Otto Hutter (1960)

From the beginning of his career until his death, he worked at the Computer Science and Automation Research Institute of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences (SZTAKI). In 1990, he was the head of the software project of the SZTAKI Department of Informatics, and then the OpenLearning training center established based on his ideas. In 2002, the eLearning department was established at SZTAKI, where he conducted and led fundamental technological and methodological developments related to the main topic of the department. He was one of the first in Hungary to recognize the decisive importance of eLearning in modern education, and he became a defining figure in the field and a school-creating individual. The department under his leadership is associated with numerous domestic and international publications, books and teaching materials.

He founded the OpenInfo publishing house, under whose care the book “Unix Basics” was published several times, which greatly helped in the wider spread of the Hungarian Unix culture. He was also a journalist and IT writer in one person. He took over the OpenX newsletter from Prím publishing house, and then based on this, he founded and edited Infopen Magazine. He was one of the few who was considered a friend by his professional competitors and the editors of competing publishers and magazines; his articles appeared in major IT publications one after another. Since 2001, he has been the chairman of the program committee of the “CIO Forum conference series”. He founded the “CIO of the Year” award (Chief Information Officer) to recognize the work of corporate chief information officers. Until his death, he also edited the CIO column of the weekly Computerworld.

He was the founder and co-chair of the eLearning standardization committee, a member of the Digital Teaching Tool Qualification Committee of the Ministry of Education (OM), the initiator and co-organizer of the "eLearning Forum" conference series, and one of the creative editors of the "eLearning 2005" handbook of the Technical Publishing House. Between 1996-2005, he was an active member of the presidency of the Association of Information Technology Enterprises (IVSZ) (at the same time its vice-chairman). He maintained close cooperation with the Association of Leading Information Technology Professionals (VISZ); he actively participated in the organization and awarding of the "Information Technology Instructor of the Year Award". He is the editor of the "Handbook of Information Technology Leaders", the originator of the "Top 100 CIO" publication and the "Chief Innovation Officer" award.

An award was established in his name in 2006; the award is given every year to the person who has made a significant contribution to the dissemination, development and application of eLearning methodology in recent years, which has earned the recognition of the profession.