On 9th October 2023, the anniversary inauguration of the 2023/2024 academic year took place. It was an extraordinary ceremony within the framework of the 30th anniversary of Kozminski University, during which Prof. ALK dr. Witold T. Bielecki, President of our Academy and Chairman of the Competition Chapter, presented statuettes to the winners and thus crowned this year's edition of the "Kozminski Lions" competition.
The "Kozminski Lions" competition is an initiative that has been carried out for 18 years under the care of the Kozminski University Alumni Club. Every year, out of nearly 70,000 alumni community, the Alumni distinguished by a spectacular professional career that can serve as a model for younger generations, are selected.
This year, the statuettes were awarded to:
Public Administration
Mr. Mariusz Frankowski - Director of the Mazovian Unit for Implementation of EU Programs, Executive MBA Alumnus at Kozminski University
The Mazovian Unit for Implementation of EU Programmes acts on behalf of the Voivodeship Board. As an Intermediate Body, managed by Mr. Mateusz Frankowski, it has so far distributed more than PLN 16 billion in EU funding for local government, business, scientific, cultural, educational and social activities for Mazovia. That's more than 11,000 projects, the effects of which are visible in public spaces, offices, hospitals, schools, cultural institutions and many other places. Mr. Matthew focuses on cooperation in the region and improving the organization with domestic and foreign partners.
Lt. Gen. Grzegorz Gielerak - Director of the Military Medical Institute - National Research Institute, Alumnus of MBA for medical staff at Kozminski University.
The Military Medical Institute - National Research Institute is a hospital in the Praga Południe district of Warsaw. The facility is a central clinical, teaching, consulting and scientific research center for the military health service. Prof. Grzegorz Gielerak not only heads the facility, but is involved in education, support and consulting for leading associations and institutions in medicine, health care, cardiology. He is the author of more than 200 scientific papers, manager of dozens of research and implementation projects, and winner of numerous awards for achievements in organizational, management and innovation activities.
Entrepreneur
Mr. Slawomir Kubiczek - CEO of FRIZO, Executive MBA Alumnus of Kozminski University.
Frizo is a company at the forefront of Polish companies with a diversified portfolio of projects in the field of industrial refrigeration, thermal insulation, heating installations and ventilation and air conditioning. Mr. Slawomir Kubiczek built FRIZO "from scratch" and led the company to achieve 100 million in revenue in five years. Among other things, the company was recognized for its growth dynamics. Thanks to the experience accumulated over nearly three decades, as well as the courage to act and the constant improvement of competence, Mr. President has built a unique organizational culture and, above all, a company that faces ambitious challenges every day on the national arena, while guaranteeing the highest quality of implementation.
Mrs. Anna Szulżyk-Maciąg - General Director of Pol-Skone Sp.z o.o., Alumna of Kozminski MBA in Finance at Kozminski University
Pol-skone is a company founded in 1990 and one of the largest and most dynamically developing companies in the woodwork industry. This is possible primarily due to the consistency in implementing the adopted strategies. Currently, the company employs over 800 people and has 4 fully computerized production facilities. The company implements product innovations on an ongoing basis and is building a strong brand associated with reliability, modernity and technological innovation. Ms. Szulżyk-Maciąg's successes include the purchase and implementation of the most modern IMA flat door production lines in Europe, along with robotization and automation.
Manager
Mr. Olgierd Cieślik - Chairman of the Board of Totalizator Sportowy Sp. z o.o., Alumnus of the MBA for Financiers at Leon Koźmiński Academy
Totalizator Sportowy is one of the largest and most recognizable Polish companies. It has been operating continuously for almost 70 years. At the same time, Totalizator Sportowy is a technology company that is constantly developing and looking for innovative solutions, and one of the pillars of financing Polish sports and culture. The company, managed by Mr. Olgierd Cieslik, has successfully entered the e-commerce market. Digitalization was the largest technological transformation in the company's history, and the success of the changes implemented was reflected in the company's results, which are record-breaking each year.
Mr. Tomasz Rogacz - General Director of McDonald's Poland, Executive MBA Alumnus of Leon Koźmiński Academy
McDonald's Poland started more than 30 years ago, opening its first restaurant in Warsaw. Today, it has more than 500 seats and an employment level of 30,000 people. Mr. Tomasz Rogacz has been with the company for 22 years. He has enjoyed professional success not only in Poland, but also in markets in Serbia, the Czech Republic and Slovakia. Under his leadership, the restaurants achieved record sales results and went through a modernization process. In his current role, he leads the company's development in Poland, focusing on relationships with guests, business partners and suppliers. As a manager, he emphasizes that "the teams he said goodbye to were always better."
Mrs. Agnieszka Świerszcz - President of the Board of DHL Parcel Poland, Alumna of postgraduate studies Professional Coaching
DHL Parcel is part of the DHL Group - the largest logistics organization in the world.It is a leading company in the Polish domestic parcel market, but also a global logistics partner and a pioneer of innovative e-commerce solutions.Ms. Agnieszka Swierszcz has been with the company for more than 20 years.While occupying successive positions, she created and implemented innovative projects.At the center of her interests have always remained new technologies and working with people.She successfully led the company through the transformation from B2B to B2B and B2C, which translated into a doubling of revenues in three years.The company is also an award-winning employer, a "great Place to work".
Mr. Tadeusz Woszczynski - General Manager CEE and Country Manager - Poland, Austria, Czechia, Slovakia & Baltics at Hitachi Europe, Executive MBA Alumnus of Kozminski University.
Hitachi Europe is a leading provider of IT solutions to the Polish banking sector.Hitachi's activities include providing regulatory solutions, IT infrastructure and cybersecurity services.Mr. Tadeusz Woszczynski's huge professional success is the solution to the problem of permanent information carrier in Poland.He and his team developed a concept to answer the challenge of immutability and indelibility of published documents.Today, the solution is used by more than 85% of the financial market in Poland and other sectors, and the company managed by Mr. Tomasz is one of the largest and most recognized suppliers to the banking sector in the country.
Lawyer
Mr. Jakub Kubacki - Director of the Legal and Compliance Department, Member of the Board of Directors of XTB S.A., based in Poland and Licensed Director, Member of the Board of Directors of XTB Mena, based in the United Arab Emirates, Alumnus of legal studies at Leon Koźmiński Academy
The XTB S.A. Group of Companies is an international provider of products, services and technological solutions for trading in financial instruments.The Group was founded in 2004 in Poland and has been growing dynamically ever since, being recognized for its innovation and the quality of its products, services and technologies.Mr. Jakub Kubacki took part in a project involving the development of a legally innovative fractional share offering, which in its formula - based on trust - is not only a novelty in Poland, but also throughout Europe.With this solution, the company is building a further competitive advantage in the market, attracting new investors and developing a leadership position in the industry.
To all of this year's honorees, we extend our sincere congratulations and wish you continued professional success! Thank you for creating a wonderful Community and representing Kozminski University with dignity.
We encourage you to get acquainted with the winners of previous editions of the competition.
Photo: Prof. ALK Dr. Witold T. Bielecki presents statues to the laureates: from left Mr. Mariusz Frankowski, Mr. Prof. Grzegorz Gielerak, Mr. Sławomir Kubiczek, Ms. Anna Szulżyk-Maciąg, On behalf of Mr. Olgierd Cieślik the award is received by Ms. Aida Bella, Mr. Tomasz Rogacz, Ms. Agnieszka Świerszcz, Mr. Tadeusz Woszczyński, Mr. Jakub Kubacki.
