The strongest bridges are built together

Marek Szul, Lionbridge Poland: Success was never an end in itself to me, but without any doubt, I can say I’m really passionate about my work. I have a deeprooted working methodology, which says that once I find an interesting idea, I simply do my best to put it into action. In my book, anything’s possible and, apart from the knowledge, the only thing that it takes to realize your goals is your time and effort. Other things that may come handy along the way are being humble, having respect for others, being genuine, hardworking, passionate, enthusiastic, as well as fully engaged and dedicated. I accept no half measures in what I do – I’m either fully in, or not there at all.

For me, success happens when I have an opportunity to work with an excellent and ambitious team, just like the one I cooperate with at the moment. During our work, every person has a very important role: not only the leaders, but also the analysts, and finally those who actually do the job. So, it all starts with a carefully selected, diversified structure that facilitates top performance under the supervision of an individual who motivates, communicates, sparks new ideas, leads employees towards

At the 2022 Outsourcing Stars Gala organized by Pro Progressio Marek Szul was awarded the title of the Manager of the Year. Every year, this title is granted to an extraordinary person who has multi dimensional, significant impact on developing modern services for the business.

action and, last but not least, celebrates the successes of the team. Honest and open approach based on trust, faith in what we do, engagement and the ability to motivate the team members are the basis for the effective teamwork, which, in my opinion, is the one and only way to success.

In a nutshell, what we do is globalize, localize and translate. We assist our clients in being understood and wellreceived on their target markets. For example, when one of our clients would like to enter the Asian market and needs to have their website translated into one of local languages, we offer them a complete package, which means that the content provided by us is fully adjusted to the specifics of the market. In essence, annual or quarterly financial reports – and all other things. We also perform linguistic testing, which ensures the correctness of the translation, as well as functional testing, whose aim is to make sure that the localized websites, applications and video games work properly.

As we’re talking about bridges, I would like to mention one of our more interesting services: OPI (Over the Phone Interpretation), which stands for simultaneous interpreting performed remotely, over the phone. This service is often used by various public institutions and offices. The need for this type of support is on the increase especially now, when local authorities have to assist great numbers of Ukrainian refugees who don’t always speak any of the languages used at a particular location. In such cases, we can offer an over the phone conversation between the three parties: the customer, the clerk and the translator, which ensures that all procedures run smoothly and in a way that is the most convenient to the foreigner.

we build crosscultural bridges by way of offering fully functional translations produced by native speakers of the target language.

And vice versa: as part of our globalization efforts, we produce communication that allows the local or regional entities to go global. We build bridges by the very definition of our operations, but that’s not all: we also know what strategy is the most suitable for each of the sectors and industries we specialize in. A good example would be the Life Sciences industry, including pharmacy, which often is regulated by complex laws, such local requirements as for the drug labelling, and many other rules and regulations. Hence, the industry knowledge is of key importance here. The same is true for preparing all documentation, manuals, as well organizational communications and Whereas on the level of our internal operations, we’ve built and we’re still building bridges between our departments in order to enable more efficient performance of our business tasks, all the while making the most of our assets and competences.

Poland still remains a stable market, despite its current challenges. Skyrocketing inflation, concerns related to the economic growth and rising remuneration levels as we’re struggling to keep up with the western countries create numerous challenges for us, but just like other companies, we are trying to find a balance between our needs and our means. We manage our business in a way that is flexible and agile. We have five Global Delivery Centers located in a few different time zones, and we plan our processes in line with the “follow the sun” rule, making sure that we make good use of all the talents spread across our offices. The portfolio of our services is very broad. Throughout the years, our offices reached high levels of specialization, but in the ever changing universe, a level of redundancy as well as DRP (Disaster Recovery Plan) and BCP (Business Continuity Planning) procedures are indispensable.

Among our 20 offices in the world, the GDC tasks are located in the previously mentioned five of them, while the Warsaw office is our second largest unit. Due to our geographical location and the time zone, we focus on operations for the European clients and we cooperate closely with our office in Mumbai.

A large client group that we work for along with our colleagues from India and Costa Rica, are the U.S. clients, mostly from the West Coast. In many cases, our Warsaw employees monitor and control the production processes, and they send updates and status reports to our colleagues from Project Management Offices located on different continents.

