business growth with advanced technologies and innovation in the industrial and defence sectors. The awards go to companies that carry out ambitious R&D projects, introduce breakthrough products and solutions, and invest while maintaining the highest standards of quality and safety. The competition is open to entities operating in or cooperating with the industrial and defence sectors, whose activities contribute to strengthening the potential and innovativeness of the Polish economy.
The awards ceremony, during which the winners will be announced, will take place on 27 November 2025 as part of the “Defence&Industry Summit” – a unique gathering of leaders in business, science, and innovation.
Competition Categories
Innovation of the year: Defence sector
An entity distinguished by implementing breakthrough technological solutions for defence purposes – including modern weapon systems, digital battlefield technologies, autonomous systems, and advanced materials.
Industrial leader in new technologies
An entity effectively combining industrial operations with the development and implementation of advanced technologies, contributing to the competitiveness of the economy and the innovation of the industrial sector.
Cybersecurity leader
An entity offering innovative solutions in cybersecurity and IT risk management, recognized for its effectiveness in detecting, preventing, and neutralizing digital threats.
Research institution of the year
A scientific or R&D unit distinguished by groundbreaking projects and cooperation with the industrial and defence sectors in the development and implementation of innovative solutions.
Dual-use technology leader
An entity developing dual-use technologies – for both civilian and military purposes – in a responsible, safe, and transparent manner, while creating both economic and operational advantages.
Strategic partnership of the year
An initiative that stands out for effective collaboration between public and private sector entities, resulting in major strategic projects, particularly in the fields of defence and security.
General contractor of critical infrastructure
A company carrying out investments of key importance to national security – such as military, energy, logistics, or ICT facilities – in accordance with the highest standards.
Logistics support leader
An entity distinguished by effective and innovative support for supply chains, transport infrastructure, and logistics services, particularly in relation to the needs of the defence and national security sectors.
Energy security leader
An entity playing a key role in ensuring energy independence through investments in stable and secure energy sources, development of transmission infrastructure, or energy supply security management systems.
Honorary diamond
A special award presented to an individual or organization that has made an outstanding contribution to building a strong, innovative, and secure Poland – through long-standing public, scientific, economic, or social engagement.
Finalists of the previous edition
LEADER IN GREEN TECHNOLOGY
Winner
GREEN INDUSTRIAL CONSTRUCTION LEADER
Winner
SUSTAINABLE LOGISTICS LEADER
Winner
Distinction
SUSTAINABLE PRODUCTION LEADER
Winner
Distinction
LEADER IN GREEN ENERGY
Winner
Distinction
LEADER IN GREEN FINANCING
Winner
SUSTAINABLE FACTORY OF THE YEAR
Winner
CEO OF THE YEAR
Winner
Absolwent Wydziału Fizyki Technicznej i Matematyki Stosowanej na Politechnice Łódzkiej. Studia podyplomowe w zakresie przetwarzania obrazów medycznych w University Hospital College w Londynie. Od 1991 związany z Siemens Sp. z o.o. gdzie pełnił funkcje Dyrektora Sprzedaży w Biurze Medycyny , a następnie Dyrektora Branży Industrial Solutions & Services. Odpowiedzialny za stworzenie oferty i potencjału wykonawczego „pod-klucz” rozwiązań Siemens dla przemysłu. W roku 2009 obejmuje stanowisko Prezesa Zarządu Veolia Water Technologies Sp. zo.o., będącej częścią francuskiego koncernu Veolia Environment. W roku 2019 pełni funkcję Prezesa Zarządu firmy SEEN Technologie Sp. z o.o. lidera na rynku uzdatniania wody i oczyszczania ścieków w Polsce.
Distinction
Graduate of the Cracow University of Economics. She has several years of managerial experience. After graduation, she began her career in marketing at a large IT company, Comarch SA. Then, for 15 years, she was associated with the furniture industry as Director of Marketing, PR and CSR at Nowy Styl, where she was responsible for developing effective, creative marketing and sales strategies at home and abroad. She was involved in acquisitions of foreign companies and building the company’s post-acquisition strategy. In 2014, she was awarded the title of Marketing Director of the Year in the prestigious Mediarun competition, in which the Competition Jury selected the best marketers highlighting their key role in building competitive advantage for brands and companies. For the last 5 years she has been involved in the sanitary and heating industry – Armatura Kraków SA, first as a marketing and sales director, then as a member of the Management Board, and since 2022 as the President of the Management Board, where she was responsible for preparing a new development strategy for the 100-year-old company, which she is currently successfully implementing together with her dedicated team.
