Past events and guests of the club:
19 April 2013
Speaker Series: Sonia Wedrychowicz-Horbatowska
This time PCC members had an opportunity to spend an evening with Sonia Wedrychowicz-Horbatowska , who has been working as Country Head of Consumer Banking at Standard Chartered Bank in Malaysia since June 2012. She has over 18 years of banking experience and prior to her current role she worked as Head of Consumer Banking and Vice-President of the Management Board at Bank Handlowy (Citigroup) in Warsaw. She shared many interesting anecdotes about Malaysia and was very enthusiastic about working there. After an interesting Q&A session we moved to a nearby restaurant to continue our conversation with the guest. The positive energy and enthusiasm of our guest broke the ice very quickly and made this evening really special.
8 April 2013
Speaker Series: Professor Grzegorz W. Kolodko
Rarely have we been given an opportunity to spend such an interesting evening like the last Speaker Series event. This is the second time the PCC members had the privilege and pleasure of meeting Professor Grzegorz Kolodko – a respected economist, who has travelled to over 150 countries and is passionate about... running. And if the first meeting was a prologue, this one was a true marathon indeed. Our guest shared with us his thoughts regarding the impact of financial crisis on Poland and entangled web of world’s financial engineering.
After the main part of our meeting with Professor Kolodko, who kindly spent so much time with us, we left The Eight Club with the signed copies of his new book, and enjoyed a late dinner, at one of the restaurants in the City – listening to fascinating stories of Professor’s numerous travels. Inspiring meeting.
25 March 2013
Speaker Series: Andrew de Roy & Paddy Beiner
This time we had a unique opportunity to get some insight into corporate investigations business and the world of investigative journalism. Sounds like a chapter from “The Girl with The Dragon Tattoo”? ...well, perhaps what we heard during this event was not as extreme, nevertheless it was very interesting indeed! And all thanks to our two guests - Andrew de Roy (whose Polish is much better than our English – he was just too modest to admit it) and Paddy Beiner (who mentioned that facing Polish winter was much more bearable than surviving this cold, wet and rainy “spring” in London – we can agree on that, can’t we?). Our guests work together at CEE Consulting Group in Warsaw, and have been involved in numerous corporate investigations and asset searches for a variety of international clients. They spoke with passion and one could have easily noticed that their approach to business is fuelled not only by the current situation in the market, but more importantly is a result of their past experience and their deep knowledge of the industry. Prior to founding CEE Consulting Group, Andrew was employed by the Financial Times Group, as the Mergermarket bureau chief in Poland, and Paddy - who joined the firm in January 2013, spent several years with Switzerland’s top investigative firm covering multinational asset searches and litigation support cases.
21 March 2013
Speaker Series: Arnab Banerji
PCC members had an opportunity to spend an evening with Arnab Banerji (Chairman of Collabrium Capital) - a leading emerging markets expert and a well respected economic commentator. He was formerly Chief Investment Officer of Foreign & Colonial overseeing an investment portfolio of $100 billion and subsequently Senior Policy Advisor on Economic Affairs to former Prime Minister Tony Blair. He built an emerging markets hedge fund business for Lansdowne Partners from zero to $900 million in two years and was one of the first institutional investors who invested in emerging markets at the beginning of the 1990s. He has served on numerous prestigious boards advising on emerging market investment and activity.
We met at Eight Club in the City of London and after a brief networking session we welcomed our guest. Mr Banerji spoke about the current situation in the financial markets and the recent developments across Europe – Germany, Spain, Greece and Cyprus in particular. We discussed various topics, from immigration to international politics and entangled history of many European countries, especially Russia and Cyprus given the current problems there. Our guest welcomed our questions and the Q&A session was engaging indeed – needless to say that Mr Banerji had all the facts and figures at his fingertips and it was seriously impressive. It was really interesting to listen to many anecdotes and stories that our guest shared with us, and taken into account his experience and high profile roles he has held we felt privileged to spend time with him.
18 February 2013
PCC Event: "A Debt of Dishonour" film screening
Polish City Club members had the privilege of watching "A Debt of Dishonour" - a documentary film produced last year in the UK by Dr Marek Stella-Sawicki - Chairman of The Polish Heritage Society.