Each GDC performs similar tasks related to our core operations, i.e., translation, localization and globalization. Apart from these activities, each center specializes in certain industries and types of services. In the past few years, our Warsaw department for linguistic testing of applications and video games has grown immensely, and as at today, we employ more than 1,000 people who perform testing and other types of tasks related to our video game operations. Importantly, the time of the global pandemic has proved to our clients that

remote work may be no less effective. Ina manner of speaking, the Covid virus accelerated some changes in our industry. In the middle of 2021, we launched a global Multimedia Hub structure at Lionbridge, of which the Warsaw office is a key component. In the past few years, we’ve been receiving increasing numbers of inquiries about translations, multimedia content localization, as well as supporting live events with our services related to simultaneous interpreting, transcription and audio or video accessibility captioning. High expectations in terms of TATs and quality of the provided services require that human efforts are assisted by the latest technologies and AI. This is precisely what we’ve been doing lately, engaging our worldwide AI, Engineering, Technology Solution and R&D departments.

Unfortunately, there are only 24 hours in a day, and seven days in a week. This is why not all the initiatives advance in a pace that I’d like them to. Nonetheless, I am glad that this project keeps growing. We would like that more and more people become aware of the important role that bees play in our everyday lives. We encourage everyone around us to help us improve the living conditions of bees, support them in every possible way, while at the same time reducing the amounts of chemicals used and replacing them with solutions that are environmentally friendly. I would be delighted to see a greater engagement here on the part of our entire industry, which gathers huge numbers of young people, who happen to have significant impact on the environment. We all should act in line with the rules of social responsibility, both private individuals and corporate entities. We would like to support the beekeepers, whose median age is still relatively high. Our goal is to encourage larger numbers of people to perpetuate these beekeeping traditions. Bees reside in the same environment as we do, which is constantly changing, and obviously we, humans, do not always change things for the better. Lives of bees in an increasingly humandominated world are becoming more and more difficult. Associally responsible humans, we have a duty to help them out. If we have no time or possibility to take care of bee families ourselves, we encourage companies and institutions to actively support the beekeepers through adoption of bee families who are taken care of by our dear beekeepers in their natural habitats. Apart from the satisfaction, joy and certificates, these entities and their employees receive also various bees’ goods and a great deal of knowledge, stories, workshops and training from our seniors.

The beekeeping community gladly and eagerly adopts new members who are willing to learn their craft and perpetuate their traditions. I met plenty of amazing people who helped me to take the initial steps, and today we have over 20 families taking care of bees. I would like to make sure that the daily efforts of those people are seen and appreciated, because what it’s all about is not honey, but rather the protection of our dear winged creatures.

I am truly passionate about the life of bees, which is a subject of a number of scientific studies. I envision a synergy of the knowledge, tradition and experience of our beekeepers with new technologies, including AI, which would be useful to future generations of bee lovers.

It is best to start with oneself and lead by example, even in the area of our daily activities, such as striving for

a cleaner environment, protecting nature from deterioration, recycling waste and being socially responsible, both for oneself and for others. We should also try our best to reduce the amount of chemical agents used in our households and choose more ecological cleaning and beauty products.

Let’s keep in mind that plants, gardens, flowerbeds, green terraces, balconies and natural lawns are places that are useful to bees. Instead of perfectly trimmed and chemically aided grassplots, let’s try to introduce natural, naturally fertilized, meadowlike lawns in our cities and near our houses. Let’s support local honey producers, who in these hard times devote a lot of their time and financial means to take good care of their beloved winged creatures. Let’s buy their products because they are the ones who help us achieve balance between the industrial the natural animal farming, including beekeeping. We should educate children and encourage young people to join the environmental initiatives. We can see how great results brings the exchange of knowledge between the experienced senior beekeepers, who during the meetings with the younger generations are willing to share their wonderful wisdom and advice, which may be useful also in everyday life. When it comes to the corporate level of such activities – at Lionbridge, for the past two years we've been meeting for a coffee on our green balconies and terraces. Our employees not only undertake proenvironmental volunteer work, but they also engage in physical farming of plants, including melliferous herbs and perennials.

I’m proud to say that last year, I per sonally sowed 1 ha of buckwheat, and more than 5 ha of phacelia. The bees’ appetites are growing, and so is mine, therefore I am happy to be able to share my passion with others – both people my age and young beginners.

