This Saturday, on August 26, Sailing Business League will come back to waters around the pier in Sopot. This time on the start list, you will find six teams, the representatives of various businesses from different parts of Poland. Olivia Business Centre became a new League’s partner and it will send its own team, which will consist, for example, of Olympic champion – Mateusz Kusznierewicz.

– Our Olympic Games medallist won’t be the pilot of OBC team because the League is assumed amateur and professionals can’t be in charge of steering. However, champion’s suggestions will be a huge support for the team. Such cases took place also in previous editions when, for example, Zbigniew Gutkowski was a crew member. Teams supported by the best sailors are always front-runners, but it doesn’t mean that they have to win. Personally, I am counting on D.A.D / Security Expert team, which will participate in the League for the fourth time in a row. This experience will be for sure helpful – highlights Rafał Sawicki from GSC Yachting, League’s organiser.

This time, the contest will be carried out within one group, so all four rounds will have the same scoring system. A team, which will gain the biggest number of points after the last round on October 1, will become a champion of Sailing Business League and will receive an impressive transitional trophy. The League will traditionally end with an event which closes sailing season, that is Sopot Wave. At the start we will see, next to above-mentioned Olivia Business Centre and D.A.D / Security Systems, such companies as Atena and Argocard.

Sailing Business League gives the opportunity to participate in a high-class, professional sailing competition between the representatives of various businesses, who are led under the watchful eyes of the best Polish professional sailors. Teams, apart from having a practical opportunity to develop their skills, compete in a spectacular formula of racing next to the pier in Sopot, which is the best place in Poland to support such competition. Every participant can learn how to fight against competitor, trim sails, as well as how to steer a yacht. The project is addressed to business – as a tool to activate workers and create the atmosphere of teamwork or as a method to build relations with clients in an original way. Participants of cyclical sailing competitions sail in the same, professional Delphia 24 OneDesign yachts. Competitions are held every two weeks. Teams consist of 4-6 people – they form company’s crews. Time spent on the sea with the atmosphere of real sport competition guarantees a lot of healthy emotions.

Pomeranian Special Economic Zone is the co-organiser of the event. Project’s main partners are Olivia Business Centre, Klif Gdynia Shopping Centre, Blue Media, D.A.D. Other partners: Garmin, Promarina, Seaside Resort Sopot, White Marlin Restaurant, Sofitel Grand Sopot, Henkel, Prosseco Mionetto and Żagle Magazine, as well as W Ślizgu! Magazine.

Project’s details can be found on www.biznesligazeglarska.pl. Current coverage, photos and video materials from sailing competition can be found on Facebook profile: https://www.facebook.com/gscyachting

YOU ARE MORE THAN WELCOME!

Slush, Startup Sauna and Junction – well-known and respected brands in the world of startups, programmers and innovations – have joined forces and are travelling together in Europe, giving all interested parties the chance to develop internationally. Their Hack Tour will be hosted on September 13 at the O4 co-working space in Gdańsk’s Olivia Business Centre. This is a great opportunity for startups to develop their project and developers who want to take on the next programming challenge.

Representatives of one of the world’s best startup ecosystems from Finland together with the startup environment from northern Polish: O4, Black Pearls VC, Startup Poland, startup zone Gdynia, Project Startup, 3camp, Olcamp, Netcamp and Exea Smart Space initiate the third edition of the event that can change the lives of many startup founders and programmers – Hack Tour. The two previous editions of the meeting in Gdańsk ended with a measurable success, because, according to the representatives of Startup Sauna, it is measured by the degree of integration and cooperation of the local community of innovators.

– There is still a debate about where the best climate for startups is, measured by the size of the investment. Only 3% of Europe’s population lives in the Nordic countries and they generate €50 billion in investment. We believe that cooperation and synergy are the key. The joint visit of the three most important Finnish startup initiatives is intended to be a classic presentation of how we in Finland understand community building – says Jan Bubieńczyk from Startup Sauna.

“At O4, we really appreciate the visits of our Finnish friends. It is an event that not only perfectly sums up the current state of the local startup sphere, but also positively integrates our entire environment. Besides, it’s good to see yourself in someone else’s eyes every now and then; I say this both from the point of view of the community as a whole and from the point of view of the individual innovations presented. A Hack Tour is like an Olympics where you win just by taking part in them. Among other things, thanks to the possibility of a direct, honest conversation with people who have virtually unlimited possibilities to support the idea, and at the same time help in conquering the global market – emphasizes Marta Moksa, Managing Director of O4, co-organizer of Hack Tour 2017.

Startups: International investors at your fingertips

Startups taking part in the Hack Tour will have a unique opportunity to present themselves in front of foreign and Polish investors. This year’s mentors include: Pontus Stråhlman – member of the board of FiBAN, a thriving organization associating Nordic investors, Peter Horsten – founder and CEO of Goyello, Izabela Disterheft – CEO of INTERIZON, Józef Balicki – manager, expert in the field of capital investments, Matti Kari and Jarmo Kuusivuori – experienced entrepreneurs and investors.

