President Komorowski President Komorowski - Netherlands

No. 35 Summer 2011
The Netherlands-Polish
Chamber of Commerce
President Komorowski
meets bilateral Chambers of Commerce
Interview
Report
Face to face with
Jasper Buter, managing
director of Dialogix
Teambuilding with
a purpose
Advertisement
Bulletin Summer 2011
4
Word of the chairman
5
Chamber calendar
6
Interview
Jasper Buter, managing director
of Dialogix
10 Chamber events
What has the Chamber recently
been up to?
14 Report
Polish labour market getting
back on its feet
18 Career tracker
20 New members
22 Interview
Marc van der Ploeg:
from corporate life to entrepreneurship
24 Column Remy Vermunt
24 Column Paweł Mlicki
25 Column Remco van der Kroft
27 The history of Dutch companies in Poland
serial part 1: Philips
28 Report
Member company Ghelamco visits our
Promised Kids
12
Minister Henk Bleker visits Poland to talk
about agricultural and economical issues.
25
Column Remco van der Kroft: Board of the Chamber
meets the Polish head of state President Komorowski
28
Ghelamco visits FCSR for a teambuilding
session with a purpose
issue 35
Bulletin
3
Netherlands - Polish
Chamber of Commerce
Dear members and friends of the Chamber,
It gives me great pleasure to present to you our new Bulletin, full of interesting articles reflecting the
many business activities that our members undertake in Poland. Since the Polish economy is likely to
grow by 3.8 per cent in 2011, Poland is once again offering many business opportunities in the coming
period. I hope, however, that you will find time to join one or more of our events.
During our members’ annual meeting in May, we looked back on the past year in which we offered
many interesting activities, for instance our visit to the Warka brewery of Grupa Żywiec and the
Rijsttafel, to name just a few. Our treasurer, Hans van Houwelingen, presented a detailed financial
overview over the past year, which showed that we are in a financial healthy situation.
During our members’ annual meeting, we officially liquidated the Vereniging Bilaterale NederlandsPoolse Kamer van Koophandel, which was operating under Dutch law. At the same time, all the activities
of the association were taken over by our new bilateral Chamber of Commerce, based on the Law on
Chambers of Commerce in Poland. We are very pleased with this new structure, which offers us many
more possibilities to represent our members in Poland and to voice their issues on an appropriate level.
During the meeting we said farewell to our departing board member, Hans van Houwelingen.
He has been our treasurer for two years and has done a great job in structuring our finances. I
would like to take this opportunity to thank Hans for his efforts. Maurice Idsardi is his successor
who has taken up the function of treasurer on our board. We also welcomed Dini Bouwmeester,
Group Quality & Technology Manager at Grupa Żywiec. With her extensive experience in Poland,
she is a welcome addition to our board.
Furthermore, I want to mention the very interesting meeting that representatives of our Chamber
had with Polish President Mr. Komorowski. This meeting was organised by the International
Group of Chambers of Commerce (IGCC). Together with the other bilateral Chambers
of Commerce, we had the possibility to meet with the President of Poland and discuss our
experiences as foreign companies on the Polish market. To us, this meeting is a strong and
positive signal that the highest Polish authority is appreciating and supporting foreign investors
doing business in Poland.
In front of you there is the Bulletin, with a whole lot of news and background information. I very
much hope that you enjoy reading it.
Eric Drok,
Chairman of the Netherlands - Polish Chamber of Commerce.
Bulletin is the quarterly magazine of the Netherlands - Polish
Chamber of Commerce. It aims to provide a selection of important
and relevant information about the chamber and on bilateral
business relations and activities between the Netherlands and
Poland. Go to our website www.nlchamber.com.pl to find previous
issues of our bulletin. Please email any of your comments to
[email protected].
4
issue 35
Bulletin
Publisher:
Managing Editor: Concept and production:
Columnists: Photos: Advertisement management:
The Netherlands - Polish Chamber of Commerce
Elro van den Burg
Oorsprong Media
Remco van der Kroft
Paweł Mlicki
Remy Vermunt
Elro van den Burg
Małgorzata Szydłowska
Chamber
June 7
agenda
Dutch Business drink
Location: Hotel Hilton, Grzybowska 63, Warsaw 18.30 – 20.30. Sponsored by Van Ameyde CEE Poland
_________________________________
July and August
Dutch Zomercafé/summerpub
September 6
Dutch Business drink
Location: Wiatraki ul. Warecka 8/30a Warsaw.
In cooperation with the Dutch Association Poolshoogte, we are organising a summerpub for
those who stay in Poland during summertime.
_________________________________
Location: Hotel Hilton, Grzybowska 63, Warsaw
18.30 – 20.30. Sponsored by KLM
_________________________________
September 8
B2B Mixer Poznań 2011
Location: Kolegiacki 17, Poznań starting at 18.00
The B2B Mixer is a cooperation of four bilateral
Chambers in Poland: the Dutch-, the British-, the
American- and the Spanish – Polish Chamber of
commerce.
_________________________________
September 15
International Octoberfest
The international Oktoberfest is a joint business mixer
of five international chambers in Poland: The Dutch-,
The British-, the American-, the German, and the
Scandinavian-Polish Chamber of Commerce.
More information will be provided on our website
www.nlchamber.com.pl
_________________________________
October 4
Dutch Business drink
Location: Hotel Hilton, Grzybowska 63,
Warsaw 18.30 – 20.30. Sponsored by Croon TBI
October 21
Indonesian Rijsttafel
Location: Hotel Hilton, Grzybowska 63, Warsaw
Please mark this date in your calendar. More
information will be provided on www.nlchamber.com.pl
_________________________________
_________________________________
Advertisement
Dialogix:
Less is more
Jasper Buter,
founder and owner of
the company Dialogix,
which possesses the
largest email database in
Poland, explains why email
marketing is no longer only
about sending emails.
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issue 35
Bulletin
The story of how Jasper Buter ended up in Poland might sound familiar to many
How are you currently doing, four years after your start-up?
foreign entrepreneurs in Poland. In 2007, Buter, the son of an owner of a fruit
and vegetable wholesale, loaded up his car in Amsterdam with a few suits and “We are very successful. We have 75 customers out of the top 1000 major
underwear and headed full speed for Poland. Setting up his own company in
companies in Poland. Although it is going very well, what strikes me is that
Poland was an idea that originated from an internship he took in Poland in 1993. there is a huge pressure on prices in Poland. There are several companies
interested in quality, but many marketing managers look first at what it
Did you start up your company Dialogix all by yourself?
costs before they ask about the strategy behind our plans and how we help
them to reach their marketing goals.”
“No I didn’t. Now I speak fairly good Polish, but at the time I started my
business in Poland I needed advisors for everything. One of the people that
Isn’t that very difficult in your line of work? You have a very innovative
I have known for a long time is Wojciech Dobrzański. Wojciech isn’t the ideal
product to sell, but clients mainly want to buy for the lowest price.
partner for setting up a media company. He has a financial background and
didn’t have any experience in this branch until we started our business. But “That is difficult, and we had to adjust in the beginning to serve this market.
to me it was very important that I could trust somebody. And I certainly trust
But I don’t want to give up on quality, which is why I always try to first
him. I met Wojciech during my internship in Poland. Many years later he was
contact the ‘top dog’ in a company and avoid the middle management.
the first person I called when I finally decided to start a business in Poland.”
For instance, I got to the Polish CEO of AEGON through the CEO of this
company in the Netherlands. When you talk with a company at this level
Why did you choose Poland to do an internship?
they often start with anything but money. It is then much easier to get the
message of the quality of email marketing across.”
“During my studies in the Netherlands I met another student with many
international contacts. He encouraged my interest in exotic countries
Is it frustrating that Poles are mainly focussed on price?
and brought me into contact with someone in Gliwice who I was able to
help with setting up a business.”
“It is, but I have found a way to make use of this behaviour. Recently we
launched a website called ‘prosze bardzo’. On this site, marketing managers
Why did you decide to do an internship abroad in the first place? It would
can gather leads simply and cheaply. Ordinary Poles can subscribe and join
have been easier to fulfil your practicum in the Netherlands.
contests that take place on the site. They can gather points for joining, and
if they have saved 5 stars they can cash this in. I will simply send money to
“Originally I even had a far more extreme destination
their bank accounts. This website will get a lot of
in mind: Japan. I took Japanese lessons for half a
traffic when I start promoting it through our email
year, just to prepare myself with basic language so
database. It is a very simple concept. I know that
it would be easier to find my way around in that
Poles love bargains and to get money for free, and
country. Left over from that experience is an ability
I tried to connect this to my business.”
to still read hiragana, the Japanese syllabary,
quite well. I learned this from a Japanese person
What is the difference in email marketing in the
who studied Frisian languages at the University
Netherlands and in Poland?
of Groningen. He should have helped me with
my trip to Japan, but a few weeks before my
“I notice that in the Netherlands companies have
internship he left for Russia. And with him, my
a better understanding of email marketing and
contacts in Japan also evaporated. And so I
social media. For instance, over the past few
decided to go for an internship in Poland. The
years, social media, such as Twitter and Facebook,
decision to change my destiny was made at the very last moment.”
has developed very fast. Here in Poland, social media is considered as a
completely new medium, which it isn’t, it is just another way of communicating
How did you end up in the business of email marketing?
and using the internet. And in Poland we see that a lot of marketing budgets
have simply been transferred from email marketing to social media. However
“I used to be a sales manager for BNR Radio in the Netherlands. My former
not many marketing managers have a good understanding of how to
commercial director asked me to help him start a new company, Mailmedia. implement and combine your email and social media marketing.”