Ecology and the elderly people – that sounds intriguing, doesn’t it? The Eco Senior fund, of which I am one of the founder members, was created out of the need to connect interests, passion, modern trends and ecological education. It’s also the outcome of the experiences gained through many projects executed with the elderly in the previous years. We act mostly in smaller towns, where the depopulation trend is more visible, though it slowed down recently due to the pandemic.

In any case, it’s plain to see that in such places there’s rarely any organized activity for the senior residents, who, having retired, oftentimes stay at home all days with nothing to do. Not to mention the fact that, as a rule, it is not easy to gain these people’s trust and to build the initial bridge with them. Elderly people often think that their best years have already passed, and if someone shows intetest in them, it is because they want to sell them a set of bedsheets or kitchenware. We don’t consent to the retirement spent in front of a TV, though. The elderly have so much to offer, and we can learn a lot from them, all the while supporting them in many ways. Once again, we work on a multigenerational team here, and the results are awesome. We already gathered more than 300 active elderly people whom we encouraged to take up their passions, invest in personal growth, socialize on a more regular basis, and spend their time in more interesting ways. These people are amazing – their openness and sense of humor simply leave us jaw dropped. Some of our most fantastic ambassadors were well over 70 at the time we started our cooperation, and before they met us, they had hardly ever left their homes at all. Now they are active, visiting new places, using the Internet, smartphones and social media, and they are connecting us to even more elderly people, which is great.

Our goals are clear: we act against exclusion, we integrate elderly communities and center them around various undertakings, such as Cud, Miód, Senior (jarring honey), or Eco Senior herb box initiative, where twogeneration Eco Teams (a senior and a young volunteer) grow herbs together in modern planters. We educate the elderly and their families – we challenge the traditional ideas about the old age. We are working towards launching a senior personal trainer project, which will be based on educational programs created following all the experiences gathered by us so far. These are just a few examples of what we do. Each of our projects is a bridge in one sense or another – we bring together different generations, we show that retirement can be a great period of life, we challenge the stereotypes about the elderly. We’re working on a number of exciting projects, and for sure in the nearest future you will hear about the Eco Senior fund again. Everybody’s welcome to join us – after all, we’re all going to retire someday, and it is up to us to create a greater future for ourselves and for others.

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TRYTON BUSINESS HOUSE FULL OF TENANTS

Globalworth, the owner and manager of Tryton Business House in Gdańsk, has prolonged a number of lease contracts with tenants including EY, Eltel Networks, UPC and PGS Software for a total area of 3,600 sqm. The office complex is also undergoing a metamorphosis to make it even more modern and comfortable. Globalworth’s Gdańsk properties are much appreciated by their tenants. Over the last few months, EY (547sqm), Eltel Networks (1,029 sqm), UPC (166sqm) and PGS Software (1,878sqm) have all prolonged their leases. – Tenants appreciate our manager/ owner business model, which means that they can work with the owner of the building on every level and at every stage of the contract. To this can be added a superb location in the centre of Gdańsk next to the Old Town and a rapidly developing new district on the site of the former shipyards with good transportation connections and highquality office space. In the near future, we are also planning such things as to renovate the common areas – says Maciej Gołębiewski, Asset Management & Leasing Director at Globalworth Poland. It is not going to end with just visual changes, Tryton Business House is also going to be enriched with further facilities. In March, Elocity electric vehicle charging stations were installed in the building as well as EON electric bicycle and scooter stations. It is also planned for tenants to receive a dedicated Globalworth app, with which their employees will have touchless entry to their offices, and will be able to call lifts with their smartphones, lift the barriers to the car park, book conference rooms and reserve parking spaces. COREES POLSKA AS AN ADVISOR IN THE SALE OF INDUSTRIAL ANDWAREHOUSE REAL ESTATE

Corees Polska carried out the process of valuation and sale of industrial and warehouse real estate in Bielsko-Biała, belonging to the portfolio of its client – a leading global technology company ABB.

The amount of the real estate sale transaction, as well as the buyer himself, are confidential at the moment. The buyer was represented in the process by attorney Grzegorz Pacek, partner at the law firm Marek Płonka i Wspólnicy Sp. K.

