(Photo: Maciej Andrzejewski, Promotion Centre, University of Lodz)
More VIP Apples end up in the hands of our outstanding graduates!
The Expert Lecture was accompanied by the ceremony of presenting further nominations of "VIP Alumni" of the University of Lodz. The outstanding graduates received the nominations and ceramic apples from the Rector of the University of Lodz, Prof. Elżbieta Żądzińska.
Graduates of the University of Lodz are part of the academic community. Your successes, their successes are the successes of the entire university – we are simply a family. I am very happy that today the group of the UL VIP Alumni will be extended by even more outstanding specialists in their fields, outstanding graduates of the University of Lodz as the UL VIP Alumni Programme has been created for them. I would like to thank you very much for all your achievements, which I treat as achievements of the University of Lodz. Congratulations!
Prof. Elżbieta Żądzińska, Rector of the University of Lodz
About artificial intelligence and… muffins
As part of the Expert Lecture (one of the traditions of VIP Alumni meetings), Magdalena Kotlarczyk delivered a lecture entitled "About artificial intelligence and why I'm its huge fan". She talked, among others, about dogs, muffins, detecting health threats and dilemmas that AI can sometimes face.
Who are the new female VIP Alumni of the University of Lodz?
Magdalena Kotlarczyk is a graduate of the Faculty of Management at the University of Lodz and postgraduate studies in the field of Psychology of Consumer Behaviour at the University of Warsaw. She has also completed the Executive Programme at Singularity University. Magdalena began her professional adventure with the world of digital transformation and technological innovation in 2011 when she joined the Google Polska team in Warsaw. She became the head of the Polish branch of Google in July 2021. Previously, for nearly 13 years at Procter & Gamble, in local and regional roles, in Warsaw, London or Geneva, she was responsible for brand management and marketing communication planning for a number of FMCG categories.
Apart from Magdalena Kotlarczyk, our other extraordinary female graduates have joined the group of the outstanding representatives of the University of Lodz, including:
Ewelina Grabowska who is the Head of Learning Europe and Latin America, Ericsson and a graduate of the Faculty of International and Political Studies. She manages the international Learning Services team at Ericsson. Ewelina Grabowska has over 15 years of experience in competence management in the telecommunications sector, where she combines the worlds of education, digitisation and business. She deals with sales and management of the largest IT projects in Europe. Ewelina has been awarded as one of the Top 15 Women in 5G in Poland in 2020 for fighting misinformation and lack of knowledge about 5G technology. She is a long-term mentor in the "IT for She" programme, which aims to increase the participation of women in the technology industry. The programme has been awarded by the European Commission.
Anna Kędziora-Szwagrzak who is the President of the Management Board, Veolia Energia Łódź SA and a graduate of the Faculty of Economics and Sociology. She has been associated with the Lodz energy sector since 1996. Anna Kędziora-Szwagrzak has been the President of the Management Board, CEO of Veolia Energii Łódź since 2018. She is responsible for the energy transformation of the Lodz heating system towards its decarbonisation, and then achieving climate neutrality, with particular emphasis on the business dimension, social interests and the natural environment. She participated in international development programmes for the management staff of the Veolia group. Anna is a licensed tax advisor and accountant certified by the Ministry of Finance in Poland. She is a member of the supervisory boards of Polish energy companies and the Veolia Group in Poland.
Agata Kowalska-Pulit who is the EMEA SSC Director, Wella Company and a graduate in Management and Marketing with specialisation in: Accounting and Financial Management. From the beginning of her professional career, she has been associated with Finance, mainly in the SSC/BPO industry. She developed her career at General Electric, Infosys, Tate&Lyle, Whirlpool, where she has gained various experience in managerial positions. She has been the Financial Director of the Shared Services Centre for the Europe, Middle East and Africa region at Wella Company since 2021. Agata Kowalska specialises in such areas as: finance, accounting, SSC, outsourcing, project management, human resources management, optimisation and transformation of business processes, Six Sigma.
As part of the VIP Alumni Programme, which has been consistently implemented for over 10 years, University of Lodz establishes cooperation with representatives of the world of science, art, politics and business. Outstanding alumni of the University of Lodz are its greatest strength. They are a community that builds the university's identity, supports its tradition and development and actively operates on the national and international arenas. The university regularly organises events dedicated to its Alumni, including Expert Lectures and meetings with outstanding personalities, during which topics related to e.g. development of the university in the context of economic and geopolitical changes in the world are discussed.The Expert Lectures held at the University of Lodz include lectures delivered by: Konrad Pokutycki – President of the Management Board of BSH, Jerzy Czubak – President of Amcor Ltd., Witold Orłowski – Chief Economist of PwC Polska and Tomasz Marciniak – Managing Partner of McKinsey & Company Polska.
Source: Centre for External Relations, University of Lodz
Edit: Promotion Centre, University of Lodz