Polish Market No. 247/2016

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SPECIAL EDITION No. 247/2016 :: www.polishmarket.com.pl

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Powerful Businesswoman

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First and foremost: the system of values

alicja

wiecka ExEcutivE Managing DirEctor of SaS inStitutE

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BUSINESSWOMAN

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CONTENTS

4. AGATA KORNHAUSER-DUDA POLAND’S FIRST LADY

22. ANNA TĘPIŃSKA-MARCINEK, an owner and Vice-President

6. WOMEN WITH PEARLS

of the companies making up Paradyż Group: STEP BY STEP PURSUE THE GOAL

10. URSZULA CIOŁESZYŃSKA, Founder and President

25. MILITA NIKONOROV HAS BEEN BUILDING A BRAND WHICH

of Embassy for Women Entrepreneurship Foundation, Ambassador of Women’s Entrepreneurship Day in Poland: WOMEN’S SOLIDARITY IS THE MOST IMPORTANT

11. ALICJA ADAMCZAK, Ph.D., President of the Polish Patent Office: WOMEN IN AN INNOVATIVE ECONOMY

12. WOMEN IN GOVERNING BODIES OF PUBLIC COMPANIES IN POLAND 2016

14. ALICJA WIECKA, Executive Managing Director, SAS

Institute; FIRST AND FOREMOST: THE SYSTEM OF VALUES

16. MAŁGORZATA BONIKOWSKA, Ph.D., President of the Centre for International Relations Foundation: FEELING OF PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT AND LEARNING NEW THINGS ARE MOST IMPORTANT

17. ALMOST 65 YEARS OF THE INSTITUTE 18. LUDMIŁA JAMA-VOIGT, President of PPUH Voigt Sp. z o.o.; TO FULLY ENJOY SUCCESS YOU HAVE TO GIVE SOMETHING TO OTHERS

20. ANNA KOLISZ, Vice-President of Ankol: SUCCESS GAVE US A BOOST

21. KRYSTYNA BOCZKOWSKA, President of Robert

Bosch Sp. z o.o. and Representative of Bosch Group in Poland: WOMEN STILL HAVE TO MAKE MORE EFFORT TO PROVE THEIR WORTH

SPECIAL EDITION

President: Krystyna Woźniak-Trzosek

Writers/Editors: Maciej Proliński, Jan Sosna, Janusz Korzeń, Jerzy Bojanowicz, Janusz Turakiewicz,

Vice - Presidents: Błażej Grabowski, Grażyna Jaskuła

Translation: Sylwia Wesołowska-Betkier, BusinessClass

Address: ul. Elektoralna 13, 00-137 Warszawa, Poland Phone (+48 22) 620 31 42, 652 95 77 Fax (+48 22) 620 31 37 E-mail: info@polishmarket.com.pl

Contributors: Agnieszka Turakiewicz

Publisher: Oficyna Wydawnicza RYNEK POLSKI Sp. z o.o.

(RYNEK POLSKI Publishers Co. Ltd.)

Editor-in-Chief: Krystyna Woźniak-Trzosek Deputy Editor-in-Chief: Ewelina Janczylik-Foryś redakcja@polishmarket.com.pl Marcin Haber m.haber@polishmarket.com.pl

Graphic design: Godai Studio Agnieszka Andrzejczak, Joanna Wiktoria Grabowska Sales: Phone (+48 22) 620 38 34, 654 95 77 Marketing Manager: Magdalena Koprowicz m.koprowicz@polishmarket.com.pl

HAS BEEN PRESENT ON THE MARKET FOR 11 YEARS NOW

26. ALICJA WOJCIECHOWSKA, founder of Alles, a Polish lingerie manufacturer: VALUES GIVES MEANING TO LIFE

27. IWONA KOSSMANN, owner of Kossmann Fashion: THE KOSSMANN BRAND IS FOLLOWING THE “CASUAL” TREND

28. SYLWIA MOKRYSZ, Member of the Management Board at Mokate: “I AM PART OF THE MOKATE FAMILY COMPANY”

29. BEATA PAWŁOWSKA, Managing Director at Oriflame Poland Sp. z o.o.: SENSITIVE TO ECOLOGY

30. ELŻBIETA RADZIKOWSKA, Ph.D., Head of the Plastic

Surgery Department, Central Clinical Hospital of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Administration in Warsaw: HELPING PEOPLE TO RETURN TO SOCIETY

32. HALINA ZUBRZYCKA, MD, owner of the Wellness

Centre Spa w Raju (Spa in Paradise): QUALITY MAKES FOR EFFECTIVENESS

34. BEATA DRZAZGA, President of the Board of BetaMed S.A.: THE ELDERLY SHOULD NOT BE ALONE

36. MARIA CZWOJDRAK, President of Średzka Spółdzielnia Mleczarska Jana: MODERN TECHNOLOGIES AND TRADITION

Cover: Alicja Wiecka, Executive Managing Director of SAS Institute Photos on issue: www.shutterstock.com

DTP: Godai Studio www.godai.pl Printing: Zakłady Graficzne TAURUS – Roszkowscy Sp. z o. o., www.drukarniataurus.pl

Oficyna Wydawnicza RYNEK POLSKI Sp. z o.o.

Nr KRS 0000080385, Sąd Rejonowy dla m.st.

Warszawy XII Wydział Gospodarczy Kapitał zakładowy 80.000,- zł.

REGON 011915685, NIP 526-11-62-572 Published articles represent the authors’ personal views only. The Editor and Publisher disclaim any responsibility or liability for their contents. Unso-licited material will not be returned. The editors reserve the right to edit the material for length and content. The editors accept no responsibility what-soever for the content of advertising material.

Reproduction of any material from this magazine requires prior written permission from the Publisher.

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BUSINESSWOMAN

UNTIL RECENTLY I THOUGHT THAT ADDRESSING TOPICS SUCH AS “WOMEN OF SUCCESS” WAS RATHER OBSOLETE. AFTER ALL, FOR THE LAST QUARTER OF A CENTURY THE DEGREE OF SOCIAL AND ECONOMIC CHANGES IN POLAND HAS BEEN HUGE. WE ARE CHASING THE EURO-AMERICAN WORLD NOT ONLY IN TERMS OF THE ECONOMY AND THE LIVING STANDARDS BUT ALSO SOCIAL AND MORAL STANDARDS. AND SINCE THEY ALSO INCLUDE COMBATING SOCIAL DISCRIMINATION, INCLUDING THAT BASED ON GENDER, THEN...

The boundaries set by the rules of political correctness are quite clear. I am allowed to write about various successes achieved by women. However, I cannot write about women of success. This would contribute to reinforcing the glass ceiling in a situation where this real problem appears to be moving towards a positive resolution. And remains under control of both designated State officials and specialised civic organisations. Our vigilance was tempered by the introduction of gender parities and slide mechanisms in business and politics and by spectacular events such as the annual Women’s Congresses and the steadily improving position of Poland in international rankings.

Yes, the peak of self-satisfaction probably came in 2013 when in a ranking published by The Economist, a respected weekly, showing the glass ceiling index for 27 leading OECD countries Poland came... fourth, just after Norway, Sweden and Finland. Was Poland about to shatter the glass ceiling? Sadly, no. The problem was that the index compiled by The Economist included nine factors affecting the position of women in the labour market. Polish women scored well in factors of secondary importance, such as the length of the maternity leave. They did rather badly in more important areas, such as participation in the management boards (14th place) or the economic activity rate (20th place). Here we have the secret of the success. Therefore, we should not be surprised to see Poland in spot number three in terms of the disproportion of the pay received by men and women. And the European Commission studying the pay gap index gave us an equally clean bill of health.

Could the new government commissioner for equal treatment and civil society be right in claiming that “the glass ceilings are mostly in the heads of women” and the legal system in Poland guarantees full protection of women’s rights and allows their comprehensive development? The reality does not support this claim. In the current rankings of The Economist, notwithstanding their imperfections, we have come down a few notches and partial indicators show no progress at all. Well, one can say that the situation of women in other countries has not improved either.

For example, if we check the Forbes Magazine, the basic source of information on the richest people in the world, we find that just 190 women (fewer than last year) are included in the list of 1810 current billionaires and none features in the top ten.

Eleventh position is occupied by Liliane Bettencourt, 94, the main shareholder of L’Oreal, with assets worth USD 36.1 billion.

She is legally incapacitated due to dementia. In most cases female billionaires owe their fortunes to inheritance and last year the value of their assets decreased considerably, mainly because of falling share prices. The same applies to Poland where female billionaires do not dominate the list. Their holdings are mainly shares in family businesses. This is the case of billionaire No. 1: Dominika Kulczyk, who together with her brother Sebastian inherited the fortune of the Kulczyk family. However, leading Polish female billionaires include many who have made an undisputed contribution to the creation of their family business. Suffice it to mention Solange Olszewska, Teresa Mokrysz or Grażyna Kulczyk.

All Polish studies of recent years clearly demonstrate the growing advantage of women in terms of education and professional grounding at almost all levels of education, apart from vocational schools. This is accompanied by a tendency towards faster occupational activation of women compared with men. This shows that although eliminating the negative consequences of the glass ceiling is a highly complex task, the stakes justify the effort. The barriers blocking careers of women are also the barriers blocking social and economic development. Therefore, we should show those who have managed to overcome them.

Krystyna Woźniak-Trzosek Editor-in-Chief President of Rynek Polski Publishers Co. Ltd.

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AGATA KORNHAUSER-DUDA

POLAND’S FIRST LADY

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people offer an excellent space for acquiring competencies and skills by the former.

She said during the inauguration of the series of debates: “I am sure that we should closely listen to your voice, because you have a lot to say to us, we should also ask questions so that we can then explain to you the issues that are of concern to you.

I am also convinced that young people should be involved in interesting and wise initiatives, so that to-

gether we can create a platform for action. I would also like you to know that we take you seriously.

And from my teaching experience and years of cooperation with youth I know that you want to be treated seriously.”

“Dear All, I would like to stress that the exchange of ideas and activities will become a platform for dialogue between young people and professionals.

Thanks to this we will create in Poland a truly engaged

Photos: prezydent.pl

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ll her life has been associated with Kraków where she was born, lived and taught. Having received her school-leaving qualification in 1991, she commenced university education at the Department of German Studies of the Jagiellonian University, which she completed in 1997 with a master’s degree. After graduation, initially Agata Kornhauser found employment in a private firm, and subsequently from October 1998 to 2015 she worked as a German language teacher in Jan III Sobieski High School in Kraków. Next to her teacher’s responsibilities, Agata Kornhauser-Duda was among others in charge of organizing students’ exchange programmes with schools from German-speaking countries.

Since 1994, she has been married to Andrzej Duda. They have one daughter Kinga.

Since August 2015, Agata Kornhauser-Duda has been Poland’s First Lady, whose duties are not limited only to representing the Republic of Poland because she focuses mostly on education and charity.

She was the initiator of the series of debates entitled “Experts Ask the Young” during which young people speak about their experiences and problems and experts listen to the solutions proposed by them. Agata Kornhauser-Duda is convinced that young people are entitled to participate in various areas of life and we should take advantage of their intelligence, passion, inventiveness, resourcefulness, sensitivity and determination. She believes that exchanges of thoughts and experiences based on the authority of the master and the curiosity of the student will foster greater trust and creativity among the young leading to the establishment in Poland of a committed and responsible community.

Although in the era of social media expansion the importance of personal contact is often forgotten, in the opinion of the First Lady meetings between the young and the professionals, wise and creative

FOR THE FIRST LADY THE FATE OF THE CHILDREN IS VERY IMPORTANT AND EACH TIME SHE PROVES THAT SHE LOVES TO BE IN THEIR COMPANY.

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BUSINESSWOMAN

First Lady Agata Kornhauser-Duda with Irena Koźmińska (recipient of a Honorary Pearl of “Polish Market” for the promotion of social values) and Elżbieta Olszewska from “ABCXXI - All of Poland Reads to Kids” Foundation

community. I would like the young people to talk to experts on important topics, share with them their interests, their passions. The experts will be able to listen to what young people have to offer. I hope that this will be a good place for good communication, and also for shaping civic attitudes. We live in an era of fast developing social media and often forget the importance of direct communication. But I believe that such meetings as that held today – talks of young people with professionals - will be a good space primarily for dialogue, mutual understanding, openness, and will be a good basis for an interesting education.”

The First Lady is also very heavily involved in the promotion of reading. She actively supports the “All of Poland Reads to Kids” campaign. In connection with the 15th National Week of Reading to Children held under the slogan “Reading Gives You Wings”, the First Lady invited to the Presidential Palace the initiator of the campaign, Irena Koźmińska, president of the “ABCXXI - All of Poland Reads to Kids” Foundation (recipient of a Honorary Pearl of “Polish Market” for the promotion of social values) and Elżbieta Olszewska, Programme Director of the Foundation. She said that she greatly appreciated efforts to develop readership in Poland, especially measures that encourage children and youth to reach for books, and for this reason she would join the scheme involving reading aloud to children in schools and kindergartens.

The First Lady also personally encourages children and students to read books. At one such meeting she said that we live in times of expansive development of social media, and unfortunately the use of the “miracles of technology” entails a reduction in the level of readership. In May this year, Agata Kornhauser-Duda took part in the 8th Marathon of Reading at the Ignacy Łukasiewicz Primary School

in Brzesko. This year the Marathon was held under the patronage of the First Lady.

For the First Lady the fate of children is very important and each time she proves that she loves to be in their company. It is understandable, after all she was a teacher of the German language for many years. And even though she now had to suspend her professional work, a true teacher is for life. Agata Kornhauser-Duda participated with great pleasure in the end of the school year ceremony at the St Stanislaus Kostka High School in Warsaw. Students who excelled in their studies received school certificates with a white-red stripe.

