17-18.02.2025, Kraków

Krzysztof Paszyk

Minister of Economic Development and Technology

Krzysztof Paszyk, at the request of Prime Minister Donald Tusk, was appointed by the President of the Republic of Poland on May 13, 2024, as the Minister of Economic Development and Technology.

Krzysztof Paszyk is a lawyer, local government official and parliamentarian. In 2005, he graduated from law studies at the Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznań. In 2006, he started his local government and parliamentary career.

From 2006 to 2010, Krzysztof Paszyk was a councillor of the Oborniki County. From 2014 to 2015, he was a councillor and chairman of the Wielkopolska Regional Parliament. Since 2015 (from the 8th to the 10th term) he has been a Member of Parliament on behalf of the Polish People’s Party (PSL).

He was a member of the Digital Affairs, Innovation and Modern Technologies Committee, the Extraordinary Committee for changes in codifications, the Justice and Human Rights Committee, the Legislative Committee and the Health Committee. In 2017, elected member of the parliamentary Amber Gold investigative committee.

Ignacy Niemczycki

Secretary of State in the Chancellery of the Prime Minister

Upon the request of Minister Krzysztof Hetman, Prime Minister Donald Tusk appointed Ignacy Niemczycki as the Undersecretary of State in the Ministry of Economic Development and Technology.

Ignacy Niemczycki graduated in sociology from the University of Social Sciences and Humanities (SWPS) and in political science from the School of Social Sciences (with a diploma from Lancaster University). He holds a bachelor’s degree in business management from Bocconi University in Milan. Additionally, he completed postgraduate studies in agriculture at the Warsaw University of Life Sciences (SGGW) and in ecological agriculture at the University of Warmia and Mazury in Olsztyn. He is a scholarship holder of the IVLP program of the US Department of State and the Landecker Democracy Fellowship.

During his studies, he founded the Free Belarus Initiative to support the fight for democracy in that country. He was a member of the Management Board of the Akcja Demokracja  (Operation Democracy) Foundation and headed the Professor Bronisław Geremek Centrum (Center) Foundation. He founded and coordinated a coalition of social organizations called the European Front.

From 2008 to 2012, Ignacy Niemczycki served as a government administration employee, including roles in the Chancellery of the Prime Minister, the Office of the Committee for European Integration, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Permanent Representation of the Republic of Poland to the EU in Brussels, where he participated in the negotiations of EU funds for Poland. From 2013 to 2015, he headed the European affairs department at Polityka Insight. Subsequently, from 2015 to 2017, he served as a public affairs manager and acting director of international communications for the corporation. He runs an ecological farm in Masuria.

Prof. Maciej Szpunar

First Advocate General at the Court of Justice of the European Union

Maciej Szpunar is First Advocate General at the Court of Justice of the European Union and Professor at the University of Silesia in Katowice (Poland). He obtained his LL.M. from the College of Europe, Bruges. He has held the office of Advocate General since 2013. In 2018 he was elected First Advocate General for the period 2018-2021. In 2021 AG Szpunar was re-elected First Advocate General until 2024. Maciej Szpunar was the Undersecretary of State at the Office of the Committee for European Integration (2008-09) and in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (2010-13). AG Szpunar is a member of the Research Group on Existing EC Private Law (‘Acquis Group’) and the European Group for Private International Law. He is an associated member of the International Academy of Comparative Law and serves on the Board of Trustees at the Europäische Rechtsakademie in Trier. He is the president of the Polish Association of European Law.

Elżbieta Bieńkowska

European Commissioner (2014-2019) for SingleMarket, Industry, Entrepreneurship

Maciej Witucki

President of Confederation Lewiatan

Maciej Witucki is the President of Confederation Lewiatan – the leading employers’ organization in Poland, since June 2019. Between 2016 and 2019 he served as the vice-president of Confederation Lewiatan. Additionally, he is the Vice-Chairman of the Presidium of the Council of Social Dialogue. Moreover, since November 25th 2022 he holds the position of one of the Vice-Presidents of BusinessEurope.

 He is also a member of the international Business Advisory Council for Ukraine, which advises MDCP (Multi-Agency-Donor-Coordination Platform) – a multilateral donor coordination platform for Ukraine.

