FOCUS ON Business 7 November –December 2022

Is the gender gap a myth or still a reality? Women in business, public life and... army | p. 22

Value is created by professionals

Interview with Marcos Segador Arrebola, President of Gi Group Holding in Poland | p. 90

Interview with Mark Angus, Founding Partner of The World Source Marketplace for Global Business Services (GBS.World) | p. 42

How can global business services benefit from smart matchmaking platform?

Editorial office

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF: Dymitr Doktór | dymitr.doktor@proprogressio.pl

MANAGING EDITOR: Elwira Przybylska | elwira.przybylska@proprogressio.pl

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Ladies and Gentlemen,

Welcome to the last remaining issue of FOCUS ON Business Magazine in 2022. It is our pleasure to present you a set of great articles and interviews focused on business, investments and HR. In this issue we have collected interesting stories from the areas of law, startups, hybrid work, diversity but also concerning GBS marketplace. This last subject is being discussed with Mark Angus from GBS World, whose Team has created the World Source Marketplace for Global Business Services. How about gender gap – this is very important topic discussed all over the world, and here we give you excellent article which answers the question is the gender gap in EU and Ukraine a myth or still a reality? And all from the perspec tive of women in business, public life and... Ukrainian army.

As always we bring you stories from GBS locations – this time you can read about Georgia as the hub for BSS as well as Lithuanian approach to diversity in busi ness, science and education. For the first time we also have a pleasure to present you story from Wroclaw – one of the TOP3 Polish BSS destinations.

VUCA, BANI, labour market trends, facts and myths about SSC’s, remote coope ration, vision in startups and much more – you will find everything you need in this edition of FOCUS ON Business

Enjoy reading,

Selected photos come from stock.adobe.com.

An electronic version of the Magazine see the website www.focusonbusiness.eu.

All rights reserved. No copying, reproduction or photocopying allowed without written consent of the publisher. The views expressed in this publication as well as the content of the adverts are not necessarily those of the editor.

LEGAL SUPPORT: Chudzik i Wspólnicy PRINT: Drukarnia Jantar

CIRCULATION: 3000 copies PLACE AND DATE OF ISSUE: Warsaw, 09.11.2022

AUTHORS: Lidia Banasiak • Jan Szczurek • Bartosz Ordon • Piotr Pawłowski • Victoria Volotovska • Katarzyna Augustyn • Nadia Harris • Jacek Białas • Mark Angus • Justyna Drużyńska • David Tavlalashvili • Evelina Lazareva • Anna Tymoshenko • Mariusz Domeradzki • Maria Nowicka • Dr.-Ing. Cezary Mazurek • Rafał Nadolny • Marta Różańska • Karolina Ignyś • Małgorzata Kościuch • Marcos Segador Arrebola • Martyna Petrus

Editor in Chief

The BSS Tour in Bydgoszcz: HR Forum on the Brda River

The autumn series of The BSS Tour conferences began in mid-September in Bydgoszcz.

Karpacz – Polish Davos and discussions on the investment attractiveness of Poland

In September 2022, the 31st edition of the Economic Forum took place in Karpacz.

World BPO CX sector experts met in Las Vegas

The CxOutsourcers 2022 conference was held in Las Vegas in the United States on September 14–15, 2022.

Return of premises at the tenancy termination – practical issues

A tenancy relationship may end in several ways, such as the expiry of contract time, unilateral termination, mutual agreement of the parties, or even a court decision.

Towards a green future – sustainable finance in Poland

The circular economy, renewable energy and decarbonisation are terms most commonly associated with ESG strategy and non-financial information reporting.

Vision, mission, and strategy in a start-up Proper definition of the startup's vision, mission and strategy allows to build a sustainable company, and with subsequent rounds of financing.

Is the gender gap a myth or still a reality? Women in business, public life and... army Does the problem that has been talked about for years take place in the current realities of European countries?

New brand for creativity and standing out

An interview with Katarzyna Augustyn, Chief Marketing Officer of Loftmill.com and Rise.pl.

Allegro with new offices in Warsaw and Poznań teriors full of inspiration and innovative solutions.

Remote cooperation – how to make it effective?

We talk to Nadia Harris, founder of remoteworkadvocate.com and Remote School.

Hi Piotrkowska. Offices with a cosmopolitan outlook

We talk with Justyna Drużyńska, Director of Office Operations in Master Management Group.

Georgia – new promising hub for BSS

Georgia is fast becoming a prominent delivery location in Eastern Europe for voice and non-voice business process services and IT.

Diversity in business, science, and education: the Lithuanian way

In the three decades since declaring independence, Lithuania has become a regional hub for science, innovation, and tech.

Direction: Wroclaw. Business attractiveness of the city Wroclaw is building a cohesive ecosystem that gives space not only for competition but also for cooperation.

A strong IT sector in Łódź

Close to 30,000 IT specialists; over 200 companies delivering IT services and processes; more than 1,000 graduates with an in-depth understanding of business entering the local market each year.

Where work and life are in a healthy balance

"Man Crossing the River" is one of the symbols of Bydgoszcz. It embodies the talent, creativeness and openness of people.

Katowice – simply SMART!

Smart city is an urban concept that assumes the development of urban areas based on information and communication technologies.

The year 2022 in Kielce. New investments and plans for the future

The last several months has been a slow but noticeable process of economic recovery after the pandemic.

Interesting people in interesting times

In Częstochowa, after the system transformation, the dominant industry is still the automotive.

Elbląg’s new economic centre We are talking about the undertaking with Mariusz Domeradzki – president of Operator ARP.

A unique festival of the IT industry at the foot of the Beskids

Only once a year, in the heart of Podbeskidzie – Bielsko-Biała, there is a true masterpiece of programming events on a Polish scale. IV edition of the unique BBDays4.IT festival.

IT infrastructure providing mature solutions for economic innovation The Poznań Supercomputing and Networking Centre (PSNC) is drawing on nearly 30 years of experience in developing innovations for science.

VUCA / BANI – what role does cooperation between HR and Operations play in a changing and uncertain world? | An interview with Rafał Nadolny – Managing Director, Partner, Karolina Ignyś – HR Director and Marta Różańska – Client Services Director at BPiON.

SSC/BPO sector: 10 facts and myths about shared services centers Enterprises operating in business process outsourcing and shared services centers (SSC/BPO) sector are business units that provide specialized services to other companies.

Value is created by professionals

Interview with Marcos Segador Arrebola, President of Gi Group Holding in Poland.

What does the future of recruitment look like? Top 10 labor market trends.

BUSINESS NEWS

BLOCKCHAIN'S

DISRUPTIVE IMPACT ON CX INDUSTRY

The CX Blockchain Institute, the world wide authority dedicated to fulfilling blockchain in the customer care indus try, announced the release of the 2022 CX Blockchain™ Market Intelligence Report, which details the disruptive impact block chain technology is having on customer experience dynamics across multiple industry verticals.

The research report, commissioned by GBS World on behalf of The CX Block chain Institute, covers blockchain use in contact centers and business process out sourcers industry-wide and across four key verticals: banking/financial services/ insurance (BFSI), healthcare, retail, and telecom. It reflects diverse viewpoints and opinions, supported by relevant analyses, and presents an accurate pic ture of current blockchain use in the CX industry.

NEW LINE OF ACCOUSTIC BOOTHS

The Hushoffice brand presented a new line of acoustic booths at the Orgatec 2022. This is a new generation of acous tic pods that give users the freedom to choose where and how they work.

Each of the booths can be easily adapted to the changing needs of office workers and equipped according to the needs. It is a collection of three pods –hushFree.S for one person with height-ad justable sit & stand desk, designed for individual work and videoconferencing; medium hushFree.M, which can accom modate up to 4 people, allowing for group and project work; and the largest hush Free.L – for 6 users, enabling effective meetings and group video calls.

The new line of hushFree acoustic booths has acoustic class A, lighting inten sity of 500 lux and the possibility of any

– We are extremely excited to re veal the findings of this year's report –said Shelli Ryan, Founder and Principal, The CX Blockchain Institute. – It takes a deep dive into the impact of a technology trend massively disrupting every industry, including contact centers and BPOs.

The 2022 report several impor tant results include: The shift from how blockchain influences contact center agent empowerment and streamlin ing of administrative processes to cost savings and improving efficiencies; for BPOs, delivering greater governance and regulatory compliance remains the same motivation as in 2019; providing a more personalized patient CX journey is now a top priority for the healthcare industry; data security surfaced as a top priority in BPOs, and among the BFSI, retail, and tel ecom verticals due to the tamper-proof

nature of blockchain technology to reduce fraud and data loss risk; combating credit card and financial fraud and addressing cybersecurity issues and malicious data-mining ranked highly for banking; block chain's ability to provide entire, real-time transaction, service, and warranty data to agents was a draw for retailers, con firming the 2019 forecast of addressing consumer expectations around payment, order processing, and delivery time; tele coms also reported cost reduction and increasing revenue streams as top motiva tions to offset heavy industry competition.

The 2022 CX Blockchain™ Market Intelligence Report is available for down load from The CX Block chain Institute website:

Source: The CX Block chain Institute

interior adaptation. More information at www.hushoffice.com and the brand's Social Media channels.

Source: Mikomax Smart Office

INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE: ACCOUNTING FOR THE FUTURE 2022

On 29 November – 1 December 2022 there will be opportunity to attend ACCA Annual Virtual Conference Accounting

for the Future 2022, in which interna tional finance experts are engaged.

NEW DEFINITION OF CIRCULARITY CONCEPT BY KINNARPS

Every year, more than 10 million tonnes of furniture are thrown away in Europe. To counter this, Kinnarps create inte rior design solutions and furniture that are suitable for use over a long period of time. In effect a concept for sustain able circularity is now being launched. It clearly highlights the most important parameters when it comes to choosing sustainable and circular interiors.

Sustainable circularity by Kinnarps offers a new way of using and thinking about sustainable interior solutions. The concept helps business leaders, pur chasers and architects to make sustain able, circular and functional choices from the beginning by analysing the organi sation’s needs. It’s all about making con scious choices, creating flexible solu tions and choosing high quality to gain a future-proof solution. The result is an interior with a low life cycle cost that is designed according to identified needs and promotes well-being, efficiency and success – whilst at the same time preserv ing natures resources.

The concept includes a number of circular services such as workplace analyses for the office, education and care sector and in Sweden as first mar ket the company also offers the possibility to buy recycled furniture via e-commerce

and a unique service truck that offers the opportunity to give old furniture new life on site at the customer's.

– We help our customers make sustainable and circular choices from the beginning, choices that provide the con ditions for future-proof environments. Based on needs analysis, we create cus tomer-unique, ergonomic and flexible solu tions, designed for today's individuals and activities, but which are also ready to meet future needs and challenges. Through fur niture and concepts that can be updated, renewed and renovated, we enable change able and adaptable interior design solu tions that can be developed with changing needs and last for a long time – says Dan Molander Global Sales Director Kinnarps.

Source: Kinnarps

The conference is addressed to finance and accounting professionals, taking seriously adaptation to today’s fast moving business environment and technology change. Participants will learn why it is so important to develop the skills required to drive change in the organiza tion, cope with global economic volatility and master developments in new techno logy and green finance.

The participation in this virtual conference is free of charge.

The world needs future-thinking leaders!

Source: ACCA

The BSS Tour in Bydgoszcz: HR Forum on the Brda River

The autumn series of The BSS Tour conferences began in mid-September in Bydgoszcz. This time, the conference rooms of the Holiday Inn hotel hosted discussion panels and presentations on the subject of HR.

Katarzyna Piotrowska, Cpl Poland.

Presentation led by Cezary Chałupa, Multilango.

Karolina Adamska and Ewa Drumlak (Hillway Training & Consulting) with Wiktor Doktór (Pro Progressio).

The HR Forum on the Brda River aimed to raise and discuss the most impor tant issues and challenges of Polish HR. The discussed topics included issues related to remote work, learning foreign languages in the subscription model, generation Z on the labor market, as well as managerial challenges.

The meeting was an excellent oppor tunity to learn about the investment attractiveness of the city of Bydgoszcz, which as a Strategic Partner, presented its advantages for such sectors as, for example, BPO and IT.

The events organized by Pro Progressio are characterized, apart from a solid dose

of knowledge, also by an excellent atmos phere for networking. This time, estab lishing business contacts was carried out in the premises of Chillispaces serviced offices. Hot networking with a hint of chilli and valuable knowledge from excel lent speakers. This was the case at The BSS Tour Bydgoszcz!

Establishing business contacts was carried out in the premises of Chillispaces serviced offices.

Edyta Marańska, Monika Smulewicz and Katarzyna Romanowska, HR na Szpilkach [EN: HR on Heels].

Karpacz – Polish Davos and discussions on the investment attractiveness of Poland

In September 2022, the 31st edition of the Economic Forum took place in Karpacz. The event, which was previously held in Krynica, was organized for the second time in the Lower Silesian resort in Karpacz.

Thousands of participants from Europe and hundreds of topics related to various fields of economy and business. Among many of them, on the stages and behind the scenes, delegates could hear about digitization, cybersecurity, the GBS sec tor, start-ups, or about the investment attractiveness of Poland, including for the sector of modern business services.

The latter topic was widely talked through during a discussion panel attended by the President of Poznań – Jacek Jaśkowiak, Vice Mayor of Wrocław – Jakub Mazur, Vice Mayor of the City of Łódź –Adam Pustelnik, Director, Coordinator for Entrepreneurship and Social Dialogue of the Warsaw City Hall – Karolina Zdro dowska and President The Management Board of Gdańska Agencja Rozwoju Gospodarczego – Alan Aleksandrowicz. The conversation focused on the key sec tors of the economy, cooperation and exchange of knowledge between cities, as well as challenges related to the budgets of local governments. The debate was organized by the Wrocław Agglomera tion Development Agency, and its mode rator was Wiktor Doktór – President of Pro Progressio.

The Forum in Karpacz was also a good platform for Start-ups, which showed up in a large group during this event, and their representatives talked about the Polish ecosystem for young and fast-scalable enterprises.

During the Forum, The President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky was awarded the title of “Man of the Year”.

The next edition of Economic Forum in Karpacz will be held in 2023.

World BPO CX sector experts met in Las Vegas

The CxOutsourcers 2022 conference was held in Las Vegas in the United States on September 14-15, 2022. It was the fourth edition of this event. The main topic of the conference was the current issues in the BPO world in the area of Call Contact Center, Customer Experience and others, where the customer is at the center of attention.

The conference organizers took care of a very wide thematic spectrum, and the speakers were people from Europe, Africa, Asia and both Americas.

The topics that dominated both the area of presentations and discussion

the event, the locations of the BPO CX sector in the world were also discussed, among which in recent months South Africa, the Philippines, Poland and Egypt turned out to be the most devel oping and holding the greatest potential.

Anne Bibb, Remote Evolution.

Nadia Pace, The Pace Company and Wiktor Doktór, Pro Progressio. Sean Goforth, Ryan Strategic Advisory.

Among the industry challenges that were highlighted on most occasions were those related to hybrid work, cybersecurity and empathy, and interestingly, the "going beyond the script" approach.

The organizers of the CxOutsour cers 2022 conference were Peter Ryan

(Ryan Strategic Advisory), Mark Angus (Genesis Global Business Services) and Traci Freeman (Believe Consulting / BPESA).

The event gathered nearly a hundred par ticipants and, apart from the substantive part, it was an excellent platform for industry networking. Poland was represented

BPO CX sector and the competences of tomor row that the customer service industry needs.

by Pro Progressio, whose president –Wiktor Doktór, also gave presentations on the current challenges of the

Stephanie Todd's (Soul CX) presentation.

Anne Bibb, Remote Evolution.

Peter Ryan (Ryan Strategic Advisory), Mark Angus (Genesis and GBS.World) and Traci Freeman (Believe Consulting).

Shelli Ryan, The CX Blockchain Institute.

Return of premises at the tenancy termination – practical issues

Text | Lidia Banasiak

A tenancy relationship may end in several ways, such as the expiry of contract time, unilateral termination, mutual agreement of the parties, or even a court decision. The separation of tenant and landlord irrevocably involves the return of the premises and the parties' mutual settlements. As practice shows – acceptance activities often cause many problems. Certain rules that govern this process should be borne in mind as their understanding will help the parties properly secure their interests and allow for a smooth end of the tenancy relationship.

RULE NO. 1: DOCUMENT THE PREMISES' CONDITION

When analysing problems related to the termination of a lease, it is worth starting from the beginning. It turns out that proper documentation of the leased premises' condition may prove crucial when handing back the property.

The Polish legal system presumes that the premises are in good condition and fit for use as agreed by the parties when handing them over to the lessee. Obviously, this rule operates when the par ties miss these issues in the contract.

As one can easily guess, the rule protects the landlord if the tenant sur renders the premises in a deteriorated condition. That is because the presump tion assumes the damage to the premises occurred during the tenant's control of the premises.

certificate is accurately drawn up, docu menting the actual status of the property. It is a good idea to write any observa tions on the certificate and attach pho tographic documentation thereto. In this way, the tenant can overturn the auto maticity rule in being held liable for damages due to the property's condition.

RULE NO. 2: TENANT, YOU ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR ORDINARY WEAR AND TEAR

Determining what the tenant is liable for when returning the premises is the most problematic issue and always raises many questions. When trying to set the limits of liability, the usual keywords are deterioration, wear and tear, and regular use; however, their legal interpretation does not coincide

Pursuant to Article 675 § 1 of the Civil Code, upon the termination of the lease, the tenant must, as a rule, return the premises in an undeteriorated condition. However, they are not liable for the premises' wear and tear due to their proper use.

What does this mean? It means that the tenant – contrary to the landlords' frequent belief – is not responsible for every single damage caused to the premi ses. They are, therefore, not accountable for each scratch on a piece of furniture, stain or scuff on a wall. The tenant is only responsible for damage that exceeds the scope of everyday use of the premi ses. In order to assess what wear and tear was acceptable under the circum stances – i.e. regular and proper – it is necessary to examine such aspects as, for example, the type of premises, the num ber of visitors or the duration of the con tract. It should still be borne in mind here that the tenant is primarily bound to use the premises as agreed in the contract. We will therefore assess a tenancy for resi dential purposes differently from that for business purposes.

What are the options for the tenant to prevent a claim of premises' deterio ration based on the presumption? First, they should ensure that the handover

with their common understanding. Therefore, let us take a closer look at the model regulation provided in the Civil Code.

When there is no indication of what constitutes proper use, the proverbial "decent man" model is invoked to deter mine liability limits. That is understood as the average person's behaviour who

As one can easily guess, the rule protects the landlord if the tenant surrenders the premises in a deteriorated condition. That is because the presumption assumes the damage to the premises occurred during the tenant's control of the premises.

acts with due diligence in the care of the property. Such analysis makes it pos sible to determine the item's use rules vicariously and to see whether the tenant is liable for its deterioration.

It is also vital to remember that all the issues raised above can be modified or specified by the parties' agreement.

RULE NO. 3: ARRANGE A CONTRACTUAL DEADLINE FOR THE PREMISES' RETURN

It is an issue that both the landlord and the tenant should consider. Including, for example, a 7-day return deadline in the lease contract can save the parties from having to agree on an ongoing basis on when to vacate the premises. It can also facilitate planning to make the pre mises available to subsequent tenants.

That is of particular significance since a tenant's failure to meet the return deadline can bring about a variety of con sequences. If the parties have not agreed otherwise in the contract, a tenant who is late in returning the premises shall be

liable to the landlord for damages. How ever, the landlord must demonstrate that they have suffered damage as a result of the late return, which most often takes the form of lost profit due to the inabi lity to rent the property.

Obviously, it will be in the land lord's interest to introduce provisions in the contract disciplining the tenant to return the property on time. The most common regulations in practice are those which provide for the tenant's payment of a contractual penalty equal to x-fold the daily rental rate for each day of delay in returning the premises.

RULE NO. 4: SETTLE EXPENSES

Parties can be very meticulous about the contractual regulation of outlays and their depreciation rules. However, sometimes they forget to do so, and the settlement problem arises on hand ing over the premises. How to deal with such an issue? Primarily, the types of out lays made on the premises in question

When there is no indication of what constitutes proper use, the proverbial "decent man" model is invoked to determine liability limits. That is understood as the average person's behaviour who acts with due diligence in the care of the property. Such analysis makes it possible to determine the item's use rules vicariously and to see whether the tenant is liable for its deterioration.

must be correctly classified. These can be divided into:

• necessary outlays – i.e. expenses with out which the leased premises lose their agreed utility function. As a rule, they are charged to the landlord.

• improvement costs, i.e. spending that, as the name suggests, is not necessary. However, it increases the utility or value of the leased premises. Improve ment expenditures are charged to the tenant.

In practice, the settlement of neces sary expenses does not raise major issues. Improvements are more problematic. If the parties have not contractually regu lated the settlement rules, the general rule expressed in the Civil Code shall apply: If the tenant has improved the leased object, the landlord, in the absence of a contract to the contrary, may, at their choice, either retain the improvements against payment of a sum correspond ing to their value at the time of return or demand the restoration of the origi nal condition. (Art. 676 of the Civil Code). Therefore, the effect of this provision is the landlord's right to choose whether to reimburse the expenditures made to the tenant and retain the improve ments introduced or require the ten ant to restore the property to its original condition.

For unknown reasons, tenants miss or underestimate this rule. Meanwhile, a landlord not interested in the invest ments made in the premises may not only refuse to reimburse the money spent for them but may demand their removal from the premises. And they have every right to do so.

RULE NO. 5: RETURN THE PREMISES – SIGN THE CERTIFICATE

When the parties agree on a date for the premises' handover, the landlord fre quently communicates to the tenant that they will not take back the premises if the tenant: here, obligations are enumer ated that the landlord believes the tenant has not fulfilled. Generally, the landlord must collect the premises from the ten ant, regardless of their technical condi tion, unless the parties have agreed other wise. Technical acceptance of the premi ses and signing a handover certificate is one thing. In contrast, the landlord's pursuance of claims such as damage to the premises or the lessee's failure to pay the final rent is another issue.

The tenant – contrary to the landlords' frequent belief – is not responsible for every single damage caused to the premises. They are, therefore, not accountable for each scratch on a piece of furniture, stain or scuff on a wall. The tenant is only responsible for damage that exceeds the scope of everyday use of the premises.

We should remember that these are independent issues, and combining them may have unpleasant consequences. In the eyes of the law, a landlord's refusal to accept the premises will be treated as a breach of essential obligations under the lease contract, which may result – for a change – in the landlord's liability for damages towards the tenant.

RULE NO. 6: REMEMBER THE CLAIM'S STATUTE OF LIMITATIONS

The statute of limitations is short (only one year). That works for the landlord's claims against the tenant for damage to the premi ses and the tenant's against the landlord for reimbursing expenses incurred at the premises. The time limitation runs from the day the premises are returned to the landlord, which is why it is recom mended to include this date in the hand over certificate. After the one-year time limit expires, an assertion of claims is no longer possible. However, it becomes sig nificantly more difficult due to the possibi lity of the debtor raising the statute of limi tations in court proceedings.

Author Lidia Banasiak attorney-at-law, CHUDZIK i WSPÓLNICY Radcowie Prawni sp.p.

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Towards a green future

sustainable finance in Poland

Text | Bartosz Ordon, Jan Szczurek

The circular economy, renewable energy and decarbonisation are terms most commonly associated with ESG strategy and non-financial information reporting. However, they are increasingly coming up in discussions about corporate finance, as a growing number of organisations attempt to incorporate environmental issues into their strategies and operations.

According to the 'Green Finance in Poland' report prepared by PwC, 12 out of 14 surveyed banks include climate and environmental risks in their loan pro cesses, and 43% of the surveyed banks planned to include the impact of ESG factors on their credit assessment and risk profile in the upcoming year (May 2021 report). For these reasons, compa nies that obtain external financing in the form of bank loans or debt issues, or that are planning to do so with a view to further growth, should already be con sidering internal solutions and strate gies to prepare for the green financing organisationally.

of early repayment, or the repayment of the capital only upon redemption of the bond (and not in instalments as it is usually in the case of a loan), often make them more flexible than a bank loan.

