Archives: Relacja

We are delighted to have become a partner of the European Economic Congress, which this year took place from 23 to 25 April in Katowice. For the first time, the Chamber, together with Swiss member companies ABB, Nestlé, Novartis Poland, Roche, Sandoz Poland was present with a stand, the so-called Swiss Point, in the VIP zone. This was a place for meetings and discussions for our partners.
On 24 April, the second day of the congress, a panel discussion “Forum of economic cooperation: Switzerland” took place with the participation of representatives of our member companies:

Grzegorz Byszewski PhD, Public Policy and Governmental Affairs Partner, Roche Polska
Karolina Demus, President of the Management Board, Sandoz Polska
Iwona Pajak, Director of Public Affairs, Novartis Poland
Maciej Sieczka, President of the Management Board, Endress+Hauser Poland
Grzegorz Sołtysiak, CEO, ZREW Transformatory S.A.

together with:
Luca Laloli, Head of Economic, Financial and Scientific Affairs at the Embassy of Switzerland in Poland
Marcin Graczyk, Spokesperson, Board Representative for ESG and Sustainable Development, Polish Investment and Trade Agency
Ulrich Schwendimann, Managing Director of the Polish-Swiss Chamber of Commerce.

We encourage you to watch the retransmission of the session.
The panel was followed by a Swiss cocktail with our member companies and congress guests. The best Swiss chocolate from SSC Distribution, Swiss cheese and Swiss wine were not to be missed. Thank you for coming in such large numbers!

Furthermore, we are pleased to announce that our member company and partner Swiss Point has received an award in the ‘Investor without Borders’ category. Congratulations to Ms Karolina Demus and the Sandoz Polska team!

Many thanks go to our partners of the Swiss Point! ABB, Nestlé, Novartis Poland, Roche, Sandoz Poland thank you one more time!

 

New Year’s Meeting 2025 is behind us! We would like to extend our sincere thanks to all the guests for joining us in welcoming the New Year.

This year’s meeting was hosted by Roche Polska. Thank you!

The event was opened by Irma Veberič, General Manager of Roche Polska, along with Ulrich Schwendimann, Managing Director of the Polish-Swiss Chamber of Commerce. “The beginning of the year is always a time for reflection, to look back on the previous year, appreciate all that we have achieved, and anticipate what lies ahead. I truly believe that it will bring new hopes and opportunities,” said Irma Veberic during the official opening. Ulrich Schwendimann highlighted the fast-growing Polish-Swiss community, showcased in the latest Swiss Business Directory, a catalog of member companies that was available during the event. The Chamber’s President, Michał Stępień, wished the guests not only success in business but also longlasting business relationships.

The guest of honor at the event was H.E. Ambassador of Switzerland Fabrice Filliez, who presented the embassy’s plans for 2025. The event coincided with the visit of Ehab Youssef, Head of Europe Area North, who together with Jacek Jopek Professional Services Enabling Lead, Roche Diagnostics Poland emphasized the value of medical innovations for patients, healthcare systems, and economies worldwide.

Participants also had the opportunity to join a Laboratory Tour, during which they could observe the diagnostic solutions developed by Roche Diagnostics Polska.

After the official part of the event, guests enjoyed networking and conversations accompanied by live music.

A big thank you to everyone for another wonderful New Year’s Meeting of the Chamber’s member companies!

 

On December 4, another Economic Outlook meeting was held, organized jointly by the Swiss Chamber, ADVANTAGE AUSTRIA, Boyden Poland, Grant Thornton and mBank. Once again thanks to the hospitality of mBank, we held discussions on economic forecasts for 2025 in the beautiful spaces of the mBank Tower.

The meeting was started jointly by Agnieszka Kaczyńska, Head of International Clients Department Corporate Clients at mBank, Christian Lassnig, Commercial Counselor at ADVANTAGE AUSTRIA and Ulrich Schwendimann, Managing Director of the Polish-Swiss Chamber of Commerce, and then gave the floor to Marcin Mazurek, Chief Economist of mBank.

