Twelve galas in the can

September 27th wasn’t the warmest of days, but the atmosphere in the ballroom really heated up. This year the prizes were handed out by television journalist Agata Konarska along with the editor-in-chief of ‘Eurobuild CEE’ Tomasz Cudowski. On the evening, awards were presented to some extraordinary people, projects and companies in both Poland and the CEE region. As usual, the winners were chosen in a transparent and objective manner by almost 200 jurors overseen by independent auditors KPMG. The tenant awards, which are decided by the tenants themselves, made a welcome return to the competition after the pandemic-enforced hiatus. Public opinion specialists Kantar were commissioned to survey the more than 400 tenants of the 50 properties across Poland that were nominated for tenant awards.

As usual, the presentation of the awards to the winners was quite emotional, but it was interspersed by some charity fundraising. Thanks to the generosity of the guests, a record sum of almost PLN 192,600 was raised for the Iskierka Foundation. Mrozu and his band, in the meantime, put on a spectacular show that got many people dancing and singing along.

Once the official ceremony was over, it was time for the after-party to begin, which went on into the early hours of the morning. Our congratulations to all those who were nominated and to the winners.

See you all again next year!

The Eurobuild Awards Gala 2022 was sponsored by Panattoni, Eon, Helaba, Vastint, Gleeds, APP-Projekt, Griffin Capital Partners, Signify, 7R, Savills, Echo Investment, MVGM, JLL, Acteeum, Equilis, Westbridge, Atlas Ward Polska, TPA Poland, Baker Tilly TPA, Cellnex, Remer, KPMG, Mielżyński, Seris Konsalnet, Tailors Club, Sylveco and Loredo RES. Our sincerest thanks go to all our sponsors.

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MEET THE WINNERS!

Barbara Topolska, Poland country manager, CPIPG

Real Estate Personality of the Year, Poland

Who would you like to dedicate your Eurobuild Award to?

At the Eurobuild Awards gala, I said that I owe this award to my team. Our team is now almost twice as big as a year ago, when I was also awarded the title of Personality of The Year. I have always said that the most important people for me are those with whom I make plans every day, with whom I execute those plans, develop the company with, and put out proverbial “fires” with. It is to every CPI employee with whom I work every day that I dedicate this award.

What has been your biggest challenge over the last year?

The last few months have undoubtedly been challenging in terms of setting up a new organisation – the new, enlarged CPI Property Group in Poland. With such a significant change in the portfolio of properties managed, it was necessary to look at the business from a new, fresh perspective and... arrange it anew. In other words, to ensure the organisational continuity of the company from the first day after the change. Overnight, the organisation almost doubled in size, with twice the asset portfolio and dozens of new people on board. This was, and still is, a major organisational challenge that could not have been accomplished without the full support of my team.

What are your plans for the year ahead of us?

As I mentioned, at the moment our main tasks for the coming year are to introduce owner management to the Immofinanz property portfolio and to develop the Myhive and Myoffice brands on the Polish market. These are additional organisational challenges and ambitious plans, given the circumstances in which we have to operate. However, I would like to end this conversation on an optimistic note and urge all of Eurobuild’s readers not to slow down, so that the next year – although it will be full of challenges – will also be, in spite of everything, filled with successes. To quote the star of the Eurobuild Awards gala: “If not us, then who?!”

MDC2

Newcomer of the Year, Poland

Hadley Dean, founder, MDC2

List three of your team’s qualities that the Eurobuild Awards jury has clearly recognised.

The jury appreciated our positive entrepreneurial spirit and integrity as well as willingness to act, in line with the “If you have integrity nothing else matters, if do not nothing else matters” approach.

What has been the biggest challenge for your team over the last year?

Winning the trust of investors is always the biggest challenge for any new company. That’s why we are so honoured that Invesco, Fortress REIT and Generali RE have chosen us to be their partners in Poland.

What are your team’s plans for the year ahead of us?

Our focus will be on delivering three projects: MDC2 Park Gliwice, MDC2 Park Łódź South and MDC2 Park Kraków South and strengthening our 1 mln sqm pipeline, which will be delivered in 2024/2025. At the same time, we also hope to continue to attract the best talent on the market.

The Ukraine Relief Association, MDC2

Outstanding Non-Business Achievement

Hadley Dean, founder, MDC2

Maciej Madejak. founder, CDO, MDC2

Jeremy Cordery, founder, COO, MDC2

How much money have you raised so far and how many people have been helped?

While entering our awards application, the amount we gave was EUR 6,000, which had to be substantially revised shortly afterwards. So far we have raised around PLN 100,000, and this is thanks to individual donors as well as institutional ones – we have received significant support from a particular foundation that has a similar mission to our own. We have spent around 50 pct of the funds raised so far, enabling us to support 14 Polish families hosting 53 Ukrainian refugees. In the next phase of our activity, we will continue supporting the refugees by providing them with improved accommodation in Poland into the longer term.

How important to you and your company is the work you have done to help refugees and their host families?

The whole idea behind setting up The Ukraine Relief Association stemmed from the desperate need to do something useful and good in the wake of the events that have been taking place in Ukraine since February 24th, 2022. Poland has welcomed over 3 mln refugees since then and the reaction from most Polish people was and still is amazing. Polish families opened their homes and wallets to help these refugees, but the public support was still not enough for many of them to cope with their monthly living costs. Thanks to the donors, we have been able to reduce their financial burdens at least for three months, which was very important to everyone at the association and at MDC2.

Who would you like to dedicate your Eurobuild Award to?

That’s an easy question. This award is dedicated to all those who opened their doors and hearts to displaced Ukrainian families. These include teachers, NGO employees, social workers and other kind-hearted Poles who we have had the pleasure to support over the last four months. We would also like to dedicate it to our donors – many of whom live in Western Europe or the US, and it was actually their willingness to help that gave us another reason to set up The Ukraine Relief Association.

Widok Towers

Office Building of the Year, Poland

Johannes Bauer, Poland country manager, S+B Gruppe

List three of your project’s qualities that the Eurobuild Awards jury has clearly recognised.