This is an email publishing company that became very successful in a very
short period of time. Within one year we became the national leader in
Would you say that social media is still in its infancy in Poland?
email marketing, and within five years we expanded from two employees
to 300. However, I wanted to fulfil another wish – to start my own business “I think that in the Netherlands we have a leading role. Many creative
in Poland. And that is why I left Mailmedia in 2007.”
and thoughtful people with knowledge of social media come from the
Netherlands. I myself use a lot of developments from the Netherlands and
Can you tell me something about the email strategy of mailmedia?
introduce them here in Poland. For instance, the latest developments are
the ability to change email messages in real time. This offers a lot of new
“We started out with a data base of 30,000 people from an email clipping
possibilities to combine email marketing with social media. I found this
newspaper called Sapenda. Our partner, Kees Zegers, who was also the
technology in the Netherlands and am now introducing it in Poland.”
founder of nu.nl, already owned this database. We earned money from this
email newspaper through the advertisements that we placed in it. After
But aren’t there any marketing managers in Poland who do have an
a while, one of the advertisers asked us to make an email newspaper
understanding?
dedicated only to his company. Soon we found out that this was a really
interesting way to marketise email, and things developed fast. We grew “There are. A good friend of mine is marketing director for MARS. She decided
from 2 employees to 300 in five years. But in the end, there weren’t any
not to invest in email marketing because it doesn’t fit her product. That is a pity
challenges left for me in Mailmedia, and I decided that it was the right time
for me but I agree with her, because MARS bars are a mass product. You can
to follow my dreams and start up my own project in Poland.”
find them in every supermarket or gas station all over the country, so you don’t
“Email marketing has
been around for just a
decade, but there are
already the ‘old days’.”
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Bulletin
have to target a special group. In this case it is better to use the mass media
to promote your brand. The same goes for the beer brand Heineken. Unless
you want to reach a select group, for instance with the Open’er festival. Email
marketing is a perfect tool to call someone to action, and when you want to
encourage a group of young people to go to this festival.”
You have the largest database in Poland, consisting of 6 million people.
How did you get this database?
your company, unless they just bought a car. They are coming to your site
because they are interested in cars in general. You can, for instance, publish
something about the difference in perception about driving between man
and woman. People will find this much more interesting and will be willing
to come back to your page. When you only publish about yourself, people
judge this as being too commercial. So you have to publish strong content
related to your branch. You then have to use email to reach your target group
and to tell them to go to your Facebook page.”
“It is like with all things in Poland, you have to be very patient. I have built
What is the reason behind this?
up a partnership with publishers like e-gospodarka.pl, mojeauto.pl and
e-biznes.pl. We exclusively rent their databases, and in return we receive “People have a tendency to talk about themselves, but you should try to avoid
a commission. All the data are assorted and stored in our database. For
this. On Facebook it is important to inspire people. And you shouldn’t forget
instance, in my database you can easily pick out a single man with two
to reward people for coming to your site. I have seen companies that offer
dogs living in a renting flat in Warsaw, driving a BMW 3 series and intending
a diploma to people who push the ‘like’ button on their Facebook page.
to buy a new flat within 3 months. You can target that deep into my data. That is also a good way to keep people coming to your site. Then there is
But the average marketing manager in Poland couldn’t care less about this
the issue of converting visitors into prospects and clients. You can do that
possibility. Most of them want to purchase on price.”
by gathering their email addresses, because when you are communicating
with them via email, you can start a personal dialogue. You gather this data
What are the rules in Poland for using the data?
through setting up a quiz or a survey on Facebook. It is not very difficult, it
just has to be done right. It is the combination of the whole chain that makes
“There are European rules that you have to follow. But beside European
these marketing campaigns really strong. Unfortunately, in Poland many
rules, Poland has its own regulations on top. Every database has to be
companies are still struggling to find the right mix of channels.”
registered at the Bureau of the Inspector General for Personal Data
Protection (GIODO). It has been a very long way and took a lot of nerves
to get ourselves certified, but we managed to get approval. With this
certification we can help our partners set up and extend their own database,
and advise them how to register at the GIODO bureau.”
What, in your opinion, are the latest developments in email marketing?
“Email marketing has been around for just a decade, but there are already
the ‘old days’. Sending as many emails to as many accounts as possible
is something of the old days. However, many marketers in Poland are still
working like this. They do a lot of damage to the market. I sometimes have to
explain to prospects that I want to target 100,000 well-defined people for them.
Those companies show me that my competitors offer to send an email to a
database of 5 million people. ‘Maybe those 5 million people have friends who
are interested in my offer’ is their argument.
New developments in my profession are all about combining email
marketing with other channels as well as optimising your database. I am
currently in contact with a company in the US that produces a system
that makes it even more possible to trace behaviour on the internet. I will
connect this data to my email database, which makes it possible to target
people in more detail. For our clients this means that we can offer a better
defined target group, which can save them a lot of money.”
Are there any particular marketing campaigns that you like in Poland?
“There is a very typical example that I wanted to show you. A great marketing
campaign from Kraft foods and their brand Milka. It is a campaign connected
to the Tatra Mountains which0 is very well thought out. It is one of the few
good examples in Poland of integrating several channels into a campaign.
In my opinion, social networks are suitable for branding and getting in
touch with a large group of unknown people. With e-mail it is possible to
have a direct and personal contact which can end up in dialogue with your
prospects. Companies should build and strengthen their brand through
social media and make the conversion by using e-mail. This is in my opinion
the best way of achieving marketing goals. Email marketing should be more
integrated with social media and vice versa.”
Let’s pick out one channel: Facebook. What is the best way for
a company to present itself on this medium?
“Let me give you an example. Recently I advised one of my clients in the
automotive industry on how to set up a Facebook page. It is critical how
you set up your Facebook page. Users are on Facebook because they want
to express themselves. You shouldn’t try to sell them something. And they
are also not coming to your Facebook page to hear the latest news about
issue 35
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9
Chamber
news and events
Members’
annual meeting
The Executive Board
During our Annual Members Meeting, the new bilateral Chamber
of Commerce has taken over the activities of the old organisation.
The Chamber held a historical
annual meeting of members
in the meeting rooms of the
Hilton Hotel on 10 May. During
the meeting, the board officially
liquidated
the
Vereniging
Bilaterale Nederlands – Poolse
Kamer van Koophandel, which
operated under Dutch law. The
members that were present
Boardmember Remco van der Kroft (left) explains
witnessed the establishment
the proceedings for liquidating the Dutch
organisation of the Chamber.
of the new bilateral Chamber
of Commerce based on the
Law on Chambers of Commerce in Poland. With the approval of the Polish
National Chamber of Commerce, we are now empowered by law to represent
the interests of our members in particular towards the authorities.
Also during the meeting, the director of
the Chamber, Małgorzata Szydłowska
reflected on the highlights and the
main events of the Chamber over
the previous year. During a presentation,
she
showed
us
successful
new initiatives such as the company
visit to the Warka brewery, business
mixers „Holland meets....” and
other notable events like the DutchIndonesian dinner ‘Rijsttafel’. This
was followed by a presentation by
Treasurer Hans van Houwelingen of the
financial report from 2010. Then some
Eric Drok (right) says farewell to departing
treasurer Hans van Houwelingen.
questions were answered, the report
was accepted by the members with no
votes against. Jasja van der Veen and Jasper Buter volunteered to take part in
the audit committee that will review the financial report for the next year.
Another issue at the annual
meeting was the election of
the new board. Treasurer
Hans van Houwelingen said
farewell to the Chamber.
Chairman
Eric
Drok
thanked him for his efforts
and the energy that he had
put into the Chamber over
New treasurer Maurice Idsardi goes through the
the past two years. Eric van
budget for the next financial year.
Vliet stepped down and
was re-elected. Jaap Brouwer left the board and the Chamber welcomed Dini
Bouwmeester as a new boardmember.
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issue 35
Bulletin
Eric Drok
Chairman
Remco van der Kroft
Secretary and first contact for the
Embassy and the International Group of
Chambers of Commerce (IGCC).
Eric van Vliet
Responsible for events and the operational
contact for the Chamber.
Maurice Idsardi:
Treasurer
Paweł Mlicki:
Responsible for all matters concerning the Bulletin.
Dini Bouwmeester
Position will be decided on a later moment
Chamber participates in O Holender festival
The Netherlands – Polish Chamber of
Commerce has participated this year for the
third time in the O Holender festival.
The event, that was organised in the Kubusia
Puchatka street in Warsaw, is based on and
resembles the Dutch Queensday which is a day
full of festivities and on which the Dutch celebrate
the birthday of the their Queen. The O Holender
festival in Warsaw was organized by Redbad
Dutch-Polish children of the ‘Kinderclub’ performed a Dutch
song
The Kubusia Puchatka street was covered with blankets on
which children offered their merchandise
the giveaways that our members had provided us
with. “Although we were troubled by the weather
a little bit, this years edition of the O Holender
festival has been a great success”, says Dini
Bouwmeester, board member of the O Holender
festival. “We will surely continue next year. This will
be the fifth anniversary which also will be close to
the Euro2012 championships so the next edition
will surely be a very special event.”
Over 20 cyclists took part in the bicycle parade
Six teams took part in the street soccer tournament that had
been set up in the street
The Netherlands Polish Chamber of Commerce was present
with a wheel of fortune promoting its members.
Klijnstra in cooperation with many Dutch and
Polish volunteers. O Holender started with a
bicycle parade that was participated by more
than twenty cyclists with decorated orange bikes.
On the children stage, a group of twelve PolishDutch children performed a Dutch children song.
Also many children took part in the free-market;
The Kubusia Puchatka street was covered with
blankets on which children offered their used
toys and other trinkets. Otto Workforce had set
up a street soccer field and organised a football
tournament, which was won by a team of homeless
soccer players. The Chamber was also present on
the festival with a typically Dutch wheel of fortune.
After turning this wheel, the visitors had to answer
a question about one of our member companies.
The right answers were rewarded with gifts and
gadgets that were provided by our members and
partners. During the festival, many people where
lined up for the wheel and went home with one of
Hostesses of Athlon Car Lease were inviting inhabitants of
Warsaw to the festival
Body Language in Business
Just before our monthly business drink in April, many of our members
joined the long awaited ‘Body Language in Business’ training by Remy
Vermunt. Entrepreneurs and businesspeople all recognise the importance
of strong communication skills, but the most important element of these –
body language – is often neglected. “In the presence of others, we cannot
NOT communicate. Since your body language has a large impact on the
success of your business, it is important to get control over it,” says
Vermunt. During a three-hour session, Vermunt taught the participants
the basics of how to communicate with your body, but also how to read
the signals from your business partners.
issue 35
Bulletin
11
Minister Bleker
visits Poland
In April the Dutch minister of Foreign Economic Affairs, Mr Henk Bleker,
led an economic and trade mission of twenty Dutch companies to
Poland. While over here, Bleker also discussed with his counterparts
the social problems concerning Poles in the Netherlands.
