Outsourcing&More #35 July-August 2017

INDEX

Editor-in-chief Dymitr Doktór dymitr.doktor@proprogressio.pl @DymitrDoktor

Dear Readers, Here it is, the fourth edition of Outsourcing&More Magazine in 2017. In July edition we are bringing you another set of publications coming from Poland, Lithuania, Ukraine and Romania, as well as interesting articles of great industry experts.

As usual we present the publications coming from Polish cities – this time we have focused on the presence and co-operation with international organizations who have business relations with the cities.

The main interview of the Magazine is run with Carlsten Nillsen, the President of the Scandinavian-Polish Chamber of Commerce. As the Scandinavian business are growing across Poland, Baltic States and other countries it is important to have the Scandinavian voice to be heard more lauder.

In the international section we have placed the article of Lviv IT Cluster presenting revolution in Ukraine’s Tech Education.

Our industry experts from Romania have focused on tight struggle for the competitive workforce and Lithuanian publication presents deeper look into Legal Process Outsourcing.

For those of you who are considering to open the business in Poland we have a guide prepared by Chudzik Legal Company, where you can find description of differences in taxation.

Enjoy the reading, Dymitr Doktór, Chief Editor

Managing Editor Kamila Cyranowicz kamila.cyranowicz@proprogressio.pl DTP Dariusz Skuza Advertising reklama@outsourcingandmore.pl Published by PRO PROGRESSIO Editorial address 104 Sobieskiego Str., apt. 29 00-764 Warsaw www.proprogressio.pl

P: +48 22 213 02 45 F: +48 22 213 02 49 editor@proprogressio.pl www.outsourcingandmore.pl Print Drukarnia Jantar Legal support "Chudzik i Wspólnicy" An electronic version of the Magazine see the website www.outsourcingandmore.pl Selected photos come from shutterstock.com website Circulation 3,000 copies All rights reserved.

No copying, reproduction or photocopying allowed without written consent of the publisher.

The views expressed in this publication as well as the content of the adverts are not necessarily those of the editor.

Partners

AUTHORS Carsten Nilsen • Dymitr Doktór • Dorota Chudzik • Michał Przybysz • Jędrzej Kruszyński • Christy Maksymenko • Lukas Inokaitis • Loredana Niculae • Paweł Skałba • Małgorzata Tusk • Anna Mielczarek • Małgorzata Polzenius • Monika Reszko • Anna Kurczewska-Formela

Outsourcing&More | July – August 2017

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INDEX

BUSINESS

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Market news

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The BSS Tour is bringing together industry experts in Bydgoszcz and Gdańsk

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SSC Valuable workplaces

In the second SSC Lions article we have focused on the Shared Services Centres as the working places.

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Foreign Company Branch vs Polish Company – basic differences in taxation

Most frequently, foreign businesses choose between opening a foreign company branch located in Poland or establishing an independent company.

Before making such a decision, taxation differences should be considered which result from the form of business in Poland.

26 As previously announced, the Pro Progressio Foundation is hosting a series of business conferences in Poland under the banner of the BSS Tour.

Skanska to invest in Business Link – Biggest investment by a global corporation in a Polish start-up

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The Dragon of Krakow has revealed itself for the seventh time

The companies representing the GBS, BPO, SSC, ITO and R&D sectors met at the annual ASPIRE Conference to discuss key industry trends, challenges and development directions.

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Scandinavian companies influence Polish way of life

Investment news

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Legal Process Outsourcing – combining technology with talent It is no secret that law firms are facing a lot of challenges and legal industry is in the period of evolution, and technology disruption is affecting this market as well. Fat hourly fees, annual rate hikes are being hijacked by alternative billing arrangements and business structures taking a chunk of legal work done to clients. The question is – how the most conservative, legal industry, will tackle these challenges?

Tight struggle for the competitive workforce

Business Link and Skanska will co-create in Central-Eastern Europe (CEE) an innovative ecosystem for start-up companies, small and medium enterprises, and companies from the business services sector. As a result, Skanska will be in a position to create the most comprehensive commercial office proposition for a wide range of businesses on the CEE market. Maraton in Poznan will be the first common coworking space of both companies.

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How Lviv Started a Revolution in Ukraine’s Tech Education

Wiktor Doktór talks to Carsten Nilsen, Chairman of the Scandinavian-Polish Chamber of Commerce.

INVESTMENTS

Ukrainian developers are in the TOP-5 specialists in the world with the best knowledge of mathematics, according to the HackerRank rate.

Three Ukrainian technical universities get into the QS World University Ranking every year.

The primary challenge now is to retain our talents and to change the perspective: from a nation rich in specialists into one that cultivates expertise in business administration, leadership, and innovation.

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From grey blocks to glass skyscrapers

– Paweł Skałba, Partner at Colliers International and the Director of Office Agency tells us how the office market in Poland has changed during the last 20 years.

Outsourcing&More | July – August 2017

INDEX

students and tourists. The city attracts investors with its good location, low costs of business activity, and qualified staff.

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Częstochowa – Special… art zone

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Tri-City – a sea of possibilities

Tri-City, the business heart of Pomerania, a metropolis centred around three main cities – Gdansk, Gdynia and Sopot, is a region that is open to the world.

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every year. This number should be increased at least twice as many, when taking into account events organised by various associations, clubs, teams, institutions, organisations and schools. These events regard various fields and areas, and they invite all age, social, professional, cultural and economic groups.

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Poznań international partners

Lublin.eu – the European city Lublin has been developing relations with partners across Europe by connecting the West with the East and being highly active in promoting continental values and heritage. City authorities were rewarded for their efforts when Lublin, celebrating its 700th anniversary this year, was awarded the 2017 Europe Prize.

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Kielce – City Open to the World

The Poznań city authorities and is inhabitants get their inspiration from Copenhagen, Amsterdam or Vienna, and at the same time share their experience to other cities – such as Kharkov or Kutaisi.

The world in Szczecin – the space for common energy

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All sides of the World in Opole Together with its twin towns, Opole organises approximately 60–70 projects Outsourcing&More | July – August 2017

CAREER & DEVELOPMENT

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6 steps to effective communication – a quick summary of the half-year

It was not until 1937 when the eighthour workday was legally validated in the United States. The factories were already working 24 hours a day. However, the workday of an average worker lasted eighteen hours for six days a week, and no one had anything to say.

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Kielce’s international cooperation covers especially cultural, sport, educational and scientific areas as well as that in the field of city promotion. It is also strongly connected with the economic sphere in which the city is seeking a chance for its further dynamic development. Moreover, Kielce is the city of many prestigious cultural, sport and fair events on an international scale.

Though industry and economy have always been connected with one another, connecting them with art is not necessarily obvious to everyone.

Connection of street art with economic promotion is even more unobvious.

However, Częstochowa proves again that it is a city of open minded people and it willingly takes challenges.

Szczecin, located in the Oder River estuary, is the largest city of the PolishGerman borderlands and one of the largest cities of the South Baltic Sea basin. The city, with its population exceeding 407 thousand, is sometimes called the Paris of the North. It is home to the Headquarters of Multinational Corps Northeast (MNC NE), with officers from 25 countries.

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Onboarding, or about an action of integrating a new employee

The number of persons employed within the BSS sector grows yearly, and is now close to 200 thousand people.

Employers and HR departments face increasing challenges as to how and where to get the most qualified employees with decent foreign language skills.

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Home land recruitment

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Łódź – Open to the World Łódź has gained momentum for good.

At present, we see the rising city of entirely new possibilities, open to initiatives and development. Focused on modern industries, it is becoming once again the "promised land" for businessmen and an attractive place for

Interview with Anna KurczewskaFormela, Recruitment Director at LeasingTeam Professional.

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Recruitment Ads 5

BUSINESS

MARKET NEWS Panattoni Europe wins three trophies at the Manufacturing Excellence & Industrial Property Awards 2017

development and architecture of the city, was the event’s honorary guest.

The event was also attended by Chris McLernon, Chief Executive Officer of Colliers International for the EMEA region, who handed out commemorative coins to Colliers International Partners. Among the awarded are Robert Karniewski, Monika Rajska-Wolińska, Ewa Czarnecka, Paweł Skałba, Peter Love, Maciej Chmielewski, Sylwia Pędzińska, Piotr Mirowski and Tomasz Kasperowicz.

Special thanks were also given to Hadley Dean, Managing Partner of the company over the period 2001-2011.

Panattoni Europe recognised as the leader of the build-to-suit (BTS) industrial space sector in Central and Eastern Europe in the 2017 edition of the CEE Manufacturing Excellence & Industrial Property Awards.

The firm came out on top in three categories: Developer of the Year, BTS Project of the Year under 20,000 sqm and BTS Project of the Year over 50,000 sqm.

The awards ceremony took place on 22 June 2017 at the InterContinental Hotel Warsaw.

Koleje Mazowieckie starts operating DILAX's Colliers International automatic passenger celebrates 20 years in Poland counting systems

Koleje Mazowieckie (Masovian Railways, KM) has equipped 69 vehicles with modern DILAX counting systems. This system is compatible with other counting systems already installed in the vehicles or those that will be included in the future. With the new counting system, the organization wants to optimize services and adapt them more to the needs of its passengers.

Colliers International celebrates KM has equipped the ER 75 "Flirt" two decades of its operations in Poland. vehicles, double-deck Bombardier and The celebration was held on June 21 PESA cars, with DILAX’s automatic at the beautiful scenery of Warsaw’s passenger counting system. The system not Ujazdowski Castle and in the unique only delivers precise passenger counting atmosphere of midsummer night. The event data but can also receive and evaluate led by Piotr Kraśko was attended by data from other counting systems thanks company’s clients and business partners, to the DILAX Citisense software. Thus, including tenants, developers, investors, it is possible to generate uniform reports representatives of financial institutions. for a trip, a stop or a line.

Michał Olszewski, Deputy Mayor of The DILAX counting system is compatible Warsaw, responsible for, among others, the with other counting systems that are development of the capital of Poland, urban already installed in KM vehicles or those that will be included in the future.

The system is able to recognize the correct stop via the vehicle’s GPS coordinates and assign counting data accordingly.

Based on the principle of a double light barrier, the sensors mounted in the door area determine the number of passengers and the direction of their movement.

The results from each door are transmitted

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to the onboard computer in the leading vehicle which then transmits them wirelessly via GSM to the KM server. Here, the received data is processed, summarized and evaluated – resulting in uniform reports for individual stops, vehicles and lines for the relevant time periods (weekly, monthly, quarterly, yearly).

Passenger satisfaction is paramount at Koleje Mazowieckie.

Therefore, new projects are constantly being launched to improve the quality of the services offered. KM’s regular customer surveys show that these measures have been successful, especially in the newly designed lines – such as on line 2 Warsaw – Łuków, line 9 Warsaw – Działdowo or line 1 Warsaw – Skierniewice – where the technical possibilities of the modern train fleet are fully utilized.

Teleopti accelerates international growth by opening new office in the Philippines SWEDEN

Teleopti, a global leader in feature-rich, employee-focused Workforce Management (WFM) solutions, continues to strengthen its position in the US and BPO (Business Process Outsourcing) markets by opening an office in Manila, the Philippines.

Teleopti has experienced a super-growth in its US operations meaning a parallel increase in demand for services in the Philippines, where several of Teleopti’s US customers have contact center sites or BPO partners.

Opening an office in the Philippines marks the company’s 17th regional base, and Teleopti’s continuance as the WFM vendor with the highest global reach. This international growth forms part of a strategy to be close to customers and provide the best support in the industry. Teleopti’s global understanding of its international markets and customers is also supported by its WFM product being available in 30 languages, along with localization for regional requirements, delivery and support.

Mervyn Lim, who has been Head of Business Operations for Teleopti APAC since 2012, has moved from Kuala Lumpur to Manila to head up the new office. It is now his task to accelerate growth and establish Teleopti as one of the key players within the workforce management market space in the Philippines as well as the rest of APAC. Outsourcing&More | July – August 2017

BUSINESS

Apleona GVA expands property consultancy services in Poland – Michal Cwiklinski taking up CEO position at subsidiary in Warsaw

After the sale from Bilfinger SE to financial investor EQT in 2016, German-based real estate services provider Apleona GVA is expanding its range of consulting services for investors and occupiers in the Polish real estate market. Under the management of Michal Cwiklinski, who from August 1 will be taking up the position of CEO and Managing Partner at Apleona GVA Sp. z o.o. in Warsaw, the Polish subsidiary is providing investment advisory and brokerage services for occupiers within the office and logistics sectors (tenant representation) in addition to technical consulting and hotels advisory.

Michal Cwiklinski has many years of experience with investment sales and acquisitions in Poland. He most recently served as Head of Capital Markets at Savills since 2010 where he completed deals for a total volume of EUR 3 billion, and built up the company’s Warsaw branch. Prior to that, he spent 7 years at King Sturge both in London and Warsaw.

The newly-established Capital Markets Team was bolstered in May through the addition of Associate Director Bartlomiej Krzyzak.

He has extensive experience in the investment market in Poland.

For the past seven years he worked at Savills in Warsaw and, prior to that, served at CBRE and Cushman & Wakefield.

Experience the future of mobility in the Mobility Lab GERMANY

In cooperation with the City of Karlsruhe, PTV Group has established a Mobility Lab, which was officially opened on 22 June 2017.

Here, various traffic planning and model solutions will be linked to one another and to other solutions in order to try out new ideas and approaches as well as their effects on cities and regions everywhere in the world. From real-time solutions for traffic and transport planning to new, need-based mobility services (Mobility as a Service). A mobility laboratory that brings together international researchers, planners, decision-takers, operators and service providers.

With the Mobility Lab, the company would like to make a contribution to developing Karlsruhe into a smart city. Using the example of Karlsruhe, future-oriented solutions can also be revealed for other cities. Thus, the PTV Mobility Lab should bring together various developers and users of tools and models in order to link PTV software programs with one another and combine them with other products. In the process, the Mobility Lab offers a development and presentation environment that can also be used by other service providers and for other users.

Therefore, it is also suitable for real-time applications from other cities where local public transport has also been incorporated into traffic management.

The heart of the Mobility Lab is the Karlsruhe traffic management system based on PTV Optima software. In this system, based on a down-to-the-hour transport model of the city of Karlsruhe, the PTV online detector data is provided with the traffic planning software. It comes from the city traffic control system from Siemens.

In addition, data is provided by various commercial data suppliers such as Here, INRIX, MotionLogic and TomTom. Thanks to the linking of these models and data in the real-time traffic management system PTV Optima, there are a multitude of functionalities for transport planners.

KuppingerCole and CXP group publish survey about the Current State of Identity and Access Management in Organizations on behalf of Beta Systems GERMANY

KuppingerCole Ltd., an international and independent analyst organization with a strong focus on Information Security, Identity and Access Management as well as all areas concerning the Digital Transformation, together with CXP Group, an independent European research and Outsourcing&More | July – August 2017

advisory firm in the field of digital, software and IT services – have conducted a joint survey on the current state of Identity and Access Management in organizations.

The survey is written on behalf of Beta Systems, Europe’s independent provider of identity and access management solutions (IAM) for corporate customers.

The survey looks at how prepared organizations are for upcoming requirements imposed by the Digital Transformation, such as the need for better managing consumer identities, protecting PII and ensuring that both access to internals and externals to such information is restricted, regardless of whether the information is handled by cloud services or on premises.

The majority of organizations has a Digital Transformation strategy defined, even while there still seems to be a gap in both maturity of such strategies and their internal communication. More than 85% of the respondents of this survey rate a mature Identity & Access Management (IAM) strategy as highly important for succeeding in the Digital Transformation.

This proves the relevance of IAM for business success. However, while the need for IAM is well understood, the reality is that most organizations still have a long way to go, for both managing consumer identities and for implementing the solid foundation of an internal IAM framework that ensures the protection of sensitive and valuable data. Roundabout two-thirds of the organizations will not have a central management of consumer identities within the next 18-24 months. More than half of the organizations do not have a mature IAM infrastructure in place.

Microsoft Certifies Arvato Systems Gold Competencies GERMANY

Arvato Systems has been certified as a Microsoft Gold Partner for the 13th time in a row. In awarding this certification, Microsoft confirms that employees of Arvato Systems have first-class expertise in cloud solutions and application development.

Arvato Systems has been awarded the Gold Competency status, in recognition of its expertise in the areas of cloud platforms and cloud productivity, among others.

The IT specialists from the Bertelsmann Group were awarded the certification based on their continued progress in further developing their specialist knowledge in Office 365 and Azure solutions as well as their demonstrated success in implementing numerous reference projects. •

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BUSINESS

The BSS Tour is bringing together industry experts in Bydgoszcz and Gdańsk As previously announced, the Pro Progressio Foundation is hosting a series of business conferences in Poland under the banner of the BSS Tour. The conferences have been organized to address the most challenging aspects and targets in the industry of modern business services, but are also the place of discussion about the latest trends in the BSS industry and in its direct and indirect business environment. On the one hand, events have provided us with a lot of professional knowledge, and on the other, created an opportunity for networking within the international community.

BYDGOSZCZ AND IT TALKS

At the end of April, Bydgoszcz hosted the first conference. The purpose of this conference was to look closely at the IT, ITO and ICT topics. The event was organised in cooperation with Bydgoszcz City and Bydgoszcz Agency of Regional Development and attracted a hundred delegates, who discussed the latest trends in the world of information technology. Speakers from companies such as: Eskom, ODO24, One2Tribe, Nokia, Golden Line, Link to Poland, Mellon Poland, SSC Staples, Nowy Styl Group, CBRE, CDI Immobile, Connectis, IT Background and Grafton, discussed Above: topics from the business workplace, office First BSS Tour environment and academic perspectives. conference took place

Above: The meetings areas were supported with chocolates from CDI Immobile.

in Holiday INN hotel

Dividing the conference into three in Bydgoszcz. sections: Business, HR and Real Estate, enabled us to look at the information technology industry in a more comprehensive manner. A special guest of the event was Vladan Petrovic representing the International AssoRight: ciation of Outsourcing Professionals Meetings and (IAOP) in Europe, who presented the networking during latest trends in artificial intelligence, big coffee breaks. data and their application in the finance, insurance and health industries.

The whole event ended with a networking meeting of all the guests.

In addition, we were able to host the conference in Bydgoszcz with the support of our sponsors and Partners: The City of Bydgoszcz, BARR, Nowy Styl Group, CDI Immobile and Arkada Invest.

Right: Welcome of guests run by Edyta Wiwatowska (President of Bydgoszcz Regional Development Agency).

Please, take a look at our photo galleries from the Bydgoszcz and Gdańsk events, and visit our www.bsstour.com website after the holiday season, as we will keep you posted about more conferences planned for 2017.

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Outsourcing&More | July – August 2017

BUSINESS Right: ”Innovative IT services provided from Poland to Europe” – from the left: Sebastian Niklewicz (ESKOM IT), Henryk Hruszka (NOKIA), Maciej Kaczmarski (ODO 24), Damir Zalewski (Mellon Poland), Grzegorz Chęć (Link to Poland).

Left: Wiktor Doktór (Pro Progressio) talks to Edyta Wiwatowska (President of BRDA).

Right: Maciej Wawrzyniak (CDI Immobile) during Bydgoszcz modern office spaces presentation.

Below: Wiktor Doktór (Pro Progressio) talks to Mariusz Wiśniewski (Director, Office Space Department at CBRE).

Above: “Offices for IT” discussion panel – from the left: Maciej Wawrzyniak (CDI Immobile), Sebastian Osuch (Grupa Nowy Styl), Marek Nowak (STAPLES), Mariusz Wiśniewski (CBRE).

Above: Sebastian Osuch (Business Services Senior Manager, Nowy Styl) has presented modern solutions for IT office spaces.

Below: Left: At the end of the Special Guest – Vladan Petrovic (IAOP) has conference, invited been presenting Big guests had Data and AI business opportunity to attend cases. the networking session with a glass of wine.

Left: During discussion panels invited guests were active and added their opinions and comments.

Outsourcing&More | July – August 2017

Right: Adam Wąsik (Board Member and Sales Director, GoldenLine) as the moderator of HR discussion panel.

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BUSINESS

The BSS Tour is bringing together industry experts in Bydgoszcz and Gdańsk As previously announced, the Pro Progressio Foundation is hosting a series of business conferences in Poland under the banner of the BSS Tour. The conferences have been organized to address the most challenging aspects and targets in the industry of modern business services, but are also the place of discussion about the latest trends in the BSS industry and in its direct and indirect business environment. On the one hand, events have provided us with a lot of professional knowledge, and on the other, created an opportunity for networking within the international community.

GDAŃSK OFFERS A WORK AND LIFE BALANCE

The beginning of June was an excellent opportunity to host the second BSS Tour conference. This time, the topic in question was the Work-Life Balance.