Marcin Mazurek’s interesting presentation on the country’s economic situation and the economic forecast for 2025 was a good basis for the subsequent discussion on Competitiveness of Poland today and tomorrow. How to keep Poland attractive in terms of living, working and worth investing? among Partners and invited guests: Eunika Klasik, Loxone; Katharina Lasota Heller, Lexcellence AG; Zbigniew Płaza, Boyden oraz Marcin Diakonowicz, Grant Thornton. The discussion was led jointly by Christian Lassnig and Ulrich Schwendimann.

We would like to thank all the speakers  and the audience for such an interesting exchange of opinions and observations. Finally, as usual, guests were invited to further discussion in the lobby during a networking cocktail.

Thank you for being with us!

International Speed Business Mixer 2024 is behind us! Nearly 200 people had the opportunity to meet at REGENT Warsaw Hotel and make new contacts.
Speed Business Mixer is the only formula where companies can reach a very wide business audience with their offer thanks to the cooperation between a dozen international bilateral chambers.

This year, the event was co-organised by as many as 14 chambers of commerce:

ADVANTAGE AUSTRIA, British Polish Chamber of Commerce (BPCC), AHK,CCI France Pologne / Francusko-Polska Izba Gospodarcza (CCIFP), Scandinavian-Polish Chamber of Commerce ( SPCC ), Belgian Business Chamber (BBC), Netherlands-Polish Chamber of Commerce, Polish Spanish Chamber of Commerce / Cámara de Comercio Polaco Española, Polish Canadian Chamber of Commerce, Polish Portuguese Chamber of Commerce,Camera di Commercio e dell’Industria Italiana in Polonia, Irish Polish Chamber of Commerce.

We would like to thank you for the pleasant cooperation and we wish all our guests many new business opportunities and fruitful projects.

See you at the next edition!

 

This year’s nineth edition of Polish-Swiss Innovation Day was devoted to the topic “AI in Manufacturing and Services. Experiences, opportunities and challenges of artificial intelligence for companies and institutions in Poland and Switzerland”.

The event took place on October 29 at Google for Startups Campus Warsaw. It was attended by over 160 people, including Chamber member companies and representatives of universities and institutions.

Polish-Swiss Innovation Day was organized in cooperation with the Embassy of Switzerland. The honorary patronage of the conference was provided by the Minister of Digital Affairs, Ministry of Development and Technology, and the Mayor of Warsaw. The media patronage was provided by Ringier Axel Springer Polska and Telewizja Biznesowa.

This interesting exchange of experiences was possible thanks to the support of Business Partners: IDEAS NCBR and member companies: ABB, Billennium, Nestle, Roche as well as host of the event: Google for Startups Campus Warsaw.

The event was opened by H.E. Fabrice Filliez, Ambassador of Switzerland to Poland, and President of the Chamber Michał Stępień. Moderators of the conference were Ulrich Schwendimann, Managing Director of the Chamber, Luca Laloli, Head of Economic, Financial and Scientific Affairs at the Embassy of Switzerland in Poland and Monika Ciemięga, Policy Officer at the Embassy of Switzerland in Poland. The official welcome was made by the host of the event Michał Kramarz, Head of Google for Startups, Central Europe.

As in previous years, we had the pleasure of hosting experts from Poland and Switzerland. During the conference, we had the opportunity to listen to:

Dariusz Standerski, PhD, Secretary of State, Ministry of Digitalisation

H.E. Ambassador Benedikt Wechsler, PhD, Head of Division for Digitalisation, FDFA State Secretariat, Bern

Patrick Warnking, Vice President Central and Eastern Europe, Google

Magda Kotlarczyk, Country Director Google Poland

Michał Kuszewski, Chief Specialist for Innovative Economy at the Economic Development Department, Warsaw City Hall

Prof. Dirk Mohr, Head of Institute of Virtual Manufacturing, ETH Zurich

Prof. Piotr Sankowski, PhD, University of Warsaw, MIM Solutions

Prof. Tomasz Trzciński, PhD, Research Group Leader at IDEAS NCBR, Warsaw University of Technology

Joost VandeVondele, PhD, Deputy Director for Science, Swiss National Supercomputing Center (CSCS), Swiss AI Initiative.

