Dr. Ivan Gara is a distinguished member of the Hungarian banking community with over 30 years of experience. He worked in the State Development Bank from 1976 – 1986 on large, state-sponsored projects. He spent almost two decades from 1987-2005 in the Hungarian Raiffeisen Bank, first as the corporate banking head, and later as the Deputy CEO and member of the Board of Directors.

In 2005 he started his own consulting firm, the Ridge Road Financial Consulting Ltd. His firm advised OTP Bank, Commerzbank, Korean Development Bank, Hungary. Dr. Gara is a strategic advisor and board member of Masterplast Group International Ltd., a Hungarian multinational group in the construction material industry and sits on the boards of leasing, farm lending and factoring companies.