She is very committed to helping students by engaging in such campaigns as the collection of textbooks, teaching aids, board games and books for Polish schools in Lviv, Lanivtsi and Stryi. One of the first initiatives of Agata Kornhauser-Duda which she joined as the First Lady was the campaign of Caritas called Backpack Full of Smiles, thanks to which pupils receive support in the form of school kits.

She is not indifferent to the fate of children with disabilities. The First Lady often meets with disabled children. One of such meetings was a visit by Agata Kornhauser-Duda at the Róża Czacka Educational Centre for Blind Children in Laski. The First Lady learned about the methods of teaching blind pupils by taking part in a drawing lesson, and reading and writing using the Braille method. The First Lady has also extended her honorary patronage over many festivals such as the 2nd International “Snail Rhythms” Festival and this year’s 20th Jubilee International Song Festival of Young Disabled People “Artistic Impressions,” so well-known to readers of “Polish Market” (“Polish Market” has for many years been supporting the Artistic Impressions Festival, and Krystyna Woźniak-Trzosek served as president of the jury of the festival).

The First Lady is also sensitive to women’s issues.

She does not restrict herself to the problems faced by businesswomen but also addresses matters important to many women struggling with everyday life. She has proven this by holding a meeting with members of farmers wives’ associations and saying to them “Your civic activity and cultivation of tradition and culture enrich not just the rural areas in Poland, but the entire country… Women have been organising themselves in the countryside for 150 years. But their role in the development of our country cannot be underestimated. While men lost their lives at wars, women had to shoulder the burden of looking after the home, bringing up children, but also the duty of passing on the knowledge of what Poland is all about. […] These women are only rarely mentioned in history books and have few monuments. And they are silent, nameless heroines no less important than their husbands, fathers, brothers, who gave their lives for the fatherland.”

Agata Kornhauser-Duda extended her patronage and met with the representatives of the 2016 Global Summit of Women held in Warsaw on June 9-11.

The guests of the First Lady included Irene Natividad, chairwoman of the Global Summit of Women (GSW), Henryka Bochniarz, chairwoman of the Polish GSW Committee and president of the Lewiatan Confederation and representatives of the world of politics and business from different countries.

Agata Kornhauser-Duda greeted the ladies in Poland, saying: “The creativity of women around the world is huge. Thanks to such traits as conscientiousness, dutifulness, responsibility and empathy, they owe their success in the areas they have chosen to pursue their vocational and civic activity.

We all know that it is necessary to create conditions allowing women to act, because they are perfectly able to find innovative solutions. Your presence at this year’s Summit is proof that it is worth talking and working together, that women play an important role in today’s advanced digital world and do well in technical professions.”

Wishing them a good stay in Poland, the First Lady thanked her guests for their commitment to promoting entrepreneurship among women. “I hope that you will take with you very good impressions.

I invite you to visit our country again. You will always be welcomed and warmly received here,” said Agata Kornhauser-Duda.

The 26th Global Summit of Women is a leading international business and economic forum of women, unofficially called the “Women’s Davos” in view of the participation of key representatives of the government and the business world. The Summit was held in Central Europe for the first time and its main topic was “Building an Inclusive Economy in the Digital Era”. One of the may objectives of this year’s “Women’s Davos” is to show the creativity of women and their innovative solutions in supporting and developing different economies, including that in Poland.

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WOMEN WITH PEARLS

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The Honorary Pearls of “Polish Market”, awarded to the most outstanding personalities and institutions in the fields of economy, culture, science, social values and patriotism, whose achievements, experience, prestige and undisputed personal qualities allow to recognise them as ambassadors of the highest Polish values, are presented at the Royal Castle in Warsaw.

Maciej Proliński he Honorary Pearls are awarded by a Jury composed of individuals enjoying great authority and recognition: Prof. Jerzy Buzek, Member of the European Parliament; Tadeusz Donocik, President of the Regional Chamber of Commerce in Katowice; Grażyna Jaskuła, Vice-President of the Publishing House “Polish Market”; Prof. Janusz Lipkowski, President of the Jury; Prof. Ksawery Piwocki, Former Rector of the Academy of Fine Arts in Warsaw; Prof. Andrzej Rottermund, former Director of the Royal Castle in Warsaw; Adam Szejnfeld, Member of the European Parliament; Janusz Steinhoff, President of the Council of the Regional Chamber of Commerce in Katowice and President of the Polish Chamber of Commerce, Prof. Andrzej Wiszniewski, Former Minister of Science and Higher Education; Krystyna Woźniak-Trzosek, President of the Publishing House “Polish Market” and Editor-inChief of “Polish Market.”

In the years 2006-2015, the Honorary Pearls were awarded to the following 14 ladies: in the category of culture - Urszula Dudziak, Małgorzata Walewska, Anna Maria Jopek, Krystyna Janda and Maryla Rodowicz; in the category of science (industrial design) - Czesława Frejlich and Ewa Gołębiowska; in the category of science - Alicja Chybicka and Maria Siemionow; in the category of social values’ promotion - Janina Ochojska, Bożena Kazanowska, Bożena Walter (and TVN Foundation “You Are Not Alone”), Małgorzata Żak (and Polsat Foundation) and Irena Koźmińska.

URSZULA DUDZIAK is the first lady of Polish jazz.

She always adds a unique element in the collective work of the band. And she worked, in the studio and on the stage, with artists like Herbie Hancock, 6 polish marketspecial edition 2016

Marcus Miller, Bobby McFerrin, Krzysztof Komeda, Michał Urbaniak. She was a soloist with Gil Evans’s orchestra. She recorded about 50 albums.

When we started touring, it was said that sings as if “she was continuously smiling.” And it is until today the essence of her performance. A scene is a sacred place for her. “Wszystko gra” is her last year’s excellent new album, which consists of compositions and arrangements of pianist Jan Smoczyński.

Jazz is mixed here with quite perky and lively music from around the world. Everything is transparent like in Mozart. The primacy of melody makes you quickly memorise the song, and within a few minutes, you can capture the incredible joy of that art in its final, though so greatly improvised, shape. The sounds of this album offers a sheer pleasure. This precision combined with swinging freedom! These are beautiful unisons and compositions, arranged with great flair and immediately perceptible space.

MAŁGORZATA WALEWSKA is considered one of the foremost mezzo-sopranos of our times, acclaimed in operas around the world. She graduated from the Fryderyk Chopin Music Academy in Warsaw in the class of Prof. Halina Słonicka. She participated in many international competitions: in 1992 she won the first prize in the Alfredo Kraus Competition in Las Palmas and two best mezzo-soprano prizes in the Stanisław Moniuszko International Competition in Warsaw. She was also a finalist of the Belvedere International Singing Competition in Vienna and the Luciano Pavarotti Competition in Philadelphia. While still a student in 1991, she sang Asa in Paderewski’s “Manru” at the Grand TheatreNational Opera. In 2006, she made her debut at the Metropolitan Opera in New York as Dalila in “Samson and Dalila” (with José Cura as Samson),. In 1999,

the British magazine “The Time” called Walewska one of the “bright stars who will lead Poland into the next millennium.” In 2014, she was appointed as Artistic Director of the Ada Sari International Festival and Competition of Vocal Arts.

ANNA MARIA JOPEK is one of the most impor-

tant Polish jazz singers and one of the most charming ambassadors of Polish jazz in the world. Her first album - “Ale jestem” - was released almost 20 years ago, namely in 1997. The music and colourful, stylistically diverse arrangements by Mateusz and Marcin Pospieszalski, as well as a distinct, individual style of Anna Maria, made her debut a well-deserved success. Since that time, she collaborated with the major figures of Polish and world jazz: Branford Marsalis, Richard Bona, Tomasz Stańko, Leszek Możdżer, Henryk Miśkiewicz, Marek Napiórkowski and the above mentioned brothers Pospieszalski. In 2002, Anna Maria Jopek realised a common project - an album and concerts - with Pat Metheny, the world’s greatest jazz guitarist. It was one of the most important projects in the history of Polish jazz, and Polish music at all so far.

KRYSTYNA JANDA is no doubt one of the busiest

institutions of Polish theatre and film. Actress, director, and for almost a decade also head of Polonia Theatre, a private venture combining the audience success with the artistic one. “Theatre seems today one of the cleanest, in terms of ideas, happiest and safest places in the world. A place where people under the miraculous agreement, which have some enter the stage and others listen to them and watch, still wonder about the major concepts of humanity: love, morality, truth, friendship, humanity,” says Janda, who from the inception of her

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BUSINESSWOMAN Urszula Dudziak

foundation fantastically enriches the capital’s cultural offer. Robin Hawdon, one of the most popular writers of English comedies and farces, wrote especially for Krystyna Janda “Weekend with R.” staged with great success in Warsaw. Thanks to Janda, creator of important stage events, we could see in theatre and with her participation such plays as: Chekhov’s “32 Faints” directed by Andrzej Domalik, “Danuta W.” directed by Janusz Zaorski based on a sensational book by Danuta Wałęsowa. And she directed by herself “Loves of a Blonde,” a story taken from the famous film by Miloš Forman and an oratorio based on the “Dairy of the Warsaw Uprising” by Miron Białoszewski. The actress does not neglect cinema either. Unquestionably, her greatest film achievements invariably include “Interrogation”

by Ryszard Bugajski for which she received the Best Actress Award at the Cannes Film Festival, and a double, moving and so painfully “not acting-like” role in “Sweet Rush” by Andrzej Wajda.

MARYLA RODOWICZ is an icon of the Polish musical scene. She has about 2,000 songs and 30 albums in her catalogue. She has never stopped to catch her breath for several decades. The greatest masters of Polish song have written for her - Agnieszka Osiecka, Ernest Bryll and Jonasz Kofta, and she has worked with such prominent composers as Katarzyna Gaertner and Seweryn Krajewski. A total of 15 million albums of Maryla Rodowicz have been sold to date. She has toured all over the world – in Europe, Russia, America, Australia and Asia. She won many awards and took part in many international festivals, e.g. in Oklahoma, or Los Angeles.

What do we appreciate most about her? Her repertoire, of course: thrilling and moving songs - you can hardly find among them something you would not want to listen to, something you would not want to come back to - deep lyrics and enjoyable, captivating melody. And, last but not least, her amazing vocals. Strong, full of energy, her very own timbre.

“This award is a surprise. Never in my life would I expect to receive the Pearl of ‘Polish Market’! My career started in 1967 when I won the first prize at the Student’s Song Festival in Kraków. I believe that this Pearl will propel me into another 50 years of my career,” she told us in 2013.

PROF. CZESŁAWA FREJLICH is a graduate of the Academy of Fine Arts in Kraków. Until 2000, she was an active industrial and functional graphics designer. She also excels in ergonomic design. She has authored a number of publications on design and ergonomics. Her greatest achievement in the field recognized by our distinction is the initiative started in 2011 to open and write for “2+3D”, the best Polish design quarterly. This is her personal initiative: she raised funds, found editors (herself being the chief editor), and organises many associated events. And it was for all that work - spreading information and

bringing artists and designers to the leading design events in the world, and enabling the industrial implementation of the achievements of our designers – that she was awarded.

Małgorzata Walewska

Prof. Alicja Chybicka

EWA GOŁĘBIOWSKA is the originator and, since 2005, director of the Silesian Castle of Art and Enterprise in Cieszyn. In the years 2005-2007, she was a coordinator of “Silesian Design Network”, the first comprehensive programme for the promotion and implementation of design in Poland. The programme, considered to be the best example of implementation of regional innovation strategies, brought a marked improvement in the use of design by businesses and local governments not only in Silesia. The castle itself is a successful example of revitalisation. Within a few years, it has become a popular and highly regarded meeting place for design and business communities, inspiring the development of similar initiatives elsewhere in Poland. The castle was a venue for dozens of exhibitions, symposia, meetings and workshops. Students of the Academies of Fine Arts from all over Poland were involved in these projects, and some of their designs found interest from manufacturers.

The activity of the Cieszyn Castle helped many Polish schools to establish foreign contacts both educational and industrial. The commitment and efforts of Ewa Gołębiowska towards ensuring the modern development of Poland, as well as organic work, so needed today, invariably arouse admiration and respect.

PROF. ALICJA CHYBICKA is Head of the Department and Clinic of Paediatric Bone Marrow Transplantation, Oncology and Haematology, Wrocław Medical University. As an outstanding student, she was proposed an individual plan of studies under the guidance of Prof. Janina Bogusławska-Jaworska.

At that time the professor was laying foundations for the development of paediatric oncology in Wrocław.

Alicja Chybicka has been head of the clinic since 2000 and president of the Polish Paediatric Society since 2007. She not only fights for children’s health and life, but is also a friend to their parents. She always stands by her patients. She deals mainly with haematology, oncology and bone marrow transplantation. “Having the honour to treat children in our clinic, I have always been of the opinion that it is them who are the most important and that no one should tell me that money is more important than their life and health. I would like every person who decides to study medicine not to look at its financial aspects. It is the patient that has to be the centre of attention. Everything should be subordinated to their needs and not the other way round.

Not to money, graphs or business. The treatment standards we offer our young patients at our clinic do not differ from those at the best European centres,” she told us in 2014. polish market

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Krystyna Janda

and the Extramural Higher Vocational School of TV Production in Łódź. She started her career in the Polish Television (TVP) in the 1970s; she was a co-host and a co-author of popular TV programme “Studio 2”. It was on her initiative that the TVN Foundation “You Are Not Alone” was established by a TV station TVN in 2001. Bożena Walter served as its president. “The TVN Foundation has a power, which is access to television.

All we need to do is to reliably describe things and humbly ask viewers to send money, that is SMS text messages,” she says. The foundation supports a number of projects related to health care, life quality and education. It lends support to people suffering from serious and incurable illness and in need of expensive medical treatment; funds therapies and grants social pensions; helps hospitals, orphanages and rehabilitation centres.