The event brought together over 120 people, who spent a whole day discussing issues concerning the balance between business and private life. Gdańsk, and the whole of the Tricity area are excellent examples of an agglomeration where the Work-Life Balance is not only just theory, but is being put into practice with the assistance of local government, and the companies operating on the market.

The speakers in Gdańsk included representatives from: Invest in Pomerania, Torus, Adaptive SAG, State Street, Gdansk University of Technology, HRK, the Hutchinson Institute, KIDS & Co., Poland Business Run, Transcom, Kinnarps, Nuvalu and Sii, as well as outstanding business exper ts and mentors: Monika Reszko and Krzysztof Herdzik.

Similarly to the first conference, the main topic was discussed from business, office and HR management perspectives.

The whole event was wrapped up by a presentation about happiness at work, introduced by Halina Piasecka – a special guest at the conference.

The event in Gdańsk was supported by Torus, Kinnarps, Nuvalu and Cushman & Wakefield and was held at the Almond Hotel.

The conference also presented two practical examples of maintaining balance in the world of business. The first

Above: Thanks to the Event Tiger system, conference delegates had the opportunity to meet each other in the dedicated meeting sections.

Above: Each delegate has received dedicated ID, what allowed better networking.

Below and right: Good networking is one of the main goals of The BSS Tour conferences.

of them is the Poland Business Run project, which is already being implemented in Poland in several cities, and gathers together business representatives in charity relay races. The other project consisted of another edition of the BVB Cup, i.e. business volleyball matches.

Some of the conference guests actively participated in this year’s edition of the tournament •.

Please, take a look at our photo galleries from the Bydgoszcz and Gdańsk events, and visit our www.bsstour.com website after the holiday season, as we will keep you posted about more conferences planned for 2017.

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Outsourcing&More | July – August 2017

BUSINESS Right: “Business for the human or human for the business?” – from the left: Alexander Ticehurst (State Street Bank), Agnieszka Anielska (Gdańsk Technical University), Marcin Grzegory (Invest in Pomerania), Krystian Bestry (ADAPTIVE Solutions & Advisory Group), Peter Tærø Nielsen (SPCC), Krzysztof Herdzik (You Can Business).

Left: Krzysztof Herdzik (You Can Business, Owner).

Below: “HR: Company’s responsibility for WorkLife Balance” – from the left: Monika Reszko (Human Concept&Solutions), Piotr Mazurkiewicz (HRK), Karina Trafny (KIDS&Co.), Małgorzata Polzenius (Hutchinson Institute), Marcin Zieliński (Transcom Worldwide).

Right: Monika Reszko (Human Concept&Solutions, Communication and internal expert, Psychologist, Executive Coach).

Left: Halina Piasecka – the VIP speaker, has been convincing the audience – the happiness is possible at work.

Right: Translation services have been provided

by ILS.

Left: Prizes lottery with business books as the awards is the well-known part of the Pro Progressio events.

Left: “At the office like at home” discussion panel – from the left: Wiktor Doktór (Pro Progessio), Magdalena Misiewicz (Sii), Bartosz Kozieł (Nuvalu), Beata Osiecka (Kinnarps), Marcin Piątkowski (Torus).

Below: Marcin Piątkowski (Torus) has presented the important office infrastructure having significant impact on employees comfort at work.

Right: Evening cocktail was ending the Tri-City conference.

Left: This year during the BSS Tour Conference, the selection of team has been run for the Beach Volleyball Business Cup games.

Outsourcing&More | July – August 2017

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BUSINESS

The Dragon of Krakow has revealed itself for the seventh time At the foot of the Wawel Hill, one of the most important events in the calendar of the modern business service sector has taken place for the last seven years. The companies representing the GBS, BPO, SSC, ITO and R&D sectors met at the annual ASPIRE Conference to discuss key industry trends, challenges and development directions.

Left: Just before grand opening.

Below: Since few years the ASPIRE conference is organized in ICE.

This year’s conference was organised under the title “New Horizon” and among its speakers were outstanding Polish and international experts from the world of services, finance, economy and politics.

Every year, ASPIRE events in addition to providing a solid dose of knowledge, offer a great opportunity for industry networking. Representatives from the business service sector mix with the real estate, HR and training industries, as well as with the local governments to discuss the possibilities of further development of the BSS sector in Poland and worldwide.

Just like every year, the editors of Outsourcing&More and OutsourcingPortal supported these events and were proud to join the conference’s Media Patrons. Thanks to the courtesy of ASPIRE, we are able to present a photo gallery of this year’s conference on our website.

See you next year!

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Outsourcing&More | July – August 2017

BUSINESS

Above: Andrew Hallam with discussion panels' moderators opens the conference.

Left: Andrew Hallam – Master of ceremony.

Above: Guests' registration.

Left: Geoffrey West – President of the Santa Fe Institute.

Right: Jacek Krupa, Malopolska Voivodeship Marschal.

Right: Scott Newman (State Street) talks to Yanis Varoufakis (Greek economist, Minister of Finance in 2015).

Above: Jacek Majchrowski – Mayor of Krakow.

Right: ASPIRE conference is the event of many discussions and presentations.

Outsourcing&More | July – August 2017

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BUSINESS

The Dragon of Krakow has revealed itself for the seventh time

Above: Yossi Ghinsberg (Motivational speaker and Ecologist).

Right: Jim Lawless (Timing Tigers author, British record holder for free diving).

Right: One of the workshops at the ASPIRE conference.

Above: Rasmus Ankersen (author of The Gold Mine Effect, entrepreneur, speaker on performance development).

Left: Full room at ICE Krakow.

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Outsourcing&More | July – August 2017

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BUSINESS

SCANDINAVIAN COMPANIES INFLUENCE POLISH WAY OF LIFE Wiktor Doktór talks to Carsten Nilsen, Chairman of the Scandinavian-Polish Chamber of Commerce.

According to our information there are more than 50 Scandinavian companies operation in BPO and BSS sectors and we know that more companies are planning to expand or open their centres in Poland.

Outsourcing&More: Scandinavian Thank you. And how about the most business is growing in Poland since recent dynamics of growth. Which of many decades already. What are the those industries, you have mentioned key Scandinavian industries present above, are the fastest growing in Poland nowadays? business in Poland?

Carsten Nilsen: There are long In view of the highly educated and historical links between Poland and the dedicated Polish workforce Business Scandinavian countries in respect of Support Service Centres have been commerce and trade. At present there established in many location throughout are some 2,200 Scandinavian companies Poland by Scandinavian companies and operating on the Polish market. this industry is continuing to develop.

According to our information there are Scandinavian companies have invested more than 50 Scandinavian companies substantially in nearly all sectors of operation in BPO and BSS sectors and we industry in Poland. Some of these know that more companies are planning companies are today well known brands to expand or open their centres in Poland. on the Polish market and have influenced the Polish way of life.

If you were to compare the domestic Scandinavian business versus the The key industries for Scandinavian production and services activities investors are among others retail, run by Scandinavian investors abroad shipping, manufacturing, food processing, – what would they be? Is there any financial services and recently IT and specific type of business activity which Business Support Services. is rather run only in Norway, Sweden, Outsourcing&More | July – August 2017

Finland, Denmark and Iceland and not in other countries?

With the development of modern technology and the international activities of Scandinavian companies there is no reason why most industries present on the Scandinavian market cannot be transferred and developed on the Polish market.

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BUSINESS

The main activities of SPCC is to act as a networking platform between Scandinavian and Polish companies as well as promoting Scandinavian business models and values in Poland.

We should of course note that the substantial fishing industry, iron ore mining, offshore oil and gas productions are in a way exclusive to Norway, Sweden and Iceland and the large scale development of wind farms in Denmark and the forest-related industries in Finland are specific to these countries.

Scandinavia is well known when it comes to high work standards and a great work-life balance approach.

Why do you think the work-life balance is so much important for Scandinavian companies?

The Scandinavian countries have relatively small populations and the employment of both men and women in the labour market is highly developed.

In order to maintain this work-balance companies have developed a good work-life balance. The government has also taken steps to provide facilities such as kinder-gardens to enable parents to participate fully in the workplace.

The workplace is a place where equal opportunities exist, where employees can develop their skills and feel that they are part of the companies’ progress.

Scandinavian companies have invested substantially in nearly all sectors of industry in Poland.

Some of these companies are today well known brands on the Polish market and have influenced the Polish way of life.

As of present SPCC has around 400 member and is one of the largest international chambers in Poland.

The main activities of SPCC is to act as a networking platform between Scandinavian and Polish companies as well as promoting Scandinavian business models and values in Poland.

Team building and motivation being essential drivers, all taking place within a friendly and efficient environment.

The Chamber organizes more than 70 events every year in which some SPCC is running its activities for over 5000 persons participate. The Chamber 11 years already. How many members also supports its members in creating do you have and what are the key and maintaining relationships between activities run and provided by SPCC? the respective members, local authorities

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and central government bodies. SPCC also maintains close cooperation with the respective Embassies of Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania.

As SPCC you are running a number of meetings. Some of them are organized within you chamber and the others, like for example business-mixers are run together with other international chambers of commerce. What are the main reasons for SPCC members to attend those meetings?

The business mixers, which are arranged in all the major cities in Poland are either exclusively for SPCC members or they are held together with other bilateral chambers, in fact SPCC is a member of the International Group of Chambers of Commerce which represent 14 international chambers operating in Poland.

The main reasons for our members attending such meetings are to make new contacts, develop their network and to exchange ideas. It is a great opportunity for companies to promote their products or services and to find potential business partners or clients.

Also, the Chamber arranges on a regular basis conferences and breakfast seminars with interesting speakers and relevant up-to-date topics, these events being greatly appreciated by the members.

Thank you for the conversation.•

Outsourcing&More | July – August 2017

SSC

SSC VALUABLE WORKPLACES

Word of admission: SSC Lions is a new project run

by Pro Progressio and focused on the communication support provided to Shared Service Centres. On Outsourcing&More Magazines’ pages we will present business cases and interviews with leaders of Shared Services Centres, industry experts and consultants. Our interlocutors will provide the answers to the questions related to best business practises, project management and employer branding.

In the second SSC Lions article we have focused on the Shared Services Centres as the working places. Who should work in SSC and who are the operation centres looking for? What are the benefits and challenges within SSCs? The answers to those questions are provided by Dymitr Doktór – Outsourcing&More Magazine’s Editor in Chief and commented by Krystian Bestry – CEO of Adaptive SAG and Mariusz Szałaj, CEO of 4Synchronicity.

BUSINESS The idea of the Shared Services Centres, the SSC, has been promoted in Poland for more than 20 years. During that time, communication concerned mostly the scope of activity of these organisations and their growing number in Poland and worldwide.

The available publications touched on locations, in which SSC were being developed, their impact on growth of cities and countries and on the employment rates. Most of communication and analyses have shown so far differences in employment in various locations, we could also learn about certain educational programmes addressed to potential employees of the modern business services sector, which were run mostly during job fairs or entrepreneur days organised at Polish universities, or under training projects run directly by the companies or industry organisations.

In Outsourcing&More, in the several past issues we had the opportunity to publish information about some jobs offered by the SSC, giving our Readers the chance to learn more about the Shared Service Centres as their potential employers. However, it is worth to take a look at the SSC in a slightly lighter, but more precise way and see how these organisations may impact creation of career paths for persons entering the job market as well as for the more experienced workers in the SSC sector.

Shared Service Centres offer a broad range of jobs, both for persons with secondary and tertiary education. On one hand, we speak about jobs with repetitive tasks requiring rigorous observance of procedures, and on the other hand–jobs requiring expert knowledge, and in many cases, several years of experience.

There is a place for both these types of jobs, and regardless of what we hear about automation and robotics in the market, which is entering the SSC world at an increasingly fast rate, both types of jobs have a long way to go in terms of development and evolution.

as well as wider use of artificial intelligence. The topic is very broad, and is being increasingly more presented and discussed in the media and during industry events, and will definitely be continued in the following months and years.

gories are the most frequently mentioned. They are very often combined in an economics and languages tandem or IT and languages tandem, which play a significant role in the recruitment processes.

But let us return to humans–the main link bringing together the activity of the Shared Services Centre. We will begin by discussing, who may apply for a job in these organisations.

Pro Progressio Foundation, under the SSC Lions project, conducted talks with the representatives of the SSC organisations in Poland, and as it results from these discussions,

SSC operation units offer their employees a possibility to develop a career path at two levels: horizontal and vertical. This is, as we will see while analysing such organisations, equally appreciated by employees. The centres are focused on improving knowledge and skills related to managing processes in the job positions at many stages–starting from the job

“THE INDUSTRY THAT CREATES APPROXIMATELY 20 THOUSAND NEW JOBS EVERY YEAR JUST THROUGH NATURAL GROWTH, NEEDS EMPLOYEES WITH SEVERAL YEARS OF EXPERIENCE, UNDERSTANDING OF THE NATURE OF THE JOBS, INCLUDING MANAGERIAL SKILLS, WHO WILL COMMIT TO DEVELOP NEW STRUCTURES WITHIN NEW AND THE EXISTING SHARED SERVICES CENTRES.” persons with the following education background are desired: • Economics (finance, accounting, banking), • Information Technology, • Languages (foreign language skills–English is in principle obligatory, however the need to employ persons with fluent command of such languages as German, Dutch, French, Italian, Spanish or–increasingly more often–Scandinavian languages, is strongly stressed), • Humanities.

Moreover, it is the SSC world that has a strong influence on the development of process automation and defines in which areas robots It is not an exhaustive group, may or should be introduced, however the above listed cate-

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In Poland we have shared services centres, which are the only SSC units for the organisation, but we also have a significant group of centres that form a chain of several SSC units located in one or several countries. What does it mean for employees?

In terms of a multi-location of SSC units, very often the employees have the opportunity to change their workplace or to exchange between cities or countries with a group of fellow workers. Such an approach offers a chance for employees of the Shared Services Centres to learn more about their employer, as well as to explore the world, other cultures, and in this way influences their personal development. This example concerns horizontal movement in the employment structure, but as practice in the SSC sector shows, this industry very often offers opportunities to move in the vertical organisational structure. On one hand, we talk about changes within one centre, and on the other hand about individual career growth inside the sector itself.

The industr y that creates approximately 20 thousand new jobs every year just through natural growth, needs employees with several years of experience, understanding of the nature of the jobs, including managerial skills, who will commit to develop new structures within new and the existing Shared Services Centres.

There is one important point to be remembered. Several years ago, the SSCs were the domain of large cities.

However, as shown by the growth of this sector, only in Poland we currently have at least several onboarding, quality control, towns and regions, in which the through to performance appraisal, Shared Services Centres are rapidly to be able to understand, whether expanding. It gives a possibility for an employee should progress in many people to work in one of a given job position, or whether the most dynamically developing their work should be modelled in sectors of the Polish economy. a different direction.

It is worth to use this opportunity?

Some of the positions are Both starters and experienced individual, but the vast majority employees must answer this are team-based jobs, which question on their own. However, requires from employees to work it is worth remembering that the together on assigned tasks and SSC is one of these sectors that projects, appropriate communica- will become a driving force both tion, teamwork and to continue for towns and large cities, less and the work done by their colleagues more experienced persons, and (sometimes located in various finally for single and multi-location offices around the world). companies. • Outsourcing&More | July – August 2017

BUSINESS

Krystian Bestry, President of the Management Board, General Manager at Adaptive SAG.

“Certainly working in the international environment, constant cooperation with partners from around the globe, but also focus on working in task-based teams and co-establishing of organisations developing centres are the most significant elements that contribute to attractiveness of employment in the SSC. On the other hand, we will not find here individual competition concerning execution of objectives, or “political” management movements in terms of recognitions and promotions.” – Krystian Bestry, President of the Management Board, General Manager at Adaptive SAG.

Mariusz Szałaj, Owner of 4synchronicity.

“Working in the SSC gives a real opportunity to develop and test your managerial competencies in a dynamic, multi-cultural environment.”

“A wide spectrum of challenges combined with responsibility for the form and process of business transformation implementation are an excellent workshop for each leader open to change.”– Mariusz Szałaj, Owner of 4synchronicity.

Outsourcing&More | July – August 2017

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BUSINESS

Foreign Company Branch vs Polish Company – basic differences in taxation A foreign entity can run business in Poland in various forms. Most frequently, foreign businesses choose between opening a foreign company branch located in Poland or establishing an independent company. Before making such a decision, taxation differences should be considered which result from the form of business in Poland.

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Outsourcing&More | July – August 2017

BUSINESS branch is not a taxable person in Poland.

A branch of a foreign company in Poland Therefore, it is the foreign company is not a taxable person (of any tax) which has a branch in Poland who is separate from the foreign entrepreneur. obliged to pay income taxes on income As a rule, in respect of tax settlements in Poland, a branch of a foreign entrepreneur acts under the NIP number granted to that enterprise. The only exception is a situation when a foreign branch is the payer of personal income tax, e.g. due to employment of staff or contractors. For the needs of the payer of the personal income tax on such individuals (also social and health contributions), the branch shall be obliged to use a separate NIP granted.

TAX IDENTIFICATION NUMBER (NIP)

Contrary to a branch, each company shall always have a separate NIP number. It is obliged to use that number for the needs of all tax settlements in Poland.

“Most frequently, foreign businesses choose between opening a foreign company branch located in Poland or establishing an independent company.

Before making such a decision, taxation differences should be considered which result from the form of business in Poland“

Therefore, the entire income gained by the company is taxed regardless of the place where its obtained (i.e. even if income is gained abroad). In case of partnerships, excluding private unlimited with share capital 'spółka komandytowoakcyjna', the scope of taxation depends on partners – whether it is an entity which is subject to unlimited or limited taxation.

VALUE ADDED TAX (VAT)

A foreign company branch is not a separate VAT taxpayer. A foreign enterprise which registers its branch in Poland does not register a separate taxable person but registers its own enterprise. Therefore, although a foreign entrepreneur's branch operates in Poland, it is the foreign entrepreneur who is the VAT payer and it shall make all VAT settlements.

While when a new company is estaINCOME TAX blished, the company shall be the Pursuant to art. 3 sect. 2 of the corpotaxable person and it shall be liable for rate income tax (CIT), taxable persons all VAT settlements. who do not have their seat or management in Poland are subject to taxation only on incomes they gain in Poland The choice of the business form can be (withholding tax). Having a branch in of significance especially for transactions Poland does not meet the condition of between the mother company and having the seat or management here. gained (through the branch) in Poland. its daughter company or branch.

At the same time, a foreign company If transactions occur between a foreign It should, however, be remembered that entrepreneur and a Polish company in particular cases separate taxation it has established, such transactions rules may apply due to treaties shall be considered deliveries of goods signed by Poland on the avoidance of or services and thus a VAT settlement obligation shall arise. If, however, actions double taxation. are performed by a branch for a foreign The regulation laid down in art. 21 sect. enterprise and its other branches, they 1 of the CIT act may have remarkable shall be of internal nature and shall not impact upon taxation of a foreign be taxed with the Polish VAT. company branch. It states that income tax on income gained by a branch in the OTHER TAXES Republic of Poland can be taxed even As a Polish branch of a foreign entrewith 20% tax rate. It applies for income preneur is not a separate payer of any tax, gained from: interest, copyright or if any tax obligation arises in Poland, then related rights, rights to invention designs, it shall be the foreign entrepreneur who is trademarks and decorative patterns, obliged to pay such taxes. For instance, including sale of such rights, or services the payment of a real property tax due provided in consulting, accounting, on a real property used for branch's market research, also legal, advertising, operations shall be the obligation of the management and control services, foreign entity and not of the branch. data processing.

If operations in Poland are run through If a company is established in Poland, a company established here, then, the income tax shall be paid by the depending on the type of the company/ company (in case of limited companies partnership, it shall either be the 'spółka z ograniczoną odpowiedzialnością company or its partners who are obliged or spółka akcyjna' or one of partnerships, to pay the tax. Detailed rules on taxation namely private unlimited partnership with particular taxes and definition of with share capital 'spółka komandytowo- who is the taxable person and what akcyjna') or by its partners (in case of is the taxation scope result from other partnerships, i.e. general partnership, separate regulations. professional partnership or limited partnership 'spółka jawna, partnerska As seen in the above brief comparison and komandytowa'). If a company of differences, the choice of the form of is an income tax payer, it is subject business in Poland by a foreign entity is to unlimited tax obligation in Poland of essence for taxation of income of 15% or 19% of the income gained. gained. • Outsourcing&More | July – August 2017

Contrary to a branch, each company shall always have a separate NIP number. It is obliged to use that number for the needs of all tax settlements in Poland.

Having a branch in Poland does not meet the condition of having the seat or management here.

