Cristiana Barsony-Arcidiacono, a 49-year-old Italian-Hungarian CEO and owner of Hungary-based BAC Consulting, is under scrutiny following revelations linking her company to the deadly pager explosions in Lebanon that killed 12 people and injured more than 2,000. Barsony-Arcidiacono, who holds a PhD in physics from University College London, denies involvement in the manufacturing of the pagers, stating her company acted merely as an intermediary, having licensed the design from a Taiwanese manufacturer, Gold Apollo, reported India Today.
The explosions, which shook Lebanon earlier this week, have put the spotlight on Barsony-Arcidiacono, a woman with an eclectic background, who boasts a globetrotting career across Africa and Europe in various humanitarian roles. Despite her impressive résumé, many details about her past remain unverifiable.
BAC Consulting, her company, has been described as a trading intermediary without a manufacturing site in Hungary. Hungarian officials have confirmed that the pagers linked to the blasts were never produced in the country.
Neighbors and acquaintances in Budapest describe Barsony-Arcidiacono as kind but unsettled, with a penchant for trying new things. Her apartment in downtown Budapest is adorned with pastel drawings of nudes, a testament to her artistic hobby. However, following the incident, she has gone silent, with no public appearances or responses to inquiries.
Despite her impressive academic qualifications, including a PhD in particle physics, her career trajectory seems to have veered away from scientific work. Former colleagues paint a picture of a woman who frequently moved between short-term jobs. One former employer, Kilian Kleinschmidt, who hired her for a six-month humanitarian project in Tunisia, admitted to firing her early due to management disagreements.
Her background also includes unverifiable claims, such as roles at the International Atomic Energy Agency and the Earth Child Institute. The latter’s founder, Donna Goodman, refuted claims of her involvement, stating she had never held any official position within the organization.
As the investigation into the Lebanon pager blasts continues, Barsony-Arcidiacono remains elusive, and the extent of her company’s involvement in the deadly incident is yet to be fully determined.