The official visit of Minister Bleker started on Wednesday 20 April in Warsaw.
For several agrofood and environmental companies that took part in the
mission, the visit to Poland actually started several days earlier. They had their
first meeting on Monday 18 April in Poznań with Dutch farmers. The next day
there were several matchmaking sessions with Polish
companies in the agro-industry, where participants got
to know potential business partners.
Minister Henk
On Tuesday night the delegation travelled to Warsaw,
and on Wednesday there were more matchmaking
sessions. On Thursday they paid visits to Dutch fruit
and vegetable companies in the area of the Polish
capital. Country manager of KDE energy, Mr Hoiting,
gave his reasons for joining the mission, “There are
two reasons why we are present on this trade mission.
Bleker:
“Poland understands
our problems. They
have similar social
problems with workers
from Ukraine.”
Speed Business Mixer: Holland meets
four Scandinavian Countries
It was a completely new formula for the Netherlands-Polish Chamber of
Commerce, and it turned out to be a success. On 12 April we joined forces
with the Scandinavian Chamber in Poland in our speed business mixer. Many
of our members were present to give this new formula a try. The participants
were divided into small groups and were allowed only minutes to interview a
potential partner before the bell rang, sending them on to meet another person.
We hope to find new opportunities for wind farms in
the Poznań region. We also hope to find a solution to
develop a windfarm in Komarowo near Szczecin. The
presence of Mr Bleker can play a crucial role in this.”
However, Bleker was not only in Poland to support
Dutch companies in their efforts to set up a
business. He also discussed the problems of Polish
unemployed labour in the Netherlands with his
counterparts. And Bleker has his own way of doing
this, “I like to address those topics right away. I also
did that here in Poland and this worked very well.”
Minister Bleker wanted to dispel a misunderstanding that has arisen in
recent months. In the wake of the elections to provincial councils in the
Netherlands, several politicians proposed tougher measures to seize
the social problems concerning Eastern Europeans in the Netherlands.
Minister Bleker wants Poland’s support with this problem, but also
wants a more active role of the inspectorates in the Netherlands.
Minister Bleker said, “We will see to it that the Poles who want to work in our
country have the possibility to do so. However, there is a group of Poles on the
edge of society in the Netherlands, and we have to find a solution for them.”
According to Bleker, in order to solve the issue, social affairs minister
Henk Kamp from the Netherlands has to map out all the problems in the
Netherlands concerning Poles. “This morning, before I flew to Poland, I had
a meeting with Mr. Kamp on a terrace in The Hague, where we discussed
how to address this topic in Poland. How to get rid of the problems with
a small group of mainly repeat offenders, drug addicts and homeless
people that is causing trouble.”
Did you talk about concrete solutions with your Polish counterparts?
“No I didn’t. However, there is a lot of understanding for our situation in
the Netherlands. This is not hard to understand. Poland has similar social
problems with workers from Ukraine,” says Minister Bleker.
Vendere business breakfast
On April 7, together with our Chamber, Vendere Consultancy &Training BV.,
organized a business breakfast. Members who joined the breakfast got to
know more about Vendere (Latin for ‘to sell’), a marketing-orientated expert
specialising in telephone communications – qualitative telemarketing,
telesales and lead generation. Vendere also supports organisations by
offering practical training and coaching in the area of telephone sales and
communication. Many of our members took the opportunity to learn more
about the power of telemarketing. It was also a very nice meeting to break
up the day.
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Brewery tour
Warka
As many as 50 members of the Netherlands – Polish and the Scandinavian
- Polish Chambers of Commerce took part in a brewery tour of the Warka
Brewery in the city of Warka.
The tour gave our members a chance to learn more about the brewing
process at the brewery of Grupa Żywiec. However, the event also offered
As many as fifty members from the two chambers took
part in the company visit to the Warka factory.
The visitors first went to the brew house, which was
modernised in 2004.
many possibilities to make new friends, or to become better acquainted with
old friends. The chamber members were welcomed by the staff of the brewery.
During presentations by brewery director Leszek Kałuża, Heineken marketing
manager Szymon Michalik and group technology and quality manager of Grupa
Żywiec Dini Bouwmeester, the visitors were informed about the rich history and
tradition of the brewery. The beer brewing tradition in Warka is one of Poland’s
oldest, and the excellence of the brand was recognised already in 1478 when
the brewery was granted the right to supply beer to the Duke of Warsaw. The annual capacity of the Warka brewery is 3.4 million
hectolitres.
During the brewery tour, our members were able to learn more about the
production process. The tour started in the brew house. The present brewery
was built in 1975, but the brew house was modernised in 2004. It is equipped
with the largest lauter tun ever built in Poland, with a diameter of 13.6 m. One
brew produces more than 1000 hectolitres of beer. The daily capacity of
the brew house is 12 brews per day. Although the Warka brewery is highly
automated and you only see a few operators in the central control room taking
care of the brewing, fermentation and filtration process – it is very much a
human who decides about the finest quality of the beer. The beer belongs to
food category and only large breweries with restricted hygiene requirements,
ISO and HACCP certificates can guarantee top quality and stable beer
characteristics. All the bright beer for the packaging department is filtered
by two modern, environmental friendly membrane filters. The bright beer is
packed in returnable bottles, one way bottles, cans or kegs. The visitors were
impressed and amazed by the speed of the packaging lines and the amount of
bottles and cans which were inspected, filled and packed in crates or cartons.
Facts you might not know about the brewery in Warka:
6 900 340 km is the yearly distance that the Warka trucks are driving to deliver
the beer from the brewery to numerous locations all around Poland. This is
the same distance as circling the globe 172 times or flying nine times from
the Earth to the Moon and back. The yearly volume of the beer brewed in
Warka is 285 400 m3, which could fill 114 olympic pools (2 500 m3) or 3,5
Palaces of Culture (80 000 m3).
The annual capacity of the brewery is 3.4 million hectolitres.The Warka brewery
is responsible for the production of the beer brands Warka, Tatra, Strong,
Desperados, Heineken and Królewskie, Specjal, Lezajsk and Kujawiak. The
brewery is continuously making investments, to produce the required volumes
and to stay in line with market developments and consumer expectations. The
visit to the Warka brewery is the first visit of its kind for the Chamber. Never
before have we offered events like this to our members.
However, events like this offer our members the possibility to extend their
network in a complete different setting than during our regular business drinks.
As Dini Bouwmeester stated, “This brewery and other visits offer a way for
SME companies to learn from each other and to discuss a range of topics
from technical and technological developments, like packaging materials and
machines and environmental requirements to people development and salary
issues.” At the end of the afternoon, when the official tour had ended, the
group was offered a lavish meal by the Warka brewery and a mug of fresh
Polish draught beer, to recap the day’s discussions and events.
The members had a chance to ask questions about
the production process and about the marketing of the
beer brands.
issue 35
Bulletin
13
Bilingual? You’re valuable
Jobmarket
still studying Dutch studies at one of the Universities in Poland.
Others had developed language skills during work or internships
in the Netherlands. One of the attendees, Andrzej Zieniuk,
became aware of the event through the magazine ‘Bulletin’ of
the NPCC. “I have never been here before, but I thought that
it could never hurt to pay a visit to this job fair”, says Zieniuk
who speaks fluent Dutch. His current employer is restructuring
the company and Zieniuk did not want to wait for this process to
be finished. He thinks that he stands a good chance of finding
a new job at the fair since he is a skilled Dutch speaker. “I lived
in the Netherlands for a while. At first I only spoke German, but
since Dutch grammar doesn’t differ much from German, I picked
up Dutch quite easily.”
From left to right: Koen Haverbeke, representative of the Flamish government, Walter
van Ditmars, deputy head of the economic department at the Embassy of the Kingdom
of the Netherlands and vice Chairman Remco van der Kroft of the Netherlands - Polish
Chamber of Commerce.
Eighty Dutch-speaking job seekers and nineteen companies flocked to
this years’ job market for Dutch speakers that took place in the Embassy
of the Netherlands in Warsaw.
At the Job fair, most of the job seekers learned Dutch at the
university. Jabłoński is especially looking for this type of candidate.
“Students who finished university have reached a high level of
intelligence. It is not necessary that they have already gained
practical skills. We can teach them that later on in their career.”
To Jabłoński, those candidates are open-minded. “We are looking
for somebody who is open to learn a lot and to quickly develop
themselves with our organisation in Poland.”
Market value
But how much of an asset is it when candidates can speak fluent Dutch? While
bilingual skills are not always required to obtain good jobs, the number of
The job fair has become a common method for companies from all over
companies present at the job fair proves that
Poland to recruit their Dutch speaking staff in the
being able to speak Dutch gives candidates
shortest possible amount of time. For many job
Regional business development
an extra edge. Zieniuk says, “Let’s not
seekers, the job fair provides a free opportunity to
director Krzysztof Jabłoński
overestimate the importance of the Dutch
meet with multiple employers on the same day. language for Polish companies. It is a very
of Van Ameyde CEE: “The job
narrow specialisation and we are interesting
Among the employers you could find such
fair also proves to be a great
only for a small group of Dutch companies in
companies as Randstad Polska, Van Ameyde CEE,
networking platform for meeting
Poland. But there is certainly a demand, for
Ernst & Young, Cap Gemini, and Accenture Polska.
other companies.”
instance among companies that are trading
“Although English is the international business
between the Netherlands and Poland.”
language, we are looking for Dutch speaking
candidates because we are a Dutch company
and they will fit better in our trainings programmes, which are held in the
Netherlands,” says regional business development director Krzysztof Jabłoński
of Van Ameyde CEE, which was present at the job fair for the first time.