Widok Towers is located in Warsaw’s most central location, which offers to its tenants a spectacular view (in Polish – ‘widok’) and access to all forms of public transport in a very convenient way. Furthermore, the openable window modules in each office room, especially during this pandemic period, make the users feel comfortable and helped us to obtain LEED ‘Platinum’ as well as a Well Health and Safety rating for the building. The other special unique selling point of Widok Towers is that due to its effective planning it can be leased to several tenants per floor with very small units (e.g. 136 sqm) – a feature that is not common for skyscrapers.

What has been the biggest challenge for your team over the last year?

The biggest challenge was and still is the availability of construction materials. however, due to our long-term relationships with our partners we have found the best solutions for this.

What are your team’s plans for the year ahead of us?

S+B will keep on investing in Warsaw and looking for new potential projects in great locations.

Danuta Wojnarowska of Globalworth Poland

Office Building Manager of the Year, Poland

Who would you like to dedicate your Eurobuild Award to?

I would like to dedicate it to our tenants and the team at Globalworth and Podium Park, to thank them for appreciating my cooperation so far. Without their support, this award would not have been possible. The award means a great deal to me and motivates me to continue working and taking on new challenges.

What has been your biggest challenge over the last year?

The main challenge for the sector as a whole recently was facing the effects of the pandemic. As a result of that situation, it has been necessary to adjust office buildings to accommodate fewer employees, while at the same time encouraging office workers to return there from their home offices. To achieve this, we have organised a range of events, such as classical music concerts, outdoor cinemas and exhibitions. However, that’s not all we have done. A wide range of measures have been taken to improve the functionality of Globalworth’s buildings, including adapting them for the needs of the disabled, providing chargers for electric scooters, and retrofitting vehicle charging stations. One of the biggest challenges was the fitting out of Podium Park, which was carried out simultaneously on eight floors, while the building was allowed to function normally.

What are your plans for the year ahead?

I consider the biggest challenge of 2023 to be optimising rising costs while maintaining the standards of buildings and services, and encouraging companies to return to the office. Given the price increases for utilities and services, it is essential to analyse how facilities are operated on an ongoing basis in order to reduce expenses in a way that is least noticeable to their users. The key goal I want to achieve is to maintain satisfactory relations with tenants and, with the Globalworth team, to achieve even higher management standards.

Kamila Kiersikowska of EPP (Galeria Młociny)

Shopping Centre Manager of the Year, Poland

Who would you like to dedicate your Eurobuild Award to?

The award not only brings us satisfaction but is also a confirmation that we – the whole team managing Galeria Młociny – is working in the right direction. It recognises the work of all of us – my superb onsite team at Galeria Młociny, as well as my colleagues at EPP and Echo, the service providers cooperating with us, and the subcontractors engaged in the everyday small steps that have resulted in the overall success of the centre. Without such a great team involved in making Galeria Młociny such an attractive shopping centre, such positive feedback from our tenants as evidenced in this award would be hard to achieve. I’m thrilled to work with people who apply such solution-seeking approaches and are always looking for new innovative opportunities.

What has been your biggest challenge over the last year?

We have worked hard to restore the social and entertainment function of our shopping centre after the pandemic period to strengthen the performance of the entertainment and F&B tenants, while also meeting the expectations of customers who, after months of isolation, are hungry for social interaction. We also met this challenge through the skilful repositioning of Galeria Młociny.

What are your plans for the year ahead?

To never stop even for a moment and to set our own path. We will continue to focus on cooperation with our tenants, doing all we can to build the visibility and recognition of Galeria Młociny and to increase the number of our loyal customers. Our strategy of combining global brands with local concepts, online innovations with an offline presence, and building a socially responsible commercial platform has worked well and will continue.

Galeria Młociny

Shopping Centre of the Year, Poland

Tomasz Skuza, head of retail property management, EPP

Szymon Mińczuk, regional leasing director, Echo Investment

List three of your project’s qualities that the Eurobuild Awards jury has clearly recognised.

The outstanding feature of Galeria Młociny is the modern approach to the design of the unique meeting, entertainment and dining area, which was provided by the Broadway Malyan studio. Our aim was to provide comfortable and attractive space for everyone, so that they can enjoy themselves and the time they spend at Galeria Młociny with its modern parking system, rest areas, user-friendly map and the unique approach to events, special activities and exceptional tenant mix. The large F&B zone in the form of a food hall includes both well-known chain restaurants as well as local concepts. Another feature is the flexible and diverse tenant mix, selected in order to constantly surprise our customers and meet their needs – with the first Primark store in Poland being one example. All of this is arranged in line with a modern approach to accessible space, with a range of features to help customers and visitors with special needs to use the centre’s facilities in comfort. Our approach to working with tenants is also important – we focus on an ongoing exchange of information, to respond to their needs and involve them in the life of the centre.

What has been the biggest challenge for your team over the last year?

Galeria Młociny is a young shopping and entertainment destination – the newest in Warsaw. It started its operations shortly before the pandemic and, in spite of the unusual market situation, has managed to build a strong position on the local market. The biggest challenge was to operate the centre in line with strict safety regulations while at the same time maintaining its positive atmosphere as a place full of energy, events and life. Over the last year, we have carried out extensive research to analyse consumers’ preferences and their expectations of our centre. As a result, we have taken wide-ranging decisions. We have signed a number of contracts with brands that were not previously present with us and we are constantly working to diversify the tenant mix both to retain existing customers and attract new ones.

What are your team’s plans for the year ahead of us?

Over the next year, we will focus primarily on expanding our fashion, entertainment and F&B range with the goal of launching well-known and much-loved brands, but also still seeking new debuts in our premises. We are going to increase the number of leisure zones and expand our entertainment range, in order to provide our customers and visitors with a new experience. Moreover, we are planning to make our range even more appealing to younger generations and families. We would also like to surprise them with popular events and such modern systems as our loyalty app. A young, modern and trendsetting shopping centre is what our customers expect and appreciate.