Dorota Chudzik, tax attorney in the Law Firm "Chudzik i Wspólnicy Radcowie Prawni" sp.p. www.chudzik.pl

Michał Przybysz, legal trainee in the Law Firm „Chudzik i Wspólnicy Radcowie Prawni” sp.p. www.chudzik.pl

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BUSINESS

Skanska to invest in Business Link – Biggest investment by a global corporation in a Polish start-up Business Link and Skanska will co-create in Central-Eastern Europe (CEE) an innovative ecosystem for start-up companies, small and medium enterprises, and companies from the business services sector. The developer has invested in Business Link – the largest network of co-working space and private offices in Poland. Because of Business Link’s planned international expansion, the copany will become the biggest network of its kind in Europe and second in the world.

As a result, Skanska will be in a position to create the most comprehensive commercial office proposition for a wide range of businesses on the CEE market. Maraton in Poznan will be the first common coworking space of both companies.

Over the next couple of years, Business Link will create approximately 12 new locations in CEE, totaling approximately 45,000 – 50,000 sqm.

Over the next couple of years, Business Link will create approximately 12 new locations in CEE, totaling approximately 45,000 – 50,000 sqm. The investment of EUR 10 mln will be spread over time and will depend on fulfilling mutually agreed upon business goals.

Skanska and Business Link’s partnership is adding the latest model to its office space commercialization proposition – a solution highly in demand especially among start-up communities as well as small and medium enterprises that mainly power Poland’s economy.

According to Katarzyna Zawodna, President at Skanska commercial office business in Central and Eastern Europe, the company’s cooperation with Business Link presents new development growth possibilities for companies from the business services sector.

– We are diversifying our real estate portfolio, adding new flexible and creative office space that is accessible 24/7, and can be leased “on demand” with a ramp-up, and mentoring package if needed. Ultimately, up to 9,000 people will be able to work in office space provided by Business Link in Skanska’s buildings located in Poland, the Czech Republic, Romania and Hungary – Jędrzej Kruszyński, Communications explains Katarzyna Zawodna. – For major Coordinator players on the business services market

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it might be particularly advantageous to have the possibility of leasing office space ad hoc, without the necessity of traditional agreement clauses, but being able to cooperate closely with start-up environments. For young entrepreneurs, it’s a great chance for business development in high-class offices in central city locations.

This is the first fully comprehensive offer of this magnitude in CEE – adds Katarzyna Zawodna.

Skanska and Business Link’s cooperation is an example of a sustainable approach to business. The developer, as an equal partner, is not taking over the start-up company but investing in its development.

– This is the first significant involvement of an international corporation in creating such a start-up environment in Europe.

Thanks to this investment, Business Link will strengthen its leading position in Poland and will become the biggest player on the market of modern co-working office space in CEE. Moreover, as a result of the planned expansion, we have the chance to become number two on the global market. This provides us with even greater possibilities to contribute to the development of entrepreneurship in Poland and the CEE region – explains

Dariusz Żuk, co-founder and CEO at Business Link.

According to Jarosław Bator, Business Development Director at Skanska, the investment is not only a milestone in Business Link’s development on the market, but also a major strategic move from Skanska in terms of building its business proposition in the CEE region.

– Business Link is the leading company in this sector on the Polish market and is the fastest growing co-working network in the country. This is an investment in a stable and reliable company which thanks to the partnership with Skanska has the chance to become a giant on the international market. Business Link is so much more than just office space as there are services and accompanying offers for all members of a given community, as well as a deep cooperation and business experience exchange platform – adds Jarosław Bator.

Maraton in Poznan will be the first common location of both Skanska and Business Link.

– It will be a modern office space, offering possibility of development to any and all tenants. The place will be dedicated to coworking solutions with a complementary Outsourcing&More | July – August 2017

BUSINESS offer of conference rooms that will occupy 4,000 sqm of office space in the Poznan investment. It will be opened in Q4 2017 – says Ewelina Kałużna, Leasing and Asset Management Director at Skanska Property Poland.

Business Link is a unique ecosystem from the Polish Office of Competition and of innovative space that allows for Consumer Protection (Urząd Ochrony the development of various business Konkurencji i Konsumentów – UOKiK). • models. Creation of such a complex service was of paramount importance for both companies.

Business Link’s offer has become an inherent part of the global trend known as co-working 2.0. This is a unique and complex service comprising an all-inone office space – creative, innovative, with chill-out zones, functional kitchens, designer spaces for focus, as well as climbing walls and saunas. Another essential aspect of the proposition, apart from traditional co-working spaces, is the lease of private offices and conference rooms available 24/7, as well as advanced acceleration programs for entrepreneurs.

Skanska ultimately will acquire up to 50% of Business Link’s shares and will become the majority shareholder of the company. The venture will be managed by a newly established company. The first Business Link offices in Skanska’s buildings will be open later this year. In the transaction, Business Link was advised by RSQ Associates, while PwC and Linklaters acted jointly as advisors for Skanska. The transaction will be finalized upon obtaining permission

So far, amongst the companies that have taken advantage of Business Link’s offer are Uber, Brand24 and Groupon.

The large amount of interest in these sort of services reflects our changing lifestyles, a growing need for flexibility and the trend of co-sharing such as sharing cars or workplaces and the popularity of co-living approach. The concept of Business Link’s offices suits Skanska’s office philosophy – certified A-class office space located in central parts of the major cities of the CEE region.

These are prestigious places for business, chosen by top employers who deem comfort at work, flexibility of office space and the investment’s green vital surroundings as extremely important.

Skanska’s newest investments are built with full accessibility in mind, for people with disabilities, parents with young children and the elderly. Resultant from the partnership between Skanska and

Skanska and Business Link’s cooperation is an example of a sustainable approach to business.

The developer, as an equal partner, is not taking over the start-up company but investing in its development.

Below: Jarosław Bator, Katarzyna Zawodna, Dariusz Żuk

Above: Business Link Nowa Zebra

Left: Maraton Outsourcing&More | July – August 2017

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BUSINESS

How Lviv Started a Revolution in Ukraine’s Tech Education Ukrainian developers are in the TOP-5 specialists in the world with the best knowledge of mathematics, according to the HackerRank rate. Three Ukrainian technical universities get into the QS World University Ranking every year. And two Lviv universities – Lviv Polytechnic National University and Ivan Franko National University of Lviv are in the Top-10 Universities of Ukraine.

headquartered in Lviv with more than 20,000 IT professionals working there.

The IT job market is increasing every year because companies are growing.

According to the IT Ukraine 2016 research, which was made by Ukrainian digital news and AVenture, there are 90,000 IT professionals nowadays in Ukraine and by 2020 their number will increase up to 200,000.

Above: celebrating IoT@NULP students inauguration.

Ukrainian universities are included in the famous world rates, but at the same time, the Ukrainian education system is based on the old standards from the 90s. It’s a well-known fact that technical education in the ex-USSR was on the very high level and up to standards of those times, but the world is changing and education needs to be improved due to the development of new innovative technologies.

The reformation of the Ukrainian education has recently begun and was initiated by the state. Starting from 2014 all universities began to issue degrees more similar to European ones – the socalled “specialist” degree, which existed in Ukraine since the Soviet times, was canceled. The reforms gave students an opportunity to choose 25% of subjects by themselves, as well as the autonomy to universities: now they can develop their own educational programs.

With the support of IT industry, which has been developing and growing very fast in Ukraine for the last few years, changes in the Ukrainian education system Christy Maksymenko, became a big need and a true possibility.

Lviv IT Cluster Nowadays there are 200 IT companies

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The first university that made the first steps in offering innovative education in Lviv was Ukrainian Catholic University (UCU). In 2015 UCU launched two Bachelor degree programs at the Above: Open Days at Lviv Polytechnic University.

Faculty of Applied Sciences – Computer Science and Informational Technologies & Business Analysis. Later the university has also started a Master’s degree program in Data Science and this year UCU is working on another Master’s program – IT and Business Analysis.

Collaboration with IT business makes all of those programs special: experts from IT companies working in Data Science, Machine Learning and other fields as well as international experts and scientists who work in the industry in different countries joined the programs as the lecturers.

Computer Science program is more oriented on technical part and has three specializations: Programming Engineering, Artificial Intelligence, and Machine Learning. While Informational Technologies & Business Analysis program is focused on using practical technologies in business such as business analysis and process automatization, says the official UCU Degree Program webpage.

Above: During Lviv IT Cluster project called IT Future students tested handmade Google VR glasses made of cardboard.

In 2016 Lviv IT Cluster, the community with more than 60 IT member-companies, launched the first modernized program Internet of Things at Lviv Above: CEO of one Lviv tech companies is Polytechnic National University within sharing with students his experience.

Outsourcing&More | July – August 2017

BUSINESS the specialization of Computer Science.

The 200-year old technical university is a leader in having the best technical professionals in Lviv as its graduates.

There are more than 33 thousand students at Lviv Polytechnic, 56 fields of study and 106 specializations.

Internet of Things program was developed by IT experts together with the university professors and teachers in order to prepare professionals who will meet the demands of the current job market. Blended learning is used in the IoT program. It means that the traditional academic methods are combined with interactive practice and e-learning.

In particular, students watch lectures of the leading scientists and professors from foreign universities. Lectures are held both in English and Ukrainian. Already more than 50 students have finished the first year at the IoT program. Starting in September, with the support from IT companies a new modern IoT lab where students will be able to build “smart devices” will open at the university.

The second innovative program – Artificial Intelligence, available for 100 students, will start at Lviv Polytechnic National University in September 2017.

There is a big lack of Artificial Intelligence experts on the job market in Lviv. – There are perfect conditions now to start such a program in Ukraine, because of the lack of professionals in Artificial Intelligence. AI will be the trendiest field in the next few years.

After graduating from this program in four years, the students will start working in the field immediately, making Ukraine closer to the world’s leaders in this technology – comments Zenoviy Veres, Solution Architect at Softserve, Assistant Professor at Lviv Polytechnic National University and Education Director at Lviv IT Cluster.

According to the IT Ukraine 2016 research, which was made by Ukrainian digital news and AVenture, there are 90,000 IT professionals nowadays in Ukraine and by 2020 their number will increase up to 200,000.

of the Department of System Design Above: Official Inauguration of students at the Faculty of Electronics at IFNUL – of Bachelor program IoT during Lviv IT Arena Our local IT companies are now starting conference. to develop new directions and offer their own research and products on the market.

There is a big demand for professionals in Smart Solutions, Machine Learning and Data Science. Starting with the first year of university, students will focus on developing their own projects, working in teams, improving their English. We have to keep up with the times, do what is needed today. Together with the IT companies, we are working on the best result. University expects to have the more qualified graduates and the IT industry – to receive highly-qualified employees.

Our goals coincide.

The future of Ukrainian education depends on initiatives of specific people and the best way for universities to make education more progressive is through cooperation with employers in every field, explains Zenoviy Veres Solution Architect at Softserve, Assistant Professor at Lviv Polytechnic National University and Education Director at Lviv IT Cluster. – Launching new educational programs at state universities is the first step to making demands of the job market closer to the classical education. The idea of education is changing: students don’t need to study just for exams anymore, however, we offer them to create their own projects with the support of IT experts. IT industry needs innovators, people with creative thinking, who could start working directly after graduation.

Ivan Franko National University of Lviv is one of the oldest classical universities in Ukraine, however, it also has 5 technical faculties. With the support of Lviv IT Cluster, four new educational programs will be launched at the Faculty of Electronics this September.

The new programs are united under one name “Data Science & Intelligent Systems”.

This is the Bachelor's Degree program that students can choose when applying to the university, and in the second year, they will be able to choose between four directions: Machine Learning & Artificial Intelligence, Data Analysis, Internet of Things and Smart Solutions & There are already a lot of students studyIntelligent Systems. ing at the modernized programs at the UCU and Lviv Polytechnics who are The main goal of new educational expected to be very good professionals programs is to prepare IT professionals after graduation. Starting in September according to the new demands of the job there will be more students applying for market, says Roman Shuvar, Acting Head the new innovative programs. IT industry Outsourcing&More | July – August 2017

Above: Students at meeting with CEO of one of Lviv tech companies.

Below: Zenoviy Veres, Education Director at Lviv IT Cluster.

is waiting for the experts in the most progressive and innovative technologies and smart young people, who will be ready to create the future of the industry in Lviv. •

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INVESTMENTS

INVESTMENT NEWS Foundation stone has been laid for a new city quarter in Wola

The symbolic foundation stone of Browary Warszawskie has just been laid at the building site in the quarter of Grzybowska, Wronia, Chłodna and Krochmalna streets in Warsaw’s Wola district.

A special capsule which was placed in the foundations of Browary Warszawskie contained small digitalized souvenirs related to the history of the factory founded at the site in 1846, including: scans of labels (not only of beer but also of non-alcoholic beverages that used to be produced here), old advertisements, press publications and securities. There was no shortage of photos documenting everyday work in the breweries and the people who contributed to their success.

The foundation stone ceremony took place in the vicinity and inside the Factory Owner’s Villa – the first part of the former brewery which underwent a major renovation.

The developer is also planning the renovation of the brew house and laboratory as well as a large section of historical cellars.

The historical development will also gain modern surroundings – five new residential buildings and three office ones. Elements such as the city garden, public squares and streets, which will be surrounded by restaurants, cafes, shops and service outlets will harmoniously combine the entire assumption and they will open it to the city at the same time.

The completion of the entire Browary Warszawskie project is planned for 2020, but the first few residents are to move into the buildings in just two years.

Office Market in Poznań – Savills report

2017”, office stock in the city at the end of Q1 2017 stood at 427,800 sq m with 41,100 sq m delivered to the market since the beginning of 2016. Savills expect it to increase by 20,000 sq m in 2017, however a significant boost of development activity is expected in 2018 and in 2019 (67,200 sq m and 35,000 sq m respectively). The largest projects under construction are: the second phase of Poznań Business Garden

by Vastint (46,000 sq m; due in 2018) and Pixel II & III by Garvest (17,800 sq m; due in 2018).

Guide New Warsaw Office Zones Colliers International has prepared a comprehensive guide to Warsaw’s office

zones in which Colliers International experts analyse the potential and advantages of each zone. The publication also presents the structure of tenants and summarises the biggest office lease transactions concluded in recent years.

Dubai to establish the world's first collective Endowment Park DUBAI

Total supply of modern office space in Poznań is expected to exceed 500,000 sq m in 2018. According to the report by real estate advisor Savills office market in Poznań is the fifth largest regional office market in Poland, however the growth of the market is accelerating as space under construction is over two times more than at the end of Q1 2016. The vacancy rate in Q1 2017 decreased year-on-year. Prime headline rents are expected to remain stable over the next 18 months.

As stated in „Market in Minutes – Office market in Poznań June The city of Dubai, which is renowned for interweaving innovation into its economic, commercial and cultural goals, is now blending it into charity.

The city is working on the establishment of the first collective-endowment park in the world – the Endowment Park project which will be established by Dubai Municipality & Mohammed Bin Rashid Global Centre for Endowment Consultancy (MBRGCEC).

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The new park combines the business model of collective outsourcing (a concept that has been successfully used in many economic projects) with the concept of innovative endowment adopted by MBRGCEC. The Endowment Park will be established with the members of the UAE community donating the palm trees, which in turn will become an agricultural endowment.

The Endowment Park is located next to Mushrif Park, Dubai and will be spread over an area of 15 hectares. Aimed at opening the doors of sustainable charity to all its community members, the project will also include a charity date-packing factory, which will allocate its entire production towards the needy members within the UAE community. The project has an expected annual production capacity of around 150 tonnes of dates.

The entire concept is derived from a 125-year old custom originating from the Hatta region in UAE, which had the social custom of endowing palms by traditionally donating the proceeds into charity and favouring the needy members of the community.

During the second half of 2017, Dubai Municipality will announce the launch of the invitation to donate towards the palms endowment for the park as soon as the infrastructure is completed on the project.

Guardian Industries Glass Group in Altus in Katowice Guardian Industries’ Glass Group, which belongs to the Guardian Industries Corp, has leased 600 sq m of office space in Altus in Katowice with the possibility to extend its space with another 600 sq m. In the new office the tenant has located the financial SSC – Guardian Business Solutions. Guardian Industries’ Glass Group was represented by the international consulting company Colliers International.

The level of investment flow into the CEE region higher than estimated The first quarter of 2017 saw a strong macro performance across the CEE region. Industrial production, retail sales and exports contributed to preliminary Q1 GDP growth readings in CEE registering in an impressive 2.9%-5.7% yoy range. Investment flows into the CEE region rose 70% yoy in Q1 2017. The level of EUR 2.8 bn is some EUR 0.5 bn higher than Outsourcing&More | July – August 2017

INVESTMENTS the preliminary estimate of EUR 2.3 bn.

Money invested into the Czech Republic (56% share) and Hungary (19% share) contributed particularly to the significant jump. Looking within the numbers, the Retail sector accounted for nearly half (47%) of the flows, leaving the Office sector trailing with a 21% share. Of interest and also a sign of buoyant economic growth, the fastest growth was seen in the Hotel sector with a portfolio transaction contributing to the EUR 415 mn total (a 15% share).

Source: Colliers International Poland

Panattoni Europe has started the construction for the BSH project – 79,000 sq m to be delivered in Łódź Panattoni Europe symbolically commenced the construction of a large-scale logistics centre for BSH Sprzęt Gospodarstwa Domowego. The BTS (built-to-suit) facility with 79,000 sq m and its own railway siding will be delivered in Łódź. The groundbreaking ceremony took place on 30 May, and construction works are scheduled for completion in spring 2018.

Westwing is an international leader in the home & living e-commerce retail.

The company is present in 14 counties on 3 continents. The first regular shop of Westwing in Europe was opened in Arkadia shopping centre in Warsaw in November 2016.

Savills presents Netherlands Market in Minutes report at Skanska officially opens Axis along with the first PROVADA 2017 NETHERLANDS section of the “Superścieżka” According to the report 'Netherlands Market in Minutes–June 2017' the limited number of new developments and very low supply at prime spots will cause a bottleneck and might possibly slow down take-up for the second half of 2017.

The economic growth and positive economic outlook have supported the occupier market across all property sectors in the first half of 2017. As prime office supply is drying up – leading to lower incentives and increasing rents – we also see secondary locations profiting.

Recommercialization of North Gate boosts

Cushman & Wakefield represents Bank Millennium in its 18,900 sq m lease transaction

Bank Millennium S.A. has extended its more than 18,900 sq m office lease in Millennium Park in Warsaw owned by Commerz Real. Cushman & Wakefield, a global real estate services firm, advised the tenant. The landlord was represented

by Savills. It is the largest lease transaction signed in the office sector in Poland in 2017 closed so far.

Westwing moves into Pruszków Westwing has leased approximately 4,000 sq m of warehouse space in Hillwood & PHN Pruszków park owned by Hillwood and Polski Holding Nieruchomości.

The tenant was represented by Colliers International.

Outsourcing&More | July – August 2017

spaces and lounge areas.

The building is brand new and located in a prime position on one of Barcelona’s most important avenues, just across the road from the trendy L’Illa shopping center.

It comprises a total space of 3,200 sq m over nine floors and 29 parking spaces distributed over four floors below ground.

As many as five new lease agreements for the office space in North Gate signed the owner of the property, investment fund Deka Immobilien, represented by the global real estate advisor Savills.

New tenants are: Emerge Software, Flying Wild Hog, Sigma Connectivity and two marketing companies including Young & Rubicam. The total space recently leased in the building amounts to over 4,300 sq m.

Savills advises EU Business School on leasing building to extend Barcelona campus SPAIN/BARCELONA

International real estate advisor Savills has advised EU Business School (EU) on the leasing of a new location to extend its current campus in Barcelona, Spain.

EU has let over 3,000 sq m at Diagonal 648, with the aim of providing students, faculty and staff with improved services that will include: more classrooms, offices, study

The official openings of Axis office building and the first phase of the “Superścieżka” [eng. Superpath] – the biggest placemaking project in Krakow – are already behind us. ABB, a global leader specializing in power and automation technologies, has already relocated to Axis and is now the building's main tenant. The office project located on the junction of Krakow's main arterial roads created a new axis combining administration and business.

Moreover, a unique urban space project was developed in its vicinity. Skanska has delivered the first phase of “Superścieżka” to the city's residents. The project consists not only of urban greenery but also of friendly spaces that encourage recreational activities, fun, education and other social initiatives.

Vastint Poland has chosen the general contractor for a residential project in Gdańsk Vastint Poland has appointed the general contractor for one of its latest investments– Riverview. A complex, consisting of seven mixed-use buildings for residential and retail purposes, is located opposite Gdańsk Ołowianka Island. The project will be developed in cooperation with CFE Polska, belonging to the Belgian CFE Group.

