1st June 2026

Polish business and industry shift from low-cost FTEs to advanced solutions: A new economic landscape at Follow the Leaders 2026

Polish business and industry shift from low-cost FTEs to advanced solutions: A new economic landscape at Follow the Leaders 2026

Another exceptional edition of "Follow the Leaders" – an event organized by Pro Progressio that has become a permanent fixture in the calendar of Poland's most important economic summits – is now behind us. On May 27–28, 2026, the Tricity became the epicenter of an international debate on the future of business, geopolitical security, green transformation, and new leadership competencies. The program included the FDI Business Development Strategy session, the Modern Industry and BSS conferences, and management workshops, culminating in a grand gala at Olivia Star. The Strategic Partner of the congress was Invest in Pomerania.

A new era of business services: From FTE volumes to advanced solutions

Debates during the FDI Business Development Strategy session and the BSS Conference confirmed that the Polish modern business services sector has reached full maturity and is redefining its global position. Experts unanimously pointed out the necessity to move away from the traditional cost-driven narrative based on a simple headcount calculation (FTE). In light of the rapidly shrinking wage gap between Poland and Western Europe – where the earnings ratio has dropped from 1:4 to just 1:2 – and growing pressure from automation, the market landscape is undergoing a total transformation. The classic lift and shift model is giving way to a completely redesign strategy.

Poland, with its stable talent pool of approximately 500,000 BSS sector employees, is becoming a global hub for advanced Global Capability Centers (GCC) and Centers of Excellence (CoE). National teams are successfully taking over the most complex processes – ranging from cybersecurity and mergers and acquisitions (M&A) to highly specialized clinical operations and pharmacovigilance in the medical sector, represented by companies such as Bayer and Astellas Pharma. Although the latest Ryan Advisory rankings classify Poland as the third best outsourcing destination in the world, leaders emphasized the need for further actions to boost the global "visibility" of the region, which is still frequently overlooked in reports generated overseas.

Industry and defence: Operational resilience in the realities of hybrid warfare

The Modern Industry conference brought a pragmatic clash between market realities and the geopolitical situation, proving that military conflict has become a direct managerial risk factor. In the face of the twilight of the globalization era, building full autonomy through rigorous Business Continuity Plans (BCP) – securing organization logistics for periods from 90 up to 180 days – is becoming the industry standard. Additionally, the tangible reality of hybrid warfare and disinformation forces companies to pivot towards local, independent energy sources and implement strict communication hygiene procedures.

In this context, green transformation and decarbonization – consistently pursued by giants such as Amazon and PepsiCo – have ceased to be just trendy ESG slogans and have become a business calculation determining market advantage. Green investments, supported by Sustainability Linked Loans (SLL) or KUKE (Export Credit Insurance Corporation) guarantees, are dynamically driving Polish local content, as evidenced by the Baltic Towers factory in Gdańsk or the high contribution of domestic companies to the construction of Poland's first nuclear power plant. In the transport sector, diversifying the fuel mix (e.g., bioLNG at Sobańscy Transport) proved to be an excellent hedge against oil price fluctuations.

The block dedicated to the defense sector highlighted a massive surge in the budget of the Polish Armament Agency (Agencja Uzbrojenia) to 150 billion PLN, which opens up enormous subcontracting opportunities for the private sector. However, experts debunked the myths surrounding civil dual-use innovations: the utility of equipment (such as drones) on the modern battlefield is determined solely by its resistance to Electronic Warfare (EW) and verification of its combat-proof status.

Leadership in the "crunch zone" and the new work culture

An integral part of the program consisted of intensive workshops for Team Leaders and debates on the remote work revolution held during the BSS Conference, both of which placed people at the center of attention. Experts agreed that market disputes over the superiority of the office over working from home are merely a proxy topic masking weak leadership. With smart management and a clear vision, employee location becomes secondary; however, data from Stanford and Microsoft clearly indicate that the hybrid model most effectively builds optimal wellbeing and eliminates the sense of isolation.

In the era of the war for talent, freedom of choice and flexibility have become key market currencies, forcing the transformation of offices towards top-tier quality (flight to quality). Companies are optimizing square footage and implementing hotdesking in favor of modern shared zones, allowing them to manage midweek occupancy peaks. In this environment, middle managers have found themselves in the most challenging "crunch zone" – balancing between top-down pressure from boards to return to the office and the real resistance of distributed teams. The critical response from organizations to these challenges must be Strategic Workforce Planning and continuous reskilling of personnel.

Grand gala and the PRO Tiger awards winners

The culmination of the congress was the evening Follow the Leaders Gala on the highest floors of Olivia Star. The event gathered international business leaders, representatives of local government, academia, and public administration. The grand opening of the gala was performed by Marcin Skwierawski – Vice-Marshal of the Pomeranian Voivodeship, and the lineup of speakers also included: Katarzyna Matuszak-Dzierżyńska (Director of the Entrepreneurship Development Department at the Pomeranian Development Agency), Wojciech Tyborowski (Director of Invest in Pomerania), and Paweł Orłowski (President of the Gdańsk Economic Development Agency – InvestGDA).

During the gala, statuettes were awarded in the prestigious PRO Tiger competition, honoring the most innovative practices, solutions, and initiatives in the business world. The winners were:

The congress proved that the Tricity remains an attractive hub for business, where global technological and industrial strategies merge with human capital, providing management with robust tools to build business resilience in times of change.

Partners and sponsors of Follow the Leaders 2026

The photo gallery and videos from Follow the Leaders 2026 will be available soon on the official event website: https://followtheleaders.pl/en.

Back to the NEWS list