British Polish Chamber of Commerce

CEO Briefing Poland in 2022

In the new year, it's a BPCC tradition to invite a panel of CEOs to discuss prospects for the year ahead for business in Poland. This year – the BPCC’s 30th anniversary – will be no exception. Like last year, the event will be held online; this year's expert panel consists of PwC's chief economic advisor and four CEOs representing different business sectors. Join us, then, to hear how the Polish economy is expected to fare in terms of new investments, prospects for key macroeconomic indicators, green transformation, recovery from the pandemic and its aftermath, and how foreign perceptions of the Polish government may be swaying investment decisions.

The panellists:

• Prof. Witold Orłowski, chief economic advisor, PwC Poland
• Bogdan Kucharski, CEO, BP Polska
• Paweł Kusiak, deputy CEO, HSBC Polska
• Mateusz Bonca, CEO, JLL Polska
• Marc Burrage, CEO, Hays Polska

Questions to be addressed by the panellists:

• Macroeconomic indicators published in late December suggest that industrial production is growing faster than expected; stagflation doesn’t look like being a threat to the Polish economy. What predictions can be expected for GDP growth for Poland for this year? How will Polski Ład (‘the Polish Deal’) affect businesses – especially foreign multinationals present in Poland?
• Will 2022 see the beginning of the end of the Covid-19 pandemic? What would be the short- and long-term implications for public health and the healthcare sector?
• Coping with inflation: surging costs of raw materials, logistics and energy, rapidly rising wages mean companies are forced to raise prices, stoking an inflationary spiral. How will business manage in a new, high-inflation environment? Do you think the NBP is taking enough action to tackle inflation?
• The Polish government might have backed down on ‘Lex TVN’, but there are still many flashpoints with the EU, just as the next EU budget is being determined. How confident are investors that a compromise will be reached, or will a Poland-EU clash result in less EU funding for 2022-27?
• A return to the office across Poland in 2022? To what extent is hybrid or even full-remote working going to replace traditional models? How will this affect the real estate and construction sectors?
• COP27 takes place in Egypt this autumn; countries and companies will be spelling out how they intend to reach their net-zero targets. Significant numbers of businesses have set out ambitious pledges to cut their carbon footprint – but how will this look like in practice, in Poland, in 2022?
• How will inward investment into Poland look this year? Can we expect more manufacturers looking to near-shore, more shared-service centres and BPOs? Will more UK firms be setting up their EU operations in Poland? How do foreign investors perceive the political environment right now?

    The meeting will be conducted in English.

Participation is open to BPCC Members and invited guests only.

The meeting will be held online on Zoom Webinar.

Paweł Kusiak
Deputy CEO, Head of Coverage, HSBC in Poland
Pawel brings the 25 years of international banking experience gained from front line, operations and risk roles mainly across Corporate and Institutional Banking businesses at the country and regional level. Pawel joined HSBC in Poland in 2006 after almost 10 years in CitiBank Handlowy and developed HSBC’s wholesale platform as Head of Corporate Banking before leaving in 2012 to pursue international career within HSBC Group. He has successfully worked in Spain, Italy, UK and Channel Islands before coming back to Poland in Aug 2021. Strong believer in importance of Diversity and Inclusion in building successful teams in the modern world.

Mateusz Bonca
Dyrektor Zarządzający JLL w Polsce
Mateusz Bonca jest ekspertem w zarządzaniu strategicznym. Od listopada 2020 r. pełni funkcję Dyrektora Zarządzającego JLL w Polsce. Mateusz stoi na czele zespołu odpowiedzialnego za doradztwo biznesowe i transakcyjne kierując całością operacji firmy na rynku polskim. Nadzoruje także działalność zespołów wspierających klientów w Europie, na Bliskim Wschodzie i Afryce oraz realizujących projekty dla innych jednostek JLL w regionie EMEA.
Przed dołączeniem do JLL Mateusz Bonca pełnił funkcję Prezesa Zarządu Grupy LOTOS S.A., czołowego koncernu paliwowego w Polsce. Wcześniej pracował w Deutsche Bank AG we Frankfurcie, w Peppers and Rogers Group Middle East w Zjednoczonych Emiratach Arabskich, a także w McKinsey & Company w Polsce. Mateusz zdobywał doświadczenie w środowiskach zorientowanych na klienta, międzynarodowym doradztwie strategicznym B2B, będąc odpowiedzialnym za projektowanie i wdrażanie zmian w kilkunastu krajach na czterech kontynentach oraz w różnych sektorach: od bankowości i finansów po energetykę.

Bogdan Kucharski
CEO, BP Polska
Bogdan Kucharski is a senior leader with an international corporate experience in general management, supply, optimization, logistics, strategy, sales, retail and finance. Since 1998 working for bp in Poland, Germany, Switzerland and United Kingdom, gathering broad multinational experience. Starting January 2021 VP Commercial Development, Mobility & Convenience Europe & Southern Africa, responsible for strategy and portfolio in Europe, remaining Head of Country for bp in Poland. Graduated from University of Economy in Krakow with Master of International Trade and MBA at Maastricht School of Management.

Marc Burrage
CEO, Hays Polska
Charismatic leader with over 20 years of experience in the staffing and recruiting industry and passionate about Equity, Diversity & Inclusion. Marc has previously managed businesses in the UK, Australia, NZ, Japan, China, Hong Kong, India, Singapore, Malaysia and India. At Hays since 2011 and Managing Director for Hays Poland since 2019, where he has been leading and successfully growing the business to become the number one agency on the Polish white-collar recruitment market. Prior to working in the recruitment industry Marc held various sales and marketing management positions in the automotive industry.