The construction works are scheduled to begin in June 2017 and are expected to be completed within 24 months. •

Enea, a Polish electric power company, has extended its lease and expanded its Poznań office by over 1,000 sq m. Global real estate services firm Cushman & Wakefield represented and advised the landlord and investor of the building – Górecka Projekt Sp. z o.o.

Arthrex Polska – the Polish division of an orthopedic medical device company – will relocate to Astrum Business Park located in the Włochy district of Warsaw.

The company has leased 540 sq m of modern office space along with 135 sq m of industrial space.

Poland is one of the most stable and dynamic economies in the region.

The CBRE report "Poland Outlook 2017" presents the current situation and forecasts for the key commercial real estate sectors: office market, both in Warsaw and regional cities, retail, industrial & logistic as well as investment.

Polish branch of TRIUVA company has signed a new leasing agreement in the G9 office building.

Colliers International, the international consulting company, has advised in the transaction. The owner of the building was represented by Kancelaria BSWW Legal & Tax.

Walter Herz is the first agency in Poland providing specialized commercial real estate consulting services that has introduced the code of ethics.

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INVESTMENTS

Legal Process Outsourcing – combining technology with talent It is no secret that law firms are facing a lot of challenges and legal industry is in the period of evolution, and technology disruption is affecting this market as well. Fat hourly fees, annual rate hikes are being hijacked by alternative billing arrangements and business structures taking a chunk of legal work done to clients. The question is – how the most conservative, legal industry, will tackle these challenges?

According to PwC, top priorities for law firms in 2016 were to improve the use of technology and standardize business processes within their organizations.

However, half of the Members of the Law Society, who participated in the Tech and Innovation Survey in the United Kingdom last year, said their firm was more likely to wait and see what happens in respect of new technology – leaving it to pioneers and second adopters to lead the way. The fact that the legal industry spends less than 1% of Lukas Inokaitis, their budgets on R&D, compared to 3.5% Investment Advisor spent generally by US business or 13% at Invest Lithuania by the telecommunication sector shows

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how reluctant to innovation the legal In addition, machines work 24/7, which industry really is. saves time and costs, if compared to human hours spent doing same job.

Artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning and natural language In February media exploded on news processing are now main buzz words featuring JP Morgan’s legal software in every legal event world-wide. For COIN, for Contract Intelligence, law firms this means certain programs which does the mind-numbing job can be taught to identify the concepts of interpreting commercial-loan the legal service software specifies agreements that before consumed within vast number of documents that 360,000 hours of work each year by may take months to review otherwise. lawyers. This example highlights, that Using language-analysis algorithms, the legal companies are recognizing machines not only spot relevant words the cost and time saving benefits and phrases, but also discern chains technologies enable for their legal of events, relationships and patterns. service delivery model.

Outsourcing&More | July – August 2017

INVESTMENTS Main providers are constantly announcing exciting collaborations in the area of artificial intelligence: Dentons joined with IBM to create a technology platform program to enable startups to create and deploy legal applications more quickly; Slaughters & May has taken a 5% stake in Luminance; the due diligence AI, and Linklaters recently developed an AI product with Eigen Technologies, a tech firm founded by former senior strategic adviser to the firm Lewis Liu. SO WHAT DOES LEGAL PROCESS OUTSOURCING HAVE TO DO WITH ANY OF THIS?

By deciding what kind of software and programs lawyers are going to use for better legal services delivery, one should also consider a service delivery model that allows organizing resources most efficiently. If a legal organization wants to develop its own technology and not be dependent on third party providers, it can do it in a captive unit.

The concept is not new in the legal industry either, but it is not yet that widely spread globally. It usually involved applying process management where a foreign-qualified lawyer or paralegal would carry out routine tasks that would traditionally have been given to an associate for a higher chargeout rate in London or New York office.

Originally, LPO entailed law firms and large corporations outsourcing large document review projects for litigation disclosure or transactional due diligence to an offshore provider. Activity generally concentrated on project-based discovery and due diligence work, with relatively Outsourcing&More | July – August 2017

Originally, LPO entailed law firms and large corporations outsourcing large document review projects for litigation disclosure or transactional due diligence to an offshore provider.

few firms engaging in long-term LPO relationships.

Grand View Research estimates that the global legal process outsourcing market size was valued at USD 2.35 billion in 2015 and is expected to reach USD 27.19 billion by 2024. The global legal Shared Services Center (SSC) market in North America accounted for 41 units in 2014 and is expected to reach 283 units by 2022 growing at a CAGR of 26.8%.

The market accounted for 59 units in 2014 and is expected to reach 539 units by 2022 in the Asia Pacific region growing at a CAGR of 31.6% from 2015 to 2022.

Outsourcing of legal service providers has fueled market growth for legal shared service centers market. The new trend of subcontracting litigation support services has opened new avenues for market growth.

India and the Philippines are the top offshore destinations for LPO services.

These two countries have strong capabilities in terms of higher education, English-language competence, process and IT maturity, and deep expertise in providing IT and BP services to Westernbased clients. According to Technavio, Poland is leading among LPO service providers in Central and Eastern European region, and according SSON Analytics, Lithuania and Romania are following Poland. The UK, Germany, Spain and France are the other prominent locations for the LPO market in EMEA. To sum up, majority of law firms don’t really have a preference between insourcing and outsourcing, so usually they pick the option that saves clients’ money – outsourcing to a third party provider. However, in today’s changing legal market it is really important to tackle captive legal technology hubs, where law firms and in-house legal departments can develop their own technology and support it globally without being dependent from third party providers.

Therefore, choosing a location with great legal and tech talent, combined with cost and quality ratio is crucial for future legal service delivery. •

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INVESTMENTS

Tight struggle for the competitive workforce Year after year Romania is called one of the best locations for outsourcing.

It shouldn’t be such a surprise since we have a long tradition of ingenious mathematicians and IT engineering’s awarded at the most prestigious international competitions. The primary challenge now is to retain our talents and to change the perspective: from a nation rich in specialists into one that cultivates expertise in business administration, leadership, and innovation.

With special regulations and exemptions, the IT&C labour market intrigued us, so we questioned it both from the macro and micro point of view.

We discovered a lot of particularities, new – maybe unthought of by many of us – the country’s huge, but latent, potential.

ROMANIA – GREATEST ECONOMIC GROWTH IN EU IN 2017 Q1

The Romanian economy surprised experts with a strong performance in the first quarter. According to a preliminary estimate released by the Statistics Institute, real GDP growth remains stable, on the back of fiscal easing and salary increases. Estimates for 2020 include annual GDP per capita PPP Loredana Niculae, CEO NNC Services (Int. $) at levels of 28,100 and a rank 57.

Romania Unemployment fell significantly in the

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last year, and it is expected to remain at a bottom level until next year. Besides, the current-account deficit is forecast to widen to 2.9% of GDP in 2017 and 3.1% of GDP in 2018. Still, the budget deficit is projected to continue increasing due to tax cuts and higher public spending. After the depreciation in 2016, the national currency (Leu) continues to appreciate.

With the above in mind, Romania continues to be the centre of businesses for a lot of industries, providing an array of advantages and market opportunities.

Bucharest concentrates the largest labour market in the country, being followed by Cluj-Napoca, Iași, Timișoara, and Brașov.

All sectors of industries are present in the Bucharest – Ilfov region, as this is the main industrial concentration in Romania.

But in the last few years, the workforce focused on the services sector, the main contributor to this region's economy, besides areas such as the building and real estate industry, the retail, distribution, and management sectors. Due to the possibilities provided by the capital city, the employed residents tend to have a high level of training and qualifications.

The leading economic sector in which the According to the workforce ledger, civilian population work is in the services the labor force in the region summed sector (71.3%), followed by industry and to 1,533,700 persons, of whom the construction sector (26.2%), although 83.1% were in civilian employment.

The rate of recorded unemployment as agriculture has only 2.4%.

Outsourcing&More | July – August 2017

INVESTMENTS at 31 December 2016 was 1.4% – the lowest at national level – corresponding to 20,600 inactive persons.

The leading economic sector in which the civilian population work is in the services sector (71.3%), followed by industry and the construction sector (26.2%), although agriculture has only 2.4%.

Romania is European leader and the 6th in the world, in the number of certified IT specialists.

COUNTRY’S LABOUR FORCE

The main attraction for investors remains the size of the workforce and the area of students trained.

Besides, Romania has the second lowest labour charges in the EU. Compensation of employees (that includes gross wages and social security contributions paid by employers) in Romania is much lower than the EU average. The cost competitiveness regarding salaries could be the strength of the economy in the shortterm. However, even though the unit labour costs are expected to grow due to recent changes in the minimum wage and public wages adopted this year compared to EU countries, Romania remains an excellent and costeffective labour market with a skilled and talented workforce.

Though, Romania severely hits by the demographic challenge. As a result of emigration and negative growth, Romanian population has decreased during the transition years, including working-age population, and there are significant demographic imbalances by age groups. Different recent demographic forecasts provide rather pessimistic scenarios about the demographic developments in Romania: the Eurostat projections for the period 2010-2060 state that the population will decrease by nearly 19% (one of the sharpest decline) and the share of the population over 65 will

reach 35%. Thus, the demographic crisis is part of the weaknesses of the Romanian industry regarding labor force and skills supply. This negative trend is particularly visible in some regions of the country.

Romania faces with a deep gap between rural and urban populations. Also, the aging population is a pressure for the social security system.

Traditionally, Romanian industry and economy have qualified human resources.

Most of the indicators confirm this conclusion. Secondary school and college/ university (tertiary education) attainment of Romanians rose in the last decade (Eurostat). The Europe 2020 Strategy focuses on the skills. Among the national targets for Romania, it is set that at least 26.7% of 30-34–year-olds should complete third level education (ISCED levels 5 and 6) in 2020 (the European target is 40%).

Compensation of employees (that includes gross wages and social security contributions paid by employers) in Romania is much lower than the EU average.

IT&C MARKET REMAINS ON TOP

Local software and information technology sector are expected to outreach the four billion Euro's milestone in 2017, according to "Software and IT Services in Romania" new study realized

by ANIS (Employers' Association of the Software and Services Industry).

The perspectives are encouraging since the number of service outsourcing jobs are expecting to increase by 20% in 2017, exceeding the 100,000 thresholds, mainly thanks to the high number of foreign companies investing in Romanian businesses. For instance, this year alone we met some ten enterprises that are extending their business in our country, and I am sure there will be more to come next year.

THE ROMANIAN – SOFTWARE MARKET SHORT SUMMARY

STRENGTHS

WEAKNESSES

• Language abilities • Risen number of employees and students • High Degree of population with higher of secondary education • Cultural comparability to Western cultures • Overall business conditions – Macroeconomic stability • Increasing number of small businesses with excellent reputation in niche markets • 3rd tier cities

• No entrepreneurial initiative among IT authorities • Romania score regarding innovation among the lowest in the EU • Educational and abilities mismatches • Image of a low-expense labor provider • Lack of visibility both national and globally • Lack of business experience among IT specialists • Lack of a national policy for the Information technology area

OPPORTUNITIES

THREATS

• Corporations’ increased trend of outsourcing collateral activities • Extended access to European funds • Innovative technology trends • It is now on the Romanian side to take the benefits from these results, but there are some good premises to keep it this way for at least five years.

• Intensifying global competition, Rise of LatAm nations (Costa Rica, Chile, Argentina) • Business scene is improving slowly • Overregulation of the business area • Specialization in outsourcing rather than in proprietary products • Huge recruitment of talented graduates by industry’s foreign big firms

Outsourcing&More | July – August 2017

Among the national targets for Romania, it is set that at least 26.7% of 30-34–yearolds should complete third level education (ISCED levels 5 and 6) in 2020 (the European target is 40%).

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INVESTMENTS ROMANIAN ACADEMIC CENTRES

Known for the broad technological expertise, the flexibility, enthusiasm, and excellent language skills, the software service providers are a great choice for long-term collaborations in both nearshoring and offshoring firms.

Romania is European leader and the 6th in the world, in the number of certified IT specialists. Higher education in the IT field is given by 5 top polytechnic universities, 59 domain specific colleges, and 174 private colleges, which together produce over 5,000 computer science and engineering graduates per year.

The education system has created a pool of talented workforce, the main academic centres beside the capital Bucharest, are Cluj-Napoca, Iași, Timișoara, Brașov, Craiova, and Sibiu: BUCHAREST

• The Polytechnic University – Faculty of Computer Science

• The University of Bucharest – Faculty of Mathematics and Computer Science – The Faculty of Cybernetics, Statistics, and Economic Informatics

More than 5,700 Tech Students and 2,000 IT & C Graduates IAȘI

• Alexandru Ioan Cuza University – Faculty of Informatics

• Gheorghe Asachi Technical University – Faculty of Computer Science – Faculty of Electronics and Telecommunications

More than 4,500 Tech Students and 1,000 IT & C Graduates CLUJ–NAPOCA

• Technical University of Napoca – Faculty of Computer Science – Faculty of Electronics, Telecommunications and Information Technology

• Babes-Bolyai University – Faculty of Mathematics and Informatics

Over 4,000 Tech Students and 1,700 IT & C Graduates TIMIȘOARA

• Polytechnic University of Timisoara – Faculty of Automation and Computers

• West University of Timisoara – Faculty of Mathematics and Informatics

More than 2,500 Tech Students and 1,000 IT & C Graduates In a general assessment, there are two different thoughts on the Romanians’ level of education. On the one hand, at the personal level, if each of us is allowed to appreciate his expert and intellectual capabilities, which are strictly related to education, the prevailing view is that Romanians are relatively well trained,

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particularly compared to people from the Western countries. On the other hand, if each of us is asked what his general idea concerning the level of education of Romanians is, but not compared to others, the criticisms would quickly appear.

A final interesting development involves particular concentration on Romanian business strategies. Retaining talent in the country will, therefore, become more of a challenge as Romania’s workers get poached by international companies.

To spark sustained growth and keep

the talent close, Romania doesn’t need just foreign investment, but an internal strategic marketing team. There’s a lot of potential over here, and the fundamental thing we need to do is to realize that ourselves. As a consequence, many Romanians in the tech area have to look further to seek opportunities to grow their businesses.

From an encouraging perspective, Romania will be on a roll at least five years from now on. For that, our country has to remain resilient and vivacious. • Outsourcing&More | July – August 2017

INVESTMENTS

From grey blocks to glass skyscrapers – Paweł Skałba, Partner at Colliers International and the Director of Office Agency tells us how the office market in Poland has changed during the last 20 years.

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Outsourcing&More | July – August 2017

INVESTMENTS

Outsourcing&More: Colliers opened its first office in Poland in 1997. What were you doing back then?

Paweł Skałba: I started my adventure with Colliers in 2000, and it has continued for almost 20 years. I took my first steps as a very young man in the real estate business in 1997 in a local company that was a crucible for those working in the emerging professional consulting market. Initially, I was involved in property search, and after a few months I started renting offices.

I was thrown into the deep end straight away, which gave me a lot of satisfaction from what I achieved later. You can say that I developed along with the real estate market, and the history of Colliers in Poland is also my history.

as a young employee, I managed to beat the largest companies in the market, winning several large office tenants. For example, I acquired a client from the media sector that leased over 5,000 sq m of office space, which at that time was one of the most important transactions in the market.

It must be remembered that the commercial real estate market in Poland was completely different then. It was much harder to convince a property owner to lease space to a particular company, which is the opposite of now when tenants have to be encouraged to choose a specific location. But what was the same then as today is the need to build long-term relationships with clients. Now, it is even more perceptible, In retrospect, I think that joining Colliers was a great decision. because tenants sometimes change their offices many times There was a place for people in the developing market using our advice. who demonstrated their determination and the attitude to work that matched the Colliers’ philosophy. It was also important that, What is your greatest achievement in the office market?

The past two decades have given Colliers advisors a lot of reasons to be satisfied. First and foremost, we have created a fantastic team of experts, who are effective in helping their clients achieve their goals. For years, we have opened up new areas of the market, creating the sector almost from scratch and developing market niches. For example, we launched the tenant representation service – a breakthrough moment for us, which fuelled our rapid development, to the annoyance of the competition.

"Renting office space is a business based largely on trust in mutual relationships and a high level of competence."

Worth noting is that Colliers from the very beginning gave us complete freedom to create services and solutions. We didn’t waste time on bureaucracy, rather we constantly developed the team and built a real business. As a result, our actions translated into Colliers' leading position in Poland. Our success can also be attributed to the fact that about half of the people working in the Polish branch in the 1990s are still working with us and continue to be successful using their many years of experience.

In the 1990s, there were few office buildings in the capital, yet now Warsaw is one of the most developed office markets in Europe. What was the breakthrough?

Poland's accession to the European Union was of immense importance for the real estate market. Accession made investors and a large number of tenants realise that it was the best time to enter the Polish market. Following the pioneers, large developers appeared in the market. Another breakthrough was the appearance of foreign investors, who built the foundations of the investment market. A large proportion of office investments were sold during the commercialisation process.

This showed that there was a demand for office assets and this led to the building of new projects. Investments such as Empark Mokotow Business Park and Ilmet were leased immediately, which showed that Warsaw had a lot of development potential, and this was exploited in the years to come.

What do tenants expect from advisors today and what determines the choice of office?

Renting office space is a business based largely on trust in mutual relationships and a high level of competence. Today, tenants expect thorough knowledge, information and help at every stage from their advisors. We act as consultants, we analyse thoroughly the strengths and weaknesses of an office, and then we make our recommendation. We look at an office holistically, taking into account both the current and future needs of the client. We don’t impose our choice, but rather we

Outsourcing&More | July – August 2017

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INVESTMENTS help the client make the best decision. Based on our experience, we make it clear that if their company grows and they are in an office that cannot be expanded, then they will have to move in the near future.

that investors will target the most prestigious, fully leased office buildings in the best locations. Nevertheless, REITs are a chance to revive especially older office buildings, which otherwise would be threatened with demolition or be transformed into buildings with a different function. Undoubtedly, REITs Investments such as Tenants also expect transparency in their conversations with can contribute to increasing the liquidity and attractiveness of Empark Mokotow developers, so that each party is aware of the entire process of the whole Polish market.

Business Park and Ilmet were how an office is chosen. In addition, they demand innovation, leased immediately, comprehensiveness and specialist analytical and technical which showed that expertise. IT infrastructure and securing business continuity are Warsaw had a lot of also very important. When choosing office space, the location development potential, and facilities for employees are of course very important, and and this was exploited in the years to come. incentives for tenants are also a motivating factor.

What makes Colliers stand out in its relations with clients?

Colliers applies a comprehensive and innovative approach to client needs. More than 80 percent of our clients come back to us, which is the best testimony to the effectiveness of our operations and the credibility of Colliers’ advisors. We approach each client individually rather than apply templates.

Therefore, we propose new, unconventional solutions using new technologies. For example, we designed our OfficeExpert tool to help find the right office and easily compare and simulate costs precisely.

We are constantly observing the market and trying to anticipate social and technological changes that will affect the look and functionality of offices in the future. With this approach, we can offer our clients exactly what they need and even exceed their expectations. Our constant team is also a factor that makes us stand out from the crowd. There is no doubt that the environment and atmosphere in our Colliers team is reflected in the highest quality of service we provide our clients.

What are the main trends in the office market and do you see new trends?

Developers have stopped building ordinary office blocks.

They want their office buildings to draw tenants’ attention through their attractive architecture and functionality. An increasingly important role is played by technology and facilities for tenants. One visible trend is Activity Based Working, which focuses on the needs of employees. Due to the changing nature of work, tenants are looking for space for different purposes – for stimulating creative thinking, teamwork and individuality while relaxing.

Nevertheless, REITs are a chance to revive especially older office buildings, which otherwise would be threatened with demolition or be transformed into buildings with a different function.

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"One visible trend is Activity Based Working, which focuses on the needs of employees. Due to the changing nature of work, tenants are looking for space for different purposes – for stimulating creative thinking, teamwork and individuality while relaxing."

What are the prospects for the office segment in the capital and in regional markets? Can we expect the emergence of new regional centres that will compete with mature markets?

Warsaw's office market is one of the most attractive and most liquid in this part of Europe. Nearly half of the modern office space being built in the Polish market is being built in Warsaw. Several spectacular projects are planned, which will not only create the city’s skyline, but will also be available for tenants. New space is being built in areas that include Wola and the city centre. We should still remember the high potential of office buildings in the Służew business district in Mokotów.

Solving transport problems by introducing, for example, parking metres, can improve traffic. I believe that, despite some opinions, Mokotów will remain an important office location in the capital.

Another noticeable trend is the environmental certification of office buildings, which has become standard. Developers are investing in eco-friendly solutions to increase the attractiveness of their facilities because investors, tenants and their employees expect them. Often, global companies do not want to rent space in a non-certified office building.