The job fair attracted eighty Dutch-speaking job seekers. Some of them were
Regional business development director Krzysztof Jabłoński of
Van Ameyde CEE.
14
issue 35
Bulletin
Krzysztof Jabłoński will certainly consider coming back to next year’s job fair.
And not only to find new candidates: “The job fair also proves to be a great
networking platform for meeting other companies. So I will surely value this
event as a great success.”
Andrzej Zieniuk, became aware of the event through the
magazine ‘Bulletin’ of the NPCC.
Polish labour market getting
back on its feet
The Polish labour market is slowly recovering from the financial
downturn. Companies are starting to invest again and the
unemployment rate is slowly decreasing. However, employers
are more cautious about spending lots of money on salaries.
Regional differences
According to consultancy company Sedlak and Sedlak, the average salary in
2010 in Poland was 3,500 PLN, which is 2.2 percent higher than in 2009. Staff
in the IT and Finance branches are rewarded with the highest salaries.
Compared to 2009, workers in the IT branch earned 5.4 percent more in
2010, and in the financial departments salaries rose an average of 2 percent.
The lowest wages were paid to staff working in warehouses and at customer
service departments.
According to Sedlak and Sedlak, salaries in Poland are unlikely to rise faster
in 2011 than in 2010, keeping to a pace of 3 to 4 per cent. The areas and
professions that are most in demand are specialists and experts in the
industry and construction sectors, as well as in retail trade and IT. The most
sought after positions are webmasters, specialists in social media, information
security experts and programmers.
There is a significant difference in wages paid in the Warsaw area and in the
rest of Poland. As a result, there is a continuing trend among production
companies to move their production to provinces with lower wages.
In 2010, the highest wages were paid in the Mazowsze region (averaging
PLN 4,500 gross). This is about 19 percent more than in the other regions
of Poland. However, specialists in the Mazowsze region are earning 28 – 32
per cent more. The largest difference in salary was noticed among directors
and members of management boards in the Mazowsze region and the rest of
Poland. This difference measures 38 percent.
When focussing only on large cities, we can see that staff in Warsaw earn
the highest salaries (PLN 5,000) followed by Gdańsk and Wrocław in second
(both on PLN 4,000) and Poznań with PLN 3,900 in third place. Employers in
Białystok, Kielce, Lublin and Olsztyn paid their staff an average of PLN 3,000.
There is also a significant difference between what Polish companies pay their
staff and what international companies pay their staff.
The demand for workers in these professions has risen due to the widespread
expansion of companies on to the internet. A good example is the retail trade
Average gross monthly wages
over 2010 divided by branch
Information Technology (IT)
5 100
Telecommunication
4 700
Insurance
4 500
Banking
4 400
Energy
3 900
Media, advertising and PR
3 820
Construction and engineering
3 700
Environment and Waste
3 200
Transport and logistics
3 200
Services
3 200
Retail
3 050
Agriculture
3 000
Education
3 000
Healthcare
2 800
2 455
Culture and arts
1 000
Source: Sedlak and Sedlak
on allegro are the new
traders and managers
responsible for e-sales of
the big companies,” says
Agnieszka Dejneka of
OnTime Recruitment.
4 100
Heavy industry
2 000
3 000
4 000
5 000
sector. Just a few years ago, the largest chains mainly invested
in Poland by building new hypermarkets in or close to the main
shopping areas. Currently those chains are increasing their
investments in on-line stores on the internet, because sales are
as good as with physical shops, but investment costs are lower.
Prime examples are companies like IKEA, Office Depot, Bomi,
Piotr
and
Paweł, Tesco
and
Leroy
“Ordinary people trading
Merlin.
6 000
“We notice
not
only
a
higher
demand for
traditional
marketing
specialists,
but we see
that companies are taking anyone who has practical selling
experience on the internet,” says senior recruitment agent
Agnieszka Dejneka of OnTime Recruitment. “We see a growing
interest in ordinary people trading on allegro. They are becoming
the new traders and managers responsible for e-sales in large
companies.” In almost every larger company, departments for
e-commerce and e-marketing are being set up.
issue 35
Bulletin
15
Average gross monthly salary in zlotys paid by Polish or foreign companies
25 % earns less than
average
Polish capital
2 100
3 026
4 600
Foreign capital
3 200
4 800
7 500
25 % earns more
Source: Sedlak and Sedlak
Foreign language skills
in high demand
Efficient salespeople, who are able to make a huge turnover,
can count on earning PLN 5,000 to 9,000 gross. A manager
of an internet sales channel will receive PLN 12,000 to 15,000
gross. There is a similar tendency in the advertising market on
the internet. Ordinary web users who are active on social media
sites are starting to make careers and become moderators or
bloggers for company websites.
According to a CBOS study „Youth 2010”, young people think that foreign languages
skills are less and less important when applying for a new job. This does not mean that
Polish youth is not learning languages, but they have come to realise that speaking
foreign languages is no longer anything special.
It is their task to promote and praise the products or services
that are offered on the internet. The bloggers are being hired by
companies that are active in very diverse branches. They can
earn up to PLN 5,000 a month, and their wages are growing.
In Poland, not all job candidates are really able to speak the languages they have put
on their C.V. in a day-to-day situation. Employers are aware that ‘communicative level’
on a curriculum does not have to imply that the candidate has the skills to fluently
speak this language.
What is happening today in the internet business resembles
the situation in the early nineties, when a University degree and
the ability to speak English were sufficient in Poland to become
a manager. The difference today, however, is that companies
Since there is more and more foreign capital flowing into Poland, the importance of knowing
foreign languages has grown. Of course not all languages are equally sought after, and are
not equally appreciated financially.
Average gross monthly wages
over 2010 divided by voivodeship
mazowieckie
4 500
pomorskie
3 700
dolnośląskie
3 688
wielkopolskie
3 500
śląskie
3 200
zachodniopomorskie
3 100
lubuskie
3 050
kujawsko-pomorskie
3 000
opolskie
3 000
łódzkie
3 000
podlaskie
2 800
świętokrzyskie
2 800
warmińsko-mazurskie
2 800
lubelskie
2 765
1 000
Source: Sedlak and Sedlak
16
issue 35
Bulletin
Several industries have remained immune to this,
such as the construction industry. The recovery
in the housing market and the launch of several
industrial projects like roads, stadiums and train
stations that have to be finished before EURO2012,
has caused an increasing demand for skilled
construction workers. 2 900
podkarpackie
2 000
3 000
The demand for managerial staff in Poland went
down two years ago due to the financial downturn.
Companies wanted to cut their costs and laid off
their managers on high salaries, replacing them
with staff with similar capabilities, but who earn less.
Recruitment agencies these days meet far fewer
financial demands from candidates for a job
application. Candidates for the top positions in
companies want to earn PLN 30,000 to PLN 35,000
a month, which is PLN 15,000 to PLN 20,000 less
than before the crisis.
3 300
małopolskie
are now more cautious with their expenses and
also with the height of salaries. Employees who
want to earn a high salary, even when they have a
very good CV, will lose their job to someone who is
willing to work for less money.
4 000
5 000
Their average wage is PLN 4,500 to PLN 6,000
a month, but some of them, especially certain
specialists or managers of a large construction
site and architects, can earn up to PLN 20,000
gross a month.
issue 35
Bulletin
17
Career tracker
Geert-Jan Beuming
Starting from 1 May, Geert-Jan Beuming (46)
has been appointed Chief Risk Officer for BGŻ
(Rabobank’s retail subsidiary in Poland). He has
been working with Rabobank for over 25 years in
the Netherlands, Ireland, Chile, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Singapore
and Hong Kong (again). Most of these postings have been in the area
of risk management. In his new role in Poland, he will be responsible
for the areas of credit risk management, market risk management,
operational risk management, credit administration and risk modelling.
Geert-Jan is married and has an eight-year-old son.
_______________________________
Willem Klein Klouwenberg
Willem Klein Klouwenberg has been appointed
General Manager of the training institute Match
and More Polska. This group of professionals
offers a successful balance between international
experience and local mindsetting. Willem joined Match and More at
the beginning of 2011 after a successful career spanning 48 countries
as international account director at Randstad Holding, in the global
banking and insurance segment. Prior to that, he held the position of
Managing Director in several international training companies. _______________________________
Erik Kok
After three years in Poland, Erik Kok is relocating
back to the Netherlands as of 1 August 2011.
Erik will stay within ING and will be taking up the
position of Global Programme Manager Financial
Markets. Part of his current responsibilities move back to Amsterdam
with him: Central and Eastern Europe will have a special focus in his
portfolio and he expects and hopes to be back in Warsaw soon.
_______________________________
Dirk-Jan de Groot
Dirk-Jan de Groot has been appointed project manager
at Philips Consumer Lifestyle in the Netherlands. DirkJan worked in Poland between July 2008 and March
2011 at Philips Consumer Lifestyle Poland.
Geert Embrechts
Geert Embrechts has been appointed VicePresident of the BGŻ bank. Geert has been
working for Rabobank International since 1995.
Prior to his appointment in Poland, he was
Chief Financial and Risk Officer, Vice-President and Director at
Rabobank International Indonesia.
_______________________________
Aad van der Weijden
Aad van der Weijden, Managing Director Hubs &
Gateways Central Europe for DHL Express, will
relocate to the Netherlands in the summer of 2011. Aad
started his career with DHL in Amsterdam and has for
the last 15 years been working in various positions in Brussels, Stockholm,
Istanbul, Dubai and Warsaw, being operational end-responsible for several
clusters of countries, including air and road transportation, service level
standards, facility management and customer satisfaction. He will start
looking for new career opportunities in the Netherlands.
_______________________________
Rogier Eijking
Rogier Eijking (35) has joined ING Bank Śląski as
of 1 May 2011 in the position of Head of Market
Risk Management. In this role, Rogier Eijking is
responsible for all market risk, retail risk, asset and
liability management and product control of the bank reporting to the
CRO. Rogier Eijking started his career at ING in 1999 and has worked in
Amsterdam, The Hague, Hong Kong and most recently London, where he
specialised in hedge fund risk and structured credit risk. Rogier holds an
MBA from Northwood University in the United States and is a CFA charter
holder. In his spare time Rogier is both a keen football and tennis player.