Green bonds are determined by the investments that can be financed (or refinanced) with them. In accordance with the use of proceeds principle, which is key to both forms of green debt, only investments that are in line with eligi ble green project categories can be con sidered for financing with funds raised from green bond issues. To ensure that the implementation of this princi ple is transparent and verifiable, all of

Companies that obtain external financing in the form of bank loans or debt issues, or that are planning to do so with a view to further growth, should already be considering internal solutions and strategies to prepare for the green financing organisationally.

Green securities, including the most recognisable of these, green bonds, play a significant role in financing the transi tion to a low-carbon economy. The value of this market is estimated at more than USD 1 trillion (on an annual basis) in 2022, and some experts believe it is pos sible to increase its value by up to five times by 2025. Bonds are an attractive solution for those entrepreneurs who are unwilling, or unable, to use bank (loan) debt financing. Their advantages, such as the speed of raising funds, the possibility

the most popular green bond standards on the market, such as the Green Bond Principles developed by ICMA (Interna tional Capital Markets Association) or the Climate Bonds Standard implemented by the CBI (Climate Bonds Initiative), pro vide additional, complementary mecha nisms and recommendations addressed to the issuers.

These include:

• the project evaluation and selection process (specifying the method and cri teria for the issuer's decision-making in

selecting eligible green projects, includ ing the environmental risk evaluation criteria and external standards to be applied),

• the management of funds (crediting the net proceeds of the green bonds to a sub-account, moving to a sub-port folio or otherwise tracking them by the issuer),

• periodic reporting (procedure of pub licising the use of allocated and unallo cated revenues and the expected and actual environmental impact of ongo ing projects).

As the market standards described above are solely recommendations (they do not derive from the law), compliance with them is not mandatory. However, the specific nature of the market, which prioritises the transparency of the issu ance process and spending of funds in accordance with prior declarations, makes the success of the issuance highly dependent on compliance with the men tioned standards.

In order to demonstrate compliance with the standards declared by the issuer, prior to the issue, he should prepare a document describing the arrangements related to the selection of projects, the allo cation of funds from the issue and report ing. This document, known as a 'Green Bond Framework' or 'Green Financing Framework' (where the issuer prepares the document both for green bonds and for applying for green loans), should be reviewed by an external, specialised

verifier. The result of this review is known as the Second Party Opinion, confirming the 'greenness' of the financial instru ments and the issuer's preparation to ful fil its commitments related to the realisa tion of environmentally sustainable invest ments. Both the Framework document and the Second Party Opinion should be pub lished by the issuer.

Green bonds will also soon have an EU component. Legislative work is currently underway to prepare an EU Green Bond Standard. The intention is to bring into the legal framework a finan cial instrument that has so far operated on the basis of voluntary soft-law market standards. In accordance with the origi nal assumptions of the draft, EU regula tions will not forbid the issuance of green bonds referring to other benchmarks, with the condition that such instru ments cannot be referred to as EU Green Bonds. The features of the EU stand ard are intended to be closely linked to the EU taxonomy for classifying economic activities as environmentally sustaina ble and to have a relatively high degree of formalisation.

As in the case of bonds, standards have also been developed in the context of loan (facility) agreements to qualify financing as 'green'. We are referring in particular to the Green Loan Principles developed by the Loan Market Associa tion (LMA). The GLP defines green loans as any credit instrument to finance or refinance the costs of eligible green pro jects. A list of examples of such projects is included in the appendix to the Green Loan Principles and includes renewable energy, green buildings and clean trans portation. The document also identifies four main areas that green loans should meet. These are generally consistent with the criteria for bonds.

• Firstly, they include a precisely defined purpose for the loan and an obligation to use the funds only to finance projects that will benefit the environment (Use of Proceeds principle).

• Secondly, they oblige the borrower to provide lenders with a detailed descrip tion of the evaluation and selection pro cess for such projects.

• Thirdly, they refer to the management of the green loan proceeds and recom mend their allocation in a dedicated bank account, allowing transparent monitoring of the use of the funding.

• Finally, the last criterion identified by the GLP is the undertaking of the bor rower to report on an up-to-date basis on the use of the loan proceeds and the progress of the project devel oped with the use of them. In particu lar, it is recommended that an exter nal reviewer is appointed to carry out a regular, independent evaluation of the 'green' project.

For the record, it should be noted that the Loan Market Association is a vol untary association with no power to have a binding effect on financial mar ket operators, and the recommenda tions it issues do not have the character of generally applicable law. However,

the documentation standards developed by the LMA and its guidelines are in fact very often taken as a point of reference by both financial institutions and the pro fessionals advising them.

In conclusion, green loans and bonds are gaining in popularity and are an effective way of raising finance, building a positive corporate image and raising environmental awareness in society. Therefore, it should be empha sised that sustainable financing is not only available to entrepreneurs operating in 'green' sectors such as renewable energy or green waste management. Sustainable financial instruments are also available to those in traditionally carbon-intensive industries that are taking or are deter mined to take measures that contribute to the 'green transformation' and the reduc tion of adverse environmental impacts. The proceeds can be used, for example, to finance development and research pro jects or investments in areas where green solutions are possible.

Authors

Jan Szczurek

senior associate, Baker McKenzie Krzyzowski i Wspólnicy sp.k.

Bartosz Ordon associate, Baker McKenzie Krzyzowski i Wspólnicy sp.k.

Vision, mission, and strategy in a start-up

Text | Piotr Pawłowski

Proper definition of the startup's vision, mission and strategy allows to build a sustainable company, and with subsequent rounds of financing – acquire talents and expand the organization.

Something we come across very often are attempts to pigeonhole startups as smaller versions of your run-of-the-mill businesses. However, in the VC world we define startups as temporary organi zations looking for a repeatable way to scale. In practical terms, this means startups are looking for that sweet spot on the market for themselves and their products, as well as for the most effec tive delivery model. Then, once a startup manages find it, it scales very quickly on as many markets as possible.

What follows is that startups – par ticularly at their early stages – must move faster and be more flexible than regular companies, and they must also constantly attract investors. That’s because another distinguishable characteristic of startups is that they generate next to no profits in their first years of operations. Exter nal financing is a must – funding round after funding round, that capital enables talent acquisition, product improvement, getting their foot in the door of global marketing, and building a respectable sales network. For the select few this is the path to global recognition and skyrocketing valuations; for others, it ends much earlier and for good. I sup pose that’s why they call Venture Capital a high-risk industry.

Wait a moment – if startups have this temporary nature built into their DNA, do they really need a vision, mis sion, and strategy? Before diving into answering this question, let's try to briefly define the concepts: ‘mission’ stands for who we are and what we do, ‘vision’ describes where we are heading and what we want to become, and ‘strategy’ clarifies how we want to achieve all of the above.

Fundamentally, mission is about the present and vision is about the future. We communicate our mission to the out side world, whereas vision is communi cated internally (and to investors, too).

As an example, I chose the mission and vision formulated by DBR77, a startup, and CNN, a well-known multinational news channel.

DBR77

Mission: We make automation and digi tization of production plants accessible to everyone.

Vision: If you’re thinking about roboti zation or automation of production and logistics, you think DBR77.

CNN

Mission: We're in the breaking news industry, delivered straight from the heart of the events.

Vision: Become a news channel watched in every country in the world, both in Eng lish and in the language of that country.

which started off providing systems for intelligent visual monitoring of vehicles for transport companies, only to under stand there’s a niche for this type of ser vices in the urban transportation sector. After successfully changing their pro duct and upgrading their mission, they’ve grown to become the market leader in providing solutions for bus manufactu rers and urban transport CCTV integrators.

One thing we must keep in mind at all times is that all companies may change their mission statements – this is not something peculiar to startups. A good example is one of my former companies, a mature business in the Data Center and Telecommunications sector, where we changed the company mission every 3 years on average. This was done so that it genuinely reflected the nature of our operations and remained a trusted guiding light for our employees, always reminding them of who we are, what

A well-defined mission allows a startup to clearly set out its values and its targeted audience. It also helps to stay focused on its goals at any given moment. One thing we must keep in mind at all times is that all companies may change their mission statements – this is not something peculiar to startups.

A well-defined mission allows a startup to clearly set out its values and its targeted audience. It also helps to stay focused on its goals at any given moment. However, if the market reali ties push a startup to realize their pro duct requires only minor touch ups in order to better meet the needs of another market segment, then it can pivot and change its product, mission, and strategy. Just like one of the companies I know,

values we stand for and offer to our clients, and what are our priorities.

A vision indicates an ambitious goal that unites employees. It’s the ambitious vision that excites investors and secures funding. A top-of-the-range product or service not followed by a distinct vision will not magically turn out to be fantastic. We want to be the best; grow into the larg est solution provider on the European market; become sector leaders; develop

into one of the top three portals, to be the first… – these are just some of the lofty visions we often come across. And even though we don’t always see a way to make these happen, we approach them with utmost respect – faraway dreams beat mundane goals any day of the week. Taking a strictly VC approach, it’s impor tant to work with startups that set the bar high from the very beginning and want to go beyond the Polish market. That’s because our local market often turns out to be a trap of sorts, as it’s large enough to live a cozy life, but not big enough to become a genuine giant.

A set of company values repre sents an important building block for any organization. It increases the likelihood your employees will follow the company vision in an ethical way, and managers will hire the right people, who – in addi tion to the desired set of competences –will behave in a way aligned with what the company stands for. Hiring the right people signifies one of the biggest chal lenges for a startup, as it may very well experience periods of rapid growth and simultaneous expansion across many countries and markets around the world.

Properly setting and aligning your mission, vision, and values is the founda tion which will empower every founder to build a sustainable business, acquire the right talent, and scale the organiza tion. It means that we know who we are, what we’re doing, what we’re aiming at, and what KPIs we set for ourselves.

We supplement this by knowing the exact set of values which should be shared by our employees on our joint way to the top. We may thus move on to the strategy, which should describe how do we plan to achieve our objectives. A reasonably detailed startup strategy plans for periods between subsequent funding rounds. Each investment process carries specific KPIs, which most often con cern product development, acquisition of new customers, new revenue sources, entering specific markets, etc. This cor responds to budgeting and related KPIs for mature organizations, however sub sequent rounds may be held more often than once per year. In fact, frequency of funding rounds is largely determined by the demand for cash correlated with how fast the startup is actually developing.

VC Way is thus a bumpy road between successive goals and subsequent funding rounds. A strategy that is well thought-out, written down, communicated to employ ees and effectively ENFORCED goes a long way in helping achieve success.

At Level2, we kick off our work with every startup by zeroing in on ele ments of the vision, mission, values, and

Author

strategy during the first couple of weeks. When discussing strategy we focus pri marily on product development and cer tain issues surrounding sales and mar keting, as these are the critical cogs in the wheel of their success. We also pay a lot of attention to properly strategizing fundraising, which should translate to constantly drumming up demand from potential investors – a startup’s deadly sin is to only start thinking about inves tors when the money dries up. This is made even worse by the fact that this moment can, in most instances, be pre dicted months in advance.

To conclude, we believe the key to success is a proper transfer of the con tracted KPIs into a strategy and break ing it down into an action plan. Addition ally, every market strategy must always be supplemented by fundraising strategy – no startup can afford to lose sight of this. Everything else depends on the drive and consistency of the founder and their team, product adoption, support from a great VC and... well, as the saying goes, ‘a bit of luck never heard nobody’, either. But that's a topic for an entirely differ ent story.

Piotr Pawłowski Managing Partner at Level2 Ventures

Ken Blanchard: "Vision provides the guidelines for everyday decision-making, so that employees move in the same direction and do not interfere with each other".

Is the gender gap a myth or still a reality? Women in business, public life and... army

Text | Victoria Volotovska

Back in time, when the sky above Ukraine was peaceful and news feeds showed photos from parks and educational events, ACCA Ukraine launched a project – we asked ourselves the question if the much-speculated glass ceiling really exists. To what extent do women in finance experience gender restrictions in Ukraine and the EU? Is discrimination a case-by-case issue or a systemic problem affecting all industry players? 50% of ACCA members are women. Does the problem that has been talked about for years take place in the current realities of European countries?

38 participants from Ukraine, Poland, and the Baltic states were involved in the project. We asked several dozen easy and somewhat uneasy questions to our respondents. The audience of the survey mainly included senior professionals who are members of ACCA.

QUOTES FROM THE SPEAKERS:

1. Do you think that the "glass ceiling" is a reality in Ukraine or it’s just a topic for provocative posts on social networks?

"In my opinion, it is more of a topic for posts on social networks than in reality. However, it should be noted that a key factor for the 'glass ceiling' is location – in large Ukrainian cities it’s subtle, while in small towns and villages it can be signi ficant" – Yulia Ponomarenko, FCCA, Otis EMEA, Senior Manager FP&A, Service BP.

2. How do you feel about gender-specific language, do you use it when speaking/ in correspondence?

"I like it. I believe it sounds natural in Ukrainian and brings our language closer to other Eastern European languages. On the contrary, in Russian, I think, such forms don’t really entrench. But it's still difficult for me to change – I can

sometimes forget to use feminine forms" – Olha Znachkova, a specialist who built a career in the banking industry, partner of the IFRS Solution project.

3. Focusing on big business, how friendly is the professional environment for employees with children?

"In my view, the professional environ ment has become friendlier for employ ees with children than it was 10 years ago.

I think a lot still depends on the corpo rate culture, company policy and mana gement, and of course, support from family. Today we can see more exam ples of creating Parent's clubs, discus sions on raising children, creating kind of in-company kindergartens, and so on.

I give an example of both my employer and our customers, large businesses. Our company provides the most comforta ble conditions possible since everyone shows understanding. For example, you can have an individual work schedule or a certain number of hours per week, depending on the situation at home. At the same time, I have friends who just got married and were denied a job, because the company was afraid that they would immediately go on maternity leave"

– Anush Yegizaryan, Audit Director at Deloitte Ukraine.

4. In your opinion, how does upbrin ging influence girls’ future life, personal and professional development? What changes would you make?

"Girls should be given the right to choose and try whatever they want, they shouldn't be discriminated – like they often say 'ballet is only for girls and martial arts are not', they shouldn't be raised to be submissive" – Gedmina Rumšienė, FCCA, Group Financial Con troller at TransferGo.

5. Do you think we can divide the compe tition into purely male or purely female?

"I work in a profession that is often per ceived as exclusively masculine. I am a member of the asset management team of an investment company. Although a lot of men in this profession consider it to be a man's job, I feel great due to the work environment created by my colleagues.

There are many other examples of women in even more male-dominated professions, but I strongly believe that any woman can do what she wants” – Joanna Alasa, Senior Analyst at NN Investment Partners Polska, ACCA member.

6. What is feminism for you?

“For me, feminism means believing in the social, economic, and political equality of the genders. It is a matter of organi zed and individual protection of women’s rights and interests” – Małgorzata Figasze wska, director of Global Finance Shared Service at Franklin Templeton, member of ACCA.

Based on the information above, the gender issue in career growth and the glass ceiling occurs, but they are not something regular in the financial indus try of Ukraine, Poland and the Baltic countries. But what if all the data gathered is a survivor bias?

ACCA Ukraine made a sample among leading experts but can their opinion be indicative if we want to get average data for the industry? Finance is a modern field with high European standards, where norms, rules, and ethics were brought by head offices from Tier-1 coun tries. To what extent does the experience of people who worked in the Big Four help us assess problems on a national scale?

To answer this question, we referred to facts that describe the everyday life and realities of Ukrainian women who are currently serving in the Armed Forces. The army is traditionally a male community, where women’s presence has not yet become something common. Objectively, when it comes to gender equality in the army, Ukraine is much inferior to Israel.

“Statistics show that Ukraine has one of the highest numbers of women in the Armed Forces among NATO member countries” – says Hanna Malyar, Deputy Minister of Defense.

"Since February 24, I have been trying to join territorial defense in two regions — Zakarpattia and Dnipropetro vsk. And got refused constantly. Same with the military enlistment – I got enlisted only in reserve. I graduated from a near-mili tary university, went through training with the boys, a Candidate for Master of Sports in freestyle wrestling, and have an aikido belt. I’m also a mother of a two-year-old child. But my parents are retired, so they can look after her. It is because of the child that I get refusals. My friend from Kyiv was turned down too, even though she has no children" – Andrianna Lytvynyuk wrote in the FeminismUA community.

THE NUMBER OF CIVILIAN WOMEN IN

FORCES

The possible interpretations for such a scenario vary, but one thing is clear: there are a lot of women who are highly motivated to join the army and defend Ukraine. And a lot of women are already doing it.

Currently, the Armed Forces num ber more than 50,000 servicewomen, of which about 5,000 are serving on the frontline. Since the beginning of the full-scale war, 7,000 women have joined the army. Back in October 2021, the Armed Forces had 31,000 service women. Now there are 38,000 of them, and another 12,000 are civilian women who have joined the Ukrainian army.

“Once, my companion from the unit, with whom we went on a reconaissance mission together, said that a woman doesn’t really fit in the army. Paperwork at the headquarters is the most we can do. I asked how I was different from him on the missions. What am I not doing that everyone else is doing? Whether I can't carry gear the same distance? He thought for a while and said that I do everything as well as everyone. The dialogue was closed” says a marine Yaryna Chornoguz.

Women in the Ukrainian army are the reality of 2022. They are respected, they are not inferior to men, and there is no publicly available information (or non-public statements) indicating that women in the army are less effective.

To assess the situation, we should take a developed country as an exam ple and turn to the most basic matter –wages level. We chose a country where the equality issue has been relevant for the past 70 years – the United States.

Back in 2018, it turned out that the di ff erence between the average annual income of a man and a woman is about $7 thousand. This was found out by the Institute for Women's Policy Research, an American research organization that studies women’s status in the United States, together with the Women's Foundation of Colorado. At the time of research, $7 thousand was enough to pay for 1.9 years of study at one of the com munity colleges (the first level in the US higher education system, which allows you to continue studying at the university

from the third year —Plus-one.ru). On average, women aged 16 and over earned $43,000 per year. At the same time, for every $1 earned by a man, there is $0.86 earned by a woman. Since 2015, the dif ference has decreased by $0.04. Over all, in 2018 62.5% of women in Colorado were employed compared to 73.1% of men. The percentage of Colorado women living in poverty increased from 13% in 2015 to 14.3% in 2018.

Women financiers live in a dimen sion that is a far cry from the realities of Ukrainian society. However, one can’t fail to notice how fast Ukrainian society is developing. We expect that in Ukraine, a country of winners, the issue of gen der inequality will eventually become a thing of the past, while career, income, and opportunities will depend only on one’s effort, will and patience. Looking at the last 5 months, we can say that Ukra inian people – both men and women – have all of the qualities above in abundance.

Volotovska Business

Manager

Victoria

Relationship

for ACCA Poland, Ukraine and Baltic countries

Nonetheless, we see many obstacles at the level of military enlistment points and in the perception of people not related to the army.

New brand for creativity and standing out

In interview with Katarzyna Augustyn, Chief Marketing Officer of Loftmill.com and Rise.pl we talk about the recent rebranding, the ideas behind the successful projects and future plans.

FOCUS ON Business: You recently rebranded from Rise.pl to Loftmill. Where did this idea come from?

Katarzyna Augustyn, Loftmill and Rise.pl: Certainly our passion for the lofts [laughs]. As Piotr Augustyn mentioned during the rebranding event: We are, we were and we will be Rise.pl. We create spaces for creative work and we love what we do. Now it's time to open a new chap ter under the new name Loftmill. Loft –because we love lofts and their atmosphere with the accompanying history, unique ness and beauty. Mill – because… we are bored with hubs, laboratories, centers and everything that doesn't bring anything new to the game. We like to go against the tide and set new trends.

So what exactly stands out for Loftmill?

I guess it is better if our clients speak objectively. We can say what we would like to stand out. First of all, the quality of the space in which we work. Its finish and ergonomics should make our clients feel comfortable while being around. I am thinking of spaces for cooperation, cafes interior, chillouts and other places that are not only a desk and armchair.

The second important thing for us is the clients’ safety, both in terms of IT, health and general safety. We have to remember that flex offices are being increasingly used by large corporations, so it is a really important issue.

Third point, this may sound like a slogan, but being close to the custom ers and responding quickly to their inqui ries. For us signing the contract is just the beginning of actual sale. Every day we have to make sure that our clients are fully convinced they are want and like

to be at Loftmill. We want to be an agile, developing and learning organization.

What can you say about the new Loft mill series "Offices are People"?

For me, Rise.pl and Loftmill are not only a brand – behind it there are people who create and manage it on a daily basis – from the reception team, technicians, IT team to office managers.

Each of them brings something from each other. Our offices have the faces and names of the people who create them and who manage them on a daily basis. As a result, each of our clients knows who they have contact with every day – it is also worth getting to know these people from the point of view of their interests, so that they would not be 'only' the mana ger of the region or an accountant.

In our films you can see our CTO –Krystian, who likes fast cars and has two cats, two Agnieszka’s who are regional managers – both are moms after hours, they differ in their interests. One Agniesz ka dances in the theater, the other makes sculptures with her husband. Our COO rides horses after hours, walks the dog in the woods and paints pictures. Each of us, apart from the desk, expresses him self in his hobby – which often helps to break the ice.

In 2023, you plan to open new office spaces in Warsaw, Katowice, Wrocław and Kraków. Tell us more about those offices.

In Kraków, it is Brain Park, it will be an extension of our neighboring office in the Fabryczna Office Park complex. This place is gaining popularity on the map of Kraków and together with Fabryczna it will create the largest flex space in the city – 8,000 m2.

The .KTWII office building in Katowice is love at first sight. In this pro ject, we want to try something differ ent, e.g. to build not only an office part (a coworking zone and a serviced office) but also event facilities and club-cafes – which will operate long after busi ness hours.

Lixa C in Warsaw is our first project in the capital. We are extremely pleased with this project, yet it will be a challenge for us. The area will be fully designed after we have experienced pandemic and the change of work model of our cli ents. There will be many more spaces to collaborate, focus rooms, podcast rooms, you will also find meeting rooms there. We have not forgotten about the chillout zone, billiards, prosecco etc. There will also be a few amenities that are nowhere to be found at the moment, but more on that later, for now it's confidential yet.

A lot of companies choose coworking spaces to be able to take part in net working. How do you do it?

A lot depends on the type and needs of customers that take up the space: are they more freelancers who pre fer coworking or medium and large

companies that prefer to use dedicated serviced offices.

As for now Sweet Mondays, fruit Wednesdays, sushi days or pate Thurs days do not surprise anyone anymore. More important are events that keep our customers gathered and focused for

longer, e.g. interesting trainings, meetings with guests, business mixers or even stand-ups.

From finding a space to signing a con tract, the office online rental process moves quickly nowadays. What are the other advantages of digitizing the real estate industry?

It certainly improves the sales pro cess, but also gives customers access to much more wider spectrum of choice. The client does not necessarily have to visit offices and research the market on his own. One of the effects pandemic brought is remote work and digitization. We use many tools to organize remote viewing – to make it easier for custom ers who cannot come to the location to see the office.

What advice would you give to a com pany that is looking for its first ser viced office?

For the clients, site visits are an important element that allows them to decide whether a given office is a good choice for the company. They would definitely pay attention to the quality of materials it was made of and surfaces that create the space. They should be precisely informed on what is included in the rental price, if there are any addi tional fees or limitations regarding using the office (tokens for conference rooms, access only during business hours, print ers, kitchen and dining appliances). It is also important to ask about IT security systems and check acoustics in the office.

You are one of the longest operating service office operators on the Polish market. 2023 will mark 20 years of your presence here. What is your recipe for achieving and maintaining success?

You have to listen carefully to what your clients and team members are tell ing you. Clients indicate what they need and what quality of service is satisfactory for them. And a great team is a real treas ure. Coordinated team that says what is worth changing or doing something new. The team that believes in what they do and ‘rows’ in the same direction is very important to us.

And so simple but still very true: you have to learn from mistakes, turn them into lessons and move forward.

Thank you for the interview.

Allegro with new offices in Warsaw and Poznań – interiors full of inspiration and innovative solutions

The Allegro Group’s dramatic growth in Poland, the company’s dynamic international expansion and the intensive team growth have prompted the need to expand workspaces in a number of Polish cities, including Warsaw and Poznań. Allegro opted for a spacious offices that meet the needs of its fast-growing team. The execution of the new spaces in Warsaw and Poznań, with a total area of almost 50,000 sq. m. was commissioned to architectural studio The Design Group.