The top 15 startups will present their ideas to mentors and receive reliable feedback on them. The top 5 will have an individual conversation with each of the mentors. In addition, you will be able to win tickets to the SLUSH 2017 conference. The author of the best presentation will have the opportunity to go to Startup Sauna in Helsinki for 7 weeks. This leading accelerator in Northern Europe was created m.in. in order to actively support promising startups in developing their optimal business models (m.in implements an intensive “go-to-market-strategy” program). To date, it has helped more than 220 young entrepreneurs who have managed to raise a total of $200 million in funding.

“We are seeing the continued growth of our local innovation ecosystem. Many of our entrepreneurs are already ready to try to go out into the world. We believe that a face-to-face meeting with representatives of one of the best international accelerators will be the next step to success for them. We are glad that they do not have to go to Berlin or London for this purpose, but to Gdansk, which is 2 hours away. – comments Paweł Harajda from the OLCAMP Association from Olsztyn.

Developer Junction

During the Hack Tour, programmers will be able to take part in a workshop run by Junction – the organizer of one of the largest hackathons in the world. They will face a challenge posed to them by one of the local ICT companies. This year’s Junction is not only a chance for promotion in the employers’ environment, but also an opportunity to win an invitation to the November hackathon in Helsinki.

“The Tri-City development community has another chance to prove that it really is among the world’s best. Our engineers and IT specialists are a close-knit, active environment, and Junction can be an interesting lesson and another experience for them. I believe that the more opportunities to learn and creatively take on challenges, the better it is for the participants themselves and the companies they work for – adds Krzysztof Moszyk from 3camp.

Hack Tour Begins September 13 at 16:00 in coworking O4 at Olivia Business Centre. The event will be held in English.

—–

Event schedule: http://startupsauna.com/local-event/gdansk-poland

Registration until September 6 at: https://slush.typeform.com/to/zO6zDk.

For more information, please contact the local partner of Hack Tour Europe in the O4 co-working space: Marta Moksa, marta.moksa@oliviacentre.com

WELCOME!

Slush, Startup Sauna and Junction – well-known and highly-valued brands in the world of startups, software developers and innovations – have joined forces and travel the Europe together giving participants a real chance for international development. Their Hack Tour will be held on September 13 in O4 co-working in Olivia Business Centre in Gdańsk. It is a great opportunity for startups to develop their projects and for software developers, who want to take up another programming challenge.

The representatives of one of world’s best startup ecosystem from Finland, together with startup environment from northern Poland: O4, Black Pearls VC, Startup Poland, startup Gdynia zone, Project Startup, 3camp, Olcamp, Netcamp, and Exea Smart Space are working on the third edition of the event, which can change the lives of many startuppers and software developers – Hack Tour. Two previous editions in Gdańsk were a great success, which, according to Startup Sauna’s representatives, is measured by the level of integration and cooperation of local community of innovators.

– It is still being discussed where the best climate for startups is, if we measure it with the size of the investment. In Nordic countries there live only 3 % of Europeans, but they generate investments of 50 billion euros. We think that two main keys are cooperation and synergy. Joint visit of three most important Finnish startup initiatives will be a classical demonstration of how we, in Finland, understand building a community – says Jan Bubieńczyk from Startup Sauna.

– In O4 we greatly appreciate the visit of our Finnish friends. This event doesn’t only perfectly summarise the current state of local startup sphere, but also integrates our whole environment in a positive way. What is more, it is good to see yourself through someone else’s eyes; I’m saying it both from the perspective of the whole community, but also particular, presented innovations. Hack Tour is like Olympic Games, in which participation is already a victory itself. It is so thanks to, among other things, a direct and honest conversation with people, who have practically unlimited possibilities to support an idea, or even to help conquer a global market – highlights Marta Moksa, Managing Director O4, co-organiser of Hack Tour 2017.

Startups: international investors at your fingertips

A unique opportunity for startups which participate in HACK TOUR EUROPE – a chance to present themselves in front of international and Polish investors. Among this year’s mentors there will be Pontus Stråhlman – a member of FiBAN management board, an extremely buoyant organisation, which consociates Nordic investors, Peter Horsten – a founder and CEO of Goyello, Izabela Disterheft – CEO of INTERIZON, Józef Balicki – manager, advisor with many years of experience in the scope of capital investments, Matti Kari and Jarmo Kuusivuori – experienced entrepreneurs and investors. Top 15 startups will present their ideas in front of mentors and will receive a reliable feedback. Top 5 startups will conduct an individual conversation with every mentor. Additionally, they will have a chance to win tickets for SLUSH conference and the author of the best presentation will have an opportunity to spend 7 weeks in Startup Sauna in Helsinki. This leading accelerator of Northern Europe was set up to, among other things, actively support startups in developing their optimal business models (it implements, for example, an intensive “go-to-market-strategy” programme) So far, it has helped more than 220 young entrepreneurs, who managed to get financial help amounting to 200 million dollars.