The presentations were followed by a panel discussion “How Companies Approach AI”, moderated by Magda Kotlarczyk, Country Director Google Poland, with experts from Swiss companies, business partners of the event:

Przemysław Zakrzewski, Vicepresident, ABB E-Mobility Sp. z o.o.

Adrian Foltyn, PhD, Senior Manager Data Science & Analytics, Nestlé Poland

Natalia Baranowska, Data & Analytics Section Lead – Data Advisory & Insights, Roche

Marcin Kruczyk, PhD, AI & Data Director, Ringier Axel Springer Polska

Mariusz Kotyś, AI & Data Competence Center Director, Billennium S.A.

We would like to thank all Partners, institutional and business, for their invaluable contribution to the implementation of this joint venture as well as all guests, who participated in the event.

 

On September 17 – 19, 2024, we organized the Swiss Pavilion at the Energetab trade fair in Bielsko-Biała for the fifteenth time! The Pavilion is a joint initiative of the Polish-Swiss Chamber of Commerce and the Swiss Business Hub Central Europe within the Swiss Embassy. This year’s guest of honor at the Pavilion was Fabrice Filliez, the Ambassador of Switzerland to Poland. The Pavilion was also visited by the President of ZIAD Bielsko-Biała S.A., Dariusz Mrzygłód, and the Advisor to the Management Board of ZIAD Bielsko-Biała S.A., Ryszard Migdalski, who gifted us a commemorative diploma of appreciation, receiving our thanks also in the form of diplomas.

We celebrated the anniversary with the following companies that exhibited in the Pavilion:

Delta
Enersys
Explosion Power
Helmar Jacek A. Dobrowiecki
Pfiffner
TAT ECO
visaVento

We encourage you to read the entire e-brochure of exhibitors. EP&M traditionally joined the initiative. As every year, coffee was served by Jura.

To celebrate the fifteenth anniversary, we created a video from the first day of the fair, featuring a Swiss-style cocktail and interviews with exhibitors – available HERE. We also celebrated the anniversary with a cake, Swiss wine and chocolates, as well as a raclette show performed by Michel Prestinari-Skawiński from Magical Raclette Show. In addition, representatives of the exhibitors who take part in the Pavilion for the longest time, namely Delta and TAT ECO, received commemorative diplomas from us.

Thank you all for participation and we already invite you to the next edition of the Swiss Pavilion at Energetab on September 16 – 18, 2025!

On 3-5 September the 33rd Economic Forum in Karpacz took place.

The Polish-Swiss Chamber of Commerce in cooperation with the Embassy of Switzerland in Poland invited again to events at the Swiss Point Pavilion. This year, they were held under the slogan “Innovation through Partnerships”.

Our presence was possible thanks to the cooperation and support of the Pavilion’s Strategic Partners: Nestlé, Novartis, Ringier Axel Springer, Roche and Sandoz, the Supporting Partner LEXCELLENCE and the In-Kind Partners Magical Raclette Show and SSC Distribution.

As in the previous edition, there was 150 sqm of Pavilion space arranged into a space conducive to casual conversations, as well as integration.

The Swiss Point program was rich in speeches, valuable panels, interesting meetings and delicious tastings. Each day was complemented by delicious flavorful touches (see below the agenda of the three days).

Throughout the Economic Forum in Karpacz, our guests could take an artificial intelligence fundus screening test in our Pavilion, made possible by the MDT Medical Devices Manufacturer team.

The whole experience was complemented by coffee from Starbucks, Nestlé’s global partner, and appetizers from the Garden Gourmet vegan product line, served by Nestlé.

Opening Panel
Innovation through Partnerships

During the panel discussion we sought answers to the questions: how to build an environment that supports innovation?
How to build an ecosystem of partnerships and stable cooperation between business, science and public administration, which will be friendly to the potential of both individuals and companies?
What challenges does Poland face in the future and how can it implement innovation in such important areas for society as health and life?