Ideal Idea Park Wrocław

Warehouse of the Year, Poland

Jędrzej Dużyński, CEO, Ideal Idea

List three of your project’s qualities that the Eurobuild Awards jury has clearly recognised.

Firstly, our response time – since we manage our properties ourselves, the response time is our priority. From minor to major issues, we are there to provide solutions right away. Being a small team, we have a relatively flat structure which facilitates the decision process. Secondly, there is the quality – we build class A offices and warehouses that meet international standards. All our buildings are built in accordance with strict BREEAM guidelines. The quality and sustainability of our buildings has put us on Poland’s industrial map. Tenants appreciate our elegant aluminium façades, floor to ceiling windows, A/C in each room, elevators for the larger offices, and many other features that are uncommon on this market. And thirdly, our flexibility – the design of our buildings allows us to provide almost exactly the kind of space our clients are looking for. The small warehouse units, each with a drive-in gate and one gate for large trucks, can be joined together to provide the optimal area. We are experienced in building sophisticated labs, clean rooms, production rooms and simple storage space, therefore we can attract all kinds of industries.

What has been the biggest challenge for your team over the last year?

Last year saw a lot of changes to our team. We have enlarged it to better tailor our services and I have the feeling that we now have a real dream team comprised of genuine experts in their fields. The people who work behind the scenes, from the architects and lawyers up to the leasing managers, are an essential part of our success.

What are your team’s plans for the year ahead of us?

To continue our story. We were the pioneers of the SBU concept in Poland and we want to provide more complexes that will be successful and win more prestigious awards. We have a lot of projects under consideration and each year we will deliver more City Parks in Poland’s major cities.

Ideal Idea

Warehouse Manager of the Year, Poland

Jędrzej Dużyński, CEO, Ideal Idea

Who would you like to dedicate your Eurobuild Award to?

I’d like to dedicate the Eurobuild Award for Warehouse Manager of the Year to my father, Andrzej, who established Ideal Idea over 15 years ago – and I now have the privilege to continue his legacy. My aim is to continue delivering high-quality SBU parks in prime urban locations in Poland’s major cities. This award is a great honour and motivator for me to work even harder and further develop our company in new markets. I would like to dedicate our other award, for Warehouse of the Year, to our tenants at City Park Wrocław. It is thanks to them that we have been able to earn this distinction, and there could be no better proof that we’re doing something right. I believe the key is to listen closely to our clients and their needs and provide them with the right environment for their businesses to grow. This award means a lot to us because we developed the first SBU park in Lower Silesia and it turned out to be a great success.

What has been your biggest challenge over the last year?

The biggest challenge we face is always the question of whether our product will work on a new market. We are entering cities like Wrocław and Poznań, where we will be pioneering the SBU concept. Therefore, we have to convince and educate the market about the value of our product. The demand has proven to be high as the space we deliver is ideal for companies that need to be in those cities, with prestigious offices and adjacent warehouse units, good public transport and property management at the highest level.

What are your plans for the year ahead of us?

The next year will be very busy. We will be developing the latest, seventh building of the City Park complex in Warsaw. After its completion, it will be the biggest SBU park in Warsaw. We will also be building our first SBU park in Poznań, right next to the A2 motorway, which will comprise almost 17,000 sqm in one building. We are also working on acquiring new land for development in Warsaw and creating a pipeline to attract potential partners and investors.

CBRE

Office Agency Team of the Year, Poland

Mikołaj Sznajder, director, head of the office agency, CBRE

List three of your team’s qualities that the Eurobuild Awards jury has clearly recognised.

Our experience, high levels of activity, and that we offer a wide range of integrated services are the qualities that hopefully the Eurobuild Awards jury took into consideration. We have a stable, very experienced team that has been developing for many years with the same people with diverse competencies. We are the most active agency on the market in terms of market share, and every year we expand our services to deliver more for our clients.

What has been the biggest challenge for your team over the last year?

Since last year we have been experiencing constant demand for office space, as it became clear that offices aren’t going away and will remain a vital part of any organisation’s success going forward. But to ensure that success, employers must give their teams the right tools to perform at their best levels, with the workplace acting as the nucleus of meaningful connection and collaboration. Overall, it was very dynamic period, during which we have delivered consultation services for the reframing and transformation of companies as well as for upgrading existing offices and making them future-proof.

What are your team’s plans for the year ahead of us?

Each year we continue to work on becoming even better – and next year is not going to be any different. Our plan is to maintain CBRE’s unique approach of responding to clients’ needs, not only in terms of leasing services but also ESG advisory, building consultancy, project management, workplace consultancy and change management, as well as technology, data centres, human resources and IT advisory. We are becoming more integrated between our business lines than ever before to fulfil more than just office space requirements.

JLL

Retail Agency Team of the Year, Poland

Anna Wysocka, the head of the retail agency, JLL Poland

List three of your team’s qualities that the Eurobuild Awards jury has clearly recognised.

Our agility and ability to deliver results to our client in challenging circumstances. Our high-quality service for our clients and client-first approach. Our multidisciplinary team that offers services and solutions for retail scheme owners (landlord representation services), retailers and retail operators (tenant representation services) and alternative locations – retail in offices, residential projects and high streets (high street services).

What has been the biggest challenge for your team over the last year?

The Covid-19 pandemic and then the war in Ukraine posed a variety of challenges for all market players. We all quickly had to learn to operate in conditions that were completely different from those the market has been used to since when it originally began to develop.

What are your team’s plans for the year ahead of us?

Concentrating on serving our clients even better and providing the best-in-class solutions in all fields. We feel that it is our duty as a business to promote ESG issues. Initiating a strategic dialogue with business leaders puts us in a unique position to support their efforts. The green transformation and related issues with new technologies, capital allocation, resource optimisation, employee engagement, as well as work environment design, will be the biggest challenge for organisations and investors over this decade. In order to help our clients achieve their growth goals, we, as an organisation, aim to provide them with the information and resources they need to reposition their businesses in the direction of ESG.

