Warsaw, 9–13 March 2026 will become a meeting point for the international MBA community. Kozminski University will host Global Network Week MBA – an intensive week of classes delivered as part of the Global Network for Advanced Management (GNAM), a network of leading business schools spanning six continents. Nineteen MBA participants from GNAM member schools will come to Poland’s capital to work on Polish case studies and to discuss the issues that most strongly define management today: transformation, organisational resilience, institutional governance, and innovation in the economy.
This event matters beyond academia. Global Network Week in Warsaw is a signal that Poland -and Polish companies – have become a reference point in the global conversation about growth, modernisation, and competitiveness. For the capital city, it strengthens Warsaw’s position as a centre for managerial knowledge and international exchange – a city people come to learn about the real economy, not only theories.
Poland as a case study of strategic renewal
The Warsaw edition will be held under the theme: “The economic rise of Poland and Polish firms: The story of strategic renewal in a post-transformational economy.” The programme will present Poland as an example of a country and market that, in a relatively short time, moved from transformation to a mature economy – building the capabilities of companies, institutions, and leaders.
Participants will explore, among others:
-
how institutions and the development model evolved after the transformation,
-
the role played by regulated sectors,
-
how companies built competitive advantages under accelerated change,
-
what competitiveness looks like today in areas such as energy, industry, space technologies, and AI.
GNAM: a global network founded by Yale School of Management
GNAM is a global network of business schools established by the Yale School of Management. It supports collaboration among students, faculty, and business communities, and enables joint educational formats such as Global Network Weeks.
Kozminski University is the only Polish member of GNAM and a representative of Central and Eastern Europe within the network – bringing to the global discussion a perspective from Poland and the region, which is often overlooked in international narratives about economic development.
The programme: immersion learning, leadership meetings, and Polish case studies
Global Network Week is a one-week educational module based on a “learning by immersion” format: lectures, discussions on real managerial challenges, project work in international teams, and meetings with business leaders and public-sector institutions.
Planned sessions include, among others:
-
a session by Professor Grzegorz W. Kołodko on the sustainability of the success of Poland’s transformation,
-
a meeting with Joao Brás Jorge, CEO of Bank Millennium, on the evolution of Poland’s banking sector,
-
talks by Dariusz Pietrzak (Poland and Central and Eastern Europe – mobilising local capital for investment in the private market), Przemysław Wasilewski (energy transition), Karol Zarajczyk (management in economies undergoing transformation), and Karol Gaweł (growth and international expansion from Poland).
In parallel, participants will attend academic sessions delivered by Kozminski University faculty, including: Professor Mariola Ciszewska-Mlinarič, Professor Piotr Wójcik (opening session with research-based insights on economic growth and corporate renewal), Professor Tomasz Olejniczak (the history of Polish business), Professor Katarzyna Malinowska (Poland’s space sector), Professor Aleksandra Przegalińska (AI in education and future skills), and Dr Alina Landowska (convergence in a world of rising uncertainty: the Polish paradox).
Warsaw’s innovation ecosystem as part of the experience
A distinctive element of Global Network Week is its strong practical component. Participants will therefore visit key sites within Warsaw’s business and innovation ecosystem, including LOTTE Wedel, Smart Kids Planet (at NorblinFactory), Creotech Instruments S.A., and Campus AI. These visits are designed to show how Polish organisations combine tradition with technology, scale business models, and build competitive advantages in future-oriented sectors.
The week will conclude with presentations of international team projects and a wrap-up session devoted to the “7 growth challenges” – with takeaways that can be applied to other markets and organisations.
“We are entering a moment when Warsaw becomes a classroom for the international MBA community, and Poland becomes a reference point for discussions on transformation and global competitiveness. This format strengthens not only knowledge exchange, but also long-term relationships between universities, business, and leaders from many countries,” emphasises Professor Grzegorz Mazurek, Rector of Kozminski University.
