A group of dedicated Alumni who voluntarily support the Foundation’s activities and our community. Their support manifests in various ways:

1. Recruitment Support: Ambassador Mentors actively participate in the recruitment process for new editions of the Programs, helping to select the most engaged and talented candidates.
2. Program Evaluation: They conduct annual evaluations of the programs, identifying best practices and recommending potential changes.
3. Professional Support: They assist other Alumni in their professional development, sharing knowledge and experience in selected thematic areas.
4. Content Contribution: They co-create valuable content for the Foundation’s community, enriching it with new perspectives and knowledge.
5. Success Stories: Through interviews, videos, and statements, they share their experiences, inspiring others to take action and showing the opportunities that collaboration with the Foundation offers.
6. Workshop Organization: They actively participate in organizing workshops within the Paga Leadership Academy and training sessions in various programs, providing the community with access to the latest knowledge and skills.
7. Competency Support: They support the Foundation in selected areas, enabling the organization to develop in even more specialized fields.
8. ‘Buddy’ Program: They assist new community members in their first steps at the Foundation, offering advice and support.

These are individuals who voluntarily assist the Foundation in increasing its impact and building a strong community. Their tasks include:

1. Reaching out to students: They actively assist the Foundation in establishing contacts with students from top universities, promoting the value of the programs and the opportunities offered by the Foundation.
2. Support in building partnerships: Through their contacts and network, Ambassadors help the Foundation in forming collaborations with the best Partners, translating into greater development and opportunities for the entire community.
3. Promoting the Foundation: Through interviews, videos, and statements, Ambassadors share their experiences from the Programs and the Foundation, promoting its mission and values to a wider audience.

One of the architects of economic transformations in Poland. From 1989 to 1991, he was the Government Plenipotentiary for Ownership Transformations, Undersecretary of State in the Ministry of Finance. He created the concept of operation and internal structure of the Ministry of Ownership Transformations, where he served as the Secretary of State. From 1998 to 2000, he was an advisor to the Minister of Finance. Since March 2003, he has been the President of the Polish Institute of Directors. In the 1990s, he worked as an expert for international financial organizations: the World Bank, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, and the International Finance Corporation. He was an advisor on privatization matters to the governments of Russia, Ukraine, and Belarus.

A Polish entrepreneur, one of the first Polish managers in the Polish market after 1989, creator of a multi-sector holding company. For many years, he has been a sponsor of scholarships for the most talented high school students, investing in the development of Polish talents.

A politician and economist, professor at the Warsaw School of Economics, honorary doctorate recipient from several national and international universities. He is the author of economic reforms in Poland initiated after the fall of communism. He served as Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance in the first non-communist government. Recognized with prestigious awards and decorations, including the Order of the White Eagle, the highest Polish state distinction, for his contribution to the systemic transformation in Poland. Former President of the National Bank of Poland.

A Polish financier and economist, former President of PKN ORLEN, Deputy Minister of Finance (2003–2004), and stockbroker. Founder and owner of ICENTIS Capital sp. z o.o. From 1995 to 2003, he was a board member of Bank Pekao SA. Since 2013, he has been the president of the board of RUCH S.A. – a leader in small-format retail in Poland, a dynamically developing courier and logistics operator, and the second-largest distributor of press in the Polish market. On October 9, 2018, he resigned as president of the board following an agreement with Alior Bank on cooperation in the restructuring of RUCH S.A. He is a member of the supervisory boards of Bank Handlowy in Warsaw (Citigroup – since 2009) and Budimex (since 2009). In the past, among other roles, he was a long-term member of the Warsaw Stock Exchange Board (1995–2003).