_______________________________
Jarosław Sołtys
Jarosław Sołtys has left Kema Poland as General
Manager where he had been working since 2008.
As of 1 May he has been appointed to the board
of the MIS group. Jarosław is co-founder of the
Polish Knowledge Management Practitioner Association.
_______________________________ _______________________________
18
issue 35
Bulletin
Athlonline is a unique tool that allows you for an on-line
quotation of all car brands and access to fleet reports.
The Better
solution
[email protected]
www.athloncarlease.pl
+48 (022)
78 85
issue 34 653
Bulletin
19
The Netherlands - Polish Chamber of Commerce
invites new members
Ghelamco Group
COOPLUX
The Ghelamco Group was established in Belgium in
We are the first and most important business card
1985 by Paul Gheysens. The company is a leading
for your company on the local market. We can offer
European real estate investor and developer active
you professional services including:
in the office, residential, retail, logistics and leisure
Representing your company and keeping direct
markets. We maintain a high degree of internal
contact with your clients, Daily care of the image of
control, with respect for agreed milestones over
your company, Complete market analysis - supply,
all phases of project development: land purchase, demand, client databases, SWOT English /Polish
planning, construction and lease and/or sale. Our
translations. The owner of the company - Celina
projects combine prime and strategic locations
Alochno - is a Master of Economics and an MBA
with efficient but aesthetically inspiring designs.
English graduated in 1989, , having completed
We create modern, flexible and market-friendly
many training sessions and courses (including
solutions that are carefully designed to meet the
Phare in Luxembourg, Cambridge in the UK, the
requirements of all stakeholders.
Academy of Managers in Poland etc.), 33 years of
Our successes on the various markets are
experience in managerial positions in marketing,
generated by the group’s professional and
export sales, order management, and working for
enthusiastic staff, who are driven by our
the largest steel company - ArcelorMittal.
management’s vision and passion to create winwin solutions.
Contact: Celina Alochno
The Ghelamco Group employs about 200 people,
mob.: +48 501 404 686, skype: cooplux-p
mainly in Belgium and in Poland.
e-mail: [email protected]
The Ghelamco Group is synonymous with a market
tel.: +48 32 292 89 19, fax: +48 32 744 50 26
leader that combines its strengths as a reliable,
Kilińskiego 48, 41-200 Sosnowiec
high quality and diversified real estate developer
in a wide field of market segments with an inherent
flexibility to anticipate new market trends. Our
capabilities have been widely recognised by the
Visible results.
market via numerous awards, such as Developer of
Transparent
the Year 2006, 2007 and 2008 by the Construction
and Investment Journal.
Transparent, which was founded in Amsterdam
in 2000 and has expanded rapidly to its current
Ghelamco Poland
90 employees, delivers a powerful data-mining
Domaniewska St, 52
service to large organisations.
02-672 Warsaw
We analyse the accounts-payable (AP) data of
Phone: + 48 22 455 16 00
our clients, provide them with detailed insight
Fax: + 48 22 455 16 10
into the AP-process quality, including internal and
Email: [email protected]
external benchmarks, as well as improvement
recommendations.
For our clients this is completely free of charge,
and uses hardly any of their resources. Alongside
this, we identify and recover any undue payments
that our clients have made to their suppliers, e.g.
Krzysztof Stefanski
double payments. Only when this “lost” money
Krzysztof Stefanski graduated from Economics at is deposited back into our clients’ accounts is
Transparent entitled to a finder’s fee. We take
the University of Nijmegen, the Netherlands
After his studies he held the position of account complete charge of the recovery, which is offered
manager at Delta Lloyd Life Insurance and an on a no-cure no-pay basis.
The entire exercise is quick, risk-free and does
actuarial specialist at Generali Life Insurance.
Hehas been living in Poland since 2004 He created not require any investment or resources. It
his own company, which operates in the insurance delivers immediate results: additional bottom-line
sector (Allianz, Signal Iduna, Medica Polska) and profit, as well as sustainable value in the shape
healthy products in the direct sales sector (Forever of comprehensive management information and
Living Products). He was recently promoted to advice. With offices throughout Western Europe
a managerial position within the Forever Living and in the US, becoming more active in the
Products organisation. Krzysztof Stefański speaks inspiring Polish economy is a logical step. We are
Dutch, English, and Polish fluently and writes in looking forward to establishing fruitful business
relationships in Poland!
Dutch, English, and Polish.
20
issue 35
Bulletin
Electro Croon Polska Sp. z o.o.
Electro Croon Polska Sp. z o.o. is a wholly-owned
subsidiary of Croon Elektrotechniek B.V (part of
TBI Holdings B.V) implementing projects in the
market segments of Poland and other countries
in Central and Eastern Europe, as its mother
company is doing in the Netherlands. Since its
establishment in 1993, Electro Croon Polska
Sp. z o.o. has become one of the most highly
recommended contractors. We offer our clients:
Feasibility (studies and surveys), Analyses of
requirements, Pre-engineering, Complete design
of infrastructure, industrial plants and systems,
building and systems installations, integrated
systems, Skilful and efficient implementation,
execution
and
commissioning,
Training,
maintenance and after sale services Facility
management
Completed projects:
- Holland Park – Warszawa - Dom Holenderski –
Gdańsk - Galeria Bałtycka - Gdańsk
Electro Croon Polska Sp. z o.o.
ul. Marszałkowska 76, 00-517 Warszawa
Tel: +48 22 59 63 780
Contact people:
Mr Janusz Chełmiński e-mail: [email protected]
Mr Sebastiaan Spee email: [email protected]
Op’en Cloud Services
Op’en Cloud Services (OCS) provides business
process consultancy and delivers customised
software solutions based on Open Source
Business Applications from renowned suppliers
like SugarCRM (CRM), ProcessMaker (BPM)
and KnowledgeTree (DMS). Solutions, which
are often available in a Software-as-a-Service or
Cloud environment and reduces the Total Cost
of IT Ownership. Full software development and
maintenance, including mobile applications, are
available from a 60+ software development team
in West Ukraine.
OCS is also the representative of VendOn
telemetria solutions for the Vending Industry, and
MapOn software for management and control of
company car fleets.
Op’en Cloud Services
ul. Jaktorowska 4/60
01-202 Warszawa, Poland
603 272 454
PVG Polska Sp.z.o.o.
The PVG Group is an international trading company
that has been operating in the household climate
control sector for many years.
With the Zibro brand, we have become the European
leader in mobile heaters and associated fuels. We
have noticed that there is an increasing attention
to indoor air quality. This is why we have combined
our forces in a single strong brand: ZIBRO.
With ZIBRO, PVG focuses on improving indoor
air quality because we believe that: The quality
of the air in your private surroundings defines
your well-being. All your senses and your entire
body are influenced by air temperature, humidity,
purity, fragrance, circulation, oxygen and other air
elements.
The quality of air is an important factor in feeling
good. With a dedicated organisation currently
employing 250 people, the PVG Group is well
equipped to meet the challenges of the future. We
intend to supply “home-made climates” to the 730
million consumers in Europe.
PVG Polska Sp.z.o.o.
ul. Kościelna 110
26-800 Białobrzegi
Tel: +48 48 613 00 70
Money Makers S.A.
Money Makers S.A. offers real asset management
service from just PLN 40 000. Our people have
international experience and a strong track record
in investment and client service.
WE INVEST FOR YOU We invest our client’s
money through their individual investment account
according to their personal strategy.
INDEPENDENCE Our client is our only master.
We have no sources of income other than the fee
paid by our clients, which guarantees a complete
alignment of interests
TRANSPARENCY Our clients can follow their own
investments from day to day online. We show all
transactions and disclose all costs. There are no
hidden “surprises”.
TRY US WITHOUT OBLIGATION We invite you
to learn more about us and to open a free demo
account in order to find out what investment
strategy best fits your needs.
Tel.: (22) 463-88-88
Fax: (22) 463-88-89
E-mail: [email protected]
www: www.moneymakers.pl
De Bruijn & Co
De Bruijn & Co, accountants and tax consultancy
office. Established over 50 years ago, we act
as confidential advisers and a sounding board
to ambitious entrepreneurs, companies and
organisations. We are here to serve you with
advice (commercial and private) on accountancy,
taxation and administrative affairs. Our customer
base consists of national and international companies
in Amsterdam and across the provinces of North
Holland, Utrecht and South Holland. De Bruijn &
Co is an independent bureau and a member of the
Accacia network of independent accountants and tax
consultancy offices. Services Provided: Accounting,
Cost Accounting, Assistance in Tax, General
Administration, Company Start Ups, General Tax
Advice, Consolidation, VAT advice, Bookkeeping,
Tax compliance, Payroll Management, Reporting.
Address: Johannes Verhulststraat 88-90,
1071 NK AMSTERDAM
Phone: +31 20 5 789 800, Fax: +31 20 5 789 808
Email: [email protected]
Website: www.debruijnenco.nl
Partners: Wim Krook (+31614006605),
Pim Groentjes (+31614006604) and
Robin Ras (+31643453956)
Saturacja Management Consulting
Saturacja Management Consulting is a company
specialising in improving business results and
operational performance. Our services include
strategy & business consulting and project &
interim management. Our style can be best
described as full dedication to our Clients’ interests,
constant delivery of valuable results and capable
of resolving complex business matters. Our
analytical and conceptual skills allow us to quickly
identify risks and opportunities for beneficial
improvement. Always pursuing win-win together
with the principle that people are your greatest
resource, and that implementation already starts
at the initiation stage of any change.
We have broad experience in projects and working
environments where ICT is intensively used as an
enabler to run business operations, especially in
the area of ERP & CRM implementations.
Saturacja Management Consulting
w w w. l i n k e d i n . c o m / c o m p a n y / s a t u r a c j a management-consulting
Email: [email protected]
Telephone: +48 608 274 497
Blue Business Media Ltd
Welcome to the Blue Business Media world!