PROF. MARIA SIEMIONOW is a Polish transplant

surgeon who works in the US. She completed medical studies at the Academy of Medical Sciences in Poznań. After emigrating to the United States, she was offered a scholarship and specialised in hand surgery. In 2008, a team of doctors led by Prof. Siemionow conducted the first-ever successful face transplant. In a 22-hour procedure, 46-year-old Connie Culp, who was shot by her husband, had approx.

80% of her face transplanted from a dead donor. The transplantation involved the reconstruction of the face including bone, cartilage and vascular tissues.

The US media hailed it as the most revolutionary surgery in recent decades, and Maria Siemionow’s name was cited in the major world media, and she herself went down in the history of medicine. Prof.

Siemionow is now working on new therapies supporting transplants so that patients after an organ transplant do not have to take immunosuppressant (anti-rejection) drugs in the future.

JANINA OCHOJSKA is Poland’s best known hu-

manitarian activist. She studied astronomy at the Nicolaus Copernicus University in Toruń. After graduation, she worked in the Polish Academy of Sciences’ Laboratory of Astrophysics in Nicolaus Copernicus Astronomy Centre in Toruń. As a student, she was active in the Academic Chaplaincy of Jesuits in Toruń, and in 1976 joined the opposition and was involved in the creation of “Solidarity” in Torun. In 1984, she went to France for a surgery and there she encountered the idea of humanitarian ​​ aid.

As a volunteer, she worked for a charity “EquiLibre” looking for contacts and coordinating assistance to Poland. In 1989, she was one of the founders of the Polish branch of “EquiLibre.” In 1994, she founded the Polish Humanitarian Action, where she has served as President of the Board ever since. In 2004, “Polityka” weekly placed her seventh in the ranking of the most influential women in Poland. She is disabled since early childhood. Through her perseverance and kindness, she became known and admired throughout the country and around the world.

Bożena Kazanowska is a sociotherapist from the Centre for Blind and Visually-Impaired Children in Lublin and founder of the Polish Touch and Feel Book Library, a unique institution offering tactile books for children. The library has its premises in Lublin, and the books are lent and sent free of charge to blind and visually-impaired children, and also children who are unable to leave the confines of their homes over the country. Tactile illustrations are produced on-site and handmade by Bożena Kazanowska and cooperating volunteers. All those involved in the project are working on a pro bono. The establishment of the library marked a breakthrough in access to literature for children with visual problems, bringing an absolutely new quality to the lives of many children and their parents.

BOŻENA WALTER is a graduate of the Faculty of Oriental Studies of the Jagiellonian University, 8 polish marketspecial edition 2016

Maryla Rodowicz

Irena Koźmińska

MAŁGORZATA ŻAK graduated from the Faculty of Economics, University of Maria CurieSkłodowska in Lublin and the Faculty of Journalism and Political Science, University of Warsaw.

She is the founder of the Polsat Foundation, a nationwide TV foundation, aimed at helping people with disabilities as well as sick children and their parents. She served as president of the foundation until 2012. The Polsat Foundation has created a system of rapid and effective response to assistance requests. Information received from parents is verified and applications are processed according to established criteria. The money is spent on treatments, surgeries, therapies and rehabilitation. The campaign “We Are For Children” is the most recognisable project of the foundation.

The campaign aims to raise funds for treatment and rehabilitation of children-beneficiaries of the Polsat Foundation.

IRENA KOŹMIŃSKA has for years been a promoter of readership among children and adolescents in Poland. She is the founder and president of the Foundation “ABCXXI - All of Poland Reads to Kids”; in 2001 she initiated a social campaign “All of Poland Reads to Kids”, aimed in particular to encourage parents, teachers and other adults to devote at least 20 minutes a day to reading to children. “The campaign ‘All of Poland Reads to Kids’ was inspired by the words of Jim Trelease, the US-born author of ‘Read-Aloud Handbook’: ‘A nation that reads little, little known. A nation that knows little, take bad decisions – at home, in business, in the court at the ballot box. Uneducated majority can outvote the educated minority – it is a very dangerous aspect of democracy.’ The study by IPSOS dated 2011 confirmed the effectiveness of our campaign: 54% of parents reported that they read to their children. Other children, if they are not read to at home or in kindergarten, unfortunately start school without being quite prepared in terms of good language knowledge and thinking skills. That is why we keep reminding about reading!,” she told us in 2015.

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WOMEN’S

SOLIDARITY IS THE MOST

IMPORTANT

URSZULA CIOŁESZYŃSKA, Founder and President of Embassy for Women Entrepreneurship Foundation, Ambassador of Women’s Entrepreneurship Day in Poland

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ominated by the European Commission as an Ambassador of the European Network of Women Entrepreneurship Ambassadors in 2009, Urszula Ciołeszyńska decided to continue the project to Poland, organising the Polish Network of Women Entrepreneurship Ambassadors. She went on to establish in Poland two foundations that promote entrepreneurship among women.

A graduate of the University of Economics in Wrocław, she has many years of experience of working in both government administrations as well as in multinational companies. Since 2003, she has owned the Economic Promotion Agency, a consulting firm, specialising in providing comprehensive advisory services to new and existing businesses in Poland to acquire funding through the European Union.

During her time with public administration, she collaborated with the American Peace Corps volunteers - economic advisors who came to Poland to teach entrepreneurship. A graduate of the International Leadership Exchange, a US exchange programme that she attended in the US, she had an opportunity to take a closer look at practical solutions applied by some US states for the benefit of economic development, including entrepreneurship incubators, career centres and institutions supporting the growth of small and medium-sized enterprises.

She is a co-founder of the Club of Entrepreneurs and Experts under the National Board of the Polish Economic Society.

She is a member of the International Association of Lions Clubs, one of the largest volunteer organisations in the world. In recognition of her international social activities, she was awarded the title of Goodwill Ambassador of Lions Clubs International.

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She is guided in her life by a simple principle “the more you give, the more you get”, and it is not just about money. For her, honesty and responsibility are the values that ​​give meaning to life and are the driving force behind action. She believes that we are obliged to use our talents to help those who need help.

The appointment of Urszula Ciołeszyńska, in 2009, as Ambassador of the European Network of Women Entrepreneurship Ambassadors was an impetus to create the Polish Network of Women Entrepreneurship Ambassadors (together with a dedicated foundation), which currently brings together more than 300 women throughout Poland.

The Polish Network of Women Entrepreneurship Ambassadors is modelled on the European Network of Women Entrepreneurship Ambassadors, and brings together successful women who focus on providing role models, while running their own businesses.

The Women Entrepreneurship Ambassadors are selected in keeping with the principle of diversity, which means that they represent all regions in Poland and various company sizes, industry sectors, entrepreneurs’ backgrounds, ages and experiences.

The mission of the Women Entrepreneurship Ambassadors is to promote enterprise among women as well as to motivate and support them to employ their skills and passions in order to create and establish new values.

We promote the idea “The Success Can Be Yours – Be An Example For Others.”

In order to promote a positive image of entrepreneurs, one of the prerequisites for being selected as Women Entrepreneurship Ambassador is to abide by ethical standards in business. We also strongly encourage Women Entrepreneurship Ambassadors

to demonstrate the Code of Ethics of the Polish Network of Women Entrepreneurship Ambassadors in their firms as far as possible.

Urszula Ciołeszyńska is a co-founder of the Brussels-based Women Entrepreneurship Platform, which aims to support women’s entrepreneurship based on the five pillars, representing five areas of women’s entrepreneurship which need to be encouraged, supported and promoted: 1. Entrepreneurship Education, 2. Networking, 3. Innovations, 4. Access to Financing and 5. Entrepreneurship-Friendly Government Policies.

Urszula’s action towards international promotion of women’s entrepreneurship have not been passed unnoticed. She was invited to join the group of Ambassadors of the International Day of Women’s Entrepreneurship, as a representative of Poland. Last year, 19 November was officially proclaimed as the Women’s Entrepreneurship Day WED. The United Nations established that every year this day will be dedicated to entrepreneurial women, who own or co-own firms, especially family businesses, or who are planning their careers running their own business. As part of WED, special programmes were dedicated to female students - Student Ambassador Programme, and to colleges - Education Programme.

Women’s Entrepreneurship Day is not one day in a year, but a global movement promoting entrepreneurship among women. It was launched in partnership with the United Nations and the US State Department. WED’s mission is to empower women and their businesses, as well as gather a think tank of women leaders that amplify their merged message of expanding businesses with good social initiatives in communities around the world.

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WOMEN IN AN INNOVATIVE ECONOMY ALICJA ADAMCZAK, Ph.D., President of the Polish Patent Office

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nnovation based on knowledge and the practical application of the outcomes of R&D work is one of the pillars of the modern economy. Developing creativity and innovative attitudes is a challenge for society as a whole, and a prerequisite for gaining competitive advantage and commercial success on domestic and foreign markets. In the processes conditioning economic growth it is impossible to overestimate the role of women, which is particularly apparent in the progress made by many developed countries. Their policy is focused on utilising the potential of women actively participating in socio-economic life, and primarily operating in the science and business sectors. The remarkable successes of women are especially notable in industries requiring creativity, advanced skills and precision, and often sensitivity and consistency in solving technical and organisational problems.

The experiences of many developed economies (e.g. Germany, France, Sweden, Finland) which have reached a high technological level demonstrate that utilising women’s intellectual potential in science and business has a positive impact on the GDP level, which in turn contributes to society’s wellbeing. Specialised studies clearly show that using the potential of women brings considerable development opportunities.

According to the report of the Digital Agenda for Europe, evening out the number of women and men in technological companies in the EU would contribute to an increase in the EU’s total GDP by approx. EUR9 billion. It was also found that the rate of return on equity varies according to whether the company has been managed by a man or a woman. Companies managed by women record a 35% higher rate of return. The results prove that Poland has a considerable potential due to the very high number of female graduates and academic staff members, accounting for approx. 50% of academic personnel in total. It is worth pointing out that many women in Poland are awarded doctoral degrees, with over 40% of the degrees belonging to women, for whom acquiring knowledge and skills is a way towards development and professional fulfilment. The data point to the importance of utilising women’s potential through their increased involvement in innovative activities and of recognising the value of the intellectual property created by them. It is particularly crucial to facilitate broadly understood education in creative industries, which create space for creative and professional activity. To ensure sustainable economic development it is essential to provide women and men with equal access to all levels of professional careers in science and business,

which is one of the basic conditions for the efficient operation of an innovative and competitive economy.

The Polish Patent Office has for years emphasised the issues associated, with women’s valuable contribution to inventions, in particular in the area of modern design, which plays a special role in improving the quality of life and in the development of innovative economy in Poland and abroad. This year’s conference, dedicated to social innovation in industrial design, was a significant contribution to developing cooperation between designers and producers aimed at simplifying the everyday life of people with health- or age-related dysfunctions or limitations. It is also important to provide these people with an opportunity to use their creative potential, which can serve the whole of society. This subject matter also encompasses the legal protection of design as industrial property and the issue of raising social awareness of the economic role of design. The increasingly important achievements of women and their high potential in the field of designing utility products make this subject a matter of particular relevance to many communities, including women active in the fields of business and design, or planning to undertake such activities.

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WOMEN IN GOVERNING BODIES OF PUBLIC COMPANIES IN POLAND 2016 The aim of the study of Women in Business Leadership Foundation is to present the representation of women in governing bodies of public companies in Poland and to analyse the factors which may influence the current state of affairs. Data collected for the period of 2012-2015 also allows to examine the trends and directions of changes related to diversity and partnership in business. The study covered all companies listed on the Warsaw Stock Exchange. The indicators from our study, showing women’s representation on public companies’ management and supervisory boards, were presented in the breakdown into the Main Market and NewConnect. Additionally, women’s representation in top decision-making positions is shown: CEOs, chairs and vice-chairs of supervisory boards.

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n line with the most recent analyses conducted in other countries, companies with at least three women in their governing bodies were studied separately. Companies with no women on management or supervisory boards were also presented. As a reference point for the remaining issuers, the Report contains a detailed characteristic of governing bodies’ composition in the largest companies included in the WIG30 index and companies with at least 25% of shares owned by the State Treasury. The second area of analyses was an attempt to identify the factors which influence women’s representation in public companies’ governing bodies. In the first place, it was examined whether women’s representation on management and supervisory boards depends on the industry and on company size expressed as its level of capitalisation. Moreover, the study checked if appointment of women to seats on governing bodies of companies depends on ownership structure.

Considering the fact that the majority of companies listed on the WSE have highly concentrated shareholder structure, women’s representation in companies’ governing bodies was analysed in terms of the type of their majority shareholder: the State Treasury, foreign shareholder or the family controlled company. The influence of management and supervisory board size on the level of women’s representation was also shown. The source of information on the composition of companies’ bodies in 2012-2014 were the annual financial statements, as well as Directors’ Reports. For the year 2015 these were the websites as of 27 November, 2015. The website of the Ministry of State Treasury provided

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information on the structure of companies with at least 25% of shares owned by the State Treasury. The collected data allows presentation of the dynamics of change in women’s representation in public companies’ bodies. For several years the balanced representation of women and men in governing bodies of public companies has been one of the most debated Good Practices of corporate governance worldwide. Despite that, in many countries the process of compliance with these practices has been slow and has not brought significant changes in the composition of management and supervisory boards. As a result, like in the case of other Good Practices, for instance those which refer to creation of specialised board committees supporting their activities, after a certain time the principles of corporate governance are transferred to mandatory legal regulations. This is why in the majority of the European Union countries’ legal regulations include the norm obliging companies to appoint women to their bodies so that the representation of both sexes is balanced.

The present Report contains a review of the introduced regulations related to quotas as the most frequently used instrument for increasing the representation of women in governing bodies of public companies and companies with State Treasury as a shareholder in the developed and developing countries. The Report also shows other methods of reaching the goal of conducting the policy of balanced representation of women and men in top decision-making positions in companies, based on Good Practices, citing as example such organizations as: mBank, Pelion, GE, Orlen, Totalizator Sportowy and EY.