Sometimes, for environmental reasons, companies change the air conditioning system to improve the quality of the air in the office, although this creates additional costs. Why? The reason is simple – it’s what employees want or it’s the company’s policy globally.

What's more, the Warsawoffice market has the chance to gain new tenants who are considering relocating parts of their UK operations in response to Brexit. Although the front-runners in the race for tenants from the UK are Frankfurt, Paris and Dublin, Warsaw's rival may be Budapest, which is also striving to gain new tenants and has its strengths.

Work is in progress on the act on real estate rental market companies. How can REITs affect the office segment?

The introduction of REITs may be an impetus for the further development of the commercial real estate market. At this stage, it is still difficult to assess which assets or segments of the market individual entities will invest in. It seems, however,

I think the Warsaw office market and regional cities have good prospects. If there is little market volatility, the next two decades will be marked by the further development and growing importance of Poland on the office map of Europe.

Regional markets still enjoy growing interest among developers and tenants. Their attention is gradually being directed towards smaller cities that are still considered peripheral. I think that in the near future regional office markets will specialise. For example, Wroclaw may specialise in tenants from the financial Looking ahead, I foresee that office space will be more flexible, sector. While, Lublin may be a place chosen mainly by insurers. tailored to ongoing needs. Tenants' sensitivity to environmental Many IT tenants are already locating their offices in Bydgoszcz, aspects will also increase, so we can expect the further and other companies may follow in their footsteps. In fact, development of green construction. specialisation is already a fact, and I expect this trend to deepen.

Thank you very much.

Outsourcing&More | July – August 2017

Newsletter “Since the last year, we have been seeing a considerable local market revival, which is visible through the launch of new projects as well as higher interest among Leaseholders�

www.outsourcingportal.eu

INVESTMENTS

Tri-City – a sea of possibilities Tri-City, the business heart of Pomerania, a metropolis centred around three main cities – Gdansk, Gdynia and Sopot, is a region that is open to the world. It is reflected in an intense increase in foreign direct investment which we observe in the past years, especially industries that are a priority to Pomerania i.e. outsourcing business services, ICT, maritime, logistics and manufacturing sectors.

Nordic countries are one of the main investment sources for TriCity.

This is also due to the favourable geographical location of Pomerania, which provides excellent transport links.

Because of a maritime situation and ports of international importance in Gdansk and Gdynia, Pomerania is one of the most important centres of the shipbuilding industry in the Baltic. There are two pan-European transportation routes of key importance for transit traffic cross the region:

• IA Corridor (Helsinki – Tallinn – Riga – Kaliningrad – Gdansk), which is a branch of the I Corridor (Helsinki – Tallinn – Riga – Kaunas – Warsaw), • VI Corridor (Gdansk – Katowice – Zilina) which connects Scandinavia with Central-Eastern Europe and the countries of the Mediterranean basin.

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Thanks to the dynamic development of transport infrastructure and tourism, the region is an attractive place for foreign investors. As a result of an inflow of European Union funds and Poland’s preparations to co-organise Euro 2012, the Pomeranian Voivodeship experienced many construction, railway, road and air transport investments.

In addition, the local Lech Walesa Gdansk Intl. Airport is the third largest in Poland.

It’s connected to over 60 airports in 14 countries. Its unquestionable advantage is the biggest number of flight connections with Scandinavian countries. The number of passengers served in 2016 totalled over 4 million people and over 10 million tourists visit the Pomeranian region every year.

10 years American companies e.g. State Street, Intel Technology, Sony Pictures, Thomson Reuters, Amazon, Jeppesen, Synopsys, ManpowerGroup, Staples, Airhelp, Acxiom, Quad Graphics became the biggest group of investors, while Nordic companies are just as significant (though on average a lot smaller in FTE) : Arla, Kemira, Hempel Paints, Unifeeder, Metsa, Seagul, DNV GL, Nordic Services. It is worth noting that the Nordic countries are represented by 28 investments in total. The remaining investors are German companies: ThyssenKrupp, Bayer, Lufthansa Systems, Adva Optical Networking; Austrian: Swarovski, Competence Call Center; Belgian: Eurofins Digital Testing; Swiss: The first SSC/BPO centres in Tri-City Luxoft; Spanish: Geoban, which belongs were established by international to the Santander Group; French: Sii, Atos, companies in 2005-2006. Within Intitek, Playsoft; Dutch: Wolters Kluwer, Outsourcing&More | July – August 2017

INVESTMENTS the first to start opening their centres Sopot currently has eight twin cities, in Tri-City. The entrance of such giants with which agreements were concluded: like Bayer and ThyssenKrupp continues Zakopane, Frankenthal and Ratzeburg One of the distinctive features which this trend. The growing interest in – Germany, Karlshamn – Sweden, significantly shapes the sector in Tri- the possibilities of outsourcing can Næstved – Denmark, Perterhof – Russia, City’s location and determines its growth also be noted in medium-sized German Ashkelon – Israel and Southend-on-Sea – is the number of students fluent in companies (Mittelstand).

Great Britain. languages less popular in Poland, such as Scandinavian languages. Regional Investors from France, Great Britain and Gdynia maintains partnership with the universities offer plenty of unique Ireland will constitute the next significant following cities: Aalborg – Denmark, specializations at national level and group. Their development in Tri-City is Baranavichy – Belarus, Brooklyn – USA, international exchanges. This includes the also determined by proximity to the Haikou – China, Kaliningrad – Russia, biggest centre for Scandinavian studies customers and the cost advantage, which Karlskrona – Sweden, Kiel – Germany, located at the University of Gdansk. results from business activity in Poland. Klaipėda – Lithuania, Kotka – Finland, Kristiansand – Norway, Kunda – Estonia, Students learn the following languages: Norwegian, Swedish, Danish and Finnish. Furthermore, an interest in the region Liepāja – Latvia, Plymouth – Great Britain, In September 2013, linguistic studies can be observed among Ukrainian Seattle – USA, Syndicat Mixte de la Côte were extended to include Sinology. companies from the ICT sector. The ICT d’Opale – France.

The partnership between Pomeranian market in Ukraine is highly developed universities and foreign investors present and the Ukrainian IT companies CONSULATES in the region aids the dynamic growth of cooperate with many leading enterprises Consulates which have their office the modern business services sector in in Europe and throughout the world. in Tri-City: Tri-City. Academic centres are involved in • Consulate of the Republic of Italy, the organization of specialized training Offshoring, just as nearshoring, consists • Consulate of the Kingdom of Denmark, programmes for particular companies.. of conducting business activity in another country, however it is in another • Consular Agency of the Kingdom of Norway, KEY GEOGRAPHICAL TRENDS OF SERVICE geographical region or on a different continent. In this respect, the largest • Consulate General of Romania, INVESTMENTS The origin of potential investors should country of the investors’ origin so far is, • Consulate of the Kingdom of Belgium, be analyzed in line with 3 trends that can and probably will be, the Unites States. be observed on the market: onshoring, The American business vigorously • Consulate of the Republic of Finland, embraces market challenges and • Consulate of the Republic of Chile, nearshoring, offshoring. remains strongly present in Poland with • Consulate of the Slovak Republic, • Consulate of the Republic of Iceland, Onshoring, meaning opening a second a steady growth tendency.

• Consulate of the Republic of Belarus, location in the same country promises to be one of the bigger trends for Tri-City. It is likely that there will be an increase • British Consulate, Foreign companies that initially decided in the number of outsourcing companies • Consulate General of the Federal Republic of Germany, to allocate their investments in regions from India, which would desire other than Pomerania for different to be closer to their target customers and • Consulate General of Ukraine, reasons (reducing the risk, the availability relocate to Poland, including Pomerania. • Consulate General of the People’s Republic of China, of staff, costs of the operation), decide Currently, there are several global to open new offices in Tri-City. Companies BPO leaders from India that are localized • Consulate of the Kingdom of Spain, that already located themselves in in Tri-City (Wipro, WNS, Cognizant • Consulate General of the Russian Federation, Wrocław and Kraków are usually the ones Technology Solutions (Cognizant)), that that open an additional branch. These gradually enter the phase of a dynamic • Consulate General of the Republic of Seychelles, companies are: PGS Software, Luxoft, growth and win new contracts • Consulate of the Lithuanian Alexander Mann Solutions or State Street. from customers.

Goyello, Travactory, Smart4aviation; Indian: Wipro, WNS.

Nearshoring consists of opening the next place of business in a neighbouring country or a country that’s in the vicinity, however it must be in the same region.

The advantages of the nearshoring localization are, among others: the same time zone, geographical proximity (most European cities are about 1-2 hours away by plane from Gdańsk), cultural closeness, an ability of visa-free travel between countries and most importantly – data security.

Countries that are interesting from the perspective of potential investments are also Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, Singapore, Australia and China.

Though we have a small amount of investments linked to these countries, their economies are very large and next investments with their capital are a matter of time.

INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS ENVIRONMENT INSTITUTIONS IN TRI-CITY

For these reasons sustainable inflow Gdansk is twinned with the following of Scandinavian companies is to be cities: Bremen – Germany, Cleveland – expected, especially in the IT sector. There USA, Kalmar – Sweden, Marseille – France, are currently 20 Scandinavian companies Nice – France, Rotterdam – Netherlands, in the business services and IT sectors in Sefton – Great Britain, Turku – Finland, Tri-City that employ over 2,100 people.

Astana (Akmola) – Kazakhstan, Odessa – Ukraine, Kaliningrad – Russian Federation, Germany is another highly promising Saint Petersburg – Russian Federation, market. German investors were among Vilnius – Lithuania.

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One of the distinctive Features shaping the sector in TriCity’s location and determining its growth is the number of students fluent in languages less popular in Poland, such as Scandinavian languages.

Furthermore, an interest in the region can be observed among Ukrainian companies from the ICT sector.

Republic, • Consulate of the Latvian Republic.

CHAMBERS OF COMMERCE

Numerous chambers of industry and commerce that operate in Tri-City: Polish-Swedish Chamber of Commerce, Scandinavian-Polish Chamber of Commerce, Chinese-Polish Chamber of Commerce, Polish-Chinese Chamber of Industry and Commerce, PolishNorwegian Chamber of Commerce, American Chamber of Commerce in Poland. In addition to standard forms of cooperation such as regular involvement in business events, conferences and networking meetings – Invest in Pomerania engages the above-mentioned Chambers on the occasion of foreign economic missions, establishing relationships with business entities abroad and shaping regional development strategies. •

Invest in Pomerania Al. Grunwaldzka 472 D 80-309 Gdańsk +48 58 32 33 260 investinpomerania.pl

CONTACT Małgorzata Tusk Project Manager Business Services Invest in Pomerania

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INVESTMENTS

Lublin.eu – the European city Polish cities have been opening up to the world for over thirty years. The trend was reinforced thirteen years ago when Poland joined the EU community. At present, the largest Polish cities, Warsaw and Cracow, are cosmopolitan metropolises of world renown. Meanwhile, Lublin has been developing relations with partners across Europe by connecting the West with the East and being highly active in promoting continental values and heritage. City authorities were rewarded for their efforts when Lublin, celebrating its 700th anniversary this year, was awarded the 2017 Europe Prize.

INTERNATIONAL IDENTITY

Being located on routes connecting West Europe with the East A series of events organised as part of the Europe Day and the Balkans with Baltic Rim countries, Lublin has always also received accolades: simulation of a session of the European been home to many nationalities. The diversity of cultures has Parliament arranged for a group of youth, and the Eastern shaped the city's identity over time: the Union of Lublin that Europe Initiatives Congress – an annually held conference created the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth was signed providing dialogue opportunities for local government here in 1569, unique polychrome paintings in the Holy Trinity bodies, state government, academic milieus, decision Chapel were painted by a Rus artist, trade was developed by makers and NGO activists. Actions undertaken by the city the Jews and Armenians, and the local industry would not have authorities in the area of European and international solidarity developed if not for the citizens of German ancestry. Welcoming were also recognised: Lublin also participates in providing all nationalities has always been an intrinsic part of Lublin’s humanitarian assistance for the Ukrainians and Georgians. culture. The city is hospitable to newcomers – there has been a rapid increase in the number of international visitors and INTERNATIONALISATION OF THE ACADEMIC SPIRIT residents, primarily students. When strolling through the Old Focusing on international relations as well as welcoming Town, one can hear foreign languages being spoken at every other cultures and nationalities bring substantial benefits for turn – just like in Cracow. businesses and education institutions. Internationalisation of the academic spirit proves to be particularly beneficial. The total Lublin is actively involved in international undertakings. There number of international students attending universities in are 37 cities twinned with Lublin, 27 of which are located in Lublin in the academic year 2016/2017 has reached 6,234, Europe. Under the twinning agreements, study visits as well as excluding student exchange participants. This translates student, cultural, and business exchanges are organised. Lublin into a 10-percent increase since last year and the consistent is also a member of EUROCITIES, a network of major European positive trend suggests that the number of international cities, where it shares knowledge and exchanges ideas with students will have reached ten thousand by the year 2020.

185 other members in order to influence and work with the EU institutions to respond to common issues that affect the day- The internationalisation rate in Lublin is already the highest in to-day lives of Europeans. Lublin, partnered with Maria Curie- Poland. In terms of the number of international students, Lublin Skłodowska University, is also engaged in EUniverCities, competes with the largest academic centres in Poland, e.g. a network of 14 city-university tandems across Europe working Cracow, being second only to Warsaw. The largest number of together to exchange and spread knowledge, expertise and international students are of Ukrainian origin; other majorities experience with regard to city-university cooperation across include such nationalities as Taiwan, Belarus, America, Norway, urban Europe. Furthermore, there are seven consulate offices in Saudi Arabia. This proves how global the academic character Lublin: Consulate General of Ukraine and Honorary Consulates of Lublin is. of Austria, Brasil, Great Britain, France, Moldova, and Germany.

Lublin derives notable benefits from the increasing number of THE 2017 EUROPE PRIZE international students. In 2013, UMCS Foundation conducted The 2017 Europe Prize is the highest level of the Prize which studies which demonstrated that an average international is awarded each year by the Parliamentary Assembly of student spends twice as much as a local one. Furthermore, the Council of Europe (PACE) to the town most active in average expenses paid by students attending Medical promoting the European idea. In late April this year, it was University are five times higher than what Polish students awarded to Lublin. The committee emphasised Lublin’s robust spend. This means that in the years 2015-2020, international international cooperation in a number of areas (economic, students will have spent nearly PLN 555 million in Lublin and cultural and educational), which is reflected by multiple projects further 464 million will have been spent on academic fees. being carried out in cooperation with international partners. Therefore, no wonder education accounts for as much as 18% Moreover, Lublin is also a culturally vibrant city with a great of Lublin’s GDP. variety of events attracting thousands of people: The Night of Culture, ‘The Neighbours’ – Central European Theatre Festival, ECONOMY OPEN UP TO THE WORLD International Dance Theatre Festival, The Magicians Carnival, In Lublin, businesses can enjoy rapid development, advanced and sports competition, ‘Lublin Basket Cup’. infrastructure, and a large pool of human resources which

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INVESTMENTS

Strategy and Investor Relations Department, The City of Lublin Plac Litewski 1, 20-080 Lublin tel.: +48 81 466 2500 fax: +48 81 466 2501 e-mail: inwestorzy@ lublin.eu invest-in-lublin.com

attract international investors. Furthermore, Belgian, American, German, and French companies opened production plants in Lublin Special Economic Zone. The local industry also benefits from a rapidly growing number of incoming Ukrainian employees. In order to strengthen business relations with neighbours east of Polish borders, Lub-Invest Eastern Business Forum is organised in Lublin on annual basis.

There are 37 cities twinned with Lublin, 27 of which are located in Europe.

Under the twinning agreements, study visits as well as student, cultural, and business exchanges are organised.

However, it is the modern business services that make Lublin particularly attractive to international investors. At present, companies from the USA, Great Britain, France, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, and Italy have their business centres in Lublin. Most of BSS Sector companies, e.g. Genpact, Convergys, Phlexglobal, DataArt, and eLeader base their business activities on the potential and skills which the citizens of Lublin have, i.e. being proficient in foreign languages and familiar with other cultures.

THE EUROPEAN CITY

In the last few years, city authorities made considerable efforts to make Lublin an important, medium-size European centre famous for buoyant economy, welcoming academic spirit open to international students, and long-established tradition of being a vibrant cultural hub. The city, in order to develop, must not stop being open to international business and developing its academic spirit. It must also continue emphasising eastern competencies of its citizens. The municipal authorities will not cease to pursue this effective strategy. • Outsourcing&More | July – August 2017

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INVESTMENTS

Kielce – City Open to the World Kielce, although it is not the capital of the border region, is open to the world, as evidenced by the wide and lively foreign contacts the city has been running already since 1976. Kielce’s international cooperation covers especially cultural, sport, educational and scientific areas as well as that in the field of city promotion. It is also strongly connected with the economic sphere in which the city is seeking a chance for its further dynamic development. Moreover, Kielce is the city of many prestigious cultural, sport and fair events on an international scale.

The extensive foreign contacts of local businessmen and managers resulted in the establishment of three honorary consulates in Kielce.

The increasing orientation of Kielce’s authorities to the economic sphere fosters the growth of local entrepreneurship and location of companies with foreign capital in the city.

Right: Mayor of Kielce City Wojciech Lubawski is being given the Flag of Honour by the representative of the Council of Europe.

Assistance Centre of the City Hall of Kielce: Strycharska 6 St., 25-659 Kielce p: +48 41 36 76 571, 41 36 76 557 coi@um.kielce.pl www.invest.kielce pl/en www.mapa.invest. kielce.pl/en

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The City of Kielce cooperates with many partners from abroad, of which seven have the status of twin cities. Most of them are European partners: Ukraine where there is the first Kielce’s twin city – Vinnytsia; France (Orange); Germany – Gotha with which Kielce is celebrating 20 years of partner cooperation this year; as well as Hungary (Csepel – 11.

District of Budapest). Eleven years ago, the group of foreign partners was joined by the Israeli Ramla, and in recent times, the city authorities are looking more willingly in China’s direction.

Organising youth exchanges, festivals and concerts, sport competitions, meetings with the Polish diaspora, or exchanging experiences in the field of local government administration belong to predominant examples of international initiatives in Kielce.

However, over the last few years, the priorities in the field of international cooperation of the city have been joined by the development of economic relations. The increasing orientation of Kielce’s authorities to the economic sphere fosters the growth of local

entrepreneurship and location of companies with foreign capital in the city. It is also a great tool for economic promotion of Kielce abroad.

The city activities in the field of international economic promotion include in particular creating conditions to facilitate business contacts and supporting local companies, co-organising economic missions participated by entrepreneurs, receiving study visits in city institutions and local economic organisations, as well as promoting local products. All these, Outsourcing&More | July – August 2017

INVESTMENTS according to the employees of the Investor Assistance Centre in Kielce, provide an excellent opportunity to present the city’s economic profile and conditions for investing, or to enable interested entrepreneurs to enter the foreign markets. Continuously since 2003, these concrete activities in the area of Germany have been carried out by the Representative Office for the City of Kielce, functioning in the twin city Gotha.

Since 2007, in turn, Kielce has been cooperating with the Chinese company Beijing HeliView International Exhibition Co., Ltd. whose president is the official representative of the city-owned Kielce Trade Fairs in China, Taiwan and Hong Kong. Maintaining close relationships with business partners from China is an important element of the development strategy of modern Kielce, especially in the context of Kielce Trade Fairs which is currently the vice-leader of the trade and exhibition sector in the Central and Eastern Europe. Every year, Kielce Trade Fairs organises more than 70 fairs and exhibitions, mostly of international character, including the PLASTPOL which is the most international trade fair in the country.

functioning in the city. The extensive foreign contacts of local businessmen and managers resulted in the establishment of three honorary consulates in Kielce. In 2009, the position of Honorary Consul of the Federal Republic of Germany in Kielce had been taken by Andrzej Mochoń – president of the Kielce Trade Fairs, and two years later, Michał Sołowow – local businessman and one of the largest Polish stock market investors became the Honorary Consul-General of the Republic of Romania. The Honorary Consulate of the Republic of Finland is the youngest, as established in 2014, consular post in Kielce. Its head is Tadeusz Pęczek – president of the local company EPRD Office for Economic Policy and Regional Development.

Institutions of higher education in Kielce are very active in the field of international cooperation as well.

Only in the academic year 2016/2017, the Jan Kochanowski University itself was entered by the record number of students from abroad, i.e. 330 foreigners in total, mainly from Ukraine as well as Moldova, Belarus, Serbia and Georgia, and thanks to medical studies conducted in English – even from Norway, Ireland and the USA. It is a great success considering that just Such large number of diverse interna- two years ago there were only 20 foreign tional initiatives influencing the students at this university. Nowadays, development of local economy would the Jan Kochanowski University is not have been possible without the also becoming more and more popular direct involvement of city inhabitants among students who want to come themselves, or institutions, companies to Poland for a student exchange under and non-governmental organisations the Erasmus+ programme. Only recently, among the Erasmus students in Kielce there are people from outside Europe as well, even from China – thanks to the

Outsourcing&More | July – August 2017

cooperation agreement with the Tianjin Polytechnic University, which was signed in 2016.