I am sure you agree that it is not only what you know,
but more importantly who you know that causes
your success in business! At the conferences of
Blue Business Media, CEE’s best conference
company, gaining new and unique knowledge
and establishing important new relationships goes
hand in hand. As organiser, we do the impossible to
integrate our participants and we generate, discuss
and present content that was never presented
before! Blue Business media is especially strong
in Retail, FMCG, Media, Finance, IT and Pharma
and is organising THE yearly meeting places for
Marketing, Sales, Legal, Finance, Procurement
and IT professionals. We focus primarily on Poland,
Russia and Romania. More than 80% of the top
500 companies are our regular clients! I am sure
that we can be of vital assistance to any company
looking to further develop their business contacts!
Don’t hesitate to contact me directly on + 48 66
040 20 71, without doubt we will find a common
interest within a couple of minutes!
Casper Haring Managing Director
Blue Business Media Ltd
Ernst & Young
We are in the business of delivering seamless,
consistent, high-quality professional services
worldwide. We have 130,000 individuals across 140
countries, with an array of talents, who deliver these
services daily.
United by the belief that every person, organisation
and community needs help to achieve their
potential, we strive to use our talents to make a real
difference to each other, to our clients and to the
communities in which we work and live.
About E&Y Global Shared Services (GSS):
Ernst & Young’s Global Shared Services is a
global initiative that provides a broad array of
services across the globe. The services include
EMEIA processes, Global Finance, Accounting
and Reporting. Ernst & Young GSS is one of
the most admired international professional
service firms and it invites bright candidates
with a promise to provide them opportunities to
grow and succeed. EY Global Services (Poland)
Sp. z o.o. was set up in December 2010 and
started running from January 2011. Now the
company has 70 employees and, 250 employees
are expected to be taken on by 2012.
issue 35
Bulletin
21
Marc van der Ploeg
A big step into the unknown
Marc van der Ploeg had built a
successful career as a corporate
professional. However, in 2009 he
put everything aside and, together
with four partners, he started his
own asset management company
Money Makers.
22
issue 35
Bulletin
How did it all start for Money Makers?
How is Money Makers doing in its first year?
“The idea for the company started in 2009 when I was working for PZU. I met two
of our current partners, Krzysztof Szypuła and Jarosław Jamka, in my apartment.
We were all at a point in our lives where we felt that it would be nice to start our
own business. Soon we were joined by the two other partners, Michał Szymański
and Andrzej Płachta. For me, there was one basic condition for joining this project,
and that was to make sure that the product I sell is a product that I would buy
myself too. In those sessions, we puzzled out the concept of Money Makers. For
the average customer with let’s say 150 thousand złoties of savings there is a lack
of options for investing in Poland. You can go to an insurance agent or a financial
adviser, or to a bank, but good and transparent solutions at that level are hard to
find. With our company we fill this gap. We do not offer advise, we actually invest
on behalf of our clients. Our services are partly offered on-line, because this limits
the operational costs you have when you set up offices across the country. It also
means that we can offer our customers a product that costs less.”
“We went ‘live’ with our website on 7 February this year. We had no idea how
much we would spend to convert a lead into a real customer, and how much
time this would take. It is still too early to say much about our results, but I can
already say that the average investments of the customers are much higher than
we expected. We assumed it would be close to the minimum, but it is much more.
On the other hand,, we have less customers than we assumed to have at this
point. In the end, what counts is the cost per customer. We have made quite a big
step in bringing these costs back to a level that is sustainable for the company
and to reach break even.”
….namely is the solution is really best for you, or is it only good for the
adviser?
You have lived in Poland for over 12.5 years, over a time span of 17 years.
You must feel very attached to this country.
“Exactly! Financial advisers are always tempted to choose a product that pays
a good commission over a product with less commission, even if it is better for
the client and easier to sell. It is hard to serve two masters at the same time, but
this is a universal problem and very difficult to solve, because this is how those
people are remunerated.” “I do and for a number of reasons. First and foremost, the people in Poland are very
hospitable. Foreigners who come to the Netherlands have a much harder time
than foreigners who come to Poland. I honestly have never felt like a foreigner in
this country. Even in the beginning when I didn’t speak a word of Polish yet. I also
like the personal culture of people a lot, with strong family values.”
You are extremely focused on transparency. Do the customers appreciate
this?
“I have noticed that our customers have to get used to the way we work. The
average person only watches their investments when the market makes huge
How did you determine a product for this market?
fluctuations. Our clients can see the level of their investments every day. This helps
to build trust, but sometimes people grow more nervous from it and sometimes
“During one of the initial discussions with my partners, we asked ourselves, ‘If we
you have to explain things a bit more. Take, for instance, our costs – we are very
had 200,000 PLN savings on our account, where would we go?’ and we simply
clear about the costs for our services. When you see this in real figures, people
couldn’t come up with an answer. Of course there are many advisers who have
tend to think of it as a lot of money. But when you explain that this is the same
products they want to sell. But it is very difficult for the customer to make the
fee they would pay elsewhere, only there you would not know about it, people
distinction, because there is a lack of transparency. Advisers as a rule are not
understand it and appreciate our transparency. But at the end of the day, the most
independent. They sell a product from somebody else, and therefore there is a
important factor are the investment results and I have a very good feeling that we
limited choice of products, and then there is also the element of remuneration….” will show good results already when we present the data over the first year.”
And how about Money Makers. How do you earn your money?
“We charge a fee for the asset management that we do. That differs and depends
on the amount of money that the customer invests and the type of strategy that
is chosen. The more aggressive the strategy, the higher the fee. This is normal,
because buying government bonds is less of an art than choosing the right
shares on the stock market. We also charge a success fee on products that
involve more aggressive strategies. To us, this is extra incentive to try to get the
highest value for the customer.”
How do you convince your customers of the quality of your product?
“We do this in a number of ways. Firstly, two of our partners, Michał Szymański and
Jarosław Jamka, both have 15 years’ experience as certified investment managers.
Between them, they managed 80 bln złoties, more than half of the assets in the
Polish second pillar pension system. They can often be found on television and
in newspapers giving interviews or comments. By doing this, we are building
a professional image of a very capable investment manager. Another element
comes from the formula of our company. Our concept is about transparency,
because transparency builds trust. We have placed a webcam in our office , so
our clients can see us every moment of the day. Our consultants talk with clients
using video. Unlike other asset managers, we make all transactions visible on
a daily basis. We also disclose all the costs. So we are going to the extreme in
offering transparency. This is what we do to compensate for our current lack of a
well known brand name.”
Does it help that you are a foreigner coming from the Netherlands?
“For the client, the most important aspect is ‘Who is taking care of my money?’
My role is focused on building and managing our company. The most important
people in our marketing strategy are our partners Michał and Jarosław, because
they manage the investments for the client. Of course a Dutch person in our
company adds a flavour of international experience, and I also play a large role
in talking to potential customers or shareholders, but to the end customer, I am
not important.”
And what do you think of Poland from a working perspective?
“People in this country are not afraid to work hard, they are entrepreneurs and are
very smart. There are, however, some cultural issues, but when you have your
own company you can build your own culture. So I don’t see that as a problem.”
When we look at your curriculum, in 2008 you worked for one year in the
Netherlands, to finally return to Poland to come to work for PZU. Was that
the first sign that you wanted to stay permanently in Poland?
“After being almost five years as CEO of ING Nationale Nederlanden, it was my
logical next step to go to a different job in ING in the Netherlands. After a couple
of months I realised that I want to spend my life in Poland.
Apart from my family and some friends, the people dearest to me all live in
Poland. And so I decided to come back to Poland. I used the time in my next
job at PZU to think through what I really wanted to do. There were some offers
for a corporate job, but I decided to take a big jump and to invest all my savings
into starting Money Makers.”
How do you look back on this decision?
“My partners and I have put everything on the line. All our savings are in this
company and we only receive a symbolic salary. It is the best business decision
I have ever made. Regardless of the financial success, because I don’t know
that yet, being your own boss, building your own concept and working in a small
team are all very attractive elements of having your own company. And I do it on
my own account. If it becomes a success, I will benefit from it; if it does not, I will
pay for it. And in the extreme case when it does not become a success, then I
will surely find another job.
As an actuary, it is my profession to calculate risks and I naturally don’t belong
among the most risk-seeking people. I realised that to live you have to take risks
every day, and I think that Poland offers the best environment to take risks and
start a business. In the Netherlands, the market is saturated and it is much more
difficult to have a successful start-up. The costs of entry are much higher. This is
a country where it is still possible to do it. So why not do it here?”
issue 35
Bulletin
23
Columns
Remy Vermunt
Owner Razorblade Sp z.o.o
Training, Coaching and Consultancy.
Why training does not work
Imagine you are a manager, and after many meetings you are getting so
tired of the fact that your people still don’t understand what you mean about
being pro-active instead of re-active, solution-orientated instead of problemorientated, taking initiative instead of waiting. So what do you do? You hire
a specialist to solve all your problems, a trainer/coach. Then you brief this
specialist: first you want some training and this and that (blah blah blah) should
be the content! And of course the trainer/coach specialist prepares a training
session that matches the briefing and in which he/she believes, conducts it, the
attendees think they learned something new, or at least refreshed old stuff, and
then the specialist sends an invoice, everybody is happy.
Really? Unfortunately, approximately only 20% of the attendees consciously
use and implement the training in practice. That is the stuff they remember,
they will not use what they don’t remember. Another 60% say they implement
it unconsciously, which means they don’t, and the last 20% deliberately won’t
implement it, for several reasons. When your manager or an external specialist
tells you to quit smoking because it is bad for your health, will you listen? Nope.
You’ll only stop when you feel strongly that it is necessary to change your
habits, and when you, because of this, are motivated enough. Motivated from
inside, you feel this yourself. A manager and a trainer together contemplating
all the stuff they thought off together, and then imposing it on a group of
employees…. It only works for those intrinsically motivated. And even they
don’t remember everything, so who is helping them to implement it?