BUSINESS CHARITY AWARD
Winner
NAGRODA SPECJALNA
Winner
The initiator and the president of the board of the SIEMACHA Association, a public benefit organisation operating in the field of education, sports and therapy; President of the board of the DEMOS Foundation; member of the international organisation for social entrepreneurs Ashoka. Since 1986 he has collaborated with social organisations in Malta. He is a connoisseur of Maltese culture and its promoter. Since 1999 he has collaborated with the local government of Krakow as the coordinator of the Municipal Program for Juvenile Delinquency Prevention, the representative and social advisor of the President of Krakow in the field of Youth. A member of the Priesthood Council of the Archdiocese of Krakow 2001-2011. In 2000 he started the construction of the multifunctional children’s centre in Odporyszów with reverend Kazimierz Augustyński. The centre comprises: an orphanage, a day care facility, a holiday centre and a modern sports centre. Reverend Andrzej Augustyński received many awards i.a. the title of the Cracovian of the Year 2014 in the category “Society”. In 2014 he received the Grand Prix Amicus Hominum, Pro Publico Bono and the Medal of Merit for the Lesser Poland Voivodeship Palatinatus Poloniae Minoris Meriti. In 2012 he received the Medal of St. George of the “Tygodnik Powszechny” weekly. In 2009 he received the Knight’s Cross of the Order of Polonia Restituta for his outstanding merits in his activities for the needy and for his achievements in his professional and social work. He wrote the books “Coca kocha colę” (Coca Loves Cola), “Czyja jest socjoterapia?” (Who Owns Sociotherapy?) and “Wędrowiec” (Wanderer). He initiated and published “Dziennikarstwo i polityka” (Jurnalism and Politics) and “Jan Wnęk. Między niebem a ziemią” (Jan Wnęk. Between the Sky and Earth).
Jury
CHAIRMAN
Chairman of the Enterprise, Management and Innovation Council, Vice-president of the European Academy of Sciences and Arts, President of the European Community on Computational Methods in Applied Sciences (ECCOMAS). He was a President of the Polish Academy of Sciences in the years 2007-2015. Winner of numerous scientific awards, including the most prestigious national scientific award granted by the Foundation for Polish Science, awarded high state decorations for research achievements, for example: Belgian, French and Japanese. Doctor honoris causa of many universities in the country and abroad, and a member of many foreign academies of science. In the years 2001-2005 he was the Minister of Science and Information Technology, in the years 2006 – 2010 Social Advisor to the President for Education and Research.
CEO, Metroplan Polska Sp. z o.o., Wrocław, Poland Experienced in realisation of big, international industrial projects, especially in the fields of new location development, logistics consulting, planning and design of new production and logistics infrastructure, costs optimisation and comprehensive project management. Interested in implementation of new management strategies and organisation structures, as well as negotiations and dealing with unpredictable situations, where finding new solutions requires development of new approaches and procedures. Managed a number of big projects on three continents – Europe, America and Asia, with excellent feedback from the clients. Responsible also for managing a team of architects, engineers and construction and logistics consultants at the Polish branch of Metroplan Group in their two offices, in Wrocław and Warsaw. Graduated in Logistics at the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering from Wrocław University of Science and Technology.
Ireneusz Borowski has been Country Manager at Dassault Systèmes since July 2019. In this position, he is responsible for strengthening the local presence and expanding Dassault Systèmes’ market position in Poland. Ireneusz Borowski joined Dassault Systèmes in 2008 and until now, holding the position of Senior Manager Sales & Business Development Eastern Europe, he prepared business development plans for Poland, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary and managed sales in Eastern Europe. Previously, in his position as Senior Sales Manager Eastern Europe, Partner Success Management EUROCENTRAL, he managed sales in indirect channels. Ireneusz Borowski started his professional career in 1998 at AutoR KSI, then worked as Account Manager and Special Program Manager at CNS Solutions. In 2000, he joined Premium Technology as Product Manager and was involved at various management levels for the next 8 years. Ireneusz Borowski is a graduate of the Warsaw University of Technology, with a degree in Vehicle and Heavy Machinery Engineering.
