special edition
BUSINESSWOMAN You are involved across a spectrum of roles. How do you reconcile all these duties? With adequate experience and willingness to work, you can reconcile::different roles. Perhaps I should give up something, but No. 235 /2015 www.polishmarket.com.pl it is not in my nature. I am a positive person and I cannot say “no” to people. All my activities start as someone asks me for a favour and just I cannot refuse. Sometimes I do not want to refuse. I believe that if you get organised, you can do a lot.
I ALWAYS THOUGHT THAT women CAN DO MORE.
PM
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Do you have a gradation of functions, or are they all equally important? First of all, I am the President of the International Institute of Polish Culture in Padua, which I established and I feel strong ties with. I give 100% of myself to it. Other functions that I hold are somehow related that major one. Cultural issues overlap, so I can quite easily can reconcile several functions. Since I moved to Italy many years ago, I always felt Polish and was active in supporting Polish culture. Since I have moved to Italy from the US many years ago I always felt polish and was very active in promoting polish culture. PM
It is the mission of the Institute, right? The Institute promotes Poland not only in Italy, but also in the world. I live in Padua, the Italian city most historically linked to Poland. Polish accents are conspicuous, e.g. statues of Polish kings, coats of arms of the Poles of noble birth. Two great Poles: John III Sobieski and Stefan Batory completed their studies in Padua. Zamoysky was thw geen of the univercity of Padwa. The Sala dei Quaranta (“The Hall of the Forty”) at the University of Padua in wchich we have portraits of 4 forty illustrious foreign students from all over Europe. Few people know that as many as seven of PM
them are Poles. So I encourage Poles and Polish community to come to Padua and delight in discovering our history. All Poles are impressed when I show them Padua and tell them about our common history. The world owes much to Poles, and to Polish scientists. It is a pity that so little is known about it, and It dosen’t have good promotion. You founded the Associazione Italo-Polacca Padova, with the city’s first Polish school is affiliated with it. Was it because you wanted to commemorate Polish history and national identity? The school was established in 2008 to foster the history of Poland and conduct Polish language courses for children and adults, including as part of Saturday school. I had great support from polish consul in Milan at the time Adam Szymczyk. The fact is that children who come to Italy from Poland and, after a few years, forget their mother tongue. I couldn’t understand it. I realize that the fault often lies with the parents, that did not have enough time, but we also have many parents, that care for their children polish identity, do care about their country of origin, the culture and the history. That is why, I try to help them to have the opportunity to study in a Polish school, learn the Polish language and cultivate national identity. PM
businesswoman
Dorota Hryniewiecka-Firlej
polish market 57 President of the ManageMent Board of Pfizer Polska