PwC Central and Eastern Europe

PwC works together with professional bodies and clients to discuss important issues and help drive improvements in standards across a range of industries. With this commitment in mind, Gabor Balazs, PwC Hungary Partner and Broader Assurance Services Leader, will be part of an esteemed panel in upcoming sessions hosted by AICPA and CIMA on Mastering the European Sustainability Reporting Standards. There are opportunities to gain insights from these sessions—on 8 and 26 August respectively.  This event will take a deep dive into the intricacies of the European Union's Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD) and European Sustainability Reporting Standards (ESRS). This session aims to provide invaluable insights into the evolving landscape of sustainability reporting, offering a comprehensive understanding of the CSRD and ESRS framework, their development, and the implications for businesses and finance professionals. For more information and to register, see here for 8 August: https://lnkd.in/dq6R4Jdw Register here for 26 August: https://lnkd.in/dtJz7rMm

We are thrilled to announce that Aleksandra Bańkowska, a distinguished partner at PwC Poland, has been appointed Legal Business Solutions (LBS) Leader for Central and Eastern Europe. In this pivotal role, Aleksandra will lead our integrated Legal and NewLaw services across 23 countries, supported by a team of over 500 lawyers, technologists and consulting specialists. Under Aleksandra’s leadership, the Legal Business Solutions team aims to build a comprehensive suite of services for our clients and create long-term value across the CEE region. In today's dynamic world, business transformation, modern technologies, risk management, regulatory, and ESG challenges all demand a holistic approach, which is at the core of PwC’s offerings. Aleksandra is a seasoned banking and finance industry lawyer with over 20 years of experience. She has been consistently recognised as a "leading lawyer" in both domestic and international legal rankings. She will focus on advancing our legal business solutions in the CEE region,  both in core legal practices and the innovative NewLaw sector. Aleksandra will also continue to lead the banking law and NewLaw practices at PwC Legal Poland, as well as the Legal Centre of Excellence in Gdańsk. Join us in congratulating Aleksandra on her new role! #Leadership #LegalBusinessSolutions #NewLaw #Innovation

Cross-sectoral collaboration is fundamental to how we can build a more sustainable future.   Working together to find solutions was the heart of an important event jointly hosted this month by PwC Azerbaijan and the United Nations in Azerbaijan—the ESG Summit: Public-Private Partnerships for Sustainable Development.  The summit represented a crucial step towards the UN Climate Change Conference (COP29), which will be held in Baku this November. As well as preparation for COP29, the principal focus of the summit was on integrating environmental, social, and governance (ESG) principles through cross-sectoral collaboration to address global climate challenges. We look forward to playing a role in COP29 in and supporting organisations across our region and beyond on their sustainability journeys. We also look forward to further work with the public and private sectors to find practical solutions to conduct business sustainably. #COP29 #FutureofCEE Shaukat Tapia, Simon Carey, Dr. Akif Koca, Agnieszka Rogowiec, Hajar Ibrahimova, MBA, ACCA, Leyla Sadikhova, Günel Sadiyeva, Akbota Askanbay

How do companies in CEE assess cybersecurity? What are their expectations? And what trends impact their cybersecurity strategies? Businesses across the CEE region are focusing on reinvention and innovation. Key to this is  leveraging the latest technological tools to enhance digital solutions. Cybersecurity, as a critical part of these efforts, must be put at the epicentre of innovation. This is one of the key ideas from the Global Digital Trust Insights Survey 2024.   Learn more about CEE insights from the survey and watch the webcast recording:  https://bit.ly/3vgs4az #FutureofCEE #cybersecurity #risk Peter Durojaiye, Petr Špiřík, Marcin Makusak, Mircea Bozga, Štefan Čupil, Elina Aleksieienko

Congratulations to our 82 new Directors across the CEE region! We are deeply grateful for their dedication, hard work and leadership. Together we continue to grow, reinvent ourselves and support our clients on their transformation journeys. Promotions like these reflect the wide talent pool within our region and show that dedication to clients, professionalism and continuous upskilling are key to success in professional careers. Join us in celebrating these achievements! #PwCProud #promotion #directors