The evening was the first opportunity for many of us to get closer to this extraordinary story of the heroism of the Polish soldiers who formed 1st Parachute Brigade and their outstanding commander - Major General Stanislaw Sosabowski, who led the troops during The Battle of Arnhem in 1944. The story is still surrounded by a controversy...
We also had a chance to hold a Q&A session with Dr Marek Stella-Sawicki, whose passion and determination resulted in this interesting and eyes-opening documentary.
15 February 2013
Presentation by Professor Jacek Rostowski @ Guildhall, City of London
Polish Embassy in London and City of London Corporation invited PCC's representatives to join a forum entitled “Financial stability – new arrangements for better economic prospects in Europe”. One of the key guests was Professor Jacek Rostowski - Minister of Finance of the Republic of Poland, who spoke about the financial architecture of transforming Europe, problems and key issues governments should deal with across both Eurozone and the neighbouring countries.
1-3 February 2013
PCC Paris Inauguration Meeting & PCC offsite
February started with a great event indeed – an unforgettable evening to mark the opening of Polish City Club in Paris. The event took take place in the Polish Embassy in Paris - arguably the most beautiful Polish Embassy in the world! We had the privilege of meeting many special guests including Mr Tomasz Orlowski, Ambassador of the Republic of Poland in France and his wife Mrs Aleksandra Orłowska, who inaugurated the opening ceremony.
PCC teams had a chance to spend more time together, exchange ideas and discuss key issues while enjoying a couple of days in Paris.
26 January 2013
The 42nd Polish Ball - Lancaster London Hotel
PCC members participated in The 42nd Polish Ball. Entire proceeds from the Ball were donated to the Alina Foundation, a small volunteer-run charity that provides vital medical equipment for children with terminal illnesses throughout Poland.
11 December 2012
PCC Christmas Dinner
This year’s Polish City Club Christmas Dinner took place in a very elegant restaurant - “Baltic” in Southwark, London. PCC Members and their guests gathered together to celebrate Christmas time. The dinner was a wonderful occasion to meet new guests and members of the club, engage in interesting discussions and enjoy traditional polish food in a festive atmosphere.
6 December 2012
Speaker Series: Marianne Abib-Pech
PCC members had an opportunity to meet a very special guest - Marianne Abib-Pech, a finance professional who used to enjoy doing deals, and in the span of 10 years she rose from analyst to Global CFO (working for the likes of GE Capital, Royal Dutch Shell and BHP Billiton). Marianne is the author of "The Financial Times Guide to Leadership: How to Lead Effectively and Get Results".
29 November 2012
PCC Annual General Meeting
This time Polish City Club members gathered at Club's Annual General Meeting which took place in one of the traditional meeting rooms at the Houses of Parliament. What made this event even more special was the presence of the honorary members of the club, such as Wiktor Moszczynski, Adam Zamoyski and Jan Sikora-Sikorski. In this extraordinary surrounding the club's president, Dorota Zimnoch, presented a review of this year's activities of the PCC. Dorota Zimnoch also received a vote of confidence and will proudly continue to be the President of the PCC in 2013. Club members also had a chance to vote for or against various proposed resolutions regarding the changes in the club’s status. The Annual General Meeting was also a great occasion to host a discussion about the Polish community in the UK and its future. This discussion, which was led by PCC member - Aneta Buchert, and the honorary guests, was an occasion to discuss why it is important to be a part of the Polish community in the UK and what changes are required for Poles to become more and more successful in the UK.
14 November 2012
PCC Events: "Art As A Lifestyle" at Debut Contemporary Art Gallery
On the 14th of November 2012 PCC members had a chance to participate in Art as a Lifestyle, another event from the Art & Culture - Collecting Contemporary Art series, organised by PCC member Agnieszka Kolek. The meeting took place at the Debut Contemporary art gallery - a platform for ambitious and talented artists. The gallery has been established by Samir Ceric and Zoe Knight, who were described by The Times Magazine as ‘one of the most powerful couples in art and fashion in the United Kingdom’. The founder and the director of the gallery - Samir Ceric, used two books to support his presentation with: “Seven days in the world of art” and “Collecting contemporary art”, and explained to PCC members why collecting art is the best addiction that one can have. Samir also gave PCC members several very useful tips as to how to start the first art collection and how to build the relations with the artists. After Samir’s presentation members got engaged in a lively discussion about the future of collecting and the reality of the art market. The discussion has been followed by a glass of wine and then PCC members had a chance to admire the artworks by talented and newly discovered artists.
