We talk about technology with the language of business

Devin Cook
deputy director, MIT Initiative on the Digital Economy (IDE)

Devin Cook is deputy director at the MIT Initiative on the Digital Economy (IDE). Previously, she co-founded and led IDE's Inclusive Innovation Challenge, a $1.5 million prize for startups in the area of the future of work.

A Fulbright Scholar, she researched entrepreneurship and economic development among textile artisans in India. She has conducted research at MIT's Department of Innovation and Entrepreneurship, worked at numerous start-ups, mentored more than 100 start-up founders and taught entrepreneurship at gas pedals across the country.

Devin is a member of the advisory board of Humans for AI, a jury member of the INDEX: Award, the world's largest design award, and a board member of Coastal Enterprises, Inc. She earned a bachelor's degree from Middlebury College and an MBA from the MIT Sloan School of Management, where she received the Ronald I. Heller Award for her contributions to entrepreneurship education on campus.

Cezary Wieczorek
Vice president of Cloudware Poland

Associated with the IT industry since 2005. For 15 years he was associated with IBM Poland, where at various levels of the organization he was responsible for sales support, financial sector customer service, sales, as well as cooperation with business partners. He has experience in consulting in areas such as IT transformation or implementation of blockchain technology, cloud solutions, business analytics, as well as IT security solutions.

Dr. Neil Thompson
Consultant, MIT's Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Lab and Initiative on the Digital Economy

Fellow at MIT's Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Lab and Initiative on the Digital Economy. He has advised companies and the government on the future of Moore's Law and participated in National Academies panels on transformative technologies and scientific integrity. He has worked for organizations such as Lawrence Livermore National Laboratories, Bain and Company, the United Nations, the World Bank and the Parliament of Canada.

Paul Cheek
entrepreneur, entrepreneurship teacher, software engineer, lecturer, MIT Sloan School of Management

Paul Cheek is an entrepreneur, entrepreneurship teacher and software engineer, as well as a lecturer at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology's MIT Sloan School of Management and Entrepreneur in Residence at the Martin Trust Center for MIT Entrepreneurship, and co-founder and CTO at Oceanworks.

Paul was the first Hacker in Residence at MIT and has since taught, mentored and advised thousands of entrepreneurs around the world. Each year Paul teaches hundreds of students in the "New Enterprises" course, and has also taught the course Building an Enterprise: Advanced Tools and Techniques". Working closely with many students, Paul identified a gap in the entrepreneurship curriculum and designed experiential entrepreneurship educational content, resulting in the introduction of a new advanced course, "Venture Creation Tactics," which he developed to help student entrepreneurs build their own companies.

Paul is also co-founder and CTO at Oceanworks, a company whose mission is to reduce plastic consumption. He developed the platform to provide corporations with access to a trusted source of recycled plastic at competitive prices. Over the past two years, Oceanworks has diverted thousands of tons of plastic from the ocean for reuse, served hundreds of corporate clients in more than 30 countries and enabled the launch of a range of sustainable products.

In 2021, Paul was recognized by "Forbes 30 Under 30." Because of his work at Oceanworks, Forbes named Paul one of ten outstanding individuals who hold the future of cleantech in their hands. At the age of 21, Paul envisioned a new way for global card networks to interact with his company. He was named to Forbes' list of "The Next 10 Biggest Fintech Stars in the World." He designed technology that aggregates payment transactions across financial systems and obtained a patent for this invention. Paul has also created technologies and been a consultant for LogMeIn, BlackRock, Prudential, Mazda and others.

Pim de Morree
co-founder, Corporate Rebels

He founded Corporate Rebels after leaving a frustrating corporate job. This was just three years after graduating with a degree in industrial engineering and management science and innovation management from Eindhoven University of Technology.

In addition to traveling the world and conducting research, he writes for the Corporate Rebels blog, advises companies and gives presentations to inspire organizations to radically change the way they work. Along with the rest of the Corporate Rebels team, he supports the development of a global movement to make work more fun.

Robert C. Pozen
senior lecturer, MIT Sloan School of Management

In addition to his work with MIT, he also serves as a non-resident Senior Fellow at the Brookings Institution.

In 2012, he gained recognition with the publication of his book "Extreme Productivity: increase your performance, reduce your hours." In the spring of 2021, he will publish a new book on productivity while working remotely, titled "Remote Inc.: How to thrive at work... wherever you are."