– We observe a constant development of our local ecosystem of innovations. Many of our entrepreneurs are already ready to try to face the world. We believe that direct meeting with the representatives of one of the best international accelerators will be the next step towards success. We are glad that they don’t have to go to Berlin or London, but they can just go to Gdańsk, which is less than two hours away from us – comments Paweł Harajda from OLCAMP Association in Olsztyn.

Junction for software developers

During the Hack Tour, software developers will have a chance to participate in workshops conducted by Junction – an organiser of one of the biggest hackathons in the world. Participants will try to take up a challenge of one of local ICT companies. This year’s Junction is not only a chance to promote themselves in the environment of employers, but also a chance to win an invitation to a hackathon in Helsinki, which will be held in November.

– Tricity environment of software developers has another chance to prove that we really are among world leaders. Our engineers and IT specialists create a harmonious and active environment and Junction can be an interesting lesson and another experience for them. I believe that the more opportunities to learn and take up challenges creatively, the better it is for participants and companies, in which they work – adds Krzysztof Moszyk from 3camp.

Hack Tour will start on the September 13 at 4:00 pm in O4 co-working in Olivia Business Centre. The event will be held in English.

—–

Event’s schedule:
http://startupsauna.com/local-event/gdansk-poland

Registration till September 6 on:
https://slush.typeform.com/to/zO6zDk
.

Additional information is available at local Hack Tour Europe’s partner’s place in O4 co-working: Marta Moksa, marta.moksa@oliviacentre.com

YOU ARE MORE THAN WELCOME!

 

Right next to us, in the Olivia Hall, in the Gdańsk Shipyard, our freedom was born. It was created by people like us, who at some point in their lives made courageous choices. They chose the values they believed in. It is thanks to them that today we can build a safe future – ours and that of our families. Here in our city. In Gdansk.

THANK YOU!

We would like to invite you to a unique exhibition, which can be seen at the reception desks of Olivia Business Centre. The exhibition is dedicated to all those whose courage and choices have decided that today we can be free. The exhibition was created in cooperation with the European Solidarity Centre.

37th anniversary of the August Agreements

The photographs show the Gdańsk Shipyard im. Lenin, August 1980, photos from the collection of the European Solidarity Centre in Gdańsk

36th Anniversary of the First Congress of NSZZ Solidarność

Photographs: The First Congress of the Solidarity Trade Union in the Olivia Hall, September-October 1981, photos from the collection of the European Solidarity Centre in Gdańsk

 

More information about these extraordinary events:

August 80′

The August Agreements

First Congress of NSZZ Solidarność

September 21, 2017 A meeting organized by the
ABSL HR Club
dedicated to representatives of the human resources industry, which has recently been facing more and more challenges related to m.in, was held in Olivia Business Centre. with the advancing digital revolution and the changes taking place in the economy, society and, of course, business. Today, managers are faced with the need to build new models of organization – organizations of the future, in which flexibility and the ability to create dynamic, specialized teams are beginning to play a paramount role. It is important not only to acquire but also to retain talent in companies, to understand the employee experience and to provide them with a development environment conducive to improving their skills. It is equally important to recruit bosses-leaders who can and will be able to lead teams, departments or entire companies in the era of “digital” methods of running a business.

The HR Club event organized by ABSL in Olivia was primarily aimed at exchanging experiences, discussing good market practices and mutual inspiration between representatives of the HR industry. The mission of the HR Club is to integrate the business services sector in terms of exchanging good practices, addressing legal barriers and stimulating the environment for activities that will help companies in their development and Poland in becoming the first choice of location for BPO/SSC operations.

The meeting, which took place at the Olivia Sky Club in OBC, was attended by m.in. Wojciech Tyborowski, Director of Invest in Pomerania, who opened the meeting, and Ryszard Piskorz, Head of BNP Paribas International Operations Service Centre, who took care of “breaking the ice” of the participants of the meeting, presenting how to initiate the first contact and establish relationships.

Next, Jolanta Jaworska, VP of ABSL and Paweł Panczyj, Managing Director of ABSL, drew the attention of the participants to the necessity of their active participation in the processes related to the implementation of the Managing Directors’ Office. legislative changes that have a significant impact on employment policies in companies (e.g. the Act on the Change of Personal Data).

Sylwia Królikowska, Business Trainer from Van Dahlen Group, shared her experience in the area of effective ways of integrating new employees into the organization. Employers today are obliged to take a much broader view of the employee experience, which consists of virtually all activities related to the workplace. A loyal employee is a very valuable employee. But how do you build that loyalty? By creating and maintaining, which is not an easy task, relationships… The fact that this can and should be done already at the onboarding stage was discussed during the event by representatives of DNV GL – Magdalena Łukasiewicz, HR & People Development Manager and Jakub Olik, Head of GSS HR Service Delivery Management.