In Poznań, the move from the Pixel office building to the Nowy Rynek complex was the biggest logistics project in the his tory of the company’s offices. Allegro’s lease of 24,700 sq. m. is also the second largest lease on the Polish market and the largest transaction in the history of the Poznań market.

In turn, in the capital of Poland, Allegro has decided to lease a space in a prestigious location and area with many innovative and eco-friendly solu tions. The choice was made for the new Plater and Galwan office buildings of the Norblin Factory complex, which are truly remarkable for their unusual blend of the factory site’s history and

future. The decision was made, among others, by the fact that the modern office space in the complex meets the highest Class A standards, and the very build ings have received a BREEAM Very Good Score certificate and incorporate a range of sustainability-related solutions and employee amenities. The company occu pies a total of nearly 24,000 sq. m. at Nor blin and is its largest tenant.

The work on the delivery of the in teriors of two offices coincided with exceptional times – due to the pandemic and the many restrictions it entailed. Remote control of what was happen ing on the nearly 25,000 sq. m. space in Poznań and on the nearly 24, 000 sq. m.

space in Warsaw required everyone involved in the projects to find a new way of working, great patience, accuracy, but also a visionary approach.

BREAKING THE MOLD IN POZNAŃ

The headquarters of Allegro is located in Building D of the Nowy Rynek complex on 10 floors. It is a very compound and com plex project; there is an office for every day work, a conference center, a mail room, a kindergarten for the youngest, and a call center. It was for the interior design of the Allegro office in Poznań that architectural studio The Design Group received this year the prestigious Award Winner in the International Property Awards 2022–2023 competition.

Allegro’s Poznań office interiors blend a homelike, friendly vibe with a sleek, cutting-edge style that matches the flair and style of Building D of the Nowy Rynek complex. Inspiration for the interior design motifs was found in the modern facade of the office build ing, as well as the round, open plaza inside the building. Wooden tiers dis tinctive of the office building’s construc tion are found in the welcome area on each floor. In contrast, organic forms and a circle, referring to the shape of the building’s patio, provided the theme for the company’s headquarters. They have been used to design, for example, whiteboards, lighting, decorative acoustic

Allegro office in Warsaw, office interior design: The Design Group.

elements, and glazing. Unique finishing touches designed under the banner of “well-known legends of the capital of Greater Poland Voivodeship” and “outer space”, such as hand-painted murals, photo wallpapers, artwork in the con ference center or a space rocket-shaped wooden structure in the kindergarten on the first floor, are also characteristic of the Poznań office.

A lot of attention was paid to noise control throughout the project. The most

demanding spaces were the call centre with its specially designed workstations, which take up almost the entire floor space, and the conference centre, whose ceiling is about 4.60 m high. However, thanks to various solutions, cooperation with acousticians and experience, these spaces are adequately prepared to fulfil their role.

Since vast office space is located on 10 floors of the office building – with out proper navigation messages, related

to the labelling of zones and rooms, as well as building a coherent corpo rate image in the interiors, employees might have had trouble finding their way around and navigating the office. That's why a personalized visual iden tity system was developed together with employee ambassadors, which made Alle gro's office space even more functional and people-oriented, focused on human needs and sense of aesthetics. Numer ous murals, pictograms, foiling, sema phores, murals, meeting room naming, neon signs, illustrations – it's the com bination of these solutions that ensures that office users know where they are, can determine where their destination is and have the ability to easily get there from their current location.

The visual wayfinding system of the office was built on the principle of dividing floors into colours. In this way, the office part is divided into the follow ing colors: dusty navy, olive, bottle green and blue. In turn, the space that com bines the colors of all floors in the office is the conference center, located on the ground floor of the building.

Allegro office in Poznań, office interior design: The Design Group.

Allegro office in Poznań, office interior design: The Design Group.

CASE STUDY

WARSAW OFFICE – IN A CLIMATE OF POST-INDUSTRIAL MODERNITY

The Plater and Galwan office buildings, both housing Allegro’s Warsaw office spaces, are new structures designed to take on the vibe of the whole Norblin Factory complex. For this reason, there is a mingling of industrial elements, characteristic of post-factory buildings, but also modern, simple lines and solu tions. The main idea of the architects was to create coherence with the con text of the surroundings in the interiors and to introduce an industrial feel into the space. Consequently, the interiors feature a great deal of exposed raw, real materials and shades of grey. To high light the industrial style, the acous tic light fittings have been designed, resembling post-industrial lamps and grey acoustic baffles shaped like arches,

reminiscent of the layout of vaults that are typical of old factories. To maintain the modern touch of the building, ele gant details, light tones, natural materi als, soft furnishings and a large amount of greenery have also been introduced to the space.

The very employees of Allegro also had a real impact on the look of the office. They decided on the colors, graphics and materials in the interiors.

At Allegro’s office, there are a num ber of zones that are very memora ble. One of these are the so-called ‘jun gle rooms’, which are dedicated unique spaces designed for employees to chill out and to work alone, focused and quietly, or for less formal meetings in a group of up to 10 people. These interiors fea ture a huge number of different plants, with soft furnishings arranged among

them, creating an unusual place to work and relax, somewhat reminiscent of a home away from the hustle and bus tle. The staff can break away from their desks, rest among the soothing greenery and gather strength for creative work in a supportive environment. The Warsaw jungle rooms are like a real jungle; there is a faint penumbra of twilight, and they are hidden, disconnected from the out side world. They create their own unique microclimate, rich in diverse greenery and a tropical feel.

The model and design of the space was worked out in cooperation with the investor, the team of architects from The Design Group and greenery specia lists who advised on the selection of origi nal and rare plants.The spatial design was repeated in the interiors of the company's office in Poznań.

Allegro office in Warsaw, office interior design: The Design Group.

THE COMMON DENOMINATOR

In both offices, the goal was to create a multi-functional, flexible and trans parent space, so that it would be easy to rearrange the offices to suit the needs of a individual user or team. As a result, the new hybrid spaces offer employees a great deal of freedom in their choice of style and workspace, which enhances user productivity and comfort.

In parallel, the company has also ensured that the new premises allow for holding safe corporate meetings and keeping a social distance but also unify ing and not restricting contact between employees. Offices has been made sup portive of integration, personal relation ship building and employee well-being. For this reason, the offices are full of dou ble glazing, which give the impression of an open, transparent space. This lets plenty of daylight into even the zones far away from the windows, and the emplo yees are not isolated from other teams; they can see what is going on elsewhere and feel united with the other office

users. The writing boards incorporated into the glass wall muntin system, which are usually an independent feature of office furnishings, are an innovative solution (for office interiors in Warsaw and Poznań) that was engineered by glaz ing professionals.

Allegro’s offices are the spaces with all the things that today’s employees need – a convenient location, a space designed by actual designers paying attention to every minute detail, ergonomic and flexi ble workstations, and many other great spaces and solutions. They are not only not work spaces, but also a perfect space for building relations, for integration and mutual support, which contributes to the safety and comfort of its users.

Author

Allegro office in Warsaw –jungle room. Office interior design: The Design Group.

Remote cooperation – how to make it effective?

We talk to Nadia Harris, founder of remoteworkadvocate.com and Remote School, about aspects related to remote, hybrid and asynchronous work, as well as ideas on increasing the effectiveness of online meetings.

Wiktor Doktór, Pro Progressio: What does global research say about remote and hybrid work?

Nadia Harris, Remote School: It's worth starting with the fact that remote and hybrid work is not a short-term trend or a completely new phenomenon. The pandemic turned out to be an accele rator that made both models remain within companies for good. It’s been quite a while now that we’ve been observing the development of the hub & spoke model, which means having a main office and "satellite offices" in different cities. In other words, distributed work models are among us longer than we may imagine.

work is a combination of "remote-first" and office models, considering the real value of both. Organizations that func tion completely without an office can operate efficiently without physical pre sence of employees. This requires appro priate tools (both technology and pro cesses) that will make such work effec tive. At the same time, when looking at office spaces, it’s worth focusing on why they are important to us. If we’re ready to redesign offices, it’s worth following the "user experience" approach, thanks to which they will support team coopera tion, focus on building relationships, and respond to the real needs of the people.

One of them is certainly Microsoft and they have many resources on this topic. The company has created a guide book for managers and employees, set ting transparent cooperation rules and expectations.

It's also worth looking at Dropbox, that enables employees to work remotely. Office spaces have been redesigned and are now called "studios". The goal of physi cal meetings is team collaboration rather than an obligation to be in the same place without a well-defined reason.

An interesting example is also Klarna – employees can choose their place of work, according to personal preferences. Remote work within their country or state (within the United States) of employment is unlimited. It’s also pos sible to perform it abroad up to 20 days a year.

When it comes to statistics related to remote and hybrid work, it is worth looking at Gallup's research, which clearly shows that employees prefer flexible ways of working. According to the latest data from August 2022, 38% of people declare their willingness to work in a hybrid mode, and 18% fully remotely. In the same study, as many as 73% of the surveyed employees indicate that their company should rethink its organi zational culture. Such data clearly shows that we still have a lot of work to do.

What characterizes hybrid work?

It is primarily intentionality, not just giving people a temporary permission to work from home. The essence of hybrid

Moreover, there is no single, true model of hybrid work. Many companies have chosen the so called 3:2 approach (three days in the office and two at home), but there are also many organi zations whose business specifics require more flexibility. I often work with such that have some positions in the office permanently (receptionists, adminis tration staff or stationary customer ser vice), some employees work in the above mentioned 3:2 mode, while the rest are completely remote (e.g. IT, marketing or HR). Hybrid work also isn’t rotational or shift work.

Can you give some good examples of hybrid organizations?

In fact, most of the companies that have already implemented temporary work from abroad (“workation”) policies are already taking the first milestone to become more flexible. It’s worth checking them out.

Let's talk about rules. What is a "remote-first" model and a "hybrid" model? How are they different?

Remote-first happens when work is performed 100% remotely, without an office. This does not harm producti vity, on the contrary – it increases it. Such organizations include GitLab, Doist, Buffer, TopTal or recently Airbnb. The effective ness of this model consists of several ele ments. These are properly mapped out processes and procedures including auto mation, work documentation, wisely

38% of people declare their willingness to work in a hybrid mode, and 18% fully remotely. In the same study, as many as 73% of the surveyed employees indicate that their company should rethink its organizational culture.

implemented project management tools, asynchronous cooperation and commu nication, scalable forms of flexible hiring (employment contracts or sometimes con tractors) and IT security. Thanks to this infrastructure, the team is equipped with the necessary tools that allow them to focus on achieving common goals with out physical presence. This also includes reducing the number of virtual meetings.

A hybrid model is one that combines remote-first elements with an office. It’s worth noting that it’s not about an obli gation to be partially in the office due to old habits with a conditional possibility to work from home. Hybrid work is an envi ronment where the entire company or team can efficiently operate in a distri buted model, whereas the office adds additional value. The retail industry is a good comparison. We can shop online thanks to e-commerce solutions, and yet we still visit physical stores. It’s all about individual preferences and needs, as well as an excellent "user experience".

In remote work, we also deal with asyn chronous work. Tell us more about this approach.

Asynchronous communication and collaboration mean that we don't have to work simultaneously or communicate only in real time. We can intentionally plan our cooperation, assign responsibi lities to team members and set deadlines

for providing information about the pro gress of the project, etc. Everything is planned so that the team finally achieves jointly set goals. Currently, in the digital era, modern technologies enable us to effi ciently implement asynchronous coope ration. In my opinion, it’s crucial for any company, even an office-first one. This approach saves time, optimizes work, and allows us to better measure produc tivity. We avoid distractions, long hours spent in unnecessary meetings or dozens of pointless e-mails.

so that they are not scattered through out the day and systematically shorten their length. Let me also give you some practical tips.

First of all, we should always accept or decline invitations that are added to our calendars. If we don’t do it then let’s get honest about real life meetings. If someone invites us for coffee or din ner, will we say “OK, just wait for me –maybe I’ll be there and maybe I won’t”?

Of course, this isn’t the case. So why do we do it online? Secondly, check your

Finally, a question about optimiza tion. Since we live in times of hybrid and online communication and doz ens of meetings in the virtual world, how can we increase the effectiveness of remote meetings?

This is one of the most frequently asked questions. Remote work has exposed the problem of too many meetings, even stationary ones. It's just that when we were spending time in a conference room, we could also socialize. However, virtual meetings are all about intentiona lity and results. It’s worth trying to define core hours when meetings can be held

calendars and don’t send invites without making sure that someone can make it. Thirdly, let's introduce a few simple rules – a meeting only works if it has an agenda. Moreover, it should all be about active attendee participation. If it’s not, then asynchronous communication will be more appropriate. Finally, when arrang ing a meeting, let's start with the follow ing statement: "This meeting will be suc cessful if ...".

Thank you for such an inspiring conversation.

Remote work has exposed the problem of too many meetings, even stationary ones. It's just that when we were spending time in a conference room, we could also socialize. However, virtual meetings are all about intentionality and results.

People are our greatest asset

Interview with Jacek Białas – Executive Director Global Business Solution Center, Elanco Animal Health.

FOCUS ON Business: What is the role of the Elanco Solution Center for Elan co's global organization?

Jacek Białas, Elanco Animal Health: The establishment of Elanco Solution Center (ESC) was the result of the process of separating Elanco from Eli Lilly. In 2018, the decision was made to spin off Elanco Animal Health, and this initiated a number of changes and trans formations. One of these was the need to move processes to its own shared ser vice center.

In addition, the board of directors of the newly formed company, decided shortly after the separation to purchase the animal part of Bayer's business. So, after the phase of transferring processes to our own Solution Center, we are in the next phase of expanding business operations, expanding the scope of busi ness services and absorbing processes previously handled by Bayer.

The role of Elanco Solution Center is to support the company in making the best decisions by leveraging agility, transpa rency, and the ability to act quickly. Para doxically, this process has just been accelerated by the pandemic redefining the immense value of the modern enter prise and moving automated processes into the evolving digital space.

Our center provides a wide range of services-from classic financial divisions to Supply Chain, Compliance, Procure ment, Treasury, IT, HR, and more.

How many GBS operations centers do Elanco currently have and in which countries are they located?

Elanco Solution Center is the global unit for Elanco AH. We have centers in Warsaw, Kuala Lumpur and in India in Bangalore. We are creating a new loca tion in Mexico in Guadalajara. Across the 3 centers, we have nearly 1,000 employees which represent 10% of the global Elanco Animal Health team.

Elanco Solution Center is the global unit for Elanco AH. We have center in Warsaw, Kuala Lumpur and in India in Bangalore. Across the 3 centers, we have nearly 1,000 employees which represent 10% of the global Elanco Animal Health team.

Earlier this year, you began integrating Elanco Animal Health's systems with Bayer AH, which became part of Elanco in August 2020. How has this changed the scale of ESC's operations?

In 2018 Elanco completed an ini tial public offering (IPO) to spin off from Eli Lilly and Company (Lilly) to become an independent pure-play animal health company. We spent 2 years setting up the infrastructure to operate as such entity. And here operationally you can see the important role of ESC. As of March 31, 2021. Elanco operates fully independently with the own service center.

In August 2020, Elanco completed the acquisition of Bayer's animal health business. This acquisition strengthened our business, accelerated our Innova tion, Portfolio, and Productivity (IPP) strat egy while expanding our global product portfolio. We now have a balanced port folio in the pet and livestock categories, as well as greater geographic coverage. Our omnichannel presence has never been more important. During the pan demic, we saw that about a third of pet owners shifted their spending online, and this trend will continue. The long-term growth opportunity comes from the fact that half of the world's 500 million pets are still untreated, and our expanded global product portfolio allows us to pro vide more comprehensive animal health solutions for farmers, veterinarians, and pet owners.

For the most part, we have inte grated Bayer's Animal Health heritage business with Elanco's using best prac tices from both companies. The establishment of the Elanco Solution Center has become a strategic part of the larger transformation of Elanco AH. In the area of finance, we are creating more centrali zed structures that improve business capabilities, decision-making, and imple mentation of new solutions.

The BSS sector is characterized by mul tinationalism and multiculturalism. What is your recipe for the smooth cooperation of teams coming from dif ferent cultural backgrounds?

People are our greatest resource and multiculturalism is our superpower.

In Elanco we encourage activities based on microcultures in individual loca tions and teams. We support the devel opment, listening, and demonstration of all aspects of diversity – in India, Malay sia, and Poland. This is a strength, so we help and celebrate it.

In recent months I have had the great pleasure of meeting and spending time together with all the teams. What cap tured me was a kind of creativity and innovation gene in our employees, and in an organization like Solution Center this is very important. Geographically dispersed teams can offer tremendous benefits. Multicultural, diverse groups of peers with the best skills, regardless of their location, are the driving force.

In ESC we put a forward-thinking culture at the forefront, responsive to individual creativity, appropriate risk-tak ing, and effective decision-making to ini tiate change. So the catalyst for change is the diverse perspective resulting from multiculturalism, sometimes different experiences, and combining different areas of professionalism.

Due to the nature of your business, you engage in a variety of projects where the main target group is animals. Which of these projects has contribu ted the most to improving their living conditions?

Not only animals but also people and local communities are our concern,

as as we say: “Making life better for ani mals makes life better”.

Our goal of working for the health of animals and, as a result, the wider community accompanies us through out the year. At Elanco we nurture a cul ture of commitment and give employees the tools to achieve the goal. We have a package of days off for volunteering (in Europe it's up to 8 days a year) we sup port organizing fundraisers and neces sary items for the organizations, also encourage and help create employees interest groups. At local and regional meetings, employees can tell their story and encourage colleagues to get involved. For us, this is true inclusiveness: you can be yourself, you can act, and you can look

Not only animals but also people and local communities are our concern, as we say: “Making life better for animals makes life better”.

People are our greatest resource and multiculturalism is our super strength. We encourage activities based on microcultures in individual locations and teams. We support the development, listening, and demonstration of all aspects of diversity – in India, Malaysia, and Poland.

for buddy among colleagues and get sup port from team leaders.

Depending on employees' per sonal preferences and level of interest, we encourage employees to get involved in a broad spectrum of projects. Pro ject we are particularly proud of is June employee meeting, during which we have planned time for building kennels and creating sniffer mats for dogs from one of the shelters near Warsaw. After the work done we celebrated our diversity and and built post-pandemic relation ships in sports games. It was a real tal ent show!

We are also proud that as a com pany and employees individually we were able to help the Ukrainian people.

Elanco

pean

in addi tion, locally we organized a fundraiser for the Bank Żywności SOS in Warsaw. Elanco employees in Europe were given an extended pool of days to use for volun teering to help people fleeing the war in Ukraine. This allowed us to work at food warehouses and refuges centers after the February 24.

Our most important month of Octo ber and Global Day of Purpose is behind us. This is the time when we engage for animals, the planet, and local communi ties. We are pulling together the evidence of the impact we have generated with our collective efforts. We worked for ani mal shelters, raised funds for them, did

financially supported the Euro

Federation of Food Banks,

volunteer work at the Food Bank suppor ting the goal of better access to healthy food, and cleaned up green spaces in our neighborhoods. Some people were able to meet in the office over coffee and prepare sniffer mats for shelter dogs. These are just examples of the activities we prac tice throughout the year. I'm proud of the fact that Elanco is a infinity-thinking company.

Let's try to take a peek into the future. What priorities does Elanco Solution Center have for the next 24 months?

The most important is the opera tional priority related to the transfer of Bayer Animal Health processes into the Elanco environment. We have a preparation period ahead of us to take over operations, train people and go-live, which is like a big-bang moment in itself! It will be a big challenge, but we

are prepared for it. We are experienced, and we've built a team of true profession als who will make this challenge possible.

As a mature organization, we are also at the stage of refining the strategy created in recent months. We want everyone on the team to feel ownership of it. People, Partnership, Performance – these are the main directions for ESC.

Our global Elanco Solution Center plays a strategic role in Elanco. Through a high-performing team (People), and putting customers first (Partnership), we want to redefine the future and the value of shared services (Performance). Expan ding services and driving improvements through digital technology and analytics will improve the experience of internal stakeholders. We are working continu ously to create an organization that aims to deliver benefits beyond cost reduction.

Thank you for the interview.

Our most important month of October and Global Day of Purpose is behind us. This is the time when we engage for animals, the planet, and local communities. We are in the process of pulling together the evidence of the impact we have generated with our collective efforts.

Did you know that Olivia Garden's irrigation system has a closed circuit? Af ter watering the plants, we extrac t, purif y and use water again.

Interview with Mark Angus, Founding Partner of The World Source Marketplace for Global Business Services (GBS.World)

Wiktor Doktór, Pro Progressio: I have a feeling that in the third decade of 21st century Business Support Services are experiencing one of the best periods of their growth. Companies set up new global operation centres, advisory organizations build stronger consult ing units, media focus more on BSS and we also have more and more events for professionals in this industry. You are also in the group of people who decided to improve the BSS World and together with your Team you created GBS.World. What is it and how did it start?

Mark Angus, GBS World: Yes, absolutely Wiktor, we live and work in a dynamic and exciting industry! The BSS (or global business services) sector has certainly been getting a lot of interna tional attention from businesses, aca demia, donors and governments – and more so in the last 5 years. This is mainly

analysts, donors and business buyers. And of course, not forgetting the front line people/talent who make it all hap pen and service international consum ers – the knowledge workers and service agents in the various locations.

The World Source Marketplace for Global Business Services (GBS.World) was launched to help global business buyers discover sourcing opportunities, verify, shortlist and right-source service provid ers and nearshore/offshore locations. We have backed it with incisive research, our community of partner analysts/consul tants, and location assessments.

This includes the Trusted, Verified and Certified authentication program that assesses the size, scalability, capabi lities and customer success track records of service providers, thereby providing interested buyers with validated profiles and data driven matchmaking.

directly within their profiles. It’s essen tially a 12-month program for each pro vider that can be renewed each year.

But the biggest benefit we are focusing on is our location-to-provider buyer matchmaking and lead genera tion program. This is where we promote the various benefits of outsourcing/near shoring/offshoring (including the sig nificant cost-performance savings) to would-be business buyers. We then help them assess and identify the best loca tions followed by a selection process to shortlist the right-fit service providers in those locations. At this stage, we hand over the process to our global BSS/GBS consultants who then help the buyer select the best provider (from the short list we provide) and manage the service level relationship and operational ele ments between the two parties.

And what are benefits for companies who search for service providers? How they can be sure providers you have on your web platform are verified, checked and trusted?

due to the opportunities it provides for global buyers/enterprises in Australia, Europe, the UK and the US to cut business costs while tapping into large, diverse and emotionally intelligent pools of youth talent. The sector is also being tapped for business continuity purposes whereby enterprises are adopting multi-loca tion, multi-sourcing strategies that ena ble them to spread their risk geographi cally. And of course, at a country level, these sourcing opportunities create jobs and much-needed foreign direct invest ment (FDI).

It is against this backdrop that our organization, Genesis Global Business Services, collaborated with, and co-cre ated, research and analytics for the BSS/ GBS sector (for about 14 years now). In this time, we have grown to respect and admire the various stakeholders in the industry. This includes leading BSS industry organizations/clubs like Pro Progressio, as well as investment pro motion agencies, economic develop ment organizations, service providers,

I must say I did go through your GBS. World web platform and learned that it has many functionalities. What are the benefits for outsourcing services providers once they decide to be listed on your platform?

Yes, thank you for noting that. It has been a journey – and continues to be a process of constant refinement – based on feedback from global buyers who we survey and who visit the marketplace. Currently, there is functionality to search for service providers based on keyword, category of service or location.

Within this framework, our authen tication program provides several bene fits for outsourcing service providers including assessments of their size, capa bilities and services for matchmaking with potential buyers, profiles of their organisations which appear in search results, access to our online bulletin board where we publish requests for pro posals (RFPs), various marketing/brand ing opportunities and a thought leader ship blog where they can publish content

As mentioned, our parent company, Genesis GBS, is a market research and consulting firm. So, we ensure that what ever we do on the platform is based on direct feedback from global buyers and we regularly conduct surveys with such buyers in Australia, Europe, the UK and the US.

