The second of the 2022 season of regional conferences and business mixers celebrating the BPCC’s 30th anniversary took place on 26 May 2022 in in the capital of Lower Silesia, on the campus of Coventry University Wrocław. The conference theme was Investment, Development and Management at a Time of Dynamic Change.

The event was opened by the BPCC’s CEO, Paweł Siwecki, Ilona Chodorowska, director of the BPCC’s Wrocław Office, and John Dishman, pro-vice-chancellor and CEO of the Coventry University Group, the first British (and indeed foreign) university to offer degree courses on the territory of Poland. Also present was Jacek Ossowski, secretary to the Mayor of Wrocław’s Council on Higher Education and Science.

The first presentation, covering Brexit and the changes to Polish-UK trade, was made by Michael Dembinski, chief advisor of the BPCC. Dawid Świątek, manager of the foreign trade team at Santander Bank Polska talked about the current disturbances in the global supply chain and dealing with inflation in a time of war. His colleague, Magdalena Kusa, presented tools that help firms find new business partners in export markets.

Keeping up with Poland’s ever-changing legislative environment, where new laws are rushed through parliament, leading to instability and a lack of predictability, was covered by Edward Nieboj, managing partner of Grant Thornton Poland. The challenging HR market was discussed by Rafał Filas, manager at Michael Page Polska, who set out up-to-the-minute strategies for attracting the best candidates and motivating teams at a time of rapid change.

The real estate market in Lower Silesia and Poland is changing rapidly too! Paweł Boczar, head of CBRE Poland’s Wrocław office, showed the main trends when it comes to new commercial property, availability, rental prices and vacancy rates, as they affect offices, warehouses and factories. All the speakers then took part in a panel session, moderated by Michael Dembinski, in which they were joined by John Dishman, who spoke about Coventry University Wrocław’s success in forging strong ties with businesses in the city.

Questions dealt with inflation and what firms can do to mitigate its impact on the bottom line, ESG and the ever-growing demands of compliance and the corporate imperative to drive green transformation, the local market for warehouse space, and finally the prospects for a four-day working week and universal income.

After the conference, there was a change of venue to the Radisson Blu Hotel for the Nice to See You Again! business mixer, which was opened by James Hughes, Minister-Counsellor for Economic Affairs at British Embassy Warsaw, who joined the BPCC’s Paweł Siwecki and Ilona Chodorowska in welcoming the guests. Supported by Wyborowa Pernod Ricard, mixing exquisite cocktails for the guests, and sponsored by CBRE, Grant Thornton, Michael Page and Santander, BPCC members had a chance to sample the hotel’s famous food, swap business cards and talk business until (very) late into the evening.

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