^{Fig. Monika Bogdanowicz/ Olivia Business Centre}

The second part of the meeting included m.in. presentation of a report on applications in business, in the area of HR, the latest technologies: artificial intelligence. About Emplocity, an advanced solution that integrates the labour market at the level of the employee and the employer, significantly increasing the competitiveness of the above-mentioned company. segments were narrated by its creators, Krzysztof Sobczak and Arkadiusz Talun. By introducing the reverse recruitment technique, Emplocity offers effective HR tools, creating an attractive alternative to outdated techniques and being an innovation in the area of costly headhunting processes.

Małgorzata Ciarka, Business Leader for Poland and EE from Mercer and Olga Obłoza, Senior Consultant from Mercer, pointed out the benefits of current market trends in the shared services sector. Presenting the latest trends in the labour market in the BPO SEZ sector, they pointed out, m.in, that at the moment the labour market is above all an employee’s market, which can causally decide on the terms and conditions of work and pay. The standard is no longer their very existence, but the fact that they are selectable and of high quality. During the lectures, the importance of recruiting employees from abroad who could fill the gap in human resources and the needs of companies was emphasized. We are talking about m.in workers from countries further away than the countries closest to us, such as Italy or Spain. The issue of salaries was also discussed, the amount of which is becoming an important element of the employee’s choice of the company. The subject of the analysis was also the so-called “500+ effect”, which affects the ability of enterprises to acquire a smaller number of employees, as they choose this type of benefits as the main form of income. The ageing Polish society is also important. The main challenge facing HR departments is therefore the issue of “How to attract those who want to escape from the labor market?” to companies. For a broader context of the wage structure, an analysis of the income of the labour market in Warsaw, where people pay 10-15% more than in other large centres, is presented.

–/–

^{The Association of Business Service Leaders (ABSL) is the leading organization representing modern business services in Poland. We set standards and directions for the development of the industry, which is currently the most dynamic branch of the Polish economy, employing almost 250,000 people and recording an increase of 15-20% per year.}

^{ABSL brings together Shared Service Centers (SSC), Business Process Outsourcing (BPO), Information Technology Outsourcing (ITO), Research & Development (R&D) centers and companies supporting the development of the sector. ABSL initiates numerous activities aimed at promoting Polish as an attractive country open to foreign investors.}

^{ABSL HR Club. The mission of the HR Club is to integrate the sector in terms of exchanging good HR practices, addressing legal barriers and stimulating the environment for activities that will help our companies and the sector to develop, and Poland to become the first choice of location for BPO/SSC operations and a desirable place to work.}

 

On September 27^Th, 2017 in Olivia Business Centre, a meeting took place organised by HR ABSL Club addressed to the representatives of Human Resources sector, which has been recently facing bigger and bigger challenges connected, among other things, with proceeding digital revolution and changes occurring in economy, society and, obviously, in business. Managers have to create new models of organisations – organisations of the future, in which flexibility of acting and ability to create dynamic, specialist teams, are beginning to play a superior role. Not only recruiting, but also keeping talents in companies, understanding workers’ experience and ensuring them a good environment for development, which aids enhancing their skills, are becoming more and more important. It is also important to recruit bosses-leaders, who can and will be able to lead teams, departments or the whole companies in the era of “digital” methods of running the business.

The event of HR Club organised by ABSL in Olivia served, most of all, the exchange of experiences, discussion on good market practices and mutual inspiration for the representatives of HR sector. The mission of HR Club is to integrate the sector of business services in the scope of the exchange of good practices, refer to legal barriers and stimulate the environment to actions, which will help companies develop and will help Poland become the first choice of location for BPO/SSC operations.

The following persons, among other guests, participated in the meeting in Olivia Sky Club in OBC: Wojciech Tyborowski, Head of Invest in Pomerania who opened the meeting and Ryszard Piskorz, Head of BNP Paribas International Operations Service Centre who took care of “breaking the ice” and showed participants how to initiate the first contact and build relations.

Next, Jolanta Jaworska, VP ABSL and Paweł Panczyj, Managing Director ABSL, paid attention of gathered guests to the need of their active participation in the processes concerning legislative changes, which significantly influence companies’ employment policy (for example the act on changes in personal data).

Sylwia Królikowska, Business Trainer from Van Dahlen Group, shared her experience within the scope of effective ways of integrating new workers in an organisation. Nowadays, employers are obliged to look from a much broader perspective at employee’s experience, which consists of actually all actions connected with place of work. Loyal worker is very precious. But how to build this loyalty though? By creating and maintaining relation, what is not an easy task… During the event, the representatives of DNV GL company – Magdalena Łukasiewicz, HR & People Development Manager and Jakub Olik, Head of GSS HR Service Delivery Management, talked about the fact that it can and should be done already on the stage of on-boarding.

The second part of the meeting included, among other things, the presentation of a report on business applications, in the scope of HR, the newest technologies: artificial intelligence. Krzysztof Sobczak and Arkadiusz Talun, the creators of Emplocity, talked about this advanced solution, which integrates labour market on the level of an employee and an employer and at the same time raises competitiveness of the above-mentioned segments. Emplocity, by introducing the technique of reversed recruitment, offers effective HR tools and creates an attractive alternative for obsolete techniques, at the same time being an innovation in the scope of costly headhunting processes.