Many buyers indicated that ser vice providers do not have a clear under standing of their needs as a buyer. There is a general lack of trust in what outsour ced providers say they can do or deliver. Therefore, they want to access authentic reviews on BSS/GBS/CX service providers. We utilize the skills and expertise of our research fieldwork team to conduct, ver ify and check the assessments we conduct on service providers.

In the table on the next page, you will note that global buyers also indi cated that they wanted to view certifica tions and qualifications on service pro viders (11%) and so we provide this infor mation on each service provider profile with badges for certifications such as ISO 2000 and GDPR. They also want objective, third-party or client reviews on service providers (14%) so we have switched on a 5-star rating and testimonial functio nality in each profile.

GBS.World was launched to help global business buyers discover sourcing opportunities, verify, shortlist and rightsource service providers and nearshore/offshore locations. We have backed it with incisive research, our community of partner analysts/consultants, and location assessments.

Other benefits we offer buyers is access to market intelligence. This includes insights on shifting working models, customer experience trends and how to reduce costs and increase profita bility. The table 2 explains more. With the exception of location reviews or our tailored consulting ser vices, all this information is available free to would-be/interested business buyers.

You are also an organizer of business events for outsourcing industry. In the middle of September 2022 together with Peter Ryan and Traci Freeman you have organized CxOutsourcers 2022 conference in Las Vegas. What was the main goal of this event and who has participated in it?

CxOutsourcers is a global CX mind share group and forum for C-level deci sion-makers to get inside the buyer’s mind and be equipped with the latest global research and strategy to create their blueprints for success. Members are customer experience (CX) and busi ness process outsourcing (BPO) know ledge leaders, consultants and third-party operators who require strategy and best practice insights to steer their CX, contact center and BPO investment strategies. As such, it’s an exclusive group for BPO/CX outsourcers (many of whom are com petitors) to come together and co-share knowledge and insights regarding the sector. The CxOutsourcers Group and Event was co-founded by me and Peter Ryan in partnership with Traci Freeman.

Our recent event in Las Vegas, Nevada garnered a lot of support with over 40 C-level outsourcing executives in attendance, and an additional 35+ ana lysts, consultants and technology suppli ers. Employee experience, skills devel opment, buyer pain points and blending technology with the human touch were just some of the key trends we covered in this year’s event.

Consulting, GBS.World web platform, CxOutsourcers event – this is quite large portfolio of your activities. Is there anything else?

We also produce the GBS World Competitiveness Index that identifies and ranks the leading global destinations for Customer Experience and Back Office Ser vices, Digital and IT Outsourcing (ITO)

and Finance & Accounting (F&A) Services. The index and rankings emerged from extensive survey data from our annual GBS vertical industry demand survey conducted on behalf of GBS.World by Genesis GBS.

This year, over 380 interviews were conducted with global enterprise execu tives from organizations based in Aus tralia, Europe, the United Kingdom, and the United States that outsource and off shore services. Surveyed executives were asked to rank and rate each country that they outsource to, including service level delivery across various key business pro cess areas. Based on the survey results, the top countries across four global

Table 1:

regions were ranked according to their final scores. At a regional level, the top 10 countries in each region were also placed in three categories: High Performer, Pro ficient and Capable.

Notably, Poland did quite well in the index, ranking in the top 10 loca tions for Customer Lifecycle Manage ment services and in the top 3 locations for General ITO services. And it was ranked first globally for Technical and Helpdesk Services. We can unpack those results in future editorials within FOCUS ON Business

Thank you Mark for our talk.

WHAT MAKES BUYERS USE GBS.WORLD

11% View Provider Certifications and Qualifications

13% Access Nearshore / Offshore Market Location Assesments

12% Access In-depth Industry / Supplier Pricing Guides

14% Access Objective, Imparial Third-party or Client Reviews on Providers

10% Provider Scalability and Size Analysis

Table 2: SOURCING INSIGHTS / INTELLIGENCE BUYERS STRUGGLE TO FIND

52%

Evolving working models 51%

54% Customer experience trends 53%

Compliance and regulatory insights

57% Reducing costs and increasing profitability

Getting the right sourcing information quickly

INVESTMENT NEWS

NOWY RYNEK D IN POZNAŃ: THE BEST ECOLOGICAL BUILDING OF THE YEAR

technologies or photovoltaic panels. The office building was constructed using recycled materials and those with a low content of volatile organic compounds. The jury also recognized the bicycle infrastructure, as well as the fact that the entire building is powered by 100% renewable electricity.

The Nowy Rynek D office building in Poznań was awarded in the "Best Cer tified Ecological Building" category in the national Green Building Awards com petition organized by the Polish Green Building Council PLGBC. The jurors recog nized the remarkable architecture of the building and appreciated the solutions used in it, in line with the idea of sustaina ble development and ESG principles.

The Nowy Rynek D office building, which is part of the Poznań complex devel oped by Skanska, is located at the inter section of Wierzbięcice and Wujka streets, on the site of the former bus station.

An essential part of this environmentally and socially sustainable investment, which will provide a total of over 100,000 sqm of modern office and service space, there is a courtyard open to the public where people can meet, spend time and relax. It is a space for both the tenants of nearby office buildings and the residents of Poznań.

The jury of the Green Building Awards 2022 competition recognized the innovative pro-environmental solu tions used in building D, such as lowspeed ventilation, chilled beams, free cooling, gray and rainwater recovery

Nowy Rynek is also the only place in Poznań with a concrete pavement that reduces harmful compounds from car exhaust fumes, which in turn makes the air around it cleaner. Near building D there are almost 4,000 sqm of the "green" pedestrian route. And that’s not all. An additional 4,200 sqm of space will be pro vided as part of the construction of build ing E. Besides, the roof of Nowy Rynek D houses 30,000 city bees who live in the hives erected there, while nesting boxes for swifts have been placed in the surrounding area.

COREES POLSKA FOR LESS MESS STORAGE

Corees Polska carried out the process of building valuation for tax purposes for the operator of self storage centres, Less Mess Storage. The project was imple mented for a newly opened facility in Wrocław.

Less Mess Storage is Central and Eastern Europe’s largest self storage com pany. The stores are located in Prague, Warsaw, Krakow, Wroclaw, Poznan, and the Tricity. Less Mess Storage strives to offer its customers the best self storage experience and excellent value: friendly staff, 24/7 access, flexible contracts, clean facilities with rooms ranging in size from

0.5 sqm to 50 sqm. Less Mess also invests in the latest green technologies to reduce carbon footprint and offer optimal cli mate conditions in its stores.

Guy Pinsent, Less Mess Storage’s Founder and CEO commented: We have been impressed by Corees Polska and their professional, responsive approach in pro viding valuation and advisory services. We have developed a healthy, long term relationship, cooperating in together in Poland

– Our activities in the field of build ing valuation give its owners knowledge about its current value and allows them

to make further decisions that later trans pose, for example, the estimate of the real estate tax. Our valuation process for tax purposes included elements of the infra structure located on site in accordance with the currently applicable provisions of the construction law and the act on taxes and local fees. I would like to thank the representatives of Less Mess Stor age for their trust and the opportunity to cooperate in this project – sums up Łukasz Nelken-Żbik, RICS, Head of Valuation –Corees Polska.

Source: Corees Polska

Source: Skanska

OFFICE MARKET IN WARSAW FOR Q3 2022

Polish Chamber of Commercial Real Estate [Polish: PINK] has published figures on office market in Warsaw for Q3 2022. The data is sourced from advisory com panies from the commercial real estate sector (BNP Paribas Real Estate, CBRE, Colliers, Cushman & Wakefield, JLL, Knight Frank, Newmark, Savills) and includes information on modern office stock, new completions, take-up volumes and vacancy rates.

According to PINK data, at the end of September 2022, total modern office stock in Warsaw accounted for 6,343,000 sq m. In Q3 2022, approximately 99,100 sq m of modern office space was delivered to the capital city market in three projects, i.e. Varso Tower (63,800 sq m) located in the Central Business District, P180 (32,000 sq m) in Mokotów and Poleczki 32 (3,300 sq m) in Puławska corridor. When added to the eight office schemes completed in Warsaw in the first half of 2022, total new supply introduced to the market since the beginning of 2022 amounted to 228,100 sq m.

At the end of Q3 2022, the vacancy rate in Warsaw reached 12.1% (up 0.2 pp. compared to the previous quarter and decrease by 0.3 pp. in relation to the com parable period in 2021). Availability of office space equalled 770,200 sq m. In central zones the vacancy rate dropped to 11.1%, while outside the city centre it reached 13.0%.

In the first three quarters of 2022, demand for modern office space exceeded 608,000 sq m, including 128,700 sqm in Q3 2022. The most popular areas of te nant’s interest were the City Centre, CBD and Mokotów zones.

Between July and September 2022, the highest share in total take-up volume was attributed to new deals (including pre-lets transactions) – 48%, and to rene gotiations – 45.5%. Expansions equalled to 5% of the quarterly office take-up and owner-occupier deals to 1.5%.

The largest transactions of the Q3 2022 were renegotiations – an agreement of 11,300 sq m by confidential tenant from financial sector in Konstruktorska Business Center, 6,500 sq m renegotiation signed by a confidential tenant in War saw Spire C and renewal of lease contract and expansion for a total of 4,500 sqm by Panattoni in Warsaw Spire Tower.

Source: PINK

Olivia Garden, the only exotic garden in Poland located in the heart of the busi ness center in Gdańsk, was awarded the prestigious 2022 European Property Awards in the "Landscape Architecture" category. The winners were jointly: Mali nowski Design Urban & Landscape stu dio, which is the author of the project and Olivia Centre – investor and garden operator.

The competition, which dates back to 1993, involves the best projects imple mented throughout Europe. Every year, several thousand investors from around the world submit their applications, and the winning projects are selected by a jury consisting of real estate experts, architects, journalists and investment advisers. The projects compete in four categories: investment, architecture, interior design and the real estate mar ket, which awards the achievements of industry leaders.

Olivia Garden is a carefully designed space with an area of almost 800 sqm, filled with thousands of tropi cal plants, representing over 150 different species of plants from such exotic countries as Indonesia, Australia, New Guinea, Madagascar, Malaysia, Bor neo, Costa Rica, Venezuela, and tropi cal forests of the Amazon. In addition to numerous plants reaching 2–3 meters in height, more than 30 large trees have been planted in the garden, the largest of which reach up to 11 meters above the ground. The space is the result of innovative thinking about the nature of the workplace, in which the proximity of nature positively affects the well-being and efficiency of work. The project was created in response to the needs of res idents of the business center and with the residents of the Tri-City in mind, for whom it is another attraction and offer to spend their free time.

OLIVIA GARDEN AWARDED WITH THE PRESTIGIOUS 2022 EUROPEAN PROPERTY AWARDS!

Source: Olivia Centre

Hi Piotrkowska. Offices with a cosmopolitan outlook

We talk with Justyna Drużyńska, Director of Office Operations in Master Management Group – developer and property manager of the Hi Piotrkowska complex, about factors that make the facility so unique on Łódź real estate map.

FOCUS ON Business: Hi Piotrkowska, situated in the immediate neigh bourhood of Europe’s longest shop ping promenade, is also Łódź’s tallest building and an attractive location for various kinds of businesses. Tell us more about the complex, the space and its features.

Justyna Drużyńska, Master Mana gement Group: The Hi Piotrowska project is a multifunctional office and services complex in the very heart of Łódź. It com prises two office buildings with retail and service space as well as a Hampton by Hilton hotel. One unique feature of the project is that the first, 20-storey build ing of the complex is the tallest tower in the city, featuring a terrace of more than 200 sqm with breath-taking views. It will also be the ideal meeting place, offering the residents of Łódź a superb range of entertainment, including live perfor mances by artists.

In total, the complex offers 21,000 sqm of class A+ office space. Its uniqueness also lies in the fact that it is on the most prestigious part of the Hi Piotrkowska street, more or less halfway down is where you will find Hi. The place is the symbolic gate to the centre the city. Because of this the office has the potential to reinvigorate tourism in the city, especially since one of its key service tenants is the Hampton by Hilton hotel.

Hi Piotrkowska is one of the city’s showpieces. The building offers tenants a number of amenities, such as: attractive and flexible co-working space, a fitness club, a drugstore, a pharmacy, a bank, and cafés. The location in the heart of

Łódź, with its excellent transport links, is a factor of the utmost importance to tenants.

Could you elaborate a bit about Hi Piotrkowska as an office space. What kind of work environment it represents?

Hi Piotrkowska is primarily a class A+ office building. It has achieved BREEAM certification at ‘Excellent’ rating. The building is to be fully equipped with systems designed to improve the working environ ment and allow tenants to reduce their operating costs.

Tenants of the office section include PKO Bank, a New Work shared office and conference centre, iTech Art, Avient Cor poration and Signify. The service and retail section is almost fully leased by Starbucks cafe, a ROSSMANN drugstore, a Just GYM fitness club, the Łódź branch of well-known medical services provider Klinika Bocian and local florist's Badylarz.

The previously mentioned transport links of the area surrounding famous Piotrowska street has been the major factor behind the most dynamically

The most important of these include the flexible and well-designed floor plan, the abundant access to natural light, the highly efficient elevators, the venti lation and air-conditioning systems with in-built heat recovery, and the advanced cable distribution system laid under raised floors. One feature that undoub tedly spurs the imaginations of its users is the view through the windows of every workplace in the building onto the sur rounding city. The building is designed in such a way that around 80% of it has full access to daylight.

Who are the complex’ tenants at the moment?

developing area and one of the most important office locations in Łódź. Users of which transportation means can benefit most from the location?

To be honest, you can easily get to the building no matter of how you travel to. With building’s central location being right next to the city's most impor tant roads: al. Kościuszki, al. Mickiewi cza and al. Piłsudskiego – it is no prob lem to drive by car to the center from any point in the city. Those who use public transport every day can also easily get to Hi Piotrkowska using one of the many tramlines, which stops by the complex at the station commonly known as the uni corn stable.

Hi Piotrkowska is primarily a class A+ office building. It has achieved BREEAM certification at ‘Excellent’ rating. The building is to be fully equipped with systems designed to improve the working environment and allow tenants to reduce their operating costs.

For guests and clients arriving from Warsaw or its airport, the journey takes no more than around 70–80 minutes. The Hi Piotrowski center is only a stone's throw from the city's largest railway sta tions: Łódź Fabryczna and Łódź Kaliska. It takes only half an hour to drive onto the S8 and S14 expressways and a simi lar time to reach the A1 and A2 highways.

What about two-wheeler users? Does the building has any cyclists-friendly amenities?

Naturally. This is important issue since office tenants are paying more attention to amenities for cyclists both in the office building and in its immedi ate vicinity.

Beside the complex is one of the longest bicycle paths in Łódź, which runs from east to west and joins two huge resi dential estates: Retkinia and Widzew. Local residents have no problem cycling to work.

Questions are being asked about bicycle parking and access roads. And cli ents are also not overlooking the issue

of showers and changing rooms so employees can wash and change before starting work. Hi Piotrkowska perfectly meets the needs of a modern-day cyclist. The building contains a spacious area for bicycles, which could be enlarged if a large number of people use it as well as changing rooms with showers and there is even a bicycle service point.

Two office buildings, one of them fea turing high tower, and a luxury hotel – all surrounded by historical district.

Photo.: AreckiPhoto.

What was the idea behind joining the architectural and functional fea tures of the complex?

The key feature of the entire project is how its three buildings combine and complement one another. The office tower, the hotel and the tenement buil ding that forms a boundary with the city centre’s most important buildings to the north, create a harmonious whole. The complex has also been designed to complement the architecture of the iconic tram station on al. Mickiewicza. It was also crucial to give the al. ZHP passage a new definition and relationship with the district council building and the Flo rian Jarisch Villa, which we have done by adding a nice bit of greenery on the side along al. Kościuszko. Since Piotrkowska street is lined with historic buildings, con sultations over the project have taken place with the city’s monument conservator.

Hi Piotrkowska stands out in Łódź because unlike other buildings it has the form of a tower. Moreover, it is in a busy and highly visible location, which gives our tenants the opportunity to use local amenities as well as allows them to spend time in the most attractive part of town. Nearby the complex can be found important buildings such as the Łódź Film School, the Manufaktura shopping centre, the Galeria Łódzka centre as well as many service points and restaurants with a local flavour.

to make Hi Piotrkowska’s space availa ble for various events. So far, the com plex has hosted, among others, the Łódź Fotofestiwal. The owner of the building has also cooperated with the Łódź Tour ism Organisation, the Pałac Młodzieży im. Julian Tuwim children’s centre, and has been involved in holding summer Sky-Hi – Joga meetings on the 19th floor of the building.

One of the most important brands present in Hi Piotrkowska is Hamp ton by Hilton. How does it complement the complex’ image?

Polish people have already embra ced the famous brand, which is designed for both tourists and business guests. The hotel offers 149 guest rooms. One of its interesting features is that it is the first hotel in the city with beds 210 cm in length – longer than the usual standard. Łódź is often the venue for volleyball and basket ball matches, which is why hotel provides larger beds to meet their requirements. I believe they will make up a good propor tion of the guests of the hotel.

Also, although the Hampton by Hilton brand is not known for its exten sive conference space, things are going to be a little different in Łódź. Hotel pro vides three conference rooms with a total area of around 120 sqm. Each can be used separately, but it will also be possible to combine them into one large space.

There were also number of events that took place in the complex. What scope of events is Hi Piotrkowska suit able for?

Yes, apart from the fact that the com plex perfectly complements the city’s key quarter while providing it with modern work space, it has already become a cul ture-forming place for the local commu nity. MMG is happy to cooperate with cultural centres and other organisations

International business, which has been keen to open branches in Łódź, also deserves a mention. The city authori ties have been working hard to foster close cooperation with global players, encouraging them to locate in the city and the Łódź Special Economic Zone. Thanks to this, corporate tourism con tinues to grow in the city, which has also been a boon for hoteliers.

Thank you for the interview.

Hi Piotrkowska stands out in Łódź because unlike other buildings it has the form of a tower. Moreover, it is in a busy and highly visible location, which gives our tenants the opportunity to use local amenities as well as allows them to spend time in the most attractive part of town.

Georgia – new promising hub for BSS

Text | David Tavlalashvili

Georgia is fast becoming a prominent delivery location in Eastern Europe for voice and non-voice business process services and IT. Several international businesses & IT services providers, as well as local small and medium-sized companies are already serving international clients from Georgia, including Fortune 500 companies. Given the geographic location, time proximity, talent pool with optimal mix of technical and foreign language skills, with a significant cost arbitrage, Georgia is an excellent option for delivery centres that could services to Western markets. Recently, Georgia has introduced new incentives for Business Process Outsourcing and ICT sectors, further improving it’s already great value proposition.

Georgia boasts the world’s third-lowest total tax rate (World Bank), is ranked 7th in Ease of Doing Business (World Bank), and is in 9th place on FDI Regula tory restrictiveness Index (OECD). Geor gia has an association agreement with the EU, which ensures alignment of regu lations and high standards of personal data protection.

Development of high-value and knowledge-based sectors is a key prio rity for the country, which is reflected in the strategy and activities of Invest in Georgia – investment promotion agency of Georgia. In just few years, Georgia has managed to attract anchor inves tors serving top global brands. Figures of annual growth of services exports are growing as well. Even during the uncer tainties due to the COVID-19, the BPO&IT sector demonstrated resilience and con tinued growth. Almost all of the market participants were able to continue opera tions smoothly, initiate new projects and increase headcount significantly.

The real growth of the sector started in 2016, when foreign companies actively started entering the market. Companies that entered at that time were initially attracted to the country by multilingual voice services in German, English, and other European languages. Soon after, non-voice business processes and IT became part of the growth of the indus try. Key, large-sized companies in voice services are Majorel and Concentrix, fol lowed by small and medium-sized com panies, for example, CMX Solutions, Geor gian Service Group. In IT, international companies such as EPAM Systems, Viber, Flatter and Anydesk, and others are also present in Georgia.

In addition to business and tech ser vices, sourcing of more niche services

such as Architecture, Design, and Engi neering where professional and technical skills of talents are coupled with excep tional creativity is possible from Geor gia. Finally, back-office processes, such as finance & accounting are also quite well developed.

All three largest cities (by popula tion) of Georgia are great destination for delivery centres with largest concentra tion of educational institutions and talent pool. Tbilisi, Kutaisi and Batumi all have international airports operating flights to major business hubs abroad, universities, foreign language training centers, includ ing numerous German schools. Internet connectivity and power supply are fast and reliable allowing providers to ope rate with the traditional office model, as well as implement remote work solu tions, so well adopted during pandemic.

Georgia is a relatively new location for business and IT services, which means market entry and scale-up is easier than in well-established outsourcing destina tions. There are 64 higher education and 66 vocational education centers in Georgia. Every year about 24,000 students gradu ate from higher education institutions and 75% of students graduate from programs such as Business Administration and Social Sciences, Law, Humanities, STEM, and related fields – potentially employ able in IT & BPO. Most Georgians speak at least one additional foreign language.

AXIS Tower.

The most spoken foreign language is English, which is mandatory in all high schools and universities, followed by Russian and German. Turkish, French, Spanish, Italian are also quite common. Talents with competencies in some more rare languages of Western Europe and Asia are also available in Georgia. In the BPO & SSC study conducted by Deloitte, it is estimated that there are more than 500 thousand speakers of Eng lish, Russian, German, French, and Italian in major cities of Georgia.

In terms of tech skills, Georgia is strengthening its position in the region. Georgia’s Innovation and Technology Agency (GITA) is implementing a training program for 3,000 specialists in the most demanded fields of IT. A newly opened Kutaisi International University will host 40 thousand students at full capacity. KIU operational model was developed in partnership with the Technical Univer sity of Munich and will offer vocational, undergraduate, graduate, and post-gradu ate degree programs as well as research possibilities in science and technology. KIU will join other high-profile universi ties such as Tbilisi State University, Tbilisi Technical University, and Ilia State Uni versity that in collaboration with San Diego State University offer ABET, ASC, WASC accredited courses in STEM fields.

Georgia is great location to add value and exceed growth targets for com panies, but it could be great for saving costs as well. Monthly salaries for entrylevel positions in customer service, HR, Finance vary between 600-800 USD, and for programmers are within the range of USD 1,500 depending on seniority level and skills. Salaries for desktop support specialists and software testers are quite competitive in IT, starting from USD 450 per month. According to evaluations conducted by Everest Group covered in “Locations Spotlight – Georgia” report, in comparison with well-established sour cing destinations such as Poland and UK, Georgia offers 55-80% cost-savings for annual operating costs per FTE in con tact center services and IT.

In addition, taxes are low and taxa tion is quite simple. Personal income tax paid from salaries is a flat 20%. Rein vested or retained profits are taxed by 0% (distributed profit is taxed by 15%). There are no social security taxes and

premiums, there is only a marginal amount of pension contribution – 2% paid by employer matched by 2%. Geor gia also offers preferential tax regimes for “International Companies”, a newly introduced incentive for IT companies which provides reduction of profit and personal income taxes to a flat 5%.

Last but not the least, Georgia has introduced new incentive for key growth sectors for FDI attraction to Georgia, including Business Process Outsour cing and Business services and IT. By investing a minimum of USD 1 million

and employing a minimum of 200 asso ciates in business services delivery pro jects and minimum of 50 employees in IT projects, foreign companies can receive up to 15% grant from Invest in Georgia as a reimbursement of costs related to capi tal investments and workforce training.

For companies looking to find a place with time proximity to major markets, cultural similarities to west, talented people, cost competitiveness, ease of doing business – or maybe all of the above – Georgia is undoubtedly the right place.

Author

David Tavlalashvili

Head of Investment Department, Invest in Georgia

PSH Building.

King David building.

Diversity in business, science, and education: the Lithuanian way

Text | Evelina Lazareva

In the three decades since declaring independence, Lithuania has become a regional hub for science, innovation, and tech. To do this, it not only had to overhaul its institutions and infrastructure, but also to adopt a progressive, global mindset. Diversity is an essential pillar of this internationally minded worldview. And in Lithuania, this diversity has found strong expression across the fields of education, science, and business. In this article, I will be exploring the strides Lithuania has made and look into the role the country’s GBS & ICT centres play in raising the diversity bar.