25 October 2012
PCC is expanding! Bienvenue à Paris!
After several months of cross-border collaboration we are proud to announce that PCC has just opened in Paris! Our members met at Cracovia (35 rue Descartes, Paris 75005) and discussed the ways PCC can bring together the professional Polish diaspora in France. The meeting was a success and we are excited about the future projects PCC members will be involved in both in London and Paris!
25 October 2012
Speaker Series: Mateusz Kusznierewicz
Some of us might have forgotten about the excitement and joy one could see on people's faces during the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games, when spectators watched their national heroes compete here in The Big Smoke. These memories were definitely brought back to us thanks to our special guest - Mr Mateusz Kusznierewicz, a gold and bronze Olympic Medalist and a multiple World and European Sailing Champion. He spoke about commitment (310 days per year...training - well, it would be a big ask for many of us!), people who inspired him, his ups and downs, his successes and failures and what he has learnt during his professional career as a sailor. He spoke with passion, and one could have easily noticed that sailing has not only been a big part of his professional career, it has most definitely shaped his life and defined him as a person. It was really interesting to hear about the ways he helps young sailors, promotes sport and leverages his sailing experience in order to leave a lasting legacy for the generations to come. Needless to say that, when asked whether sailing is his way of life, he smiled broadly and said: "My passion - my motivation". Inspiring.
17 October 2012
Speaker Series: Professor Sir Leszek Borysiewicz
Another PCC Speaker Series, and another very interesting guest. This time we had the pleasure to discuss various topics with Professor Sir Leszek Borysiewicz, and what a discussion it was indeed! Our guest, who is the 345th Vice-Chancellor of the University of Cambridge gave us a very comprehensive overview of the University and provided us with an interesting insight regarding running the University on a daily basis. After a general Q&As session we moved swiftly to one of the dining rooms at Eight Club in the City and enjoyed a dynamic conversation. The ideas clashed, some intriguing questions were raised, the answers provided food for thought and all the issues we touched upon had definitely made this evening exceptionally interesting. During the dinner we discussed everything from historical anecdotes about Cambridge (i.e., why did Byron get himself a bear?!), student fees, globalisation and access to knowledge, power of the internet and scalable projects reflecting dilemmas faced by several top universities, drastic censorship of the internet in China, to iPads and Facebook. We hope to meet Professor Borysiewicz again during PCC Annual General Meeting in November 2012!
29 August 2012
Presentation by Professor Leszek Balcerowicz @ One Birdcage Walk, Westminster - London
Open Europe - an influential and independent think tank, invited PCC's representatives to join a forum entitled “What can the Eurozone learn from Eastern Europe’s transformation?”. The main discussion was led by Professor Leszek Balcerowicz - a Polish economist, the former chairman of the National Bank of Poland, Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister of Poland.
29 June 2012
Speaker Series: Edward Lucas
This time we had the privilege and pleasure of meeting Mr Edward Lucas, who is the Central and Eastern European correspondent for The Economist and is deputy editor of the International section. He has occupied several other European desks at the world’s foremost news weekly, including Moscow Bureau Chief from 1998 to 2002. He studied Economics at the London School of Economics and speaks five languages—German, Russian, Polish, Czech and Lithuanian.
Our meeting took place at “5th View” in Central London – a quiet yet vibrant place, where everyone could relax and take part in an interesting discussion. Our guest talked about his views on Poland, Polish culture and mentality, as well as his experience based on numerous visits to our country. Mr Lucas is very familiar with the history of Poland, and as a result all his anecdotes helped to break the ice very quickly and stimulated the discussion – needless to say that his stories were not only interesting, but funny as well.
We discussed both strengths and weaknesses of Polish community in the UK. Furthermore, we exchanged interesting opinions about the strengths of Poland as a country, and the ways each and everyone of us can contribute to improving and effectively changing (for the better) the image of Poland and Polish community. Majority of us agreed that simply by actively using social media to spread the good news about Poland (ie. using Facebook or LinkedIn), as well as participating in various networking events, we as Polish community can change the image many people come across while watching TV, listening to the radio or reading various newspapers (the British media in general).