The panel included:

• Aleksander Wasilewski, President of the Board, Nestlé Polska
• Monique Clúa Braun, Country President, Novartis Poland
• Jovan Protić, Vicepresident of Ringier Axel Springer Polska
• Krzysztof Adamcewicz, Healthcare System Solutions Chapter Leader, Roche Polska
• Jacek Śmiałek, Country President (ad interim), Sandoz Polska
• Marcin Graczyk, Spokesperson of the Polish Investment and Trade Agency (PAIH)

Moderator: Ulrich Schwendimann, Managing Director of the Polish-Swiss Chamber of Commerce

We encourage you to read and watch the report (in Polish only):

Partnerstwo przepustką do innowacji (Forbes.pl)

Partnerstwo ważne w rozwijaniu innowacji (VIDEO – Forbes.pl)

 

Swiss-style Cocktail

Swisschamber Poland and its partners of Swiss Point invited to a Swiss cocktail party, where guests had the opportunity to enjoy delicious food while cooking live with Kurt Scheller along with Swiss wine. Guests were welcomed by Luca Laloli, Head of the Economic, Financial and Scientific Affairs of the Embassy of Switzerland in Poland, and Rafał Kijonka, Vicepresident of the Board of the Chamber.

At the end, each guest had the opportunity to taste delicious Swiss chocolate in the form of a chocolate fountain from our member company SSC Distribution.

14th Polish-Swiss Forum for Health Dialogue
Coordination is King: How Integrated Healthcare Can Relieve Hospitals, Reduce Costs, and Improve Patient Outcomes?

In Switzerland, coordinated healthcare is based on a decentralized system that emphasizes primary care. Family physicians act as “gatekeepers” who coordinate patient care and refer patients to specialists when necessary. Interdisciplinary teams work together to manage chronic diseases and preventive care.

Swiss experiences were shared by:

• Luca Laloli, Head of the Economic, Financial and Scientific Affairs of the Embassy of Switzerland in Poland
• Annamaria Müller, President, Swiss Forum for Integrated Care FMC
  Swiss experience with integrated care
• André Lüscher, CEO, Mediservice
  Care@Home

In the panel participated:

• Monique Clúa Braun, Country President, Novartis Poland
• Maciej Miłkowski, Financial Analytics Coordinator, Military Institute of Medicine
• Krzysztof Adamcewicz, Healthcare System Solutions Chapter Leader, Roche Polska
• Piotr Pietrucha, Członek Zarządu Lek SA (Grupa Sandoz)
• Paweł Koczkodaj, Ph.D., EMBA, Professor of the Institute, Department of Epidemiology and Primary Prevention of Cancer, Maria Skłodowska-Curie National Cancer Institute – National Research Institute
• Monika Raulinajtys-Grzybek, Ph.D., Professor at SGH, Head of the Department of Managerial Accounting at the Warsaw School of Economics, manages the Executive SGH-WUM MBA studies in health care and the work of the Think Tank #SGHdlaochronyzdrowia, College of Business Administration

Moderator: Krzysztof Jakubiak, editor-in-chief of mZdrowie.pl

We encourage you to read and watch the report (in Polish only):

Konieczne usprawnienia w systemie opieki zdrowotnej (businessinsider.com.pl)

Opieka koordynowana. Sporo mamy jeszcze do zrobienia (VIDEO – businessinsider.com.pl)

 

Panel discussion
Disease prevention – how to increase the participation of Poles in preventive examinations?

Among experts of the healthcare system, representatives of patients and public administration, we discussed the importance and value of preventive examinations, both for cancer and for rheumatological and civilization diseases.

In the panel participated:

• Paweł Koczkodaj, Ph.D., EMBA, Professor of the Institute, Department of Epidemiology and Primary Prevention of Cancer, Maria Skłodowska-Curie National Cancer Institute – National Research Institute
• Anna Kupiecka, President of the OnkoCafe Foundation – Razem Lepiej
• Jakub Kraszewski, Ph.D., President of the Polish Union of Clinical Hospitals
• Zbigniew Derdziuk, President of the Social Insurance Institution (ZUS))
• Piotr Rutkowski, MD, President of the Polish Oncology Society [online]
• Jerzy Świerkot, MD, National Consultant in Rheumatology [online]

Moderator: Krzysztof Jakubiak, editor-in-chief of mZdrowie.pl

We encourage you to read and watch the report (in Polish only):

Profilaktyka przedłużeniem życia (medonet.pl)

Jak zachęcić Polaków do uczestnictwa w badaniach przesiewowych? (VIDEO – medonet.pl)

 

Round Table Chatham House
Information Security: the foundation of democracy in the digital age

The event was held in cooperation with the Association of Employers of Digital Publishers.