In 2004, Bob became executive chairman of MFS Investment Management, which now manages more than $400 billion in mutual funds and pension plans. During his distinguished career, Bob has been active in business, government and academia. Prior to joining MFS, he was vice chairman of Fidelity Investments and president of Fidelity Management & Research Company. During his five years as chairman, Fidelity's assets grew from $500 billion to $900 billion.

In late 2001 and 2002, Bob served on President Bush's Commission to Strengthen Social Security, where he developed a progressive plan to make the system solvent. In 2003, Bob served as Secretary of Economic Affairs for Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney. In 2007, he was chairman of the SEC's Committee to Improve Financial Reporting.

Bob is currently an independent director of AMC (a subsidiary of the World Bank). Previously, he was an independent director of Nielsen, Medtronic PLC and BCE. He also serves as chairman of the Tax Policy Center's Leadership Council, chairman of the Agility Advisory Board (external CIO), a trustee of the IFRS Foundation (international accounting), and a member of the Council on Foreign Relations.

Prof. Dr. Dariusz Jemielniak
researcher, sociologist, Kozminski University

Prof. Dariusz Jemielniak, PhD, is a professor at Kozminski University and a faculty associate at the Berkman-Klein Center for Internet and Society at Harvard, as well as a member of the Board of Trustees of the Wikimedia Foundation and the youngest-ever correspondent member of the Polish Academy of Sciences in the social sciences and humanities. He has also worked at MIT, Cornell University and Berkeley. He has created from zero to successful exits, including the largest Polish language dictionary, ling.pl, the e-learning system langoland.com, and is currently developing the popular free teacher support platform, installing.pl, which is now used by nearly a quarter of a million students. He is also Chief Community Strategist at Foap.com.

Aleksandra Przegalińska
philosopher, futurologist Kozminski Leon Academy

Professor at Kozminski University, PhD in management sciences. She earned her doctorate in the philosophy of artificial intelligence at the Institute of Philosophy of the UW. She is currently the Vice-Rector for International Cooperation and ESR at Kozminski University. Since 2016, she has conducted research at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Boston. She is a graduate of The New School for Social Research in New York, where she participated in research on identity in virtual reality, with a particular focus on Second Life. She is currently a Research Fellow at the American Institute for Economic Research. In 2021, she will start working with the Labor and Worklife Program at Harvard. She is interested in the development of artificial intelligence, natural language processing, machine learning, social robots and wearable technologies.

Krzysztof Bulski
Managing Director at Molecule Group

Managing Director at Molecule Group, a marketing group specializing in communications and digital transformation, working for clients such as the European Parliament, the European Space Agency, Allegro, Ghelamco, and the Polish racing circuit Autodrom Jastrząb, among others. In the past, he has also worked for brands such as Virgin Mobile, Google, Allegro, and The Heart Warsaw, As an advisor, he has supported the development of brands such as Harvard Club of Poland, GreenParrot, Brief magazine, Pickpack SA, Newstream, ESE Entertainment and K1CK Esports.

The marketing campaigns he has co-created in recent years have been awarded by the judges of such competitions as the Media Trendy Award, European Excellence Awards, UEFA KISS Marketing Awards and Digital Communication Awards.

Graduate of the Faculty of Neophilology at the University of Warsaw. Scholarship holder at Humboldt University in Berlin. Former employee of the Polish Academy of Science and associate of Collegium Civitas. Graduate of professional development courses organized by Yale University and the London School of Economics.

His current interests are primarily focused on Web3 and Metaverse development, online reputation management and disinformation, as well as energy transition and biodiversity.

Prof. Gerald C. Kane
Expert in information systems, Boston College's Carroll School of Management

Gerald C. (Jerry) Kane is professor of information systems and faculty director of the Edmund H. Shea, Jr. Center for Entrepreneurship at Boston College's Carroll School of Management. He researches and teaches about how companies can understand and respond to digital disruption for undergraduate, graduate and executive students around the world; he has published more than 100 articles, papers and reports on these topics. He is the lead author of two books, The Technology Fallacy: How People are the Real Key to Digital Transformation and The Transformation Myth: Leading Your Organization Through Uncertain Times, published by MIT Press.

Grzegorz Smereka
Vice President of Impel System sp. z o.o.

Vice President of Impel System sp. z o.o. and Impel Group's expert in Cleaning Product Group products. His task is to manage the operational activities of teams performing cleaning services throughout Poland, as well as managing the product and taking care of its development. Manager with many years of experience. He shares his knowledge of trends and modern solutions for cleaning and sanitation services, including disinfection services.