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Ranking of women’s representation in governing bodies of WIG30 companies, as of the end of 2015.

Women in governing bodies of public companies with at least 25% of shares owned by the State Treasury.

In the largest companies publicly listed on the WSE women were most ly present on super visor y boards. In 2012-2015 a slight increase of their representation on supervisory boards of WIG30 companies is noted.

It needs stressing that the number of women on supervisory boards was increasing, although the total number of members decreased. The index of women’s representation in management boards of WIG30 companies remained unchanged in 20122014, and increased only in 2015. At the same time, in 2012 only two women held the position

of management board chairs in one of the largest public companies, while in 2013-2015 only one woman held such position. In 2015, in comparison with the previous year, the number of women on management boards increased by six. Their percentage also grew.

Still, only in two cases women were appointed to replace the resigning male members. In four other instances the size of management board was increased to make room for female members. The most women – as many as four – were on the management board of Alior Bank. ING Bank followed suit with three women holding seats on the management board, including Małgorzata Kołakowska as its CEO. She was the only female CEO of a company included in WIG30 in 2013-2015. In three companies there were two women on each management board, and in further five companies there was one woman. It is worth stressing that in industrial companies they often managed administrative or legal departments. Only in banks women managed the divisions which are considered as more prominent divisions, such as risk or finance. In 19 companies out of 30 there were no women on management boards. In companies where representation of women on management boards was the highest, their representation on supervisory boards was simultaneously low and did not exceed 25%.

In 2015 the number of women in the supervisory body was twice as high as in the managing body. In 21 companies at least one woman held a seat on supervisory board. In the majority of cases there was only one such woman. In five companies at least three women held the seat of the supervisory board member. In 2012-2015 the number of companies with three women in governing bodies nearly tripled. At the same time, the number of companies with no women decreased twofold and in 2015 amounted to only four. Women held the position of supervisory board chair in seven out of the 30 largest listed companies. The number of women in this position grew steadily during the whole period under study.

• The report was prepared by Women in Business Leadership Foundation polish market

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FIRST AND FOREMOST:

THE SYSTEM OF VALUES ALICJA WIECKA, Executive Managing Director, SAS Institute, talks to “Polish Market”.

You have won many recognitions and awards for the best managers in Poland. The company managed by you is the market leader and the best employer in Poland. What do these accomplishments mean for you?

First of all, they confirm that I have chosen the right direction – the system of values, the approach to matters and people – but I also feel called to share the best practices with others. I have always dreamt of working in an environment where certain values are embraced: integrity, accountability, respect and trust. And I have achieved it. I have also tried to create such environment for my employees. From the perspective of managing a company for 25 years, I can say that it is the right approach. A long-term success of a company cannot be built on unfair practices. Today, customers are looking for trusted business partners, and employees expect integrity from their employers. This principle is particularly valid for the IT industry where projects are often long-term investments, and implemented solutions significantly influence the strategy, efficient operation and competitiveness of enterprises. From an employee’s perspective, the IT sector has been more a candidate’s market than an employer’s market for months. This is why in addition to offering attractive remuneration, employers must meet other criteria. According to the latest survey carried out by Antal, Polish IT professionals and managers pay much more attention to the level of innovation (indicated by 22 percent), management style and organisational culture (16 percent) and size and prestige of the organisation (15 percent) when selecting their employers. Only 10 percent of respondents indicated financial terms of employment as an important criterion.

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What else is expected by employees today, and what criteria are used by customers in selecting their technology suppliers?

Satisfaction from work and its relevance in the business and social context are increasingly important for employees. They feel proud and motivated when they are involved in major projects that transform customers’ businesses or really improve the efficiency of public agencies. They also appreciate opportunities to develop skills and build competencies in technologies that are innovative and have growth potential. At SAS, we offer the opportunity to enter the exciting area of business analytics. As one of the fastest growing IT areas, it is related to important and strategic issues and allows PM

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for comprehensive development of employees. In the era of Big Data and digital transformation, analytics is the most sought after technology that opens enormous potential for development and innovation. Today, customers are looking for providers of IT solutions and competencies that allow them to extract knowledge from snowballing data volumes and use it to build efficient organisations and innovative offerings. We work with the largest organisations in Poland and we are the leader of innovation in IT solutions that transform both the business and the government sectors. Our employees design and implement solutions used for fraud detection, risk management, customer management, optimisation of supply chains and logistic processes and many more applications. These systems are critical for enterprises in terms of their security, operational efficiency and, most importantly, competitiveness in the digital world. So we offer jobs that make the difference. It is always great to see that our daily work translates into the development of our country and society. At SAS, we give opportunities to grow and act to people who are not afraid to lead, demonstrate proactive attitudes and come up with ideas that suggest directions for the company’s future. Our employees enjoy autonomy and freedom to act as well as full trust and respect – these principles have been successfully applied for more than two decades.

Let’s go back to the beginnings of your career.

How did it happen that you chose IT? I have been dreaming to be an inventor since I was a child. Maria Skłodowska-Curie was my biggest role model and inspiration. This is why I went to the Vocational Technical High School for Nucleonics at the Institute for Nuclear Research in Świerk, the only such school on the secondary level in Central and Eastern Europe. As part of my hands-on classes, I landed in a room of programmers working on CDC CYBER 72, one of the world’s largest supercomputers at that time.

I learned coding there and, I would say, fell in love with computer science. I could see how very interesting and creative area it was, and how much independence, freedom and development opportunities could it provide. So it was a matter of course that I chose studies at the Faculty of Mathematics, Computer Science and Engineering of the University of Warsaw.

Today, I can confirm that the IT world is an excellent place to work. Computer science offers PM

incredible possibilities of selecting different specialisations and changing them during the career while building on the previous phases to develop new skills. IT sucks you in and develops you.

There is no place for routine or boredom. What is also important, IT is now a strategic area that enables the growth of innovative economy and efficient operation of government structures. The job of an IT specialist is a job with a mission.

What does make your management style different?

In my life, I had the unique opportunity to build a new organisation from scratch, foster it and enjoy its success. These circumstances helped to create a strong organisational culture – a trustworthy company based on partnership and integrity.

A strong system of values that we have established when we started our business is still valid today as the cornerstone of our company. But I am not one to rest on my laurels. I keep experimenting and looking for new solutions. The daily awareness that I must deliver progress in every aspect of the company can be oppressive – especially when we are prospering so well. On the other hand, however, it is also very exciting. I must be careful not to spoil good things too much, but I also continue to implement new concepts. Some ideas need to be given up but most of them are successful – quite often because they are results of listening to the opinions and feedback provided by our employees. Over time, I have learned to analyse both successes and failures thoroughly. I love finding talents and helping them to become great managers and leaders. I believe that by trusting in people, setting challenging goals and fair recognition of their work, managers can send them flying and help them to release positive energy. I work in an environment that I have contributed to create, and I can influence it. In a sense, I educated many of my colleagues and introduced them in the business. Now, they are transferring our system of values to the new employees. In this way, we are able to combine the very fast growth of the company with maintaining our long established principles, and new hires quickly find themselves in our environment. Computer science and its application in business are still my passion. But I am also very much involved in coaching. I want to make most of my experience and share my knowledge with others. I believe it is my mission.

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What else would you consider your mission?

As a company, we actively support initiatives that promote choosing careers in the IT industry. The increasingly globalised and computerised economy results in an enormous demand for IT professionals with specific competencies including emerging ones. Take for example the data scientist specialisation. Students and their parents often do not even realise how much excitement and growth potential the modern digital world can offer to programmers, data analysts, project managers, system architects, business consultants, team leaders, etc. In Poland alone, more than 50,000 IT specialists are needed. I am personally engaged particularly in promoting IT careers among girls. I believe that encouraging women to work in the IT industry is a major challenge.

Breaking stereotypes and mind-set changing are necessary as early as in secondary school. Girls PM

with a knack for mathematics should be encouraged to develop their skills in the area of sciences, which is often considered as reserved for boys. To this end, we collaborate with the Centre for Citizenship Education. Our joint programme entitled “For Girls Only” is addressed to teachers of sciences, including ITC teachers, as they can efficiently encourage girl students to develop certain skills and select IT-related paths of further education on the university level. We are also a partner of the “Girls in New Technologies” programme, an initiative of the President of the Office of Electronic Communication addressed to female students of technical universities.

What is your key advice for a manager who wants to achieve success?

In my opinion, the most important things in manager’s work include listening to employees and PM

interacting with them in every situation, and quick clarification of disputes or issues that may lead to disagreement. Only a manager who observes attitudes of employees and understands their moods has a chance to influence a change in them and efficiently build a real team, because the team is the most important asset, strength and ultimate goal of a manager. Without a team, business goals cannot be achieved, and this is why the team takes precedence over them.

I have been applying this rule for years and I am still more convinced that it is advisable to follow it. In order to see and feel well, the internal balance is necessary. It can be best achieved by looking for well-being and symbiosis rather that conflict or hostility. For years, I have been telling to my colleagues that truth and fairness always win, however sometimes in a longer run.

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Alicja Wiecka, Executive Managing Director, SAS Institute Originator, founder and Managing Director at SAS Institute Poland, a provider of analytical software, since its opening in 1992. For almost 25 years she has been managing the company that has shown a strong growth in revenues and employment, being the fastest growing subsidiary of SAS Institute in Central and Eastern Europe. Since the beginning of company’s activity, she has been focused on implementing an innovative model of governance and business processes which would accelerate market expansion and increase diversification of SAS products and services.

She has received multiple prizes including Manager Award granted by the “Manager” magazine. Manager of the Year title awarded by “Home & Market”. For nine times ranked as one of the 50 Most Influential Women in Poland by “Home & Market” magazine. She was also the finalist for Manager of the Year title awarded by the Association of Managers in Poland. She was distinguished as one of the 50 Most Outstanding Managers in Poland in Tiaras of Management ranking by “Polish Market”. For three times she was listed among The Most Enterprising Women inpolish Poland in market 15 The Pearls of Polish Economy ranking by “Gazeta Finansowa”.

FEELING OF PERSONAL

DEVELOPMENT AND LEARNING NEW THINGS ARE MOST IMPORTANT MAŁGORZATA BONIKOWSKA, Ph.D., President of the Centre for International Relations Foundation, talks to „Polish Market”.

You are President of the Centre for International Relations Foundation. Let’s remind our readers of the mission of the Foundation.

This is the oldest independent Polish think-tank specialising in foreign affairs. We are 20 years old, which makes us peers of “Polish Market”. In the past we focused entirely on international policy. Since then we have extended our interests to issues such as migrations, energy policy and climate, TTIP, the future of the EU, cyber security. We concentrate on Europe, but we also pay increasingly more attention to Asia, the Middle East and Africa, and recently also to the post-Soviet area.

PM

Looking at your activity and openness there can be no doubt that your work is your passion. And which aspect is your favourite? Teaching? Publications? Meeting with entrepreneurs?

The feeling of personal development and learning new things are most important. Learning not only from books, but also from contacts with other people, meetings, conversations, exchanges of experiences and travel, which allows me to touch a different world and try to understand it better, experience and describe.

This really is a great pleasure and satisfaction. And one wants to do this for the whole lifetime. There is no age of retirement here!

PM

How has the organisation of the Centre and the manner in which it operates in the market changed over the years?

Above all, the recipient of our work has changed. In the past we worked mostly for experts and today for people who specialise in something else, but want to expand their knowledge of the world. They are mostly managers and entrepreneurs, local government officials and public administration employees. Practically everybody must be aware of what is going on in Europe, and increasingly often in other continents. The forms of our activity have also changed. Today, everything must be shorter, synthetic, more illustrative. And the discussions must be less hermetic, with a clear message and specific recommendations.

PM

You carried out the governmental Social Information Programme on the Integration of Poland and the EU. How do you respond to the latest events and the crisis of the European Union?

Europe entered the third millennium on a wave of enthusiasm after the end of the Cold War, the collapse of the Soviet Union

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Contact the author: bonikowska@csm.org.pl www.csm.org.pl

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and the Eastern Bloc. This opened the way to the enlargement of the European Union, or rather to the unification of the western and eastern parts of the continent, allowing it to “breath with both lungs” again. However, all this coincided with a growing wave of scepticism regarding European integration. It was possible to draft the EU Constitution but attempts to have it adopted failed (the document was rejected in referendums in France and Holland held in 2005). Since then, the Old Continent has lost its way. Before we had time to consider what to do next, there came the global economic crisis, the euro zone crisis and the deterioration of the relations with Russia. The war in Georgia in 2008 and then in Ukraine changed the balance of forces bringing with it a touch of frost. For over a decade Europe has been losing steam, overwhelmed by the scale of the growing challenges. Recently, we had to add the migration crisis, terrorism and populism, culminating in Brexit, to the list of woes. We are beginning to ponder what the future holds for us. Meanwhile, we should not doubt Europe, because this is our place on earth and still the best place to live. We should join the debate on the desired shape of the European Union and seek positive emotions for it. It is a great pity that today some are questioning the sense of the European project because no other scheme has given us so many years of peace, welfare and security.

In recent years women have been playing an increasingly important role in national governments (Poland, Germany, probably the US). Is this a response to the stereotype according to which women at the helm mean a lower risk of war? Can this be a response to geo-politics?

In their book entitled “The Athena Doctrine” John Gerzema and Michael D’Antonio demonstrate that during this century the most successful managers and leaders are those who represent a mixture of traits traditionally described as feminine and masculine. The classic “masculine” approach does not work. The importance of dialogue, discussion, building good relations and horizontal team leadership has been growing while issuing orders and management of vertical structures has become less important. Consequently, there is greater demand for leaders who are able to offer a new style of leadership. Many women can do this naturally while men usually have to learn this. In the 21st century public life in particular requires this method of management and external communication. Maybe this is why more and more women see politics as their opportunity.