ENTREPRENEURSHIP AND CAREER DEVELOPMENT WITHOUT GENDER BIAS

With an above-average female participa tion rate of 57.34%, Lithuania sees women well represented in the overall workforce, as well as, among managers and entrepre neurs. Lithuania is in the Top 3 EU coun tries for the share of women in top mana gement positions, according to the BCG Gender Diversity Index.

The GBS & ICT industry in Lithua nia very well knows, that having a diverse and inclusive workforce and workplace is a strategic business asset: women account for nearly 50% of the overall headcount in the industry. And this equal representa tion extends into higher positions as well, with almost 50% of the senior mana gement positions being held by female executives. Danske Bank is a great indus try example: while the company‘s goal by 2023 is to have 35%/65% women to men ration in the global executive lead ership level, the company’s branch in Lithuania has already surpassed this with a 75%/25% women to men ratio in the extended leadership.

Similarly to other CEE locations, Lithuania is pretty egalitarian when it comes to the STEM field. In fact, 57% of all engineering and scientific research talent are women.

INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS AND PROFESSIONALS

MAKE FOR A DIVERSE TALENT POOL

While Lithuania can’t claim to be a mel ting pot of cultures just yet, its major cities are already hosting a large body of inter national students. Almost 10% of all uni versity students come from abroad, and interestingly, almost 80% of them come from outside of the EU.

Retaining talent and attracting highly qualified specialists from abroad is paramount to maintaining a healthy and diverse talent pool. With this in mind, several years ago Invest Lithua nia launched Work in Lithuania – an ini tiative dedicated to encouraging high ly-skilled professionals living abroad to build their careers in Lithuania.

The Work in Lithuania database already has almost 21,000 users, with people from Nigeria, India, Georgia, Bra zil in the TOP5. At the same time, Work in Lithuania is involved in educating com panies based in the country (many GBS & ICT centres are among their partners) on issues related to international talent attraction and migration.

And as dedicated readers of FOCUS ON Business might remember, to make the integration of international profes sionals’ smoother, Vilnius has launched

International House Vilnius – a one-stop shop that helps newcomers get acclimated.

GBS & ICT centres in the country provide great opportunities for interna tional talent. For example, 1 in 5 Moody’s employees in Lithuania is a foreign national (the benchmark being 1 in 20). This is the case in many other centres as well, including Citco Group of Companies, which hires people of 26 nationalities, with 15% of the 800-strong team in Lithu ania being citizens of other countries.

THE ROLE OF GBS & ICT CENTRES IN PROMOTING DIVERSITY

Led by international companies with high standards for diversity and inclu sion, Lithuania-based GBS & ICT centres have long been at the forefront of making workplaces a better place for all.

One of the most innovative Lithu anian GBS centres, Telia is also among the country’s leaders in corporate social responsibility, especially in promoting children's IT skills and digital literacy. Telia’s CSR efforts also include building an inclusive workplace. Taking the lead from the company’s HQ in Stockholm, Telia Global Services Lithuania is an active supporter of equal rights. It is one of the first companies in the entire Telia Group to achieve gender equality among

employees and middle-level executives, and it continuously supports initiatives promoting a culture of equal opportuni ties in the public domain.

Danske Bank is another company at the forefront of diversity and inclu sion. LGBTQ+ families, working for Dan ske Bank in Lithuania (as well as other locations), have access to equal condi tions for parental, paternal and maternal leave. Among other initiatives, the com pany has launched the campaign #Free ToBeMe to drive positive change within society by making it more open, tolerant, and inclusive. The company also hosted The Inclusion Day ’21 event to provide a platform for business representatives, public activists and artists on diversity and inclusion-related topics. In addition to hosting this event, Danske Bank and other companies took a stand to empha sise the importance of regulating civil partnership in the country.

Nasdaq in Vilnius, meanwhile, places great emphasis on building

a culture that welcomes diversity and is inclusive for all. To this end, it is build ing an environment where associates feel connected and empowered. The company supports 11 Employee Networks uniting common interest employee groups from Women in Nasdaq (WIN), Veterans@Nas daq to OPEN (Out Proud Employees of Nasdaq), representing LGBTQ+ employ ees and their families.

Diversity, equity, and inclusion are in the DNA of many American companies that have settled in Lithuania, including Moody’s. Locally, they have an Inclusion Group that sees 7–8 volunteers help shape company culture and make sure every one’s voice is heard. Interestingly Baltic Pride and Inclusion Day are the events that see the highest engagement.

These are just some of the many examples found across the 90 GBS & ICT centres that call Lithuania their home. With their drive, I am sure we will see even more initiatives in the coming years.

Evelina Lazareva an Investment Advisor, Global Business Services & ICT, Invest Lithuania

With an above-average female participation rate of 57.34%, Lithuania sees women well represented in the overall workforce, as well as, among managers and entrepreneurs. Lithuania is in the Top 3 EU countries for the share of women in top management positions, according to the BCG Gender Diversity Index.

Direction: Wroclaw.

Business attractiveness of the city

Industry diversity and balance between different sectors is a strength that gives resilience to the city. Wroclaw is building a cohesive ecosystem that gives space not only for competition but also for cooperation.

MODERN BUSINESS SERVICES

– THEY CHOSE WROCLAW IN 2022

There are currently more than 200 Busi ness Service Centers in Wroclaw (ABSL report "Modern Business Services Sector in Poland 2022").

Examples of new investments or further development of existing com panies include: Boehringer Ingelheim, Coherent Solutions, Global Logic (Hitachi Group), Klika Tech. Wroclaw is home to, among others, AXA XL, BNY Mellon, Credit Suisse, Dolby, Google, HPE, Merck Busi ness Solutions Europe, Nexer, Olympus Business Services, Parker Hannifin, PPG GBS, QIAGEN, Schaeffler Global Services Europe, Smith+Nephew, SoftServe, SSAB, Thaumatec, Toyota, UPM, UPS Global Busi ness Services, Volvo, etc.

The centers are growing steadily, an example is the aforementioned Boeh ringer Ingelheim – it is one of the largest

pharmaceutical companies in the world.

In January 2022, the concern established its branch in Wroclaw, and already in May it expanded its operations with another division – in the area of legal and compliance services. Their repre sentatives emphasize that the thriving ecosystem of the Wroclaw Shared Ser vice Centers and the technological infra structure have enabled the company to grow smoothly and quickly.

In turn, Iceland-based Controlant opened its innovative technology center

in September 2022. It currently employs 30 people, and the recruitment for all departments in Wroclaw is still ongoing. The company is a provider of real-time temperature and visibility monitoring solutions for the global pharmaceutical, food and transportation industries. Since Controlant partnered with Pfizer in 2020, it has helped ensure the delivery of more than 5.7 billion doses of Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine to more than 185 coun tries around the world.

WROCLAW ATTRACTIVE FOR BPO/SSC CENTERS

Why is Wroclaw an attractive place for the modern business services sector? –the answers to these questions can be found in the latest report published by Knight Frank, an international expert in real estate consulting.

New investments in the real estate market are expanding the office offer in Wroclaw. The authors of the report emphasize that due to a wide base of universities and colleges that guaran tee access to educated employees, Wro claw is an attractive choice for BPO/SSC centers and companies planning to enter the Polish market.

WROCLAW IS THE THIRD OFFICE MARKET IN POLAND. NEW OFFICES IN WROCLAW

Office space in the Wroclaw market is approximately 1.28 million sqm. (Knight Frank, Michael Page, the Wroclaw Agglomeration Development Agency – ARAW –report "Wroclaw city attractiveness and office market H1 2022").

Boehringer Ingelheim new office opening ceremony.

Wroclaw is an attractive choice for BPO/SSC centers and companies planning to enter the Polish market.

Office space under construction 117,000 sqm.:

• Vacancy rate 14.8 sqm.

• New supply of 38,200 sqm.

• Demand 61,000 sqm.

In 2022, Wroclaw saw a record-breaking transaction in the office mar ket. The MidPoint71 complex on Pows tańców Śląskich Street was sold for more than €100 million. It is the largest office building in Wroclaw completed this year. Thus, Echo Investment's project has increased the Wroclaw office market by more than 36 thousand sqm of space.

There is still 117 thousand sqm of office space under construction, of which nearly 80% is expected to be ready by the end of this year. The largest devel opments remaining under construc tion are Centrum Południe II (Skanska) and Infinity (22 thousand sqm., Avestus Real Estate).

E-COMMERCE: NEW TECHNOLOGIES MADE IN WROCLAW

Wroclaw is becoming a Polish e-com merce technology hub and domestic companies are successfully making their way in the market. Many companies have

specialized in developing e-commerce software or implementing these tech nologies at the client's site. Representa tives of the ITCorner Cluster emphasize that Wroclaw's e-commerce technology companies are growing rapidly and plan to expand abroad.

and to this demand, Wroclaw universi ties are already responding. Faculties are being created in the area of e-commerce digitization, among others.

The fact that Wroclaw is betting on e-commerce solutions was evident at last year's Made in Wroclaw conference, dur ing which one of the topics was "E-com merce and another dimension of shop ping." The fact that e-commerce is also a very important sector of the mar ket, according to a report by the ARAW. "AI sector in the Wroclaw agglomeration" – as many as 28% of Wroclaw companies are developing AI-related technologies. Also, ARAW's and ITCorner's study "Wro claw's IT sector" shows that e-commerce is, regardless of the size and profile of IT companies, one of the main areas of spe cialization. The industry needs specialists

An example of new tools in digital commerce is the technology of Olga Malin kiewicz of Saule Technologies. The Wro claw-based company is making the world's first perovskite PESL electronic price and advertising labels. Another example is Wroclaw-based startup CUX.io, which analyzes how users interact with digi tal products. Founded in 2019, the com pany now operates globally, serving cli ents ranging from small e-commerce to large corporations.

THE RAPIDLY GROWING E-COMMERCE SECTOR NEEDS MODERN WAREHOUSES AND LOGISTICS PARKS.

More than 600,000 sqm of modern ware houses are currently under construc tion in Lower Silesia. Nearly two-thirds of them, developers are building in Wro claw and the immediate vicinity. Lower Silesian halls are mainly awaited by tenants from the e-commerce and logis tics sectors. New investments mean a lot of new jobs.

Controlant new office opening ceremony.

Wroclaw is becoming a Polish e-commerce technology hub.

The industrial and warehouse mar ket in Wroclaw and the Wroclaw agglomeration is being created by both local and international developers. The com pletion of the first building within GLP Wroclaw V Logistics Centre was announced in June 2022. Another 41,000-square-meter hall is already under con struction, and ultimately, GLP plans to deliver 230,000 sqm to the market through this development. Powerful warehouses in the region are being built by such giants as – Panattoni, Hillwood and GLP. Most of the projects currently under construction will be completed in the second half of this year or early 2023.

A CITY DRIVEN BY INNOVATION

Wroclaw is a strong academic and economic center in the ICT industry. A large business services sector, software companies, R&D centers, and an open and international character are the city's

WROCLAW'S INVESTMENT ATTRACTIVENESS IS APPRECIATED IN INTERNATIONAL RANKINGS

1st place in fDi's Mid-Sized European Cities of the Future 2022/23 – Business Friendliness ranking

3rd place in fDi's Mid-Sized European Cities of the Future 2022/23 – Overall

hallmarks. It is these characteristics that attract investors and professionals from around the world.

In 2022 Wroclaw hosted the SoDA conference, the most important industry event organized by the association of IT services employers.

At the beginning of October this year, the "Gamedev in Wroclaw Agglome ration" report, prepared by ARAW and Startup Wroclaw, was presented. It shows that the capital of Lower Silesia is the third center in Poland where the most com puter games are being developed. There are already 1,500 people working in this industry here, and the number is growing steadily.

The key to IT development is to educate high-class professionals and give them a good start on the local job

market, as well as the sector's innovation. Wroclaw's trump card is its universities, of which there are as many as 28 in the ca pital of Lower Silesia. The Wroclaw Uni versity of Technology has the largest Faculty of Computer Science and Tele communications in Poland, where stu dents learn about cyber security, algo rithms, artificial intelligence and ICT, among other things. This faculty conducts research related to the fast-growing fields of IT that are linked to Industry 4.0 and "factories of the future."

In addition to BSS companies, Wro claw welcomed American investor Align Technology this year. The global manu facturer of state-of-the-art orthodontic systems (Invisalign) opened in Wroclaw its first production facility in the Europe, Middle East and Africa region.

More information

Business Support Centre | Wroclaw Agglomeration Development Agency

pl. Solny 14, 50-062 Wrocław Phone: +48 71 783 53 10, 41 36 76 557, e-mail: office@invest-in-wroclaw.pl www.araw.pl, www.invest-in-wroclaw.pl

Building Careers Through Education.

& ESG Courses and books for all papers of ACCA & CIMA

CFA

A strong IT sector in Łódź

Close to 30,000 IT specialists; over 200 companies delivering IT services and processes; more than 1,000 graduates with an in-depth understanding of business entering the local market each year; over 600,000 square meters of modern office space. The City of Łódź boasts strong foundations which will enable it to continue forging its strong position within the IT market and the BSS sector.

Current state of play and prospects for the future of the Łódź IT market are reviewed in the #LODZfeelsIT – Lodz IT Ecosystem Report 2022 prepared by the City of Łódź Office together with Content Partners – Grafton Recruitment, CBRE, and the ICT Central Poland Clus ter. Containing a plethora of up-to-date data compiled by market practitioners and supplemented by expert commen tary covering all relevant segments of the IT and BSS landscape, #LodzfeelsIT is among the most comprehensive stu dies of the Łódź IT sector ever produced. And its main takeaway is very simple: Łódź is IT!

People are the crucial ingredient of each and every industry. Data col lected by the City of Łódź Office show there are close to 30,000 IT specialists in the Łódź Agglomeration, and more than 13,500 of them currently work in the Business Services Sector. Analyzing the data from a more global standpoint, Developers are the most represented with 9,500 professionals; Project Managers (2,600), Data Engineers (1,000), and Cloud Engineers (approx. 900) rank high, too. The diversity of the available IT talent is in no small part due to a variety of initia tives by the City of Łódź Office. Two excel lent examples are the Młodzi w Łodzi [Eng: Youth in Łódź] scholarship pro gram which supported its winners with over PLN3m; while the I Have an Idea For a Startup program provided financial and mentoring support to almost 100 startups at various development stages.

Adam Pustelnik, Vice President of the City of Łódź, remarked: The City of Łódź focuses on technology development

and creating a favorable climate for the IT sector. It is no longer a place where only costs are optimized. We became a city that can provide quality and specialized staff. Łódź has a lot to offer in this area – both high and middle-level managers and specialists. Adam Brzostowski, director of the Economic Development and International Cooperation Office at the City of Łódź Office also underlined the impor tance of joint efforts leading towards the common goal: The basis for coope ration with our partners is authentic and direct relationships, co-creation, and mutual respect. In our daily activi ties, we focus on integrating the city with the economic environment and supporting the development of the IT environment in Lodz, meeting its ideas, needs and expec tations. Our partners and their develop ment are our priority – for us, it is syno nymous with city development.

Łódź University of Technology or Busi ness Process Automation – BPA at the University of Łódź.. These have been created on the basis of partnerships between global corporations, such as Nordea, Fujitsu or ABB, and the academic world. The courses result from the syn ergy between the two realms and repre sent a direct response to the challenges faced by employers in Łódź. Agnieszka Kurczewska, Vice-Rector for External Relations at the University of Łódź com mented: Our studies in the IT sector are primarily up-to-date with the situation in the labor market and created in close cooperation with business. The University of Łódź already boasts twelve courses cre ated this way, and the 400-strong cohort of graduates leaving its hallowed walls each year are people equipped with a per fect understanding of what the business –their future employers – genuinely needs.

Sustainable success and development of the IT ecosystem also rely on effective cooperation between the business and higher education facilities. Universities in Łódź are on the forefront of innovation and have successfully implemented courses such as Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning at the Łódź University of Technology or Business Process Automation – BPA at the University of Łódź.

Sustainable success and develop ment of the IT ecosystem also rely on effective cooperation between the busi ness and higher education facilities. Uni versities in Łódź are on the forefront of innovation and have successfully imple mented courses such as Artificial Intel ligence and Machine Learning at the

The ICT Central Poland Cluster plays an important part in ensuring the climate for fruitful cooperation is exactly right. It brings together – among others –over thirty Łódź-based companies and sup ports them on their journey to calling Łódź their hometown. The Cluster thus brings forward a number of initiatives,

such as the annual Join IT in Łódź pro gram. The 2022 edition presents the sto ries of young IT professionals from East ern Europe who enrolled Łódź universi ties and found employment in the city’s IT sector. This is a fantastic opportunity for potential employers and employees to see the city as an attractive destina tion. Commerzbank AG, MakoLab, and other Cluster members appreciate such initiatives and programs as they make finding the right people for progres sively advanced and diverse positions much easier.

The diversity applies across the board and covers specialists and technologies in equal measure. Section of the report prepared by Grafton Recruitment con tains a survey conducted among 60 Łódźbased employers providing IT services. They named as many as 9 different tech nologies supported from Łódź. In total, almost 40% of respondents – the larg est group – indicated proficiency in Java Script/React and Java. Employers were also able to find highly skilled profes sionals in Angular, Python, and Node.js. However, the most important conclusion stemming from this part of the report is that 98% of the surveyed companies plan to increase employment over the coming 12 months; this, in turn, will translate into more than 2,000 jobs for IT profession als. Mariusz Lemparty, Branch Manager Łódź at Grafton, pointed out: The study of companies that we conducted together with the Business Development and Inter national Relations Bureau at City of Łódź Office shows that the IT competencies market in Łódź is more extensive than it might seem after the analysis of the avail able data. Most importantly, however, it is diversified in terms of competencies, which proves its maturity and continuous development. Lemparty also highlighted: The revitalization of the city, the trans formation of the center, and new busi ness centers (like Monopolis), which col lect praise and awards around the world, attract new residents and encourage them to live and work in the center of Poland, next to the capital of our country.

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The most important conclusion stemming from the part of the report prepared by Grafton is that 98% of the surveyed companies plan to increase employment over the coming 12 months. Plans development based on the competences offered by Łódź – combined with the popularity of remote work and the relocation of specialists to the city – are a strong argument in favor of investing in new IT projects right here.

High quality residential and office spaces certainly put Łódź on the map. This is further discussed in greater detail by CBRE in the real estate section of the report. The company indicates that, on top of 611,000 m2 of office space cur rently available in Łódź, almost 80,000 m2 is under construction as we speak. Łódź is still characterized by a cost advantage when compared to other Polish cities, but it does not affect the quality of what’s on offer. Companies in the BSS industry view Łódź as a long-term partner – the demand for office space has not dropped below 50,000 m2 for even a single year in the last decade. It is telling that the IT industry was responsible for over half of the lease contracts in 2020 and 2021. Experts also emphasize that the available space meets the highest environmental standards and point out that the architectural and location qualities fit the city’s charac ter. Jan Banasikowski, Associate Direc tor, Advisory & Transactions at CBRE:

The post-industrial character of the city ceases to be a burden and becomes a dis tinguishing feature and attractor for both labor market participants and business organizations - employers. The report also signifies that industry employees point to the growing importance of social bene fits and an attractive office, including access to urban infrastructure suppor ting social life.

The final point is a testament to the fact that emphasizing Łódź’s post-industrial character and following one’s own path to success has been and keeps proving to be the right choice, with employers and employees alike appreci ating the progress made thus far. #LODZ feelsIT report is an in-depth and multidi mensional deep dive into what makes the city’s IT sector so robust and resilient – and why are there so many reasons to confidently look forward to building a future-proof industry.

Business Development and International Relations Bureau

Piotrkowska 104a Street, 90-926 Lodz

Phone: +48 42 638 59 39, Fax: +48 42 638 59 40, e-mail: boi@uml.lodz.pl www.lodz.pl, Linkedin: Invest in Lodz

Where work and life are in a healthy balance

He gracefully balances over the Brda River flowing through the centre of Bydgoszcz. He's sitting on a line stretched between its banks. It is "Man Crossing the River" – one of the symbols of Bydgoszcz. It embodies the talent, creativeness and openness of people living in this dynamically developing city – a place which also offers balance and a healthy connection between work and life so desired today.

WORK-LIFE BALANCE OF THE NEXT GENERATION

Both for business development and for the City, the most important factor is people, and the assessment of the quali ty of life in a given place plays an increas ingly important role in this process. For many years, due to the increasing pace of life, the idea of work-life balance has been more and more popular. Its main objec tive is to maintain a work-life balance by separating the two zones. The con cept dates back to the 1970s and 1980s and suggests that, in principle, areas of activity related to the performance of professional work should be clearly separated from those related to pri vate life, family life, spending free time or the pursuit of passions. Nowadays, the line between work and private life is becoming blurred.

It is largely due to the digital world, full of modern technological solutions, thanks to which we are online all the time, remaining open to communication and obtaining information anywhere and at any time. And although people from Generation X may still prefer to go offline, not answer the phone and not check the work mailbox after business hours, for Generation Y, and especially for Gene ration Z, being always present and availa ble is simply in their nature and the inte gration of both zones is completely natu ral. Therefore, especially these groups of

employees are no longer satisfied with the current version of the work-life balance concept.

Young people don't really remem ber life without new technologies, they are multitasking, creative, flexible and uncompromising. They have naturally lost the boundaries between the virtual and the real world, they can work any time and from anywhere or enjoy life with work being present in the back ground. Therefore, consolidating all areas of life becomes the norm. Thus, genera tions Y and Z completely unconsciously overwrote the classic work-life balance by work-life blending (or work-life balan ce 2.0, work-life integration), a concept assuming that the balance between pri vate life and professional work is based on a holistic approach to one's existence. Employers are also gradually changing their approach and, instead of constantly controlling employees, are increasingly focused on effective performance of tasks, allow flexible working time and forms of employment as well as the over all integration of the professional and pri vate spheres of life.

"BOUTIQUE" CITY FRIENDLY TO WORK AND LIVE IN Combining professional and private life is not only a relationship between employ ers and their employees. An important role is also played by the city, which is

a principal economic, social and natural environment for this phenomenon. The example of Bydgoszcz and the dynamically developing market of modern business services shows how the urban "ecosystem" can support the implemen tation of the work-life blending concept. One of the advantages of Bydgoszcz in this respect is its "boutique" character. It has both the advantages of a large city, such as urban infrastructure, access to public services, the labor market and housing offer, as well as its individual, intimate character, natural values and attractive places for recreation and rela xation. It can even be said that the City is "compact", deprived of many incon veniences typical for large metropolitan areas, and most places can be reached in less than 20 minutes.

Especially in the BPO/SSC industry, friendly and modern work spaces are so important. Bydgoszcz office resources are mainly new buildings, located in the city centre, nearby or conveniently con nected with offices and other public faci lities or centres of private life in the City, e.g. universities, places of culture, rest, or recreation. Attractive design and fur nishings of offices as well as co-work ing spaces, which in the post-pandemic reality fulfill new social functions, pro mote effective team and creative work, exchange of knowledge and experience, as well as interpersonal integration and

networking. This aspect is strongly com plemented by the presence of compa nies whose HR policy gives employees, e.g. flexibility as to the place and time of performing tasks, and also allows or even encourages personal development by sharing knowledge and experience, not only professional, but also related to their passions or other non-professional topics.

An additional element of the whole kaleidoscope of factors conducive to the implementation of the idea of worklife blending can also be the educational offer of the City, which gives the opportu nity to acquire and improve competences needed on the local labor market, as well as to combine the educational path with professional work. In this respect, Bydgo szcz also remains an attractive location. More than half of the total number of students in the Kuyavian-Pomeranian Voivodeship is educated at the universi ties located here, and the profile of edu cation is largely adapted to the needs of the local economy. Educational institu tions cooperate with the business envi ronment, thanks to which pupils and stu dents benefit from attractive programs

Generations Y and Z completely unconsciously overwrote the classic work-life balance by work-life blending, a concept assuming that the balance between private life and professional work is based on a holistic approach to one's existence.

of patronage classes or fields of educa tion created in cooperation with com panies investing in the City, as well as offers of internships, dual and postgradu ate studies.

