In 1974, Sándor Csányi earned a degree in business administration from the College of Finance and Accounting. In 1980, he graduated with a degree in economics from the Karl Marx University of Economic Sciences (now known as Corvinus University). In 1983, he completed his doctorate in economics, specialising in finance, at the same institution. Since 1982, Sándor Csányi has been a certified auditor. After university, he worked at the Revenue Directorate and then at the Secretariat of the Ministry of Finance (Banking Supervision). From 1983 to 1986, he served as a department head at the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Industry. Between 1986 and 1989, he worked as the head of department at Magyar Hitel Bank Rt. From 1989 to 1992, he was Deputy CEO of K&H Bank. Since 1992, he has held the position of Chairman and CEO of OTP Bank Nyrt. He is also the Vice Chairman of the Board of Directors of MOL Nyrt. and Co-Chairman of the Chinese-Hungarian Business Council. In 2022, he established the Unity Wealth Management Foundation as a founder, into which he transferred 100% of the shares of Bonitás 2002 Zrt. and Hungerit Zrt., along with HUF 700 million in cash, functioning as a "Family Office." Bonitás 2002 Zrt. is a holding company managing investments in agriculture, food industry, real estate, and asset management, comprising nearly 240 directly or indirectly owned companies. Through Bonafarm Group, Hungerit Zrt., and KITE Zrt., Sándor Csányi is one of the largest agricultural and food industry investors in the CEE region. The group generates over €2.5 billion in annual consolidated revenue, employs more than 9,500 people, and manages 40,000 hectares of cultivated farmland. The Bonafarm Group is vertically integrated: its agricultural companies produce raw materials for its food manufacturing operations. Csányi also has significant venture capital and real estate investments through Bonitás Investment and Real Estate Fund Management Zrt. The venture capital fund manages €20 million, with average investments per company ranging from €900,000 to €2 million, while the real estate fund's size is €70 million. He has been the President of the Hungarian Football Federation (MLSZ) since 2010, a member of UEFA's Finance Committee since 2017, and a member of the FIFA Council, serving as its Vice President since 2018. He became the owner of the Pick Szeged Handball Club in 2011 and has been an Honorary Vice President of the International Judo Federation since 2008. Since 1995, Csányi has been Vice President of the Board of Trustees of the International Children's Safety Service, and since 2003, Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Prima Primissima Foundation. In 2005, he established the Csányi Foundation for Children using his own wealth. Since 2009, he has been a board member of the Médiunió Foundation for Social Awareness. Since 2020, he has served as Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Sopron University Foundation, and since 2021, he has held the same role for the Hungarian University of Agriculture and Life Sciences Foundation.