A Polish banker, graduate of economics from City College of New York University and management and interpersonal relations from Webster University in Vienna. He worked at Citibank for nearly 25 years, holding the position of vice president and other managerial roles, including in branches of the bank in Japan, Austria, the United Kingdom, and France. In the early 90s, he began his managerial activities in Poland. He was an independent consultant involved in the establishment of Citibank in Warsaw. For four years (1991–1994), he was a member of the Supervisory Board of Powszechny Bank Kredytowy (PBK). From 1995 to 2000, he was vice president and then president of the board of Raiffeisen Centrobank in Warsaw. From 2000 to 2010, he was the president of Bank BPH. From 2010 to 2013, he worked as an advisor to the Board of Deloitte in Poland and from 2011 to 2013, he sat on the Supervisory Board of Alior Bank. Since September 2013, he has been associated with BGŻ Bank, where he served as the president of the board. From April 30, 2015, to August 31, 2015, he was the president of the board of BGŻ BNP Paribas Bank. He currently serves as the Chairman of the Supervisory Board of BNP Paribas Bank Polska S.A.

Janusz Lewandowski is a Polish economist and politician. He was a member of the Sejm in the 1st, 3rd, and 4th terms, and served as the Minister of Ownership Transformations in 1991 and from 1992 to 1993. He is a Member of the European Parliament. From 1980 to 1989, he was an economic advisor to ‘Solidarność’ and in 1988, a co-founder of the Liberal-Democratic Congress. From April 2003 to April 2004, he was an observer at the European Parliament, chairing the European Parliament’s Budget Committee. In 2009, he was nominated by the government as the Polish European Commissioner for Financial Programming and Budget, chairman of the Economic Council under the Prime Minister Ewa Kopacz. Awarded the Commander’s Cross of the Order of Polonia Restituta. He is the author of a book on famous politicians, as well as articles and columns for newspapers and magazines. In 1993, he was the first to receive the ‘Giant’ award from the Poznań branch of Gazeta Wyborcza, and in the same year, he received the Kisiel Award.

A Polish lawyer, habilitated doctor of legal sciences, associate professor at the University of Warsaw, specialist in civil and commercial law, legal advisor. Since 1997, a partner at the law firm Domański Zakrzewski Palinka. Advisor to the Minister of Ownership Transformations from 1990-1995, and from 1998-2000 an advisor and member of the Political Cabinet of Deputy Prime Minister Leszek Balcerowicz. He participated in privatization projects led by the World Bank and EBRD in Belarus and Ukraine. The first and long-serving President of the Board of the Warsaw Stock Exchange. He was also the first individual and honorary member of the WSE. Co-author of legislative projects on the privatization of state-owned enterprises, companies with foreign capital participation, public trading of securities, and national investment funds and their privatization. He was also a co-author of the regulations and internal rules of the stock exchange, as well as the principles of good corporate governance practices adopted by the Warsaw Stock Exchange.

Chairman of the Supervisory Board of Polsat Television. Founder and major shareholder of Cyfrowy Polsat. President of the Board of Polkomtel SA, and also a member of the supervisory boards of companies in the finance and banking sector, insurance, real estate, energy, and sports.

A Polish economist and politician, professor of economic sciences, academic teacher, and official in international financial institutions. Twice the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance: in 1997 in the government of Włodzimierz Cimoszewicz and from 2001 to 2002 in the government of Leszek Miller. Between 2004 and 2005, he was the Prime Minister and the Chairman of the Committee for European Integration, leading two cabinets. In 2005, he served as the Minister of Sport in his second government. From 2010 to 2016, he was the President of the National Bank of Poland. Member of the European Parliament of the 9th term (since 2019).

During the systemic transformation period in 1991, he served as the Secretary of State in the Ministry of Ownership Transformations, responsible for public offerings and transactions with foreign investors, and then in 1992, he was an advisor to the International Finance Corporation for privatization in Russia and Ukraine. At Enterprise Investors, where he has worked since 1992, he has carried out a series of direct investments, including: Komfort, LPP, Stomil Sanok, W. Kruk, and Zelmer. He was actively involved in introducing nearly 30 leading companies to the Warsaw Stock Exchange in terms of corporate governance.

