Founding Board

Dominika Bettman, from December 2021 General Manager of Microsoft in Poland. For 26 years associated with Siemens Sp. z o.o. (the last years as CEO).
Entrepreneur, advocate of new technologies and sustainable business. Graduate of Faculty of Foreign Trade at Warsaw School of Economics and Advanced Management Program at IESE in Barcelona. Economist by education, humanist by nature. Propagator of the idea of diversity and inclusive leadership. Active participant in the public debate on digital transformation of the economy and society. Author of the book “Technological Magnolias”.

Secretary of State, Government Plenipotentiary for Cybersecurity
A manager with extensive experience in the field of digital affairs.
In the 2018-2020 period, he served as the Deputy Minister of Health and was responsible for the computerisation of the health sector, including supervision of the Health Care Information Systems Centre. This period saw the successful implementation of such projects as Patient Internet Account, e-prescriptions and e-referrals. Since April 2021, he has been serving as the Vice-Chairman of the Council for Digital Affairs. Through their knowledge and expertise, the members of the Council support the Council of Ministers Committee for Digital Affairs and other bodies. The Council reviews documents, both strategic and others, related to digital affairs, connectivity and the development of the information society.
Between November 2020 and 7 June 2021, Janusz Cieszyński served as the First Deputy Mayor of Chełm. His responsibilities included raising funds for investment projects and supervising the preparation of a transformation plan for the municipal heating plant due to the need to comply with EU climate goals.

He also worked as an advisor to Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki at the Ministry of Development and the Ministry of Finance, and in the 2016-2017 period, he headed the Department of Small and Medium Enterprises at the Ministry of Development. Furthermore, Mr Cieszyński ran a company focused on providing business and legal consultancy for SME sector entrepreneurs, and in the 2009-2014 period, also worked for a leading telecom company.
The Secretary of State for Digital Affairs at the Chancellery of the Prime Minister performs tasks specified by the minister responsible for computerisation and coordinates the implementation of government administration and computerisation efforts. The Government Plenipotentiary for Cybersecurity coordinates actions and implementation procedures related to the government cybersecurity policy in the Republic of Poland.

Prior to becoming President of ComCERT S.A., he was, among other things, an author of software for state bodies covered by protection of classified information. He worked with government administration offices, government composite administration bodies and public finance sector units, including state public law institutions.

In 2016-2017, he was a co-founder and Member of the Board of Directors (CFO) of Critical Applications, a company owned by the Ministry of Finance, developing analytical information systems supporting the Tax Administration and other state bodies in criminal and fiscal activities and countering financial irregularities. In 2017-2019, Vice President of the Social Insurance Institution, responsible for technical implementation of the 2017 pension reform and implementation of the e-Contribution, e-Act and e-ZLA (electronic sick leave) projects.

He served as a Member of the Council for Digitization Affairs appointed by the Minister of Digitization, a Member of the Scientific Council of NASK, and an Advisor to the Steering Committee of the e-Document project – being appointed jointly by the Minister of Internal Affairs and Administration, the Minister of Digitization and the Minister of Health. In 2019-2021, he served as an advisor to the Presidents of selected state-owned companies. He is certified as an expert witness in IT, reverse engineering, cyber security and IT copyright.

Strategy consultant and business leader, in the years 2016-2022 CEO & President of Polskie Sieci Elektroenergetyczne S.A. PSE, state owned company, acts as the transmission infrastructure owner, system operator and balancing authority. Eryk has orchestrated and made the company walked through a deep cultural shift to the risk driven business model. Cybersecurity of company’s OT/ICS assets is one of the key objectives set out by the management board led by Eryk. Lawyer by education, prior to joining PSE he spent several years at various roles within the Polish business and public administration. Between 2015 and 2016 Eryk was a member of the board of the Polish Financial Supervision Authority. Between 2011 and 2015 he served as a general counsel at US company involved in the Polish shale exploration. Between 2006 and 2011 he was a partner in a local boutique law firm focusing mainly on energy law. Eryk also lectured at a number of university-level schools and served as an expert at several think-tanks.

The PKO Bank Polski Management Board President since October 2009, with appointment for a new term in 2011. Prior to this he was the Pioneer Pekao TFI S.A. Management Board President for nearly nine years. Also, within the global structure of Pioneer Investments he was responsible for the CEE region distribution. In the late 1990s he was, among others, active in establishing PKO/Credit Suisse TFI S.A. investment funds company, in the function of its first Vice-President. In his more than ten-year long career in the financial markets he can be credited, among other things, with:

Successfully steering PKO Bank Polski through the critical period of turmoil in the international financial markets, while strengthening the Bank’s position of leadership in terms of assets, equity funds and earnings in Poland and the CEE region;
Development and implementation of the PKO Bank Polski’s strategy for the years 2010-2012, which resulted in strong efficiency gains as measured in terms of ROE, ROA and C/I ratio as well as in increased interest in the company among domestic and international investors (PKO continues to lead the market in terms of the value of its free float and as a major corporate debt issuer );
Adjustment of PKO Bank Polski to the requirements of the ever more competitive financial market through increased attractiveness of its product offer and quality of its customer service;
Refocusing of the PKO Bank Polski Group’s operational model toward its core activity of providing financial services.
Zbigniew Jagiełło is actively involved in development and promotion of the most demanding financial market standards in Poland. He is a member of the Council of the Polish Bank Association and of the prestigious Institut International D’Etudes Bancaires, which brings together the international banking community. His previous functions included, among others, that of the Chairman of the Chamber of Fund and Asset Management. A graduate of the Wrocław Technical University, School of Computer Science and Management, he also completed Postgraduate Management Studies at the Gdańsk Foundation for Management Development and the University of Gdańsk, with Executive MBA certified by the Rotterdam School of Management, Erasmus University. The President of the Republic of Poland decorated him with the Officer’s Cross of the Order of the Rebirth of Poland and he was awarded the Social Solidarity Medal for promoting the idea of ​​corporate social responsibility. His is the Deputy Chairman of the Programme Council of the PKO Bank Polski Foundation, an entity formed at his initiative in the year 2010. Chosen the CEO of the Year 2011 by Parkiet daily; the recipient of the Wektor 2011 granted by the Polish Employers’ Chapter and of the Golden Banker in the Personality of the Year 2011 category; he was also lauded the Manager of the Year 2011 in a competition ran by Gazeta Bankowa. In the year 2012, Bloomberg Businessweek Polska singled him out as one of the Top 20 Managers in Crisis. In 2013 Zbigniew Jagiello was honoured by Bank monthly with the title of “The Innovator of Banking Sector 2012”, and received the title of “Visionary and Man of the Year” from Brief monthly and Dziennik Gazeta Prawna daily in appreciation of his contribution to financial sector development, his consistency in strengthening Bank`s position of market leadership and determination in changing its image.

CEO of Synerise – AI & BigData Company – 17th fastest growing technology company in Europe according to Financial Times in 2022. Lecturer & Researcher at AGH University of Science&Technology. Entrepreneur, Philanthropist, and Investor. CEO and co-owner of Wisla Krakow Football Club – one of the oldest and most titled Polish Football Club – founded in 1906. During his professional career, he used to work for/with Fortune 500 companies and got numerous prestigious national and international awards with the Synerise Team, including, among other things: Laureate of Deloitte Technology Fast 50 – 2021,2022 Edition; Winner @ ACM RecSys Twitter Challenge 2021, 2nd place; Winner @ ACM KDD Cup, OGB-LSC 2021, 3rd place; Winner @ ACM WSDM Booking.com Data Challenge 2021, 2nd place; Winner @ SIGIR eCom Rakuten Data Challenge 2020, 1st place; Title of one of the 30 most promising technology entrepreneurs in the world according to Ernst and Young 2018; Special Award in EY Entrepreneur of the Year Contest 2018; AGH University of Science of Technology 100th anniversary Award 2018; Digital Shaper Award 2018, Polish President Startup Award; Poland AI Person of The Year 2019; CEE x-Tech Awards 2019 – AI Innovation of the Year; EU Leading Innovator by Google, Res Publica and the Financial Times; Microsoft Partner of the Year 2017,2018,2019.

Since 2010 he has been a lecturer and researcher at the AGH University of Science and Technology (two faculties) in Krakow, where he co-founded (at the age of 23) award-winning courses and full-time program studies of his authorship from scratch, including; Social Informatics, E-Economy (the most innovative system of study in Poland in 2012 according to the Ministry of Science and Higher Education) and Digital Marketing. He is an ambassador of the AGH brand and a mentor in the Gov Polish Development Fund network. He graduated from two fields of study (computer science and sociology) and is currently working on an interdisciplinary Ph.D. He has participated in many conferences and is a guest lecturer at Polish and foreign universities. Together with partners, he rolled out Ph.D. Data Science Studies in Poznan. He is also the author of publications, including bestsellers, inter alia published as part of the PWN Scientific Publishers. He is the founder and creator of the AI School Program and Academy for schools and kindergartens rolled out in 2019 in Poland. Co-author of the first, the fastest, and the most significant crowdfunding action in the CEE region.

Visa Country Manager for Poland, with more than ten years of experience in the organization (since 2011). On a day-to-day basis, he is responsible for the Polish market and shaping relationships with Visa card issuers, banks and fintechs, as well as with acquirers who work with companies that accept card payments, i.e. stores. He previously worked at the consulting firm KPMG and at Polbank EFG. Graduate of the School of Insurance and Banking in Warsaw (now Academy of Finance and Business Vistula).

Adrian’s interest in payments goes beyond working hours – he collects credit and debit cards as a hobby, with a collection of over 250 pieces issued in his name. As a tech savvy person he is a fan of mobile apps and fancies testing them out with regard to UX and their usability.