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ALMOST YEARS OF THE INSTITUTE

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he Institute of Biopolymers and Chemical Fibres has been performing research tasks of great economic and social importance and taking part in international initiatives for many years. The Institute pursues interdisciplinary research activity in areas such as biopolymers, functional thermoplastics, in particular biodegradable, bioprocesses and bio-catalysis for polymers and fibres synthesis and modification, nanotechnology, processing of polymer materials into fibres, fibrous nano- and micro-forms, non-woven fabrics and others.

The organisational potential of the Institute in the years 20092016 covers 38 research projects, including: HEMOGUARD and SKROBIOMAT projects implemented within the frame of the Applied Research Programme, STRATEGMED strategic projects (Smart AUCI, BIOTECHNET), a project in the field of national defence and security and projects pursued as part of European co-operation (ELMO, VISCOCELL). The Institute actively participates in the preparation and implementation of projects within the frame of the INNOCHEM and INNOTEXTILE sectoral programmes for the chemical and textile industries and is also involved in the implementation of bio-economy in the industry. The Institute is the coordinator of theInterregional Science-Industry Centre (BIO)-Polymers-Materials-Technologies (POLINTEGRA).

There are 67 scientists, including 41 women, at the Institute. Its research potential is also strengthened by way of creating a group of young scientists (below the age of 35) who by taking part in the work of the Institute gain knowledge in the fields in which the Institute operates and are able to improve their qualifications during doctoral studies.

The management of the Institute comprises: Institute Director – Danuta Ciechańska, PhD, Associate Professor, specialist in biopolymers, biotechnology and bio-economy.

Deputy Director for Finance – Szymon Kazanek.

Scientific Secretary – Magdalena Kucharska, PhD, Associate Professor, specialist in biopolymers and biomaterials.

The Institute guarantees high quality of its research and development and analytical work thanks to the implementation of two PCA quality systems consistent with PN-EN ISO/IEC 17025:2005 standard and Good Laboratory Practice (GLP) in accordance with the guidelines of the OECD. The Institute has eight research teams, Pilot Plant, five PCA accredited laboratories as well as Plant Certification Paper Products: Biopolymers Team – head: Magdalena Kucharska, PhD, Associate Professor, specialist in biopolymers and biomaterials.

Synthetic Fibres Team – head: Krystyna Twarowska-Schmidt, PhD, specialist in technology of chemical fibres.

WOMEN OF THE INSTITUTE Paper Studies Team – head: Ewa Kopania, PhD, specialist in paper and cellulose.

Biotechnology Team – head: Justyna Wietecha, MSc, specialist in biotechnology.

Keratin Composites Team – head: Krystyna Tosik, PhD, Associate Professor, specialist in chemistry and biopolymers.

Natural Fibres and Polymers Team – head: Dariusz Wawro, PhD, Associate Professor, specialist in textiles.

Polymer Synthesis Team – head: Sławomir Dutkiewicz, PhD, specialist in polymers synthesis.

Special Fibres Team – head: Wacław Tomaszewski, PhD, specialist in nanotechnology.

Microbiology Laboratory – head: Dorota Kaźmierczak, PhD, specialist in microbiology.

Metrology Laboratory – head: Beata Pałys, MSc, specialist in metrology.

Biodegradation Laboratory – head: Agnieszka Gutowska, PhD, specialist in biodegradation of polymer materials and textile products.

Paper Quality Laboratory – head: Elżbieta Baranek, PhD, specialist in papermaking.

Environmental Protection Laboratory – head: Michał Janiga, MSc, specialist in environmental protection Pilot Plant- head: Tomasz Mik, MSc, specialist in papermaking Certification Paper Products Team – hed: Krystyna Szadowiak, MSc, specialist in papermaking • polish market

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To fully enjoy success you have to give something to others

LUDMIŁA JAMA-VOIGT, President of PPUH Voigt Sp. z o.o., talks to “Polish Market”.

PM

Your company has operated on the Polish market since 1992. Its beginnings coincided with the change of the country’s political and economic system. At that time, one could hardly speak of a cleaning products market in Poland. But today, it seems that the market is fully saturated. How are you coping with the competition?

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The market expects more and more of innovative cleaning products and we are trying to meet this challenge. We want to be always one step ahead of the competition. Being oriented towards the external and internal customer, introducing and supporting innovative and creative solutions, being passionate about what we do and caring for detail are the four basic values

guiding the company. We believe that the best way to predict the future is to create it.

PM

We have noted with great interest that all of your cleaning agents are made according to your own formulas developed at your laboratory. Does this enable you to respond faster to customer expectations?

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BUSINESSWOMAN

At present, we offer more than 200 products. It is thanks to our own formulas that we can develop solutions able to meet the requirements of the most demanding customers. In the present era of broadly understood innovation, we try to have our eyes opened wide to every need and expectation of the cleaning products market. Our products are valued and used not only in Poland, but also many other European countries.

Do you share the opinion that small and medium-sized businesses are the strength of the Polish economy?

I will say even more: small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) are the foundation of not only the Polish but also European economy. Over the past years it was small and medium businesses that created new jobs and provided regular employment. SMEs should feel that the state cares for them, that their development is in the interest of the government and that they are fully supported by the government. It is small and medium-sized businesses, rather than large corporations, that are the basis of the economy. Many of them are family businesses, which translate the experience of generations not only into their own success, but also the success of their workers, who are often treated as family members. The SME sector quickly responds to market demand, creating high product value. Unfortunately, small and medium businesses have to cope with many problems. Red tape, complicated and constantly changing regulations, high tax burdens, and inability to acquire EU funding are often insurmountable barriers for inventive entrepreneurs eager to act. Perhaps, it is worth making a change and bet on people who want to put their ideas into practice and make use of their experience and commitment. It is time to appreciate those who contribute to the Polish economy and often do so not only in order to make a profit but also to fulfil their dreams, put ideas into practice or continue their family’s business tradition – they simply put their heart into the work they do. Is it not the best step towards success?

THE IMPORTANT THING IS TO PURSUE YOUR CAREER IN A WAY THAT WILL ENABLE YOU TO MEET THE GOALS YOU HAVE SET YOURSELF.

PM

Apart from business activities you have been involved for years in social and cultural life. How do you manage to find time for that? And why do you do so? After all, you could say that, having provided employment to so many people, you have already contributed your share?

I can say with satisfaction that among our employees are even whole families. This situation means I feel double responsibility for their daily life and it is them that I help in the first place.

I try to know the family situation of every worker and respond if needed. One should remember that it is people who make up our company and that the company owes its successes to them.

As regards my contribution to social and cultural life, it is probably due to my character. I would not be able to sit around doing nothing while knowing there is an opportunity to do something good and useful. To fully enjoy success you have to give something to others. Sometimes I act really spontaneously, especially when it is about the health of children and the elderly. I am also satisfied when I have an opportunity to help a gifted artist or a promising athlete. I support non-profit organizations and interesting charitable campaigns. Corporate social responsibility activities at our company are associated with the management strategy, but I often help people from my private budget. Whenever possible, I try to respond to calls for help. I often do so anonymously. And I regret very PM

much that I am unable to help all those who need help. However, I am happy that I am not alone in my activity. I have instilled the need to help others among my closest family members. And they support me every day.

Unfortunately, women in Poland still have to do with the glass ceiling, though it is true that the situation is constantly changing and women move around increasingly confidently in the male-dominated world of business.

What is your advice for women who are now only at the start of their career?

In the course of my 46-year-long career I have never personally encountered the glass-ceiling barrier on my road. But I know that this problem does exist. To be clear, not every woman has to become a businesswoman, not everyone has a predisposition to that. The important thing is to pursue your career in a way that will enable you to meet the goals you have set yourself. However, if you decide you want to be your own boss it is important to first have an idea for your own business.

Then, full commitment and energy are needed to put the idea into practice. To run a business you need to have specific personality traits: humility, patience and strength to overcome obstacles, and persistence in pursuing your goals. I am convinced that many women have all these traits encoded in them. Women approach business in a reasonable way. They are fully organized. After all, in most cases it is them who are the captains at the helm of their families. They coordinate the family’s daily functioning and often take difficult decisions. In the face of the saying that “women’s place is in the kitchen,” they are quite often able to quickly organize themselves, take action or offer advice. They are more partners in business for themselves than rivals. Women usually “soothe the savage beast” and often create a vision of social responsibility through this prism.

My advice for women is: “Find confidence in yourself, come to appreciate you value.”

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SUCCESS GAVE US A BOOST ANNA KOLISZ, Vice-President of Ankol, talks to “Polish Market”.

At first glance, Ankol seems to be an untypical company. You operate in the private sector, but work closely with the military sector. For example, you make deliveries for the Ministry of Defence.

Ankol has been established with a clearly defined goal – to become a leading supplier of aviation equipment and parts, and repair services for the Polish Ministry of Defence. The company takes part in as many tenders as possible to increase its revenue on the domestic market. Ankol is a leading private supplier of products for the military and civil aviation sector. Having been granted government authorizations and licences, the company fulfils orders not only for the Purchasing Departments of the Defence Ministry in Poland, but also many other countries - from the Far East to South Africa. What is more, we have received concessions from the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Administration allowing us to deliver goods, services and technologies of strategic importance. We are also authorized to take part in NATO tenders. We make deliveries for defence departments across the world.

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When did the idea of foreign expansion emerge and what is the share of exports in your sales?

Seeing the market needs of the 1990s, I oriented Ankol to foreign trade. I used my own experience and carefully researched individual markets and their needs. The first contracts appeared and, when successfully carried out, they gave us a boost. I invested in development, gradually hired new staff, expanded our infrastructure and invested in the latest systems making work PM

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more efficient. With time, the company broadened its horizons and we now work with 34 countries across the world, including NATO members.

Successful international contracts gave the company the position of one of the leading suppliers of aviation equipment and parts in the world. At present, exports exceed 60% of our sales and we expect a further increase.

You have operated since 1991. How did Ankol change over these years?

When setting up my own business in April 1991, the time of political and economic transition, I looked into the future with great optimism.

A business is for its owner and founder like their child whom they love, shape, invest in and devote a lot of energy so that it is their pride in the future.

This is why I assess the past 25 years of our activity with great satisfaction. I have created a family company which achieved international success in the elite aviation sector. I am aware that the successes we enjoy would not have been possible without the commitment of our staff. Ankol is an innovative company. Management based on modern systems, constantly improved in terms of quality, leadership and marketing, and consistency in pursuing the goals we set ourselves enable Ankol’s presence on the global market. The company constantly raises the quality of the products and services it offers to meet high market requirements and comply with procedures associated with supplies for the aviation sector.

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There is also another respect in which Ankol is special – you are a family business. How did you, a woman, find your feet in the aviation

business, which is not regarded as a particularly feminine sector?

Indeed, we are a family firm. I manage the company together with my husband, Czesław, and children, Eryk and Karolina. I am incredibly lucky.

I have met in my life a man of great stature, with whom I can pursue my dreams, plans and visions.

This man is my husband. This concerns both the private and professional sphere. We have divided our roles between us in such a way that, working side by side, we complement each other. My husband is a great optimist and visionary. I am cool-headed and sometimes curb his enthusiasm.

Working in one room, we make up for each other’s shortcomings. But using his skills and experience, my husband, as a former aircraft designer, is responsible for the technical aspect of our business, and for the company’s infrastructure and development. I am responsible for administration, finances, human resources, marketing and IT. I found my feet in the sector without any problem and never experienced any gender discrimination. It is competence that matters. And I pursue the same rule in my company. There is no room for discrimination in selecting staff members. Competence and openness to constant development and change are the only strict criteria.

It does not matter whether the candidate is a man or woman. The most important thing is what skills they have and what potential they can contribute to the company. Women account for a substantial proportion of our staff – 42%. They play increasingly important roles in the areas they deal with, contribute their professionalism and commitment to the company, and find fulfilment in • their work.

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WOMEN STILL HAVE TO MAKE MORE EFFORT TO PROVE THEIR WORTH KRYSTYNA BOCZKOWSKA, President of Robert Bosch Sp. z o.o. and Representative of Bosch Group in Poland, talks to “Polish Market”.

You have graduated from the Faculty of Precision Mechanics at the Warsaw University of Technology. Since the beginning you have been accustomed to the male world. Is this why you are so successful in business?

I was getting accustomed to the male world even earlier because my brother, one year older than me and a very sociable person, secured me the company of his friends since my childhood. But I agree that the University of Technology, where most students were male, prepared me to work with men. Of course, the ability to work smoothly with men is not a sufficient condition to make a career in the male-dominated world. Without solid knowledge, skills and the ability to overcome female weaknesses it is impossible to make a career. The weaknesses are the strong need to be liked, the “diadem syndrome,” which means expecting that good work will be automatically appreciated and rewarded so you do not have to promote yourself, and the “cheater syndrome,” which means a sense, despite being highly competent and successful, that you have gone too high and that someone will soon notice that you are not fit for the job.

I read with real satisfaction the findings of the latest research into the most desirable traits of the leader. Among the traits, the respondents point to features usually attributed to women: multi-tasking, supporting talent, diligence, openness to change, empathy and relying on values. For example, German Chancellor Angela Merkel has explained the decision to receive 1.1 million refugees by invoking German national values – only a woman could do so. In a digital world, where innovative business models emerge PM

every day, there is a search for a new model of leadership. And here one of the key factors is diversity understood as gender difference. My career confirms the research findings. I contribute to business all the “feminine” traits, which are so desirable these days. I supplement them, raising my managerial competencies through permanent education and benchmarking. And I “season” this with high emotional intelligence.

During one of the Meetings with a Female Leader you said that women do not support each other in their careers. Instead, they instinctively promote men. Why do not women support each other?