CBRE

Investment Agency Team of the Year, Poland

Sean Doyle, senior director, CEE head of capital markets, CBRE

List three of your team’s qualities that the Eurobuild Awards jury has clearly recognised.

Our leading market position in terms of volumes transacted for seven consecutive years. Our record-breaking sales transactions across all sectors and segments of the market (the largest office deal – Warsaw Hub; the sharpest pricing paid – Generation Park Y; the biggest logistics deal – Hillwood Danica). And the continued satisfaction of our clients for the world-class service we provide them with.

What has been the biggest challenge for your team over the last year?

The market has been facing many unprecedented challenges across all of its sectors. For office, these have been working from home and energy cost inflation, as well as the sustainability of class B offices in the light of ESG and green certification requirements. For retail, these have been the continued growth of online shopping, the sustainability of retail rents in face of rising CPI indexation and energy costs, and the impact of inflation on turnovers. For logistics, these have been construction cost inflation and service charge increases pushing total occupancy costs significantly higher. Understanding all of these issues and predicting the future impact on our clients’ business is the single biggest challenge we face.

What are your team’s plans for the year ahead of us?

With all these headwinds now, more than ever, our clients need robust and accurate advice. Our team’s plan will be, as it always is, to deliver world-class advisory to our client base.

CBRE

Construction Management Company of the Year, Poland

Krzysztof Koziar, director, head of the project management and building consultancy, CBRE

List three of your team’s qualities that the Eurobuild Awards jury has clearly recognised.

We partner with our clients and offers complex services. We are represented in every major city in Poland, so we can provide the advice that clients need, when they need it and where it is needed. Behind the scenes, we continually share experience and knowledge to make sure the advice we give reflects the very latest thinking on building technology, occupier trends and market practice. This is highly appreciated by our clients.

What has been the biggest challenge for your team over the last year?

In previous years the main issue had been the pandemic. Last year was predominantly impacted by war in Ukraine, which exacerbated supply chain disruptions, reduced the supply of building materials and made pricing more unpredictable. It has been a really challenging time for all us and our clients, because the uncertainty has been huge. At CBRE we believe that we all did a great job, and responded effectively to our clients and new market requirements.

What are your team’s plans for the year ahead of us?

Looking at the economy it seems that for all of us in real estate that there is some turbulence ahead, but there are also plenty of reasons to believe that we are en route to a soft landing. What I can be sure of right now is that we will continue to move towards a more sustainable world and to strengthen our leading role in the sustainable economy. Another aspect is that buildings will become more digitalised and everyone will be part of this transformation. The future of the built environment is going to be smart – and buildings will require improvements in order to retain and improve their value and business productivity. We will help our clients in this and taking a leading role in this transformation.

Browary Warszawskie (Warsaw Breweries)

City-forming Project of the Year / New Small Retail Format of the Year, CEE

Małgorzata Turek, board member, investment and divestment director, Echo Investment

Maciej Drozd, CFO, Echo Investment

List three of your team’s qualities that the Eurobuild Awards jury has clearly recognised.

We are pleased with the recognition that Browary Warszawskie has been receiving in the form of dozens of awards from various fields – the city, business, social, gastronomic, etc. – The Eurobuild Award for the project that makes the best contribution to a city is particularly pleasing because it commends Echo Investment’s strategy. We want to build multi-functional projects on an urban scale, that support the creation of good, sustainable cities and that improve the quality of life of their residents. These are the features that distinguish this project and – as we believe – are what the jury has appreciated. Thank you for this award for our flagship project – a place that people are attracted to!

What has been the biggest challenge for your team over the last year?

Browary Warszawskie has been fully operational for about a year. The biggest challenge for the entire Echo Investment team was to show the residents of Warsaw and the Brewery’s guests that it is a friendly and open place – exactly as we promised from the very beginning of the project. And we have achieved this: Browary was visited by over 2.1 mln people over the last twelve months. This place has become the venue for a whole range of neighbourhood and culinary events; it has appeared in several feature and advertising films – it draws people in and invites them to come back. Proving its attractiveness has been the biggest challenge we have undertaken and, as you can see, we have been successful in doing this. We would like to thank the entire Echo Investment team for this award, because absolutely every one of our employees has contributed to this project.

What are your team’s plans for the year ahead of us?

For our future multifunctional destination projects, Browary Warszawskie will act as a reference point. The bar has been set high, but our plans are ambitious. We are continuing with the construction of Fuzja in Łódź, which is now partially open. We’re starting our project on ul. Wita Stwosza in Kraków and Towarowa 22 in Warsaw. Each will become an exciting part of the city, complementing and improving how these districts function and the local quality of life. This is also a recipe for business success – because such projects attract excellent tenants and solid investors. We are convinced that they also be successful at future Eurobuild Awards.

CBRE

Property Management Company of the Year, Poland

Piotr Karpiński, senior director, head of property management, CBRE

List three of your team’s qualities that the Eurobuild Awards jury has clearly recognised.

Stability in unstable times and circumstances. Being a solid partner in a fast-changing world. We are proactive and motivated. We always find a way!

What has been the biggest challenge for your team over the last year?

To find the right balance between the increasing costs of delivering services of the required quality and maintaining profitability. We have to bear in mind that it is only profitable teams that remain stable and efficient.

What are your team’s plans for the year ahead of us?

To be there for our clients. This may sound naïve, but keeping our almost 270-strong property management team in shape is not an easy task. In addition to this, we are implementing D&T solutions and new services such as the full scope of ESG services, our Deepki platform and extending the functionalities of Yardi. We trust that next year we will also launch a PRS management platform. Our plans are bold, as always.

Dentons

Law Firm of the Year, Poland

Bartłomiej Kordeczka, partner and deputy head of the Warsaw real estate practice, Dentons

List three of your team’s qualities that the Eurobuild Awards jury has clearly recognised.