Graduate of the Cracow University of Economics. She has several years of managerial experience. After graduation, she began her career in marketing at a large IT company, Comarch SA. Then, for 15 years, she was associated with the furniture industry as Director of Marketing, PR and CSR at Nowy Styl, where she was responsible for developing effective, creative marketing and sales strategies at home and abroad. She was involved in acquisitions of foreign companies and building the company’s post-acquisition strategy. In 2014, she was awarded the title of Marketing Director of the Year in the prestigious Mediarun competition, in which the Competition Jury selected the best marketers highlighting their key role in building competitive advantage for brands and companies. For the last 5 years she has been involved in the sanitary and heating industry – Armatura Kraków SA, first as a marketing and sales director, then as a member of the Management Board, and since 2022 as the President of the Management Board, where she was responsible for preparing a new development strategy for the 100-year-old company, which she is currently successfully implementing together with her dedicated team.
The initiator and the president of the board of the SIEMACHA Association, a public benefit organisation operating in the field of education, sports and therapy; President of the board of the DEMOS Foundation; member of the international organisation for social entrepreneurs Ashoka. Since 1986 he has collaborated with social organisations in Malta. He is a connoisseur of Maltese culture and its promoter. Since 1999 he has collaborated with the local government of Krakow as the coordinator of the Municipal Program for Juvenile Delinquency Prevention, the representative and social advisor of the President of Krakow in the field of Youth. A member of the Priesthood Council of the Archdiocese of Krakow 2001-2011. In 2000 he started the construction of the multifunctional children’s centre in Odporyszów with reverend Kazimierz Augustyński. The centre comprises: an orphanage, a day care facility, a holiday centre and a modern sports centre. Reverend Andrzej Augustyński received many awards i.a. the title of the Cracovian of the Year 2014 in the category “Society”. In 2014 he received the Grand Prix Amicus Hominum, Pro Publico Bono and the Medal of Merit for the Lesser Poland Voivodeship Palatinatus Poloniae Minoris Meriti. In 2012 he received the Medal of St. George of the “Tygodnik Powszechny” weekly. In 2009 he received the Knight’s Cross of the Order of Polonia Restituta for his outstanding merits in his activities for the needy and for his achievements in his professional and social work. He wrote the books “Coca kocha colę” (Coca Loves Cola), “Czyja jest socjoterapia?” (Who Owns Sociotherapy?) and “Wędrowiec” (Wanderer). He initiated and published “Dziennikarstwo i polityka” (Jurnalism and Politics) and “Jan Wnęk. Między niebem a ziemią” (Jan Wnęk. Between the Sky and Earth).
Andrzej Bułka, President of the Management Board of Fracht FWO Polska Sp. z o. o. He has been associated with the transport and logistics industry for over 25 years. In 2010, he headed Fracht FWO Polska as its managing director, and since 2019 he has been the President of the company’s management board. He gained his professional experience as a merchant navy officer, and then developed his professional career in international logistics companies. A graduate of the Navigation Faculty of the Maritime University of Szczecin. He completed postgraduate studies in leadership psychology at the Business School of the Warsaw University of Technology and Advanced Management Program at IESE in Barcelona. International logistics expert, panellist and speaker at conferences and economy events in Poland and abroad.
Pawel Dziekoński – Vice President of the FAKRO Group, a graduate of the Warsaw School of Economics. He graduated with a master’s degree in Finance and Banking and a doctoral degree from the College of World Economy. Experienced leader with proven track record in consulting, banking, corporate finance and capital markets. Constructor of winning teams. He was vice chairman of the board of directors of the Stock Exchange responsible for business development and finance, Managing Director at Deutsche Bank and Kredyt Bank, Director at Deloitte for Central European markets, and Vice President of KAZAR, a Polish luxury shoe brand manufacturer. Since 2020, he has been associated with FAKRO, the world’s leading roof window manufacturer. Enthusiast of premium brands, sense of humor and loyalty.