Marek Walczak
Country Sales Manager, RFO Dynatrace at Omnilogy

Management practitioner for 30 years involved in the IT industry. Between 1992 and 2010, involved in the processes of computerization of banks at home and abroad. In 2011- 2017, he led a company that computerized the medical sector, including Poland's largest hospitals. Since 2018, he has been supporting the digital transformation processes of Poland's largest companies.

Meanwhile, he is the founder of the IBM Technology Users Association - COMMON and co-organizer of Cloud Community Europe Poland.

Bogdan Slęk
Director of Public & Government Affairs CEE, Signify Poland

An engineer by training, with many years of practical professional experience in the lighting industry. He has been with Philips Lighting since 1992. He took an active part in the transformation of the company and building a modern sales structure for lighting products in Poland and Eastern Europe. As an expert in energy efficiency and sustainable development, he led the implementation of the IFC/GEF Poland Efficient Lighting Project and has participated for many years in Polish and international projects to improve energy efficiency and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

He has authored many articles and scientific publications in the lighting trade press. He has prepared expert reports prepared for the Ministry of Economy and the Chief Inspectorate of Environmental Protection.

He currently serves as Chairman of the Development Committee of the Association of Lighting Equipment Manufacturers "Pol-lighting". For many years he has been an active member of the Polish Lighting Committee, where he serves as Vice Chairman. He is also one of the founding members of the Renovation Wave Association, a cross-sectoral expert group dealing with issues related to energy efficiency in buildings.

Roman Hinc
Director of Software Development Department, Aplitt

For almost 25 years he has been involved in software development, implementation and maintenance. In his career, he has held many positions at different levels, which allowed him to learn from the practical side the processes involved in software production at different stages. He currently manages a team of about 100 experienced and ambitious developers. In his subordinate teams, he promotes an agile approach to project implementation and, in line with the company's motto "Human Face of IT" - he puts the focus on people

Anna Rydel
Enterprise Account Executive, Commvault

Graduate of the Warsaw School of Economics in Quantitative Methods in Economics and Information Systems. At Commvault, she supports clients in digital transformation in the areas of data management and protection. She has 12 years of experience in the IT industry in Poland in providing training, digital transformation consulting and technical sales support. Certified specialist in the area of data protection, management and storage solutions. At Altkom Akademia, she provided soft skills improvement training for managers and professionals from all industries. While working at IBM Poland in the position of technical sales support for storage, she continued her training path and obtained the Business Facilitator certification. She graduated with honors from IBM Global Sales School. During the following years, she held product and sales director positions in the area of storage and data protection solutions. She was responsible for building solution sales strategies, maintaining relationships with customers and suppliers, and providing professional technical support in the sales process.

Robert Chojnacki
Technical director at Pratt & Whitney Kalisz

A graduate of the University of Technology and Life Sciences in Bydgoszcz. He started his career as a technologist to later become a team leader. Since 2010, he has led the organization, responsible for development projects, including transformation and creation of production units.

In his work he was also responsible for the implementation of new products, transfer of production between units of the corporation, so he is unfamiliar with working in an international environment of specialists. Privately, you can meet him on the cross-country trails.

Katarzyna Krześniak
Sustainable Development Manager Central Europe, NG Concept Poland, FM Group

Katarzyna Krześniak at FM Group for almost 10 years. In NG CONCEPT Polska, she has been gathering expertise in the areas of building permits, LEED multi-criteria certification, hazardous product storage and site evaluation for Central Europe for 3 years in her position. With this scope, a cross-cutting vision of logistics projects allows optimization of solutions and costs. Currently also a Mentee in the Top Woman in Real Estate program.

*NG Concept is a substitute investor and general contractor in the development projects of logistics operator, FM Logistic worldwide. Both entities are part of the FM Group.

Wojciech Pantkowski
Vice President of the Management Board of KIR responsible for the Internet Services and Sales Area.

From 2017 to 2020, he served as Director of the Payment Systems and Electronic Banking Team at the Polish Bank Association. Between 2007 and 2017, as Managing Director at Bank Pekao S.A., he was responsible for the Retail Customer Department and the Marketing and Product Development Department. He played a key role in the merger of Pekao S.A. and Bank BPH S.A. banks. He managed projects as part of the exchange of know-how in the Unicredit Group. He was also responsible for the implementation of the PeoPay application.

