Twenty-one managers from Decora S.A. have completed the year-long Managers’ Academy development programme, designed and delivered in cooperation with Kozminski University. The programme combined knowledge in management, leadership, and new technologies with work on real organisational challenges. Its completion marks the end of an intensive learning phase while opening the next one – applying the newly acquired competencies to the company’s continued development.
The programme began in October 2025 in response to the needs of an organisation operating in a rapidly changing international environment. Decora, which is expanding across multiple markets and consistently investing in innovation, automation and new products, decided to develop the competencies of those responsible for leading teams and delivering strategic projects alongside its business growth. Over the course of the year, participants explored topics including leadership in the age of artificial intelligence, economics and trend analysis, operations management, marketing, digital transformation, innovation, the use of AI, change management and project management.
The programme was not, however, solely about learning new concepts and tools. The classes were designed to enable participants to confront academic knowledge with their own experience and apply it to real business situations.
When we launched the Managers’ Academy, our primary aim was to create a space in which our leaders could develop, exchange experiences and look at the organisation from a broader perspective. Today, we can see that this year was much more than a series of classes. It was a period of intensive work on how decisions are made, teams are led and the organisation is prepared for future challenges. Decora’s growth will continue to be driven by innovation, but equally important to us are the people who can translate that innovation into concrete actions and results - says Joanna Wojtaś, HR Director at Decora S.A.
The programme was developed specifically for Decora S.A. and tailored to the organisation’s characteristics and the competencies required by its management team. Classes were delivered by faculty members and experts from Kozminski Executive Business School, who combine an academic perspective with business experience. This format enabled participants not only to structure their knowledge, but also to discuss the decisions managers face every day – from managing change and leading teams to using new technologies and building competitive advantage.
The greatest value of a well-designed corporate programme emerges when education ceases to be a separate process and begins to have a tangible impact on how the company operates. From the outset, the Decora Managers’ Academy was built around a very specific goal: to develop competencies that participants can use here and now as they deal with decisions, change, technology, and responsibility for their teams. The end of the programme is therefore not the end of the process. Its true effects will be visible in the decisions, projects and changes implemented by participants across the organisation -emphasises Klaudia Fatah-Zarzycka, Director of Corporate Training and Programmes at Kozminski University.
The participants received certificates of completion of postgraduate studies. For Decora, the completion of the Managers’ Academy is another element of its long-term approach to developing its management team and building an organisation prepared for further expansion, technological transformation, and changing market expectations. The cooperation between Decora S.A. and Kozminski University also demonstrates what modern management education designed directly for business can look like – based not on a ready-made catalogue of topics, but on a diagnosis of the organisation’s needs, its strategy and the challenges faced by its leaders.
Decora S.A. owns the Arbiton, Afirmax and Modee brands and is one of the leading companies in the European finishing materials industry. For more than 30 years, it has provided customers in over 55 countries with flooring and interior solutions, developing its own technologies, products, and brands. The company consistently invests in research and development, process automation, and international expansion.