WE VALUE A HEALTHY BALANCE

Bydgoszcz undoubtedly has its own unique charm. It is a city of harmony and balance, perfectly combining indus trial heritage with modern technologies,

caring for nature and constantly inves ting to become an increasingly attractive place for residents, tourists and business people. Positive energy can be drawn on the banks of the Brda River flowing through the centre, attracting many sports and cultural events. A bit of after noon or weekend relaxation will also be provided by numerous green areas: wellkept urban parks (including the largest in Poland – Myślęcinek), numerous forest complexes, charming spaces of the Mill Island located in the heart of the City or Planty on the Old Bydgoszcz Canal regain ing their former splendor. In the vicinity of lively main streets and squares, one can find many side streets and alleys that offer unusual, inspiring places, such as alternative cafes, small pubs with artisan brewery, pearls of architecture, monu ments related to the industrial history of the City or Bydgoszcz frymark full of regional products.

Places and people that can be found here create a unique atmosphere of Byd goszcz, which is certainly worth trying in search of a healthy balance between work and life.

More information

Bydgoszcz Regional Development Agency

4C Unii Lubelskiej Street, 85-059 Bydgoszcz Phone: +48 52 585 88 23, e-mail: barr@barr.pl www.barr.pl

Man Crossing the River. Photo: Rober Sawicki.

Katowice – simply SMART!

Smart city is an urban concept that assumes the development of urban areas based on information and communication technologies. Thanks to the introduction of modern digital solutions, urban space should become friendly to residents, entrepreneurs, tourists and authorities.

Katowice, aspiring to become a smart city, undertakes a number of activities related to making life easier for its resi dents. According to the City Development Strategy "Katowice 2030", the basic values in shaping the strategic vision of the city's development are formed by the so-called Concept 4i, all actions taken by the City should take place in accordance with this concept, that is:

• intelligence,

• innovation,

• integration,

• internationalization.

Actions taken in this way allow Katowice to be transformed into:

• smart city, i.e. using the knowledge potential of its inhabitants and functional population and absorbing knowledge,

• an innovative city, i.e. a strong center for the creation and implementation of tech nological, cultural and social innovations,

• an integrated city, i.e. a city with a high level of social, economic and territorial cohesion within the city and coopera ting with other cities,

• an international city with high accessi bility and recognition.

As a result of the implementation of the adopted assumptions, Katowice will continue to dynamically develop, becoming:

• a city of high housing, service and envi ronmental standards, equal in the sys tem of districts,

• the capital of Upper Silesia and the Upper Silesian-Zagłębie Metropo lis of the 21st century,

• a strong economic center and business and financial center,

• the European transport and logistics hub.

Taking into account the changes in the law, as well as the ongoing preparations

for the next EU financial perspective and contemporary development pos tulates formulated at the global level, it was decided to start the process of updating the Katowice Development Strategy for the City of Katowice. New accents in urban development related directly to environmental issues will be indicated in connection with climate change, urban resilience, green and digi tal economy or institutional capacities, a functional and spatial model will also be developed, which will constitute a spatial approach to the planned interventions. Therefore, the solutions proposed to residents are to improve their quali ty of life in various areas, such as trans port and mobility, safety, accessibility, or participation in decision-making about the city.

As a city, Katowice has already gone through several levels of revitalization. There are examples of infrastructure revitalization, i.e. simply investments in, for example, post-industrial areas. An element of revitalization with the par ticipation of residents has already been

implemented. The main activity that takes place with the inhabitants is, of course, the Civic Budget, which is the largest budget per capita among voivodship cities. The value of local tasks selected by residents for 2023 is over PLN 11.86 mil lion. From 2020, this form of consulta tion is also supplemented with a climate component, i.e. the GREEN CIVIL BUDGET with its separate pool of funds. It is worth noting that in 2023, 96 tasks for the amount of almost PLN 2.8 million will be implemented under the Green Budget.

Additional methods of communi cation have been introduced in the city, which facilitate the cooperation of resi dents with the city authorities, i.e. napraw myto.pl, katoobywatel.katowice.eu, wcop drzewo.katowice.eu.

The most important smart city solu tions in Katowice include:

• Katowice Intelligent Monitoring and Analysis System (KISMiA), which, having a number of artificial intelli gence analysts, can identify events such as a con-course, a lying man, a fight, or, thanks to the License Plate Recognition

SMART CITY KATOWICE IN NUMBERS: 292 cameras of the KISMiA system 127 sensors of the AWAIR system 154 AWAIR information screens

69 stations and 147 charging points 124 bicycle stations in the "City by bike" system, 1002 city bikes

technology, violations of regulations by drivers. Currently, 292 cameras are installed in the city space, which, together with the implemented ana lysts and algorithms, support the work of dispatchers from the Crisis Mana gement Center. In 2021, the system received the Smart City Poland Award 2021 in the "Public Safety" category.

• Due to the nature of the city, air quality monitoring is equally important – not only the CO2 content, but also the con centration of PM10 and PM2.5 dust, and the impact of temperature and humi dity on air quality in the city. For this task, the AWAIR system is used, which has 127 sensors and 154 information screens. The sensors are most often located in public utility buildings.

An important element of smart and sustainable development of smart cities is urban mobility and electromobility. Katowice is a leader in this area, taking 2nd place in the Polityka Insight rank ing of electromobility cities. The capital of Upper Silesia was also the first city to implement the provisions of the act on electromobility and alternative fuels. At the moment, you can find 69 charging stations in Katowice, which offer 147 charging points.

Shared transport also operates in the city. Two operators offering cars per minute and four operators offering elec tric scooters. As part of the "City by bike" system, residents and guests can use 1,002 bikes, which are located at 124 stations (112 city stations and 12 partner stations).

From April 2021, the IoT Innova tion Showroom operates in the Rawa. Ink Municipal Entrepreneurship Incu bator, which was created in coopera tion with the city and the Polish Cluster of the Internet of Things and Artificial Intelligence SINOTAIC. At three stands, you can see the data that comes from devices in the following areas: environ mental data, data related to consump tion and optimization of energy and water consumption, cybersecurity led by the ELLIoT Pro system.

More information

As part of the infrastructure deve lopment under the MOLOC project, the municipal energy center is imple menting the SMiS energy and water monitoring system. In 2021, the central IT system was launched, and by 2024 the infrastructure is to include 71 public

buildings that are managed by the City of Katowice.

The ITS Intelligent Transport Sys tem is also being built on the KISMiA infrastructure, which will be imple mented by the end of the first half of 2023.

www.invest.katowice.eu

Electric car. Photo: Jeremi Astaszow.

Bicycle stations. Photo: Jeremi Astaszow.

KISMiA. Photo: D. Czapla.

Investors Assistance Department

Katowice City Hall

The year 2022 in Kielce. New investments and plans for the future

The last several months has been a slow but noticeable process of economic recovery after the pandemic. The experience of Kielce shows that the consequences of this state did not inhibit the development plans of local companies, while the increases in energy, fuel prices and the inflation felt by everyone – did so.

During the pandemic, many companies had time to rethink their strategies, pre pare development plans and research the market. There was no decrease in the number of investment inquiries in Kielce – on the contrary, the number of entrepreneurs, both local and external, interested in investing increased slightly. The interest in investment plots has also

increased. All investment areas belon ging to the Kielce commune in the area of the Kielce Technology Park have been sold out, and the last transaction took place at the end of 2022.

LAND

The demand for investment land is driven by residential developers, but also

by local and external companies willing to develop further. In Kielce at the end of 2020, great industrial plots were released. It was a record sale transaction of 80 ha of investment land for local conditions. Despite the assumptions that such a large investment area would not find a buyer quickly, it ended up completely different. It was bought by a local construction

Karsch Hill in Kielce after revitalization.

© Detan Architectural Design Studio

company that already has a develop ment plan for this attractive area. A kind of industrial zone will be created there within the city limits.

The area still generates a lot of interest from companies, as local business still has huge needs. The great advantage of the area is that it is included in the spa tial development plan for warehouses and industry – most of the investors with whom the city authorities talk to confirm that the development plan is a great asset that significantly speeds up and facilitates the implementation of the investment.

Freeing the area of 80 ha and selling it in smaller plots turned out to be a big success. The landowner will retain the industrial function of the plot, offer ing a number of smaller plots for sale for production and warehouse activities. The area is located in close proximity to the emerging Laboratory of the Central Office of Measures, creating a coherent economic district within the city limits together with the factories present in the vicinity.

WAREHOUSES AND LOGISTICS

Recently, Kielce has also observed an increase in the interest of investors from the logistics and warehouse indus try. This is due to the location of Kielce in the vicinity of large urban agglome rations. Undoubtedly, the attractiveness for the logistics industry also results from the improved quality of travel along the main communication artery for the region: the S7 expressway. Recently, Panattoni Park and SLP warehouses are developing very well in Kielce, and more 7R's warehouses are being expanded near Kielce. The authorities of the city and the region, as well as the inhabi tants and entrepreneurs themselves, are very pleased with the government investment that is underway: the Labo ratory Campus of the Central Office of Measures, an investment on an unprece dented scale, which already generates

cooperation with companies in the field of metrology and R&D.

Kielce received funds from the Go vernmental Fund for Local Investments to create conditions for the development of local companies and attract external investors by purchasing land in the area of the western border of Kielce. Literally a few plots of land should be developed to open up to 65 ha of investment areas, access to which is currently impossible due to the lack of the necessary infra structure. Works related to the purchase of the necessary real estate are in pro gress. At this point, it should be noted that this area is so "valuable" because it has a local spatial development plan in which the plots of land with a total area of approx. 32 ha are intended for produc tion and storage purposes and technical services, and approx. 43 ha are areas intended for metropolitan and subur ban services.

LOOKING TO THE FUTURE

While promoting the investment offer, the Kielce authorities participate in various industry meetings, incl. Warsaw Property Forum. During this year's edi tion of the event, the Mayor of Kielce, Bogdan Wenta, took part in a discussion panel on investment areas. Both local government officials participating in the discussion and entrepreneurs unani mously admitted that in most cities there are no investment areas for the develop ment of housing estates, office buildings or production plants. "Easy" plots ended 5 years ago, mainly the difficult ones, requiring, for example, the interven tion of the conservator of monuments or with significant environmental con straints, remained. On the other hand, they trigger some creativity. Developers strive to transform degraded post-indus trial areas into attractive residential and business districts.

OFFICES

The real estate tax exemption for newly built office spaces is a clear sign for com panies from the modern business ser vices sector and office space developers that Kielce wants to be at the forefront of cities with top-class office space and attracting the modern business services sector. Several larger investments are planned in Kielce, combining service, residential and office functions, i.e. a typi cal mixed-use. The minimum require ments for the possibility of applying for tax exemption in the case of offices are at least 3,000 m2 in which at least 80% of the usable space will be high-standard office space.

This is also happening in Kielce. An interesting example of these solu tions is the Karsch Hill in Kielce, where a complex of residential and service buil dings is to be built on the site of the for mer brewery. In September, a decision on development conditions was issued, according to which the malt house is to be restored and its interiors and original, although in a rudimentary condition, fur nishings, are used. Two other projects are the so-called The Nowy Czarnów estate, which is being built on a 6 ha plot, where previously there were warehouse halls and the Kielczanka District, which was built in the area that used to be occu pied by the "Kielczanka" plant produc ing sweets – the iconic fudges.

Investor Assistance Centre | Kielce City Hall

Strycharska 6 Street, 25-659 Kielce Phone: +48 41 36 76 571, 41 36 76 557, e-mail: coi@um.kielce.pl www.invest.kielce.pl/en, www.mapa.invest.kielce.pl/en

Kielce received funds from the Governmental Fund for Local Investments to create conditions for the development of local companies and attract external investors by purchasing land in the area of the western border of Kielce.

Interesting people in interesting times

"I think that you will all agree that we are living in most interesting times. I never remember myself a time in which our history was so full, in which day by day brought us new objects of interest, and, let me say also, new objects for anxiety." – this is not a statement by a contemporary politician, financier or business owner, it is a statement from 1898 by a British politician – Joseph Chamberlain...

Interesting things started in 2019 and we still cannot complain about the lack of challenges to this day, and the changes resulting from the struggle with them apply, without exception, to all indus tries, communities and countries.

AUTOMOTIVE IS DOING WELL IN CZĘSTOCHOWA

In Częstochowa, after the system trans formation, the dominant industry is still the automotive, which after 89's absorbed

human resources from the metal, tex tile and plastics processing industries. Thanks to their industrial traditions and the efforts of modern authorities model ling technical and sectoral education, the city is constantly educating new staff and large companies still have the oppor tunity to recruit new employees. Domes tic SMEs and family businesses are keeping pace with the industry giants.

An excellent example of such com pany is Exact Systems, a company from

the outsourcing industry, established in 2004 in Częstochowa, thanks to an inno vative idea at the time to solve quality problems in the dynamically develo ping automotive industry in Poland.

Two years later they started cooperation with Volkswagen and Fiat Auto Poland and expanded into foreign markets. The company provides services regarding the quality control of the finished product as well as elements and components and also offers residency, i.e. representing the customer at the recipient's plant, which makes it possible to quickly react to any problems. In 2020, when the AAS Recruitment group was established, AAS's competencies were extended to include temporary work.

Moto Idea 2022 edition was opened by the President of Częstochowa, Krzysztof Matyjaszczyk, together with the president of Exact Systems – Paweł Gos.

The company is visible in the city, among others through CSR activities. Since December 2012 Exact Systems has been the title sponsor of the Volleyball Club established at the IX Liceum Ogól nokształcące im. C.K. Norwida (IX C.K. Norwid High School) in Częstochowa, and in September signed – with the par ticipation of the President of the City, Krzysztof Matyjaszczyk – a cooperation agreement with the Częstochowa Univer sity of Technology, which tries to draw as much experience as possible from the world of business. The presence of the president, in this case, was not acci dental because it is the municipal Inves tor Assistance Center that awards grants under the Częstochowa Academic Pro gram, which are aimed at financial sup port for scientific and business projects of municipal universities.

Text | Anna Tymoshenko

MOTO IDEA 2022 CONFERENCE: ABOUT THE CHALLENGES OF THE INDUSTRY

In September this year, the city also sup ported the 12th Moto Idea Conference organized for two years by Exact Sys tems, which radically raised its current level and increased its range of influence. Moto Idea is one of the most important meetings of representatives of the auto motive sector: passenger car manufactur ers, suppliers of parts and components, the scientific community and represent atives of industry associations. From the very beginning, Moto Idea has been distinguished by a high substantive level of lectures combined with the formula of an informal meeting.

the multitude of changes in the indus try and mental changes taking place in our minds is of great importance. There is no better incentive to discuss than the passion and knowledge of the initia tor, and the multitude of topics related to the industry is enormous.

– Algorithms rule every 10 minutes of our lives. What we read when we open the Internet in the morning is what place on the train we get when buying a ticket, which scooter we will go to work or who will drive our Uber. All this is decided today by Artificial Intelligence – such vision was presented by Dr. Maciej Kawecki, EU Digi tal Ambassador, Vice Rector for Innova tion at WSB University and president of

Moto Idea is one of the most important meetings of representatives of the automotive sector: passenger car manufacturers, suppliers of parts and components, the scientific community and representatives of industry associations.

Also in this edition, which was opened by the President of Często chowa, Krzysztof Matyjaszczyk, together with the president of Exact Systems –Paweł Gos, the organizers invited not only experts but also enthusiasts to dis cuss with them, which in the context of

the Stanisław Lem Institute, who con tributed to discussions with the largest manufacturers (Mercedes, Stellantis, Bosch) on the subject of globalization and the need for digitization.

It settled the participants quite strongly in MotoBarometer 2023 prepared

annually by Exact Systems, which presents the industry market after months of fighting the pandemic and after Putin invaded Ukraine, which was interpreted as a declaration of war for the entire automotive indus try. According to MotoBarometer: "OICA data shows that in 2021 the automo tive industry began to recover after its first pandemic year. World vehi cle production increased by 3% com pared to 2020, from 77.7 million to 80 million cars. However, this is still a much lower result than generated in pre-pandemic 2019 (92 million).

The challenge for motor producers was sudden and unprecedented fluctuations in the economic situation. In the begin ning, the main problem was the supply and demand shock caused by the lock down, then the breaking of supply chains, and finally the rising prices of raw materials and energy. These fac tors are still a risk to growth in 2022 and beyond, compounded by the con sequences of the war that Russia has declared on Ukraine." This fragment can be both a summary and a starting point for discussion, although it does not raise another broad issue – people, who create the industry.

The subject of changes in the labour market was devoted to the day started by Artur Migoń – Vice President of the Mana gement Board of Antal Poland, who cha racterized the market as struggling with turbulent changes. It initiated a discus sion in which the head of the Investor Assistance Center in Częstochowa also took part.

In theory, Investor Assistance Centers should handle external investments and be responsible for contacts with Special Economic Zones. Of course, this is the case in Częstochowa, but the Bet ter Job Now Program established in 2017 gave "Invest in" the opportunity to sup port technical and industry education at all levels, as well as help in profiling

education to the needs of employers from the region. However, the main problem of young people studying in secondary schools today is not the lack of vocational teachers, because thanks to the aware ness of companies, more and more knowledge passed to students comes from them. The problem is the archaic education system and the gradual, yet consistent, closure to diversity and cre ativity. Today's system often releases young people into the labour market who are not prepared to live in an environ ment of constant change and treat it as a threat, not seeing it as an opportunity for development instead of going out into wide and unknown waters, they look for a haven at the beginning of their journey.

During the conference, a lot was also said about the organizational cul ture, which has a huge impact on the quality of work and which, in times of a serious crisis, may turn out to be the greatest advantage and encourage ment for a potential employee.

Are we ready for 2035 when cars with internal combustion engines will cease to be produced? Will consumers hold back in buying a new car? Is Poland ready to accept some of the production from Russia, Ukraine and Belarus? Will problems with obtaining qualified staff affect faster digitization and automation of production? Has Russia's aggression influenced Poland's investment attrac tiveness? Many opinions and many expe riences, different views on the same issues and different approaches to innovation, but as, Anna Tymoshenko, the head of the Częstochowa IAC empha sized during discussion – we need to talk before we are replaced by robots.

Author: Anna Tymoshenko, Head of the Investor Assistance Center in Częstochowa.

Translation: Magdalena Wytrzymała.

Investor Assistance Center Department of European Funds and Development | City Hall of Częstochowa

Waszyngtona 5 Street, 42-217 Częstochowa

Phone: +48 34 3707 212, +48 34 3707 213 e-mail: coi@czestochowa.um.gov.pl, fer@czestochowa.um.gov.pl www.czestochowa.pl

Elbląg’s new economic centre

In September the construction of Porta Mare, the first A-class office building in Elbląg has started. We are talking about the undertaking with Mariusz Domeradzki – president of Operator ARP, the investor company of this project.

FOCUS ON Business: In two years on Wyspa Spichrzów (Eng. Granary Island), a modern complex of buildings will be built to offer more than 11,000 sqm of usable space. What are the main objec tives of this investment and what kind of spaces will be located there?

Mariusz Domeradzki, Operator ARP: It will be a city-forming project. Its location, architecture, standard and pur pose – all make it unique. I remember that when we first presented the visuals of Porta Mare, it received a lot of enthu siastic opinions mainly about its form, but also about the structure of the space and the green solutions which are now a regular requirement. It will be an office building with service spaces and a sepa rated hotel area on the fourth floor. We assume that more than 30 hotel rooms can be arranged there. Imagine the view over Elbląg's old town that will stretch from these apartments. Porta Mare will integrate many functions.

We never wanted to create a mono culture of offices that thrives only from Monday to Friday, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. We want to attract businesses, but also the residents of Elbląg, for whom we will reinstate this important part of the city. Expectations are huge and we are going to keep up with them.

What facilities can the tenants of this building expect?

It will be the first A-class office building in Elbląg. We plan to obtain

a BREEAM certification at the Good level. This entails a greater focus on the acces sibility of public and green transport, the construction of appropriate num ber of bicycle parking spaces including shower facilities. We want to provide users with better conditions for health and wellbeing by creating a vertical gar den of live plants, which will become an air filter in times of so widespread air pollution.

We are aware of the uniqueness of this location and its importance for the residents of Elbląg. I would like to thank the city authorities for their trust and for choosing this location – a dream place from the investor's point of view. Since the beginning of work on the pro ject documentation, we have worked closely with the local government and the Regional Office for Monuments Pro tection. The original concept of the façade

We plan to obtain a BREEAM certification at the Good level. This entails a greater focus on the accessibility of public and green transport, the construction of appropriate number of bicycle parking spaces including shower facilities.

Committed to a sustainable deve lopment, we invest in renewable energy sources. Porta Mare will be equipped with solar collectors which will provide energy to heat the buildings and pho tovoltaic cells as a source of electricity. Also, electric cars charging stations will be built next to the building.

In the Middle Ages, Wyspa Spichrzów was the economic and commercial heart of Elbląg, and now it is under conservatory protection which has determined the shape of the building reflecting the historical architecture of the city. How the elements of tradi tion and modernity were combined in this project?

– proposed by the Pas Projekt studio –was slightly changed to a modern form, but with the touch of the style of histori cal buildings.

Finally, Porta Mare got the shape of seven connected blocks with a pitched roof. The finish of the façade and seg ments projection in relation to the river will differ between each segment. Atten tion to detail will also be reflected in the choice of finishing materials for the façades, which will include ceramic tiles and posts. All façades will have diago nal decorative elements echoing the post and beam structures. Also, the diago nal joints in the floor around the build ing will refer to the shape of the his toric buildings.

I would like to thank the city authorities for their trust and for choosing this location – a dream place from the investor's point of view. Since the beginning of work on the project documentation, we have worked closely with the local government and the Regional Office for Monuments Protection.

During one of the conferences, I used the expression that office buildings are factories of the 21st century. This idea comes true in Elbląg, where after centu ries Wyspa Spichrzów may once again become the economic heart of the city. The construction of this building will certainly be a challenge, but we have an experienced contractor, F.B.I. Tasbud, which guarantees high quality construc tion works.

The Factory Programme, initiated by the Industrial Development Agency, which includes the Porta Mare pro ject, puts a strong emphasis on sus tainability. How does this influence the form and implementation of the investment?

Sustainable development is a key statement that underpins not only the Factory Programme, but also infrastructural investments and strategic projects such as the navigation canal through the Vis tula Spit. The Factory Programme estab lished by the Industrial Development Agency, is one of the elements of a stra tegy aimed at eliminating differences between the largest cities, which are cen tres of social, cultural and economic life, and medium-sized municipalities, which lost their importance after the adminis trative reform in 1999. Elbląg was one of the cities chosen for the implemen tation of this project. It was an obvious choice for me, if only because of the city's

location on the map of north-eastern Poland. It is easy to get from Elbląg not only to the Tricity, Olsztyn, but also to Białystok or Warsaw.

In addition to its convenient loca tion, there is also the advantage of a lower cost of living and the potential of graduates of local universities. I believe that by gaining premium office space, Elbląg will become a good alternative for investors running their businesses e.g. in Tricity. The Factory Programme is gain ing momentum – apart from Elbląg, we are also building in Włocławek and Sta lowa Wola, where the first modern office and service facility will be put into use as early as in the middle of next year.

There is no doubt that many compa nies, mainly from the modern business services sector, will want to move their headquarters to such a prestigious facility in Elbląg. What kind of tenants do you expect in Porta Mare?

As I have already mentioned, Porta Mare will be a new quality on the Elbląg market, which makes it interesting for companies particularly keen on the quality of office space. In the post-pandemic reality, the opportunity to work remotely strongly competes with stationary work from office, which is a huge challenge for the operations and HR departments in many companies. For those whose work type or company culture requires their presence in the office, a building

Porta Mare will be a new quality on the Elbląg market, which makes it interesting for companies particularly keen on the quality of office space.

of this quality can provide an addi tional incentive for employees to use the office. Especially as not only the qua lity of the building but also its location is unbeatable in the Elbląg market.

At a time when the struggle for an employee is increasingly challenging, an interesting and well-located space can be a major competitive advantage. There fore, I expect to see among those who are interested, companies from the IT sector,

modern business services, but also those who treat their office as an element of customer attraction and a certain form of prestige.

