
At the Ménesi Road Cultural Street Party we remembered our founding CEO Sándor Balla outside of his former mansion, where we invited visitors to spend an imaginary day with the industrialist. During the game we listed the traditions that have characterised the company from its early days and are regarded by Egis as important assets worth to maintain.  
After the Second World War a new chapter opened in the life of the company. The large-scale industrialisation, that began in the 1950s, had a major impact on the chemical industry, including pharmaceuticals. By following the writer István Örkény’s diverted career path we learnt about the company, which had already been strengthened by significant investments and held an important position among Hungarian pharmaceutical companies. Örkény, who was originally a qualified pharmacist and chemical engineer, was excluded from the literary world because of his solidarity with the 1956 revolution. He worked for five years at the Drug information department of the company (known as EGYT at that time). It was during this period that he found himself as a writer and his artistic renewal came to pass; he wrote his first one-minute short stories and the first versions of The Tót Family and Cat's Play. An exhibition dedicated to this period in Örkény's life is on display in the Örkény Theatre and can be visited until April 2024. There is also a video interview in which the writer's widow, acclaimed dramaturg Zsuzsa Radnóti, winner of the Kossuth prize, reflects on their life in those years. Our short story contest, organised in collaboration with the Örkény Theatre put the spotlight on Örkény's literary legacy, which is still relevant today. More than 900 entries were submitted that shows the continuing importance of his oeuvre even to this day. 
While celebrating the past 110 years, Egis has already been preparing for the next period that hopefully will last at least as long as this one. We have launched a new line of business and by doing so we have added pharmaceutical ingredient contract development and contract manufacturing services to our range of activities. Besides, with continuous capacity expansion investments and sustainability initiatives we also shape our physical and educational environment. As a symbol of this, the company planted a total of 110 trees in Körmend and Budapest throughout the year.

The festive moments were also captured in a photo clip, scroll to the top of the page and click on the picture.