This engaging discussion led to several inspiring ideas suggesting different ways to promote Poland and numerous success stories of many Poles across the globe. After the meeting with our guest, who kindly spent so much time with us, we bought the signed copies of his new book - "Deception", and enjoyed a late Friday dinner at the Avenue restaurant.
17 May 2012
Presentation by Mr Marek Belka - Governor of the National Bank of Poland @ Guildhall, City of London
Embassy of the Republic of Poland in London invited PCC's representatives to join a forum focused on Poland's strengths, investment opportunities and regulatory changes in the midst of the current European crisis. The main discussion was led by Professor Marek Belka - Governor of the National Bank of Poland, whose presentation was followed by other prominent speakers: Mrs Beata Stelmach - Undersecretary of State, Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Mr Ludwik Sobolewski, CEO of Warsaw Stock Exchange.
16 May 2012
PCC Meeting @ Ortega
The President of PCC shared a comprehensive document summarising the PCC mission, strategy and a team structure among several other issues. PCC members had an opportunity to actively participate in an open discussion, create new initiatives and shape the future of the Club.
8 May 2012
Lunch with Professor Leszek Balcerowicz
Embassy of the Republic of Poland in London invited PCC's representatives to participate in a lunch meeting with Professor Leszek Balcerowicz.
27 April 2012
PCC Events: Bite Into Art at National Gallery
PCC members met in central London and enjoyed a private walking tour of the National Gallery, led by an art historian. It was a great opportunity not only to explore the collections of this gallery and learn more about art in general, but also to socialise and relax.
26 April 2012
Meeting with Jozef Bejnarowicz
PCC members enjoyed a very interesting lunch meeting with Mr Jozef Bejnarowicz - the President of the Polish Canoeing Association. The aim of this meeting was to learn more about Polish sport and the preparations of the Polish canoeing team for the London 2012 Summer Olympics. Mr Bejnarowicz told us about a canoeing course in the north London and about a usual training routine of Polish canoeists. He also talked about his own experience with canoeing. PCC members had an opportunity to ask about the chances of Polish canoeing team at the Olympics this year, and according to Mr Bejnarowicz Polish canoeists should be able to win at least few medals. At the end of the meeting Jozef Bejnarowicz gave PCC members several Olympic badges and a book about Polish sport.
18 April 2012
Speaker Series: Wiktor Moszczyński
On Wednesday, 18th April 2012 Polish City Club members welcomed another interesting speaker. This time we met at Jazz Café POSK and had an engaging discussion with Mr. Wiktor Moszczyński. Mr. Moszczyński was born in London in 1946 and was very active in the Polish Solidarity Campaign, he also campaigned to abolish visas for Poles in 1992. He was Ealing's transport spokesman and coordinator of the Borough's green policies. In addition to that, he inaugurated the direct Greenford-Paddington rail link and initiated Lech Wałęsa's visit to Ealing Town Hall. Currently, Wiktor Moszczyński is employed by the London Chamber of Commerce.
Our guest's lecture focused on a complex history of Polish immigration to the UK and the engagement of Poles in the political and social life in Great Britain.
Furthermore, Mr. Moszczyński talked about his book - ‘Polak Londyńczyk’, and his presentation was followed by a dynamic Q&A session.
15 March 2012
City Clubs Alliance
On 15th March 2012 members of the Polish City Clubs had a unique pleasure to attend 3rd Anniversary Reception and re-launch of the City Clubs Alliance (CCA) at the EIGHT Private Members' Club. Members of the Bulgarian, Polish, Ukrainian, Lithuanian, Serbian, Romanian clubs and other City Clubs met at the event to get to know each other and work together in multi-national teams on solving a quiz about countries of participants’ origin. The purpose of the City Clubs Alliance initiative is to encourage closer co-operation between the various Eastern European member organisations. The event was a not only enjoyable, but also provided top-notch networking opportunities for participants. We are looking forward to more such events when we can meet in such a distinguished companionship.
3 March 2012
Polish Economic and Business Forum 2012 - Polish Business Society, London School of Economics
As part of Polish Economic and Business Forum 2012 organised by the Polish Business Society at the London School of Economics, the Polish City Club hosted lunch with five of the Forum speakers:
- Jakub Zablocki (Founder and CEO of X-Trade Brokers)
- Andrzej Raczko (Member of the Management Board of the National Bank of Poland, former Minister of Finance)
- Marian Moszoro (IESE - Finance Department & PPSRC, former Deputy Minister of Finance)
- Karol Niewiadomski (Principal at Silver Lake)
- Cezary Pietrasik (Principal at Warburg Pincus)
The meeting gave the attending PCC members an excellent opportunity to get to know the invited guests and to learn about their contribution to the development of Polish economy and recognition of the potential of Polish entrepreneurs outside the country's borders as well as to discuss current issues in Polish business and economy. After lunch, the PCC members attended the Forum where they could listen to the above and other high-profile speakers and network with fellow attendees.