If I indeed said so it was because of the small number of women who make a career. The proportion of women and men in managerial posts is still unsatisfactory. What is more, women who make a career and try to combine it with family life are really time pressed. I know it from my own experience. At the time when I worked 10 or 12 hours a day I also had to take care of the home, my child’s homework and take extra studies on weekends. There was no time for coaching and mentoring. But women were in charge of all the divisions subordinated to me. Now, when my daughter is an adult person, I have time for mentoring and supporting women who want to make a career. Many organizations supporting female managers have been set up recently. We are beginning to form a community strongly supporting each other and sharing experience and knowledge. Work in this community strongly negates the stereotyped view that women do not support each other. I learn a lot PM

from my female colleagues and pass this knowledge to other women.

I believe that most of the women in high posts have not really aspired to make a dazzling career. They have simply exploited well an economic situation and now run thriving businesses, or their work has been their passion.

What is your view?

I absolutely agree with you. The present female managers started their careers at a time when stereotyped views about the role of women and men in society were even stronger than today. Women were expected to take care of the family while men made careers. Women who had jobs and did solid work started gradually to make careers, too, because the wise owners and board members noticed the correlation between the women’s commitment and the company’s results. Unfortunately, the process of women reaching the highest posts is long.

This is confirmed by a 2011 survey by McKinsey.

It shows that men are promoted because of their potential while women are promoted because of what they have already achieved. This means that women still have to make more effort to prove their worth and few of them have managed to make it to the top. Many wait for promotion at the level where they report to a Board member. I would like to encourage decision-makers to have the courage and promote the women from this level to the boardroom. This way, the condition of diversity will be met, a condition with is a guarantee of success in a modern economy, while the Board will gain a highly dedicated person who strongly identifies with the company. This is the best possible • investment.

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STEP BY STEP PURSUE THE GOAL ANNA TĘPIŃSKA-MARCINEK, an owner and Vice-President of the companies making up Paradyż Group, talks to “Polish Market”.

Anna Tępińska-Marcinek has graduated from the Faculty of Chemistry at the Warsaw University of Technology where she also defended her doctoral thesis. Additionally, she is a graduate of a management course at the University of California in Berkley and a financial management course at the Warsaw School of Economics. At present, she is an owner and Vice-President at Paradyż Group, a family business and Poland’s leading producer of ceramic tiles, which are exported to 40 countries across the world. Paradyż Group provides employment to over 1,600 people at five modern production sites. The Paradyż brand has for years set the highest standards in the sector, being a symbol of development, innovation and efficiency in work organization and management.

Paradyż Group is a family business and your father, Stanisław Tępiński, is one of its founders. Did you think of a different career path for yourself, or knew since the beginning that you would like to continue his work?

I tried various career paths - I considered a career in science and worked for an international corporation. But the strong family tradition instilled in us at home for years ultimately made me and my brother decide to continue the work of our father. This is a great challenge and responsibility. What makes our company stand out against others are the values which for years have been the basis for its development and have defined the unique potential of the Paradyż brand. An important thing for me is providing conditions for the creative development of all employees so that work is their passion which raises the company’s value through creative and innovative solutions.

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The ceramic sector is strongly dominated by men. How are you finding your feet in it?

I do not divide the world into the male and female one. I studied at the Warsaw University of Technology, a typical engineering school where men make up a majority, but where women are treated with due respect and attention. Women are as effective in business as men so I reject such stereotypes and think there should be no place for them in business. What is important is good management, leadership skills, team work, determination in pursuing one’s goal and, which is the most important thing, self-esteem. As regards the ceramic sector, I am faring excellently in it and find fulfilment. It is a very inspiring sector for women, offering them an opportunity to pursue their ambitions and passions and to develop because it combines artistic elements and design with modern technologies.

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Trade and Logistics Centre in Tomaszów Mazowiecki

Are female sensitivity and soft skills helpful in running a business?

Gender equality in business aside, no one doubts any more women’s professionalism and unique organizational skills - and not only when it comes to managing the home and family. Women are often perceived as having stronger communication and interpersonal skills. They are appreciated for their empathy, business ethics, flexibility and admirable perseverance. These skills are natural for us. Emotional intelligence, sensitivity and even emotionality are translated into the ability to understand the customer better and reach a compromise, and into psychological intuitiveness in solving problems.

PM

More and more women give up their private life to pursue a professional life. Do you think it is possible to reconcile a career with having a family?

I am convinced that with good organization it is possible to achieve professional success in harmony with a successful family life. But of course, striking this balance requires self-discipline, and sometimes endurance, not only physical but also mental. The more success a woman achieves, the longer hours it works. Women who live in relationships were household work and duties are divided between the partners definitely have it easier to fulfil themselves in the professional sphere. Educational activity and a career give the woman happiness and boost her self-esteem and then she herself becomes a more understanding partner and mother. And vice versa – our private life is the basis of our existence. The stronger this pillar, the more we are able to achieve in our professional life. I am lucky because my work is my passion and it gives me a lot of satisfaction. My nearest and dearest understand that very well.

PM

Speaking about professional satisfaction, Ceramika Paradyż has won the Red Dot Design Award 2016. What does this prestigious distinction mean to you?

Called Oscars of design, these prizes awarded in the German city of Essen have for years been a guarantee of the world’s best design and top quality. It is worth stressing that this year as many as PM

5,200 projects from 57 countries have been entered for the competition in the Product Design category. We are enormously proud that our Trakt collection of glazed floor and wall tiles has been appreciated by an international jury composed of 41 specialists from across the world. It is a great distinction and a great event in our sector. The Red Dot Design Award granted to us is a result of our courage in launching innovative designer products, but first of all the work and commitment of many people in the conceptual, implementation and manufacturing process.

Will this international award help you conquer new foreign markets?

The Red Dot Design Award is one of the most distinctive and widely recognizable attributes of excellent design across the world, mainly in the architects’ and designers’ community. It puts us among the best of the best. As we export our products to 40 countries, we constantly work to make the Paradyż brand - which has been synonymous for years with top quality and excellent design - more recognizable in the international arena. We also hope that the Red Dot Design Award will help us emphasize our strong position on the global market as a professional, modern and credible brand. It is worth noting that we are successful not only on the European market. We also export our tiles to Canada, Britain and Ivory Coast. We are open to expansion and the development of distribution channels to take into account the special character and diversity of foreign markets.

PM

You are a market leader in many areas. What is now the biggest challenge for Paradyż?

The development of technology, especially the Internet, and oversupply and global competition have now the biggest impact on the shape of today’s world and, consequently, on the behaviour of consumers and the functioning of business. More and more innovations changing the way of operation for whole industries appear on the market. To be more competitive, we have to focus on the speed and quality of service because the world around us is changing at a mind-boggling pace. To be a leader, it is not enough PM

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Laterizio collection with glass decorations

to keep pace with change. You have to be ahead of change, which means confrontation with companies from across the world. Nothing can be taken for granted. Even the strongest have to fight for their position. I believe the biggest challenge now is changing the way we think about the enterprise and taking a new look at business. Customers and values created for them are now the bargaining force on the market and relations with the customers build the companies’ assets. In my view, ensuring a stable work environment in the context of economic and technological challenges is also a priority in the face of these changes.

How does Paradyż Group adjust its products and services to meet the expectations and needs of the contemporary consumer?

The constantly changing consumer needs are yet another challenge and one faced not only by Paradyż Group. Customers across the world want to receive individualized, quick and unique service. Paradyż Group already offers dedicated glass printing, cutting and bevelling services, which are in keeping with the trend towards product personalization. Thanks to such services customers are able to make unique decorations tailored to the specific interior and their tastes. What is more, we also carry out nonstandard projects, such as glass parts for furniture, stairs, shower cubicles and tops. Today, customers also expect excellent service and short delivery times. We have responded to this expectation by launching this year Europe’s most modern trade and logistics centre - Paradyż Logistics & Trade. It processes orders round the clock seven days a week. In the area of packaging, the centre provides unique solutions and sets a new direction in the development of the construction sector.

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You are also active in the sphere of corporate social responsibility - you support culture. Why do you have the need to do so?

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The role of our company is not limited to strictly business aspects. We also pursue our goals through sustainable development and corporate social responsibility. Paradyż Group has sponsored for years many important cultural events – local, national and international. And we also promote them among our employees. We support the development of the environment in which we operate and our activities have won recognition from many authorities and institutions, which is reflected in numerous awards and acknowledgements from them. Cherishing folk tradition and culture, which determine the strength and identity of our region, is also important for us because of the location of our manufacturing sites. We sponsor the International Folklore Festival in Opoczno, many local harvest festivals, the national harvest festival and other events. In conjunction with the Architecture Foundation, we carry out the campaign “We Save Mosaics” whose goal is to protect Poland’s cultural heritage, we cooperate with the National Museum, and for nine years have actively supported the International Łódź Design Festival as the main patron. As we run a modern and responsible business, an important thing for us is the right balance in our operating, environmental and social activity.

What would you advise women who want to have a successful career?

There are no clear measures or a recipe for success. In the first place, it is worth to define the success and its goal and then, step by step, pursue the goal. Constant education and development are among the best tools in achieving success because, as I believe, they are an endless process, our internal road towards a better version of ourselves. Let us remember not to give up our dreams even if they seem utterly utopian. Let us learn to reach for what we desire and exploit our potential. Then, we will feel ful• filled in every sphere of life.

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BUSINESSWOMAN

MILITA NIKONOROV HAS BEEN BUILDING A BRAND WHICH HAS BEEN PRESENT ON THE MARKET FOR 11 YEARS NOW

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Milita Nikonorov

he collections are designed in Milita’s own studio and she personally supervises the production of each model. Prints based on illustrations made by Milita, hand-made flowers, ornaments, appliqués and trimmings are the distinctive features of the designs.

Milita has graduated from the fine arts academy in Łódź and is the winner of many prestigious awards. She is a designer valued by the stylists of stars, fashion magazines and TV productions. She has taken part in Season 1 of the Polish version of “Project Runway.”

Women value Milita for her collections inspired by traditional Polish motifs.

“Felicita” was her first collection in which she used woven and knitted fabrics manufactured by the best Polish producers and decorated with patterns inspired by the folk painting of Zalipie, an enchanting village located near the southern city of Kraków. The village is famous for its floral decorations - the painted flowers are everywhere, from people’s houses to kitchenware to wells and trees. This was more than merely an inspiration because the designer had grown up listening to family stories about an aunt of her grandfather, Felicja Curyło. One of the first painters in Zalipie, her work contributed to promoting the village and its style.

Milita Nikonorov designs for all women, not only those who wear a size S. Offering a wide range of apparel and knowing female shapes well, she overcomes the stereotype of designer making clothes only for models.

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VALUES GIVES

MEANING TO LIFE ALICJA WOJCIECHOWSKA, founder of Alles, a Polish lingerie manufacturer, talks to ”Polish Market”.

Alles inspires women not only in Poland but also abroad. The company holds several brands: Mama by Alles, Medibra by Alles and Glamour, which are produced based on the latest fashion trends, using superior technologies.

Alles is a family business, guided by such values as honesty, responsibility and respect, which mean that the company is perceived as a luxury brand. Its owners believe that success is a journey, and not a destination. And they never forget about what is most important on the way to success: respect for people, the use of the latest technologies and matching the needs of customers, leading them to opening the new Alles shops.

The company is about to celebrate its 25 years.

Are there any reflections you would like to share about it?

Transforming a small manufactory in one of the leading companies on the lingerie market is a success story for owners, employees and contractors.

We are now present in many countries around the world. We are opening new shops, improving production, repositioning the Alles brand into higher segments of the market; we are creating rewarding jobs, enabling employee development. The most important reflection is that despite the fact that the market is constantly changing its face, especially after the economic transformation, Alles is reinforcing its position, challenging itself, aims as high as possible, confident in success, because dreams and determination are its allies.

Such a conjunction is a gift, although it is not always easy. For me, success is about building a healthy relationship between work and private life, and living in harmony with my values. You cannot afford losing them somewhere in the pursuit of success, because they are too precious.

PM

What are your business secrets that brought you to the ranking of best lingerie brands?

There are a number of factors impacting the ranking of the best lingerie brand. We are not interested in survival, but in development. Besides creativity and intuition, what counts in fashion is dressmaking skills and knowledge of trends. The materials we use are of the highest quality. While drawing conclusions from the observation of customer behaviours, we are reaching out for sales forecasting knowledge and creating customer needs based on market survey. We are now opening the third shop to offer our customers underwear meeting their needs in terms of quality and functionality.

In my opinion, only reliable and up-to-date knowledge will allow further brand development towards becoming a fashion creator.

What are the values guiding you in your life and in business?

Values give meaning to life. They are a driving force behind action. In my daily life, I do my best to share the good I have, to make sure my family is happy and healthy and smile to people, because it doubles my chances to work honestly and treat people with respect. I am convinced that the greatest form of gratitude is when the word “joy” turns into “thank you.” My personal maxim saved in my secret little notebook is: “I will do everything to make every day inspirational, active, positive for my family, friends, co-workers, for the Lord and with His help.”

As Don Sibet once said: “What comes from the heart, touches the heart.” Is it worth living otherwise?

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What would you your message to our readers?

As Albert Einstein put it, “only a life lived for others is a life worthwhile.” So I am trying to gracefully take everything that life brings and learn to accept it. I believe that the fate will reward me. In my opinion, time is the best adviser and judge. It is everyone’s obligation to make use of his or her talents. I wish you all to be an inspiration for others, I wish you determination in fulfilling your dreams, not least the largest ones, but those that give you joy. Do not forget to celebrate even the smallest events.

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You are told to be a warm, unique, warm, positive, inspiring, honest person... Is being in business detrimental to your personality?

If fate gives you such personality traits, you should thank and make good use of them. Everyone has his or her own idea of what is really important, but honesty, kindness, positive thinking are the qualities of people with values. My life has not always been colourful, but I am a happy wife, mother, grandmother, a person who will not do a thing without making the heart and the reason work together.

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BUSINESSWOMAN

THE KOSSMANN BRAND IS FOLLOWING THE “CASUAL” TREND IWONA KOSSMANN, owner of Kossmann Fashion, talks to “Polish Market”.

