Speakers

---

Since 2008 President of Polish Organization of Commerce and Distribution which associate the biggest international retail and wholesale companies in Poland. 2000 till 2017 Director of the METRO AG Representative Office in Poland representing METRO AG companies Makro C&C, Real and Media Saturn Holding towards state authorities, NGO’s and industry associations. Vice President of Employer’s Confederation Lewiatan. Vice President of the European trade association EuroCommerce in Brussels.
Since 2012 Chairman of the Central Eastern Europe Council, representing modern distribution channel of the CEE region towards EU institutions.

Robert is the Country Manager of Offerista Polska, the No. 1 Drive 2 Store chain in Europe, which supports retail chains and manufacturers with its reach and main services in digital trade marketing.
Robert has been an active participant in the Polish Internet market since 1999.

During this time he has been involved in the development of two main horizontal portals: Gazeta.pl and Interia.pl. In both of these organizations, he was in charge of the General Director of Advertising Offices.
Additionally during this time he was working for the development of the digital market within IAB Polska.
Over two years he has been supporting the largest retail chains and brands in the digital transformation in the Offerista Polska in order to provide measurable advertising success, which will bring increased sales in stationary stores.

Working in the field of modern technologies, artificial intelligence, management and creating new ventures from scratch – this has been his daily business for many years. As part of the Żabka Future Business Incubator he is responsible for the strategy of commercialization of the concept of autonomous stores, their economy and customer experience. In his career, he has worked with global clients on the transition to a technology platform-based economy, data-driven strategy development, and an omnichannel approach to customer service. He also knows exactly what business is from an entrepreneurial perspective – he founded, scaled and sold a software house specializing in analytics and Big Data.
Besides his work, his great passion is science. He loves to expand his knowledge and share it with his students at the Warsaw University of Technology, of which he is a lecturer. His hobby is traveling, preferably where there is good cuisine and wine. He is a fan of science fiction literature, from which he draws inspiration for the development of business and technology.

Krzysztof Kośmider specializes in implementing projects for companies in the retail sector. He has over 20 years of experience in optimizing business processes and implementing IT solutions based on best business practices supported by latest technologies. He has extensive experience in IT transformation on both Polish and international markets.

Area Manager/Regional Manager at IKEA Poland (West)

Experienced Area Manager with a demonstrated history of working in the retail sector. Skilled in managing high-volume stores and leading top IKEA markets in terms of volume and growth. Proven track record in business growth and team development.

My career journey includes roles such as Store Manager, Communication and Interior Design Manager in Spain & Portugal, Market Manager, Project Manager, and Area Manager at IKEA Poland. I am passionate about omnichannel business and market development, overseeing the strategy and growth of the Warsaw and Silesia markets.

Having worked across cultures in Poland, Spain, and Australia, I bring extensive experience in sales, marketing, expansion, and market development. I excel in coaching for growth and performance, leading in uncertain environments, and navigating challenging business conditions. Target-oriented, I am experienced in building teams, team management, and have high interpersonal skills, the ability to motivate employees and build career paths.

Joanna is reponsible for managing cooperation with Key Accounts in FMCG sector.
Before joining NIQ in 2019 she has gained diverse experience working both for manufacturers and in retail (including 7 years at Jeronimo Martins).

Juan Manuel Morales has been elected president of EuroCommerce in June 2021 for a period of three years. He is director general of IFA, a leading retail group in Southern Europe, with more than 130,000 employees and 11,000 stores operated by its affiliates across Spain, Portugal, and Italy. Morales’ whole career has been with the consumer goods industry, spanning 30 years within both retail and food and drink manufacturers in Spain, Portugal, Poland and the Baltics: before joining IFA in 2011, he held commercial, general management, and president positions in Grupo Osborne, The Coca-Cola company, and Nielsen.

Juan Manuel is also Vice-President of our member association ASEDAS, member of the executive committee of the Spanish business and employers’ federation CEOE, and board member of AECOC, the Spanish GS1 association.

He has a degree in Economics and Business from the Complutense University of Madrid and an Executive MBA from the IESE Business School.

Michał joined Lidl Polska in 2011 and he was named CFO in 2019. Prior to joining Lidl Michał worked in the assurance department at PwC office in Warsaw. Michał is a certified chartered accountant.

Robert Rękas, CEO of Polska Sieć Handlowa Lewiatan.
Since 2020, he has been CEO of Lewiatan Holding S.A. A manager with broad experience in the food sector. He has worked for Polska Sieć Handlowa Lewiatan since 2013. First, he was Director of Operations in charge of Lewiatan’s nine regional companies. In February 2019, he became member of the Board of Directors of Lewiatan Holding S.A. and managed the strategic team responsible for the development and implementation of a new strategy for PSH Lewiatan for 2020-2025.  Earlier in his career, he had worked for such companies as Eurocash Group and Coca-Cola Hellenic Bottling Company.He graduated from SGH Warsaw School of Economics and completed postgraduate studies at Kozminski University and Rzeszow University of Technology.