ABB is a leading global technology company that drives the transformation of economies and societies, building their future efficiently and sustainably. Integrating electrification, robotics, automation, and drive systems products with digital solutions sets new technology standards. The company employs approximately 110 thousand employees in over 100 countries. ABB conducts a full range of business activities in Poland, hiring more than 5,000 people. – As we wanted to finalize the transaction by the end of 2021, the broker was subject to a lot of time pressure. Despite this, the entire process was carried out very efficiently and with the utmost care – says Janusz Machnicki, Real Estate Director at Hub Polska, ABB Sp. z o.o. – As part of cooperation with ABB, Corees prepared the property for sale by preparing an information package sent to a group of selected investors. During the marketing of the property, inspections were made with potential buyers, technical parameters, availability of power to the building, technical and legal condition were verified. After the bid, ABB began the sale of the property to the highest bidder and thanks to cooperation with Corees, an efficient transfer of ownership, securing the continuity of utilities and transfer of utilities was carried out to the new owner. Corees supported ABB and the new buyer at all stages of the process as well as provided aftersales support – sums up Łukasz Nelken-Żbik, RICS, Head of Valuation at Corees Polska.

GENERATION PARK Y OFFICE BUILDING RECEIVES THE WELL GOLD CERTIFICATE

The Generation Park Y skyscraper, developed by Skanska in Warsaw's Wola district and bought by HANSAINVEST Real Assets, received the most important distinction awarded to office spaces – the WELL Core & Shell Gold certificate.

Solutions based on its requirements ensure the safety and comfort of office users. The WELL Building Standard is a certification system developed by the International WELL Building Institute, which measures the quality of office space by assessing over 100 building parameters. WELL takes into account not only the design or issues related to the use of the office building itself, but also how it affects human behavior and health. The certification process assesses such matters as access to fresh, clean air, good water quality, adequate interior lighting, and acoustics. Tools, technologies and solutions that affect the mental and physical wellbeing of employees are also assessed. – We develop all our buildings in accordance with the proven principles of sustainable development. First, we work out project details, and then, thanks to the WELL certification, we can verify whether we achieved what we had planned. This makes us certain that our buildings will be of absolute top quality – says Monika Chacińska, Environmental Expert at Skanska’s commercial development business unit in CEE.

Generation Park Y is equipped with a ventilation system with high-class filters that provides 30% more fresh air. Adiabatic humidifiers ensure proper humidity. Filters trap pollen and fungus spores that cause allergies. Air conditioning using a chilled beam system is silent and guarantees a comfortable temperature and energy efficiency.

The water in the building will be tested for the presence of over 30 chemical compounds, which will allow it to be safely consumed from each tap installed in the building. Generation Park Y employees will also have adequate access to daylight. Issues affecting the well-being of employees are also very important in WELL certification. Subdued colors, natural materials from which the furnishings are made, a green terrace on the 35th floor or pergolas overgrown with vegetation facilitate concentration and stimulate creativity. There is a 15-meter green wall in the lobby of the office building with over six thousand plants. The oxygen they produce daily would suffice for 150 people. – Our strategy is to create ideally designed, well thoughtout and userfriendly office buildings that provide the best conditions for work. We focus on the comfort, wellbeing and health of the tenants. We also use sustainable solutions that reduce the environmental impact of our buildings. The certificates we receive – such as WELL Gold, are the best confirmation that our approach is effective. They are also recognized by business partners and investors – says Rafał Stoparczyk, Project Director at Skanska’s commercial development business unit in CEE. Generation Park Y is a 38-storey building with a height of 140 meters, crowning the largest Skanska office complex in Warsaw. Its entire office space was leased by PZU as the company's headquarters. In December 2021, the building was bought by HANSAINVEST Real Assets. The value of the transaction was EUR 285 million, making it the largest transaction in the history of Skanska's commercial development business unit in Central and Eastern Europe. It was also the largest purchase in the office sector in this part of Europe in 2021. The office building was designed and built in accordance with the ESG principles, focusing on environmental and social aspects. In addition to the WELL Gold certificate, the building also has other certificates, such as LEED Platinum and the WELL Health-Safety Rating. All certificates were obtained as part of Core & Shell. The office building is also applying for the Building without Barriers accessibility certificate. Generation Park Y greatly reflects Skanska's approach to creating healthy and sustainable workspaces. Thanks to innovative solutions, such as energysaving devices or the grey and rainwater recovery system, Generation Park Y tenants use fewer resources. The office

building uses only energy produced from renewable sources. A quarter of the materials used to build Generation Park Y contain recycled components.