Zsigmond Járai is a chartered economist with decades of financial history. Early in his career, he worked at the Állami Fejlesztési Bank from 1976. He was electricity investment lecturer, financial auditor, chief lecturer in the economics department and head of the economics and securities department. During his professional career, he worked for several investment and commercial banks in London and Budapest. Former founder of the Budapest Stock Exchange, he has held leading positions in the public sector and in the money, insurance and capital markets in a number of key areas, including, but not limited to, Deputy Chief Executive Officer, Deputy Minister of Finance and President of banking supervision. He worked as an investment banker in London, managing director of the Magyar Hitelbank, and chairman of the Budapest Stock Exchange from 1996 to 1998. Minister of Finance of Hungary from 1998 to 2000, Chairman of the Central Bank of Hungary from 2001 to 2007, and from 2007 Chairman of the Supervisory Board of CIG Pannónia Life Insurance Plc.