For most of your career you worked in the telecom sector and dealt with marketing. Where did your idea to create a fashion brand come from?

People remember me from the telecom times when I was Chief Commercial Officer of Orange responsible for marketing and sales where I changed the IDEA brand to ORANGE, but my careerhas included many other experiences. Before I set up my own business, I worked for 20 years for large and medium-sized corporations including Orange/T.P.S.A., Coty, Unilever, Deni Cler and Bonnier, the publishers of daily “Puls Biznesu”. The wide experience I gathered there helped me considerably in running my own business.

I came to understand the most important business principles and rules and I apply them to my own company. I have always been interested in fashion. I believe that “passion” is a good foundation on which to build. My grandmother was a designer and dressmaker.

It was she who taught me how to make clothes. When I was a child, we designed clothes for my dolls and sewed them together. I made clothes for myself until I was 20. I gave this up when I left to study in Holland. After receiving my diploma, I started to work for Unilever and concentrated entirely on my career.

Management turned out to be an equally strong “passion” for me and I found fulfilment in this area for the following 20 years. At present, I am combining the two.

PM

Your target group is working women. What must one pay special attention to when designing such clothes?

First of all, one must pay attention to the quality of the fabrics and the workmanship. I order fabrics from Japan, Italy and Germany. I pay premium prices for fabrics because I believe that the market segment occupied by Zara and H&M is not the place for me. My brand is a premium brand but at the same time, our prices are 50% lower than those of Max Mara and Boss, my main competitors. I invest a great deal of time in design and technical drawing. My clothes fit mature women who have breasts and hips. I also pay attention to the business dress code. My clothes are suitable for work and are good to wear every day.

relaxed and clothes have become more comfortable. My brand is following this path, always bearing in mind that the woman who will be wearing these clothes is a “working woman”. And she has to look attractive and at ease because my clothes are comfortable • and of high quality.

PM

How has the dress code in business changed over the past years? It seems to be different now than it did a short while ago.

Yes, absolutely. Twenty years ago, suits and trouser suits reigned, and one was expected to wear those hated tights at all times. Now there has been a great change and it can be seen in the streets.The trend is toward comfort. Casual fashion predominates. In my newest A/W 2016/17 collection, which I have called “Chillout”, you will find many casual outfits, beautiful fabrics and fashionable trousers.

Street fashion has invaded offices and companies. People are more PM

IWONA KOSSMANN, who in 2012 established Kossmann Fashion, had been CEO of Bonnier Business Poska, the publisher of daily “Puls Biznesu”. From 2008 to 2010 she was also CEO of the fashion company Deni Cler which belongs to the Vistula & Wólczanka Group.From 2001 to 2008, she worked in the telecommunications sector. She was a board member of Orange, responsible for marketing and sales. She was also a member of the board of T.P.S.A., responsible for the mass market division and was previously marketing director at PTK Centerel, a subsidiary of T.P.S.A., where she changed IDEA into Orange. During the first 10 years of her career, she worked in the fast-moving consumer goods sector, first at Unilever Polska and then for 7 years at Coty Poland, Coty Hungary and Coty Germany where she ran brands such as Adidas, Lancaster, Davidoff, Joop as well as Margaret Astor and Rimmel. polish market

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“I AM PART OF THE MOKATE FAMILY COMPANY” SYLWIA MOKRYSZ, Member of the Management Board at Mokate, talks to “Polish Market”.

Mokate is a family business. Teresa Mokrysz is the unquestionable and most recognizable face of the company. But you also follow the path set by your mother. Did you know since the beginning that you would become part of the company? Did you think of a different career path?

My family’s business tradition goes back several generations. The firm has been present in my life virtually since the beginning. I could see what a passion it was for my parents to run it. With time, I was infected with their passion. As a result, the choice of my career path came in a quite natural way. As a high-school student I was already involved in various activities at Mokate. I translated letters and helped to conduct foreign correspondence. In the course of my studies at a University of Economics, I prepared my first advertising campaigns and the scope of my duties was steadily expanding. After some time, I started to take part in developing marketing strategies and this is still my responsibility. Since the beginning I have been 100% sure that I have chosen the right path.

PM

Mokate has operated on the Polish tea market for years. Are you planning to expand onto foreign markets?

We are not merely planning but have for years consistently pursued a strategy of international expansion. We are among the top leaders on the tea market of several Central and Eastern European PM

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countries. We are constantly increasing our market share in many countries elsewhere in the world.

Their markets often have very specific requirements.

For example, our tea recipes prepared especially for Arab markets are greatly popular. The same is the case with the situation in the coffee sector where we also conduct careful research into the tastes of consumers on individual markets and prepare accordingly our product range to be offered there.

Exports now account for 60% of Mokate Group’s revenue. Much credit for this goes to my brother, Adam, who has developed a bold strategy for the global expansion of Mokate Group.

One should not underestimate the importance of the tea sector, which is now worth slightly over PLN1.2 billion. This is obvious. But is it possible to speak of innovation and innovative products in this business?

Contemporary business means innovation. At Mokate, innovation is one of the factors in building the competitive edge. As head of the Tea Team at Mokate, I am responsible not only for strategy but also innovation. The range of innovations is wide.

We are looking for non-standard technological solutions in production, packaging and so on. I travel a lot and in each of the places look for inspiration for our further activities. I look exceptionally carefully at local tea customs. And I often transfer them to our market, creating with my team new combinations of tastes and aromas. This is why we PM

offer a range of Yerba Mate teas under our premium brand Loyd.

What is Mokate’s share in the tea and coffee market?

We occupy a leading position on the coffee and tea markets. Our Minutka tea sold in packs of 100 teabags has been the leader of its market segment for years. The same is the case with Mokate Cappuccino. We are working all the time to increase our share in individual sectors.

PM

You have taken part in creating Mokate’s advertising campaigns. How to get to the client? How should an advertising campaign be designed to ensure that a prospective buyer standing in front of a store shelve with coffees or teas chooses a Mokate product?

There is no single well-tried and universal method of getting to the client. Flexibility and the careful observation of change are extremely important, apart from experience and thorough knowledge of the market. Originality is also highly valued. And this is one of the most difficult elements of a marketing strategy. I mean the whole concept of the product: its recipe, packaging, and the way of communication. One has to stand out, look for inspiration on global markets, be ahead of the clients’ needs and even create them. At Mokate, we have successfully pursued such a policy for years.

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SENSITIVE TO

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BUSINESSWOMAN

ECOLOGY BEATA PAWŁOWSKA, Managing Director at Oriflame Poland Sp. z o.o., talks to „Polish Market”.

Oriflame was established in Sweden by two brothers and a friend of theirs in 1967. After these 48 years on the market, is the company still a family business, cherishing its original values, or i​ s it already a typical corporation?

The company has grown substantially since its foundation. We publish catalogues in 35 languages, we have 3.6 million consultants, in 2017 Oriflame will celebrate its fifty years of existence, and in 2016 – twenty five years of presence in Poland. Oriflame is a big corporation when it comes to business structures, but the spirit of the company has not changed, our values – Spirit, Passion and Togetherness – are extremely important and still hold on, and our founders do care about human relations within Oriflame – we meet, we talk, we go together for seminars. After all, it is on these values that ​​our success depends, so we cherish them. Our values are ​​ what we live on, and our people and consultants are their guardians. Oriflame’s brand promise is “Your Dreams – Our Inspiration”: we do everything to make our consultants’ dreams come true, small ones, about earnings, and big ones, about long journeys or building their own large-scale business.

PM

I read that Oriflame’s belief is that corporations have a moral mission to accomplish.

Could you say something more about this mission? Is it a matter of sustainable development?

Yes, I think so. And it is very important for us. First of all, we think about women. We want them to develop, to be independent and self-confident, to be able to combine professional work with the roles of mothers and wives. We let them fulfill themselves in many fields. We are also open to women facing discrimination on the labour market, I mean the women aged over 50, whom we are activating professionally. These ladies represent more than 20% of our consultants. The same applies to residents of small towns and villages, regardless of education. All you need to start your business is enthusiasm.

We are also a kind of micro-entrepreneurship incubator. To start your business with us, you do not need your own capital, or special education, as we provide all the necessary tools, including PM

training. And it is micro-entrepreneurship that forms the basis of Poland’s economy. Importantly, with Oriflame, people can work where they live - in small towns, or villages, without having to move to cities. This activates people living in small towns and rural areas and helps them find a job and a passion. As many as 24% of our consultants are people under 30. Our mission is also to check the outflow of young people abroad; we strive to keep them in Poland and provide them with means of livelihood. The business model we propose fits perfectly with the expectations of young people, with their dreams of independence, running their own business, earning money. Young people can learn business with Oriflame when still in their school and college years, so they are well-prepared once they enter the labour market. It often happens that the experience is so positive that they choose to stay with us, which makes us very happy.

What is Oriflame’s approach to sustainable development?

As for the idea of ​​sustainable development, Oriflame has always been a responsible company, committed to environment protection. Sustainable development is part of our core business, which is why we strive to be ever more efficient and innovative. Our long-term sustainability strategy is based on three pillars: Successful People – creating opportunities for the people we interact with; Great Products – creating products that bring more beauty, wellbeing and confidence to the lives of millions of people; Thriving Planet – reducing the environmental footprint. We are one of the world’s first cosmetics manufacturers to use natural ingredients. We take great care to ensure that the materials we use are sourced with respect for the best practices and we strive to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. We have launched the world’s first foaming product containing segregated sustainable palm oil, certified by RSPO (Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil). We are committed to using biodegradable materials and relevant investments are made. However, we do not have 100% organic and biodegradable materials. As a Swedish company, we are extremely PM

sensitive to ecology. Honesty, responsibility and respect are the key words for us.

Are your cosmetics produced in Poland or is the Polish branch of Oriflame in charge of selling them only?

Our cosmetics are, of course, manufactured in Poland. Our factory is one of Oriflame’s five sites in the world. It is a big, very modern plant, producing cosmetics for skin and body care and make-up. We employ 350 people who are experts in their fields, and our products meet the highest international standards. Quality is extremely important for us. Therefore, very strict standards are applied at every stage of the production process, starting from the moment of testing components.

But Poland is not only Oriflame’s manufacturing location. It is also one of the company’s primary markets, which is why Warsaw took over some corporate functions. Warsaw’s regional office for Central Europe and Africa is a place where over a hundred people are working on a strategy and development directions, where plans are made and very important decisions are taken. Oriflame’s Global Logistics Centre, from where our products are sent outside Europe, is located in Piaseczno near Warsaw.

PM

These days, innovation can be traced as a trend in virtually every field of human life. Does a cosmetics company use new technologies, too?

Of course, the beauty industry cannot develop without innovations and new technologies. Our advanced formulas are developed and are constantly improved in the Global Research and Development Centre in Dublin, Ireland, and breakthrough, often patented, technologies are developed by our scientists at the Institute for Skin Research in Stockholm, Sweden. We are also working with independent experts who are world-class leaders in the field of cosmetics. We keep seeking technological perfection to create innovative, high-quality products matching the latest trends and requirements of customers.

Our goal and mission is to develop technologies presenting absolutely top levels of quality and efficiency.

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HELPING PEOPLE TO RETURN TO SOCIETY ELŻBIETA RADZIKOWSKA, Ph.D., Head of the Plastic Surgery Department, Central Clinical Hospital of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Administration in Warsaw, talks to “Polish Market”.

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BUSINESSWOMAN

Plastic surgery is usually associated with the private sector while we are talking at the Plastic Surgery Department of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Administration Hospital. How does work in the private sector differ from your work here?

First of all, we must define the term “plastic surgery.” The average Pole associates it with beautifying activity. In reality, plastic surgery is a very wide, interdisciplinary part of surgery which treats congenital and post-traumatic defects. It also includes reconstructive surgery which involves procedures aimed at removing neoplastic lesions, especially in the face and skull area. Also, the entire hand surgery belongs to plastic surgery.

The scope of our activity is very wide. We also co-operate with other departments such as laryngology, neurosurgery or orthopaedics. Sometimes we must reconstruct the entire nose using various tissues, following its removal because of cancer. As regards the differences between the private and public sector, we must remember that the former is not limited to beautifying operations. The advantage of our department is that we are located in a hospital and this is always associated with greater safety.

We too perform aesthetic surgery procedures. We have a separate typically commercial ward where we carry out these operations. Its patients are often persons disqualified at private facilities for health or age reasons or because of the extent of the procedure. The main advantage of our department is that after surgery such patients remain under much greater control of various specialists.

PM

You mentioned a purely commercial ward. Is this the response to the current model of hospitals? Does this ward finance the rest of your activities?

This ward earns enough to cover its expenditures and brings us additional funds for development. Today, hospitals must support themselves instead of generating losses. However, I must admit that we set up this ward primarily in order to provide patients with a high level of safety. I also work at private clinics and know from experience that sometimes I am unable to perform certain procedures in view of strains, age or additional illnesses.

At our ward we have the comfort of knowing that in the event of complications the patient already is in hospital and can be given immediate aid. On occasions patients also require more detailed diagnostics before the surgery which is much easier at a hospital. We must remember that aesthetic surgeries are no life-saving procedures. This is why it is necessary to remember that everything must be done so that nothing wrong happens to the patient during or after the surgery. This is important because sometimes we perform really extensive procedures, especially in patients who have managed to lose a lot of weight.

PM

Which are the most frequent procedures?

It is hard to say because we cannot be compared with private clinics. We are oriented towards reconstructive procedures, for example, breast reconstruction. We carry out such operations several times a week. We want to establish a closer co-operation with oncologists so that patients can have the entire process from mastectomy, through treatment and including reconstruction carried out at one place. A new radiotherapy department is being created in a neighbouring building and we would like to work closely with them as well. This is very important because breast cancer is an illness affecting ever-younger women.