Konrad Robak, Managing Director at TOMRA Collection Poland, with more than 18 years of experience in management and business development in Asia, Central and Eastern Europe markets. Since May 2022, he has been managing the Polish branch of TOMRA Collection, a company with more than 50 years of presence in global markets, providing reverse vending machine solutions that facilitate the return of aluminum, plastic and glass beverage containers for reuse. Prior to that, he spent more than a decade working in the area of the circular economy, developing closed-loop logistic carrier pooling solution for global and European leaders, helping to build sustainable supply chains in the CEE region.

Robert Rutowicz – Vice President of the Management Board at Polenergia Sprzedaż

Robert Rutowicz has been involved in the energy sector since the mid-1990s. He has held positions at Zakład Energetyczny Tarnów SA, ENION SA, ENION Energia Sp. z o.o., Polish Oil and Gas Company (PGNiG SA), and Grupa Azoty SA. Over the past decade, he served as Director of the Electricity and Gas Trading Department at Polkomtel Sp. z o.o., and in 2022, he was appointed Vice President of the Management Board at PAK Volt S.A.

He is an expert in the Polish energy market, particularly in the areas of corporate organization and electricity trading, with experience in integrating renewable energy sources into the energy mix.

Robert Rutowicz holds a master’s degree in Power Electronics from AGH University of Science and Technology in Kraków, where he also completed postgraduate studies in Electricity Markets. Additionally, he pursued postgraduate studies in Marketing at the Cracow University of Economics and earned an Executive MBA from the Gdańsk Foundation for Management Development in cooperation with IAE Aix-en-Provence Graduate School of Management.

He also serves as Vice President of the Management Board of the Polish Association of Energy Trading (Towarzystwo Obrotu Energią).

Michał has 19 years of banking experience. Over that time he was responsible for (i.a.) development & relationship management with strategic corporate clients, business teams’ management, development & implementation of the sectorial strategies (Food&Agri and TSL). He gained his experience in Rabobank Group, where he worked in Poland (Rabobank Polska and BGZ) and as well as in the Netherlands (bank’s HQs and Corporate Network). In the process of BNPP and Rabobank/BGZ merger was responsible for integration of the strategic and multinational corporate clients, and subsequently Michał became head of Large Corporates Department. He worked also in Corporate Division of Santander Bank, where was responsible for development of TSL sector strategy. Currently is responsible for Food&Agri sector strategy and growth for BNPP Group’s bank in CEE & Turkey. Michał graduated from Krakow University of Economics.

Earlier a longtime news journalist at Puls Biznesu and – starting from September 2019 – the editor in chief of the monthly trade press “Handel” , which is accompanied by the portal HandelExtra.pl and podcasts: Posłuchaj, co w Handlu.
With PhD economics (in the field of management) she is interested in intellectual capital and using it to build the company’s competitive advantage; records podcasts, writes and makes inspirational speeches and trains tap dance.

He commenced his professional career with EdS-PL a subsidiary of the Belgian industrial group TRACTEBEL / WATCO, participating in the start-up of the waste management operation of the group in Poland. His responsibilities included, among others, the preparation of new projects.
He was subsequently connected with the launching of a recycling project in few towns in Poland and became member of the Board in the appointed recycling company.
As of 1996 Commercial Director in the first company in Poland processing hazardous wastes into alternative fuel for cement plant.
Connected with the Polish recovery organization – Rekopol Organizacja Odzysku S.A. from 2001 and as of September 2005, Member of the Board of Rekopol. Rekopol is member of ProEurope. In 2014, he was appointed as President of the Management Board of Rekopol Packaging Recovery Organization SA

Tomasz Wardecki odpowiada za ofertę usług reklamowych dla kontrahentów sieci Leroy Merlin Polska. Rozwija struktury i zarządza pracą zespołu retail mediowego, będącego częścią Valiuz w Polsce. Tomasz posiada ponad 15-letnie doświadczenie w digital marketingu, zdobyte między innymi w grupie Dentsu.

For over 20 years, Kinga Wyganowska has been involved in technologies that support optimization and development of trade and production in a holistic value chain approach, covering S&OP, Category Management, Supply Chain, Pricing, Promotion, and Workforce Management. She has successfully delivered dozens of projects for clients in Poland and across Europe. Her professional satisfaction stems from consistently delivering real business and environmental value by utilizing the latest and proven technologies. Currently, she is responsible for the business development of RELEX Solutions in Poland and the CEE region.

Marek Złakowski graduated from Economic Academy in Poznań in 1997 and completed International Management Programme Insead in 2008.
All his professional life has been associated with Jeronimo Martins, where he gather experience in audit, financial controlling, store operations and implementation of IT system.
Last 5 years he was engaged in development of customer analytics in relation to Moja Biedronka loyalty program.
Currently he is in charge of customer support and satisfaction area, loyalty program and analytics of customer behavior patterns, customer research and insights, e-commerce and digitalization.