From 1992 to 2007, he worked at Bank BPH S.A., where he served as Bank Director from 1998. From 2001, he worked as Managing Director in the Operations Area, and from 2003. - Managing Director in the Retail Product Development Area. Among other things, he was responsible for the implementation of the central IT system.

From 2013 to 2017, he served as Chairman of the Board of Bank Card Issuers of the ZBP. He was also Chairman of the Supervisory Board of the Direct Banking Center and the Card Center, and a member of the Supervisory Boards of the Credit Information Bureau and VISA Polish Executive Board.

He is a graduate of the Cracow University of Economics.

Jarosław Gracel
CEO, ASTOR

Graduate of the Automation and Robotics faculty, specializing in "Computer Science in Control and Management" at the AGH University of Science and Technology in Kraków. He also completed postgraduate studies in "Production Management" at the Higher European School in Kraków.

Previously, his domain at ASTOR was strategic initiatives related to Industry 4.0, technical aspects of implementing MES-class manufacturing management systems, and economic analysis of investments in automation and manufacturing management systems. He has consulted on projects for ArcelorMittal Poland, Nestle Poland, Cereal Partners Poland Pacific-Toruń, Koksownia Przyjaźń, IKEA Industry, LOTOS Asfalt, LotteWedel, VW Poland, WIKA Poland, Addit, among others. He was the originator and first editor-in-chief of a magazine for manufacturing companies - "Business and Production". He was also responsible for building the company's consulting department.

He has expertise in analyzing the economic efficiency of investments in automation systems, in IT systems in the area of production and supply chain management, robotization of industrial processes. He conducts research in the field of Industry 4.0 and the impact of process automation on building strategic advantage for manufacturing companies, and the integration of industrial IT and automation systems. He is the author of the first articles on manufacturing automation and Industry 4.0 in Harvard Business Review Poland. He is the initiator of engineer development research and co-author of the "Engineer 4.0" concept.

He also holds an international qualification in project management PRINCE2® Certified Practitioner. He also obtained the "Professional Diploma in Marketing" from the British institute "The Chartered Institute of Marketing". He is a certified Factory of the Future advisor of the ADMA (European Advanced Manufacturing Support Center) organization.

Piotr Biczyk
Member of the Management Board, QED Software

At QED Software, he is responsible for helping clients improve their business based on machine learning and artificial intelligence.

He combines an understanding of the practical aspects of building and implementing artificial intelligence systems with more than 20 years of experience in the IT industry. He has built IT systems for the banking, insurance and telecommunications industries. He has worked as an auditor of IT systems and processes. He managed the development and maintenance of one of Poland's core IT systems. A physicist by training and passion, he combines academic knowledge with an in-depth understanding and analysis of enterprise problems.

Tomasz Sekita
Digital Transformation Sales Specialist, Betacom

For more than 20 years he has been helping his clients to effectively improve their business with the help of information technology. Always 100% committed.

He starts each topic with a thorough understanding of business processes, so the proposed solutions address real problems on the one hand, and on the other hand are a measurable value for the business. He perfectly understands that extensive knowledge and experience is not enough. He values a partnership approach to business, so on a daily basis he ensures good communication and respects the time of clients, partners and his own.

Link to profile on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tomasz-sekita/

Aleksander Kania
Sales Director, UiPath

Alexander Kania supports companies in choosing and how to use the latest technologies in business. His expertise ranges from Big Data through Speech Analytics, Voice Biometrics, Natural Language Processing to Robotic Process Automation and AI.

He was one of the pioneers of the application of Robotic Process Automation (RPA) in Polish companies. He is the creator and moderator of the largest RPA discussion group on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/groups/8446902/

Within UiPath, he is responsible for the development of RPA and AI in Poland. He participates in the largest business process automation projects implemented in our country.

Aleksander graduated from SGH with a degree in Quantitative Methods and Information Systems and is a graduate of Harvard Business School.

Link to profile on LinkedIn: http://linkedin.com/in/akania/

Andrzej Losor
Sales and marketing development director, board member, Górażdże Cement

Associated with the Górażdże Group for more than 15 years. He started his professional career in sales structures, acting, among others, as head of the sales region. Between 2003 and 2008, he served as a sales consultant on behalf of the HeidelbergCement Group in Ukraine, responsible for building the sales team and sales processes. He held a similar role in 2011-2012 in Kazakhstan.

Since 2013, he has managed the marketing and communications department of the Górażdże Group, while also serving as vice chairman of the program council of the Górażdże - Active in the Region Foundation. He is actively involved in the work of industry associations, including the Association of Cement Manufacturers, the Association of Ready-mixed Concrete Manufacturers, and the Polish Green Building Council.

