New VIP Alumni of the University of Lodz with the University of Lodz Rector, Prof. Elżbieta Żądzińska and the University of Lodz Vice-Rector, Prof. Robert Zakrzewski
The ceremony of awarding more "VIP Alumni of the University of Lodz" titles was held during the Expert Lecture of the University of Lodz. The outstanding graduates received the titles along with ceramic apples from the hands of the University of Lodz Rector, Prof. Elżbieta Żądzińska and Prof. Robert Zakrzewski – the University of Lodz Vice-Rector for Student Affairs and Quality of Education. The apples are a symbolic fruit of the hard work put into acquiring knowledge and broadening horizons, and at the same time the ripe fruit from the great tree of knowledge that is the university.
Meetings with you are always special. You are an indispensable part of our academic community. Thank you for all the initiatives and programmes that you participate in. I am very happy that today more people join our group, the group of VIP Alumni. We are extremely proud of it
– said Prof. Elżbieta Żądzińska, rector of the University of Lodz during the ceremony.
University of Lodz has been implementing the VIP Alumni Programme, which provides a platform for establishing cooperation with representatives of the world of science, art, politics and business and strengthening ties with them since 2013. The outstanding graduates of the university are its greatest value. They form a community that supports the identity of the university by nurturing its traditions and supporting its development. This tradition is also a part of the University of Lodz strategy of external relations.
Expert Lectures, i.e. meetings with outstanding personalities are one of the elements of the University of Lodz VIP Alumni Programme. The invited guests discuss topics related to the development of the university in the context of economic and geopolitical changes in the international arena. So far, we have had the pleasure of hosting outstanding speakers such as Konrad Pokutycki – President of the Management Board at BSH, Jerzy Czubak – President at Amcor Ltd., Witold Orłowski – Chief Economic Advisor at PwC Polska, Tomasz Marciniak – Managing Partner for Poland at McKinsey & Company or Magdalena Kotlarczyk – Country Director, Google Poland.
Education in the Age of Technology
The topic of the expert lecture delivered by Ewelina Danowska, Head of Learning Europe and Latin America at Ericsson, a VIP Alumni of the University of Lodz, was “FutureTech Skills: Metaverse. Education in the Age of Technology.” The speaker explained, among other things, how key skills have changed according to the World Economic Forum and how modern technologies, including virtual reality, can be used in education. The virtual reality show of the training centre was the icing on the cake. The meeting participants using VR glasses, had the opportunity to experience the metaverse.
Expert lecture 2023 by Ewelina Danowska (Ericsson).
The new VIP Alumni of the University of Lodz
Karolina Bioch-Spicola is a graduate of the Faculty of International and Political Studies and the Faculty of Philology. She has international experience in both people and process management, which she got while working in China, Germany, the UK, Sweden and Italy. Since 2019, she has been associated with Fujitsu, where she currently holds the position of Global Head of Learning and Development/Talent at Fujitsu (more than 15,000 employees in all 7 Fujitsu Global Centres – GDCs). Karolina Bioch-Spicola is a graduate of the student organisation AISEC and IKEA talent development programme. She has also been developing her skills in coaching and has been mentoring employees in companies for years.
Piotr Burwicz is a graduate of the Faculty of Economics and Sociology. For the first 15 years of his professional career, he was associated with the financial industry. Since 2016 he has been associated with the tourism industry as: Chief Operating Officer, Management Board Member, Vice-President of Rainbow Tours S.A. – one of the leading tour operators in Poland and the only one listed on the Warsaw Stock Exchange. He actively participates in activities related to, among other things, transformation and development of sales networks, development of IT systems, product implementations, optimisation of pricing mechanisms and customer service.
Łukasz Dzięcioł is a graduate of the Faculty of Philology and the prestigious Los Angeles Film School. After returning to Poland, he took a job as a producer in the renowned Opus Film. His contribution to the Polish film industry has been recognized by the Polish Film Academy (PAF), where he is an active member. He has been awarded membership of the European Film Academy (EFA). He has been the CEO of Opus TV since 2017. His achievements include the production of numerous feature films such as "Masz na imię Justine", "Mistrz", "Z odzysku", "Zero", "Moja krew", "Wymyk", "Obietnica", "Memory of Summer" or "Pomiędzy słowami". Serials: "Kruk", "The Liberator", "Klangor", "Królowa" and "Informacja zwrotna" won audiences both in Poland and abroad, cementing Łukasz Dzięciół's position as a versatile producer.
Sebastian Grochala is a graduate of the Faculty of Philology and “PR and Strategic Communication in Companies” study programme at the SGH in Warsaw. Marketing and Communications Manager and Spokesperson at Kliniki Neuroradiochirurgii Sp. z o.o. Sebastian Grochala is a practitioner of broadly understood communication, PR and marketing in large companies, non-governmental organisations and local government institutions. He served as Marketing and Communication Director of the Polish Pharmaceutical Group in the years 2020-2023. He is the winner of the Marketing Director of the Year 2020/2021 Competition in categories: Best COVID Marketing Response and for the best marketing team.
Magdalena Malisz is a graduate of the Faculty of Philology. She was associated with the Lodz production studio Opus Film from 1995 to 2026, where in the 90s and 00s she worked as a production manager for advertising films. Since 2016 she has been working as a freelancer and in practice, she cooperates mainly with Ewa Puszczyńska and her company Extreme Emotions. Selected feature films: 2024 "A real pain" directed by Jesse Eisenberg, 2023 "The Zone of Interest" directed by Jonathan Glazer, 2022 "Głupcy" directed by Tomasz Wasilewski, 2019, "Ja teraz kłamię" directed by Paweł Borowski, 2019 "Ukryta gra" directed by Łukasz Kośmicki, 2018 "Zimna wojna" directed by Paweł Pawlikowski, 2017 "November" directed by Rainer Sarnet, 2016 "Wspomnienie lata" directed by Adam Guziński, 2013 "IDA" directed by Paweł Pawlikowski, 2013 "The Congress" directed by Ari Folman.
Tomasz Wolanowski is a graduate of the Faculty of Management. He has more than 25 years of experience in the energy and industrial sectors. His professional career is mainly related to ABB. In 2001, he moved to Trelleborg Poland, where he was the director of a local business unit for 4 years. He then returned to ABB in Poland to take responsibility for the sales of medium voltage products, and over time – for the sales of products and solutions of all ABB businesses on the Polish market. He was the national managing director of ABB in Romania from 2013 to 2019. Currently, he combines the function of Country Managing Director Poland at ABB Sp. z o.o. with the duties of sales and marketing director of ABB's Electrification business in Poland.
The full list of VIP Alumni of the University of Lodz
Source: Magdalena Paszko, Centre for External Relations, University of Lodz
Edit: Communications and PR Centre, University of Lodz
Photos: Maciej Andrzejewski (Communications and PR Centre, University of Lodz )