 Additonally, he forms part of the Board of Directors of the Atlantic Council, of the Council of the European Council on Foreign Relations, the International Advisory Board of GLOBSEC as well as the International Business Advisory Board of the Kozminski University and the Council of the Geremek Foundation. Maciej Witucki was also a founder of the Poland-Haiti Foundation and a co-founder of the “Dorastaj z Nami” Foundation.
He completed his undergraduate studies at the Poznan University of Technology, and continued his education at the Ecole Central Paris (France), where he concluded his postgraduate studies.

His business career started in Cetelem Bank. From 2005 he acted as the President of the Management Board of Lukas Bank. He joined the Orange Group in 2006, where he was the President of the Management Board. From 2016 he served as the president of the Management Board of Work Service. Currently, he is the Chairman of the Supervisory Board of Orange, also sitting on the Supervisory Boards of TISE, Uniqa, Krynica Vitamin.

Prof. Catherine Barnard

Professor of European Union and Employment Law at the University of Cambridge

Prof. Catherine Barnardis a British academic, who specialises in European Union, employment and competition law. She has been Professor of European Union and Employment Law at the University of Cambridge since 2008. She has been a Fellow of Trinity College, Cambridige since 1996, and is the college’s Senior Tutor

Paulina Piskor

CEO at Contrain Group sp. z o.o., Board member at Contrain Poland sp. z o.o. Temporary Employment Agency posting workers to foreign user employers

Paulina has been responsible for the creation and development of business models for the provision of expert services in temporary labour, posting of workers in the common European market, as well as other modern HR services at Contrain for over 6 years. She is a full member of the European Institute for Labor Mobility.

Paulina’s goal is to create an environment where people’s talents and creativity make it possible to create innovative, and therefore effective solutions. She supports the realization of employee goals in both business and social contexts.

Last year Contrain celebrated its 25th anniversary. In recent years the company has been twice awarded the Forbes Diamonds award, HR Dream Team, the title of Employee Friendly Employment Agency and 3rd place in Poland in the Best of Wellbeing at Work competition. Contrain regularly takes the top spot in the Employee Delegation category of the Polish HR Forum ranking.

Tanel Feldman

Immigration Law Associates

• Founding partner at Immigration Law Associates (established in Belgium in 2000).
• Partner at COMIC (Corporate Migration Centre) – smart digital solution for compliance in the area of employment and posting of workers in Europe, supported by specialised law firms network.
• Member of various associations such as ELMI, ELI (European Law Institute), IBA (International Bar Association), PWA (Posting of Workers Alliance), IPN (Immigration Partners Network) etc.
• Main concentration of practice is EU law, in particular, law concerning employment and social affairs : I advise both EU and international companies (corporations, SMEs, non-profit organizations and individuals), in matters related to employment (i.e., working conditions, health and safety at work, discrimination), moving and working in Europe (free movement of EU nationals, third-country nationals right of work, posted workers), social affairs (EU social security coordination), and as regards application of EU law (implementation of EU laws by Member States).

Karolina Schiffter

advocate, partner, PCS | Littler

Karolina has almost 20 years of experience in handling immigration law and labour law cases. A valued expert in the field of immigration law and employee relocations, she has built one of the largest immigration and global mobility teams operating within a law firm in Poland. Karolina regularly publishes articles in daily newspapers and scientific journals in addition to being an active member of international organisations, regularly invited as a speaker to international conferences. She won first place in the 5th edition of the “Rising Stars Lawyers – Leaders of Tomorrow 2016” competition. Karolina has been recognized among the 25 Top Women Lawyers in Business in 2023 by Forbes Women and the Women in Law Foundation.

Zbigniew Bartuś

Journalist and columnist for Forsal.pl and Dziennik Gazeta Prawna

Zbigniew Bartuś – columnist for Forsal.pl and Dziennik Gazeta Prawna, journalist for over 30 years covering economic life, initiator of close cooperation between economic organizations, universities, local governments and business environment institutions in Małopolska, host and moderator of key economic events, originator of the DGP Economic INFORum. He has received scholarships from Reuters and the U.S. Department of State. Winner of several dozen journalistic awards and distinctions, m.in. Economic Journalist of the Year, Grabski Main Award, Kwiatkowski Award, Grand Prix of Małopolska Journalists, nominations for the Grand Press. Member of the Board of the Auschwitz Victims Remembrance Foundation, activist of Rotary International, member of the Alumni Association.