The twentieth anniversary of eight CEE countries joining the European Union is an appropriate time for conversations about the next 20 years. On 1 May 2004, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Slovakia and Slovenia became members of the EU—and their accession changed the CEE region. To look 20 years ahead, we collected visions from business and political leaders and other stakeholders. We discussed how they see the transformation of the economy and society, investments and security, and what we need to do to sustain long-term value and trust. Explore all interviews here: https://pwc.to/4di8jB6 #FutureofCEE #transformation #EU PwC Polska, Agnieszka Gajewska, Michał Mastalerz, Jeffery McMillan, Marta Laskowska, Kuba Kurasz, PwC Czech Republic, PwC Slovenia

Central and Eastern European consumers are mixing traditional in-store and online shopping. This flexibility helps them access detailed product information and make more informed buying choices. On a weekly or monthly basis, 49% of CEE consumers shop in physical stores, 45% use their mobile phones and 43% make purchases via personal computers. At the first, ‘discovery’, and ‘final purchase’ stages of the customer journey, CEE consumers prefer to visit stores in person. Between these two stages, however, they most often use Google or other search engines to research for more information on products or compare items. Learn more about digital integration in retail and the in-store value CEE consumers are looking for: https://lnkd.in/gXgwBPMR  #VoiceofConsumer #retail #consumer Mieczyslaw Gonta, Krzysztof Badowski, Anita Mekler, Ruxandra Tarlescu, Olena Volkova, Robert Zygowski

“The European Union’s AI Act was published a few days ago. It represents a truly groundbreaking regulatory milestone. The EU AI Act is the first comprehensive legal framework on AI worldwide, aiming to balance innovation with ethical practices. Relevant organisations must comply with it by 2026 or even sooner, facing fines for non-compliance that are up to €35 million or up to 7% of annual turnover.” Anda Rojanschi, Risk & Regulatory Leader, PwC CEE It's time for businesses to adapt and work on compliance and here are some ways that our CEE legal and risk teams can support you: ▪ Perform AI risk assessment—identify and classify AI systems, analyse gaps and draft compliance action plan ▪ Implement governance and compliance systems to help enable compliance with the EU AI Act, including setting up best practices, policies and controls in the AI lifecycle from development, operations and monitoring ▪ Provide tailored training to address legal and technical matters ▪ Assess the AI systems under intellectual property and data protection laws. Learn more here: https://lnkd.in/db42-m72 #FutureofCEE #AI #AIgovernance #EUAIAct Piotr Urban, Aleksandra Bańkowska, Marcin Sidelnik, Marcin Makusak, Tomas Fiala

Today we celebrate World Youth Skills Day by highlighting the importance of equipping young people with the skills they need for employment, meaningful careers and entrepreneurship. At PwC, we are committed to investing in skills development and empowering future generations to overcome challenges, drive economic growth and create sustainable communities. Our "New World. New Skills." initiative aims to enhance people's understanding of the digital landscape and provide them with the tools to succeed. Swipe the carousel and discover projects PwC professionals across the CEE region are taking part in. See how they are building a bridge between education and employment and helping to foster resilience and innovation in young people. #WYSD2024 #TogetherWeSolve #SkillsRightNow PwC Albania and Kosovo, PwC Azerbaijan, PwC Bosnia and Herzegovina, PwC Estonia, PwC Hungary, PwC Kazakhstan, PwC Polska, PwC Slovakia

The Next 20 Years is an interview series with distinguished political and business leaders in CEE, where they share insights into the tomorrow we are building in our region with the EU. Learn more about how prominent voices from CEE see transformation, economy and investments in the next two decades of the EU membership. In the series, we had conversations with: 🔸Beata Javorcik, Chief Economist of the EBRD 🔸Benjamin Josar, President of the Board, Triglav Skladi (Slovenia) 🔸Jiří Rusnok, former Minister and Prime Minister of the Czech Government, Governor of the Czech National Bank 🔸Lech Wałęsa, former President of Poland and Nobel Peace Prize Laureate 🔸Tom Kindermans, Managing Director CEE, SAP 🔸Aleksander Kwaśniewski, former President of Poland All interviews are available here: https://pwc.to/4di8jB6 #FutureofCEE #transformation #EU PwC Polska, Agnieszka Gajewska, Michał Mastalerz, Jeffery McMillan, Marta Laskowska, Kuba Kurasz, PwC Czech Republic, PwC Slovenia