Małgorzata Ciarka, Business Leader for Poland and EE from Mercer and Olga Obłoza, Senior Consultant from Mercer paid attention to the benefits from current market trends in shared services sector. While presenting the newest trends in labour market in BPO SSE sector, they pointed out, among other things, that labour market is currently, above all, employee’s market, who can executively decide about wages and working conditions. The role and meaning of benefits for employees is increasing. Their very existence is not a standard anymore, but the fact that there is a choice of high-quality benefits. During presentation, speakers highlighted the importance of recruiting employees from abroad who could fill personnel gaps, as well as the gaps in companies’ needs. This includes employees from further the countries than our closest neighbours, for example from Italy or Spain. The speakers also discussed the issue of remunerations, which are becoming an essential criterion for choosing a company by a worker. The subject of the analysis was also a so called “500+ effect”, which influences the possibilities of an enterprise to recruit fewer employees because they choose this kind of benefits as the main source of income. We shouldn’t also forget about ageing society of Poland. That is why, the main challenge, which HR departments have to face, is the issue:zenia “How to attract workers who want to run away from labour market?”. For a broader context of the structure of remunerations, speakers presented the analysis of revenues in labour market in Warsaw, where workers are paid 10-15% more than in other big centres.

–/–

^{Association of Business Service Leaders (ABSL) is a leading organisation which represents modern services for business in Poland. We set standards and directions of sector’s development, which is now the most dynamic branch of Polish economy, provides employment for nearly 250 thousand people and records increase of 15-20% per year.}

^{ABSL associates Shared Service Centers (SSC), the centres of Business Process Outsourcing (BPO), Information Technology Outsourcing (ITO), Research & Development, (R&D) and companies which support sector’s development. ABSL initiates many projects which aim to promote Poland as an attractive country, open to foreign investors.}

<sup>HR ABSL


Club.

The mission of HR Club is to integrate the sector of business services in the scope of the exchange of good practices, refer to legal barriers and stimulate the environment to actions, which will help companies develop and will help Poland become the first choice of location for BPO/SSC operations and desirable place to work.</sup>

During the conference in Olivia Business Centre, Bayer announced plans for further development of Service Center Gdańsk and summed up 5 years of its operations in Gdańsk. Markus Baltzer, President of Bayer CEE and Remigiusz Wojciechowski, Director of Bayer Service Center Gdańsk, emphasized that the Tri-City is one of the most popular locations for modern business services today, while also drawing attention to the fact that it is here that more and more advanced processes, competence centers and R&D centers are located.

The director of Bayer Service Center Gdańsk (SGC) also indicated that the company has further plans related to increasing the scope of the processes it handles. The SGC currently has approx. With about 400 employees, although it was originally planned to employ 200, it serves Bayer branches from more than 20 countries in Central and Eastern Europe and Central Europe, m.in. from Germany, Russia, the Scandinavian and Balkan countries. In addition to accounting, teams of specialists from the Gdańsk Centre, located in Olivia Business Centre from the very beginning, are also involved in project management, graphic design and transparency support.

“Within 5 years, the number of jobs offered by the business services sector has doubled, both in the Tri-City and in Poland. Bayer Service Center Gdańsk has also developed dynamically – we have created several hundred jobs, invested over PLN 1.5 million in the education and development of employees, and 20 people have learned how to manage a team or department with us. But we’re not going to stop there. By 2020, we plan to increase the number of employees to over 500 people. Our team will additionally support key business processes in new areas of m.in. purchasing, customer service, controlling or services for employees. Just like today, employees will have the chance to pursue a career with virtually no limits – said Remigiusz Wojciechowski, Director of Bayer Service Center Gdańsk.

In Gdansk, Bayer has found everything it needs for long-term development, i.e. well-educated employees, support from public institutions and access to the highest quality office space and transport infrastructure. Piotr Grzelak, Deputy Mayor of the City of Gdansk, who was present at the event, congratulated Bayer on the anniversary, emphasizing that he was happy with every stage of the company’s development in Olivia and the Tri-City.

– Bayer’s achievements are also extremely important to us. Bayer is not only an investor that hires, but also an investor that helps us tell the world that Gdansk is a great place to be and a conducive environment for established international brands and companies – said Piotr Grzelak.

– Bayer’s strategic goal is to centralize financial services, business support, IT and project management in order to make processes more flexible, increase efficiency and increase competitiveness, while maintaining the current high level of quality. That is why shared service centers are an important part of the company’s structure, both regionally and globally – said Marcus Baltzer, President of Bayer CEE, during the conference.

Tri-City like a magnet

Bayer is not the only company that has appreciated the business potential of Pomerania. According to the 2016 ABSL report. The Tri-City is the second best location for modern business services in Poland, and at this year’s CEE Shared Services and Outsourcing Awards, the Tri-City agglomeration received the title of the most dynamically developing center, among others thanks to 10 investment projects completed in 2016. with the participation of Invest in Pomerania.