Michał Pieprzny – CEO Poland. Expert in customer value building in B2C and B2B markets. He has an extensive experience in designing and improving business cooperation models, as well as in developing and implementing sales stimulation programs, optimizing product portfolio and company operational effectiveness.
Prior to joining PAYBACK, Michał worked at McKinsey & Company, supporting company boards of multiple companies in Central and Eastern Europe. He also worked for Avon Cosmetics where he was co-responsible for the company’s strategy on 23 markets in Central and Eastern Europe.

Builds winning teams – first as CEO of Starcom Mediavest Group, then CEO of Publicis Media and now CEO of Publicis Groupe Poland, Ukraine and Baltics, he successfully transforms, develops and integrates specialized analytical, technology, communications, commerce, creative and content services, supporting clients in achieving their business goals. Board member of the Polish Advertising Agencies Association (SAR), jury member of EFFIE and MIXX Awards contests. Man of the Year 2021 according to IAB Poland. Speaker of the most important conferences for marketing and communication leaders: Inside Trends, CMO Summit, BrandMe CEO. Graduate of the Warsaw School of Economics and Postgraduate Studies in Art History at Collegium Civitas in Warsaw.

The first and only CEO of the Chmura Krajowa (OCHK – domestic cloud provider), a technology company whose goal is to stimulate innovation by disseminating cloud solutions in Polish enterprises and public administration. Within a year and a half of the establishment of OChK, his team negotiated strategic partnership agreements with Google and Microsoft, resulting in multi-billion investments by global public cloud providers in modern cloud infrastructure in Poland. Previously, for nearly 15 years, a manager associated with international companies from the IT sector. Directly before starting the construction of OChK, he worked for DXC Technology, a company specializing in digital transformation, providing IT services in the end-to-end model. At Hewlett Packard Enterprise, he was responsible, among others, for the successful implementation of a mobile banking platform in the largest Polish bank, as well as for the transformation of the BLIK system to the interbank model.

Doctor of Social Sciences, KU Professor in the Department of Network Society Management, philosopher, researcher in the development of new technologies, especially artificial intelligence, social robots and dressing technologies.

A graduate of The New School for Social Research in New York, where she participated in research on virtual reality identity, with a special focus on Second Life. She also worked for the Polish Presidency of the EU Council as Chairwoman of the Audiovisual Working Group on behalf of the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage. Visiting Scholar at MIT (2016-2017, 2019). In the fall of 2022, she begins research at the American Institute for Economic Research on Work Automation and then joins the Harvard University Labour and Worklife program.

Since 2015 member of the Program Council of Startup Hub Poland. Scholarship holder of the “Mobility Plus” program. (2016 – 2017), Kosciuszko Foundation (2014), Foundation for Polish Science (2010) and Wiliam J. Fulbright (2007), winner of the award for outstanding young scientists of the Minister of Science and Higher Education.

CEO with over 20 years of experience in senior management positions in large organisations. Currently President and CEO of CANAL+ Polska, responsible for the strategic transformation of traditional pay TV to the Internet (IPTV and OTT). Previously associated with Ringier Axel Springer Polska as President of the Management Board, where she successfully led the digital transformation of the press segment to the Internet and significantly expanded the business with new digital revenue streams. A visionary and leader with strong skills in managing large and complex teams of people, with a high ability to motivate and develop teams while maximising financial metrics.

CEO of Vodeno Sp. z o.o. (2021 till now)
CEO of Aion Bank (2019-2021)
Co-founder of Vodeno – Leading European end-to-end BaaS platform combining best-in-class Tech with a full financial services offering
Co-founder and CEO of Alior Bank (2008- 2017)
Deputy President of the Management at Bank BPH (2005-2006)
Founder and Co-Head of the BCG Warsaw office. He also served as Head of Financial Services in Central and Eastern Europe and was known as a leading expert in M&A as well as payments (1994 – 2002)
MA in Business Economics (SGH), MBA from NYU Stern School of Business

Graduated from the Koźminski University in Warsaw with a degree in Marketing, Management and Finance & Banking. His wide-range knowledge in the field of strategic management he acquired at the School of Economics and Management at Lund University in Sweden. Moreover, he accomplished International Consulting training in Audencia Nantes Management School. He gained his experience i.a. at Frosta A.G. in Bremerhaven, where he reported directly to the Marketing Director. He performed functions of general director of the Association of Frozen Foods, that brings together dozens of biggest producers of frozen food on Polish market, including representatives of global brands such as: Unilever, Farm Frites, Bonduelle. While working in the Warsaw International Fair he has contributed to organisation of three editions of the largest motor show in Poland – Warsaw International Motor Show. Subsequently, he worked in Expomedia Events Warsaw, where he held the position of director for business development and sponsorship relations. The next stage of his career was transition to conference sector.