Poland starts off with national BEB competitions

On December 1, the Polish Best of European Business competition culminated in a festive Gala honoring the top performers in the categories growth, M&A and international competitiveness

The Gala rounding off the fourth edition of the BEB initiative took place at the Royal Castle in Warsaw. This year, the prices were awarded in three categories: growth, mergers and acquisitions, and international competitiveness.

The top performers selected for Poland this year were:

Tadeusz Gruca, Vice-President of the Board at TELE-FONIKA, was happy that, after three nominations in previous years, the company had finally won the award this time around. "From my point of view the mere nomination is a honorable distinction, whereas the statue Best of European Business is an immense privilege. I would like to thank Roland Berger Strategy Consultants for the (...) competition that due to its formula is seen as the most objective in its class."

Members of the jury, which was chaired by LLD Ludwik Sobolewski, President of the Board at the Warsaw Stock Exchange, presented the awards to representatives of the three winning companies. They will be competing with BEB winners from four other European countries for the final award to be handed out in spring 2009.

"The European economy needs competitions of this kind. It is worthwhile to highlight and promote the best companies nd thus motivate all the others to take on business challenges," said Ludwik Sobolewski. And Pawel Jablonski, another jury member, stressed the large role BEB can play in relatively new market economies such as Poland: "By showing how to develop production and gain access to capital and markets, the laureates (…) are showing what best practice is. Although the Polish market economy has been growing for 20 years, that kind of know-how and examples are still sought after."

In his notable keynote speech at the gala, famous Polish tennis player, entrepreneur and art collector, focused on the financial and non-financial advantages of investing in the arts. The owner of an impressive art collection himself (parts of which were on display during the event), Fibak passionately encouraged his audience to invest in the works of Polish artists.

Complete information about the Polish competition including nominees in each category, competition rules and jury members are available at

Complete information about the Polish competition including nominees in each category, competition rules and jury members are available at