Janusz Jurczak is a full professor at the Institute of Organic Chemistry of the Polish Academy of Sciences and the Faculty of Chemistry at the University of Warsaw. He is engaged in research in the field of organic and supramolecular chemistry. He is a full member of the Polish Academy of Sciences, an ordinary member of the TNW.
He was born in Warsaw in 1947. He is a graduate of the Faculty of Automotive and Machinery Engineering at the Warsaw University of Technology (PW). He was an employee of the Institute of Vehicles PW, where he worked during 1971-1991, where one of his responsibilities was conducting research of cars in cooperation with the most outstanding creators of Polish automotive industry (Professor L. Jaśkiewicz and Professor K. Pionnier). He started his own Authorized Fiat Repair Station in Warsaw in 1983 – one of the first private authorized Fiat service in Poland. He is a member of the Automotive Craft Guild in Warsaw since 1989 and a member of the Presidium in the National Chamber of Commerce. He is a member of the Board in the Polish Chamber of Automotive Industry since 1994 and he became the vice president in 2001. Since April 2003 Mr. Roman Kantorski has been holding position of the President in the Chamber.
Outstanding specialist the field of chemistry and chemical technology in terms of the direction and strategy of development of the chemical industry, catalysis, organic synthesis and industrial recycling of plastic waste. Professor at the Warsaw University of Technology, Professor of the Institute of Industrial Chemistry. President of the SITPChem since 2002. Member of the Bureau of the Committee of Chemistry, Polish Academy of Sciences, Expert at NCN and NCBiR, Coordinator of Polish Technology Platform for Hydrogen and Fuel Cells, Chief Expert at the Panel Foresight Poland 2020. 200 publications, 40 patents, several proces projects. A consultant in the chemical synthesis sector.
Andrzej Kolasa professor at Warsaw University of Technology, Faculty of Production Engineering holding the post of dean since 2012 as well as professor at State College of Professional Education in Ciechanów in 2002-2016 holding within ten years the post of rector. Prof. A. Kolasa was born in 1948 in Lublin. He graduated from Warsaw University of Technology, Faculty Mechanical Engineering (recently Production Engineering) in 1973 obtaining degree MSc in Engineering and next degrees of PhD in 1981 and DSc in 1991. He was awarded the title of Full Professor by President of Poland in 2015. He educated and promoted more than hundred BSc and MSc graduates in Engineering as well as was supervisor of eight PhD degree holders. Besides mother universities he delivered lectures and carried on research at universities in a number of European countries as well as in Japan, China and Tanzania. Prof. A, Kolasa is an author of more than 160 publications in domestic and international journals, research projects in welding; more than 40 of them were implemented to industries. He is a member of a number of scientific councils, scientific organizations and programme councils of Polish and international scientific journals. He was also awarded the diploma of European Welding Engineer. Besides research he also is taking part in various programmes supporting reginal and country development. He was awarded with Bronze and Gold Cross of Merit, Medal of National Education Commission, Silver and Gold Badge of Polish Mechanical Engineers Association, Henryk Mierzejewski Honour Distinctions, Eng. Stanisław Olszewski Medal and other. Prof. A. Kolasa is married, has two children and two grandsons.
Jędrzej Kowalczyk is customer oriented business unit executive with strong engineering, sales and marketing experience. His interest in science and technology began in the early childhood thus the choice of the university was a simple matter. Jędrzej Kowalczyk is a graduate of robotics and automation at the Gdańsk University of Technology. He started his professional career at FANUC, as a Technical Specialist, in 2009. He was then quickly promoted to the position of the Service Coordinator (2010), Customer Service Coordinator (2012) and a number of new challenges and opportunities opened for him. In 2014 was appointed as the new Office Manager of FANUC Polska and one year later took office as General Manager of FANUC Polska. His main goal is to deliver the latest technology used in automation of production to Polish factories with full support of FANUC local staff.
