Neurodiversity at work: how to harness the potential of diversity

Dr. Witold Jankowski

One of the most experienced strategy consultants in Europe. Creator and editor-in-chief of the Polish edition of Harvard Business Review (2003-2020) and MIT Sloan Management Review (2019). Initiator of groundbreaking meetings for Polish business with world management authorities in the areas of leadership and shaping organizational culture.

He has taught in MBA programs at business schools in Canada. He conducts development programs for top managers in Poland (Management™, Strategic Leadership Academy™, Personal Leadership Academy™). As a trainer and consultant, he has worked with AstraZeneca, BNP Paribas, Continental, CITI Bank, Goodyear, ING, Shell and Viessmann, among others.

Joanna Pommersbach

HR and leadership expert with more than 20 years of experience working with boards and executives. She supports organizations in preparing an HR strategy, modeling an organizational culture that supports the company's strategy and increases the commitment of its employees. She conducts individual coaching based on the Leadership Impact approach (matching leadership styles to business challenges) and team coaching according to Prof. Richard Hackman's "Top Team Effectiveness" approach. For more than 20 years he has been teaching at the Executive MBA program at the Warsaw University of Technology Business School. She supports the School of Leaders Foundation, the flagship program of the Polish-American Freedom Foundation, as a Board Member (2012-2016) and consultant and trainer. Joanna has also held leadership roles at leading international consulting firms as head of the Leadership &Talent practice

Dr. Patrycja Olchowska

For 10 years, he has been advising entrepreneurs on how to create agile strategies and sellable products based on innovation in a dynamic world. He works with the business and scientific communities, improving their communication and increasing the chance of achieving project goals.

Committed socially to supporting people on the autism spectrum. Supports companies, especially in the area of new technologies, in managing the talents of neurodiverse people and realizing their potential in the workplace.

Doctor of International Relations, graduate of the European Diplomatic Academy program, MANAGMENT 2014 ICAN Institute, certified Lean Office examiner, KAIZEN Facilitator, Design Thinking (Google).

Dominika Pikul

Consultant, trainer and researcher specializing in the application of neuroscience to business, brain-based methods and tools and their application to leadership, productivity and self-development. She specializes in neurodiversity and building a brain-friendly workplace. In her daily work, she is responsible for creating diagnostic tools for studying neurodiversity in organizations, building educational programs to enhance cognitive functions (concentration, productivity, creativity) for corporate use, and consulting on neuroatypical-friendly processes (auditing, recruitment, development and talent management). Supporting the potential of the human mind with sound knowledge is at the center of its daily activities.

Dominika has over 15 years of experience working in Poland and the UK. Its clients include global corporations in the financial, media and IT sectors. A graduate of Neuroscience and Psychology of Mental Health (King's College London), an active member of the Applied Neuroscience Association (ANA). Her research interests and current research work focus on the neurobiology of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).

Anna Majdak

Self-advocate and mother of teenagers on the ADHD and Autism spectrum. She began her career at NatWest Poland more than 10 years ago. She gained a broad view of the employee-employer relationship from the perspective of different processes and positions. The realization that supporting people in the workplace is most important not only for their development, but also for the company's growth, led her to her current roles. For more than two years, she has been the leader of a team of specialists at Natwest Poland. Since 2017 she has been a member, and since 2020 she has been the chairwoman of an employee network supporting people with disabilities and neuroatypicals in the workplace and everyday life. The main goal of the network is to adapt working conditions to the needs of employees, for example, a quiet work zone (Silent Space) was established on the initiative of the network. This year, she also joined an in-house mentoring program as a mentor. She is a first-year graduate of the "Neurodiversity in the Workplace - Inclusive Recruitment and Management" course at SWPS University. As a self-advocate and expert on the topic of neurodiversity, she participates in meetings of parliamentary teams of the Polish Parliament, such as the ZP on ADHD; on Autism; and on Neurodiversity.

Izabela Hnidziuk-Machnica

Co-founder and Managing Director of the Aleklasa Foundation, member of the "Our Ombudsman" initiative operating at the Commissioner for Human Rights, member of the team for inclusive education. Organizer of 12 national conferences and 2 international conferences "Autism.Evolution", "Autistic Minds in the Digital World" with the special participation of Prof. Tony Attwood and Dr. Temple Grandin, Dr. Camila Pang, Prof. Marek Kaczmarzyk, Dr. Daniel Tammet, host of the program "Conversations on the Autism Spectrum", substantive consultant of Polish translations of books by Dr. Temple Grandin ("Autism Guide. 9 attitudes supporting the development of children on the autism spectrum" and "Beautiful minds"), substantive consultant of the book by Dr. Justyna Jessa "Autism and diet. What Every Parent Needs to Know.' She conducts lectures and trainings for parents, teachers, PPP employees, students, academic lecturers and primary school students. Certified at the Institute of Positive Crisis Psychotherapy as a Crisis Consultant and Mentor / Crisis Coach, she studies psychology at SWPS University, specializing in clinical psychology. Currently, as one of two in Poland, she works as an Autism Spectrum Consultant in the international Dandelion program supporting the employment of adults on the autism spectrum. Privately, she is a mother of a 14-year-old on the autism spectrum.

Joanna Wodzińska

Psychologist (specialization in clinical psychology and neuropsychology), undergoing postgraduate training in neuropsychological diagnosis and rehabilitation. Privately, mother of three children, including two on the autism spectrum. Currently, as one of two people in Poland, she works as an Autism Spectrum Consultant in the international Dandelion program supporting the employment of adults on the autism spectrum.