The details of the voting process obviously remain confidential; however, we believe that there are certain aspects of our business activity and qualities of our team that had a major impact on the jury’s final decision on selecting the top law firm in Poland and giving Dentons its eleventh victory at the Eurobuild Awards. Dentons has one of the largest real estate practices in the CEE region, comprising more than 100 lawyers and the largest real estate team in region’s key market, Poland, where we have almost 60 lawyers and a more than 50 pct market share. Our activity on the market can easily be demonstrated by looking at the profile and value of transactions we have advised on, as well as our solid client base, along with the variety of sectors we work in. We also believe that our focus on building long-term relationships with clients, together with our wealth of knowledge of the property market and the quality of the services that our team provides, have a truly distinctive value and made a strong and positive impression on the awards jury.

What has been the biggest challenge for your team over the last year?

When the real estate sector caught its breath after the pandemic, the war in Ukraine started. Some investors returned to a wait-and-see strategy before making investment decisions. This was rather like at the start of the pandemic, but for a very different set of reasons. In these circumstances, Dentons, similarly to other law firms, also had to overcome certain difficulties that have been affecting the transactional market. We noticed that some deals were put on hold or cancelled entirely. However, one should remember that many of the challenges that confront decision-making processes are not new and have once again highlighted issues that need to be addressed. Furthermore, there will always be investors that are constantly on the lookout for opportunities and can even find them in the most challenging times. Notwithstanding these challenges, in Q1 2022 our team advised on three mega deals, which represented 75 pct of the total volume transacted during this period in Poland (Google’s purchase of the Warsaw Hub and the establishment of two joint ventures encompassing EPP’s portfolios in two separate projects). This outstanding performance reflects our leading market position and confirms Dentons’ capabilities to manage even the most demanding projects in unusual times.

What are your team’s plans for the year ahead of us?

I’m optimistic when it comes to the year ahead. We will continue with our current strategy and approach towards projects, and I believe this will allow our team to maintain its leading position in the real estate sector in Poland. We are living in a challenging and dynamic world, where the investment transactions market is influenced by a wide variety of factors, such as military conflict, changes to the legal and regulatory environment, the economic situation and the inflow of foreign investment. In order to retain a competitive market position, we have to be agile and react quickly to clients’ needs so they can achieve their business goals. Despite the ongoing turbulence, the market is still active and a number of new buyers are entering the country. The office sector is taking the lead in Poland and remains the largest volume generator. PRS is still heating up despite rising interest rates and a growing number of institutional investors view this segment as a safe bet during a macroeconomic slowdown. The retail market has been redefined. Convenience centres still dominate, while large shopping centres are being acquired by investors for redevelopment. The industrial market is on the way towards stabilisation but is still enjoying huge demand. We see all of this as a wonderful opportunity for our team, especially given our strong capabilities in all these areas.

Kajima Poland

Real Estate Construction Company of the Year, Poland

Sandra Wróblewska, senior business development manager, Kajima Poland

Maciej Runkiewicz, CEO, Kajima Poland

List three of your team’s qualities that the Eurobuild Awards jury has clearly recognised.

We combine Polish energy and flexibility with Japanese business ethics and organisational culture. This combination helps us to identify new circumstances quickly – both the limitations and opportunities on the market – and to use them wisely. Our advanced organisational culture means that our clients and other business partners feel secure with us and rely on us. We also emphasise continuing to learn and enhance the competencies that we apply for our clients’ benefit.

What has been the biggest challenge for your team over the last year?

Last year, we were recovering from the recent pandemic. We restored our building material supply chains and made many new business contacts along the way. The events in Ukraine in 2022 also brought immense disruption to the supply market and reduced investment, but we responded quickly to this once again. We are looking for new supply markets and new opportunities, offering a new type of cooperation with clients.

What are your team’s plans for the year ahead of us?

Despite the pessimistic forecasts for the coming year for the entire economy, we will do everything to continue to develop, thus confirming Kajima Poland’s strong position in the sector. As in past crises, this time our continued success will be due to our energy, flexibility and highly developed organisational culture.

HB Reavis

Office Developer of the Year, CEE Region

Karol Wyka, board member, country leasing director, HB Reavis Poland

List three of your team’s qualities that the Eurobuild Awards jury has clearly recognised.

HB Reavis’ team is determined to deliver quality, it is committed to sustainability, and passionate about creating welcoming places. We believe that green buildings will be the future market standard and so we have been putting a strong emphasis on our ESG strategy. We are at the forefront of workspace evolution in Europe, where employers embrace well-being and productivity. That’s why we focus not only on the physical environment, but also in the dimension of the human experience with the space and everything related to it.

What has been the biggest challenge for your team over the last year?

Like many others, we have faced market uncertainty, investor caution, supply chain constraints, high inflation, as well as a plethora of personal, humanitarian and business challenges in recent months. However, the economic situation has begun to improve, and we have been able to navigate this new reality boldly, recording several remarkable achievements. Since that time, we have been able to complete eleven developments across all our markets with a total GDV of around EUR 2 bln. Thanks to the impressive efforts of our teams, we have achieved the second-best financial performance and leasing figures in the history of the company. This is a great testament to our creativity, entrepreneurial spirit and business model, as well as the attractive products we develop that have lasting resilience even in challenging market environments.

What are your team’s plans for the year ahead of us?

Looking ahead, our projects are going ahead according to plan and our pipeline is impressive. We will be focused on workspace planning aspects as well as being the manager of our buildings’ communities. Our international teams are already working on Worship Square in London and our second German project. We will continue securing long-term contracts with major occupiers for Varso Tower, while working on Nové Apollo in Bratislava and starting work on One Waterloo in London. And we will be announcing new development opportunities in Warsaw soon.

Norblin Factory

New Office Building of the Year, CEE Region

Marcin Juszczyk, board member, CIO/CFO, Capital Park Group

List three of your project’s qualities that the Eurobuild Awards jury has clearly recognised.

