Management team

David Wiernik, co-founder of Nav N Go, was one of the first people to realize that GPS navigation, “like inventing the wheel, will change the world.” As early as 1991 he became the first international distributor for Garmin, promising to ship an incredible 12 (!) GPS units in the first year. Using his experience as a senior airline captain with over 20,000 flying hours, he played a part in defining the characteristics of GPS navigation in the aviation industry.

David was, as he says, “born happy” in Israel in 1954. He was educated in Engineering, Economics, Psychology and Business Administration. Among his many business pursuits, David has worked for the family company importing and exporting agricultural equipment, and operates two international marketing companies for aviation products and engines. As President of Nav N Go, he has successfully overseen the first full 3D digital mapping of an entire country, Israel, where he lives with his wife and two children. David spends his free time traveling in nature, and is a keen sailor and yacht skipper, as well as an accomplished pianist.

Jacob (Kobi) Halperin was born in Israel early 1952. After his graduation in Engineering he established his own communication company where he has acted as Chairman and CEO for more than 20 years. The company also went public under his leadership and guidance.

In 2002 he established Gps & More Ltd together with David Wiernik with the aim of bringing the world of navigation to Israel.

Along with Hungarian partners he established Nav N Go Kft in 2004. With joint efforts they created and promoted the iGO My wayTM navigation brand worldwide.

With his years of experience in the industry he acts as Chairman of the company and influences both the external and internal relationships – with one goal in mind: soon to become one of the strongest names on the global navigation market.

Péter Balogh was born in 1977 in Budapest.
He was 7 years old when he received his first computer, a Commodore 64.
Games were soon replaced by inputting and running simple program lines. This became a decisive event in his life. In 1995, at 18, he started his first business, the development of an internet-based advertising system. This was followed by several further businesses, and then he became senior developer in Finland, with mobile phone manufacturer Nokia.

His interest in Windows CE-based handheld computers began in 1999, and he immediately started to write applications for PDAs, which were a novelty at that time. When he returned home, in 2001 his first own mobile solutions were already widely known.

In 2002, together with three partners, he established PDAmill Kft., specialising in the development of mobile games. Upon direction from Nav N Go Kft., he has been working on the development of the iGO My way GPS navigation software. When PDAmill and Nav N Go merged in August 2006, he became the Chief Technology Officer. From summer of 2010 Peter took over the role of Chief Strategy Officer.

He spends his leisure time with his family, daughter, and when he has some spare time, he reads professional literature.

Attila Kátai was born in 1974 in Budapest. He graduated from the Karinthy Frigyes Bilingual Secondary School, and continued his studies at Budapest Technical University specializing in Information Technology.

He first encountered GPS navigation during his university years, realizing that most such devices did not work in his native country due to the lack of a map of Hungary. Therefore in 2002 he began work on the creation of the first Hungarian navigation map and, as a strategic advisor of TopMap Kft., he participated in 2001-2002 in the map integration and business project of the well-known navigation software Destinator. After that, in 2003, he coordinated the establishment of the first Hungarian database for the two largest worldwide companies, Navteq and Tele Atlas, from both a technical and business point of view.

In 2004, the insufficiency of the domestic navigation market drove him to launch the development of completely new GPS navigation software, so he (together with three other companies) founded Nav N Go Kft., in 2004. From its establishment until February 2007, he acted as Chief Executive Officer of the company; and until May 2009, he filled the position of the Chief Content Officer of Nav N Go. As Nav N Go’s Business Development Director, he is currently responsible for seeking new business opportunities.

He spends his leisure time with his wife and son, and whenever he can, he takes long walks with his two dogs.

Péter Szombathelyi was born in Budapest in 1962. After graduating in electrical engineering, he joined the Videoton Development Institute as a development engineer, and then worked in personal computer trading for Műszertechnika-Computer Kft. He later continued this activity at an international level with the Swiss-based company Procomp AG, where he maintained contact with the company’s subsidiaries and business partners in the USA, the Far East, and Western Europe. During the same period, he was also a programmer at Dataflex for a short while.

Following his six years in information technology, and seeking new challenges and experiences in corporate management, he joined the Fotex Group. As the Hungarian and Regional General Manager of the Optical Division, his main duties included restructuring and developing the commercial companies, acquisitions, international expansion, building up the Vision Express brand name in Hungary, and introducing IT-based company management systems (SAP).

The Fotex optical group, with a presence in three countries, was bought by the largest professional investor, after which Péter Szombathelyi was asked by the owner of Libri Kft to take on the management of one of Hungary’s most successful bookstore chains. His major achievements include the introduction of the entire ERP system, the successful launch of the Romanian affiliate and its business activities, the remarkable expansion of the customer base and customer care, and the implementation of a new marketing strategy.

He joined the Nav N Go team as Chief Operating Officer in April 2009. His primary task is to manage the operational areas, but he also plays an active role in implementing the company’s commercial strategy.

In his spare time, he likes reading, riding his bicycle or motorbike, and he is a keen traveler. He is living in his second marriage.

Miklós Fülöp was born in Székesfehérvár in 1977. He first developed an interest in instrument technology during his studies at István Széchenyi Technical Secondary School. Although he originally wished to become a sound engineer, he later decided to continue his studies at the IT faculty of the Technical University in Veszprém. He eventually graduated from the Dennis Gabor Applied University in Budapest.

His professional interest was split in two directions: systems engineering and computer programming. It was the former that brought him his first opportunities, as he was offered a job as a systems administrator at (Hungarian phone company) Matáv. Then, he became a Microsoft trainer at the Netacademia; and in the end, in 2003, he was employed as a systems engineer by Microsoft Hungary, which proved to be a significant stage of his career. In the meantime, he was unable to put aside his dreams of software development: he also worked as a programmer for a French-Hungarian joint venture for a relatively long period. He also spent a large amount of his spare time implementing his own development ideas.

In 2006, feeling it was high time for a change, he met, quite by chance, some of his former university mates, who were just setting up Nav N Go. Needing only a short while to think about the opportunity, he accepted the job they offered him, and became a software development employee at the company. He started to work for the freshly set-up project team which aims at customizing iGO My way to meet the demands of Nav N Go’s partners. He has held the position of Director of Project Management since January 2007. From summer of 2010 Miklós took over the role of Director of Technology.

He dedicates his free time to his wife and children; they often go skiing, and their new number one hobby has become geocaching.

Born in 1960, Jim grew up in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania (USA) during a time of great innovation in technology. Educated at the Kiski School and West Virginia Wesleyan University, Jim has always followed his passions and has enjoyed a 25 year career in a variety of successful entrepreneurial endeavors.

As co-founder and CEO of GetLisa Wireless Services in 2000, Jim was one of the pioneers in realizing the paradigm changing potential of location technologies. The firm’s first product, GlobalDining.com, was among the world’s first Location Based Services, utilizing proprietary database technology and user generated content together with early LBS technologies in a manner that presaged today’s much hyped “Web 2.0” technologies.

By 2003, Jim had joined the original team of gate5 in Berlin, where he concentrated on the content side of the business together with establishing that venture in the Americas. Jim remained with Nokia for a year after its acquisition of gate5 and then joined Magellan Navigation as Director of Content, Services and Strategic Partnerships.

In late October 2008, Jim joined the Nav N Go team where he focuses on building the business, directing the activities of a globally distributed sales team, and helping to define Nav N Go’s market strategies.

While his responsibilities demand his presence on just about every continent, Jim finds the time to scuba dive in the warm waters of the Caribbean, add to (and subtract from) his wine cellar and continue his lifelong passion for overpowered American cars from his home base in rural Missouri.