Frederic De Wispelaere

Research expert at HIVA–KU Leuven

His main fields of research are intra-EU labour mobility and EU coordination of social security systems. He coordinates the EU project ‘POSTING.STAT’. This project brings together a consortium of universities and research centres from 11 different Member States to enhance the collection, analysis and reporting of administrative micro-data on intra-EU posting.

Ewald Obberhammer

Corporate Migration Centre

Oberhammer Rechtsanwälte GmbH is specialised in the fields of immigration and employment law, in particular related to foreign employment in Austria and international secondments to Austrian companies as well as private international clients wishing to set-up businesses in Austria. This encompasses advising clients in labour law and corporate law issues, answering questions regarding immigration law, drafting employment/project/assignment agreements, applying for visas and many more related issues. Our clients trust in our expertise in the area of corporate migration. Furthermore, we offer all necessary ancillary services such as personal accompaniment to appointments with the relevant authorities and supporting clients on applying for subsidies and co- and health insurances.Our clients thus have the advantage of being serviced by a legal one-stop shop.

Marta Zięba-Szklarska

Expert in Human Resources, Payroll, and Cross-border Employment, Interim Manager in the area of Consulting and Business Development in Poland and in international projects, a board member of the European Labour Mobility Institute

• Expert, practitioner, and Interim Manager in the area of International Employment (Cross-Border Employment) within the framework of cross-border service provision and remote work, labor law, taxes, social security, HR, Personnel Management, Payroll in Poland and international projects.
• Owner of the World of HR Group – outsourcing of accounting, personnel management, and payroll.
• Board Member of the European Labour Mobility Institute. Certified “EFG® and EFC®” and Director of International Development at the European Federation of Financial Professionals in Poland.
• Author and co-author of publications in the area of personal finance for posted workers, social responsibility of financial institutions, FinTech/InsurTech. Engaged in social projects, in the professional activation of disabled people, and in managing PFRON costs with the International REAXUM Foundation.
• Ambassador of Women’s Entrepreneurship and Mentor in the programs of the Women’s Entrepreneurship Foundation and VITAL VOICES Chapter Poland.
• Lecturer at the University of Economics in Poznań in the field of new technologies (personal finance, employment, digitalization/automation, and AI in labor mobility).

Jo Antoons

Attorney and Managing Partner of Fragomen’s Brussels office, member of European Commission Expert Group on Economic Migration

Jo Antoons is an Attorney and Managing Partner of Fragomen’s Brussels office. In this role, she supports multinational and medium-sized corporations and individuals with effective and efficient immigration solutions for both inbound and outbound moves into Belgium and Luxembourg. In addition, Jo leads Fragomen’s EU-wide Strategic Mobility Solutions and Government Strategies and, represents Fragomen in the European Commission Expert Group on Economic Migration.

Jo has spoken as an immigration law expert at numerous national and international seminars and has authored a list of publications related to economic migration.  Jo’s thorough knowledge of all aspects of global mobility, ranging from immigration to social security and labour law and posted worker solutions, gives her a well-rounded strategic view of immigration-based advice on behalf of her clients and government stakeholders.

Ada Zaorska

President of the Polish Home Care Association

She has been working continuously in the care industry for the elderly, disabled, and people with mental disorders since October 1993, running the Nursing and Care Agency “Egida” and founding an association with the same name.

Over these 30 years, she has cooperated with Assistance Centers in Lublin, Świdnik, Lubartów, and Puławy, and since 2012, in collaboration with Optimum pro Senior company, she has been delegating caregivers to clients living in Germany.

Thanks to her commitment and work, over 10,000 clients and several thousand caregivers, who regularly undergo training to enhance their qualifications, have already benefited from care.

Currently, she provides private care for about 85 seniors from Lublin and its vicinity and for 72 seniors in Germany (live-in care).