One of the factors that the jury certainly took into account was the quality of the office space at Norblin Factory. This is confirmed by the certificates obtained by our tenants – the highest ‘Platinum’ level of Mobility Mojo for the ISS Hub office and BREEAM International Refurbishment & Fit Out at the ‘Outstanding’ level for the JTI Global Business Services Centre. Another example is SEB Bank, which chose our location from among 45 other office offers, and now the Polish headquarters of the bank is its model office in the world. Even before the opening of Norblin Factory, we achieved 100 pct leasing of the office space in the complex during a serious pandemic with rents better on average by EUR 1.5–2 per sqm / month than in the office towers in the area. Another aspect is the access to the range of other services and functions that come in a mixed-use project. Our office tenants can take advantage of the rich gastronomic, cultural, entertainment, commercial and services range, as well as the health and beauty zone that is just now emerging.

What has been the biggest challenge for your team over the last year?

Since 2021, when we were completing the construction of Norblin Factory, we have had the pandemic, broken supply chains, labour shortages, rising inflation – in particular, the increased prices of construction materials and services. So the completion of this project was quite some task. Finishing the retail space, introducing tenants to the restaurants, services and retail – after the pandemic and lockdowns and the lingering threat of further restrictions – was and still is a huge challenge. Tenants postponed decisions to sign leases and then to start the fit-out work, and then to actually open their new premises. Another issue has been how to encourage people to return to the office. Of course, this is largely the job of their employers; but we, as the building owner, also try to support companies in doing this, offering outside-work attractions to encourage office workers to spend time in our buildings. And the range of these at Norblin Factory is wide.

What are your team’s plans for the year ahead of us?

Mainly, continuing realising our residential projects – Polski Hak in Gdańsk and in Szczecin, as well as identifying new multifunctional projects and preparing their implementation. And we are planning sales of established projects in our portfolio, such as Royal Wilanów or smaller retail projects. We are also working on attracting new investors for subsequent ventures.

Santander Bank Polska

Financing Provider of the Year, CEE Region

Brendan Long, head of the property department, Santander Bank Polska

List three of your team’s qualities that the Eurobuild Awards jury has clearly recognised.

We are very proud to have a team of highly talented and experienced property finance professionals. We have the largest team on the Polish market with some team members having over 25 years of experience in financing property deals. Our business partners are successful, market leading professionals with excellent sector expertise. We are delighted to be trusted to be a part of their success. We have a clear long-term strategy that’s built on creating mutual trust and long-term business relationships. All of this allows us to have a creative, flexible and commercial approach that is appreciated by our business partners.

What has been the biggest challenge for your team over the last year?

Our primary focus has been on supporting all our partners, our Santander family and our communities in a period of change and uncertainty in all our professional and personal lives.

What are your plans for the year ahead?

The same as the last few months, when we have had the joy and pleasure of reconnecting face-to-face with many of our business partners and the possibility of growing together!

Trei Real Estate Poland

Retail Developer of the Year, CEE Region

Jacek Wesołowski, chairman of the board, Trei Real Estate Poland

List three of your team’s qualities that the Eurobuild Awards jury has clearly recognised.

We have extensive experience in retail projects, having been present on the Polish market since 2013, and our portfolio of Vendo Parks now includes 31 retail parks. Our experience allows us to implement projects effectively even during economic downturns. We have gained our tenants’ trust. They know that our team is reliable and can always find a win-win solution. During the difficult pandemic period, we rose to the challenge and together worked out solutions that secured the position of our tenants while supporting our operations.

What was the biggest challenge for your team over the last year?

In 2021, we built, commercialised and opened eight Vendo Parks in Poland – in Zielonka, Piekary Śląskie, Koszalin, Myśliborz, Oświęcim, Chorzów Inowrocław and Radzymin. At the end of last year, the biggest challenge for our team was launching new projects in an environment of rising costs. H1 2020 was dominated by the disruption arising from the outbreak of war in Ukraine as well as high inflation. In fact, prices in the construction sector increased by 60 pct. At one stage we felt that these increased costs were unacceptable and so we decided to put new projects on hold. When the price increases stabilised at 20 pct compared to last year, we resumed our activities. The second half of the year is currently seeing prices slowly stabilising and so we plan to launch new construction projects in Mielec, Zambrów, Kraków, Gorzów Wielkopolski and Szczecin. We will continue to purchase land for more retail parks. We have also completed the construction and openings of two 100 pct leased Vendo Parks in Otwock and Skarżysko Kamienna.

What are your plans for the year ahead?

Before the outbreak of the war in Ukraine, our goal was to intensify our rate of growth by launching 7 or 8 new retail parks per year. However, the price volatility caused by the war has temporarily slowed our development plans. Next year, we aim to resume our original expansion plans. In our annual ‘Retail Parks and Convenience Centres in Poland’ report, it is pointed out that in the first half of 2022, developers delivered 183,200 sqm gla, 66 pct of which was in retail parks and convenience centres. Another 341,700 sqm gla is expected to come onto the market by the end of this year, with 53 pct of this being in retail parks. The data confirms the high level of demand that will undoubtedly strengthen our growth next year. We are preparing a pilot PRS investment in Poznań, as we want to transfer our years of experience gained from projects in Germany and the US to the Polish market.

Crido

Tax and Financial Consultancy of the Year, Poland

Paweł Toński, real estate managing partner, Crido

List three of your team’s qualities that the Eurobuild Awards jury has clearly recognised.

Our knowledge and experience, our commitment and our hospitable approach to advisory – our clients feel that they are taken care of.

What has been the biggest challenge for your team over the last year?

The same as for everybody else – the geopolitical uncertainty that has been impacting people’s and businesses’ comfort, along with the legislative chaos that has been jeopardising business efforts. The quality of legislation sometimes just makes it impossible to analyse the situation along logical lines.

What are your team’s plans for the year ahead of us?

It seems likely that the next year will be different in many respects. We should continue to stay focused, support each other as a team and carry on with what we do best: helping clients based on our understanding of their needs and situation, using our knowledge, empathy as well as analytical and project management skills.

The LPP Distribution Centre in Brześć Kujawski

New Warehouse of the Year, CEE Region

Grzegorz Tacakiewicz, owner and chairman, Tacakiewicz Ferma Kresek

Łukasz Piwoński, administration department director

List three of your project’s qualities that the Eurobuild Awards jury has clearly recognised.