How do you develop your managers and people when you see what they
need and they don’t? The answer is to make them feel the need, and construct
a long-term structured plan together with them. According to the “Path-GoalMotivation-Theory”, people are more motivated if they have freedom and
space to be more creative in how to reach goals. The thing to do is to create
an open atmosphere in which you discuss together a plan on how to reach
the collective goals, to let them discuss content and plan (Path) without
discussing the goals. Make a development plan, collective and individual,
which is part of the PDP, the ‘Personal Development Plan’. Start with
measuring the level of competences and then design a plan together on how
to develop the desired level of competences. This will make your employees
much more motivated to remember and implement the training-sessions.
If you design a training plan that fits the company goals, the team’s plan
and the individual competence needs, make sure it is a long-term plan in
which there is a lot of repetition. Secondly, make sure there is a coach to
guide the Transfer-to-Practice process. It is essential to appoint an internal
or external coach who will enable the motivated 20% group to implement the
stuff they did not think of themselves, as well as the moderately motivated
60% group to actively implement. In fact, if your people feel the need to
develop because it fits their development goals, they will want training and
coaching, and they will see the benefit. The last group of 20% who still aren’t
motivated…. Well, you know what to do with them.
Paweł P. Mlicki
Ph.D. Deputy Director
Dehora Consultancy Group.
Charity: the privilege of giving.
Part II – the homeless.
In my last contribution to the Bulletin, titled ‚Charity: the privilege of giving. Part
I – the elderly’ I shared with the reader my experiences with projects focusing
on the elderly, mostly poor, ailing and lonely people living in villages around
Czaplinek in the north-western part of Poland.
More than two years ago, the sponsor, who provides financial means needed
to carry out the activities, decided to change focus. After some discussion,
we agreed to set up a project targeting the homeless people. I got in touch
with and established co-operation with the Order of Friars Minor Capuchin in
Warsaw. The friars serve a hot meal to the homeless people everyday and
provide spiritual support at weekly meetings. They enthusiastically extended
their assistance by helping me establish first contacts with the group of
homeless people and by offering a place at their premises to meet and work.
It has become our common project. The main objective is to assist a selected
group of the homeless to radically, and hopefully permanently, change their
current status quo. To achieve this we first had to identify those homeless
people who already had some initial motivation to change. In the second stage
we helped them (re)acquire the social skills needed to function normally in
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issue 35
Bulletin
society. For this purpose we contracted two experienced psychologists who,
over four sessions, each consisting of some 15 group meetings, worked with
the homeless on subjects like interpersonal relations, assertiveness, anger
control, verbal and non-verbal communication, and many more. In addition
to group sessions, there were also individual coaching meetings. In the third
stage, taking place now, we are helping the homeless to arrange some basic
administrative issues like ID-documents, medical insurance or a registration of
residence. All of these are in order to make finding a job possible.
This seems to be crucial, as paid work not only brings financial independence,
but it also brings every day structures, allows self-reliance, provides positive
reference points and dignity, helps improve self-esteem, restores control
over one’s own fate, and leads to a redefinition of self, to name just a few
constructive facets of work. With great pleasure, let me announce that
Randstad, a temporary employment agency and a member of the Netherlands
- Polish Chamber of Commerce, has joined us in the project and found the first
jobs for several homeless people from the group. I do not believe in a onetime-act approach. Giving food or money to the homeless might be important,
but usually will not change their situation in the long run, and frequently can
even petrify the current state. Our approach to the problem of homelessness is
different. Here are some most vital elements of it: we take a longer perspective
and try to change the situation in a systemic way; the participants have joined
the project purely voluntarily and are responsible for the final results; they are
committed to it, have a feeling of ownership and are ready to work really hard
to change their lives; our role is primarily to facilitate and encourage. Let me
stress, however, that it all begins and relies on one most basic prerequisite: a
clear message for those in need that someone does care.
Columns
By Remco van den Kroft
is advocaat (Dutch licensed lawyer)
and a partner of BSJP in alliance with
Taylor Wessing.
Meeting the president of
the republic
Meeting the President of Poland was an exciting enough prospect, if nothing else
it would offer a good photo opportunity (see the front page), and something to
brag about over a beer. On April 28, President Komorowski met in the Belvedere
Palace with representatives of the international chambers of commerce in
Poland. Among the invitees were five board members of your Chamber.
The subject of the meeting was the competitiveness of the Polish economy.
The meeting started with an introductory speech by the President, in
which he stressed the progress that Poland had made since the fall of
communism, and in particular in the past two years, during which all of
Europe with the exception of Poland saw recession. In the 2010 – 2011
Global Competitiveness Report of the World Economic Forum, the President
stressed, Poland now takes 39th place (out of 139 countries), which is up
seven spots from last year and up 14 from 2008.
He did not go into detail about the report, but this is worth a digression. The
report ranks countries based on 12 pillars of competitiveness, (1) Institutions,
(2) Infrastructure, (3) Macroeconomic Environment, (4) Health and primary
education, (5) Higher education and training, (6) Goods market efficiency, (7)
Labour market efficiency, (8) Financial market development, (9) Technological
readiness, (10) Market size, (11) Business sophistication and (12) Innovation.
Those active in Poland will easily be able to predict that Poland ranks high
on market size (21st), educational standards (18th), and a well-developed
financial sector (32nd). Neither should it come as a surprise that Poland ranks
108th when it comes to transport infrastructure, and an equally embarrassing
103rd place for government efficiency.
He also proudly announced that he had signed the Law on Limiting
Administrative Barriers for Citizens and Businesses. Judging by the title, this is
indeed a long overdue piece of legislation. This is true, in particular bearing in
mind the 2011 IFC Doing Business Report covering 183 economies, in which
Poland is ranked in a disappointing 70th place. This ranking takes into account
the following administrative procedures and ranks all the economies for the
ease of such procedures: starting a business (rank 113), and dealing with
construction permits (rank 164 out of 183!), registering property (rank 86).
Saving the day for Poland is the ease of getting bank credit (rank 15), though
this hardly involves the authorities. Other categories are protecting investors
(rank 44), paying taxes (rank 121), trading across borders (rank 49), enforcing
contracts (rank 77) and closing a business (rank 81).
The new law introduces changes to many existing laws, with the goal to
cut down on red tape. For example, authorities will no longer be allowed
to demand documents or declarations from citizens (includes companies)
regarding facts that can be established based on public registers. In many
cases, citizens will be allowed to file a statement of fact, rather than having
to file copies of documents. The latter should be particularly helpful to
foreigners, who always had the additional obligation to file sworn translations,
and sometimes apostilled documents.
After the President’s speech, Cristiano Pinzauti, currently presiding over the
Group of International Chambers of Commerce thanked the President for his
invitation, and each of the chambers was able to raise issues, such as the
state of Polish infrastructure, the lack of “service orientation” of the authorities
when dealing with business in general, and one hot topic – the public tender
process. One of the main issues related to the public tender process is the
fact that price seems to be the sole criterion when deciding on tenders. In
this context, an old Dutch saying – “goedkoop is duurkoop” springs to mind
(i.e. when you buy something cheap, you get what you pay and end up
paying more). . A good example of this is there for all to see in the form of the
halted construction of part of the A2 highway from Warsaw to Łódź, where the
winning construction company (from China) simply could not afford to work for
the offered and agreed upon price.
The American Chamber offered to share its economic report with the president,
the French Polish Chamber did the same with a report on public procurement.
The Netherlands - Polish Chamber suggested that life could be made much
easier for foreign investors if the Polish Government would make basic
information available in English.
During the question and answer session, the President made his own notes,
and his replies showed profound knowledge of the issues raised, and genuine
interest in the problems of foreign investors in Poland. Although constitutionally
the influence of the President is limited, it is good to have a head of state
who is committed to making Poland a better place to do business. So, in the
end the meeting of the group of international chambers of commerce with the
President of Poland turned out to be much more than just a photo opportunity.
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26
issue 35
Bulletin
Dutch companies in Poland:
Serial part 1: Philips
The history in Poland of Philips, one of the most well known
brands from the Netherlands, dates back to 1921. In that year,
Anton Philips, the co-founder and owner of the company, signed
a contract with the Borkowski brothers for the distribution of
Philips light bulbs from the Netherlands.
Furthermore, during the war, a unit of Philips employees took part in the
Warsaw Uprising in 1944. Dutch management favoured the resistance and
helped to protect its staff. Still in the 40s, the Polish government-in-exile
awarded director Arie Krijgsman with the civil state award, the Silver Cross of
Merit, for Philips’ support to the resistance. In 1995, Peter van der Weide and
Friderik Walterscheid were awarded the Warsaw Cross of the Uprising. This
military decoration was awarded to participants or persons who contributed
to the Warsaw uprising in 1944.
At the end of the uprising, the Philips premises in Warsaw, just like large parts
of the rest of the capital, were completely destroyed. Philips planned to rebuild
the manufacturing plant to restart production in late 1945. However these
plans failed due to the nationalisation of the factory. In 1947 Philips opened a
representation office employing 13 people. In 1949, on the site of the Philips
factory, a new light bulb factory was established named Rosa Luxemburg,
and Philips became one of the suppliers for the factory. In 1966 Philips lost
permission to keep its representative office in Poland.
The Philips factory at the Karolkowka street in Warsaw that was
established by Philips in 1922
It was only three years after the newly gained independence of Poland, which
had given a strong boost to the local economy. Anton Philips recognised
the potential of the local Polish market, and swiftly decided to increase his
investments. Just one year after this distribution agreement, Philips opened a
factory in Warsaw, which was the first production location outside the Netherlands.
Another year later a second factory was opened in Warsaw, and in the following
years, Philips started the production of radio lamps, x-ray equipment, radio
receivers, and telephone parts. In those days Philips practically held a monopoly
on the production of radios in Poland. The company had also set up its own
distribution network of shops located in all the major cities in Poland.
Second world war
Despite the fact that, during the Second World War, Philips had to produce
radio equipment for the German government, the factory in Warsaw was a
centre of resistance against the Nazis. Many of the 2500 staff were members
of the ‘Home Army’ (Armia Krajowa), the Polish resistance movement.