22 February 2012
Speaker Series: Adam Michnik
On the 22nd of February 2012, the Polish City Club was honoured to host Mr Adam Michnik a historian, essayist, former dissident, public intellectual, and the editor-in-chief of Poland's largest newspaper: Gazeta Wyborcza. He is also known for being a leading figure of Polish anti-communist opposition in the pre-1989 Poland; he was a member of the Round Table Talks 1989 and of the first non-communist parliament 1989-1991. For his actions and activities he has been awarded with many prizes and is the recipient of a doctorate honoris causa from numerous universities. He also was given the Order of the White Eagle - highest Polish decoration, Knight of the Legion of Honour and the European of the Year.
During the PCC meeting Mr. Michnik spoke with passion and inspiration about the historical and current changes occurring in the world’s political and economical arena. Drawing on his experience, he also talked about the recurrence of repressive political systems and the associated threats around the globe. Our honoured guest also presented his latest book ‘In Search of Lost Meaning: The New Eastern Europe,’ published by the University of California Press last year.
After the talk Mr Michnik kindly answered numerous questions from the audience and related to, the future of Poland, its political situation and also condition of Polish media. He also commented on several recent issues and challenges of the new world, such as the current problems of Greece or Hungary. The members of the club were truly impressed by the knowledge and experience shared by the honoured guest and left meeting inspired and motivated.
7 February 2012
PCC Wine and Dine Experience Series
The Polish City Club’s members value the opportunity of networking, exchanging the views on many, not only work related, topics and spend some fun time together. In response we have initiated the Wine and Dine meetings. On 7th February we met at Giuseppe's – a unique Italian restaurant that transferred us from cold London straight to sunny, joyful Italy. The live music, delicious food, Italian wine and Polish companions made it a very special event. Many stories and jokes were told that night. So, whether you are a member or think about becoming one, do join us for the upcoming social events!
28 January 2012
The 41st Polish Ball - London Hilton on Park Lane
PCC members participated in The 41st Polish Ball, organised under the honorary auspices of Her Excellency Ms Barbara Tuge-Erecinska, Ambassador for the Polish Republic in GB. The Ball celebrated Poland's hosting of the European Football Championship 2012. Entire proceeds from the Ball were donated to the Paediatric Orthopaedic and Rehabilitation Clinic at the Children’s Hospital in Lublin.
12 January 2012
Speaker Series: Sir Leszek Borysiewicz
The first meeting of the Polish City Club in 2012 took place on Thursday (January 12th), at Oxford and Cambridge Club in London. Sir Leszek Borysiewicz was going to give a speech during this meeting. However, due to unfortunate circumstances he couldn't join us. Despite the change of the plan, the meeting turned out to be an occasion to discuss the organisational matters and introduce members and several new guests to each other. It turned out that many have a lot of things in common, such as art or travelling - as a result everyone was engaged in an interesting conversation and made new friends by the end of the meeting.
The members of PCC will meet Sir Leszek Borysiewicz later in 2012.
12 December 2011
PCC Christmas Party @The Knaypa
As every year, members of the PCC met over Xmas dinner to celebrate, in the nice, relaxing atmosphere this special time of the year.
30 November 2011
Annual General Meeting
During the AGM meeting Daniel Stachowiak presented the summary of events, activities and achievements during his Presidency of the Club. The annual report was followed followed by the elections of new President. Dorota Zimnoch become a new President of the Club, elected in the unanimous voting.
Several new resolutions regarding members benefits, Advisory Board, etc. were also voted during the meeting.
1 November 2011
Speaker Series: Grzegorz W. Kołodko
The PCC members had a pleasure to meet Professor Grzegorz Kolodko, professor of economics at Kozminski University in Warsaw, renowned for his contribution to Polish economic reforms when he held positions of Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance. The Professor shared his views on economics, politics and life during a lunch at Ortega restaurant. The PCC members were inspired by the Professor’s passion for economics, travelling and running, some of us even started practising for London Marathon. The discussions were very absorbing and extended well over a lunch hour.