He assumed the position of director of sales and marketing development at the beginning of 2020, and has been a member of the board of directors of Górażdże Cement SA since July 2020.

An economist, he is a graduate of the University of Opole and the Wrocław University of Economics, as well as prestigious international development programs. He is an expert in sales process and customer experience management, change management and sustainable development, as well as a business coach.

Jan Zurawski
Country Manager for Poland, Twilio

Prior to Twilio, he gained extensive experience in the technology and finance sectors at Bloomberg, where he advised major investment banks in London and Zurich for five years in the role of Relationship Manager. He is a graduate of the London School of Economics.

Edyta Wiwatowska
President of the Board, Bydgoszcz Regional Development Agency

Graduate of Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznan, majoring in law, and postgraduate studies in Regional Development Programming and Project Management. She holds the title of legal advisor. Since 2000, she has been involved in providing services to investors in Bydgoszcz. From 2007 to 2013 she served as Coordinator of the Investor and Entrepreneurship Support Team within the structures of the Bydgoszcz City Hall. Within the framework of the projects carried out, she coordinated the work related to the launch of a subzone of the special economic zone in Bydgoszcz and successfully conducted negotiations with domestic and international entities, resulting in the implementation of investments in Bydgoszcz. In November 2013, she was entrusted with the task of establishing the Bydgoszcz Regional Development Agency Sp. z o.o., responsible for the broad economic promotion of Bydgoszcz, cooperation with entrepreneurs and handling new investment projects. To date, she has served as President of the agency.

Andrzej Gnyp
Business Development Manager, Fujitsu Poland

He has been involved in sales and implementation of dedicated application projects for over 20 years. He is an expert in the production of tailor-made applications for specific business needs of the client and a fan of cloud tools that support the user's daily work. His experience allows him to move freely in both business and technological areas. He is currently engaged in the development of service sales in the area of applications and solutions offered by Fujitsu. He is a graduate of the Faculty of Electronics and Information Technology at the Warsaw University of Technology.

Konrad Gawda
Cloud Evangelist, Orange

He is involved in the popularization of knowledge about Cloud solutions and hosts the podcast "Let's talk about Cloud". Associated with Orange Group for 11 years. A graduate of the Warsaw University of Technology, he started his work in R&D Orange Labs. He conducted research on new fixed and mobile network services, and implemented an open-source virtualization platform and SDN services. A Linux user by conviction, he is a Python programmer and programming trainer.

Michal Stefanski
Poland & Baltic Countries Key Account Manager, Daktela.

Gained 22 years of experience in the telecommunications market at T-mobile and UPC. For more than 2 years he has been introducing a modern omichannel contact center system in Poland and the Baltic countries. Specialist in Data Center solutions, Cyber Security. Certified Project Manager of WiFi4EU.

Ewelina Furtak
marketing director, Cloudware Poland

Associated with the IT industry for over 8 years. She has worked with companies such as Google, Eizo, and IBM. She has marketing experience supported by working on various projects in the field of new technologies, including blockchain and cryptocurrency. She combines marketing with the world of technology, showing that the IT environment is constantly responding to the dynamically changing needs of business. At Cloudware Poland, she is responsible for creating and implementing marketing strategy, communication, and cooperation with partners. A business psychologist by passion and education.

Mariusz Smolinski
Director of Research and Analysis Department, ICAN Institute

He has been involved in market research since 1998. Worked in several research companies, in managerial positions: MEMRB, Synovate, IPSOS. He was responsible for leading qualitative and quantitative research teams, as well as coordinating complex local and regional research programs. Over 20 years, he completed 1000+ projects for various industries. He conducted strategy workshops, built research models and implemented new methodologies. He was also responsible for sales and marketing in research companies. Since 2012, he has specialized in B2B trend research and organizational diagnostics. He provides management boards with knowledge and inspiration for strategy development, as well as for increasing operational efficiency. He monitors trends in various areas of business operations, human potential management, digital transformation and foreign expansion. Graduate of the Faculty of Marketing and Management at the University of Warsaw. Speaker at industry conferences.

Mariusz Madej
Cloud Solutions, SCRUM, PROSCI Delivery Team Leader, T-System.