 

In between panels, we had the opportunity to taste traditional raclette cheese served by our friend Michel from the Magical Raclette Show. In addition to the outstanding flavors that transported us straight to Switzerland, it was a real show….

There was also real Swiss chocolate….

At 19:25, we started the European Night in Karpacz in cooperation with the French-Polish and Polish-German Chamber of Industry and Commerce. Thank you very much for this joint event!

We hosted many experts, representatives of academia, business and Polish public administration, of whom we are extremely proud.

Thank you very much to all the Partners for the great cooperation and to the guests for coming to our pavilion in such large numbers.

We hope to see you next year!

Below the full Swiss Point 2024 agenda:

On June 4-7, 2024, for the 12th time we organized the Swiss Pavilion at the ITM Industry Europe (Mach-Tool) fair in Poznań. The Pavilion is a joint initiative of Polish-Swiss Chamber of Commerce and Swiss Business Hub Central Europe within Swiss Embassy.

The Pavilion included stands of the following companies:

Astat
Baumer
Fromm
Oberon
Sarix
Schlatter
Schmiedewerk Stooss
Wetrok

We encourage you to read the whole e-brochure of the exhibitors!

On the second day of the fair we organized Swiss-style apero for clients and business partners of Pavilion’s exhibitors during which Michel Prestinari-Skawiński from Magical Raclette Show served raclette. This year’s official partner of the apero was Erowa company. Coffee at the Pavilion was served, like every year, by Jura, and chocolates – by SSC Distribution.

We would like to thank all the exhibitors and invite you to the next edition that will take place on June 3-6, 2025!

On 27 May, we had the pleasure of organising the XXVI General Meeting of Members of the Polish-Swiss Chamber of Commerce at Hilti.
The Meeting was chaired by the President of the Chamber, Michał Stępień.

The guest of honour was H.E. Fabrice Filliez, Ambassador of Switzerland to Poland, who at the beginning of the event welcomed the guests and presented the most important initiatives implemented by the Embassy, including joint projects with the Chamber.

Then the host of the meeting – the President of the Hilti company, Tomas Trocil – took the floor. During his speech, he presented Hilti’s business profile and the company’s core values.

During the General Meeting, the activities in 2023 were summarised, as well as the planned events and projects in 2024. The budget and financial statements were also approved. The representatives of the member companies then elected the Board of Directors for the next term 2024-2026:

Karolis Bacevičius, Geberit
Philipp Brunner, Stadler
Monique Clua Braun, Novartis
Rafał Czarnocki, Sika Poland
Artur Jankowski, Nestlé
Rafał Kijonka, Softy Labs / Forum Foundation
Marek Kondrat, Mettler-Toledo
Laurent Renaudie, Sandoz Polska
Michał Stępień, UBS
Marek Szymański
Stanisław Tański, ABB
Tomasz Tutak, TAT ECO
Irma Veberič, Roche Poland

The members of the Board elected a president and vice-presidents from among their group. Michał Stępień, UBS, was elected President for the next term, and the Vice Presidents are: Irma Veberič, Roche Poland, Rafał Kijonka, Softy Labs, and Marek Szymański.

The General Assembly also elected the members of the Audit Committee:

Marcin Diakonowicz, Grant Thornton
Emilian Dziemiańczuk, Roche Diagnostics
Agata Wiśniewska, Hilti Poland

At the end of the meeting, the Director of the Chamber and his team presented a farewell gift and thanked Pablo Padrutt for his cooperation, who has served as Head of the Economic, Financial and Scientific Affairs of the Swiss Embassy in Poland for the last four years and will soon take up a new position in another country.

A huge thank you to Hilti for inviting us to their premises and for the excellent and fruitful cooperation in organising the event!