An experienced entrepreneur, with multiple awards for his business competencies. He founded Nowy Styl in 1992. At that time, the company was one of the first swivel chair manufacturers in Poland. Bold decisions, investment in growth and multiple takeovers of foreign companies helped Adam expand his business abroad. Today, Nowy Styl is one of the biggest office furniture manufacturers in Europe. For Adam, the greatest asset of Nowy Styl are the people (the company has a headcount of about 3.5 thousand), who understand his business vision and stand by the company values.
Chairman of the Management Board and CEO at Grupa Azoty ZAK S.A. Chairman of the Board in The Polish Chamber of Chemical Industry. Vice President for Industry in The Cracow Chamber of Commerce and Industry. Chairman of the Board in The Pracodawcy RP.
Krzysztof Pikoń, Professor, PhD, DSc., Eng. Position: professor at the Faculty of Environmental and Power Engineering of the Silesian University of Technology, head of the Department of Technology and Equipment for Waste Management. Specialization: circular economy, waste management, energy use of waste, renewable energy sources, environmental analyzes and project management At the Silesian University of Technology, he lectures, among others, on subjects such as: circular economy, full life cycle environmental assessment (LCA), project management, etc. He completed his master’s studies in 1993 at the Faculty of Energy of the Silesian University of Technology in the field of Mechanics and Machine Construction – specialization in Machines and Equipment for Chemical and Food Industry. He defended his doctoral thesis in 1999, and in 2012 he was awarded the degree of habilitated doctor. In 2020, the title of professor and the position of full professor at the Silesian University of Technology. He was a participant in over 40 and the manager of over 20 scientific and implementation projects, including 4 European projects in the field of circular economy, renewable energy, sustainable development and waste management, as well as several international educational projects. He is the author of nearly 200 scientific publications, including over 50 in prestigious foreign journals with the so-called Philadelphia List. He is the author of, among others of books: Circular economy in a holistic approach, Model of multi-criteria environmental analysis of complex technological systems and co-author of the Handbook of clean energy systems published by John Wiley & Sons. He is the author of several pedagogical publications related to challenge-oriented education, project-based learning and case learning. He was awarded with Medal of the National Education Commission (2019) and many Rectors Awards for scientific, organizational and pedagogical achievements. He was the director of the Energy Transition program at EIT Innoenergy (in consortium of 13 EU Universities). He obtained the international PRINCE2 and Agile PM management certificate. He also participated in many trainings, incl. English Medium Instruction at UPC Barcelona, Case Teaching at Harvard University and ESADE Business School, as well as in a range of training courses such as Problem Solving, Design Thinking and other soft skills.
Mr Roman Przybylski graduated from the Krakow University of Economics, Faculty of International Management. He also completed executive education programmes organised by Cambridge Judge Business School and Stanford University Graduate School of Business. In 2003 he joined the Nowy Styl Capital Group. In the years 2006-2009 he was Member of the Management Board of Baltic Wood S.A., and Nowy Styl Strategy and Business Development Director, with duties that included building foreign sales structures, as well as Managing Director of the Nowy Styl brand in charge of the whole commercial area. In 2009, he became Member of the Management Board of Nowy Styl, responsible for all sales, marketing and product management functions. Moreover, he was co-responsible for acquisition processes, and further for restructuring and integration of the foreign companies taken over by the Capital Group (in Germany, Switzerland, the Netherlands, and France). In March 2023 he became Vice President of the Management Board of Nowy Styl International. Since 1 January 2024 he has been Vice President of the Management Board, Director for Investments and Development of Grupa KĘTY S.A.
A graduate of the Faculty of Humanities of the Catholic University of Lublin and the University of Insurance and Banking (later Academy of Finance). Also a graduate of the MBA studies at the Kozminski University in Warsaw. In 1995-1996 she worked as a German translator at Hit Centrala Usługowa (later Tesco), in 1996-1998 at the Austrian brokerage company Allfinanz (a financial institution associated with the insurance and pension funds industry). From 1998 to 2002, he was a Sales Manager at Skarbiec Emerytura and Skarbiec Serwis Finansowy. From 2003 to 2005, Development Director in the HRC Group. From 2005, President of the Executive Club.