There are also numerous international cultural and sport events, both cyclical and non-cyclical, which have an invaluable impact on the development of local economy. Kielce is famous for the International Scout School Youth Culture Festival which has nearly 45-year-old history, or the International Competition for Designers and Fashion Enthusiasts OFF FASHION which is organised by the city in cooperation with many prestigious art schools from abroad: VIA University College from Denmark and KOEFIA Fashion Academy from Italy, and since last year – the Beijing Institute of Fashion Technology. Over the last few years, Kielce has been the host city for many exceptional events of an international rank, such as the World Polonia Games (2013), European Festival of Folk Culture Lovers EUROPEADE (2014), or this year – the UEFA European Under-21 Championship.

The fact that Kielce is the city open to the world was recognised and appreciated by the Council of Europe itself. In 2015, the city authorities had been honoured with the European Diploma by the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, and in the following year, the city was given the Flag of Honour by the Committee on Social Affairs, Health and Sustainable Development of the Council of Europe. In this way, Kielce joined the group of European local governments being appreciated by the Council of Europe for spreading the idea of united Europe and undertaken international activities. •

Maintaining close relationships with business partners from China is an important element of the development strategy of modern Kielce, especially in the context of Kielce Trade Fairs which is currently the viceleader of the trade and exhibition sector in the Central and Eastern Europe.

Below: International Defence Industry Exhibition, Kielce Trade Fairs.

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INVESTMENTS

All sides of the World in Opole Together with its twin towns, Opole organises approximately 60–70 projects every year. This number should be increased at least twice as many, when taking into account events organised by various associations, clubs, teams, institutions, organisations and schools. These events regard various fields and areas, and they invite all age, social, professional, cultural and economic groups.

At the moment, the city of Opole has 12 valid partner agreements signed with the cities in the European countries and with the USA.

Initiatives creating a positive economic and tourist image of Opole form important part of the Opole promotional actions. Opole makes efforts to inform its twin towns and a selected group of consulates about a majority of economic and tourist events taking place in Opole.

Foreign guests are invited as observers or exhibitors to some of these events. One of

the positive examples of growing interest is the OPOLFEST Beer, Wine and Cheese Fair. It is also worth mentioning that most visits of foreign delegates to Opole are accompanied by presentations of business advantages of the city.

In 2016, Diplomatic Breakfast, the subject of which was economy and business,

Below: Sign with partner cities.

was held, with the participation of ambassadors and consuls from member states of the European Union. During the meeting, a multimedia presentation of the Opole economy and business was shown. Afterwards, visits were paid to one of Europe’s biggest building sites, i.e. the investment area in the Opole Power Plant and to a few other companies, including the Science and Technology Park. The aim of the meeting was to make the diplomatic corps aware of the economic, business and investment opportunities in Opole.

In September 2016, the Weimar Triangle conference on public diplomacy was held. Among the invited guests were ambassadors of France and Germany, representatives of the Bundesrat and Senates in France and Poland, and delegates of Polish cities who have their twin towns in France and Germany.

The strong image of Opole as a centre of international debate can also be established by a three-day visit that will be paid to Opole this year by the entire diplomatic corps, i.e. all ambassadors accredited in the Republic of Poland.

TWIN TOWNS

At the moment, the city of Opole has 12 valid partner agreements signed with the cities in the European countries and with the USA. These include Alytus (Lithuania), Belgorod (Russia), Bruntal (Czech Republic), Carrara (Italy), Grasse (France), Ingolstadt (Germany), IvanoFrankivsk (Ukraine), Kuopio (Finland), Mülheim an der Ruhr (Germany),

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INVESTMENTS Potsdam (Germany), Roanoke (USA) and Szekesfehervar (Hungary). Additionally, the city of Opole has a few befriended cities, including Bonn (Germany), Darlington (Great Britain) and Dijon (France).

The long-term co-operation between the Opole University of Technology, the City of Opole and the Science and Technology Park in Opole led to the opening of the first division of the Fraunhofer Institute in Poland. The German Fraunhofer Institute is Europe’s second and the world’s third biggest research organisation specialising in fields such as health, safety, transport, communication, energy and environment.

Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft is a leading applied research organisation in Europe and one of the most important and biggest organisations of this kind in Europe. FraunhoferGesellschaft employs 24,500 persons, most of whom are qualified scientists and engineers.

The co-operation is based on the exchange of experience between the cities in such areas as science, culture and art, education, youth and sport, economic growth, tourist traffic, local government, local institutions, including organisations and entities. Everything takes place according to the principles of equality, mutual benefits and support aimed at reinforcement and development of versatile co-operation, partnership and direct contacts between inhabitants, local authorities as well as other institutions, organisations and entities.

Thanks to their co-operation with the best research partners and innovative companies around the world, the Institute and INTERNATIONAL KNOWLEDGE SHARING its partners have direct access to projects of highest importance The Opole University of Technology (OUT) is a leading for the current and future scientific progress and the economic technology school of higher education in Poland that focuses development of the world. on activities on the global level. The Opole University of Technology plays a significant role in the development The University of Opole is engaged in foreign co-operation of international co-operation within the Polish institutions of in many fields on the basis of contracts and agreements made higher education. with countries of Europe, Asia and America. International research programs are implemented and international scientific The OUT’s partnerships include co-operation with the journals are edited. The scope of the co-operation includes EU institutions more than 100 bilateral agreements), USA, China, research & development issues, internships and doctoral studies, research scholarships, language courses and student India, Malaysia, Morocco, Russia or Ukraine. exchange under bilateral agreements.

The OUT co-operates with universities and other schools of higher education, councils, congresses, research centres and Since 1998, University participates in the international Erasmus institutes, companies, associations and chambers of commerce. programme, under which is being carried out an exchange The aim and task of the OUT is to facilitate and improve of students and employees. This EU programme allows the the international co-operation of Polish schools of higher students to complete part of their studies or internships abroad education in accordance with the effective Polish strategy and to broaden their knowledge, gain new experience and learn the culture of other countries. of internationalisation of higher education.

The university supports the development of international cooperation of the Polish engineering sector with institutions of higher education (co-operation between Poland and Portugal).

Thanks to the good co-operation between the OUT and the local government, ifm Ecolink opened the first International Research & Development Centre in Opole.

The developing foreign co-operation contributes to the internationalisation of the University, the extension of its educational offer and the increase in its innovative nature.

The key tasks performed by the University of Opole include the conduct of research at an international level and the dissemination and commercialisation of its results. Employees The university provides education to approx. 500 students from and students of university, including doctoral students, abroad every year and, thanks to the Erasmus exchange program obtain many grants and carry out domestic and international annually also educates approximately 150 students from research projects and programs in various fields, which are often interdisciplinary and provide an opportunity to establish every corner of the world.

The long-term co-operation between the Opole University of Technology, the City of Opole and the Science and Technology Park in Opole led to the opening of the first division of the Fraunhofer Institute in Poland.

The University of Opole is engaged in foreign co-operation in many fields on the basis of contracts and agreements made with countries of Europe, Asia and America.

Left: Opening first division of the Fraunhofer Institute in Opole.

Opole Municipality.

Investor Service Department. tel: 77 54 11 379 tel/fax: 77 45 11 861 economy@um.opole.pl www.investinopole.pl Outsourcing&More | July – August 2017

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INVESTMENTS Opole has attracted American capital for many years.

A number of American enterprises, including Polaris, Tower Automotive, Global Steering Systems or Animex, have their divisions here.

co-operation and exchange experience with scientists from other research centres.

of the region. The Opole centre is one of 200 institutes of this kind in the world, which form an international network with the head office Hanban (Office of Chinese Language Council International) based in Beijing. The management board of INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL Opole has attracted American capital for many years. A number Hanban consists of representatives of 12 commissions and of American enterprises, including Polaris, Tower Automotive, Global Steering Systems or Animex, have their divisions here. Therefore, our city offers a school and a kindergarten whose education profiles are certified by American standards.

The institution functioning within the structures of the Public Primary School no. 20 in Opole implements an American curriculum. It offers education to children of foreign employees; however, Polish children can attend it, too. The school was organised by the city in co-operation with an institution from Minneapolis, Minnesota, where the head office of Polaris Industries is located. Pupils attending the school acquire knowledge from American textbooks and teaching materials.

Subjects are taught by bilingual teachers, part of whom completed internships in the USA. Apart from that, a native speaker from the USA works with pupils.

In Opole, there are also bilingual classes with subjects in English, German or Spanish. A certified education profile in German is also under creation, with the American school being used as a model.

Because of the biggest AMERICAN LIBRARY number of persons Thanks to the ‘america@your library®’ programme, library representing the German minority offers a collection of materials in English that includes books in Poland, the addressed to the readers of every age. These are, among German consulate others, novels, comic books, photo albums, encyclopaedias, has been operating dictionaries, monographs, articles and speeches in the field of dynamically in Opole.

The Opole University of Technology (OUT) is a leading technology school of higher education in Poland that focuses on activities on the global level.

The Opole University of Technology plays a significant role in the development of international co-operation within the Polish institutions of higher education.

ministries of the Chinese government. Hanban is a non-profit organisation reporting to the Chinese Ministry of Education, whose mission is to disseminate the heritage of Chinese culture and language. Its establishment was a response to the growing interest in learning Chinese around the world. Today the number of foreigners learning Chinese is estimated at 25 million and continues to grow.

history, culture, geography, politics, sociology and literature of the United States. There is also an attractive opportunity to play board games with an American motif in the background, such The Confucius Institute creates many possibilities of coas The Scrambled States of America or Marvel Comics Monopoly. operation. It was thanks to its existence that the Opole University of Technology signed a co-operation agreement The co-operation gave us also access to several online databases with Chongqing Jiaotong University (CJU) based in a city with of the eLibraryUSA, which contain articles from magazines, 32 million inhabitants a few years ago. Now, this co-operation e-books, encyclopaedias for children and adults, films and is bearing fruit in the form of a transport project entitled the various English learning materials (including materials for New Silk Route, under which partners from the Middle Kingdom teachers). The databases are addressed to learners from various want to resurrect the legendary route connecting their state age groups. Materials for children contain simple lessons with Europe mainly on the basis of rail transport. and games. Databases for young people present knowledge from various fields of science in a lucid manner. Students and “One Belt One Road” is a strategic project of the Chinese the academic staff will have access to full-text articles and government. Its aim is to create a transcontinental railway research papers. line between China and Western Europe, which will guarantee a very fast transfer of goods between Europe and Asia.

CONFUCIUS INSTITUTE CONSULATES

Consulates play an important role in building the prestige and international image of the city. At the moment, there are two consulates in Opole: the Consulate of the Federal Republic of Germany and the Consulate of Croatia. Strategic actions are currently being undertaken with the aim of establishing new consulates in Opole. The establishment of the consulate of Ukraine in our city is also under way.

Consulate of the Federal Republic of Germany. Because of the biggest number of persons representing the German minority in Poland, the German consulate has been operating dynamically in Opole. It organises, among others, regular meetings for German companies operating in the Opole Region and supports German entrepreneurs and citizens in their daily functioning in Opole.

Above: Confucius Institute.

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The Polish-Chinese Co-operation Centre – the Confucius Institute is a public benefit institution whose mission is to promote Chinese language and culture. The Institute acts not only for the benefit of universities, but also the entire community

Consulate of the Republic of Croatia. This institution contributes to the intensification of economic and cultural relations with the Republic of Croatia. • Outsourcing&More | July – August 2017

News, Articles, Reports

www.outsourcingportal.eu

INVESTMENTS

Poznań international partners Poznań is an open city. Poznań openness is also understood as international cooperation.

Diverse forms of this cooperation comprise institutional contacts: with embassies and consulate offices, cooperation with twin cities and bilateral economic chambers. Openness means also informal activities, such as watching positive examples of policy adopted by local government authorities abroad and following them. The Poznań city authorities and is inhabitants get their inspiration from Copenhagen, Amsterdam or Vienna, and at the same time share their experience to other cities – such as Kharkov or Kutaisi.

One of the most frequently chosen form of meetings of economic chambers are visits in the headquarter of the given company, during which such a company has the occasion to present its operation and the adopted solutions.

For the City of Poznań cooperation with twin cities is not an objective as such and is of a continuous nature.

At present Poznań has 13 twin cities from abroad and one twin county. These are as follows: Assen (Holland), Brno (the Czech Republic), Kharkov (Ukraine), Győr (Hungary), Hannover (Germany), county of Nottingham Shire (Great Britain), Jyväskylä (Finland), Kutaisi (Georgia), Nablus (Palestine), Pozuelo de Alarcon (Spain), Ra'anana (Israel), Rennes (France), Shenzen (China), Toledo (United States).

Investor Relations Department City of Poznań 17 Kolegiacki square 61-841 Poznań p: +48 61 878 54 28, inwestor@um.poznan.pl www.poznan.pl

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It is an interesting fact that cooperation of Poznań with twin cities tends to acquire increasingly frequently the form of multilateral contacts. This makes the exchange of experience, know-how and innovations more extensive and effective.

Participants of the Tour Salon 2016 Trade Fair of Regions and Tourist Products, which are held in Poznań, included representatives of Kharkov and Kutaisi.

Delegations of Assen, Kharkov, Győr, Kutaisi and Ra’anana were attending the commemorations of the 60th anniversary of the Poznań 1956 uprising. What is more, EXPERIENCE EXCHANGE PLATFORM last year in Poznań also celebrations of Last year we were celebrating the the 25th anniversary of the establishment 50th anniversary of cooperation with of the Local Government Weimar Triangle, Brno. Half a century of mutual contacts i.e. a mechanism of Polish-Frenchnot only allowed cooperation of local German intergovernmental consultations government authorities, but also of took place. The participants included municipal institutions, such as schools, representatives of Rennes, Hannover and libraries, associations and culture entities. the Brittany Region.

BIGGEST NUMBER OF CONSULAR POSTS

Poznań may be proud of having the largest number of honorary consulates in Poland. There are currently as many as 32 of them in the capital city of the Wielkopolska Region, one of which is a General Consulate (Russian Federation).

Eight other cities are comprised by Poznań by its jurisdiction.

The number of consular posts proves the potential offered by Poznań as a regional centre. Various countries notice and appreciate growing potential of the capital city of the Wielkopolska Region in the sphere of economic cooperation, trade exchange, and consider Poznań as a city with enormous academic potential (almost 120,000 students, including almost 5,000 students from abroad), as well as a cultural, sport and recreation potential. Consulates that are most active Outsourcing&More | July – August 2017

INVESTMENTS Left: Mayor of the City of Poznań, Jacek Jaśkowiak talking to Mayor of the City of Kiev, Vitali Klitschko.

in their operation in Poznań and which are The Investor Relations Department are worthy of being distinguished in the of the City of Poznań is cooperating first place include: the Honorary Consulate with commercial chambers acting as of the Czech Republic, the Honorary intermediaries in international contacts Consulate of Great Britain, the Honorary including with the British-Polish Chamber Consulate of the Federal Republic of of Commerce BPCC, the NetherlandsGermany, the Honorary Consulate of the Polish Chamber of Commerce NPCC, French Republic, the Honorary Consulate Polish-German Economic Circle DWK, the of Ireland, the Honorary Consulate of the Polish-German Chamber of Commerce United Mexican States, the Honorary and Industry AHK, Scandinavian-Polish Consulate of Ukraine or the Honorary Chamber of Commerce, Belgian Business Consulate of the Russian Federation.

Chamber and the French-Polish Chamber of Commerce. Each of those institutions The consuls become involved in handles the organisation of valuable ceremonies of a historical and patriotic events for business representatives from nature, as well as in other events, which all over the country, local government are being organised by the authorities authorities and business environment of Poznań. What is more, the consuls institutions. Events organised by the also directly promote the culture and chambers are a platform for exchanging history of countries they represent, and experience and contacts and a place for initiate and organise for this purpose networking as well. numerous events of a cultural and scientific nature. For example, there are Commercial chambers in Poznań are cyclical Days of Brittany or celebrations of operating effectively, associate their members and allow them to get to the St. Patrick’s day. know each other better. Members of International cooperation also involve such chambers have admitted that those regular visits of the Ambassadors, membership in the initial stage of their who are guests of the city authorities. activity provides them with support, and Only last month a few of such visits took mutual contacts generate vast knowplace, among others the Ambassador of how base.

Sweden or the Ambassador of Vietnam.

One of the most frequently chosen form ENHANCING PATHS FOR BUSINESS of meetings of economic chambers are International business contacts between visits in the headquarter of the given Poznań and abroad are supported by the company, during which such a company presence of bilateral economic chambers. has the occasion to present its operation Outsourcing&More | July – August 2017

and the adopted solutions. On the other hand, for the City of Poznań such meetings provide an occasion to become acquainted with needs presented by the investors and to talk about finding solutions to problems encountered by them.

– The project called “It is worth learning Poznań may be German in Poznań”, during which we proud of having convince pupils and teachers of the the largest number of honorary consulates importance of knowing that language in in Poland. There are further professional career, takes place in currently as many cooperation with persons from the Polish- as 32 of them in the German chambers. We have implemented capital city of the Wielkopolska Region, this project in response to the demand for one of which is employees speaking German reported by a General Consulate investors. Within the project we visit schools (Russian Federation). and promote German during educational Eight other cities fairs. In these actions we always gain are comprised by Poznań by assistance of persons involved in Polish- its jurisdiction.

German chambers or associations – says Marcin Przyłębski, Head of the Investor Relations Department of the City of Poznań.

Cooperation of the City Hall with chambers is also being implemented by participation in study visits and economic missions. In such way in the past few years representatives of the municipal authorities were able to promote the investment potential of the Wielkopolska Region in such distant countries, as India or China, which nevertheless offer great perspectives in the context of economic cooperation. •

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INVESTMENTS

The world in Szczecin – the space for common energy Szczecin, located in the Oder River estuary, is the largest city of the Polish-German borderlands and one of the largest cities of the South Baltic Sea basin. The city, with its population exceeding 407 thousand, is sometimes called the Paris of the North. It is home to the Headquarters of Multinational Corps Northeast (MNC NE), with officers from 25 countries.

Szczecin boasts a longest-standing urban partnership with the Hanseatic city of Rostock.

Urząd Miasta Szczecin Plac Armii Krajowej 1 70-456 Szczecin P: (+48 91) 4351164 fax (+48 91) 4351165 www.invest.szczecin.eu

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A thorough analysis of the specific layers of Szczecin’s palimpsest reveals fascinating international elements.

Szczecin is a metropolis with a long and diversified demographic history. Now it belongs to Poland, but for centuries, it has been culturally different, and governed by a number of states.

international system of interconnections.

The economy and the labour market, demographic phenomena and migrations, education and the development opportunities for young people, tourism, sports and recreation, natural environment conditions, spatial planning, culture, transport and communication, social issues, safety and information Here have we a continuing cultural and promotion impact one another history and traditions of Denmark, to a varying extent.

Sweden, France, Germany and Poland.

The reality of the borderland, where Szczecin boasts its role as the dynamic most domains of cooperation exceed city in the Polish-German borderland administrative borders, industry division with a multicultural history. Indeed, the and professional specialisations and remnant Jewish and French communities combine various active communities, function in the city as a remainder contributes to the interdisciplinary nature of the Napoleonic period in its history, of planning cross-border cooperation. and do so with other numerous ethnic This green city by the water attracts minorities such as Belarussian and extraordinary personalities and unique Ukrainian. The city is also home to Copts, projects. One of them is undoubtedly Greeks, Syrians, Iranians, Indians, Lemkos the Szczecin Philharmonic, which, after being recognised in the community of and others. architects, has become the showcase The contemporary situation of the of the new Szczecin, not only in borderland, the diverse phenomena, Europe but also on other continents. processes and challenges, the many The structure, thanks to its unique, aspects of the life and activity of its extremely modern design, has become residents, and also the politics and a new icon of the city, in 2014 and the responsibilities of the varied 2015 awarded with major architectural administration bodies, have a trans- awards, including the Mies Van der border dimension, creating a sort of an Rohe Award.

This year the Breakthroughs Dialogue Centre was created, and won the European Prize for Urban Public Space.

The structure, with its excellent design, including the underground, reveals the unknown aspects of the newest history of the city. Other major monuments of Szczecin are reminders of the various stages of our turbulent history.

Since 2006, the city has also cooperated with Sail Training International. This year, the tall ships from around the world will, once more, make “The Friendly Harbour” their port of call.