The extensive and detailed design of centre’s surroundings, providing attractive semi-public space in front of the building and improving users’ experience. The carefully designed office section, tailored not only to serve its purpose in the best way possible, but also providing users and visitors with the most pleasing aesthetics and the greatest sense of well-being. The cutting-edge technical solutions applied have contributed to its environmental-friendliness, sustainability and users’ comfort.

What has been the biggest challenge for your team over the last year?

The biggest challenge was to ensure the highest level of coordination of everyone involved in the project and making the best of their extensive knowledge and expertise in order to deliver a final product of the highest quality. The scale of the project meant the amount of people involved was enormous, but in the end it was their skill and proficiency that has made the building stand out.

What are your team’s plans for the year ahead of us?

We are currently working on a warehouse designed for e-commerce in the southeast of Poland, which is now in the trial phase. In the months ahead we are planning the further expansion of our brick-and- mortar network, so we are not ruling out the continued development of our distribution network and office buildings, either.

Panattoni

Warehouse Developer of the Year, CEE Region

Robert Dobrzycki, Panattoni’s CEO and co-owner for Europe, the UK and India

List three of your team’s qualities that the Eurobuild Awards jury has clearly recognised.

First of all, our vast experience. In 2021, in Poland alone we signed about 300 contracts and exceeded 10 mln sqm of delivered space. Behind every contract, realisation and expansion are those specific people who were responsible for each stage; the predevelopment, the development work itself, the legal issues and administrative formalities and, finally, for the sustainable realisation of each investment. Other important features include our flexibility and individual approach, which have made us a leader not only in quantity but also quality. Our teams are able to tailor industrial facilities – even using the most complex technology – according to the processes required by the client. They can select the most optimal location and develop the project in line with the green policies of the tenant.

What has been the biggest challenge for your team over the last year?

Of course, the biggest challenge for the sector as a whole has been the aftermath of the ongoing war in Ukraine. Energy prices and the availability of materials have been changing dramatically in recent months. However, Panattoni has not put on the brakes and entered the second half of the year with 2.5 mln sqm under construction.

What are your plans for the year ahead?

Above all, further consistent development in line with our ‘Go Earthwise with Panattoni’ concept. By the end of this year, we want to have about 9 mln sqm of space in Poland with completed green certification. As of the end of Q3 of this year, we have about 0.5 mln sqm at the BREEAM ‘Excellent’ level, so reaching 1 mln is only a matter of time. We also plan to achieve Poland’s first BREEAM ‘Outstanding’ certification. In addition to that, we plan to build, build and build again. Since the beginning of the year, we have purchased more than 500 ha of land, so more developments will be progressively built. In developing millions more square metres of modern industrial space, we first and foremost want to be a valued partner to our customers.

Uphagen Manor Gdańsk

New Hotel of the Year, CEE Region

Magdalena Sidorowicz, sales director, Arche

List three of your project’s qualities that the Eurobuild Awards jury has clearly recognised.

We were appreciated mostly for the revitalisation work that also preserved the historic fabric of the manor. Elements of the decor were retained and reused in the interior design. These included the original bricks, stairs with gilded handrails and ceilings. In the orangery we discovered beautiful polychromes, i.e. multi-coloured painted decorations on the walls and doors. And that’s not everything we did. Historical memorabilia have been collected – from old photos of doctors, which you can admire while strolling along the corridors of the hotel, the hospital mangle, which now proudly presents itself in the lobby bar, to old medical bags and measuring glasses, which now decorate the hotel. An undoubted attraction is also the pre-war Swiss cuisine – meals that were actually cooked for patients and which are now used served to the hotel’s guests, who are surprised that it is actually possible to restore a monument in such a way, while caring for all the historical details.

What has been the biggest challenge for your team over the last year?

The biggest challenge for us was the pandemic. We had to be prepared to be as friendly as possible for guests and to meet new sanitary requirements. In addition to this, we had to finish and open new hotels that were under construction. And so, in December last year, we opened Uphagen Manor in Gdańsk, and also opened the second section of the Arche Poloneza hotel in Warsaw, as well as hotels in Wrocław and Piła.

What are your team’s plans for the year ahead of us?

We are developing new hotels, including the Airplane Factory in Mielno, with a restored hangar. Another investment is the Militia Sanatorium in Nałęczów. The third building is a revitalisation project in Wrocław. It was previously a monastery, a high school and a hospital. So the biggest challenge for us is to complete and open these hotels next year.

Skanska Property Poland

ESG Real Estate Leader of the Year, CEE Region

Katarzyna Zawodna-Bijoch, CEO, Skanska’s office development unit in the CEE region

List three of your team’s qualities that the Eurobuild Awards jury has clearly recognised.

I believe that what makes our team outstanding is the fact that we care, we go that extra mile and we listen while working with internal and external stakeholders. This is very much aligned with Skanska’s values (care for life, acting ethically and transparently, being better together and having a customer-first mindset), that constitute the foundation of who we are, what we do and how we do our business.

What has been the biggest challenge for your team over the last year?

After we finally started seeing the light at the end of the pandemic tunnel, the global community is now facing another tragedy: the war in Ukraine and the biggest humanitarian crisis in Europe since WWII. This has been a challenging situation for us personally and business-wise, but first and foremost our hearts and thoughts have been with our Ukrainian neighbours. Standing still was not an option for us when basic human rights were being violated. We designated part of an empty office building in Warsaw to creating a shelter for those who had to leave their homes to save their lives and donated PLN 1 mln for operating the shelter. This was combined with a huge individual effort from our team members across the CEE region, who opened their homes to refugees, volunteered and made donations to support those in need. I was and am still very moved and proud to have witnessed this.

What are your plans for the year ahead?

Working towards achieving our company’s carbon targets while at the same time delivering high quality and future-proof office projects that support the needs of tenants, investors and local communities.