Mariusz Madej is responsible for the digital transformation of large organizations in the Polish market with a particular focus on issues related to market regulations and digitization of processes in the cloud. He gained experience in both Polish and international companies holding managerial positions in consulting and sales departments. He is an experienced business manager, competent in leading sales and project teams. His extensive knowledge, familiarity with processes, organizations, ability to run projects in an agile manner, and ease of understanding requirements and adapting to changing customer expectations is invaluable. Mariusz graduated from the Radom University of Technology and Humanities, and privately enjoys spending time with his family and organizing astronomical observations.

Andrzej Jacaszek, DBA
vice president, Ican Institute

Has held positions at the highest level of management for more than 20 years. In 2004-2005 he served as Deputy Minister of Finance of the Republic of Poland. Experienced lecturer and speaker. He holds an Executive Master of Business Administration from the Carlson School of Management at the University of Minnesota and a Doctor of Business Administration from the Polish Academy of Sciences.

Dominika Bettman
general director, Microsoft Poland

From December 2021 director general of Microsoft Poland

Graduate of the Faculty of Foreign Trade at the Warsaw School of Economics and the Advanced Management Program of IESE in Barcelona.

Promoter of new technologies, corporate social responsibility, the idea of diversity and the activation of women in science and business. Actively participates in the public debate on innovative industry, digital transformation and business responsibility for improving the environment.

She is active in bodies and initiatives whose values are in line with her beliefs. She is vice-president of the Confederation of Private Employers "Lewiatan", a member of the OEES program council, chairs the FOB Responsible Leadership Council and the KIGEiT Council. She sits on the Accessibility Council appointed by the Minister of Funds and Regional Policy and on the University Council of the Warsaw University of Technology. She is a member of the Supervisory Board of Santander Bank Polska and Emitel S.A.

Tomasz Czechowicz
Founder, MCI

Entrepreneur since 1985. For over 20 years, Venture Capital/Private Equity investor. Founder and Managing Partner at MCI Capital. Between 1990 and 1998, co-founder and CEO of JTT Computer SA, a leading computer manufacturer in Central Europe with revenues of over $100 million.

One of the winners of the "Top Managers of 2015" list by Bloomberg Businessweek Poland magazine. Speaker at many PE/VC conferences, including Noah & Websummit. Member of Supervisory Boards and advisory bodies of MCI Capital portfolio companies across Europe. Back in 2001. The World Economic Forum in Davos awarded Tomasz Czechowicz the title of Global Leader of Tomorrow for his extraordinary market sense, professionalism, vision and business effectiveness. The title of one of the ten most influential people on the European Internet in Businessweek's TOP 10 ranking in 2000.

Graduate of Wroclaw University of Technology, Wroclaw University of Economics and the Executive MBA program of the Warsaw School of Economics and the University of Minnesota.

Dr. Marek Dietl
President of the Warsaw Stock Exchange

Dr. Marek Dietl is president of the Warsaw Stock Exchange and economic advisor to the President of the Republic of Poland, as well as an assistant professor at the Warsaw School of Economics. Previously, he gained experience through nearly 20 years of practice in strategic consulting and the venture capital industry. He has served on the Supervisory Boards, Audit Committees and Investment Committees of more than 25 organizations.

Jarosław Gracel
CEO, ASTOR

At ASTOR, he was responsible for technical aspects of implementing MES (Manufacturing Execution Systems), economic analysis of investments in automation and manufacturing management systems. He helped build concepts for production management and automatic control systems for, among others, ArcelorMittal Poland, Nestle Poland, Cereal Partners Poland Pacific-Toruń, Koksownia Przyjaźń, IKEA Industry, LOTOS Asfalt, LotteWedel. He conducted managerial workshops in the area of Industry 4.0 for VW, WIKA Polska, Radiometer, GKN Driveline, Pratt&Whitney, among others. He was the originator and first editor-in-chief of a magazine for manufacturing companies - "Business and Production". He was also responsible for building the company's consulting department. He is the co-author of the "Engineer 4.0" concept. In 2016-2017, he participated in the work of the Industrial Transformation Team at the Ministry of Development. He is a lecturer at the Warsaw University of Technology Business School (MBA Digital Transformation) and at Kozminski University (Manager of Industry 4.0). He has expertise in analyzing the economic efficiency of investments in automation systems, in IT systems in the area of production and supply chain management, robotization of industrial processes. At AGH (AGH University of Science and Technology) in Krakow, he conducts research on technological maturity in Industry 4.0, the impact of process automation on building strategic advantage for manufacturing companies, and the integration of industrial IT and automation systems. He is the author of the first articles on manufacturing process automation and Industry 4.0 on the Harvard Business Review Poland blog -
http://blogi.hbrp.pl/blog-biznesowy/author/jgracel/.
Graduate of Automation and Robotics specialization "Computer Science in Control and Management" at the AGH University of Science and Technology in Krakow. He completed postgraduate studies in "Production Management" at the University of Europe in Cracow. He also holds an international qualification in project management confirmed by the PRINCE2® Certified Practitioner certificate. He holds the prestigious diploma "Professional Diploma in Marketing" from the British institute "The Chartered Institute of Marketing".