The city is certainly wide-open to making contact with potential partners from Poland and abroad in order to implement projects co-funded with EU or external funds. Szczecin boasts a longest-standing urban partnership with the Hanseatic city of Rostock. In autumn 2017, the cities will celebrate the 60th anniversary of their cooperation. The German partnerships also include such cities as Greifswald (university cooperation), Berlin-Kreuzberg, Lübeck and Bremerhaven (cooperation in the field of sailing tourism).

Other partner cities include Bari (cooperation in the domain of culture and education and between universities), Outsourcing&More | July – August 2017

INVESTMENTS Dnieper (cooperation in the field of culture), Jinan (cooperation in the domain of culture), Kingston upon Hull (economic and cultural cooperation), Klaipeda (economic cooperation and sailing tourism), Malmö (economic cooperation), Murmansk, Esbjerg (economic and community cooperation), as well as Budapest (Csepel, the 21.

District). Cooperation between partner cities consists of implementing joint projects through the direct involvement of the city office or its subordinate cultural, educational and sports institutions and establishments, mutual visits for establishing and tightening friendly relationships between partners, participation in events and celebrations of importance for the specific city.

of cooperation between Poland and Scandinavia. Discussions on the newest trends in the renewable energy sector, about the environmentally friendly economy (ecology) or related to the development of smart cities are accompanied by highest-ranking experts from Poland and Scandinavia.

Polish-German Days, similarly to Scandinavian Days, is comprised of meetings between entrepreneurs within a cooperation exchange forum and within thematic panels. Such an event has facilitated direct contact between entrepreneurs and organisation on both sides of the border, and it has made it possible to strengthen the cooperation. Next to the Northern Chamber of Commerce (the largest in This year, the meeting with the West Pomerania), the first German-Polish representatives of partner cities will House of Commerce was opened in take place during the finals of the Tall October 2000. The “House of Commerce” Ships Races 2017. The city also maintains project has been implemented by the constant contact with the Polish Chamber of Industry and Commerce diaspora communities and organisations Neubrandenburg for the Eastern and with diplomatic posts, higher Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania region, education institutions implementing and it functions as a bridge between exchange projects, cultural organisations, Poland and Germany, while contributing religious communities and NGOs. to a reduction in unemployment on both sides of the border.

The city features 16 consulates of the following states: the United Kingdom, Active international cooperation is, Cyprus, Bosnia and Herzegovina, moreover, seen in Szczecin’s institutions Germany, Estonia, Denmark, Sweden, of higher education. Each of these has Slovakia, Ukraine, Lithuania, Russia, an extensive network of international Norway, Mexico, the Czech Republic contacts and scientific and research and Kazakhstan, to which Szczecin’s and international co-ventures. For residents are honorary consuls. Szczecin instance, the University of Szczecin has is also where the Consular Agency of signed 476 agreements with approx.

200 higher education institutions France is based. under the Erasmus+ programme (an In cooperation with the provincial EU programme in the field of education, authorities, the undertakings of key training, youth and sport for 2014importance for the development of 2020) and has had 12 partners from the the city and the region are promoted partnership countries (outside the EU). in EU institutions and the international Approx. 60 bilateral agreements were organisations forum. The city hosts signed as a basis for project preparation. international conferences, seminars, University students, graduates and events, study visits, etc. In June, the employees can also benefit from student 5 th International Maritime Congress mobility studies (SMS) and practice was concluded. Contacts are also being placements abroad in enterprises, developed with partner cities and organisations or institutions operating regions through participation in various in other countries participating in international projects and events. The city the programme. of Szczecin and the Westpomeranian Region certainly have made their Furthermore, the Pomeranian Medical presence felt among many international University in Szczecin, with its Englishorganisations, i.e. the Network of language programme, is recognized European Metropolitan Regions and for its cooperation with renowned Areas (METREX), through joint efforts in universities in the EU and beyond. actively lobbying for the region.

The Faculty of Medicine collaborates with Spanish universities in Malaga, Navarre Since 2013, the event named and Valencia, and also with the Vilnius “Scandinavian Days” has been organised University, German higher education in close cooperation with the embassies institutions from Greifswald and Leipzig, of several Scandinavian countries, the Swedish Linkőping University partner cities and the Scandinavian- and the Italian University of Bari. PhD Polish Chamber of Commerce. The event students and employees of the Faculty of has been noted as a successful platform Medicine and Dentistry cooperate with Outsourcing&More | July – August 2017

Belgian and Italian universities, and the Faculty of Medicine, Biotechnology and Laboratory Medicine collaborates with Hochschule Hamm-Lippstadt and the Norwegian Inland Norway University of Applied Sciences.

Above: Szczecin Philharmonic.

Beyond the aforementioned, the Maritime University of Szczecin is involved in numerous high caliber international agreements, including that of scientific and educational cooperation, including, i.a., conducting maritime courses by trainers from Maritime University of Szczecin in Baku, the exchange of students and professionals under the ERASMUS+ and other programmes, and the implementation of numerous scientific and research and international projects, such as the Interreg V South Baltic Programme and Horizon 2020. Moreover, the Maritime University of Szczecin has collaborated and maintained numerous contacts with higher education institutions in the following countries: Azerbaijan, Italy, the United Kingdom, Norway, China, Germany, Latvia, Sweden, Spain, Croatia, Belgium, Estonia, Greece, Bulgaria, Finland, Georgia, Lithuania, Portugal, Russia, Slovenia and Turkey.

The West Pomeranian University of Technology in Szczecin has, as well, extensive contacts and cooperative partners. Each year, the university has participated in educational fairs organised in Germany in Frankfurt (Oder), Berlin, Hamburg and Rostock.

Furthermore, the university takes part in academic fairs in Ukraine and Belarus, and its employees organise meetings in Ukrainian secondary schools. The university maintains bilateral contacts with student-recruiting agents.

The strategic location, easy access to the Baltic Sea, convenient transport connections with the rest of Europe and environmental qualities of Szczecin make it a particularly attractive place for tourists from around the world. The city kindly invites everyone to this year’s Tall Ships Races 2017, to be held on 5-8 August. •

The city features 16 consulates of the following states: the United Kingdom, Cyprus, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Germany, Estonia, Denmark, Sweden, Slovakia, Ukraine, Lithuania, Russia, Norway, Mexico, the Czech Republic and Kazakhstan, to which Szczecin’s residents are honorary consuls.

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INVESTMENTS

Łódź – Open to the World Łódź has gained momentum for good. At present, we see the rising city of entirely new possibilities, open to initiatives and development. Focused on modern industries, it is becoming once again the "promised land" for businessmen and an attractive place for students and tourists. The city attracts investors with its good location, low costs of business activity, and qualified staff.

Among all sister cities, the most intensive form of co-operation is presently conducted between Łódź and certain Chinese cities: Canton, Chengdu, and Tianjin. which is a unit of the at the City of Łódź Office, is devoted to economic promotion of the city which is conducted, among others, by regular participation at international fair, presence in business A number of companies have established magazines, the organisation of own their branches and launched production, events, co-operation with institutions of intending to expand further. Thanks higher education, and regular contacts to the newly defined identity (which and initiatives with 20 sister cities of Łódź. emerged after the collapse of a leading textile industry), the promotion of THE NEW "SILK ROAD" coherent development strategies, Among all sister cities, the most intensive and a well-thought-out promotion form of co-operation is presently concept, the perception of Łódź on the conducted between Łódź and certain economic map of Poland and Europe is Chinese cities: Canton, Chengdu, and Tianjin. Canton is the third largest improving continuously. industrial and scientific centre in China, A significant part of the Investor Service whereas Łódź is the only city in Poland and International Cooperation Bureau, that has become one of its sister cities.

PARTNERS ARE WELCOME HERE

Foreign entrepreneurs have invested hundreds of million of dollars during the last decades.

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The contacts between Łódź and Canton began to intensify in 2010 during an investment mission organised by the Invest in Poland (PAIiIZ) which was participated by the representatives of the City of Łódź Office. Relations were established with consular services in Canton which support the City of Łódź in promoting its pro-investment nature.

Co-operation with Chengdu is also based on the exchange of IT technologies, new cultural energy, and academic contacts. Cultural institutions located in Chengdu have established cooperation with certain establishments in Łódź, focusing on similar project, with particular attention to festivals and cultural offer. In 2013, after more than Outsourcing&More | July – August 2017

INVESTMENTS

The sister cities of Łódź: TAMPERE (FINLAND)

KALININGRAD

IWANOWO

(RUSSIA)

(RUSSIA)

OREBRO

VILNIUS

(SWEDEN)

(LITHUANIA)

CHEMNITZ

(GERMANY)

MINSK

STUTTGARD

(BELORUSSIA)

(GERMANY)

LVIV

(UKRAINE)

BARREIRO

ODESSA

(PORTUGAL)

(UKRAINE)

MURCIA

RUSTAWI

(SPAIN)

TEL AWIW

LYON

(GEORGIA)

(ISRAEL)

(FRANCE)

SZEGED (HUNGARY)

TIAN JIN (CHINA)

CANTON

(CHINA)

PUEBLA

(MEXICO)

CHENGDU (CHINA)

2 years of preparation, regular rail freight transport was established, leading from south-western China to Łódź. This was henceforth called the "New Silk Road".

As a result, Łódź has become a distinctive centre that is able to take part in the development of economic contacts between Poland and the European Union.

Outsourcing&More | July – August 2017

Co-operation with Tianjin is multilateral, starting from economy, trade, along with cultural, educational, and sport exchange.

The authorities of both cities are on friendly terms, they initiate meetings and economic missions on a mutual basis.

Co-operation with Chinese partners is a top priority of the City of Łódź.

A CITY IN THE MIDDLE OF EUROPE

The City of Łódź has also managed to establish fruitful co-operation with many European countries. Take Lyon – last year, we have celebrated the 25 th anniversary of our co-operation. At the beginning of our mutual contacts, the City of Łódź, trying to build their local

57

INVESTMENTS

In 2013, after more than 2 years of preparation, regular rail freight transport was established, leading from south-western China to Łódź. This was henceforth called the "New Silk Road".

government, has received significant support from Lyon in the form of numerous trainings as well as organisational and legal assistance in financial economics, the organisation of city administration bodies, land and property management, implementation of IT systems in offices, and communication strategies. Lyon has also organised traineeships and conducted expert training missions in urban technologies and land management.

This exchange, along with organisational and substantive support, also covered certain areas of social life, such as legal profession, tax chambers, hospitals, courts, energy plants. As for Stuttgart, the partnership co-operation agreement was signed in 1988. This step laid the cornerstone for co-operation in cultural and scientific exchange as regards environmental protection, healthcare, the protection of monuments, economy, and trade.

Investor Service and International Cooperation Bureau Piotrkowska 104a Str 90-926 Lodz p: +48 42 638 59 39 fax: +48 42 638 59 40 e-mail: boi@uml.lodz.pl

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Meetings, seminars, and festivals that are organised in the City of Łódź or sister cities constitute a great plane for maintaining and strengthening cooperation. Many of them took place in Łódź, e.g.: The 3rd Poland-China Regional Forum In 2015, more than 500 entrepreneurs and local government representatives came to Łódź to take part in the 3rd Poland-China Regional Forum. Discussions and panels were accompanied by talks on economic, scientific, and cultural exchange. Co-operation agreements were concluded. Moreover,

officials signed documents which allow for student exchange between Polish universities and institutions of higher education in the Henan province, which is also of significant meaning to the University of Łódź and the City as a whole – the latter has already developed a close co-operation with Chengdu. During the forum, the Chinese opened their office and official agency in Łódź.

The 3rd Forum of Sister Cities The 3rd Forum of Sister Cities took place between 9 and 10 September 2015.

The event was devoted to revitalisation.

Guests from Lyon, Stuttgart, Szeged, and Tampere shared their experience in revitalisation and revival of city centres.

The participants had an opportunity to take part in the Congress of Polish Urbanism "Return to the Centre" organised by the Polish Town Planners (TUP). On this occasion, specialists all across Europe shared their experiences in spatial planning and revitalisation.

They also explored Łódź and familiarized themselves with the efforts undertaken by Łódź towards an opportunity to organise EXPO 2022. Diplomats from France and Finland expressed their support to our candidacy.

Europe-Ukraine Forum During the three-day event, Łódź was visited by 400 participants from Ukraine, the EU, Russia, neighbouring countries, and the USA, among whom there were the representatives of governments, politics, business, local governments, international organisations, and analytical centres. Meetings were set up with

the representatives of the European Commission and the European Parliament, ministers, members of parliaments, the representatives of international organisations, major companies, and experts.

CO-OPERATION WITH INSTITUTIONS

The City of Łódź promotes and actively supports co-operation with foreign institutions of higher education, which is mainly organised by the following institutions: University of Łódź, Łódź University of Technology, art schools – The Łódź Film School (PWSFTviT), The Strzemiński Academy of Art Łódź (ASP), and the Academy of Music. Łódź is eager to establish co-operation with commerce and economic chambers that are incorporated in Warsaw. Łódź cooperates on a regular basis with, among others, AmCham – the American Chamber of Commerce in Poland, JETRO – Japan External Trade Organization, the Union of Employers Shokokai, French Chamber of Commerce and Industry in Poland, Italian Chamber of Commerce and Industry in Poland. In Łódź, there is also the British Consulate and 13 honorary consuls from, among others, Austria, Belgium, Hungary, the Kingdom of Denmark, the Czech Republic, Germany, France, Ukraine.

Today's Łódź is a dynamic city with perspective and vision for the future, with a broad offer in terms of business and culture which focuses on modern industries and creative people. OPEN TO THE WORLD. • Outsourcing&More | July – August 2017

INVESTMENTS

Częstochowa – Special… art zone Though industry and economy have always been connected with one another, connecting them with art is not necessarily obvious to everyone. Connection of street art with economic promotion is even more unobvious. However, Częstochowa proves again that it is a city of open minded people and it willingly takes challenges. This time it astonishes the world with innovative project aimed at promotion of Special Economic Zones – artistic project.

WHAT ARE SPECIAL ECONOMIC ZONES?

Most general, Special Economic Zones are distinguished areas where investors, having obtained permit, may carry-out business activity obtaining aid in form of income tax exemption. Special Economic Zones are established under the Resolution of the Council of Ministers, and their purpose is to accelerate the development of regions encouraging investments, developing export, and preventing unemployment increase.

Zones operate under the Act of 20th October 1994 and even though originally they have been established for 20 years, they still function and it will continue until 2026. In Częstochowa the zones became impetuous only after 2014 when over 70 ha of land was granted the status of the Special Economic Zones.

ZONES IN CZĘSTOCHOWA Special Economic There are three areas granted the status Zones are of Special Economic Zone in the city. distinguished areas where investors, It is not the only exception though. An having obtained extraordinary event was concluding permit, may carry-out a tripartite cooperation agreement in business activity June 2014 between Special Economic obtaining aid in form of income tax Zone EURO-PARK MIELEC, Katowice exemption. Special Economic Zone, and the city of

Częstochowa. Directors of the zones and the mayor Krzysztof Matyjaszczyk concluded agreement which assumes cooperation when creating conditions for investments in the city and establishment of a new working team, whose task will be to support the city in promotion of investment areas. Euro-Park Mielec is the oldest zone in Poland, and it can be stated that everything began there.

The Katowice Special Economic Zone is the zone with best financial results

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Above: Mayor Krzysztof Matyjaszczyk, promotor of the project Jan Sętowski and SEIKON against the background of installation by SEIKON. IRON OXIDE 2017 (foto: A. Mielczarek).

in Europe, which is also amongst the leading zones in the world.

Local government is very aware that without qualified employees no investment can be successful. That is why, secondary education is being INVESTMENT AREAS AND HUMAN RESOURCES adjusted to demands of the employment In 2014 the city created a new brand market. New fields of education are to promote its investment areas and aid created in agreement with business programmes for entrepreneurs. Ever since, partners of school establishments. all events and promotional actions have Better qualifications mean better been promoted by the slogan “Invest in payment, that is why local government Częstochowa”. At present, significant part introduces tax credits which promote of areas in the Special Economic Zone is socially responsible employers, appoints already sold so one could wonder what representative supporting employees, grants certificates “Better Work”, and else is there to promote?

Outsourcing&More | July – August 2017

INVESTMENTS Agency – the company dealing with recruitment of specialist and managers.

FESTIVAL IN ZONES

Last year, first edition of most innovative art festival in the history of the city, which promoted investment areas at the same time, was held. Iron Oxide Festival took the name for a reason from the world of…iron and steel as it took place on the areas which previously belonged to the mill, and the name was compliant with the nature of the festival.

Above: Tomasz Górnicki working during IRON OXIDE 2016 (foto A. Mielczarek).

Between the poles of energetic overpass between Bojemskiego and Korfantego Streets, on the areas of the Special Economic Zone “Euro-Park” Mielec, steel and sheet structures were placed, size 750 cm x 375 cm. Three incredible artistic installations were constructed there. Two of them are paintings, and one is a sculpture. In 2016 Częstochowa was visited by the sculptor Tomasz Górnicki and probably most enigmatic Polish creator of Street art – Simpson. Third workpiece, which was created, was the result of work of Częstochowa team Monstfur. Each piece of work relates to industrial and business nature of the its creation.

intrigue to Częstochowa government, which is famous in the country of its controversial acts, let’s just mention subsidy for in vitro, or – in the investment sector – real estate tax exemption for developers who build modern office spaces. Modern solutions are also applied CZĘSTOCHOWA MONSTFUR Therefore, if you see the logo “Invest in in pro-family actions helping young Częstochowa group MONSTFUR is the Częstochowa”, you may be assured that coorganizer of Iron Oxide. Collective, as it is promotion of the city as an attractive they call themselves, is a living organism location not only for investing but also for in the field of art, which feeds with leftovers of the past era and products living, educating and working. of pop culture. They create their art on rusted metal sheets, old information WHY STREET ART? boards, or walls. Works of collective This type of art is a “borderland” can be seen on prestigious fairs, such phenomenon. It may be compared to as Stroke Art Fair in Munich, where a naughty teenager, who broke away their works are presented next to such from his conservative parents’ and figures as Banks. In 2015, Monstfur was decided to be himself, which sometimes awarded with Grand Prix prize in the involves balancing on the boarder contest Stencil Art Prize organized by of legality. It is a message with such energy that it cannot be put into known Ambush Gallery in Sydney. Works of the frameworks or patterns that is why it Collective were presented on individual goes…to the streets. Artists usually and collective exhibitions in Berlin, Paris, have nicknames and are connected Stockholm, Sydney, or Warsaw. They with cities in which they create. Street are also presented in post important Art, regardless of difficult beginnings, is museum collections in Poland (e.g. more appreciated as the strength of its Silesian Museum in Katowice). message is large, and artistic values are often extraordinary. Artists of this stream often place their art in a very unrealistic surrounding, pushing obser vers people to return to work co-financing to have a moment of reflection. Such baby sitters. manner of creation often means that works of art are not permanent being The city itself also goes beyond placed illegally, removed by cleaning frameworks. It does not only want to be services or thieves. With time, Street perceived as the place of a one day tourist Art has emerged from the underworld trip or “starting point” to the Cracowand is now acknowledged form of Częstochowa Upland. It is becoming a better place to live , study, and work. artistic expression.

The starting position of the city is worse CZĘSTOCHOWA SAYS YES than larger Polish cities, however in 2016, The stream is so dynamic and strong in Częstochowa was ranked as one of the its message that it also appeared to be attractive cities for relocation by the Antal

regulates access to municipal tax credits – now, only those companies which offer their employees 150% of minimum salary and employ at least 80% of their staff under employment contract can apply for real estate tax exemption.

In 2014 the city created a new brand to promote its investment areas and aid programmes for entrepreneurs. Ever since, all events and promotional actions have been promoted by the slogan “Invest in Częstochowa.

Outsourcing&More | July – August 2017

Only those companies which offer their employees 150% of minimum salary and employ at least 80% of their staff under employment contract can apply for real estate tax exemption.

Below: Picture by Free Market Simpson – Iron Oxide 2016 (photo: Łukasz Stacherczak).

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INVESTMENTS

WHAT DOES THE OWNER HAS TO SAY ABOUT IT?

Above and below: Art of the collective Monstfur (photo Monstfur).

The owner of the ground for art is ELSEN S.A. Elsen is a local energetic company strongly related to its partners – clients located in industrial part of Częstochowa.

The company is open to novelties and willingly supports interesting initiatives, constantly expands its offer to find a place on a market dominated by giants of this industry. Thanks to the fact that the company feels locally bound, it was not difficult to convince managing bodies to participate in such undertaking as Iron Oxide Street Art Festival.

