Meet Wizz Air’s CEO—his father was jailed under Soviet rule. Now, he’s on $4.4 million a year and would ‘rather keep building than sit on a beach’
Source: Fortune ·
Fired from Hungary's national airline, József Váradi founded the rival, Wizz Air. Now, he flies 800 hours a year and refuses to retire.
From the source
Growing up in Soviet-controlled Hungary, Wizz Air founder József Váradi was born into a family still paying for his father’s role in the 1956 revolution — jailed, then frozen out of steady work for years, while his mother took factory shifts to keep them afloat. Six decades later, he’s running an airline that takes off somewhere in the world roughly once a minute. “My father’s experience gave me a healthy skepticism about taking things for granted. It showed me how quickly circumstances can change and how important it is to remain adaptable. That mindset has helped me throughout my life and career,” Váradi told Fortune, adding that he “didn’t grow up dreaming of running an airline.” At first, he focused on getting a good education. And that he did. Váradi won a scholarship to one of Hungary’s top universities, moved to Budapest at 18, and graduated as an economist from Corvinus University in 1989. He then worked short stints at a chemical plant and a paint factory before joining…