"IN REALITY, PLASTIC SURGERY IS A VERY WIDE, INTERDISCIPLINARY PART OF SURGERY WHICH TREATS CONGENITAL AND POSTTRAUMATIC DEFECTS."

PM

Such patients must return to society and function there without problems. Our role is to ensure that patients feel as comfortable as possible after leaving the hospital. Another very popular and frequently performed procedure is liposuction. Today, it is carried out not only for aesthetic reasons but also as a method of acquiring stem cells. They are extracted from fatty tissue and used in orthopaedics, etc.

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QUALITY

MAKES FOR EFFECTIVENESS HALINA ZUBRZYCKA, MD, owner of the Wellness Centre Spa w Raju (Spa in Paradise), talks about the latest developments in the field of aesthetic medicine, and the combination of tradition and modernity.

Do you agree with the opinion that your spa is a combination of tradition with modern solutions?

Yes, it is true. The spa treatments are conventional treatments.Health has its source in water, which brings calm and relaxation, and goes together with recreation, so we take advantage of it. Everyone, fatigue and the need of tranquility and serenity set aside, has some minor ailments.

This is especially true of the people aged over 3540 and manifests itself differently: bone and joint pains in the back, swollen feet, burst capillaries, etc. In order to achieve well-being such ailments should be relieved or eliminated. In addition, looking better makes you feel better.

A healthy, well-prepared diet, coupled with exercise, a traditional, manual therapeutic, relaxation or drainage massage, is an element of rehabilitation but also lifts your spirits. These are traditional treatments, which should not be avoided because people for ages have used rubbing techniques to relieve pain and it made them feel good. That is why we combine spa treatments with conventional rehabilitation treatments. We also offer complementary physical treatments such as magnetic field, light, heat, radio waves, electrical stimulation, or electroporation. These phenomena help us cross the skin barrier, which is important because skin nourishing treatments come up against one major problem - it is hard to PM

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overcome the skin barrier. The skin is an organ that protects us not only against ultraviolet light, dust, chemicals, but also against beneficial preparations. Electroporation, or heat help cross this barrier, so we use very advanced methods to increase the effectiveness of treatments. In addition, we offer a whole range of aesthetic medicine treatments: reducing the muscle tone and hyperactivity of mimic muscles with Botox, filling wrinkles, furrows and scars with hyaluronic acid, lifting the cheeks and eyelids with PDO threads. All together, tradition and modernity, gives better results.

lasts for a long time if it is high-quality. In general, I think that everything you use should be of good quality.

Is this your motto?

Yes, quality makes for effectiveness, protects against side effects. I am talking about the quality of the product but also about the quality of treatment. All this is combined at our centre with a nice rest in a picturesque corner of Poland – Nałęczów.

PM

You are talking about tradition and yet you put a very strong emphasis on modern therapies. Is it in this direction that spa centres should be heading?

Spa is a very broad concept. A typical spa is when you light up the candles, incenses, wet your feet in the water, get a foot massage, the whole procedure is called in a fancy way, referring to an ancient culture. Such a therapy is supposed to soothe your nerves, but outside improving your psychological comfort for a short time, it does not bring any concrete results. The first stress will destroy its effect. In contrast, medical treatments, rehabilitation, aesthetic medicine last longer and are less prone to minor inconveniences of everyday life stress, fatigue, overwork. to realize man’s dream centuries-long of well-being embodied by a good, young look of the skin and body.

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Which of these solutions would you define as the most innovative? Perhaps there is something else you did not mention?

An excellent laser has appeared on the European market. Laser treatments are very effective, making it possible to achieve various goals. You can use a laser to perform traditional peelings, with the difference that we can accurately adjust the depth of peeling. You can as well as do resurfacing to go deeper into the skin. After such a procedure, the skin is covered with scab and after exfoliation you will see new, young, healthy skin.

Laser can be used to close blood vessels - red in the face and blue on the thighs. You can also remove small fibroids, warts, various skin defects.

So there are a lot of possibilities on condition that the laser is of very high quality. Hyaluronic acid PM

The elderly should not be alone BEATA DRZAZGA, President of the Board of BetaMed S.A., talks to Ewelina Janczylik-Foryś.

BetaMed S.A. was established 15 years ago and since then has been specialising in providing long-term care in the patient’s home. We operate through 84 branches in 11 provinces and employ approximately 3,000 people, including nurses, doctors, rehabilitation specialists and non-medical personnel.

So, this is what distinguishes you from the competition. Usually, the patient must go to the medical facility in person.

Our aim has never been to stand out from the competition. However, we are one of the first companies to have developed in this area. We offer care within the frame of the National Health Fund (NFZ). Over the years the number of our patients kept growing. The market reported a huge demand for such services and this is also the case today. The demand for these services continues. In PM

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my opinion, this is the optimal form of care from the patient’s point of view. This is also recognised in Europe. The advantage of this care lies in the fact that the patient remains in a familiar environment: at home. This positively affects the treatment process. It is also reflected in the budget of the NFZ. The Fund pays less for home care compared with the rates paid for hospitalisation.

PM

You pay a lot of attention to the elderly. In Poland there is no geriatric care as such. There is

a dearth of geriatrics specialists and geriatric wards. Is this the source of your increased focus on old people?

Yes, we could do with more geriatrics specialists. I believe that every patient aged 65+ should be diagnosed by a geriatrician to see whether they are taking too much medication or whether this causes them harm, etc. After diagnosing the patient, the patient should have a choice of further treatment site. If there is no family they should be provided with social care. Easy access to geriatricians should

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BUSINESSWOMAN be provided, because they should diagnose the elderly. One must remember that at this age, your body reacts differently to the same drugs compared with someone aged 30. The main problem of the elderly is that they suffer from many concurrent illnesses and visit different specialists. Each physician prescribes drugs appropriate for the treatment of a given disease. Sometimes, such patients show symptoms not associated with illnesses, but with drugs interactions. Therefore, in such situations a geriatrician is irreplaceable. I believe that the number of health care facilities looking after the elderly should be increased. The ideal solution would be long-term home care with geriatric consultation.

I am asking about the elderly not without a reason. I know that you are a strong advocate of keeping old people active.

I believe that those who retire should stay active for as long as possible. Also when they begin to suffer the effects of illnesses. We should take care of such people. In the case of care provided in a nursing home, great attention should be paid to ensuring that patients remain active. They must not be confined to their bed. Hence my idea of providing such people of with places where they can engage in various activities. There should be as many clubs or rooms, where, subject to the patient’s condition, there is a lot of movement, where they can dance, sing, take manual therapy or rehabilitation classes.

I care about the relationships and contacts between my patients and seniors from the outside. It shows patients that people of their age can be active, efficient and well-maintained. I see that patients approach this ambitiously and seeing these people they say that they too would like to be like them.

Certainly, this group of patients includes persons with dementia and very seriously ill patients, but we also try to gently rehabilitate them.

I would like to point out a paradox here. As children, we want to offer our parents the best possible conditions, help with cooking, cleaning. But in reality we are harming them. As a result of our efforts the elderly just sit in front of the television set and watch film series. I work on changing the mentality of middle-aged people between 30 and 50, so that they make sure that their parents stay active.

They should know that their parents may use services such as those offered by BetaMed S.A. They can choose between stays lasting just a few hours or the whole day, during which the elderly can exercise, spend their time actively with others, take part in lectures about diet, diabetes prevention or take part in performances of school children, etc.

Just like the young who go to fitness clubs and meet with friends we would like to give the elderly the same opportunities. We would like them to leave the house, to avoid inadvertently becoming victims of their children’s over-protectiveness and to have places dedicated to them where they can just have a good time.

PM

Until recently the prevailing view was that retirement is to be spent sitting and relaxing. However, we must remember that this rest should be active and watching television is no activity. Inactivity has bad health consequences. Only activity keeps us alive.

You mentioned that home care is provided under a contract with the NFZ. How many patients are you able to help under the contract?

Under its contract with the NFZ, BetaMed S.A. offers permanent care to some 4,000 patients. Of course, the demand is such greater. The number of the elderly in growing every year. The State must deal with this problem. There are some private initiatives, like mine, which can help in this regard.

All this is done within the NFZ. It is often thought that home care provided by private persons is subject to some additional payments. This is not the case. Everything is financed by the NFZ. PM

Does the BetaMed Medical Active Care Clinic also operate on the basis of a contract with the NFZ? This is a clinic with a floorage space of some 8,000 square metres and with approximately 100 beds. We have a contract with the NFZ, but it only covers 25 persons. The next floor is a private ward with 26 beds. We also have a mechanical ventilation nursing home for children which operates within the NFZ. We look after children from all over Poland. They are constantly kept under respirators. This is a very good solution. When patients no longer have to remain at the intensive care unit they are moved to our facility. This vacates beds for patients who need intensive care.

We also have a similar ward for adult patients under respirators which is run on the basis of a contract with the NFZ. Families of patients from these wards have a choice. They can either take patients home where we provide care, medical equipment (respirator), an anaesthesiologist, nurse and physiotherapist or, if the patient’s condition is more severe, they can stay at the clinic.

BetaMed S.A. specialises in providing care to the elderly. I have a degree in Geriatric Nursing.

I am fortunate in that I employ persons with excellent qualifications and approach to the elderly.

We want patients to feel that we approach them individually and that they are important to us. Alas, there is still a shortage of nursing homes in Poland. This is due to the fact that the refund rate is very low, and maintaining the appropriate conditions, quality of services, rehabilitation and employment of good personnel costs a lot. Even the rate we receive for typically private care, non-refundable, is too low, but is still noticeable for a pensioner. Money is the crux of the problem – people who pay health insurance contributions all their lives would like to receive such care from the State free of charge. And the contracts offered by the State PM

are few and far between. Not everybody can afford private nursing homes, and others wait in long queues (1-2 years). Despite financial issues, I continue to put emphasis on quality. We have mobile furniture, equipment for utilisation of disposable products. We do everything to ensure that our patients do not feel that they are staying at a hospital but that they are at home or in a sanatorium. We have also purchased modern equipment facilitating the work of our personnel, such as lifters or bedtubs. In the case of persons connected to a respirator moving them or bathing is difficult. Everybody who decides to open a facility of this type must have experience, a big heart, lots of empathy and realise that this is hard and often harrowing work. Often we have problems with making the ends meet financially, but the happiness in the eyes of patients is an ample reward for our labours.

You mentioned BetaMed S.A. branches in 11 provinces. Are there plans to expand your operations abroad?

Yes. I have already formed a company in Las Vegas – BetaMed International. For the last two years I have been meeting with Americans, also from Nevada. They visited Poland during several trade missions and also came to my clinic. They were fascinated by the idea, quality, and especially by our approach to patients. We address them by their first names and treat them like family. I was very happy when in July 2016 the government of Nevada organised a week-long trade mission especially for me. During that time I was introduced to various government institutions, entrepreneurs and hospitals. A Governor’s representative said that he would like such care, love and tenderness for patients to be offered in Las Vegas too and wished BetaMed International every success in that state.

As a result on July 7 BetaMed International was opened. The State of Nevada is open to collaboration with business people from Poland. It is oriented towards development and economic growth.

This is why it offers excellent conditions for new initiatives and strongly supports entrepreneurs who want to work or co-operate with Nevada. For the moment, my entire attention is focused on BetaMed S.A. in Poland and BetaMed International.

PM

You are also very active outside your occupation. You love fashion and have your own salon…

I wanted to also do something else, to avoid professional burnout. I encounter very unpleasant situations on a daily basis. Contact with sick patients does leave a mark. Fashion is a refuge. I also like to dance and travel, but I have very little time to spare for such activities. I learn a lot. I hope to complete my doctoral studies soon. I am very proud of my education and I feel that the world continues to develop and we have to keep up. This is why I like to expand my knowledge in various disciplines.

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MODERN TECHNOLOGIES AND TRADITION MARIA CZWOJDRAK, President of Średzka Spółdzielnia Mleczarska Jana

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he history of the milk-processing plant in Środa Wielkopolska in mid-western Poland dates back to 1884/1885 when a private entrepreneur opened the first dairy in the area. The owner was Jadwiga Teodora von Duszyńska. The dairy cooperative set up in the town in 1905 bought Jadwiga von Duszyńska’s business and started the construction of a new dairy building. Having been modernized on many occasions, it is still used today as part of the plant’s complex.

Maria Czwojdrak, who is now president of the dairy cooperative in Środa Wielkopolska (Średzka Spółdzielnia Mleczarska Jana), knows the history of the cooperative excellently. She has worked for the cooperative since 1982. Her career is an example of hard work and promotion.

Having started in the post of chief accountant, ADVERTISEMENT

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she successively assumed the post of vice-president for economic and commercial affairs.

Under her management, the principles of managing the plant have changed markedly as they have been subordinated to the strict rules of the market.

Maria Czwojdrak’s knowledge of economics and the professional experience she has gathered, coupled with her knowledge of food technology, enable her to take reasonable decisions contributing to the fast expansion of the cooperative. The result of one of such decisions was a merger with the dairy cooperative in Kaźmierz, which enabled significantly expanding the range of dairy products offered under the Jana cooperative brand.

Managing such a plant and combining modern technologies with tradition is not an easy task.

President Maria Czwojdrak says: “For years our priority has been top product quality. And, indeed, I can say with satisfaction that we are succeeding

in combining the latest technologies with traditional recipes and are able to offer a really broad range of healthy and tasty dairy products. These are mainly fresh products such as various kinds of milk, cream, milk drinks, yoghurt, cottage and cream cheese and butter. All the products are made with the daily dietary needs of our customers in mind. We are glad that our attachment to tradition has also been widely appreciated, as is confirmed by the numerous certificates we have received, like for example the Quality Tradition and Culinary Heritage of Wielkopolska marks, the Q quality mark and the Try Fine Food label awarded by the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development.”

Over a few years Maria Czwojdrak has built a reliable and credible firm meeting European Union standards in every respect and competing at home and abroad with other producers.

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