In those days Philips practically held a monopoly
on the production of radios in Poland.
A new era
After the end of the communist era, Philips resumed its activities in Poland
in 1991. It bought a majority share in the Polish light bulb factory PolamPiła. Throughout the 1990s, Philips made many investments in Poland. The
company became the owner of several factories for the production of lighting
equipment: Polam-Farel in Kętrzyn, Polam-Bielsko and Polam-Pabianice, and
also became the owner of a factory for household appliances in Białystok.
One of the shops that was part of the nationwide distribution network of
Philips
At present, Philips Poland is the market leader in the lighting segment, and
has a leading position in many markets of consumer products (including
kitchenware and household appliances, monitors and TVs, audio players,
shavers and hair removal equipment) and has a growing position in the market
of specialised medical equipment. Philips employs almost nine thousand
employees in Poland in five factories and marketing and sales departments.
The company is one of the largest foreign investors in the Polish market (500
mln EUR since 1991). In addition, the company is one of the largest exporters
(900 mln EUR a year). Due to 90 years of history in Poland, the Philips brand is
well-recognised among customers, partners and co-workers.
issue 35
Bulletin
27
Promised kids suffer
from high food prices
Ghelamco CEO Jeroen van der Toolen at the PromiseLand in
preparation for a Team Building with Purpose excursion that will
take place for 60 Ghelamco employees this summer.
Chamber member Ghelamco will send 60 employees who will be given an amount of
money to remodel two schools. They will be given 30 hours to complete their projects
and prepare a ribbon-cutting ceremonies.
Food prices have gone up over the past year by 37 percent. The 3000 Promised
Kids that we support and feed are suffering disproportionally from that. Bill
Chasey, the founder of the foundation for social corporate responsibility
(FCSR), the fundraiser of this project, explains why.
What is the impact of the higher food prices on our project of the FCSR?
Bill Chasey: “I just printed out the latest data on food prices over the last
month, showing an increase of 4.5% in one month alone. We cannot avoid
this; we are the ones that have to buy the food. We serve 60,000 meals on a
monthly basis so you can imagine how big this jump is for us.”
I imagine that the prices are having a double impact because also the
families of the kids have to spend more on food?
“That is true. In most homes, about 40 percent of the income goes on food.
At the homes of our kids, this figure is about 70 percent. Therefore the food
crisis is hitting our families the hardest, and their kids are getting to school ever
hungrier. They rely more on our programme to keep them alive and healthy.”
What can you do about it?
“To solve the issue with food prices, we have to get more members. They
are our number one income source. Some of our members also send us
donations. One of our members, a law firm, won a case and they received PLN
28
issue 35
Bulletin
50,000 recovery which they sent to us. However, from next year, companies
in Poland can donate one per cent of their tax base to us. We have applied
for the designation list this year. What we need is a sustainable income base,
and this is one of the ways to organise that. If every one of our CEO’s will
donate their tax money to us, and I firmly believe that this will bring us a
substantial additional income source.”
Is it difficult to attract new members for the foundation?
“Yes it is. I feel that it has become more difficult to get companies involved in
our mission. I used to have breakfasts or lunches with potential new companies
every day. And nowadays, sometimes weeks can pass without any meetings.
This can make me very frustrated. If it weren’t for us, those kids would rot in
hell out there in the Zachodniopomorski region for the rest of their lives. We
are making a huge difference. Take the little girl that sang at our dinner dance.
Thanks to our programme and support she is going off to college next year.” Recently, members discovered the possibility of organising a teambuilding event with a purpose in the Promised Land.
“This all started with Cargill. Twenty-five junior executives from all over the
world were given PLN 20,000 to work with and were told to remodel four
elementary school classrooms. They were given 30 hours to complete their
projects and prepare two hand-over ribbon-cutting ceremonies, complete with
refreshments for the Promise Kids, teachers and parents. They had to fend
for themselves in this unfamiliar country without the help of our Foundation’s
staff or consulting mechanical engineers. They had to find their own supplies,
raw materials, carpets, lighting fixtures, tools and paint. They had to arrange
for their own transportation, meals, and schedules, and all from the money they
were given. And they all succeeded in their tasks. It is team-building, but teambuilding with a purpose, which makes it a very special experience. These teambuilding events have become popular; recently also our Belgian member, the
company Ghelamco, was at our schools with some of its staff members.”
You are also sending two kids from the Promised Land project to the
United States?
“Yes we are! Andrzej Mikulko and Marcin Raulin are two kids who have
Bill Chasey: The food crisis is hitting our families the hardest, and
participated in our English programme called ‘Dreams come true’. They won a
their kids are getting to school ever hungrier. They rely more on our
rigorous competition and will take part in this year’s programme of the Ronald
programme to keep them alive and healthy.
Reagan Legacy Foundation. I worked closely with Ronald Reagan during his
election campaigns, and last year his son Michael came to Poland to visit me.
They have a programme where they bring American
Will they manage with the English language?
students to Europe, and take European students
to the US. This is called the liberty education tours.
Bill Chasey: “If it weren’t for us,
“They were part of our English language
The whole idea behind the programme is that
programme, so they speak the language.
those kids would rot in hell out
Presidents Ronald Reagan and Michael Gorbachev
ended the cold war. To many young children this is
there in the Zachodniopomorski During the trip they don’t differ from any other
kid from Poland and they perfectly integrate
just a chapter in the history books, but the Legacy
region for the rest of their lives.” with the other kids. For instance, last year Gosia
Foundation wants to change that. With this student
was the star of the tour. She is in almost every
exchange programme, the children will visit sites
picture. It gives the children an incentive to be a part of this. But to come
that are significant to the freedom of the United States and Europe. Last year
we had one girl Gosia, who attended the programme, and this year Andrzej back to your first question, those trips and the music lessons and the English
classes are what I call, ‘nice extras’. Our main goal is to feed the kids. We are
and Marcin will go. All our companies step up to help these kids on their trip.
Air France – KLM is paying for the tickets. Ghelamco bought their clothes, and trying to make the lives of the kids better at the same time as we are feeding
our kids. But if we have to let events go, then we will do that.”
Travel Express is paying for their travelling expenses.”
Match and More Polska
Our key objective is to conduct training programs,
dedicated mainly to companies from the financial sector
(banks, insurance companies, financial intermediaries).
We conduct workshops and training
programs tailored to the needs of each
client taking into account the special
needs of the trainings participants.
Match and More Polska Sp. z o.o.
Al. Niepodległości 106, 02-585 Warszawa
tel./fax +48 22 402 18 17, [email protected]
www.matchandmore.pl, www.matchandmore.nl
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Concentrating on the tasks,
focusing on people.
Pursuing Claims in Group Proceedings
In 2010, the long awaited regulations on Pursuing
Claims in Group Proceedings became effective (“the
Act”). The underlying principle of the regulations is to
create a new type of civil proceedings where a group
of entities will have the right to file a collective claim
against one defendant.
The new regulations adopted in Poland have been
designed to remove some of the problems of pursuing
mass claims, such as judgment consistency and the
cost of court proceedings.
The provision of the Act, defines group proceedings
as court proceedings in which claims of a single type
are pursued by at least 10 persons, with the same or
analogous factual basis. The most interesting aspect
of the group proceedings regulation is the assertion
of monetary claims. When pursuing a monetary claim,
a representative of the group is required to identify a
unified level of damages for each member of the group
in the light of the common circumstances of the case.
Group proceedings are filed by a group
representative, who must be legally represented by
a fully-qualified lawyer. Proceedings are conducted in
the group representative’s name but with effect for all
represented group members.
The claim must satisfy the appropriate requirements
of the Polish Civil Proceedings Code and include
elements characteristic for group proceedings, such
as the plaintiff’s motion to determine the case in group
proceedings, an indication that the case fulfills the
fundamental conditions of group proceedings and a
specification of a unified level of damages for each
group member if a monetary claim is pursued. The
claim should also contain a statement from the group
representative that he is acting as the representative
of the group, and this must be supported with
statements from all group members attesting that
they have acceded to the group and consented to his
representation. Moreover, the group representative is
also obliged to present the agreement as concluded
with their selected lawyer.
The court decides whether the group proceedings
are admissible in the case filed, however, the positive
decision of the court may be questioned. If the appeal
is not successful, the court is authorized to order a
press announcement regarding the institution of group
proceedings, in which substantial information is given
to allow a potential member of the group to join the
case. Polish law has accepted the opt-in rule, whereby
only these persons who have declared their willingness
to join the proceedings shall become party to them.
Their participation in group proceedings is dependent
on the agreement of the defendant, who has the right
to object. When the list of members of the group is final,
the case is further processed by the court. In the ruling,
the Court is obliged to name all members of the group.
If a monetary claim was submitted, the judgment of the
claims sourcing: strategic enabler
court must indicate the level of damages awarded to
each member of the group.
In the light of a study performed in 8 EU member
states in which a collective redress mechanism
already functions, one may assume that this new
instrument may be widely applied in Poland, as the
annual benefit of the collective redress system per
consumer amounts to EUR 910, and to EUR 523
million in total. According to the study, industries
which may be most strongly affected by the new law
include the pharmaceutical sector, banking sector,
financial services’ sector, transport services, travel
operators, telecommunication services, real estate
and automotive sector.
A recent poll indicates that only a small number of
Polish enterprises questioned in the poll understand
the importance of the new regulation and the ways
it may affect their activities. At the present moment,
it is, of course, difficult to predict how the new
regulation will be applied but first cases have been
lodged to civil courts and await further processing.
First verdicts, that will reached by judges in group
proceedings cases, will undoubtedly determine
business operations of Polish enterprises for years
to come.
Author – Sławomir Karasiński,
Legal advisor, Partner Fortak & Karasiński Legal.
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issue 34 Bulletin
Please contact:
Mr Krzysztof Jablonski
Business Development Director CEE Region
[email protected]
tel. +48 500 10 25 88
Van Ameyde CEE Poland
Ul. Mickiewicza str. No 63
Warsaw 01-625
www.vanameyde.com
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