How has the Polish market evolved over the past 25 years, and what role has your office played in that transformation? 

Dr. Maciej Meder: Over the last 25 years, I have personally witnessed two extremely interesting developments: the growth of the local Polish banking market and the internal development of the zeb Group.  

In the early 2000s, modern banking was just beginning to take shape in Poland. It was a time when a lot of know-how was imported to Poland, both through foreign investors and consulting companies based mainly on international projects.  

Nowadays, Poland is perceived as a frontrunner in modern digital banking, and business ideas developed at our Warsaw office often inspire our colleagues in other offices for their projects.  

Another interesting aspect is the growth of the zeb Group over the last 25 years. We now have more international offices, and our consulting experience is much broader in terms of topics. The scale of our projects has also grown, allowing us to position ourselves as more strategic partners vis-à-vis our Polish clients. 

Which projects or milestones do you consider the most significant in shaping the success of the Polish office? 

Dr. Maciej Meder: I think a couple of projects fueled our growth over time. At the very beginning, we were able to confirm the demand for our services in the local market with our first project, which we won a month after opening the office.  

A few years later, we ran a large MIS project for a local bank that was part of an international banking group. We leveraged zeb’s extensive knowledge of financial performance management and learned which local adaptations were required.  

Secondly, I would name numerous cost management projects that we delivered to local banks and rolled out in multiple subsidiaries of a leading CEE banking group, including in Poland.

How have client expectations and needs changed over time, and how has your consulting approach adapted to those shifts? 

Dr. Maciej Meder: In general, Polish clients in the financial industry have always been very demanding, and each project has always been challenging. This aspect has remained unchanged over the years. We must deliver tangible results and effectively support clients in both the conceptual and implementation phases.  

However, we observed an evolution in the following key areas: First, project topics have evolved, and we see a growing number of projects related to the development of digital chanels the modernization of IT architecture which must keep pace with the new requirements (usage of cloud, coreless CBS, AI, etc.).  

Second, the variety of topics has increased, and our clients expect expertise in very narrow fields.  

And third, our way of working on projects has evolved, with agile approaches becoming the standard across almost all of our projects.  

We had to adopt to these trends, leverage our know-how in the zeb Group but also develop our local experience which can be shared with our colleagues on international projects.

What is the strategic importance of the Polish office within your company’s global network today? 

Dr. Maciej Meder: International growth is part of zeb’s DNA, and the Warsaw office has always played its part in this strategic direction.  

In the last years, we have experienced increased interest of our zeb colleagues in the Polish market due to many innovative ideas developed by local banks which can be an inspiration for our clients on other markets.  

Additionally, for many years, consultants from the Polish office have been part of project teams on other markets and support these teams with their experience. 

What do you see as the biggest opportunities and challenges for the next decade – both for the Polish market and for your office? 

Dr. Maciej Meder: I believe that Polish banks should play a more significant role in the CEE region, and I expect at least one local player to become a regional player in the next decade. Our local market is very competitive, the banks in Poland developed a lot of interesting ideas and it is high time to test them in a regional context as well. 

What is one defining moment or story from the past 25 years that truly reflects the spirit of your team? 

Dr. Maciej Meder: I think it is difficult to indicate one defining moment, it is rather a puzzle of many stories, each of them contributing to the overall team spirit. Over the last 25 years, we worked together with many great people, and each of them left a footprint in our story. 

However, one story was really special and I would like to mention it here. It was in early 2022, directly after the break-out of full-scale war in Ukraine: our international zeb team was supporting a leading Ukrainian bank in an ultra-fast, emergency driven transition of its IT architecture into the cloud. 

For a few months, our office in Warsaw was the HQ of a joint, international project team. We hosted several representatives of the bank here and our consultants on site were core members of this extraordinary undertaking. We were really proud of being part of this project and contributing to its success.

If you could describe the journey of the Polish office in one word or phrase, what would it be – and why? 

Dr. Maciej Meder: Three phrases come to my mind: Consistency in actions, constant learning, teamwork wins!