Bożena Leśniewska
Vice-President of the Management Board of Orange Polska

Responsible for the business market and Integrated Solutions and BlueSoft companies. Professionally involved in management and the technology industry for over twenty years. Consistently passed through successive career levels, starting from the position of sales representative (DHL), through regional manager and director (Polkomtel), director of departments in company headquarters (Polkomtel, PTK Centertel Sp. z o.o., Telekomunikacja Polska S.A.), executive director, to the position of Member of the Board in Orange Poland. She is a graduate of Jagiellonian University, APP at the Business School of Warsaw University of Technology and AMP at INSEAD. She holds positions as a member of the Responsible Leadership Council at the Responsible Business Forum, the LeaderShe Association, the Professional Women Network association and the THINKTANK Expert Council. She is a finalist in the international Women In Sales Awards 2014 in the Best Woman Sales Director category and in the 7th edition of the Businesswoman of the Year competition. In 2016, she was recognized by the Innovative Economy Institute as one of the ten most influential women managing the Polish ICT sector. Active mentor in programs supporting the development of young managers, including the Vital Voices Foundation and the Women's Entrepreneurship Foundation. Co-author of the first studies for women in Europe - Women's Leadership Academy at Kozminski University. She has a unique blend of skills in strategic thinking, motivating and developing people combined with passion and genuine commitment to everything she does. Privately, she travels a lot and is interested in psychology and sociology. She is passionate about reading books that allow her to understand the interactions in the world around her. In 2013 she climbed the Roof of Africa - Kilimanjaro.

Wojciech Orzech
President of the Management Board of PKP Energetyka

Recognized manager with experience in building and successfully implementing business development strategies. He has a strong track record of achieving goals in challenging operational and commercial environments in demanding industries such as energy, the insurance sector and logistics. At PKP Energetyka (since 2015), he has led the transformation and digitization process, improving service quality, safety and employee engagement. He was Managing Director of Energa S.A. from 2013 to 2014, and Vice President of Energa - Operator S.A. from 2008 to 2013. During his career as a strategic advisor and manager, he worked on the supervisory boards and management boards of many companies. Wojciech Orzech graduated from the University of Gdansk with a master's degree in economics. He completed the Advanced Management Program (AMP) at the IESE Business School of the University of Navarra and earned a Certificate of Management Excellencee Harvard Business School in the USA. His business credo I aspire, I inspire, I realize helps him reach for ambitious challenges. Wojciech Orzech is passionate about Triathlon. He has two sons.

Kuba Piwowar
Digital Acceleration Lead, Google

Sociologist, analyst, at Google since 2008, working with the company's clients in Poland and Silicon Valley on digital transformation processes. Led the Insights Team, a team responsible for providing Polish businesses with knowledge about digital consumers and trends in markets, understood both vertically and horizontally. Member of the Polish Association of Market and Opinion Researchers. Graduate of Sociology at SWPS University, postgraduate Gender Studies at IBL PAN, Art History at Collegium Civitas and Marketing Academy at The Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania. He is a Ph.D. student in Interdisciplinary Doctoral Studies at SWPS University, where he studies ethical and social aspects of data analysis, algorithms and artificial intelligence from a cultural studies perspective.

Przemyslaw Polaczek
Managing partner and partner at Grant Thornton

Associated with Grant since 1995. He leads the Digital Drive team, with which he supports clients in driving digital transformation in almost every field of their business. Since the beginning of his career, he has been building the firm's position internationally. He has lasting relationships with more than 300 Grant Thornton experts worldwide, whose expertise he makes available to clients. He is a graduate of the Poznań University of Economics and Strategic Leadership - HARVARD Business, ICAN Institute.