Thank you for the interview.

More information

Promotion, Culture and Tourism Department, Promotion and Entrepreneurship Unit | City Hall of Elbląg

Stary Rynek 25 Street, Ratusz Staromiejski, IV floor, room 400, 82-300 Elbląg

Phone: +48 55 239 32 90, 55 239 33 17 e-mail: invest@umelblag.pl www.inwestycje.elblag.eu

A unique festival of the IT industry at the foot of the Beskids

Text | Maria Nowicka

Only once a year, in the heart of Podbeskidzie – Bielsko-Biała, there is a true masterpiece of programming events on a Polish scale. IV edition of the unique BBDays4.IT festival, a week full of attractions for enthusiasts of programming and new technologies, but not only. This event is also a great space for those who want to get to know the developer community a little better and are thinking about taking their first steps in this field. The subject matter does not impose any restrictions, regardless of the level of knowledge of the industry, knowledge or internship – everyone will find something interesting in the extensive BBDays4.IT program.

At the beginning of September, for the fourth time, leaders of the software industry from southern Poland joined forces and invited participants to pictu resque Bielsko-Biała for an event that has already become a permanent fixture on the calendar of every IT geek.

BIELSKO-BIAŁA – A COMPACT CITY

Compact city is a term by which Bielsko-Biala is described very often – it is almost the essence of the city! It is here that the creative industry has found an ideal space for development. Where did the choice come from?

Bielsko-Biała is a place where almost every passion can be brought to life. Full of post-industrial architecture and monuments that impressively evoke the industrial, factory history of the city. The location at the foot of the Beskids also provides extremely different attractions – a huge number of routes for enduro enthusiasts, but also for hiking. It is a region where you can easily change from a glider to skis or a sailboat, and then go out for dinner in the surroun dings of the climatic, classicist old town in the heart of Bielsko-Biała.

The constant development of the region is visible at every step – a modern concert hall, a sports and entertainment hall, more and more unusual places on the gastronomic map of Bielsko-Biała, specialized industry events and

unstoppable business development –from startups, through modern soft ware houses to global corporations. The BBDays4.IT festival proves for the fourth time in a row what field for development in the new technologies industry is offered by Podbeskidzie, our local Silicon Valley.

WHAT EXACTLY IS BBDAYS4.IT?

BBDays4.IT is an event where passion meets science and business, providing a week of exceptional activities for pro grammers and enthusiasts of new tech nologies. This festival, year after year, also attracts many pupils and students who are just thinking about the first steps in professions related to IT.

representatives of the organizers and patrons. In his speech, the president emphasized the dynamic development of the festival – the number of partners and the interest are growing every year. There was also a phrase that perfectly describes the IT world, that is, an indus try without borders, all in the context of further development of the festival, per haps even internationally.

What has attracted developers from all over Poland to Bielsko-Biała for several years now is not only a solid dose of con tent, but also the unique atmosphere of the festival. One of the permanent points of the event is the well-known and beloved BBQ4.IT. The relaxed and informal atmos phere creates a unique space for discussion.

The purpose of the event is both to deepen theoretical knowledge and to encounter IT in practice, and at its best! Meetups, conferences, lectures, network ing, and this is just a part of what the con ference participants had the opportunity to take part in.

This year's festival began with a ceremonial opening at the Town Hall. BBDays4.IT was officially inaugurated in the presence of the Mayor of Bielsko Biała – Jarosław Klimaszewski, councilors,

This year, the organizers focused on a very original subject – survival. A cool evening in a hot atmosphere, where, apart from IT topics, participants had the oppor tunity to test their survival skills. Lots of attractions, both useful and extraordinary – first aid, archery, quizzes, grill and cold beer, all enriched with engaging lectures.

It is worth mentioning that BBQ4.IT is a charity event and all proceeds from ticket sales were donated to the "ADA" Association for Children with Special Needs.

The purpose of the event is both to deepen theoretical knowledge and to encounter IT in practice, and at its best!

Another important point was the day of the Conference at the Univer sity of Bielsko-Biała. The culminating moment of the festival, which for another year in a row positively surprised with attendance. Speakers from all over Poland came to Bielsko-Biała to share their knowledge with hundreds of festival participants. The topics covered the enor mity of issues from many IT branches. Participants had the opportunity to lis ten to lectures on augmented reality and its application in industry, globalization, NFT tokens and security.

Despite the fact that the issues and scope of disciplines related to new tech nologies are a very versatile issue, during the conference it was possible to choose the topics so as to interest all partici pants – regardless of the seniority and nature of work. Conference at the Uni versity of Bielsko-Biała has also become a space to meet the organizers and part ners who had the chance to present their companies.

An inseparable point of BBDays4.IT is also Hackathon, which is 24 hours of constant programming competition. The exact topic of group coding is always a mystery until the competition officially

begins. Previous editions of the Hacka thon speak for themselves – unique atmosphere, inexhaustible amounts of energy and creativity as well as the spirit of competition – the potential of the par ticipants of the event surprises more and more every year!

This time the organizers were not disappointed with the teams' abilities. The subject of the struggle concerned solutions for the space of the city of Bielsko-Biała. The organizers hope that the winning teams will continue to work on solutions that constituted a solid and promising concept after only 24 hours.

The end of the Hackathon is the pre sentation of the created projects by each group and, of course, its evaluation. The jury includes experts assessing the technical knowledge of the group, busi ness representatives who verify the pro ject in practical terms, and representa tives of the organizers.

The whole festival was also accom panied by a conference for schools, where students of technical and high schools could get to know the industry better and get to know IT live. The speakers were representatives of IT companies from Bielsko-Biała, as well as developers – both

those with many years of experience, as well as last year's high school graduates.

The BBDays4.IT festival proves for the fourth time in a row that Podbes kidzie, our local Silicon Valley, offers development opportunities in the new technologies industry. A week of confe rences, meetaps, networking, lectures, meetings in the impressive atmosphere of the Beskids, all organized by our indi genous local companies. The business community in Bielsko-Biała has been eagerly involved in the organization of the event for years, this year the organi zers include: Rekord SI, Selleo, Regional Development Agency, Precisely Software, Foundation Center of New Technologies and ICE MT Poland.

From the first editions of BBDays4. IT, the organizers and participants have proven that Bielsko-Biała is an extraordi nary space for investment and develop ment, a place where it is worth living and working. The entire event – discussion panels, conferences, lectures, casual and informal atmosphere in the unique mountain climate of Podbeskidzie – all this makes the event unique.

Author: Maria Nowicka, Social Media & Employer Branding Specialist in Selleo.

More information

City Hall in Bielsko-Biała | Strategy and Economic Development Department

pl. Ratuszowy 1, 43-300 Bielsko-Biała Phone: +48 33 4971 486, e-mail: wrg@um.bielsko-biala.pl www.bielsko-biala.pl

Source: Rekord SI.

Source: Selleo.

IT infrastructure providing mature solutions for economic innovation

Text | Dr.-Ing. Cezary Mazurek

The Poznań Supercomputing and Networking Centre (PSNC) is drawing on nearly 30 years of experience in developing innovations for science and is expanding its offer for business with services carried out in the environment of modern research infrastructure. Advanced computing experiments, computer simulations, data analysis and applications of artificial intelligence, as well as cyber security, are just a few examples of the areas of projects implemented using the potential of the PSNC.

In recent years, PSNC teams carrying out research and development projects have increasingly shifted their focus to busi ness-driven development projects. This continuing trend allows for the produc tion of tools and services, which build an innovative and at the same time sus tainable portfolio of products, inspired by modern technologies. The culture of generating innovative ideas in all aspects of activities related to the development and provision of IT infrastructure for the benefit of science, as well as the con tinuous development of new competen cies of employees – currently more than 460 people are working at the PSNC, is significant.

It is worth noticing that the costly and time-consuming, but necessary steps in the implementation of the economic branch of the PSNC's strategy, have started to bring the first benefits. The introduc tion of ISO 27001 in the field of infor mation processing and protection and ISO 9001 in the field of software imple mentation, on the one hand, allowed the consistent improvement of the pro cess management system in the PSNC and, on the other hand, raised the level of trust of business partners, leading to the first contracts for outsourcing main tenance and development processes to the PSNC.

In partnerships with large com panies, the PSNC assumes a position of

technological leadership, developing com ponents that are absent from the commercial market, the creation of which exceeds the level of investment risk that is acceptable to companies, as it requires long-term development work using expensive tools and/or high IT compe tence. The PSNC effectively reduces this risk by analysing the market and the state of the art, diversifying funding sources, and continuously expanding its part ner network.

the areas of health, climate protection, art & science, education, games and green industry are implemented here, as well as events integrating the scientific and busi ness communities.

Since 2019, the PSNC Aerosphere-Digital Airport laboratory has been developing its activities at the airport in Kąkolewo, located in the municipa lity of Grodzisk Wielkopolski. The labo ratory conducts research and develop ment work in the field of unmanned

In partnerships with large companies, the PSNC assumes a position of technological leadership, developing components that are absent from the commercial market, the creation of which exceeds the level of investment risk that is acceptable to companies.

FUTURISTIC CENTRE IN POZNAŃ

The main seat of PSNC is the building of CBPIO – Research Centre of the Polish Optical Internet located at 10 Jana Pawła II Street in Poznań. It consists of a build ing of technological rooms (server room with an area of 1,600 m2) and two wings of staff rooms and laboratories (with an area of 9,700 m2). In addition, the reno vated building at 20 Zwierzyniecka Street houses the so-called PSNC Future Labs living laboratory (futurelabs.psnc.pl).

This place is one of the most modern laboratories for the pre-incubation of social solutions in Poznań. Projects in

aircraft applications, autonomous sys tems and flight control.

How does this potential translate into creating a supply of innovation for the economy? Two specific product plat forms can already be presented today: services related to the economic use of the IT infrastructure of science and the digital innovation hubs HPC4Poland and CyberSec.

ACTING ON A BIGGER SCALE

The consistently pursued strategy of migrating from the B2B model to a regional innovation hub model has made

it possible to successfully obtain fund ing in recent years for the construction of large, strategic research infrastruc ture, of a nationwide nature, included in the Polish Roadmap for Research Infra structure (PMIB). This is because one of the key criteria determining the selec tion of projects for implementation was to ensure economic use of and access to this infrastructure for entrepreneurs. Currently, PSNC is implementing as many as ten investment projects from the PMIB.

As part of the nationwide PIONIER-LAB project, the fibre-optic network infrastructure ecosystem is developing towards terabit capacities, offering advanced laboratory services for creating digi tal innovations, such as multi-scale simu lations, cloud services or Smart City solu tions. 5G technology ecosystems are also being developed, as well as quantum communications. An important part of PMIB's projects relates to the develop ment of high-performance computing (HPC) technologies.

An offer of economic exploitation of these technologies is already provided by the services and tools provided by the PRACE-LAB project.

The PRACE-LAB2, National Data Ware house, PIONIER-LAB, MOSAIC, DARIAH-PL, Euro-HPC PL, NLPQT, NEBI, and 5GPL pro jects, currently still in the implementation phase, will soon make research infrastruc ture available to entrepreneurs as part of economic cooperation.

In addition, in February 2022, the PSNC joined the IBM Quantum Net work as the first Hub in Central Europe and, together with Polish scientists, part ners from leading industries and IBM is developing quantum computing techno logies and their applications, in collabo ration with the other nodes of the global IBM Quantum Network ecosystem.

INNOVATIVE SOLUTIONS FOR POLISH COMPANIES

Disruptive change requires collaboration. More and more companies and organisa tions, including big brands such as Micro soft and LinkedIn, see the source of sus tainable competitive advantage in cre ating new services and products in col laboration with external partners, i.e. the open innovation paradigm.

Headquarters of the Poznan Supercomputing and Networking Centre at 10 Jana Pawla II Street in Poznan.

The most powerful supercomputing system of PSNC – Altair.

Network Management Centre providing 24/7 supervision over PSNC infrastructure and services.

The purpose of establishing the PSNC in 1993 was the coordination of the use of the metropolitan network and supercomputers in Poznań by the units represented in the Collegium of Rectors of the City of Poznań. Since its foundation, PSNC has been an affiliated unit at the Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry of the Polish Academy of Sciences. In the following years, the activity of PSNC successfully led to the development and launch of the national broadband network PIONIER – Polish Optical Internet.

Starting with the launch of the first supercomputer, CRAY Y-MP EL, PSNC has also been steadily developing high-power computing services based on supercomputers, which have been ranked among the world's 500 most powerful supercomputers in 20 editions of the prestigious TOP-500 list since 1995. As a result, since 2008 PSNC has represented Poland in the PRACE (Partnership for Advanced Computing in Europe) consortium.

A world-class IT infrastructure, as well as the development of competencies and an increase in the number of employees, have allowed, since 2001, the successful acquisition of projects in competitions of European framework programmes and national research programmes. To date, PSNC has implemented more than 300 such projects.

So-called Digital Innovation Hubs (DIHs) are also developing in this direc tion, aiming to lead the digital transfor mation of the industry by increasing the availability of advanced technolo gical services.

EDIH HPC4Poland's vision is to increase the competitiveness and inno vation of Polish manufacturing compa nies and public organisations by raising awareness and availability of advanced digital tools and services based on secure, reliable and efficient HPC computing, including cloud simulation (PaaS), sen sor systems (IoT), AR/VR/MR, collabora tive robots, AGV, AMR, incremental tech nologies and AI analytics and Big Data.

EDIH is a feedback matrix and also a hub for the exchange of value and ser vices between research teams and sup pliers and customers of advanced con cepts, methods and solutions. Based on the resources and domain knowledge of the competence centres (research units) and business partners (tool providers), EDIH realises a comprehensive digital transformation offer for manufactur ing companies and public organisations,

currently unavailable in such shape and scope on the Polish market.

To lower the risk of investment in innovation and raise awareness among companies, HPC4Poland co-creates regional and pan-European communities of ICT and business experts and industry partners. Furthermore, through dedi cated methodologies and tools, EDIH maintains a dialogue with partners and customers, continuously updating demand requirements and actual demand of target industries, such as automotive, transport

provided in packages tailored to the com pany's stage of digital transformation.

PSNC is constantly updating and developing its business offer with new technological tools and services, look ing for new applications and markets for them. By expanding the portfolio of advanced services, we focus on the cur rent challenges of the Polish manufac turing sector. Increasing the competi tiveness of Polish enterprises through coordinated development of innovations based on modern software, advanced IT

More information

(including aviation), furniture, wood, processing and agri-food, pharmaceu ticals and medicine (including public health units) and smart city platforms, adapting industrial technologies for social purposes.

By turning to EDIH, the entrepre neur gains access to a palette of tech nology and business services, which are

infrastructure and scientific research has become one of the main objectives of PSNC's activities in recent years, leading to visible participation in the process of digital transformation of the economy. 

Author: Dr.-Ing. Cezary Mazurek. Plenipotentiary of the Director of the IBCh PAS for the PSNC.

Investor Relations Department | City of Poznań

Za Bramką 1 Street, 61-842 Poznan Phone: +48 61 878 54 28, e-mail: inwestor@um.poznan.pl www.poznan.pl/invest

PSNC is constantly updating and developing its business offer with new technological tools and services, looking for new applications and markets for them.

RECORD-BREAKING INTEREST IN NEW JOB OFFERS

– SPECIALISTS AND MANAGERS FEEL CONFIDENT ON THE MARKET

The 12 th edition of the Antal report "The activity of specialists and mana gers in the labor market" shows that the interest in looking for a job by spe cialists and managers has increased to a record extent. The number of invita tions to recruitment processes was also increased by 60%. Currently, the most common reasons for changing jobs are bad management (53%) and a proposal for a higher salary (50% of respondents).

The Antal survey showed a grow ing number of job offers for specialists and managers. They receive an average of 8 job offers per year compared to 5 in 2021. The war in Ukraine did not affect companies' demand for new employ ees, and the pandemic and related eco nomic restrictions only caused tempo rary turmoil.

– Among specialists, the most desir able currently are IT specialists and mana gers, representatives of administration and employees from the HR industry. Although an upward trend is not expected in the near future, the number of currently sent job offers will remain at the same level – comments Michał Borkowski, Sector Manager, Antal Finance & Accountancy.

Almost 70% of respondents received increases, which means an increase by

10 percentage points compared to last year. The share of these high salary increases is also growing – over 20% year on year. The candidate's market is boom ing and employees benefit from it. Infla tion gives them additional arguments in the negotiations.

Compared to last year, it increased significantly, by as much as 18 pp. the per centage of specialists and managers actively looking for work amounted to 48%. Almost half of the respondents remain open to job offers, but do not take specific action to change. On the other hand, the percentage of respondents who do not actively look for a job, but read the offers (from 54% in the previous edi tion of the survey to 45% in the current one) and those who ignore them (from 16% in the previous edition of the sur vey to only 7%, decreased).

Candidates are looking for more financially attractive job opportuni ties in the face of rising costs of living due to inflation and high interest rates. They expect an average wage increase of 20-30%. However, the proposal of a higher salary is a motivation to actually change jobs for only half of the respon dents. The Antal report shows that bad management in the organization is at

the top of the list of reasons for chang ing jobs. This factor was the reason why 53% of respondents left the company. This indicates the need for changes in enterprises in terms of good communi cation with employees, management style and work culture. Bad work atmosphere or increasing stress related to the per formance of duties can be a significant demotivator in career development.

Job-Seeking

Activity Among Managers and Professionals

The Report is available here: Source: Antal

20 YEARS OF GRUPA PROGRES IN POLAND

Grupa Progres, one of the largest HR agencies in Poland is celebrating its 20th anniversary this year. To celebrate this occasion, a jubilee gala was held on 30 September in The Great Armoury in Gdańsk, during which there were plenty of opportunities for summaries, acknow ledgements and recognitions.

Grupa Progres was established in Pruszcz Gdański in 2002 as a small start-up. Today, it has several dozen branches in Poland and abroad and is a lead ing recruiting organisation employing

almost 20,000 employees annually and implementing 1,500 recruitment pro jects. During the gala, it was repeatedly emphasised that such a great success of the Company has been achieved thanks to the work of many people who have been and still are the highest value for the Pro gres Group over the years.

The anniversary evening was attended by organisations, institutions and business partners who cooper ated with the Company and supported its activities and development during

the twenty years of its activity. Grupa Progres has been awarded many times in numerous prestigious competitions, plebiscites and rankings, but on this day it was the Company itself that honoured the significant partners of the Group.

During the gala, there was no short age of heartfelt congratulations, orig inal gifts and banter. The celebration was enriched by a live concert by Anna Jurksztowicz and a banquet with a toast.

Source: Grupa Progres

SAVILLS LAUNCHES STRATEGIC CONSULTING DEPARTMENT IN POLAND

Real estate advisory firm Savills has extended its service offering to property investors, developers and owners in Poland to include strategic consulting. The new business line will be spear headed by Krzysztof Sakierski and Kamila Pereta-Krawczyk, who joined Savills in early October.

– With new challenges to manage on the commercial property market, real estate advisory companies require a strong team of specialists in HBU analyses of land, repurposing existing assets or deve loping new, more efficient projects to replace them. And to embrace change it is no longer possible to stick to well-trod den paths at all times. The strategic con sulting service will provide our clients with a broader perspective and out-of-the-box solutions backed by an in-depth analysis and scientific methodology – says Tomasz Buras, CEO, Savills Poland.

Savills new business line is the answer to the growing demand for mixed-use projects and last mile logis tics, retail evolution and the impact of

the pandemic and the hybrid working model on the office market. Benefiting from the interdisciplinary character of the strategic consulting services, Savills clients will be offered not only concept designs, but also implementation of recommendations through close coopera tion with the firm’s building & project consultancy, leasing, valuation, invest ment advisory and property manage ment teams.

The foundation for the further development of Savills strategic consul ting team will be laid by Krzysztof Sakier ski and Kamila Pereta-Krawczyk, who have worked closely with each other for nearly five years. Their professional paths first crossed in consulting firm PwC and then in NGL Advisory, where they successfully led advisory projects for the public sector (local governments and State Treasury companies) and private investors (funds and developers) in HBU analyses covering development of both individual properties and entire districts, as well as dispersed investment portfolios.

Krzysztof Sakierski has been appoin ted Head of Savills Strategic Consulting. He has over 15 years of real estate expe rience. He specialises in optimization, restructuring and revitalisation projects in line with the Polish landscape law, con ducting many public consultations with city inhabitants across Poland. He has also assisted clients in sales transactions and leases of office, service, logistics and warehouse space.

Kamila Pereta-Krawczyk has been appointed to the position of Associate in Savills Strategic Consulting team. She has worked in real restate since the very beginning of her professional career, gaining experience in a real estate agency and international and local advisory firms. She is skilled at using GIS tools for analysing and processing geospatial data. She has prepared a number of HBU analy ses and masterplans and been responsible for many commercial due diligence pro cesses for Polish and cross-border clients.

Source: Savills

VUCA / BANI – what role does cooperation between HR and Operations play in a changing and uncertain world?

How to run a people-based service company in a reality of dynamic changes caused by the pandemic, the war in Ukraine and the specter of a major economic crisis? Can soft HR help with Delivery challenges? An interview with Rafał Nadolny – Managing Director, Partner, Karolina Ignyś – HR Director and Marta Różańska – Client Services Director at BPiON.

FOCUS ON Business: Let's introduce the terms VUCA and BANI. What do they mean – by definition and in practice?

Rafał Nadolny, BPiON: According to the definition, VUCA is an acronym introduced by American military strate gists to describe the situation that arose after the end of the Cold War: Volatility, Uncertainty, Complexity, and Ambiguity. the last few years we have seen even greater volatility in the world around us.

The term BANI was created to better reflect our reality, in response to the revolutionary changes caused by the pandemic. The BANI is an acronym for Brittle, Anxious, No-liner, Incom prehensible.

Marta Różańska, BPiON: I believe that VUCA, understood as volatility and uncertainty, has always been with us. The rate of these changes in the present world is constantly increasing. Especially in business, changes are more frequent and faster, and their direction becomes difficult to predict.

What it means in practice? Mana gers do not always have an influence on how the work of their teams and the entire organization will look like. In today's fast changing world, business decisions are increasingly made based

on many unknowns. The Delivery team must be ready to accept new projects or an emergency situation requiring a change of the customer's process or assistance in their daily challenges. There is much less data to make a deci sion, and the time to react has shrunk considerably.

In a conflict situation in Ukraine, we experienced situations requiring quick decisions and actions related to, for example, employee relocation, trans fer of processes and teams. Also the need to test new legal and administrative solu tions, and communication challenges.

and expectations towards managers' competences?

Karolina Ignyś, BPiON: The chal lenges are increasing indeed. It is often said that the pandemic has changed our world. It's true, but there will be more and more changes. There is no getting away from it.

The pandemic has taught us that direct contact (which was so obvious before), with the goodwill of both parties, can be replaced by video conferences and online events. As always, the new situation was not easy at first, and you had to adapt to it. But it turned out that it is possible.

Sounds familiar? For some, this can be frustrating and require a transforma tion of the way we operate. The plans and schemas that worked well so far now need to be constantly modified to keep up with the changing business.

So what are the business challenges of VUCA – or BANI? How do they affect the functioning of HR departments

I believe that business, even more than before, needs very good leaders and managers who are not only motivated themselves, but are also able to engage their employees. I noticed that during our conversations with my HR colleagues, we have similar observations. Even the best managers more and more often have a feeling of isolation and of what in HR we call the lack of agile planning skills.

The plans and schemas that worked well so far now need to be constantly modified to keep up with the changing business.

Another challenge is working on your energy. Not only physical, but also mental. If leaders find it difficult to do this, how do they enforce it from their employees? VUCA shows that hard com petences that were once the foundation are no longer enough today. In the VUCA world, diversity and soft skills are gaining importance, especially among managers. Managers who are too inflexible may face more difficulties today.

M.R.: I will focus on some of the most important challenges in my opinion. First, the need of continuous develop ment. For me, this is definitely an oppor tunity, but for those who don't under stand it, it can be a challenge. We live in a constantly changing world and there is no one golden solution or scheme that can be easily copied or implemented in any organization. Things which pre vious worked well now may need to be modified.

