During this year’s Gala of CEE Shared Services and Outsourcing Awards, held on 4 February in Warsaw, the most important distinctions of the SSC/BPO sector were awarded for 2015. The winners were selected with votes of an independent expert jury. Olivia Six was found to be the best office building in Central and Eastern Europe. A prize for the fastest developing city was awarded to Tricity, inter alia in recognition of the achievements of the Pomerania Development Agency. Also residents of Olivia Business Centre were given distinctions: Sii as the best IT company of the last year in Poland, PwC as a consulting company and Hays as the best executive search company.

Olivia Six: the best offices in Central and Eastern Europe

Olivia Six is the newest building of the Olivia Business Centre complex, commissioned in May 2015. It is 55 metres high and has 15 overground stories. The building provides almost 18 square metres of office space. Among the residents of Olivia Six there are e.g. Pomerania Development Agency, PwC or ThyssenKrupp. From the middle-level stories of the building there is a great view of the Gulf of Gdańsk or the roofs of one of the oldest districts of Gdańsk – Oliwa, and the nearby forests. However, it were not those features that were decisive for the prestigious award. There is no doubt that Olivia Six is one of the most interestingly designed office buildings in Poland. The design was made by the company in Gdynia – BJK Architekci.

“The office building is one of the most environment-friendly buildings in Poland which was confirmed with a BREEAM Excellent certificate with the best result in the region. It provides a comfort of work at the top world level. The lobby was made in the form of a large chessboard of black and milky stone and the designer generally accessible lobby has a character of an English library. The spacious lobby was designed with the aim to create unique and prestigious space in which the guests and employees will feel naturally and comfortably. Additionally, the façade of the building is alive 24/24 hours,“ said Maciej Kotarski, Lease Director at Olivia Business Centre.

The best companies in Europe have their offices at Olivia Business Centre

A great success was also recorded by Sii which is a resident at the Olivia Business Centre. The company was recognised as the company of the year in Poland’s IT market. In Poland the company employs over 2300 engineers and specialists. The office of Sii at Olivia Business Centre is the company’s largest office in Poland to employ as many as 700 people soon. In December 2015 the company announced it signed a contract to rent 6 000 square metres of office space in the new building Olivia Star to be completed in Q1 2017. The new office is to contain a slide to connect the floors of Sii’s future offices.

One more time PwC Poland was recognised as the best consulting company of the year. PwC is involved inter alia in audits, tax and legal consulting. PwC is one of the first residents at the Olivia Business Centre. Its offices are located in the Olivia Gate and Olivia Six buildings where PwC SSC/BPO Center of Excellence rewarded in the competition operates.

Hays was another award in the row for the top quality recruitment services it provides. This time the Hays Executive department was recognised for executive search services, providing its clients best candidates with unique skills for managerial positions. Hays office is located at Olivia Tower building.

Tricity develops the fastest

Tricity has become one of the most desired locations for business in this part of Europe. The jury appreciated the fact that Gdańsk, Gdynia and Sopot in a short time make up in terms of infrastructure the best developed cities in Poland like Warsaw, Kraków or Wrocław. In 2015 alone new investors created over 2.5 thousand jobs in Tricity having rented about 77 thousand square metres of office space. The decision of the jury was also affected by the top quality services for foreign investors. Major contribution has been made by the Pomerania Development Agency with its offices in Olivia Six and the initiative Invest in Pomerania. Since the beginning of its functioning, Invest in Pomerania has handled 300 enquiries by investors from 36 countries and 22 out of 75 visits ended with a success. Invest in Pomerania has also received the three-year prize for the best investor service centre in Poland (2010 and 2013; the prize for 2016 has not been awarded yet).

The full list of winners and nominees in all categories: LINK