A Polish engineer, geologist, manager, and professor of engineering and technical sciences, former President of the Board of KGHM Polska Miedź S.A. From 1981 to 1991, he worked at the Geological Enterprise in Wrocław. Between 1992 and 1998, he was employed in companies engaged in geological analyses. He has been professionally associated with KGHM since 1998 when he started working at the Copper Research and Development Center “Cuprum”. In 2009, he was appointed as the President of the Board of the joint-stock company KGHM Polska Miedź. He also became the chairman of the supervisory board of the KGHM Cuprum Research and Development Center Sp. z o.o., as well as the chairman of the board of directors of KGHM International. He served as the President of the Board of KGHM Polska Miedź until 2016. He took up a professorship at the Wrocław University of Technology. He is a co-creator of the think tank Poland Go Global. A member of the presidium of the Committee of Mining of the Polish Academy of Sciences.

One of the fastest-growing stock exchanges in Central and Eastern Europe. The Warsaw Stock Exchange (GPW) operates a regulated market for stocks and derivative instruments, as well as the alternative NewConnect market for growth companies. The exchange also develops Catalyst – a market designated for issuers of corporate and municipal bonds. Since February 2012, the Energy Commodity Exchange has been part of the GPW Capital Group, where trading in electricity, natural gas, property rights, guarantees of origin, and carbon dioxide emission allowances takes place. Since November 9, 2010, GPW has been a public company listed on the Warsaw Stock Exchange.”

A Polish manager, President of the Board of Powszechna Kasa Oszczędności Bank Polski Spółka Akcyjna, and a member of the Council of the Polish Bank Association. During the PRL era, he was an activist of Solidarność Walcząca. Previously, for nearly 9 years, he served as the President of the Board of Pioneer Pekao TFI SA. In the global structure of Pioneer Investments, he also supervised distribution in the Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) region. In the second half of the 90s, among other roles as the Vice President of the Board, he co-created PKO/Credit Suisse TFI SA. Actively involved in the development and promotion of high standards in the Polish financial market. Member of the Council of the Polish Bank Association and the prestigious Institut International D’Etudes Bancaires, bringing together the international banking community. He previously held positions such as Chairman of the Board of the Chamber of Fund and Asset Managers.

A journalist and publicist, she is a graduate in Polish philology. She wrote for “Sztandar Młodych”, and in the early 80s began collaborating with “Polityka”, with which she is still associated. For years, she has been a commentator on Radio TOK FM, and since 2012 – the host of the Thursday Salon on Radio TOK FM in her own program “Teraz Solska!”. In her work, she deals with economics and politics. She writes and speaks in layman’s terms about difficult issues – such as the intricacies of the economy or complex relationships in healthcare. She is the recipient of many significant awards, including the Eugeniusz Kwiatkowski Award, Dariusz Fikus Award, Pryzmat, and Grand Press for the best economic texts.

Board Member at innogy Polska S.A., responsible for Finance. At the beginning of her professional career, she worked in the financial market, starting as a futures market specialist (Warsaw Commodity Exchange), then as a securities broker (Wood and Company, Credit Suisse First Boston), and as a strategic projects manager (DM BZWBK). She has been working in the innogy Group (formerly RWE) since 2004, initially holding a series of managerial positions in innogy companies in Poland (Finance, Energy Procurement, Controlling and Risk Management). From 2013, she continued her career in innogy companies in Germany. In RWE Generation, she led the Asset Controlling department and was responsible for the controlling of nuclear, coal-fired power plants, and mines in three countries: Germany, the United Kingdom, and the Netherlands. In 2014, she took over the management of the controlling department in the energy sales company RWE Vertrieb based in Dortmund.

Joanna Kępczyńska is a graduate of the Warsaw School of Economics in Banking and Finance, and holds an MBA from the Warsaw University of Technology/London School of Economics. She also studied in Germany at the Eberhard Karls University of Tübingen.