19 October 2011
Speaker Series: Piotr Augustyniak
Mr Piotr Augustyniak, Head of Tax Practice in K&L Gates based in Warsaw, met the PCC members in the Oxford and Cambridge Club. Moving countries – moving taxes? proved to be a very relevant topic and led to interesting debate on the international tax systems and the newest trends. Members had also a chance to relate the topic to their personal situation or experience which brought additional benefits to the conversation.
5 September 2011
Speaker Series: Minister Mikołaj Dowgielewicz
The next Speaker Series event took place in Oxford and Cambridge Club. The PCC members had a pleasure to meet Minister Mikołaj Dowgielewicz, Secretary of State for European Affairs and Economic Policy, the Governent Plenipotentiary for the Preparation of Government Administration Bodies and for Republic of Poland's Presidency of the Council of the European Union, Her Excellency, Mrs Barbara Tuge-Erecińska, Ambassador of the Republic of Poland to the United Kingdom and Marcin Augustyn, Head of Unit in the cabinet of Minister. The subject of the meeting was to discuss the role and key objectives, challenges and opportunities of the Polish presidency in the EU and what that means to Poles in Poland and abroad. After the official meeting members had continued the conversations in relaxed atmosphere.
18 July 2011
The PCC members meeting
The PCC members met in the Institute of Directors to discuss current projects and future PCC initiatives. Lots of valuable ideas were exchanged in the nice, relaxing athmosphere.
From the left: Łukasz Rzeczkowski, Mateusz Belcarz, Kinga Ogonowska, Marek Gulbicki, Dorota Zimnoch, Arek Marczewski, Anna Słodka
18 July 2011
Meeting with Minister Jacek Michałowski, the Head of the Chancellery of the President of Poland, during his visit to London
The PCC members attended the meeting with Minister Jacek Michałowski, the Head of the Chancellery of the President of Poland at the invitation of the Ambassador of the Republic of Poland, Her Excellency Ms Barbara Tuge - Erecińska. During the meeting we had a chance to exchange the opinions and ideas on projects and initiatives that could support Polish Diaspora in the United Kingdom.
6 July 2011
Official launch of the Polish Presidency of the Council of the European Union
The PCC Committe attended the official launch of the Polish Presidency of the Council of the European Union organised and hosted by The Ambassador of the Republic of Poland, Her Excellency Ms Barbara Tuge - Erecińska
27 June 2011
Speaker Series: Daryle Abrahams
Workshop with Daryle Abrahams, Managing Director of Teetch.com. For those of you who are familiar personality profiling and cognitive styles, Daryle showed us the next generation research on cognitive styles and personality profiling tha significantly enhances the Briggs Meyers framework and makes it more accurate. It was a fun and a very interactive session.
14 June 2011
PCC Wine and Dine Experience Serie
Club dinner at Mint Leaf Lounge organized by Marcin Perzanowski was reportedly an evening of ‘great fun and gourmet food’
11 May 2011
Speaker Series: Mr Richard Berkeley
In May PCC was honoured to host Mr Richard Berkeley as the guest of the Speaker Series. Mr Berkeley spoke with great passion and concern about the state of the state of liberal arts education in Poland. He has been ferociously encouraging more accessibility and exposure of the young Poles to music and performing arts.
Having lived in Poland for more than ten years, Richard has noticed some paradoxes about the policy of the Ministry of Culture in Poland. Moreover, he talked about his belief in accountability of politics and is about to publish a report on the mis-spent millions during the Chopin year and the inability of the Ministries of Culture and Education to formulate and implement arts educational policies in schools. The speaker’s views triggered a great lot of discussion among the event’s attendees.
12 April 2011
Social evening @ Ortega
Once in a while our members are invited to meet and socialize in a less formal environment. The dinner at the Ortega Spanish Restaurant was one of those times when we could enjoy tasty tapas, paellas and delicious wine in a great, relaxed company. We had a lot of laughing and telling stories at the table. Such dinners are memorable and make the unique atmosphere of the club.