IRON OXIDE 2017

Iron Oxide Festival is an event without precedent both in the world of art as well as in the manner of promoting investment areas. Last year installations, as promised by artists, were only the beginning of a large European project.

Investor Service Center Department of European Funds and Development City Hall of Częstochowa ul. Waszyngtona 5 42-217 Częstochowa phone +48 34 3707 212

During this year’s edition of the festival, famous European artists appeared in Czestochowa: Czarnobyl and Seikon.

Works of artists were accompanied this year by two investors (Staltim and X-kom), who decided to carry-out activities within this area, and raw works even better fitted into industrial landscape.

The festival lasted from 23rd May and was the summary of European artistic tourney IRON OXIDE. The tourney covered such cities as Amsterdam, Berlin, and Paris, and their works were not left without an echo in Europe. Last stop was Częstochowa – city, which decided to use this untamed art of young artists to promote its attractive investment areas.

Below: Picture of Czarnobyl – IRON OXIDE 2017 (photo A. Mielczarek).

Investor Assistance Centre Artists supported by Częstochowa phone +48 34 3707 213 while promoting its potential are coi@czestochowa. more and more known not only in the um.gov.pl world of art. It is enough to mention fer@czestochowa. that Monstfur in cooperation with um.gov.pl Tomasz Górnicki created unique interior www.czestochowa.pl Author: of in the one Warsaw restaurants of Anna Mielczarek. Mateusz Gessler…•

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Outsourcing&More | July – August 2017

CAREER & DEVELOPMENT

6 steps to effective communication – a quick summary of the half-year It was not until 1937 when the eight-hour workday was legally validated in the United States. The factories were already working 24 hours a day. However, the workday of an average worker lasted eighteen hours for six days a week, and no one had anything to say.

Research by the Gallup Institute indicates that if you have a happy friend, your personal happiness increases by 15%. If this person also has a happy friend, then you will gain an extra 10%.

Six months of the consecutive year just passed. With his beginning I wrote about being silent in the organization. In the next column it was about the execution of tasks by setting preventive, which is avoiding threats and promotional – it is more aspiring to challenges. In the last number O&M it was about passion and the self-assessment. Relation between these two is effectively conditioning satisfaction, the commitment and building the personal balance between the private life and professional. So, this is the time for a little summary.

Some people are doing the annual summary in March – along with the end of the fiscal year. However, according to custom we are doing them in December, yeah can be with the small delay in the New Year’s Eve promising yourself, that this time will be better.

So from where comes the idea to do it in June? Only 8% of the society realizes its New Year's resolutions. What if we do a mid-term self and to implement new tools just now? Before you will be reading remember, how you began this year. I am putting the thesis, that largely of planned changes need the help of other people. Therefore, in next sentences will be about it, what is really essential – relations and how we are communicating with ourselves and with others.

LAST THURSDAY…

No, it isn't a memory test. So don't think, what you were doing then. When you are reading this, it is already after the event, which moved minds of many participants.

Work-life balance – so how to build and

We communicate with everyone, to everyone, always and everywhere. This is the most powerful tool that, if properly used, will be your ally in every area of your life. Is it easy? No.

Monika Reszko, Communication and internal relations expert, psychologist, executive coach.

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Outsourcing&More | July – August 2017

CAREER & DEVELOPMENT keep internal calmness, combining so many functions and roles, living in such a rapid pace. Over this topic, more than a hundred people bent over at the June’s conference in Gdansk. Conclusions encouraged me to a few reflections which hereby I am sharing.

Business conference, so chic and glamour included. However, everyone felt personally involved, because yes, this subject concerns all of us. From an ontological point of view it is possible to analyse causes, the legitimacy and effects of how the contemporary Homo sapiens lives. Let's assume that he has a job. He would like to have a family, and if he already has it, he would like to have more time for her. Observations, work experience and my own experiences point to the extraordinary effort put into daily maintenance of balance, joy and satisfaction. More and more companies are making this effort.

With different methods, the effectiveness of which I do not judge. From a business point of view, taking care of people is just paying off. We owe an eight-hour working day to the Industrial Revolution.

I always say that business is about money.

Money is made by people. People have their needs. In addition to sleep, they also need relationships. Research by the Gallup Institute indicates that if you have a happy friend, your personal happiness increases by 15%. If this person also has a happy friend, then you will gain an extra 10%. The methodology of these studies is not the most important now.

Let's continue. Why do we communicate at all?

Outsourcing&More | July – August 2017

spelling, the excess of the punctuation or the lack of it, and the unclear structure of Communication is the most important sentences in case of the correspondence, thing – we hear at every training. can lead to the irreparable damage in Even I keep saying this! We learn relations. Sounds serious? There are communication techniques; we train so many things to control and to think our skills. On countless training and about. How to deal with that? So where workshops, we learn new things about to start. effective interpersonal communication.

At that moment, these two words 1. Awareness of intent. Remember became a cliché. Everyone knows what the Polish classes and interpretation of it is like to use it, knows the methods, poems? For many of us it was one of the techniques, concepts, and what it is used most tedious activity. What the author for. But are you sure? had in mind? Exactly, go and guess, or invent something, because sometimes Communication is a process by which you had the impression that the author we meet the natural need for respect, himself did not know what he was recognition and belonging. We talk writing about. So you created something a lot. The question is why we are talking. and either you hit or fail.

It is not about answering, but about understanding what is being said to us. If you have already reached here, then But let's take one more step backwards. something must have interested you.

We are talking primarily to hear ourselves. Focus your attention. Be important That's why I ask you when was the last to you What was that? Why are you time you heard yourself. When was the reading anyway? Freeze-frame. last time you were in silence? Alone with yourself, without a radio, internet, or Yeah exactly, so many thoughts and television. If you will train such a practice which from them is intention? Intention your relations, peace and satisfaction will is deliberate aim, motive for action, willingness for desire. Here starts make a profit on the quality. communication. Intention is more We communicate with everyone, to than just a goal you want to achieve. everyone, always and everywhere. This is And coming back to how many words we the most powerful tool that, if properly say without much reflection on what we used, will be your ally in every area of do, or even hiding from ourselves or not your life. Is it easy? No. allowing ourselves to be aware of why do you even open your mouth. Solution?

Inappropriate gesture, badly selected Train the purpose of the conversation in word, pausing in the unfortunate the context of intent. What do you want moment, the odd facial expression in to achieve? What is your intention? Short situations face to face, the incorrect and long term. Perhaps you will reach TWO MONOLOGUES DO NOT MAKE DIALOGUE

Communication is a process by which we meet the natural need for respect, recognition and belonging.

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CAREER & DEVELOPMENT the goal during the interview, but will you keep the relationship? Relationships are most important to us. Social exclusion and rejection hurt the most. Also take care of yourself in the context of the relationship. Thought about the intent of the message, and then about the consequences of its form.

2. Responsibility. According to the basic communication scheme, the intent of the sender is transformed into a coded message that recipient decodes. When asked who is responsible for the communication, the receiver or sender I often hear that the sender. But this is just shifting responsibility. Because if you take part in the exchange of information, whatever it is, you are an adult. So, as a sender try to make the message readable and consistent with the intent.

As a receiver, you also have an intention.

In everyday life, at work, at home, in business or with friends, we rarely have time for such mental rebuses. That is why we often practice extremely inefficient "reading thoughts". Responsibility is when you are aware of who, with whom, when, and why you communicate.

Research by the Gallup Institute has indicated that only 20% of the workforce is really happy to start a new day of work.

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3. Question – Build self-reliance and train "brain usage." The question encourages to reflection, to look for solutions. Nobody likes being responsible for everything, but as my experience of working with clients shows, most of us have a hard time not to do it. This is related to the previous point of responsibility. Take responsibility, however, for what depends on you. Therefore, ask the people you

hire who you have in your team for do something well, or at least trying. ideas, solutions, suggestions. Create We return only to mindfulness, in which the conditions under which they will be you cannot overlook that you are not responsible for what they were employed infallible and sometimes you are really for and do not be afraid to say that they powerless and out of touch. are also paid for it.

6. Consequence – no need. The pleasure 4. Mindfulness – what was the last you feel when not everything is on sentence you said before reading this your shoulders is priceless. You can article? Humility and curiosity – this is the go home and trust that the rest is done. moment when you take a step backwards. However, the habit is stronger than You can of course stay at the previous a one-time development conversation. points and say: well, I did it right, they That is why the scheme is replicated have to be responsible and that’s all. But and it takes a great deal of discipline not you lose something valuable. Mindful of to fall into the omnipotence that takes what people do with the message, with away potential of others. Practice selfthe task. Does it make them happy, are awareness, trust, ask yourself and others, they satisfied? Are they curious about and watch the change. the result? If at those moments you are with them, you will be able to celebrate IF THE DROP WAS NOT VALID ... together after the task. Inadvertently … there would be no ocean. Research by you will give yourself a little more the Gallup Institute has indicated that satisfaction and fulfilment. only 20% of the workforce is really happy to start a new day of work. In previous 5. Trust – it should actually be at the columns, I encouraged others to develop beginning, which only proves feedback. the sense of being an important part of But let's continue. You can have all of the the whole and to build a sense of worth above, but if you do not have confidence in people. It will not be done by anyone then you will be back frustrated, tired, who does not have it at home. Of course embarrassed with the feeling that you do not have to do anything. This is you have to do everything by yourself. the good news. Holidays are coming.

Be a leader, not a micro-manager. Let them be rest and joy. For a half-year The micro-manager is such a creature summary of your arrangements take that "checks commas". They are of course yourself for dinner, lunch or breakfast very important. Like this sentence, which and ask yourself if you will be happy in should be for better understanding put December. And after the holidays I would up in the different way. But do I have your like to invite you to reflect on internal mindfulness? Have you finished reading? communication in the company and Confidence comes from the inner how to manage time, learn how to work conviction of competence, the ability to with your energy. •

Outsourcing&More | July – August 2017

CAREER & DEVELOPMENT

Onboarding, or about an action of integrating a new employee A continuous and rapid development of business service centres in Poland has triggered visible changes on the labour market. The number of persons employed within the BSS sector grows yearly, and is now close to 200 thousand people.

Employers and HR departments face increasing challenges as to how and where to get the most qualified employees with decent foreign language skills.

the company, employer, culture and organization. It is the time when they make a decision whether to identify with a given brand and pursue their career there or look for another employer.

The employee needs to feel they are an important part of the whole, and not just a minor and easily replaceable clockwork cog. There is another aspect of losing a newly employed person. It is not only a financial loss related to the need of reWhat then is the process of onboarding recruitment and re-adaptation of another and why is it so crucial in the process of candidate, but also a damage done gaining and maintaining professional, to company’s image, as such an employee qualified and engaged staff? will most probably not recommend this work and company to their friends.

Onboarding is an adaptation process of integrating new employees into Therefore, when the onboarding process organization so that they quickly achieve is well prepared and implemented, it a high efficiency level. The onboarding will result in greater loyalty as well as process should be implemented at engagement of the employee, which will a strategic, procedural and individual in turn have an effect on the efficiency levels. The new employee is introduced and the quality of work. into the company, and familiarized with the company’s culture, mission, The onboarding proceedings can be vision, manner of communication, planned internally or trusted to opportunities for development and tasks a specialized outsourced company, to be performed. It is equally important which will study the needs, challenges they get to know the team they will be and problems of our organization working with together with possible to design a detailed training plan. cultural differences, if the team includes The program will include areas such as internal communication, standards members of different nationalities. and procedures, mission and vision In fact, however, this part of the process is of the company, cultural differences, often reduced to the employee obtaining teambuilding, early talent detection a few or several documents about the and team leader training. The ability company, rules and safety regulations. As to manage this last group is one of the a result, the new employee, who has for key skills impacting decisions about the first time experienced an encounter changing jobs. It is quite truthful to say: with the working environment and the “Man comes to company, but leaves company, is rather lost, stressed and the boss”. disappointed instead of being excited and interested.

The onboarding process is a particular challenge in the BSS centres. The newly The studies claim that you need from 3 to 6 hired employees need to cope with months to adapt to a new environment, typical adaptation problems as well and this period is also crucial for the as their little identification with the employee to gain an impression about mother company. It is the main reason

The studies claim that you need from 3 to 6 months to adapt to a new environment, and this period is also crucial for the employee to gain an impression about the company, employer, culture and organization.

Much emphasis is placed on the recruitment process, while the second stage, i.e. the onboarding strategy is still quite neglected within organizations.

As a result, this leads to a continuous employee turnover, which, instead of reducing the recruitment needs of the company, expands these demands and costs at the same time. It seems to be a vicious circle.

Outsourcing&More | July – August 2017

The onboarding process is a particular challenge in the BSS centres. The newly hired employees need to cope with typical adaptation problems as well as their little identification with the mother company.

the centres with a high rate of employee turnover should especially be concerned about their well-being from the start, providing support and a sense of security.

Considering data and forecasts regarding the growing number of BSS’s in Poland, and the repeatability of processes, the key to maintain a qualified, loyal and engaged specialist could be a well implemented onboarding process. It is equally grave how the employees feel in our company during these first honeymoon months. •

Małgorzata Polzenius, Managing Director Hutchinson Institute / BSS Partners

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CAREER & DEVELOPMENT

HOME LAND RECRUITMENT Interview with Anna Kurczewska-Formela, Recruitment Director at LeasingTeam Professional.

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“Candidates sometimes make mistakes. Most often, they overestimate their qualifications, particularly language skills, know little of the company they apply to, speak ill of their previous employers and fail to appear at a scheduled meeting or to inform the recruiter about abandoning the process“

Outsourcing&More | July – August 2017

CAREER & DEVELOPMENT

Outsourcing&More: It’s natural to refer to HR outsourcing when talking about recruitment of employees by an HR company. Yet today, let’s reverse the pattern and focus on how you – one of the largest HR companies in Poland – engage in internal recruitment. Does it differ from recruitment performed for a client? Does it present a greater challenge or is it perhaps much easier?

Anna Kurczewska-Formela: We are aware that the high quality of our services directly relates to the level of knowledge and experience of our employees. For that matter, we are equally engaged in internal and external recruitment processes and adopt similar methods of recruitment and competence verification.

Recruitment of employees for internal purposes is certainly easier – as in our case – when a company is one of the leaders in HR consulting. Our brand attracts candidates who prefer to establish a longer relationship with a company. The situation looks different when acquiring candidates for a client. To get applicants engaged in a recruitment process undertaken by a company whose name we most often cannot initially reveal requires that we employ our advanced sales techniques.

To that end, we make sure our consultants are determined and properly trained specialists who set ambitious goals for themselves. The requirements that we set for candidates to be employed at our company guarantee that recruitment performed for our clients is equally effective.

Internal recruitment offers the possibility to further observe a candidate. Have you ever turned out to be mistaken, and if so why? Or is there a recipe for a 100% success in candidate selection?

Sadly enough, no fully effective formula exists – due to the human factor. However, the main task of a recruitment specialist is to mitigate the risk of a recruitment failure as much as possible. This can be achieved only through adoption of relevant tools and methods. If properly selected, they help eliminate candidates who offer irrelevant qualifications and may find it difficult to become part of a company’s culture. It is also important for a recruiter and a candidate to establish clear communication.

diversified recruitment offer has allowed us to work out our An application in an interesting graphic own know-how in competence verification.

No matter the methods and tools employed, we start by identifying key competencies expected by the client and select relevant assessment techniques: biographical and behavioural interviews, assessment centres, competence and knowledge tests, etc. If adopted properly, recruitment tools help to quickly verify whether a person matches a candidate profile and offers expected competencies.

Candidates sometimes make mistakes. Most often, they overestimate their qualifications, particularly language skills, know little of the company they apply to, speak ill of their previous employers and fail to appear at a scheduled meeting or to inform the recruiter about abandoning the process.

form will certainly receive a warm welcome especially in the case of creative positions, like graphic designers and marketing specialists.

Time devoted to drafting a unique resume may suggest a higher level of engagement in the recruitment process.

A resume is often the first point of contact with an employee. Its layout and aesthetics are things heavily commented on – no doubt, we live in the era of diversified and coloured designs filled with graphics. Would you agree that a standard resume lacking additional graphic elements is already history? Or perhaps quite the opposite – the good old CV has begun to stand out. As an HR company, what do you pay most attention to?

It is true that a resume with colourful graphics always attracts the recruiter’s attention. Undoubtedly, such document is an interesting and original form to present the candidate’s story, but it is not the only key to success in the initial selection of applications. In the majority of cases, recruiters choose a candidate driven by the information included in the resume, which suggests whether the candidate’s knowledge, experience and qualifications are the best match for the position. A resume should be transparent and drafted according to generally accepted standards. It should present the applicant’s experience to-date, duties in a given position, education, completed training, etc.

An application in an interesting graphic form will certainly receive a warm welcome especially in the case of creative positions, like graphic designers and marketing specialists. Time devoted to drafting a unique resume may suggest a higher level of engagement in the recruitment process.

A company’s expectations and the way it operates should be openly presented to a candidate. This helps avoid disappointment once actual work begins. Yet, it can happen that a candidate turns out not to match the organisation – e.g. there is no “chemistry” between the employed person and their manager. This can be referred to as a recruitment failure. “To err is human” so everyone makes mistakes. The key is to draw conclusions and move forward.

The last question is about your own career path at LeasingTeam. What has it looked like?

LeasingTeam offers vast opportunities for development of one’s competence and promotion, with me being the best example to prove it. I started my career at LeasingTeam as Recruitment Team Lead and was later promoted to the position of Recruitment Director. I take responsibility for developing permanent recruitments and hence for managing the team of A large number of job seekers visit your office every day. 360 Consultants in seven key business lines: Sales & Marketing, How do you asses their personal competencies and what HR & Administration, Transport & Logistic, Engineering are the most frequent mistakes they make during job & Production, SSC/BPO, Retail and Finance & Accounting. interviews?

The number of people who look for a job through Consultants in my team are aware of their promotion LeasingTeam is really high, indeed. These are not only opportunities and possible career path in the team starting candidates applying for positions under the terms of on day one. Those who present the highest engagement and outsourcing or temporary employment, but also people effectively perform entrusted projects have a great chance for interested in IT contracting or in specialist and management promotion and even taking the team lead’s position in the future. • recruitment processes that end in employment directly at a client’s office. Throughout the years of our operations, this Thank you for the conversation.

Outsourcing&More | July – August 2017

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CAREER & DEVELOPMENT

Recruitment Ads RECRUITER:

CONTACT: JOLANTA SZYPERSKA M: + 48 691 691 099 E: JOLANTA.SZYPERSKA@RANDSTAD.PL

Head of Financial Control in Investment Bank (Annual remuneration: from 300 000 PLN gross)

Responsibilities:

• • • •

Responsible for proactive relationship management of key business partners and stakeholders Managing the balance sheet analytical review by franchise, business and legal entity Developing the delivery of reporting requirements across Financial Control area Ensuring that your team provides accurate and timely service for specific units whilst ensuring all outputs are validated and delivered • Running project work related to the Financial Control function • Responsible for the overall HR related activities in the team including recruitment, appraisals, coaching, underperformance and disciplinary actions as required • Supporting senior management in achieving strategic goals for Finance and the wider bank

Requirements:

• • • • • •

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A strong understanding of finance operations and processes Excellent financial controls knowledge and experience The ability to work well with and lead cross-locational teams A strong understanding of accounting standards and investment banking products The ability to proactively work with and influence senior stakeholders within Finance and across the wider bank CIMA, ACCA or CFA qualification

Outsourcing&More | July – August 2017

CAREER & DEVELOPMENT

RECRUITER:

CONTACT: KAROLINA BORUCKA KAROLINA.BORUCKA@PEOPLE.COM.PL

GL Team Leader (11 000 – 13 000 PLN gross/month)

Responsibilities: • Managing the work of the team responsible for general ledger accounting, organizing work, delegating, setting priorities, monitoring and managing workload within the team • Reporting of team performance to the General Ledger Manager • Team motivation, employee development and evaluation • Providing service to external and internal customers.

• Act as a GL process • Perform close procedures on monthly, quarterly and yearly basis • Close cooperation with Accounts Receivable and Accounts Payable teams • Perform financial statement reviews, analyze variances and initiate corrective actions • Monitor and analyze general ledger accounts to ensure accurate financial information is presented at period-end • Prepare monthly reports and records by collecting, analyzing and summarizing account information for business unit purposes • Provide audit support • Continuously identify, develop and implement process improvements and internal controls

Requirements: • • • • • • • • •

Expertise in accounting processes and internal controls Strong knowledge and understanding of accounting principles Proven experience in managing a team University degree with a major in finance, business or accounting or accounting professional qualifications, 5+ years of professional experience within accounting area Ability to plan, assign and direct work Excellent customer service skills Ability to address employee needs and resolve problems Proficiency in English

Outsourcing&More | July – August 2017

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