Griffin Capital Partners

PRS Investor of the Year, CEE Region / Investor of the Year, CEE Region

Maciej Dyjas, managing partner, Griffin Capital Partners

Nebil Semnan, managing partner, Griffin Capital Partners

Piotr Fijołek, co-managing partner, Griffin Capital Partners

List three of your team’s qualities that the Eurobuild Awards jury has clearly recognised.

Firstly, our experience. Our team has more than 25 years of experience of investment and asset management in private equity and real estate in the CEE region and is the most active and innovative in the region. We have considerably expanded our business, introducing several new concepts and formats to the real estate market. Over the last decade, we have increased our assets under management from app. EUR 200 mln to over EUR 7 bln and have invested with our strategic partners more than EUR 3 bln in Poland. With the strong track record and extensive private equity and real estate know-how of our team, we are a one-stop-shop for international investors willing to invest in Poland. This has been possible with the support of a strong team of experts with years of experience in the operational area, capital investment and financing, and carrying out primary operations in the market. Secondly, our expertise. We have a strong team of high-calibre specialists in real estate transactions and operations, private equity investment, strategic and business management, banking and financing as well as strong in-house legal support for all aspects of the transaction process, operations and management. This allows us to execute our strategy flawlessly, delivering attractive risk-adjusted returns for our investment partners and ourselves. And finally, our commitment. The size of our portfolio is credit to our strong, committed team of experts that is always passionate about delivering our vision. The round of promotions in early 2022 bear this out – we have recognised our employees’ long-standing commitment to Griffin’s growth.

What has been the biggest challenge for your team over the last year?

It was a mix of several geopolitical and economic factors. We faced the same challenges as the market in general – the war in Ukraine, the high inflationary environment with recession knocking at the door, increased construction costs and the rapid increases in interest rates have all taken their toll on our region. The focus on operational excellence has become more important than ever. But our team has coped brilliantly with these challenges. On the one hand, the team was pushing hard to keep executing the business plans of the different platforms that we manage; but on the other hand, it was also diligently and selectively screening the market for attractive opportunities and add-on transactions for our twelve actively managed platforms, such as Pad-Res, ELI, IIProp, R4R, Murapol, LifeSpot, Student Depot, and so on. Together with our strategic partners, we are also continuing to identify new concepts that can be rolled out in Poland, such as the self-storage segment.

What are your team’s plans for the year ahead of us?

Naturally, we won’t stop continuing to further develop the business and operations of our existing platforms. At the same time, we will keep screening the real estate sectors in Poland for attractive opportunities, but also other geographies and markets. Firstly, following some logistics investments that we have done in Germany, France, the Netherlands, Italy, Spain and Austria, we are currently working on a larger entry and partnership in Germany that we hope to finalise by the turn of 2022 and 2023. Secondly, we will continue to expand, step-by-step, our growing commitment to “classic” private equity transactions. In recent years, our company has been involved in established such real estate and private equity platforms as Smyk and, last year, Pad-Res, a developer specialising in the renewable energy sector.

Ghelamco

Investment Deal of the Year, CEE Region

Jeroen van der Toolen, CEE managing director, Ghelamco

Who would you like to dedicate your Eurobuild Award to?

I would like dedicate the award to the entire Ghelamco team, which has been behind the huge success of the Warsaw Hub. It was a gigantic and extremely innovative project in which we implemented a number of innovative solutions, including an anti-pandemic system, our own Signal OS platform via a building app and a digitalised property management system. Each of the departments of our company have done an amazing job at every stage of the implementation and commercialisation of the investment. The culmination of all these efforts was the record sale transaction of the Warsaw Hub to Google, the largest in the history of the CEE region.

What was the biggest challenge you faced in getting this deal done?

The biggest challenge was undoubtedly the international circumstances we found ourselves in. On the one hand, the pandemic, which affected all global economies; and on the other, the outbreak of the war in Ukraine, which has impacted our entire region economically and politically. Despite such unfavourable conditions, we completed a record transaction with Google. The project confirmed its worth above all through its quality. Our goal is to build in accordance with the ESG philosophy – sustainable, environmentally-friendly buildings that fit into their urban space. This is precisely what the Warsaw Hub is – one of the most technologically advanced office complexes in the CEE region.

Should we expect you to be finalising similar deals in the year ahead of us?

According to our business model, all our buildings are put up for sale in a timely manner. Now we want to focus on Warsaw Unit. The building is almost fully leased to some of the largest Polish and international firms and global brands, such as NTT Moderna, Warta, Shopee and Metlife. It’s also the most sustainable and energy- efficient office tower in Poland.

Nicklas Lindberg of Echo Investment

Outstanding Contribution to Real Estate

Who would you like to dedicate your Eurobuild Award to?

Like everything else that it’s important in my life, I’d like to dedicate this award to my family, as they are the ones who enable me to pursue my dreams. This award is also thanks to all those who I’ve met on my career path, so I’d like to thank all my past and current colleagues: you and your input have made me who I am professionally. Without your willingness to share knowledge we wouldn’t be able to deliver such magnificent projects. Browary Warszawskie is the living proof that years of experience in key real estate sectors have given us the edge in developing large, multi-functional, city-forming projects.

What has been your biggest challenge over the last year?

Exactly a year ago we announced the completion of Browary Warszawskie and opened it up fully to the public. Our challenge was to prepare it for visitors from all around the country and beyond, as well as to deliver the best entertainment programme in the capital. Last year, we also received the city’s approval to go ahead with our destination project in Warsaw’s Mokotów business district that will completely change this part of the city. On a more serious note, this year’s priorities have also revolved around our efforts to help Ukrainian refugees in every way we could – starting with providing and rearranging office space for them to live in in our buildings in Warsaw and Kraków.

What are your plans for the year ahead of us?

We are getting ready to launch new, exciting, centrally located destination projects. Apart from Fuzja, which is under construction in Łódź, we will start at least three new large, mixed-use projects in Warsaw and Kraków. Early next year we will be able to start such long-awaited projects as Towarowa 22.