A graduate of the Warsaw School of Economics. He also holds a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) license. From the beginning of his professional career, he has been associated with the capital and banking markets.

His professional experience in the 90s includes work in investment banks and advisory firms, including Creditanstalt Investment Bank and Deutsche Morgan Grenfell/Deutsche Bank Research, where he focused on the banking sector in Central and Eastern Europe.

From November 2001 to September 2003, he worked at Bank Pekao S.A. as the Executive Director of the Financial Division, where he directly supervised the bank’s financial and tax policy, management information systems, treasury, and investment portfolio management, and was also a member of the Bank’s Asset and Liability Management Committee. In October 2003, he took the position of President of the Board of Central Securities Depository of Pekao S.A., the largest brokerage house in Poland at the time. From September 2006, he simultaneously served as the Vice Chairman of the Supervisory Board of Pioneer Pekao TFI S.A. From May 2009, he served as the Acting President of the Board of Allianz Bank Polska S.A., and from October 2009, he held the position of President of the Board.

Between 2005-2009, he was the chairman of the Program Council of the Capital Market Leaders Academy at the Lesław Paga Foundation. He is a member of the Board of the Museum of Industrial History in Opatówek. He sat on numerous supervisory boards, currently on PKO BP BANKOWY PTE S.A., PKO TFI S.A., and KREDOBANK S.A.

Since 2010, he has been the Vice President of the Board of PKO Bank Polski, responsible for investment and corporate banking, including the brokerage house (four times distinguished as Broker of the Year by the Warsaw Stock Exchange). Participant in the largest IPO transactions on the Warsaw Stock Exchange, including recent ones like Allegro, Pepco, Shoper. He is also responsible for the treasury and the bank’s own investments, including the acquisition of Nordea Bank Polska, Raiffeisen Leasing, and PCM/Masterlease.

An engineering management graduate, currently studying applied linguistics at UAM in Poznań (master’s degree) and business psychology at the University of Economics in Poznań. During her studies, she worked in the Compliance department, first as a Product Assurance Associate, then Senior Compliance Associate in a large corporation.

She was active in the AIESEC organization as a regional sales coordinator, co-organizing Poland’s largest student and graduate fair “Career Days” (2017-2018). After her first year of studies, she volunteered in Sri Lanka under the theme “Economic Growth and Decent Work” (one of the UN’s sustainable development goals).

After the pandemic outbreak, she started an original project focused on leveling educational opportunities for children from orphanages (the WEB-KORKI social project), and from 2021, she runs a foundation under the same name, whose mission is not only to level educational opportunities but also to create a development space for all volunteers involved in the foundation. The foundation’s volunteer development program involves child and business psychologists, foreign language instructors, lawyers, and various organizations. In the first 1.5 years of the organization’s operation, over 3000 remote lessons were conducted for wards of Polish orphanages, by 150 volunteers not only from Poland but also other European countries and the USA. In the 2022/2023 school year, the foundation offers regular learning support to wards of 21 orphanages. Everyone in the foundation works pro bono, and volunteers represent various social and professional groups.

For these activities, Olga was honored in 2021 with a distinction from the President of Poznań in the competition for the best non-governmental initiative. The action was recognized in the category: “Initiator supporting,” aimed at helping people at risk of social exclusion.

In April 2022, she was listed in Forbes magazine’s “25 under 25,” a ranking identifying young people who have the potential to influence the development of the Polish economy and society.

In September 2022, she wrote an e-book titled “Just Act! A Guide for Leaders of Charitable Organizations (and not only),” in which she describes step by step the process of establishing and running a social project, encouraging such actions and focusing on issues such as finding an idea, creating a project, caring for beneficiaries, volunteers, and maintaining balance.