“Investments in the modern business services sector support the development of the Tri-City market. We are one of the most dynamically developing Polish agglomerations, and the Tri-City is at the top of rankings of friendly places to live in Poland – emphasized Wojciech Tyborowski, Director of Invest in Pomerania.

The Tri-City is a great place to live, which is confirmed by the Social Diagnosis research, according to which the inhabitants of Gdynia and Gdańsk are the most satisfied with the place where they live. It is also a place for business development, especially in the face of the rapid increase in demand for handling increasingly complex business processes. The development of the shared services sector is the result of building the most effective models of corporate operation, in which the use of internal resources brings an increase in efficiency. Modern business services offer highly advanced processes based on knowledge and experience. Such processes are handled by approx. 120 Tri-City centres of modern business services, which employ approx. 21,000 employees. The projected employment growth rate is 20% per year, which will allow Pomeranian centres to reach 20% by 2025. result of almost 60 thousand. Employees.

Numerous incentives for business

The Tri-City is very well prepared for cooperation with investors in terms of office infrastructure. It offers almost 633,000 sqm. modern offices, and another 150,000 sq m. is under construction. Such resources allow a new investor or an already established company to open an office within two to three months.

“We are proud to observe the dynamic development of Bayer in Olivia Business Centre. For the past five years, the company has been intensively and with commitment contributing to the economic and personal potential of Gdańsk, significantly contributing to the growth of the market competitiveness of our entire region,” he said Maciej Grabski, President of Olivia Business Centre. – We wish its employees the best and co-workers with inexhaustible energy and further measurable successes. I am deeply convinced that these will be shared by the entire company.

The development of the modern business services sector is also facilitated by the cooperation of Pomeranian universities with investors present in the region. They are used to create specialized curricula that respond to the needs of individual companies. The students here are also distinguished by their excellent knowledge of foreign languages, including those less known, such as Scandinavian or Balkan.

Valued Employee Market

Increasing specialization, innovative technologies and advanced business processes are changing the job market. Between 2013 and 2016, employment in the Tri-City business services sector increased by 100%. Over the past few years, many corporations have moved here, and the range of companies with a similar business profile is growing, so companies are struggling to attract and retain employees. There is a growing consensus that we are now dealing with the so-called ’employee’s market’.

“Bayer offers SCG employees the opportunity to develop and pursue a career in an international environment, improving their qualifications through participation in projects and training. Relations with them are based on mutual trust, which is why m. among others. We offer flexible working hours and remote work. We also employ students in their final years of studies and university graduates. It is an opportunity to start a career in a global company with a recognized brand, a training package, internships, access to the latest technologies and opportunities for professional development thanks to participation in interesting projects – said Remigiusz Wojciechowski from Bayer SCG.

During the conference, Dorota Stawicka from the Project Management Team , who started her career at SCG right after graduation, talked about her career path in the company, development opportunities, international cooperation and support offered by the organization.

Companies operating in the business services sector are aware that salaries and non-wage benefits are only one of the parameters determining the attractiveness of their offer for future employees. Almost equally important are job security, a friendly atmosphere at work, and a stable financial situation of the company.

– Increasing specialization and modern business technologies are changing the job market. Companies are implementing newer and newer methods and tools to attract and retain employees. Searching for a job through social media has become popular, and many companies have a program that recommends candidates by already hired employees –Spoke Agata Witczak, Branch Director and Chief Operating Officer Thomson Reuters in Gdynia.

Poland is the leader of the European business services market

Poland is one of the most important locations for business services in the world. Investors, especially European ones, take into account important factors, such as the level of education of employees and their knowledge of languages, the state of infrastructure and legal security, the availability of office space, as well as the work culture, innovation, and even the relatively small time difference between the headquarters offices and the service center. The rapid evolution of the business services market in Poland is evidenced by the data indicating that approx. 85 percent. Today, the centres handle more complex processes than a year ago and the growing employment in the so-called competence centres and R&D centres.

^{Data sources:
Business Services Sector in Poland 2016, Report prepared by the Association of Business Service Leaders (ABSL) in cooperation with Baker & McKenzie, JLL and Randstad
Social Diagnosis 2015, Conditions and quality of life of Poles – Report, edited by Janusz Czapiński and Tomasz Panek
Data from Invest in Pomerania
Business Services Sector in Poland 2016, ABSL Report}

During a conference in Olivia Business Centre, Bayer announced its plans for further development of Service Center Gdańsk and summed up 5 years of its business activity in Gdańsk. Markus Baltzer, CEO of Bayer CEE and Remigiusz Wojciechowski, director of Bayer Service Center Gdańsk emphasised that Tricity is one of the most popular locations for modern business services and at the same time pointed out that more and more advanced processes, competence centres and R&D centres are located here.

The director of Bayer Service Center Gdańsk (SGC) also pointed out that the company has further plans connected with improving the scope of operated processes. Currently, SGC employs about 400 workers, however originally it was expected that it would employ 200 workers, and serves Bayer’s departments from more than 20 countries of Central-Eastern and Central Europe, for example from Germany, Russia, Scandinavian and Balkan countries. Apart from accounting, specialist teams from the Centre in Gdańsk, localised from the very beginning of its business activity at Olivia Business Centre, are today also engaged in project management, graphic design or support in the scope of transparency.

