Ildiko Modla-Szalai

Founder/ President

NeeDeed Foundation

Ms. Modla-Szalai currently serves as President of the Board of Directors. She established NEEDeed to provide organizational support for local non-profit organizations. She also recognized the tremendous knowledge and expertise in the expatriate community and the potential of the non-profit sector to provide professional development opportunities for her fellow expats. Ms. Modla-Szalai has extensive background in public policy with special focus on innovation. She worked for governmental organizations in bilateral and national context and has been involved in the work of non-profit organizations in Europe and in Asia. She started her career in the Ministry of Education in Hungary at the Foresight Program, a strategic planning initiative. She received a NATO grant in Science Policy and Management which she completed at the UK Department of Trade and Industry in London with a comparative study of national foresight projects. She filled the senior diplomatic position of Science and Technology Attache at the Hungarian Embassy in London. Having become an expatriate spouse, she pursued her interest in the non-profit sector starting with a position at the W. J. Clinton Foundation in Hong Kong. This position was the start of a journey which gradually lead to the idea of NEEDeed. Through her expertise and education, Ms. Modla-Szalai has developed a keen sense to identify the needs of non-profit organizations and to enrich the learning experience of professionals via exposure to local development issues. She has built a strong professional network with private corporations, governmental and intergovernmental organizations in Thailand.