In Photo: Rober Stopa, Dorota Zimnoch, Kinga Ogonowska, Aleksander Baranski, Marcin Perzanowski, Lukasz Rzeczkowski, Alicja Nelka, Małgorzata Leszczyńska
26-27 March 2011
PCC's Get-Together-Weekend: Warsaw
This year's edition of "PCC's Get-Together-Weekends" initiative was held in Warsaw on the last weekend of March.
PCC's members flew in to Warsaw to meet representatives of Polish organizations potentially interested in joint projects. We are currently working on the development of the ideas engendered during these meetings.
The initiative "PCC's Get-Together-Weekends" is held annually and aimed at gathering club's members for one weekend in order to work together on current projects, discuss ideas for new ones, as well as to have fun together.
24 March 2011
Speaker Series: Prof. Paul Reynolds
Meeting with Professor Paul Reynolds at the Polish Embassy in London was an exquisite social and informative event. Professor Reynolds was kind enough to give a thoughtful presentation on “The European Economy - managed decline or global fight back? How the European economy can once more dominate".
He renounced that the long term decline is not inevitable, and defeatist 'managed decline' policies must be wrested from the hands of bureaucrats in Brussels and in member nation states. He argued for reforms in the European economy, and said that the region can no longer afford the luxury of sleepy and parochial governance institutions, ineffective social welfare, poor policymaking and badly designed & implemented legislation. The speech was followed by an engaging discussion with the gathered audience.
Prof. Reynolds is quite an extraordinary person. He has advised the Liberal Democrat Party on the domestic UK economy and international economic development and served as a foreign policy adviser in the 2010 general elections. What is more, he is renowned for his advising government ministers in more than 60 countries worldwide, including ten former socialist Central, Balkan and Eastern European governments. In many projects Paul works closely with the IMF and World Bank.
Prof. Paul Reynolds
from the left: Prof. Paul Reynolds,
Magdalena Kozak, Daniel Stachowiak;
23 February 2011
Speaker Series: Dr Mark Stella-Sawicki
Dr Mark Stella-Sawicki proudly presented activities and achievements of the Polish Heritage Society which he co-founded. The society focuses on ensuring that memorials, monuments, buildings and other marks of remembrance and presence of the Polish people in The United Kingdom are recorded and their donors remembered for posterity. It also finds the forgotten monuments and restores them.
The largest completed project so far is First official Polish War Memorial at National Memorial Arboretum. It is first official memorial in the UK to the contribution made by Polish forces to the allied efforts in World War II.
In 2010 the Society was celebrating Fryderyk Chopin’s year by unveiling a restored Chopin statue in London (Southbank) and another monument will be erected in Manchester early in 2011. For more information on these and other stunning projects please refer to http://polish-heritage.co.uk/
21 October 2010
Speaker Series: Krzysztof Pawłowski
In October the PCC was honoured to host the meeting with dr Krzysztof Pawłowski, the founder and rector of the Wyzsza Szkola Biznesu in Nowy Sącz. Our guest shared with the PCC members his views on Polish innovation and the critical path to success. He also shared the information about his current project of building a Multimedia City in Nowy Sącz.
30 September 2010
Speaker Series: Edward Lucas
Edward Lucas, Central European correspondent of the Economist and a renowned expert on the area. Theme:
“Poland has never been safer, richer, better-ruled, more prestigious or happier. So why the gloom?”
29 July 2010
Speaker Series: Zbigniew Pelczynski
Zbigniew Pelczynski – former lecturer of philosophy at Keble College, Oxford, the founder of the School for Leaders in Poland. Theme:
„Are leaders born or made? If made, how?” ( Experience of the Warsaw School for Leaders, 1994-2010”
6 June 2010
Speaker Series: Jan Zylinski
Jan Zyliński – UK-born entrepreneur of Polish origin Theme:
„My journey to making money – key lessons for the new Polish diaspora”
27 May 2010
Speaker Series: Adam Zamoyski
Adam Zamoyski, historian and best selling author Theme:
“The state of Polish national heritage – experience from the Czartoryski Museum in Krakow”
21 October 2010
Speaker Series: Krzysztof Pawłowski
In October the PCC was honoured to host the meeting with dr Krzysztof Pawłowski, the founder and rector of the Wyzsza Szkola Biznesu in Nowy Sącz. Our guest shared with the PCC members his views on Polish innovation and the critical path to success. He also shared the information about his current project of building a Multimedia City in Nowy Sącz.