– Within 5 years the number of jobs offered by business services sector has doubled both in Tricity and in Poland. Bayer Service Center Gdańsk has also developed dynamically – we have created several hundred jobs, invested more than 1.5 million zlotys in training and development of workers and 20 persons have learnt in our company how to manage a team or department. But we are not going to stop here. Till 2020, we plan to increase the number of workers to 500 people. Additionally, our team will be supporting key business processes from new areas, for example shopping, customer service, controlling or services for workers. Just like today, workers will have a chance to develop their careers without limitation – said Remigiusz Wojciechowski, director of Bayer Service Center Gdańsk.

In Gdańsk, Bayer company found everything that is needed for long-term development, that is highly qualified employees, support from public institutions and access to top-quality office space and transport infrastructure. Piotr Grzelak, Deputy Mayor of Gdańsk, who was present at the event, congratulated Bayer on its anniversary and emphasised that he is happy with every stage of company’s development in Olivia and Tricity.

– Bayer’s achievements are extremely important for us. Bayer is not only an investor which employs, but also the one which helps us tell the world that Gdańsk is a perfect place and hospitable environment for respected international brands and enterprises – said Piotr Grzelak.

– Bayer’s strategic aim is to centralise financial services and support of business, IT and project management in order to make processes flexible, improve efficiency and increase competitiveness, while maintaining the current, high level of quality. That is why, shared services centres are an essential element of company’s structure both in regional and global scale – said Marcus Baltzer, CEO of Bayer CEE, during the conference.

Tricity just like a magnet

Not only Bayer appreciated business potential of Pomerania region. According to ABSL report from 2016, Tricity is the second best location for modern business services in Poland. At this year’s CEE Shared Services and Outsourcing Awards ceremony, Tricity agglomeration got the title of the most dynamically developing centre, for example thanks to 10 investment projects carried out in 2016 with the participation of Invest in Pomerania.

– Investments in the sector of modern business services support the development of Tricity market. We are one of the most dynamically developing Polish agglomerations and Tricity is in a leading position in rankings concerning friendly places to live in Poland – emphasised Wojciech Tyborowski, director of Invest in Pomerania.

Tricity is a perfect place to live, what is confirmed by studies conducted by Social Diagnosis, according to which Gdynia and Gdańsk residents are the most satisfied with their place of living. This is also a good place for business development, especially in the face of rapid rise in the need for managing more and more complicated business processes. The development of shared services sector is the result of creating the most effective models of corporation’s functioning, within which using external resources causes the increase in effectiveness. Modern business services offer highly advanced processes based on knowledge and experience. Such processes are managed by about 120 Tricity centres of modern business services, which employ about 21000 workers. Predicted employment growth amounts to 20% per year, what will make it possible for Pomeranian centres to reach the result of 60000 workers till 2025.

Numerous incentives for business

Tricity is very well prepared for cooperation with investors in terms of office infrastructure. It offers nearly 633000 square metres of modern offices and another 150000 square metres is under construction. Such resources make it possible for new investors or companies already present in the market to open a new office within two to three months.

– We are proudly observing the development of Bayer company at Olivia Business Centre. For five years, the company has been creating economic and human potential of Gdańsk intensively and with involvement and at the same time makes an important contribution to the growth of market competitiveness of our whole region – said Maciej Grabski, CEO of Olivia Business Centre. – We wish its employees and co-workers indefatigable energy and further measurable successes. I deeply believe that the whole company will contribute to them.

The development of modern business services sector is fostered also by the cooperation of Pomeranian universities with investors who are present in the region. The specialised curricula emerge at universities and they respond to the needs of individual companies. Local students are distinguished also by great command of foreign languages, also those less famous like for example Scandinavian or Balkan.

The market of a valued employee

Growing specialisation, innovative technologies and advanced business processes change the labour market. In the years 2013-2016 employment in Tricity business services sector increased by 100%. Over the past few years, many corporations moved here and the range of companies with similar business profiles is getting bigger and bigger. That is why, companies fight to attract and keep employees. There is even stronger consensus concerning the fact that currently we are experiencing a so called “employee’s market”.

– Bayer offers SCG workers chances for development and career in international environment and improving qualifications by participating in projects and trainings. Our relations with them are based on mutual trust, that is why we offer, among other things, flexible working hours and remote work. We also employ final year students and university graduates. This a chance to start your career in a global company with recognised brand, training package, internships, access to the newest technologies and opportunities for career development thanks to participation in interesting projects – said Remigiusz Wojciechowski from Bayer SCG.

During the conference, Dorota Stawicka from Project Management Team, who started her career in SCG directly after her studies, talked about her career path in the company, opportunities for development, international cooperation and support offered by the organisation.