Joanna Janicka

Payroll & Labour Compliance Manager at Contrain Group sp. z o.o. Temporary Employment Agency posting workers to foreign user employers

Dr Kamil Matuszczyk

Assistant professor, University of Warsaw

Dr. Kamil Matuszczyk is an esteemed assistant professor at the University of Warsaw’s Faculty of Political Science and International Studies and a researcher at the Centre for Migration Research. With a PhD in political science and administration, his expertise spans international labor migration, domestic care sectors, population policies, and labor market dynamics. Dr. Matuszczyk has led significant research on the employment of foreign workers in the domestic care sector across Germany, Poland, and Ukraine, funded by the National Science Centre’s Preludium and Etude grants. His dissertation on state policy towards care migration, supervised by Prof. Maciej Duszczyk, earned him a prestigious award from the Institute of Labour and Social Affairs. A prolific participant in European projects on worker posting, seasonal migration, and irregular migration, he has also contributed to global discussions on labor and migration. Dr. Matuszczyk has been a visiting scholar at several notable institutions including the Central European University and Humboldt University. His work with Kulczyk Investments has produced influential reports on labor relations and the impact of new technologies on the labor market in Central and Eastern Europe.

Ewelina Książkiewicz

Legal Manager / GDPR Officer w Contrain Group S.A.

Dr Marcin Kiełbasa

Legal scholar and legal advisor, currently serving as an assistant professor at the Department of Public Economic Law and Labor Law at the Cracow University of Economics

Doctor of Legal Sciences, legal advisor (Krakow Bar Association), and assistant professor at the Department of Public Economic Law and Labor Law at Cracow University of Economics (UEK). He is also a translator of English and Italian, including freelancing at the Court of Justice of the European Union and teaching at the Department of Translation Studies at Jagiellonian University. He graduated from the American Law School of the Jagiellonian University, the Catholic University of America School of Law, and completed postgraduate studies in Labor Law at Jagiellonian University.

A recipient of scholarships from the National Science Center, the University of Vienna, Ruhr Universität Bochum (RUB), and the European University Institute (EUI) in Florence among others. He is an expert and participant in several international and Polish grants concerning internal EU market mobility, cross-border aspects of worker posting, labor law, and social security.

He has authored dozens of scientific publications on labor and social security law, particularly on cross-border aspects and the posting of workers within the EU. His professional and academic interests include labor and social security law (including European aspects with a focus on practical cross-border issues), worker posting (including its practical aspects), and economic law—particularly the law of the EU internal market and public economic law (including business operation regulations).

In these fields, he provides consultancy to Polish and international entities.

Dr Karolina Ziemianin

Head of German Desk - European Labour Mobility Institute

Attorney at the District Bar Council in Warsaw, Doctor of Laws, academic teacher.

She is a graduate of the Faculty of Law and Administration at the University of Szczecin. Part of her studies took place in Germany at the University of Rostock.
Her professional interests include, in particular, substantive and procedural civil law, contract law, corporate law and labor law, including European law. She is the author of legal publications relating to, among others, to taking evidence in a civil lawsuit and to liability for damages. The practical dimension of these issues is particularly important to her. In his research, he therefore takes into account aspects resulting from his legal practice, in which he advises entrepreneurs at the pre-trial and court stages.

Dr Marek Benio

Lawyer, Doctor of Economic Sciences, Vice President of the European Labour Mobility Institute

• Chairman of the Congress Organizing Committee and Moderator of the entire event
• Honorary member of the Małopolska Branch of the Polish Social Insurance Association, founder of the Foundation for Public Administration and Economy
• Creator of the Legal Posting Workshop – a mechanism for transferring knowledge between the academic, business, and administrative environments
• Participant in public consultations and author of key legal opinions on the implementation directive, revision of the basic directive, and regulations on the coordination of social security systems
• Academic teacher, lecturing on labor law and social security at the Krakow University of Economics and the University of Gdańsk
• Advocate of Oxford-style debates, tutor and promoter of over 200 master’s and diploma theses
• Twice awarded the “Mentor” student award in the Innovator category

Dr Julia Uznanski

Attorney & Founder - The Labour Migration Law Firm

Attorney / Certified Employment Law Specialist (Rechtsanwältin / Fachanwältin für Arbeitsrecht) advising national and international companies on all German Labour Migration Law, Global Mobility and Business Immigration matters: E.g. hiring foreign nationals in Germany, secondments to and from Germany, working remotely abroad for a German company.