On the ElektroEko board since 2006. Previously held the position of Commercial Director at Fastrack (2000-2005) – a representative office of the British company Kenwood and the American company Remington. From 1991 to 1999, he served as General Manager at Brabork – a representative office of Philips and Whirlpool. He was also an Economic Consultant for the Italian company Merloni Polska and for the Greek company Klimatechniki. He is a graduate of Management at the University of Warsaw and a former student at the University of Michigan in the United States.
* Business, technical and humanities education * Co-architect of Balluff Poland, creating solutions for condition monitoring, predictive maintenance, format/recipe changes, traceability, parametrization & quality assurance * Created innovative methods for developing automation techniques at leading manufacturers * Implemented Lean Management approach at Balluff and developed Lean solutions for clients * Created an Engineering and Application Center to build Industry 4.0 topics and Innovating Automation * Supporting acceleration of incubation programs and startups
Prof. Andrzej Szarata is an expert in the areas of transportation, transportation systems, travel modeling, functional efficiency of transportation infrastructure development, with particular emphasis on modernization of railroad lines and road system. He conducts research on traffic behavior in urbanized areas, performs traffic forecasts for the expansion of national and provincial roads, and also analyzes strategic and planning documents of many Polish cities. As a transport consultant, he works both at home and abroad (Greece, Denmark, Germany, Ukraine, the United States). He has implemented transportation projects (more than 250), related to the study of the functional efficiency of transportation investments. He led the work of a consortium (with Krakow University of Technology as leader), which was the first in Poland to develop a methodology for creating a public transport plan (using the example of the Małopolska province), and developed a methodology for conducting traffic surveys in Krakow in 2013 and carried out the Warsaw Traffic Survey in 2015. Since 2019, it has been the main consultant in the work on the construction of the transport model of Poland, conducted by the Center for EU Transport Projects. He is a member of many prestigious scientific and advisory bodies, including the Council for Higher Education, Science and Innovation to the President of the Republic of Poland, the Transport Committee of the Polish Academy of Sciences, the Construction Committee of the Krakow Branch of the Polish Academy of Sciences, the Task Force for Large-Scale Development Projects to the Committee for Spatial Planning of the Polish Academy of Sciences, the Technical Sciences Committee of the PAU, the Polish Union of Construction Engineers and Technicians, the Association of Communication Engineers and Technicians, and the Commission for Science, Innovation and Development Projects of the Polish Olympic Committee. He serves as chairman of the Scientific Council of the Carpathian Euroregion and chairman of the Science Committee of the Association of Engineers and Technicians of Communication of the Republic of Poland. He belongs to scientific councils: Railroad Institute, Institute of Construction Technology, General Directorate of National Roads and Motorways, Warsaw Metro, Podhale Association, Galician Chamber of Construction and Polish Ecological Club, Łukasiewicz Network – Institute of Ceramics and Building Materials. He chairs the Program Council for the Development of the Transport System of the City of Cracow by the City President, and is also a member of the Program Council of the ITS Poland association. He is also a highly respected academic teacher and popularizer of science in the media.
Karolina Szmidt has been the President of the Board of Henkel Polska since April 2020. She combines this position with the role of HR Director for the North-East Europe region, responsible for developing and implementing the company’s human resources strategy in Poland, Estonia, Lithuania, and Latvia. She has over twenty years of experience working in international organizations, most of which has been in managerial positions, including at SC Johnson, Royal Unibrew Polska, and Skanska. She has been associated with Henkel since 2015. She is a graduate of the University School of Physical Education in Kraków and has also completed postgraduate studies in human resource management, leadership, and the application of psychology and sociology in management.
Co-founder of SABUR Sp. z o.o. For over 25 years he has been associated with the IT and automation industries. In the company, he is responsible for contacts with the company’s foreign partners, the sale of their products and solutions successfully introduced to the Polish market, and the development of the distribution network. He has many years of and diverse experience in implementing infrastructure, industrial and building automation systems. He attaches great importance to reliability in running a business, the principles of sustainable development and pro-employee activities. He is a member of the Industry and Program Council of the Faculty of Mechatronics of the Warsaw University of Technology, and works in several business organizations. A graduate of the Faculty of Electrical Engineering at the Warsaw University of Technology.