Companies, which are active in business services sector, are aware that remunerations and non-cash benefits are only one of many parameters which make their offer attractive for future employees. It turns out that employment security, friendly atmosphere at work and the company’s stable financial situation are almost equally important.

– Growing specialisation and modern business technologies change labour market. Companies are implementing newer and newer methods and tools which attract and keep employees. Looking for a job via social media has become popular and in many companies there is a programme, in which existing employees recommend candidates – said Agata Witczak, branch director and human resources director at Thomson Reuters in Gdynia.

Poland is the leader in European business services market

Poland is one of the most important locations for business services around the world. Investors, especially European ones, take into account relevant factors, for example employees’ level of education and their command of foreign languages, condition of infrastructure and legal security, availability of office space, as well as work culture, innovativeness and even relatively small time zone difference between central offices and services centre. Growing employment in so called competence centres and R&D centres, as well as the following data are indicative of a fast evolution of business services market in Poland: about 85% of centres serves today more complex processes than a year ago.

^{Sources of data:
Modern business services sector in Poland 2016, a report prepared by the Association of Business Service Leaders (ABSL) in cooperation with Baker & McKenzie, JLL and Randstad
Social Diagnosis 2015, Living conditions and quality of life of Polish people – Report, edited by Janusz Czapiński and Tomasz Panek
Invest in Pomerania data
Modern business services sector in Poland 2016, ABSL Report}

 

In the grand final, the defending champions, Omida, met the PwC team, which was “only” in sixth place after the regular season. After a fierce and even match, Omida’s players turned out to be better, winning 11:7, ending their perfect season in a big way. Three goals each in the final were scored by Paweł Friszkemut, Maciej Daniluk and Dmitry Kachnar, another two goals were added by the top scorer of the entire competition, Patryk Ziarko. As many as four goals, to which he added 3 assists, were scored by Carro Ramirez for the PwC team.

In the match for the third place, HK Finance turned out to be marginally better than Bayer, winning 7:5. Jakub Piotrowski and Bartosz Fila (both HK Finance) scored hat-tricks. Rafał Górski responded with two goals for Bayer.

The fair play award went to the Dream Team Indestructibles Energa, who in a very important match with HK Finance, which ended in a draw, resigned from a favourable decision of the referee, noticing an injured player of the opposing team. That’s the point, bravo! 🙂

The next season is coming soon! More information and registration: sport@oliviacentre.com

author: Pawel Pinker

 

From today, Lechia Gdańsk Foundation will have its headquarters in Olivia Business Centre. The foundation has joined other social organisations which reside in Olivia CONNECT, shortly after Marek Kamiński Foundation and Institute. In a meeting, which inaugurated foundation’s presence in Olivia’s CONNECT space, there took part, among other guests, Adam Mandziara, Lechia Gdańsk CEO, Janusz Biesiada, Lechia Gdańsk Foundation CEO, Tomasz Motyka, Executive Director of Lechia Gdańsk and Maciej Grabski, Olivia Business Centre CEO.

While greeting guests, Lechia Gdańsk and Olivia Business Centre traditionally swapped pennants and football shirts.

Lechia Gdańsk Foundation was established in May 2017 and is based on four pillars: brotherhood, help, education and sport. One of its goals is supporting the development of children and youth by promoting active and healthy lifestyle. The foundation is also engaged in improving the conditions and quality of life of people in difficult health and financial situation. It concentrates, for example, on social care, helping educational and care institutions, as well as activating associations and local communities.

– Olivia CONNECT created comfortable working conditions for Lechia Gdańsk Foundation. Headquarters in one of the most modern office centres in Gdańsk enables us to achieve our statutory objectives in a more effective way. We have our office in direct neighbourhood of many foundations and institutions, which are engaged in charity activities. Thanks to that, we will be able to establish cooperation, extend the spectrum of our activities and get engaged in new projects “round the corner” – says Janusz Biesiada, Lechia Gdańsk Foundation CEO.

Many non-governmental organisations have their headquarters in Olivia CONNECT, for example associations and foundations, as well as business support institutions. Among CONNECT’s residents there are infoShare Foundation, Marek Kamiński Foundation, Marek Kamiński Institute, Inspiring Examples Foundation, as well as Pomeranian Regional Chamber of Commerce, Pomeranian Association of Entrepreneurs Lewiatan, GUP Job Office, ICT Interizon Cluster and BPO Education Centre – Sopot University of Applied Sciences.

– We are proud that such prominent residents are joining us. We are doing our best, this is our main aim, to create for them optimal conditions to cooperate, develop, as well as to exchange knowledge and experiences. We want to motivate them to cooperate and implement projects, which are beneficial for the whole Pomerania region – highlights Agnieszka Zglinicka, SME Director at Olivia Business Centre. – For many years, Lechia has been actively participating in Tricity social life. Now, thanks to the foundation, it will have a chance to intensify actions, which aim to help people in need. I am convinced that both Olivia Business Centre and our business hub’s residents will actively engage in foundation’s projects.

Lechia Gdańsk
Foundation’s website

Olivia Business

Centre’s website