For a quarter of a century, he has been observing changes in the Polish and global economy, in the markets, and the financial sector, mainly in banks. From 1997-98, he worked at the “Law and Economy” daily, then until 2005 at the “Gazeta Bankowa” weekly, and for the next seven years at the “Parkiet” Stock Exchange Gazette. Since 2012 at “Dziennik Gazeta Prawna”, currently as an editor.

Winner of the Grand Press Economy in 2021 and the E. Kwiatkowski Journalistic Award granted by the banking community in 2014 and 2021.

“Founders and owners of Klimas Wkręt-met.

Everything starts with love and passion – they say in unison. This is how the story of a brand, now among the most recognizable in the construction fastening market in Poland and gaining trust worldwide, began.

Klimas Wkręt-met was founded by Joanna and Wojciech Klimas in 1990, though they have been in the manufacturing industry since 1978. Market needs and customer expectations evolved, leading to the creation of Wkręt-met. New facilities and investments in machinery followed, expanding the product range and establishing a warehouse, culminating in Klimas Wkręt-met producing in one of the most modern manufacturing plants in Europe.

Over time, the founders’ surname was added to the company name, reflecting its consistent growth in international markets. Today, products from this Częstochowa-based company reach nearly 70 countries – in several through their own companies and sales structures.

It’s an undeniable success, though the owners speak of it with humility. Wojciech Klimas always says that life is the author of the best ideas, though it’s often hard to predict the scale of an initiative at the start. Joanna Klimas, quoting her beloved father, says, “If you don’t know how to do something, just do it.” Start, and life will show the rest; have the courage to act.

The Klimas’ company is characterized by its unchanged family nature. If asked about their greatest value, they unequivocally say family. They take pride in their three children, each contributing significantly to the family’s strength and business energy. Joanna and Wojciech Klimas have always emphasized teamwork – it’s no surprise to see the president walking through the plant, constantly thinking of improvements, or the president meeting with directors and managers to support them in solving issues and finding the best solutions.

“People are a great value. We were always among people, and they were among us,” says Joanna Klimas. “We were no different. Because we were together, the company began to grow, and more challenges and ideas emerged. An idea fuels another idea,” she adds.

Klimas Wkręt-met has always had a very human, empathetic dimension. It helps on many fronts, from individual charity work, supporting educational institutions, centers for people with disabilities, sports clubs, volunteer firefighters, and animal shelters. The Great Orchestra of Christmas Charity holds a special place in Joanna and Wojciech Klimas’ hearts, auctioning golden hearts at its finale for years.

These business and charitable activities are recognized by contest juries and polls, like the title of ambassadors of the Oczami Brata Foundation awarded to Joanna and Wojciech Klimas in 2018, and the title of Exemplary Company in the same year. The president of Klimas Wkręt-met has been named Creator of Construction of the Year in the Personality of the Industry category four times (2018, 2019, 2020, 2021), and in 2020, received the title of Polish Hercules. Subsequent years brought more honors: for Promoting the Częstochowa Economy and for Man Beyond Divisions (2022). Since 2019, Wojciech Klimas has been an honorary member of the Polish Windows and Doors Association.

Privately, Joanna and Wojciech Klimas are optimistic, full of life energy, loving to be active. Wojciech Klimas’ passion for volleyball and Joanna Klimas’ for handball are reflected in their support for sports initiatives, as sports remain an essential part of their lives.”

A young talent under 30 years of age, who serves as a benchmark and role model for subsequent generations of capable individuals. The award can be received by individuals outside of the Paga Foundation community.

Journalist selected from among those nominated by nationwide editorial teams specializing in economics and finance. The winner represents the highest standards of journalistic work, diligently preparing their publications.

Owners or CEOs of a private Polish enterprise, who through their business activities promote the highest standards and behaviors, contribute to the development of the market for Polish enterprises, promote our country in the international environment, possess solid foundations and values, and enjoy an impeccable reputation among their employees.

An individual or institution that has distinguished itself in a remarkable way in our domestic market – a visionary in their field, effective in action, reliable, and representing the highest ethical and professional standards.