Second, the ability to prioritize and to plan. In today's world, a leader must have a plan A, B and C – often in diffe rent variants. In addition, he must have the courage to implement plans and he must to be ready to modify them depend ing on changing circumstances. When I started working in business, it was com mon to prepare 5-year plans and strate gies. In the changing world of VUCA, this has become ineffective. Short opera ting cycles in a predetermined direc tion and collecting feedback are much more effective.

Third, if we do not adapt to the chan ging world of VUCA, it can create prob lems with managing physical and men tal energy. In extreme cases, it can even lead to professional burnout.

Can all of this be dealt with? How?

K.I.: As an HR practitioner, I will show you what can be done. At BPiON, we realized that diversity can help us achieve success in business. That is why, already at the recruitment stage, we promote it so much both among mana gers and employees. Although we are an outsourcing company, not only people from this environment find employ ment with us. We are also open to pro ject work and flexible working hours (because we understand that everyone can be different).

We truly believe that diversity is our strength. Well-coordinated and coherent leadership plays a very impor tant role in building diverse communi ties. A good leader is a person, who shows the right direction when others go astray, and what is more, he agrees to go astray and make mistakes.

world, will be brave and will not be afraid to ask and make mistakes. Diver sity would only be another familiar slo gan, if there won’t be a strong and con stantly developing leader who gives meaning and direction to actions. Like many companies, we also face the ques tion – is the current decision perfect and

Today's business needs people with different experience, ages and opinions. However, it is important that after connecting the dots, there will be a team that will be able to adapt to the changing world, will be brave and will not be afraid to ask and make mistakes.

Today's business needs people with different experience, ages and opinions. However, it is important that after con necting the dots, there will be a team that will be able to adapt to the changing

the best – the answer is – check, take a risk, make a decision.

Business needs people who adapt quickly and who are not afraid to make decisions based on less data. The winners

Karolina Ignyś and Marta Różańska, BPiON.

are those who have created an organi zational culture in which people are not afraid to make decisions. Nowadays we have to accept that making a non-ideal decision is often better than not making a decision at all and waiting for "head quarters". The real strength of well-coor dinated teams are quick decisions based not only on logical arguments, but also on the intuition and experience of managers.

It has already been said that change is the most constant element of the busi ness reality. How have the expecta tions and needs of companies changed in recent years?

M.R.: When I am talking with clients, I often hear that the high quali ty of HR, payroll and accounting ser vices is very important, but it is not suf ficient anymore. Clients expect more. They expect partnership, close coopera tion and building long-term relationships. Customers expect that the processes

will be adapted to their needs and that these needs may change in the future.

The scope of the contract, systems, rules of cooperation with the client can be changed, but communication or open and partnership approach in the changing business environment must be constant.

Currently, in HR and payroll pro cesses, a lot is said about the end user, which is the client's employee. 5 years ago, the main need stressed by business was the correct and timely calculation of remuneration. This is still the base of our work, but now communication

Currently, in HR and payroll processes, a lot is said about the end user, which is the client's employee. 5 years ago, the main need stressed by business was the correct and timely calculation of remuneration.

Clients want us, apart from know ledge in the areas of human resources, payroll and accounting, also to have well-developed communication skills.

The point is to easily and in an accessi ble way convey our expert knowledge to the client and to propose a solution which will be customized to his individual needs.

is also very important. Here I mean, for example, the transmission of information in an efficient manner. Customers also pay attention, whether the systems are intuitive to use for managers and their employees, e.g. will it be quick and easy to submit and accept an HR application by telephone?

Rafał Nadolny, BPiON.

M.R.: The most important thing is that HR should HR be close to business. In order to focus on particulars, I will tell you what works in our company. At BPiON, I appreciate the close cooperation between HR and the operations depart ment. HR department understand what our employees do, understand the nature of the work of the payroll team, as well as the accounting and implementation team.

What is the most difficult for us and what are our challenges? Based on this, we agree on the development plans of our employees and managers. It is also important that HR asks very transpa rently, for example, what would help us in our daily work. HR is not only a good listener, but also a mentor for managers.

My observations show that the role of HR has evolved significantly over the years. In the past, basic areas such as training and recruitment were the most important. This is still one of the foun dations, but now the role of HR is much

K.I.: I would like to add that I see the role of HR in the VUCA world also in providing tools that are useful for business, and not those that will lie on the shelf and become dusty unused. At BPiON, the academy for managers we have implemented is such a practical tool. Why did we decide to devote resources to managerial training? Mainly to respond to the needs of our clients. Hard skills are important, but we also develop soft skills. We teach, for example, how to engage and motivate your employees. How to make difficult decisions?

At BPiON, we start with the implementation of a new employee. The onboarding process has its own framework and stages that must take place. It is important that this process can be modi fied by both parties: business and HR. It can be modified because thanks for this, it becomes as effective as possible and tailored to our needs. Development is also important to us, that is why we are so eager to promote our employees. At BPiON, we have people who started with student internships or specialist positions, and are now team leaders.

Regardless of whether we call today's world the world of VUCA, BANI, or maybe some other acronym, it is important to be careful. Be attentive to the needs of business, to new market trends and to the needs of the individual person.

wider. HR is an advisor and mentor who has great insight into the entire organi zation. Organizational culture is a good example. Of course, it is created by the entire company, but HR has a very im portant mentoring role here. Good HR is often the first to see signs of inconsis tency between the activities of individual people and the culture of the organiza tion and its rules.

As a relatively young company, we consciously abandoned the classic mis sion and vision of the organization in favor of WHY Simon Sinek. Thanks to this, in practically one sentence, we were able to define what motivates us to act and why we do it, and how we implement it remains variable. This is the strength of our organization and the source of a pro active attitude in relations with clients. Importantly, we did not create it artifi cially, but only gathered appropriate peo ple who have a common denominator.

R.N.: Just to conclude – regard less of whether we call today's world the world of VUCA, BANI, or maybe some other acronym, it is important to be care ful. Be attentive to the needs of business, to new market trends and to the needs of the individual person. History shows that in difficult times, organizational culture and team morale are key. This is an area where the Delivery team should be strongly supported by HR. It is import ant that in the changing world there are still timeless slogans. One of them we often use unconsciously: "Culture eats strategy for breakfast". The organization should be treated as one mechanism (one body) in which each of the departments – operations, implementation, sales, HR – play their irreplaceable role on the way to the implementation of their own WHY.

Thank you for the interview.

What specific HR activities can sup port business in adapting to changes? What role does organizational culture play here?

SSC/BPO sector: 10 facts and myths about shared services centers

Text | Małgorzata Kościuch

Enterprises operating in business process outsourcing and shared services centers (SSC/BPO) sector are business units that provide specialized services to other companies.

Organizations that use business outsourc ing value this solution because it is profit able: instead of creating new departments and units within their structures, they save both time and money by assigning some of their processes to shared services centers specially created for this purpose. The unrelenting outsourcing populari ty translates into the dynamic growth of the industry. Over the last few years, SSC/BPO has become one of the most rapi dly growing Polish economy sectors, with an increasing number of employees.

As a result, a lot of – not always cor rect – information concerning working in SSC/BPO companies has appeared over the years. Let's take a closer look at it and check which is true and which needs to be corrected.

1. The SSC/BPO sector offers its services at competitive prices, because it reduces operating costs in effective way.

TRUTH

Companies from the SSC/BPO sector can reduce their operating costs primarily as a result of transferring selected processes from more expensive locations (such as Germany, France) to countries characteri zed by lower costs of office space rental and human resources (e.g., Poland, Hun gary, the Czech Republic). This however does not mean that shared services sec tor saves money on employee compensa tion. According to our observations, it is actually pretty much the opposite. Shared services centers have been dynamically competing for the best talents for many

years. This results in competitive pay rates, attractive benefits and bonuses offered to employees.

2. Only experienced, qualified experts are appreciated and employed by the SSC/ BPO sector.

MYTH

Not only qualified specialists with many years of experience in similar roles can succeed in finding a job in shared services centers. Most companies in this sector also employ many recent college gradu ates. They are offered numerous opportu nities to use the knowledge gained during their studies in practice, as well as com petitive salary and attractive promotion prospects in the organization structures.

3. Companies in the SSC/BPO sector focus only on candidates and employees from large urban agglomerations.

MYTH

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, many companies from the shared services centers and business process outsourcing indus try have changed their approach towards remote and hybrid work. In a large part of organizations, this cooperation model has become not only possible, but even necessary to maintain the business pro cesses continuity. As a result of this revo lution in thinking, SSC/BPO companies have now many specialists living perma nently in smaller towns and successfully performing their duties remotely. Hence, the candidates relocation to large cities, where the companies headquarters from

the SSC/BPO sector are usually located, has recently ceased to be a necessity.

4. Each shared service center must be a large, international organization.

MYTH

Not all shared services centers are large, international organizations with hun dreds of employees. Our data shows that the SSC/BPO organizations operating in the Polish market are very diverse in this respect. Among them we can find com panies with a smaller structure and pro cesses centralized in Poland, as well as complex organizations employing thou sands of employees in many countries.

5. Employees of the SSC/BPO companies operating in Poland can count on a nonsalary benefits offer that is competitive to other organizations and industries.

TRUTH

As the SSC/BPO sector in Poland is very diverse, the benefit offer of each such company may be different – most often it depends on the location, the size of struc tures and company country of origin. Nevertheless, based on the available data on non-salary benefits in the industry, we can confirm that companies in the SSC/ BPO area offer their employees an attrac tive range of remuneration add-ons. The most common benefits offered by employers in the SSC/BPO sector include: in-house training, private healthcare, sports card, language courses, funding for corrective glasses, flexible working hours and home office options.

6. The majority of the SSC/BPO sector employees are millennials.

TRUTH

Millennials are the generation of people born in the 1980s and 1990s, also known as “digital generation” due to proficiency in using media and digital technolo gies. With the data from the Randstad Employer Brand Research 2022 study, we know that this generation is actu ally the most numerous group of shared services centers employees. 55.2% of all the staff in the SSC/BPO sector are peo ple between 25 and 34. Generational pre decessors of millennials, i.e. people aged 35–54, have a slightly smaller, but still impressive representation in the indus try: they constitute approximately 52.2% of all employees in this sector.

7. Companies from the business process outsourcing and shared services centers sector usually specialize in one area.

MYTH

Just a few years ago, shared services centers were thought of as organiza tions that were created for one pro cess exclusively. Indeed, the activities of the first companies in the SSC/BPO sector involved creating uniform, solid structures aimed at providing services in single, well-defined areas. Most often these were financial and accounting ser vices. Today, the situation in the indus try looks slightly different. Even though some organizations of this type specia lize only in accounting, accounts payable (AP), accounts receivable (AR) and gene ral ledger (GL) processes, the vast major ity of companies from the SSC/BPO sec tor have expanded their business to new areas and offer wide and comprehensive service packages to their clients.

8. The international nature of an SSC/BPO organization means internal communication in at least several foreign languages.

TRUTH

According to the ABSL report prepared for the Business Services sector in Poland for 2022, an average of 7 foreign languages are used in business service centers. The most popular are the follow ing: English, German, French, Polish, Ita lian and Spanish. Even though over 60% of companies in the industry declare that their processes include the Polish

language, candidates who apply for work in such organizations should take into an account this impressive linguis tic diversity of the shared services sector.

9. Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) is a tool without which it is difficult to imagine the functioning of shared services centers.

TRUTH

ERP is a technologically advanced system that receives data and information con cerning all areas of the company's opera tions. Thanks to this rich database of relevant information, ERP systems help to automate and integrate all processes taking place in shared services centers: those related to logistics, sales, finance, customer service, as well as adminis tration, HR and payroll. With well-im plemented ERP systems, organizations from the SSC/BPO sector can make better business decisions, take care of employee productivity in an effective way and improve communication with custom ers – and thus increase the efficiency of all their processes. All of this makes ERP

10. Polish employees of international shared services centers must take into account the possibility of working according to another country calendar or another time zone.

TRUTH

Work in international companies opera ting in the SSC/BPO area is often conduc ted in accordance to the calendar or time zone of the country of the supported company. So for many Poles employed in shared services centers it involves working, among others, during public holidays. In such cases, special benefit pools, such as additional days off, flexible working hours or higher pay rates, are often used in this industry as compen sation for work according to a foreign calendar.

More studies, including the specifics of SSC/ BPO area, can be found on the Randstad blog (in Polish): blog.randstad.pl/tag/ssc 

Author Małgorzata Kościuch Division Manager (SSC/BPO), Randstad Polska

systems one of the most important tools in SSC management over recent years.

Value is created by professionals

Interview with Marcos Segador Arrebola, President of Gi Group Holding in Poland.

FOCUS ON Business: How are recruit ment processes changing in the era of the employee market in Poland and worldwide? Do these processes need to be redesigned due to increasing expec tations from job candidates?

Marcos Segador Arrebola, Gi Group Holding: Recruitment methods must be adapted to market conditions. Otherwise, they are not effective. When we are facing a shortage of staff, low unemployment, economic migration and geopolitical instability, the processes of acquiring employees require additional attention and non-standard solutions. Consequently, it is necessary to follow the economic situation and anticipate trends even more attentively than before. It is extremely important to under stand mutual expectations, those of employees and employers. According to our observations and research, attrac tive remuneration is still the most impor tant motivator for most employees to change jobs. Next in line – especially in the case of the younger generation – is the need for self-fulfilment and develop ment, which is growing year on year, as well as work-life balance. Companies are trying to respond to these expectations, which is a major challenge these days. Another key to successful recruitment is the compatibility between the candi date profile and the company’s corpo rate culture. It is not enough for a given person to meet the criteria, he or she should feel good as part of the organi sation, otherwise they will simply leave. Employers are increasingly aware of this and increasingly often, if not sufficiently, are changing their corporate culture and take care of employer branding.

To what extent is technology currently a successful tool in recruitment?

Above all, effective recruitment takes time and competence, which is why there is a growing role for recruit ment agencies that have the know-how and extensive databases, as well as are able to respond quickly to the needs of both companies and candidates. An increasingly supportive tool is online recruitment technology or AI solutions that instantly suggest to recruiters which candidates best match the requirements and will best fit within a given company. So technology facilitates the process yet it is still the recruiter who plays the key part. In this regard, a good example is tests, which allow for getting to know the candidate, his or her competence in management styles, decision-mak ing, strategic thinking, communication or working under pressure. They are also used for diagnosing the predisposi tions of incumbents and identifying their development needs. The experience of Grafton Recruitment and Wyser in run ning Thomas International tests suggests that these tools bring true advantages when applied and interpreted by pro fessionals, both for specialists and busi ness leaders recruitment.

would you say there is a labour and recruitment market revolution ahead of us? Or are we already witnessing it?

These changes are already taking place. The need to switch to a remote or hybrid mode of operation was difficult for many companies, while for others it was a test of their preparedness for the change – both in terms of manage rial competence, team involvement and maturity but also the effectiveness of technological facilities. Companies that did not see the need for digitisation or automation, or put it off until later, had to learn this lesson quickly. We can see that the hybrid working model is well received by companies and employees alike if it is accompanied by appro priate management and a new look at people relations.

The winners are organisations where managers do not control but rather support and motivate, enterprises where relationships are based on trust, part nerships and a common goal, ones that offer opportunities for development and self-fulfilment, and whose care for their image is not superficial, but stems from focusing on socially important values.

One of the leading themes of the work shops and conferences recently organi zed by Pro Progressio are challenges related to managing and motivating hybrid teams, as well as the entry of an increasing number of Generation Z employees into the labour market. In the context of these phenomena,

Here we move easily to the second issue – the young generation. These people have higher expectations, want to develop, learn and... harmoniously combine work and personal life. They are more open to change, which also means they find it easier than their parents to make the deci sion to move to another employer.

Effective recruitment takes time and competence, which is why there is a growing role for recruitment agencies that have the know-how and extensive databases, as well as are able to respond quickly to the needs of both companies and candidates.

In which sectors does the search for job candidates currently pose the greatest challenges for recruiters?

The biggest challenge is the ongoing shortage of specialists, which is due to the mismatch between the education system and the needs of the market and the growing demand for selected spe cialisations. There is a shortage of spe cialists in production, logistics centres, transport and construction; those much wanted include automation specialists or CNC operators. Recruitment in these sectors will remain a challenge. Even if the number of industry-tailored schools were to increase several times now, it would still take time for their gradu ates to enter the labour market. Compa nies deal with the problem by taking on employees without experience, retraining them, offering them a career refocusing, and taking on foreigners.

On a daily basis, we can see how technological development is changing the structure of professions, as exem plified by successive specialisations in the IT sector as well as demand for them. Grafton Recruitment observes that there is a shortage not only of programmers but also of security or Big Data specia lists. At some point, this trend translated into a shortage of recruiters speciali sing in IT. They are at a premium today. Other industries where we see a shortage of staff are finance and HR. At the same time, the greater attentiveness of compa nies to the wellbeing and development of their employees has led to an increase in demand for HR specialists.

Managerial staff recruitment is also worth addressing. The challenge in mana ger recruitment is not availability but competences and personality. Our com pany Wyser recruits, in the first place, managers who are change-conscious, can navigate the new environment, as well as engage and support teams working remotely, while at the same time ensuring the organisation’s efficiency and competi tive position.

There has been a lot of talk recently, especially in the US, about a ‘Great Resignation’ wave. Does Gi Group

observe phenomena that are specific to the labour market in Poland?

This phenomenon has been observed mainly in the USA, Australia and Western European countries. Lack of job satisfaction and a change in life priorities there has led to a significant increase in the number of people who have decided to leave their jobs – changing companies or withdrawing from working life alto gether. In Poland, we have not observed this trend, although – paradoxically –we have low unemployment and a high percentage of those expecting better employment conditions. What is notice able, however, is a higher risk aversion than before and an increase in loyalty to the current employer. Yet this does not mean that companies should not imple ment measures to build a sense of secu rity among employees. It is more impor tant than ever to focus on people, as well as to clearly communicate the goals and challenges.

2022 is another year that the business services sector has seen an increase in both the number of job opportunities and salaries for IT, supply chain, HR, marketing or accounting roles. What is the outlook for the sector in 2023? Last year’s trend has only strengthe ned in 2022: there has been a strong rebound in the sector. The highest growth in job vacancies was seen in supply chain, HR and payroll, as well as customer ser vice. According to the Business Services 2022 report compiled by Grafton Recruit ment, earnings increased by an aver age of 6–11%, primarily in supply chain and IT, followed by financial services and banking, accounting, customer ser vice and sales and marketing. Business services is a strong growth sector that is resisting economic volatility well. Although the economic situation is uncer tain, everything indicates that the indus try will continue to grow in Poland. For Gi Group Holding, this is a very impor tant segment, the development of which we intensively support.

What challenges does the HR industry face in such unstable times as these?

On a daily basis, we can see how technological development is changing the structure of professions, as exemplified by successive specialisations in the IT sector as well as demand for them. Grafton Recruitment observes that there is a shortage not only of programmers but also of security or Big Data specialists. At some point, this trend translated into a shortage of recruiters specialising in IT.

There are more than enough of them. It is very important to actively sup port employees, to create programmes for those at risk of losing their jobs and for the unemployed. It is equally vital that employers and governments understand the enormous importance of retraining in order to best prepare employees for the challenges and disturbances ahead.

The HR industry has an important and challenging role to play. Effectively attracting specialists with key competen cies, retaining talent, looking after the fit ness of employees and supporting them at a time of dynamic change are areas that determine the future of companies and a resilient labour market. Recruit ment agencies will play a key role in pro viding such support.

Thank you for the interview.

Group insurance of individual needs

What does the future of recruitment look like? Top 10 labor market trends

Text | Martyna Petrus

As many as 78% of the surveyed human capital managers estimate that in the future more than 10% of recruitment processes will be in the metaversum. This is one of the conclusions of the "Recruitment Trends 2022" report published by Antal.

Management boards are increasingly considering whether and how to incor porate the opportunities presented by metaversum into their strategy. In addi tion, more and more projects are based on contracting cooperation – not only in the IT industry, but also in SSC/BPO, manufacturing or administration. There is also a growing interest in recruit ment process outsourcing, which allows an external company to take full care of recruitments. So what about other trends in the market?

TREND #1 WAITING FOR CV TAKES THE LONGEST

In most cases, the length of the recruitment process is about 4 weeks. On average, such processes last the longest in the manufac turing industry, FMCG, banking, insurance

The report can be downloaded at www.antal.pl.

and financial institutions and law firms.

On the other hand, the shortest recruit ment processes are in advertising and PR agencies and in the energy industry – from 3 weeks to a month.

TREND #2 HR ALWAYS ON DUTY

Most often, for as many as 66% of respondents, HR is involved in the first meeting of the recruitment process for specialist and managerial positions. Nearly half of the respondents indicate that in their organization the immediate supervisor is also involved in the process.

TREND #3 TESTS HELP IN EMPLOYEE RECRUITMENT

The most frequently used methods dur ing recruitment are technical knowledge tests (55% of respondents), language

knowledge tests – 44%, and solving busi ness cases – 40%. The least frequently used is gamification.

TREND #4 REFERENCES ARE RARELY LOOKED AT

One-third of respondents indicate that references are not checked at their com pany, as many indicate that they are checked only in a few cases. In terms of industries, references are mostly checked by representatives of banking, adverti sing agencies, consulting and e-com merce, while 40% of representatives of the IT and telecommunications industries do not check them.

TREND #5 ATTRACTIVE SALARIES STILL ON TOP

Usually, candidates decline to accept a job offer due to inadequate compensation (65%) and a counteroffer received from an existing employer (43%). 13% of respondents also indicated the importance of: missing benefits, lack of "chemistry" during the recruitment process, and family /personal reasons.

TREND #6 CANDIDATE EXPERIENCE

Respondents' opinions on candidate expe rience research are divided. The same percentage of respondents indicate that in their organizations this factor is being surveyed among candidates for specialist and managerial positions, as well as that no such survey is being conducted. Nearly

one-third of respondents answered that there are plans to start such an activity in their organizations.

TREND #7 META-RECRUITMENTS

Nearly one-third of respondents believe that metaverse will play a significant role in recruitment, and nearly 40% see vir tual reality as offering potential, while specifying that they believe it will not be a universal practice. Only 15% strongly believe that virtual reality has no appli cation in recruitment.

Most advertising and PR agency employees (58%) and FMCG (51%) are convinced that metaversum will play a significant role in recruitment. 58% of law firm representatives strongly believe that metaversum has no use in recruit ment. More barriers than opportunities are noted by employees of energy, fuel and mining (43%) and transportation, shipping and logistics (44%).

TREND #8 COMPETENCIES THAT ARE STILL MISSING

The most common missing competency of candidates for senior positions is a lack of understanding of the different areas of the company's operations. 37% of respondents indicate that candidates lack the ability to combine strategic and

operational perspectives in management, and 34% indicate an insufficient level of decision-making, i.e. a tendency to share responsibility for a decision with other managers.

TREND #9 GIG ECONOMY

GIG Economy is becoming more and more popular in Poland, but most of all it is an interesting alternative to a full-time job. It can be assumed that the number of giggers will increase year by year, and the number of platforms enabling such work will also rise. More and more pro jects are based on cooperation under con tracting – not only in the IT industry, but also in SSC/BPO, production and adminis tration. There is also a growing interest in the recruitment process outsourcing ser vice, which allows for full external com pany care over recruitment processes or large-scale recruitment campaigns. Crowdstaffing is also gaining importance following the global trends.

TREND #10 DIVERSITY MANAGEMENT STRATEGY

60% of companies conduct campaigns aimed at facilitating employment for groups at risk of exclusion on the labor market. Most often, the campaigns are targeted at women returning to the labor market after maternity leave. Almost every fourth organization addresses its activities to 50+ employees and foreigners. Although we have been talking about diversity for over ten years, as many as 42% of respondents say that their organi zations do not implement campaigns and/or processes aimed at facilitating the employment of people from groups at risk of exclusion.

ABOUT THE REPORT

The Antal study "Recruitment trends 2022" was carried out using the CAWI method on a sample of 677 specialists and mana gers between July 26 and August 14, 2022.

Author Martyna Petrus PR Specialist, Antal

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