Aleksandra Przegalińska
philosopher, futurologist Kozminski University

Professor at Kozminski University, PhD in management sciences. She earned her doctorate in the philosophy of artificial intelligence at the Institute of Philosophy of the UW. She is currently the Vice-Rector for International Cooperation and ESR at Kozminski University. Since 2016, she has conducted research at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Boston. She is a graduate of The New School for Social Research in New York, where she participated in research on identity in virtual reality, with a particular focus on Second Life. She is currently a Research Fellow at the American Institute for Economic Research. In 2021, she will start working with the Labor and Worklife Program at Harvard. She is interested in the development of artificial intelligence, natural language processing, machine learning, social robots and wearable technologies.

Anna Strezynska
CEO, MC2 Innovations

A lawyer by education, she has been involved in ICT throughout her professional life (Office of Competition and Consumer Protection, Ministry of Communications, Ministry of Transport and Construction, Office of Electronic Communications, Center for Regulatory Studies, Wielkopolska Broadband Network, Internet for Mazovia, Ministry of Digitization, MC2 Innovations). From November 15, 2005 to May 6, 2006 - undersecretary of state for communications at the Ministry of Transport and Construction. From 2006 to 2012 - president of the Office of Electronic Communications. From 2012 to 2014 - chairwoman of the supervisory board and from 2014 to November 2015 - president of the board at Wielkopolska Sieć Szerokopasmowa SA. In March 2015 - CEO of Internet for Mazovia. From 2012 to 2015 - member of various advisory and expert bodies, including the Council for Digitization in the Ministry of Administration and Digitization and the United Nations Global Compact Poland. Since 2013 - expert at the Republican Foundation, since August 2015 member of the council of the Center for Strategic Analysis. From 2015-2018 - Minister of Digitization, chairwoman of the Council of State Information Architecture and the Committee of the Council of Ministers for Digitization.

In 2008 she was honored with the Andrzej Bączkowski Award (awarded for fighting monopoly in the telecommunications market) and in 2010 she received the Bene Merito Badge of Honor (for glorifying Poland's name in the world) from the President of the Republic of Poland. In 2012, she received the Mark Car Award, the highest honor in the IT sector awarded environmentally for achievements in the implementation of new technologies, with particular emphasis on the social effects of the awardee's activities. In 2017. CIONET Poland awarded the Minister of Digitization and his team the 2017 Digital Excellence Awards for Digital Transformation.

He is currently CEO of MC2 Innovations Group of IT companies.

Ewa Wernerowicz
CEO, Vivus Finance S.A.

Manager with many years of experience in international financial institutions. Fintech market expert with extensive knowledge of banking and technology in finance. Vice President of Employers of Poland, the largest organization of employers in Poland. In it she deals with fintech and cooperation between start ups and corporations. She participated in the creation of new financial institutions on the Polish market, where she built operational structures from scratch. Among them, along with Polbank EFG and Citifinancial, is Vivus.pl. She is an active advocate of entrepreneurial development in Poland. She sits on the management and supervisory boards of 4Finance Group companies in Poland and abroad. She is a graduate of Enterprise Management at the Gdynia Maritime Academy, Postgraduate Studies in Leadership in Innovation at the Warsaw School of Economics and IESE Business School.

Fintech market expert with extensive knowledge of banking and financial technologies. She is responsible for the success of Vivus.pl and Vice-President of the Employers of Poland. A member of the management and supervisory boards of 4Finance Group companies in Poland and abroad. She is a graduate of Company Management at Gdynia Maritime University, Innovation Leadership at the Warsaw School of Economics and IESE Business School.

Dr. Piotr Wisniewski
Managing Director, DB77 Group

Since 2016, he has been developing the DB77 group of companies which deals with process optimization in manufacturing and service organizations and production robotization in Europe and Asia. Founder of DBR77 Robot Platform, whose mission is to introduce robots also to companies that would not be able to do it on their own. Creator of the management model according to the Hyperreality concept.

For five years he served as CEO of Maflow - a global automotive company with subsidiaries in Europe, Asia and the Americas, employing more than 4,500 people. Thanks to the new development policy, the company rebuilt a strong position on the market and met the demands of customers, as evidenced by a number of awards from companies such as VW, Audi, BMW, Jaguar Land Rover. For the successfully carried out restructuring, Piotr Wisniewski was awarded the TOP Manager of the automotive industry. While working in Maflow, he also created a talent management program - Talent Management Maflow, which was described on the pages of "Harvard Business Review Polska" as an integral part of the case study of the company's reconstruction thanks to the involvement of employees.

For the last 15 years he has sat on the supervisory boards of various European manufacturing and trading companies (to date he has been a member of almost 30 boards), being responsible for building and selecting board members and creating strategies on behalf of the owners.